"Is this what you went to do last night?"
Snape set down the newspaper and stared at Dumbledore, seeming to want to learn something from him.
"You knew all along, didn't you?"
"Knew all along? No, we happened to be going to talk to Barty about strengthening security measures for the Triwizard Tournament, and we took the opportunity to verify our suspicions." Dumbledore looked calm. Though Barty's death had saddened him greatly, having lived for a century, he had seen too many partings and deaths to feel much grief.
"You killed the Dark Lord?" Snape could not help voicing the doubt in his heart. He pulled back his left sleeve, revealing the Dark Mark. "The Dark Lord has grown weaker. The Dark Mark has even returned to how it was before."
"Killed him? No, I merely drove him away for the time being." Dumbledore shook his head. "Tell me about the school. Nothing unusual happened while I was away, I hope?"
"Moody still seems highly suspicious. I suspect he knows you asked me to watch him," Snape said.
"Anything else?"
Dumbledore paid little attention to that. He had known long ago that with Alastor Moody's caution, he would discover it sooner or later.
"Potter is ill. According to him, the scar on his forehead seems to be hurting. That is no ordinary scar," Snape continued. "Even Madam Pomfrey has no good solution."
"His scar hurts?" Dumbledore looked thoughtful.
"You must know the reason," Snape said.
"I cannot be certain." Dumbledore had actually guessed the reason.
"Do you think Voldemort will regain a body?" Snape remained more concerned about Voldemort.
"Peter Pettigrew is still alive. Though the Aurors from the Ministry of Magic are hunting for him everywhere, I highly doubt the Ministry is capable of catching him." Dumbledore had no