"I've been waiting for you, Severus."
Dumbledore clearly knew that Snape would come to find him.
Even if Snape had dismissed the news in The Daily Prophet as mere rumor, the moment the Dark Mark on his arm began to burn like searing iron, he could no longer deny it. No matter how unwilling he was to believe it, there was only one conclusion—the Dark Lord had truly returned.
"He's back—he's back, Dumbledore!"
Snape's expression was a mix of grief and fury, like a wounded, cornered dog.
"Voldemort… indeed revived," said Dumbledore calmly. "But now, he's in my custody."He lifted his hand, and a flame appeared in his palm. The fire twisted into Voldemort's face.
"You should thank Charles—it was he who captured Voldemort."
"Severus—" the fiery visage contorted into a snarl, its eyes blazing with rage and hatred toward the servant it had once trusted above all others.
"You betrayed me!"
The sight of it erased any remaining doubt in Snape's mind. It was truly him—the one he despised more than anyone.
But—
"Like this? He can still activate the Dark Mark?" Snape muttered blankly.
In the past, Voldemort could summon his Death Eaters through the Mark—sometimes by pure will, other times by channeling power through one of their arms. Yet the pitiful wraith flickering in Dumbledore's fire surely no longer possessed such strength.
"Of course not, Severus. The one who summoned you… was someone else," Dumbledore explained. "Or rather—Charles. He defeated Voldemort and turned his resurrected body into a puppet. The so-called Voldemort the Ministry is reporting, the one calling for his followers—it's all Charles's doing."
"So that means…"Snape recovered from his brief shock, a cruel smile spreading across his face."His life—or death—is in your hands?"
Hatred twisted his features. Even Voldemort's flame seemed to recoil, confusion flashing in those burning eyes.
Why? He had treated Snape well—allowed a half-blood to stand among the pureblood elite, even above them. Was that not generosity enough?And yet Snape's hatred toward him now was raw, unmasked.
"Severus… tell me—what did I do to earn your betrayal? What has Dumbledore given you that I have not? What did he offer that made you turn against your master?"
"You'll never understand, Tom," Dumbledore said softly, pity in his eyes. "Not everything in this world is driven by profit. Some people live for love."
"Love?" Voldemort sneered. That false, meaningless word—
"You promised me… and you broke your word," Snape said coldly, stepping toward the fire.
"What—?"
"I begged you not to kill Lily. And yet you did!"
His voice rose, hoarse and trembling with rage. The fire trembled violently, nearly snuffed out under the weight of his fury.
"You killed her! You killed her!"
"And now you ask why I will not follow you?!"
If the Dark Lord had a body, Snape would have been at his throat already.No—he didn't need one.
"Aguamenti!"
A torrent of water blasted from Snape's wand like a high-pressure jet, striking the fiery visage.
"You're still not out?!"
"That's a soul flame, Severus…" Dumbledore sighed helplessly, glancing at the water splashing dangerously close to his desk. "You can't extinguish it that way."
"All for a woman?" Voldemort scoffed. "A woman who bore the surname Potter?"
Lily Potter.Of course he remembered. Snape had pleaded for her life once—and he had even considered sparing her.
But she had refused him. She had chosen death over submission. How was that his fault?
"I gave her a chance, Severus—"
"And I gave you one," Snape interrupted sharply. "If Lily had still lived, I would never have betrayed you!"
"If you'll swear loyalty to me again," Voldemort hissed, "I could give you more than one woman. Ten—hundred—"
"Silence!"
Snape's roar cut him off.
"You'll never understand! A hundred? A thousand? No—there was only one Lily!"
Voldemort fell silent. The eyes within the fire regarded him with contempt, realizing at last what kind of man he was—a fool, driven by emotions the Dark Lord had long abandoned.
Under his rule, Snape could have had everything. Yet he clung to a ghost, treasuring a broken memory.
"Kill him, Dumbledore!" Snape snarled.
But Dumbledore only shook his head.
"Hah! Disappointed, are you, Severus?" Voldemort's laughter echoed, proud and defiant. "You may control me, but you can never kill me! I've mastered the secret of eternity—the secret of immortality!"
"What, living forever as a helpless ball of fire?" Snape sneered. "Pathetic."
He turned toward Dumbledore again, urging him wordlessly. But the Headmaster only sighed and shook his head once more.
Seeing this, Voldemort laughed louder, triumphant.
"You'll never destroy me! Mark my words, Dumbledore—your time will come! And as for Charles Gold… I can wait. I'll wait until the day his power begins to fade!"
Dumbledore said nothing. He merely gathered the flames gently into a crystal vial and sealed it away.
"Dumbledore," Snape said bitterly, "was what he said true?"
If Harry had been there to witness this, he would have seen that Snape's hatred toward Voldemort burned far deeper than anything he'd ever felt toward the boy.
"It was true once," Dumbledore replied. "But now… Charles and I have discovered a way to end him—completely. It will take some time. And one more thing—you no longer need to keep antagonizing Harry."
Snape glared at him. When it became clear Dumbledore had no intention of revealing the method, he turned and stormed toward the door.
"Wait."
Snape stopped. "What? Changed your mind?"
"No. I need you to pretend you know nothing of tonight's events—and respond to 'Voldemort's' next summons."
"Respond?" Snape's lip curled as he understood. "What's this, then? Charles Gold defeats Voldemort, and now you begin to doubt him?"
"I only fear he may stray from the right path," Dumbledore said quietly.
(End of Chapter)