Bab 612: Chapter 612: Voldemort's Miraculous Punishment (Edited)
Who can rescue Lucius from Voldemort's enraged clutches? The answer is not many. But if we add a condition: being willing to save Lucius, then only one option remains.
Severus Snape.
Snape had a good relationship with the Malfoy family. When he entered Hogwarts, Lucius Malfoy was the Slytherin prefect. They shared similar ideas, which kept them in the same social circle. Lucius had a good impression of Snape and treated him well. Snape, in turn, had great affection for Lucius's son, Draco, which further strengthened their relationship.
Furthermore, at that time Snape enjoyed Voldemort's trust, making him the only person with the capability and willingness to help Lucius.
Narcissa also realized this, so she hurried to Hogwarts and contacted Snape through an owl while he was enjoying his lunch.
As always, Snape was carefully selecting from the delicious dishes in front of him: "Sausages, fried chicken, plum jam, and two slices of bread... it seems there are not enough vegetables..." While Snape was concerned about his lunch choice, an owl landed in front of him and delivered a letter.
Snape opened the note and found the following words written in elegant and familiar handwriting:
[Can we meet at the Pig's Head?
It's something very important.
Please.
Narcissa]
Snape closed the letter, and a familiar face appeared in his mind. He knew Narcissa would only come looking for him if it was extremely important, so in any case, he had to go see her.
Out of gratitude, Narcissa and Lucius Malfoy had taken care of him when he entered Hogwarts and had kept in touch after graduating. Moreover, since the Malfoys were key members of the Death Eaters, maintaining a close relationship with them allowed him to obtain valuable information.
Therefore, Snape pushed his plate aside and quickly got up to leave the table.
It didn't take Snape long to reach the Pig's Head bar, where he met Narcissa. Today, the small, run-down bar was not open, there was only a figure shrouded in a hood wandering beneath the sign.
Seeing Snape approach, Narcissa removed her hood, revealing her pale blonde hair, and her face was so pale that it seemed dazzling.
"Narcissa, you really surprise me by coming to such a dirty place," Snape said, looking at her, feeling that she didn't fit in there.
Hearing the footsteps, Narcissa turned joyfully and saw those familiar black eyes and greasy hair falling alongside the pale yellow cheeks.
At this moment, this face seemed so familiar to her.
"Severus, please, save Lucius!" Without wasting time on greetings, Narcissa explained her purpose directly. She knew her husband was being tortured, and she had to act without delay.
"This is not a good place to talk," Snape frowned as he looked around. Although there was no one around, who knows if there were lurking ears in the darkness?
"There's no time to lose, we'll talk as we walk," Narcissa was not willing to wait another second. She grabbed Snape's hand, and in the next instant, both of them appeared outside the Malfoy Manor.
Being friends with Lucius and Narcissa, Snape had every right to go to the Malfoy Manor, even if it wasn't the Death Eaters' hideout.
On the way, Narcissa told Snape what had happened.
"Why is he so enraged?" Snape assessed the situation and decided to try and get information from Lucius.
Upon hearing Snape, Narcissa felt relieved - he had agreed to help Lucius! But there was a problem: she didn't know the answer.
Seeing that Narcissa didn't have any information, Snape was also at a loss for words.
He wouldn't have risked it if it wasn't useful. Snape struggled to convince himself and, along with Narcissa, entered the garden.
In the garden, Lucius was still being tortured, but now there were two more spectators: Peter Pettigrew and Barty Crouch Jr.
Upon seeing Snape arrive, Voldemort temporarily stopped his activities, and Lucius fell heavily to the ground, producing a dull thud.
Narcissa covered her eyes, unable to look at her husband in that state.
Voldemort looked at Snape and then at Narcissa by his side, immediately understanding the situation. Although he was angry, his mind was still lucid.
"If you've come to plead for him, there's no need to waste your breath," Voldemort said disdainfully, looking at Lucius. "He deserves it."
Lucius lay on the ground unconscious, unaware of what was happening; he had lost consciousness upon falling.
Narcissa's body began to tremble slightly. Peter and Barty hung their heads, hiding their faces.
"If you've come for her, I can decide to divorce Narcissa from Lucius and then promise her to you. As I said before, you deserve a better, purer-blooded woman, my friend," Voldemort showed a malicious smile.
He knew that Lucius and Narcissa were deeply in love, so destroying that relationship would provide him with more pleasure.
And wasn't this the most perfect form of punishment?
Seeing Lucius watching as his beloved wife became his friend's plaything would be much more interesting than simply using Crucius and Rennervate curses.
Snape: !!!
Narcissa: !!!
Lucius: ...
"What do you think of my proposal?" Voldemort was amazed by his own plan; just thinking about it made him feel a little less pain in his arm.
Narcissa looked at her husband unconscious on the ground, then at Snape with pale skin, and made a difficult decision.
I'm sorry, Lucius, I... this is for you, for our family...
But before she could speak, Snape calmly rejected Voldemort's proposal.
"My Lord, allow me to decline. Beauty may corrupt my will and hinder my ability to better infiltrate Dumbledore's circle," Snape said, bowing to Voldemort, showing firm determination.
Voldemort displayed an expression of disappointment.
"Very well, if that's the case, Lucius's punishment..."
"My Lord, if you continue to punish him in this manner, you will render him unusable," Barty Crouch Jr. unexpectedly advocated for Lucius. "In any case, he still has skills; it would be a real waste to squander them."
Seeing his two loyal followers advocating for Lucius, Voldemort was forced to spare him.
"Fine, since you both request it, I will release him for now... Take him away and lock him up!" Voldemort looked at Wormtail, ordering him to take Lucius.
Status Power Mingguan
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