"Come over and take a look, Severus."
Voldemort stood at the edge of a cliff, speaking to the still-young Snape. The night wind swept through his robes, making him look like smoke.
"Yes, Master," Snape said cautiously, then moved to stand half a step behind Voldemort.
"What do you see?" Voldemort asked.
"A Muggle city," Snape said, looking at the brightly lit buildings in the distance.
"Would you like to hear my opinion?" Voldemort asked, though he did not truly want Severus's answer. He continued on his own. "Do you know why we have not been exposed yet?"
"Please tell me, Master."
"They will not tell anyone that they have been attacked by magic." Voldemort smiled. "Denying magic and wizardry is important to them."
The young Snape looked somewhat bewildered.
"Though you grew up in a Muggle family, you seem not to understand them very well." Voldemort's smile faded. "Their way of life has changed greatly from the Middle Ages. They know to bathe every day and keep their surroundings clean. They no longer live like pigs in mud-covered cities. They look far more civilized."
"But they are wrong," Snape immediately said.
"Wrong in what way?" Voldemort asked.
Snape's face went pale, and for a long while, he could not answer.
"Do you know why I have not placed restrictions on you?" Voldemort asked. "I hope that people like you and Lucius will be sincerely loyal to me. That is very important to me."
"Of course I am loyal to you, Master," Snape hurriedly said.
Voldemort's red eyes stared at him.
Snape immediately lowered his head in fear.
"The process of witch-hunting was too terrifying. It frightened not only the cowardly wizards, but also the hunters themselves." Voldemort looked back at the city. "Under that Reign of Terror, husbands denounced