Winning Trust

Over the years, Harry has gone through a cycle of questioning Professor Snape and then trusting him again. He has gradually become accustomed to Professor Snape's peculiarities. Even being repeatedly targeted in Potions Master class has made him numb to it. So much so that he would even be surprised if Snape didn't deduct points from his score occasionally.

Watching Bellatrix's hysterical questioning and Snape's cautious yet calm reply, Harry, imprisoned on the Angel Statue, felt nothing but a sharp pain in his chest as if a long-handled scythe were gripping him.

It wasn't that he didn't care about Snape's position; it was just that, to be fair, it was uncertain what the Potions Master's outcome would be tonight, but he knew that his own outcome tonight was pretty much a foregone conclusion.

Let's summarize the current situation: He is now firmly imprisoned by the statue, his wand has slipped from his hand and landed on the grass a few steps away, his feet are dangling in the air, and he can't even run on his bare legs.

Although the numerous vicious Death Eater surrounding them had become much more restrained in recent years, each putting on a sanctimonious facade, Harry knew that a decade or so ago these people were criminals who took pleasure in torturing Half-blood wizards and Muggle with the Cruciatus Curse.

If he can successfully obtain the wand, his proud Disarming Charm should be able to play a minor role. If he ambushes them, he can take down one or two people, or at most three or four, but there are at least twenty Death Eater here.

He even suspected that even if all these people just stood there dumbfounded and let him attack them one by one, it would still take him several minutes to chant the spell, and that would be enough time for Voldemort to tear him apart and bury him on the spot...

His Shield Charm was already quite effective; his multiple Magic Surge and the techniques he learned from Loren were enough to protect him from most spells, though unfortunately, Voldemort's Killing Curse should not be included.

In conclusion, attempting to break through and escape head-on is probably a pipe dream.

But it wasn't hopeless. The only thing he could think of at that moment was the Goblet of Goblet of Fire, which was about twenty feet away. If he could touch the trophy and reverse the Portkey spell on it, he could instantly return to Hogwarts...

The challenge now is how he can break free from the statue's restraints without alerting anyone, all while being watched by dozens of eyes, and quietly retrieve his magic wand...

Harry's gaze fell on the Phoenix Feather wand with its core not far away, pondering how fast he could obtain the trophy using Summoning Charm under ideal conditions, and whether it could be faster than Voldemort's Killing Curse.

"... If I had known he was working for his master, how could I not have helped him, just like last Christmas holiday, at the Leaky Cauldron, in Diagon Alley..."

Before Snape could finish answering, he stood up, his hands hanging at his sides, his deep black eyes fixed on Bellatrix with unwavering focus.

Bellatrix paused for a moment, as did Loren and Harry, who were listening in the dark and light respectively, as the memory of that siege gradually resurfaced in their minds.

At that time, the great Dark Lord sent Wormtail back to Hogwarts to retrieve Ravenclaw's Diadem, while he himself created chaos to retrieve Hufflepuff's Goblet. She did not expect that several Hogwarts professors would be present. When she came to her senses, she was already surrounded by McGonagall and Flitwick, and was in danger.

If Snape hadn't loosened the encirclement, she would have been put on trial again, and might have even revealed her master's hiding place, further delaying the reappearance of the Dark Mark.

"Over the past few months, the Dark Mark has become increasingly clear, and I knew you were about to make a comeback. All the Death Eater know this!"

Snape spoke slowly, as if he were brewing a Polyjuice Potion, and the Potions Master had plenty of patience. "I have enough time to think about where I should go, to plan what I should do next, such as running away like Karkaroff, or even informing on him to Dumbledore, don't I?"

"I was briefly lost, but my loyalty has never been betrayed!"

"Then how do you explain Harry Potter? He's still alive and well today, and you had four years to do whatever you wanted with him..." Bellatrix's questioning was no longer impassioned; her softened tone proved that she was re-accepting her companion.

"Things are more complicated than you think. Despite my attempts to target him, Dumbledore's protection of him was more stringent than I imagined. Besides, I had been planning to investigate what happened back then for several years, so I had to stay within my bounds."

Snape's voice changed slightly, like a potion bubbling gently in a cauldron. "Do you think I have completely gained Dumbledore's trust? He has always refused to give me the position of Defence Against the Dark Arts instructor, you know, he seems to think that would lead me back to my old ways."

Bellatrix frowned. "Is this the sacrifice you make for your master? Not being able to teach you the subjects you like?"

Snape did not continue to answer, but instead turned his gaze to Voldemort directly in front of him, as if wanting him to make a decision.

"Enough, Severus, you have proven your loyalty..." Voldemort waved his hand, and Snape strolled to the empty seat next to Barty Jr.., returning to his original position from thirteen years ago.

Voldemort stared at the still empty space in the circle, his crimson eyes fixed on it as if someone were standing there. "Five Death Eater are missing here. Four died for me: Rosier, Wilkes, Regulus, and Peter ... One didn't have the guts to come back, Karkaroff. He'll pay the price..."

Voldemort's voice suddenly shifted, rising in volume, and his lipless mouth twisted into a smile, "There's no time to lament the absence of those who are absent. What's worth celebrating is the presence of the renowned Harry Potter at my Rebirth Party! We might even call him my special guest!"

A slight commotion arose among the Death Eater. The masked men exchanged furtive glances. Lucius glanced at his smug expression, then at his colleagues standing to his left and right. After a brief silence, he took a step forward and cautiously said:

"Master, we long to know... We beg you to tell us... How did you accomplish this miracle and return to us?"

Loren fell silent for a moment.

No wonder he's Lucius Malfoy; it's no wonder the Malfoy family has been able to continue its lineage for so long.

Draco still has a lot to learn...

"Ah, it's a long story, Lucius ..." Voldemort visibly became pleased. "The beginning and the end of this story are both related to this little boy of mine."

"Of course you know, they say this boy is my nemesis, right?"

Voldemort circled the Death Eater once, finally standing in front of Harry, drawing everyone's attention to the two of them. Bellatrix and Barty Jr. Crouch. glanced at Snape out of the corner of their eyes.

"Harry Potter!" Voldemort tilted his head slightly, a gentle smile on his face, like a kind professor. "You don't need an introduction. I've heard your fame is almost as high as mine. The Boy Who Lived, your legend is built on lies. Harry, do you want me to tell you the truth about that night thirteen years ago?"

"What about you? Do you want me to tell you what made me lose my Magic Power?"

Voldemort returned to the center of the circle, surveyed the area, and his oppressive gaze caused all the Death Eater to involuntarily lower their heads. They knew that no matter how the Dark Lord had failed last time, he had now become powerful again.

"It was because of love. You all know that on the night I lost my magic and my body, I wanted to kill him." Voldemort glanced at Snape, who trembled slightly, and his scarlet eyes revealed a meaningful look.

"His mother, when that lovely Lily Potter gave her life to save her only son, inadvertently gave him a kind of extreme protection that I admit I didn't expect—I can't touch this boy."

Voldemort extended a long, thin, pale finger and slowly brought it close to Harry's cheek. "It's an ancient spell. I should have remembered it, but I foolishly ignored it. But it doesn't matter, things have changed..."

"Now, I can touch him."

The cold tip of that slender, pale finger touched Harry's scar, and for a moment it felt as if the entire North Tower had pierced his wound, making Harry's head throb as if it were about to explode.

"Hiss—ah—"

The piercing wails sounded like a beautiful piano piece. Voldemort closed his eyes and savored it for several minutes before finally leaning close to Harry's ear and chuckling softly. Satisfied, he removed his fingers and continued speaking to the Death Eater:

"Friends, I admit I miscalculated. My spell was deflected by that woman's foolish sacrifice and bounced back onto myself. Ah... that was my curse, nothing could withstand it, I was stripped of my flesh, worse than a ghost, worse than the lowest wandering spirit... but I am still alive."

"For a long time over the past thirteen years, I didn't know what I really was, but I've gone further than anyone else on the path to immortality. You all know my goal—to conquer death. It seems that at least one or two of my experiments worked, because I didn't die..."

"I hid in a remote forest, waiting, hoping that my loyal Death Eater would find me, but I waited in vain..."

Loren listened with great interest to Voldemort's hissing, snake-like cries echoing through the quiet, remote Wild Graveyard. Every spell that could help him required the aid of a wand, but at that time, Voldemort was merely an unformed Wraith.

The resentment of the wandering soul from Albania, which had lingered for ten years, seemed to transform into a drifting, cold gray mist, tightly binding every listener and sending a chill down the spines of the Death Eater.

"Until four years ago, it finally seemed like there was hope for my resurrection..."

Voldemort patiently and meticulously recounted how his plan to persuade Quirrell to take him away from the Albanian Forest, return to Hogwarts, and then seize the Sorcerer's Stone was thwarted by Dumbledore. He also very clearly hinted at Snape's role in hindering the plan, making the other Death Eater hold their breath for him.

Then, three years ago, the defeated Voldemort intended to continue lurking in the Albanian Forest, waiting for his chance. However, an item he had entrusted to him was suddenly damaged, forcing him to risk leaving the forest. He used the little power he had accumulated from the Unicorn Blood to threaten a House-elf to take him away and seek the help of another friend.

Before he could finish speaking, Lucius and Crabbe turned pale and broke out in a cold sweat. The atmosphere was awkward for about two or three minutes. Voldemort, seemingly having suppressed his emotions for too long, continued to speak tirelessly.

"A young admirer took me in, Vincent, Crabbe's son. The very little intelligence and magical talent he inherited from his father made him do poorly at school, where he was ostracized by Harry Potter and despised by those he used to consider friends. The humiliation made him angry and thirsted for power, so he took me in..."

When Voldemort recounted his defeat by Harry Potter in Dueling Club, a terrifying smile spread across his face, his crimson snake eyes becoming empty and cold. "But he possesses only clumsy yet well-developed limbs; his barren brain lacks the capacity to contain my wisdom. Therefore, I had to seek the help of my great ancestor, the greatest of the Big Four, Salazar Slytherin..."

"Sure enough, my bloodline is my Felix Felicis. My luck has been getting better and better since I came into contact with my ancestors. Vincent was not suitable for possession, so a friend of mine sent me the Wormtail. He also did not have enough intelligence. My friend disposed of his burdensome soul for me, leaving only his strong body."

"Oh, dear friend, a mutual friend of Harry Potter and me." Voldemort looked at Harry with a strange and mysterious gaze, noticing that his eyelashes fluttered a few times as if he were curious, but he quickly changed the subject without saying more.

"During my year of rest in Ilvermorny, I fully explored the legacy of Slytherin, trained Vincent into a qualified Death Eater, and perfected the Resurrection Ritual..."

"My father's bones...the flesh of my servants...and most importantly, the blood of my enemy Harry Potter!"

"Bellatrix suggested I use any wizard's blood, any wizard who hates me is my enemy, but I know only you, Harry, you are my only choice... It just so happens that the Goblet of Fire, which has been dormant for hundreds of years, has been restarted... The blood that took away my magic thirteen years ago, the protection your mother left in you will also exist in my blood."

Voldemort leaned close to Harry's wound, sniffing the scent of blood with a dazed expression. The next moment, he waved his wand, healing Harry's injury and releasing him from his restraints.

Not only were the Death Eater stunned, but Harry, who had fallen to the ground, was also taken aback.

"Pick up your wand, Harry. You should know how to duel, right?" Voldemort asked softly, like a dutiful professor demonstrating. "First, we must bow to each other..."

Voldemort bowed first, then pointed his wand at the still somewhat bewildered Harry. An unseen hand ruthlessly bent his back, causing the Death Eater to burst into laughter.