Hogwarts i am snape

"Father," Narcissa suddenly spoke, "Father, is there a particular reason for your return this time?"

Her blue eyes fixed on Snape, and their gaze caused a flicker of unease within him. Snape inwardly tensed—this woman was, after all, the very heart of the Malfoy family, and she was never one to be easily fooled.

"The Dark Lord's task," he answered vaguely, hoping the reply was both ambiguous and powerful enough. He saw Lucius immediately straighten in his chair, a hint of confusion in his eyes.

Narcissa once again took Lucius's hand, exchanging a glance with him.

"Of course, Father," she said respectfully. "Is there anything we can do for him?"

"I need to inspect the item the Dark Lord entrusted to us," Snape said cautiously, preparing himself for action. "I am to take it secretly to Hogwarts."

Lucius's brow furrowed slightly, but Narcissa's expression remained as calm as still water.

"Certainly," Narcissa said, standing up. "I shall fetch it for you at once."

A peculiar feeling rose within Snape, as if something was amiss. But he didn't feel his performance was lacking; he had mimicked Abraxas's mannerisms and tone perfectly. Unless—Narcissa was walking towards the study door; in another second, her hand would grasp the doorknob.

Her movement struck a sensitive nerve in Snape; he couldn't quite explain why, but he realized he had made a mistake.

The instant Narcissa's fingers were about to touch the doorknob, Snape swiftly drew his wand, and two silent Full Body-Bind Curses struck Narcissa and Lucius.

Narcissa's movement halted instantly, while Lucius sprang from his chair with a gasp, his face etched with shock.

Before Narcissa's stiff body could fall to the ground, Snape quickly rose and caught her, gently laying her down. Just as Lucius was about to hit the floor, Snape cast a Levicorpus spell, suspending him in mid-air.

Only Narcissa's eyes moved, calmly watching Snape.

"Where did I go wrong?" Snape asked Narcissa, then realized she couldn't answer. "Oh, right, you can't speak now."

Next, Snape pointed his wand at the study's doors, windows, and walls, casting a Muffliato charm. After ensuring their conversation wouldn't be overheard by anyone or any portrait, he searched Lucius and Narcissa's robes for their wands, tucking them into his own robes.

"Now, I will release you from the Full Body-Bind Curse," Snape said coldly. "If you are willing to gamble with your own lives and each other's, then I won't mind sending you to meet Merlin. Understood?"

He magically moved Narcissa beside Lucius, looked into their eyes, and said, "If you understand, please blink your eyes up and down."

Lucius immediately complied; Narcissa hesitated for a moment, then also moved her eyes.

"Excellent," Snape said, walking to the door and releasing them from the Full Body-Bind Curse.

Two flashes of red light, and their bodies regained their freedom. Narcissa sat up, trying to compose herself, while Lucius appeared somewhat frightened.

"Who are you?" His voice trembled slightly.

"I am your dear father, Lucius," Snape said kindly, pointing his wand at them. "Sit."

The two obediently sat back in their chairs, without any unnecessary movement.

As Snape waved his wand, several ropes appeared out of thin air, binding them to their chairs. The whole scene appeared eerily bizarre—Abraxas Malfoy firmly tying his own son and daughter-in-law in their family study.

"Now," Snape pulled a chair over and sat opposite them, smiling as he stared at them. "Tell me, Narcissa, how did you discover my deception?"

Narcissa hesitated for a while, then finally decided to speak truthfully: "Abraxas Malfoy is not a Death Eater."

Snape's pupils contracted slightly. Only then did he realize he had made an arrogant mistake—he had taken it for granted that since Lucius was a Death Eater, it would naturally follow that his father was too.

But Narcissa was right; for an old family like the Malfoys, it was a better choice not to have all their members join Tom's faction. That way, even if Lucius faced trial, Abraxas could still work on his behalf from the outside.

"Clever," Snape murmured, forced to admire Narcissa's shrewdness.

To his surprise, Narcissa then turned to Lucius and asked, "What exactly is that item the Dark Lord entrusted to you?"

"I—" Lucius looked confused and hesitant. "I'm not sure if I should—"

"Lucius," Narcissa's voice suddenly sharpened. "Our lives are in peril. Answer the question."

Lucius swallowed, stammering, "It's a notebook, I think."

"What exactly is it?" Narcissa pressed. "Is it important?"

"The Dark Lord only told me the book was cleverly enchanted," Lucius replied, sounding unsure. "He instructed me to give it to a Hogwarts student when I received the command. It seems that thing can open the Chamber of Secrets at the school. It doesn't seem very important—"

"Sir," Narcissa turned to Snape, "you've come all this way. Is it that notebook you're after?"

"Indeed," Snape nodded. "That is precisely my purpose in coming here."

"We can give it to you," Narcissa's voice regained its composure, even taking on a hint of negotiation. "And even a large sum of money as well, if you just promise not to harm us."

"But this belongs to the Dark Lord," Lucius interjected. "We cannot—"

"Silence, Lucius," Narcissa snapped, cutting him off, then turned back to Snape. "Sir, I presume you are disguised as our father through Polyjuice Potion, correct?"

Snape nodded in affirmation.

"Then I presume," Narcissa continued, her voice growing steadier, "since you went to such great lengths to come to our humble abode, that notebook must be far more important than Lucius believes."

"Given that, allowing us to live and continue our lives normally, as before, is undoubtedly the best choice for you," she paused. "Otherwise, if something were to happen to us, the Dark Lord would certainly come to check on the notebook's status. I imagine you wouldn't want the Dark Lord to discover that?"

Snape had to admit that Narcissa's reasoning was sound.

"The Malfoy family would be quite lost without you, Narcissa," he said. "I concede that your continued existence serves my purposes better." He looked at Lucius, who was acting quite the coward beside them, and couldn't help but shake his head. "But—help me think, how can you convince me that you won't inform the Dark Lord afterwards?"

"An Obliviate Charm is an option—" Narcissa murmured. "It's just that the Dark Lord is exceptionally skilled at Legilimency. If he found Lucius dazed, he might become curious and forcefully view his memories..."

She fell silent, clearly struggling to think of a way to preserve her husband's life and her own.

Snape himself had no intention of taking their lives. If all else failed, he thought, an Obliviate Charm would still be better than doing nothing at all.

Suddenly, he realized that he didn't need to treat Narcissa as an enemy; she had never been a steadfast servant of the Dark Lord.

If he could make Narcissa realize the diary's importance to the Dark Lord, with her intelligence, she would never tell the Dark Lord about its loss, or else only disaster would await the Malfoy family. Of course, he would not reveal the fact that the Dark Lord had multiple Horcruxes. As for whether she could guess it, that was Narcissa's concern.

"Do you know Occlumency?" Snape asked.

"We both do," Narcissa replied, a flicker of hope in her eyes. "And quite skillfully. It's... well, a necessary skill under the Dark Lord."

"Then, I can spare your lives, but I need to speak with you alone," Snape nodded, looking at Narcissa. "If I have your husband retrieve that notebook, can you guarantee that you will persuade him to keep this matter secret afterwards?"

"Narcissa," Lucius looked worried. "I don't think—"

"Yes," Narcissa said decisively, then turned to her husband. "Lucius, do as he says. Go and retrieve that notebook. Do not inform anyone. Our lives depend on your cooperation."

Lucius looked like he wanted to say something more, but under Narcissa's determined gaze, he finally nodded.

"Good," Snape said. "That's what I wanted to hear. If you still care for your wife's life, Mr. Malfoy, do nothing extra."

After Snape released his ropes, Lucius took several deep breaths, looked at Narcissa, who nodded firmly.

"Do not inform anyone," she emphasized again.

Lucius left the study, gently closing the door behind him.

Now, only Snape and Narcissa, still bound to her chair, remained in the room.

"Narcissa," Snape looked at her gently. "You must have guessed who I am, by now?"

"I don't know," Narcissa shook her head. "And I don't wish to know."

"I have always believed you to be cleverer than the entire Malfoy family combined," Snape remarked. "Now, speak my name."

Narcissa was silent for a moment, then sighed softly and began to speak: "It could only be you, Severus. Long time no see."

"Indeed," Snape's lips curved slightly. "Long time no see, Narcissa. I trust dealing with clever people will be quite enjoyable."

"I completely agree," Narcissa said. "We have always been friends. Rest assured, Lucius and I will not reveal anything about tonight."

"Of course, of course, we have always been friends," Snape looked into her eyes. "But I need to add an extra layer of protection."

"Here, my friend, I must tell you something terrible—that notebook is the Dark Lord's Horcrux. Do you know what a Horcrux is?"

Narcissa's eyes widened in horror. This was the first time Snape had seen such an extreme expression from her all evening.

After a long pause, she nodded. "I know what that is. It seems what Lucius said earlier was true."

"What did Lucius say?" Snape pressed, curious.

"The Dark Lord once told Lucius and the others that his goal was to conquer death," Narcissa whispered, a tremor in her voice. "He has travelled further along the path of immortality than anyone else—"

"The names of the Dark Lord and the Death Eaters seem quite fitting for that," Snape said. "So you understand the notebook's importance to the Dark Lord, and what would happen if he knew you had lost it?"

"We would face the Dark Lord's severest punishment," Narcissa whispered. "Severus, I know what to do." She hesitated, then added, "If there is any important information about the Dark Lord later, I will find a way to tell you."

"Why?" Snape asked; this was a complete, unexpected bonus for him.

"Since you've all tracked it down to here," Narcissa looked up at Snape, complex emotions flickering in her eyes. "Then you must be striving to prevent the Dark Lord from achieving his goal of immortality."

"And—" her voice became softer, "I do not wish for an unpredictable, immortal leader. I do not want my children to live forever under his rule."

Snape scrutinized her, judging the truthfulness of her words.

Narcissa's gaze did not waver in the slightest.

"Whether it's the Minister for Magic, or the 'greatest wizard' everyone praises, they have all changed over the years," she said. "But the Malfoy family has always remained the Malfoy family. The Dark Lord's immortality would disrupt this order."

"Remember to keep an eye on your husband," Snape finally nodded. "Lucius isn't as clever as you are."

"Alright," Narcissa said, then suddenly asked, "We are still friends, aren't we?"

"Why not?" Snape said. "My friend."

A smile, tinged with a hint of cunning, appeared on Narcissa's face: "Do you remember the Sorting Hat's song the year you started school? That song was one of the most frequently sung by the Sorting Hat."

Without waiting for Snape to answer, she looked into his eyes and softly sang:

"Or perhaps in Slytherin

You'll make your real friends,

Those cunning folk use any means

To achieve their ends."

After singing, she said, "You truly are a worthy Slytherin, Severus."

"Well sung," Snape clapped his hands. "Thank you for the compliment."

Just then, a light knock sounded at the door.

The study door opened, and Lucius entered, holding a small book with a black cover.

He closed the door, looked worriedly at Narcissa, and after confirming she was unharmed, breathed a sigh of relief. He carefully handed the small book to Snape, then obediently returned to his chair and sat down.

After re-binding Lucius, Snape examined the notebook, ensuring it wasn't a product of a Gemino Curse.

The faded date on the notebook's cover indicated it was thirty-five years old. Snape carefully opened it, and on the first page, he saw a name written in faint, blurry ink: T.M. Riddle.

Riddle's diary was completely blank, page after page, without a single trace of writing.

Snape picked up a quill from the desk, dipped it in the inkwell, and walked to Narcissa's side, gesturing for her to watch.

"My name is Jerry Spike," he wrote in the diary.

As he and Narcissa watched, the ink shimmered brightly on the page for a second, then seemed to be absorbed into the paper, vanishing without a trace.

Then, words suddenly seeped out onto the paper, in the very ink he had just used.

"Hello, Jerry Spike. My name is Tom Riddle. How did you find my diary?"

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