Snape, the Sunshine of Hogwarts

After seeing the directions they pointed out, Old Lu Ping nodded with absolute certainty.

"Yes! This is it. We'll see the coastline in less than 6 miles!"

“I checked the records of the Isle of Man conservation organization!” Granger said excitedly. “There wasn’t much found near the coastline, but it’s still this man-made forest, which belongs to them on the island. But according to their organization’s records, the forest was originally about 80.3 acres, but that number has been decreasing in subsequent records! About half an acre of land has disappeared!”

“They actually surveyed for a long time but couldn’t find where the missing half acre went. They thought there was something wrong with the initial data! This is very strange, but if the werewolves had chosen a certain spot in the plantation as a secret camp a long time ago, then this makes sense!”

Severus clapped his hands and praised with great emotion.

"Guys! You guys are awesome! Even an Auror wouldn't be worthy to carry your shoes!"

The three of them immediately stood up. They all understood that now that they had a target, it was best not to delay and to go find it as soon as possible before nightfall!

As midnight approached, they began their operation.

While most of the residents of the Isle of Man were asleep and the neon lights of the red-light district and bar street were on, Severus and his companions arrived at the area they had discovered in the northern part of the island.

Not long after entering this man-made forest, Severus was the first to notice something amiss.

"Wait, wasn't the anomaly Lyle discovered during the day in the northwest?"

“Yes, the very edge of the Northwest!” Old Lu Ping said definitively.

"There does seem to be traces of magic here, but it also seems like some kind of magic has helped to cover up these traces."

Severus stroked his chin and pulled a small bottle of red liquid from the inner pocket of his robe.

"This is the blood of the Fire Ash Serpent. It's very troublesome to obtain, but it's extremely sensitive to magic, so it can help determine its nature."

As he spoke, he squatted down and poured the bottle of snake blood onto the ground.

Soon, the red liquid, which looked like it was constantly burning, spread across the ground like a spider web. Finally, the thin lines that extended outwards, like branches, stretched from the northwest all the way to the northeast!

“We’ve come to the right place! This is it! There’s a massive Muggle banishment spell here, stretching from west to east, covering an area of ​​nearly two acres!”

As Severus spoke, Granger and Lupin made eye contact with him.

"Are we just going to charge straight in like this?" Granger didn't know how to fight, especially against wizards.

"No! This place is too big. We can't be sure of their exact location. If we make a commotion, given their large numbers, they might use Apparition or the Portkey to escape!"

Severus shook his head, raised his wand, and gave instructions to old Lupin and Granger.

"I'll go to the Ministry of Magic and find a few reliable people. They can help us cast the Anti-Apparition Charm. You wait here for me for a few minutes, and be careful not to let them find out."

Old Lupin nodded and said to Severus.

"Don't worry, I'll use the Disillusionment Charm to hide Robert and me, and then I'll wait for you here."

Severus did not linger. He immediately used Apparition to go to the Ministry of Magic to find Kingsley, only allowing him to bring his men, and then quickly returned to the man-made forest.

I overestimated my typing speed. The next chapter will be posted before 11 PM.

Chapter 94 An Unbreakable Vow (3k)

Godric's Valley, southwest England.

This is a semi-wizard community, the place where Harry's parents once lived, and the place where Voldemort last disappeared.

After escaping from Crouch's house, Barty Jr. and his group of followers used Apparition repeatedly to teleport to a safe house they had prepared. After using the Portkey inside, they finally shook off the Aurors chasing after them.

Now, they live in a secret cabin in Godric Valley.

The thugs gathered together, and under the dim light, someone questioned Little Barty, who had gathered them together.

"Crouch, when you wrote to us, you said you had leads on the Dark Lord!"

The one who spoke was Dorfin Roll, a blond-haired, impatient, and careless Death Eater.

After he finished speaking, the others all looked at Barty, who was sitting in the center, carefully maintaining the wand in his hand.

Clearly, Snape's words had an impact on them.

Especially that line, "I think you're trying to create a new Death Eater!"

Even the most foolish Death Eaters understand that if they, as proponents of bloodlines, want to gain real power and truly have a chance to seize control of the magical world, their only hope lies with the missing Dark Lord!

No one else has the potential to lead them.

Not to mention Barty Jr., a young man who is only in his early twenties, joined the Death Eaters late, and has neither age nor experience.

The reason these people were willing to listen to him was twofold: firstly, he claimed to have clues about the Dark Lord, and secondly, he had indeed been ruthless in the past when he was with the Lestranges!

He once again demonstrated his ruthlessness when facing Barty at Crouch's house.

Upon hearing Raul's words, Little Barty did not speak immediately.

He sat steadily in the chair with his legs crossed, carefully cleaning all the dust off the wand before raising his head to meet those eyes.

"You also doubt my loyalty to my master?"

His gaze wasn't sharp, but it was exceptionally cold. Everyone who met his eyes instinctively looked away, until finally Little Barty's gaze fell on Rol.

Rol couldn't help but shiver. He didn't know why he was afraid. Maybe it was because the look in those eyes was too oppressive, or maybe it was because the image of Barty Jr. torturing his own father in Crouch's old house was deeply etched in his mind.

In the end, he took the initiative to show weakness and avoid eye contact, while explaining.

"No, of course I don't doubt your loyalty to your master! I... I'm just worried about him. After all, he's been missing for so long, and many people in the magical world have almost forgotten his fame. We need to find him as soon as possible, right?"

“But not now,” Barty said coldly. “The Aurors from the Ministry of Magic will come after us like mad dogs during this time! None of them can afford the consequences of the Death Eaters rising from the ashes. If we go to our master now, we will only be inviting trouble!”

“But, but once we find our master, we won’t need to be afraid of the Aurors anymore, right?” Bruno Selwyn couldn’t help but say.

He was born into the House of Selwyn, one of the Twenty-Eight Holy Families.

Barty Jr. spoke slowly and deliberately.

“Snape was right about at least one thing: now is not the time for the master to return. He needs time to recover, and we must not cause him any trouble during this time.”

"So what are we supposed to do now? Just sit here and wait for the Aurors to come to us!" Graybury couldn't help but shout.

“We’re not enough on our own,” Barty said calmly. “I’ll go find my old friends. Their loyalty to the Master isn’t absolute, but they’re not completely devoted to the Ministry of Magic either. They’ll like to see me.”

“And what about us?” Dino Perkins asked.

"Don't worry, everyone! I know what you're worried about!" Little Barty stood up from his chair and said loudly, "During these most difficult and dark days, when our companions have betrayed us or been captured, you are the first to respond and prepare to welcome our master's return!"

"Once we truly welcome our master back, I will tell him all about your sacrifices and let him know who his true servants are!"

After he finished speaking, the small house fell silent.

There may be fools who are capable of doing bad things, but there are very few idiots. They know very well that Little Barty has given them an empty promise. Who knows what the Dark Lord will say when he really comes back?

Little Barty naturally understood what they were thinking at that moment.

In his mind, these people were no different from Malfoy and Goyle's group of opportunists; they were a group of people without any loyalty, who only followed the Dark Lord for profit.

Only those imprisoned in Azkaban, like the Lestrange family, are true followers of the Dark Lord, just like him.

But Little Barty knew even better that, at least until he found his master, he still needed the help of these people, so he had to show enough sincerity to keep them on their toes.

"I will make an unbreakable vow!"

Barty Jr. knelt on one knee, extended his right hand, and said loudly.

“Roll can swear an oath with me, with Selwyn as our witness, and we will make this vow! When the Dark Lord returns to the wizarding world, I will recount your deeds to him and commend your loyalty! I will never break this vow!”

His words made everyone else in the room breathe heavily.

Verbal promises are meaningless, but a magical oath is a different story!

Without hesitation, Luo Er immediately knelt down on one knee opposite Little Barty, and extended his right hand to grasp Little Barty's wrist with his own!

“Our loyalty to the Dark Lord is unwavering, but with your assurance, it would be even better!”

He was spouting high-sounding words, and the group of people around him nodded in agreement. Selwyn also raised his wand and stood next to the two men's clasped arms.

"Let's begin," Little Barty said calmly.

Selwyn began casting the spell, placing the tip of his wand on their clasped hands.

Rol made the vow that needed to be kept.

Barty Jr. agreed.

A final, thin, dazzling tongue of fire shot from the wand, like a red-hot metal wire, wrapping around their hands before disappearing completely.

After everyone witnessed this scene, the atmosphere in the cabin immediately became relaxed.

Everyone wore a relaxed smile.

"Don't worry, Crouch, go and contact those people from before, and we'll help you distract those Aurors!"

"You don't need to help attract them; just leave this to Fenrir."

Barty wiped the dust off his knees with his wand and looked calmly at Graybury.

Noticing his gaze, Graybury was somewhat surprised and pointed to himself.

"I?"

"I told you to cause some trouble in the wizarding world before, didn't you kidnap a bunch of children?"

Greyback grinned cruelly. "You mean those brats? I've captured four wizards and three Muggles. I'm planning to convert them all when the moon is full next month."

Hearing this, the other Death Eaters felt somewhat uncomfortable.

It wasn't that they thought Graybuck was too bad, but rather that his behavior easily made them think that one day their own children might experience the same thing.

When Barty heard what he said, he simply said it casually.

"Leave four of the seven people alive, kill the rest, and then activate the Dark Magic Mark."

Greyback's eyes turned into wild, slanted glare with excitement!

He has an extremely twisted psychology and enjoys seeing bloodshed, especially the bloodshed of children!

"Then I'll pick three randomly, and I also have to choose a junior wizard, otherwise it'll be bad if those Aurors don't take it seriously!"

"Choose whichever you prefer, but once you're done, get out of here as quickly as possible. The Ministry of Magic will be after you like crazy." Barty sat back down in his chair and poured himself a cup of hot tea.

"Everyone else should stay hidden for now and wait for my message."

These wicked villains, the remnants of the Death Eaters, nodded in unison, then bid farewell to Barty Jr. and Apparated away from the hut.

In the end, only Little Barty remained.

Staring at the light in the middle of the house swaying in the breeze, Little Barty gave a silent smile.

Greyback, brimming with excitement, led his pack of werewolves back to their camp on the Isle of Man.

Nothing unexpected happened here; it was just as peaceful as when they left.

The three werewolves who remained there heeded his advice completely, never letting their wands leave their sides, thus preventing Lupin from seizing any opportunity.

As soon as he returned to the camp, he set his sights on one of his men.

"Where are Remus and those brats?"

“The children were asleep, and Remus was sitting outside their tent.”

Greyback soon arrived at the tattered tent where Harry and his friends were staying.

Lupin had been sitting there, pondering how to release some clues, when he saw Graybury arrive with a group of men, and a very bad feeling rose in his heart!

They're already asleep; it's best not to wake them.

"Go away!"

Greyback shoved Lupin to the ground, and then two werewolves pulled back the tent flap, revealing the seven children inside who had been awakened!

The children were terrified when they saw the malicious stares from outside.

Harry and Hermione were holding each other's hands tightly, their faces deathly pale!

"Alright, you little rascals! Time to end your house game!"

Greyback clapped his hands, grinning menacingly.

"Tonight I'm going to play a game with you, a game where only four people can survive!"

I wrote 10,000 words today, and I'll write 10,000 words tomorrow. Maybe I'll write 10,000 words every day from now on.

Tomorrow, it will still be at these two times: one chapter at noon and two chapters at 10 pm.