HP - Shadow Monarch!

[Chapter Size: 2100 Words.]

Third Person POV

London.

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...

Snape exited Gringotts Bank after negotiating for several hours to secure a fair price for the goblins' services. Since he had agreed to pay for their labor and effort in crafting such a sword, there was still the matter of the goblins' notorious tendency to reclaim the items they created, claiming them as their own—much like Gryffindor's sword, which they were still attempting to recover. However, Snape was confident that the goblins treated him differently; they seemed to lack that same ambition around him. They feared Severus.

It was December 26, and despite not having slept since battling with the sword the entire previous day, he decided to visit the Ministry of Magic. As he walked through Diagon Alley, even though he was far from his prime, he felt much more energetic than he had the day before.

He passed by his closed shop, where Genini was calmly cleaning up. Upon seeing him, she quickly dropped everything and approached him, trembling—but in far better shape than the first day she had seen him, when she had been utterly frozen in fear.

"Master Snape..." she murmured cautiously.

Snape sighed. He hoped she would start behaving normally soon, as maintaining a working relationship with the house-elf in this manner would prove difficult. He needed her to manage his shop and keep it running while he was at Hogwarts. However, he planned to organize the shop over the next few days, as he had stockpiled plenty of supplies at home over the past month and was still awaiting the resources he had purchased from the Greengrasses. Once Albert gave the green light, he would be able to retrieve the materials he had selected.

After discussing a few matters with Genini, he departed, leaving the house-elf to heave a sigh of relief.

Snape proceeded to the political hub of magical England: the Ministry of Magic. It was his first time entering the place.

The entrance resembled that of any governmental building—well-constructed, with a garden and a driveway leading up to it, and people bustling to and fro. He easily identified a few purebloods conversing here and there with others and ministry officials or exiting through the reception doors. Even those known as dark wizards and Death Eaters were present, mingling as though they were neither murderers nor terrorists. Their presence at the Ministry was routine, thanks to their fame and political power, despite being enemies in the shadows.

This made Snape reflect on Voldemort's strategy for seizing control of magical England. The Dark Lord had already united several families under a vision of a magical world where purebloods would rule while Muggle-borns would serve as an underclass—perhaps even as slaves, as Albert put it. But before achieving this, Voldemort would have to deal with Dumbledore and the Ministry. The former left him no choice but to fight and eliminate, while the latter could be corrupted from within. For now, though, none of that mattered to Snape. Until the war began, he had little concern for these machinations.

Snape ignored everyone around him, who, in turn, paid him no attention, and walked straight into the building, heading for the reception area, where he saw three people working. He approached one of the unoccupied desks. The person manning it, a young man who looked like he had graduated from Hogwarts only a few years prior, eyed him with some suspicion—perhaps finding his presence odd for someone who appeared to be a teenager.

"I'm here regarding a letter I received from the Ministry," Snape said, producing the document sent to him by the Minister herself. It pertained to the investigation of suspects involved in a murder that had occurred over a month ago. Naturally, they wanted him to testify, especially since he had been listed as missing during that time.

He handed the letter to the receptionist, who looked shocked to see the signature of the Ministry's highest authority. The young man swallowed nervously before responding.

"Well... follow me," he said, rising to escort Snape. Snape followed as they walked through the corridors, passing by various wizards.

At one point, they were interrupted by a young and beautiful woman who approached the receptionist while they were still traversing the corridors of the first floor. She cast a suspicious glance at Snape as they continued walking.

"Hello, Robert. Any problems?" she asked in a curious tone.

Snape, looking at her, noticed that despite her beauty, there was something about her that displeased him. His intuition told him she was a bad woman.

"I need to escort him to the top floor, Miss Dolores," Robert replied, avoiding giving too many details.

"Really? What's his name?" she asked, clearly curious as she scrutinized Snape like a hawk.

"Severus Snape," the man replied, almost whispering. At the mention of the name, the woman grimaced, clearly disliking and understanding whom they were dealing with.

"I see. How about you leave him with me?" she suggested, with a tone that was both seductive and authoritative.

Robert, unable to do much, nodded before taking his leave. He gave Snape a look of pity, but Snape merely maintained his impassive expression. Clearly, this woman disliked his Muggle-born name.

'But who is this idiot?' Snape couldn't help but think as he stared at the woman. She studied him before forcing a small smile, though her disdain was evident on her face.

"Call me Dolores, Mr. Snape. I want you to accompany me from now on," she said, with no friendliness in her tone.

Snape simply nodded and followed her. However, instead of heading to another floor, they were taken to an empty room. He raised an eyebrow at her as she pulled out a quill and a piece of parchment. His questioning look did not go unnoticed.

"I want you to sit down. We need to go through something before proceeding," Dolores said, her tone making no effort to conceal her bad intentions.

Snape observed the quill. It was a Blood Quill, something he was quite familiar with.

"I need to ensure your actions are trustworthy before sending you to the Minister... I want you to write a few things here," Dolores ordered.

Snape swore he would kill anyone who asked him to do this under other circumstances. However, he simply sighed. The quill itself didn't bother him, and, in fact, this might even help mask his past actions, though he greatly disliked this woman. In the end, he took the quill calmly, surprising Dolores with his apparent immediate cooperation.

She began dictating phrases for him to write, such as, "I understand all the laws of the magical world," and, "I am an obedient wizard who respects my place in society." Snape wrote everything without complaint, even as the quill caused his blood to drip from his hand. Dolores, expecting a reaction of pain or discomfort, was baffled to see him handle the situation with indifference.

She made him write an extended statement because of this, but Snape remained unperturbed. Not even the blood dripping bothered him. He only stopped writing when she dictated the final lines, which required his signature. Upon finishing, she said:

"Now sign here, ensuring that you will not speak of anything that occurred in this room."

Snape nearly laughed at that. He knew contracts like this held no power over him and did exactly as she asked.

"I'm done. Can I leave now?" he asked calmly, blood still dripping from his hand. The pain, however, was insignificant for someone who had endured intense tortures during his training as a Guardian, something a thousand times more excruciating—and he had faced even worse as Snape.

"I suppose so. We can proceed, but clean your hand first," Dolores replied, still maintaining her disdain. She loathed Mudbloods or half-bloods but remained loyal to the Ministry. Even so, she tortured them whenever she could, as she had done on this occasion.

Without further delay, they headed to the top floor. Dolores clearly wanted to extract something from him or make him suffer for his status with her earlier treatment, but Snape did not confront her directly. He would find another way to repay her treatment.

Arriving at the top floor, Dolores informed a few men that she was escorting Snape to see the Minister. After receiving authorization, they opened the door, and the two entered the office. The Minister of Magic awaited them, raising her eyes as they stepped in.

"You're here. That's good. Thank you, Dolores," the Minister said in a serious tone.

"Of course. It's always an honor to act for the good of magical England," Dolores replied with a fake smile.

"Funny," Snape suddenly commented, his voice cold and cutting. "I didn't know you used Blood Quills for visitors coming to see the Minister of Magic." He spoke directly to the Minister seated at the desk.

The tone and words of Snape made Dolores freeze in place, stunned that he would dare to say such a thing.

"What do you mean by that?" asked the Minister, her tone both confused and dark.

"About this..." Snape began. "This woman made me write a letter using a Blood Quill. I wasn't aware that the Ministry of Magic had become so cruel. Despite immense pain, she forced me to write every single line." He said this while pulling the letter from his pocket.

Dolores's eyes widened as she frantically patted her own pockets, searching for the letter, but it was already in Snape's possession. The Minister of Magic, who had been watching the scene unfold, stepped closer, visibly stunned.

"Let me see the letter," she demanded immediately.

Snape handed over the document calmly. The Minister read through its contents, and when she finished, she turned her gaze to Dolores, who was utterly paralyzed.

"Show me your hand," the Minister instructed Snape. He extended his hand, still marked from the use of the Blood Quill. The Minister then turned her gaze to Dolores, her expression a mix of fury and disbelief. "What have you done, Dolores?"

"I... I..." Dolores stammered, incapable of forming a coherent response. She had never expected Snape to reveal what had happened, especially after the contract she had made him sign. However, she underestimated Snape's capabilities—he had already removed the incriminating part of the letter before handing it over, ensuring no concrete evidence could be used against him.

"Since when do we allow this, Miss Dolores? You are relieved of your duties for today. We will deal with your situation once I've finished speaking with Mr. Snape. But know this: things will not end well for you after this." The Minister declared, visibly angry. Though filled with rage, she knew she had to address Dolores later. For now, she needed to focus on Snape, who was now viewed as the victim of yet another Ministry scandal.

With Dolores dismissed, the Minister turned her attention back to Snape. They were now alone in the room, and she sighed, observing him carefully.

"I must apologize for this, Mr. Snape. I didn't expect something like this to happen, especially after the incidents at Hogwarts. I hope we can resolve this matter peacefully," she murmured, choosing her words very carefully.

"We can discuss this later. For now, I'd like to address the summons. Despite the pain in my hand, I can proceed," Snape replied, feigning sadness.

"Understood. Let's talk," agreed the Minister.

Snape followed her to a desk, where they finally began their discussion, which lasted for the next several hours.

Hours later, Snape emerged from the Ministry of Magic. He had endured countless questions and even been subjected to the use of Veritaserum, as he was one of the main suspects in the massacre under investigation. However, by the end, he had successfully proven his innocence.

Snape almost laughed to himself. It didn't matter what kind of questions they asked or the effects of Veritaserum—nothing seemed to work on him. With the help of his system, he had crafted answers that deflected all suspicion elsewhere. Moreover, he had managed to gain yet another favor from the Minister of Magic, who, to avoid a scandal stemming from the incident with Dolores, decided to offer him compensation that he would collect later.

As he left the Ministry building, Snape wandered through the area, not yet leaving. Before long, he entered another building, following the directions of his contact, a man named Steve. He climbed several floors, heading to the designated location.

It was time to meet with Steve and the man who would transport him to Romania. Snape wanted to leave the very next day. Now that the sword was ready and all necessary resources had been secured, there was no time left to waste.

Raccoon Here: Dolores is young here, so I imagine her even somewhat beautiful, despite still being rotten on the inside.

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