Snape stood in the shadows by the laboratory door.
He said nothing.
His right hand was hidden beneath his left sleeve, his fingers clenched around the Ouroboros ring on his ring finger.
The metal's chill spread from the base of his finger, along his wrist and up his forearm.
Voldemort did not notice the movement.
Or perhaps he noticed and did not care.
"The publication authorization for these textbooks."
Snape finally spoke.
His voice was as cold and sinister as ever.
"Umbridge signed it. The official seal of the Senior Undersecretary of the Ministry of Magic. Fudge himself supported it, too. Compulsory for every student at Hogwarts."
After hearing this, Voldemort did not reply immediately.
He sat back down in his chair and crossed his legs, resting his right elbow on the armrest and his chin on the back of his hand.
On anyone else, the pose would have looked very languid.
But when Voldemort did it, there was a sense of danger, of something lying in wait, ready to strike at any moment.
"Holmes had the Ministry of Magic itself stamp its approval on a set of textbooks that deconstructs dark magic in depth."
He spoke.
There was genuine admiration in his voice.
"Brilliant."
He slowly uttered the word.
"He's training his own dark magic scholars. When needed, this knowledge can be used in reverse."
He stopped circling his finger.
"Lucius."
Lucius took half a step forward.
"Master."
"Give each of those people a set."
Lucius froze for a moment.
"Master?"
"Let them see what a Hogwarts professor has translated the things they learned into."
The corners of Voldemort's mouth curved slightly.
"Look at their faces."
Lucius lowered his head.
"As you command."
Voldemort picked up the seventh-year booklet again.
He turned to the final chapter, "Unsolved questions-topics left