The Sunshine of Hogwarts, Snape

"You'd better not be joking, Severus!"

Not only were the pure-blood wizards led by Lucius nervously questioning Severus, but even Ghost Snape within him was visibly agitated.

[You know where he's hiding? Then why didn't you tell Dumbledore earlier?]

Severus ignored Ghost Snape's interrogation. He merely set down his teacup and, facing the gazes of the pure-blood wizards, replied:

"I'm hardly in the mood for jokes right now. On a certain night before the Dark Lord disappeared, he secretly summoned me and spoke to me about certain matters."

"He never mentioned these things to anyone else. It was clear he trusted me more, recognizing my loyalty to him."

"Originally, I had no intention of sharing this with you lot of vermin. But Barty's actions have severely disrupted Master's plans."

Lucius held his breath!

Not just him… the others also understood perfectly why they had been so passive in dealing with Barty Jr.'s situation.

As Severus had said, it was because there was no perfect solution.

If they agreed to help him, their current luxurious lives and status in the Wizarding World might be jeopardized.

But if they refused, and Barty Jr. truly succeeded in bringing the Dark Lord back, then death would be their only outcome!

Now, if Severus actually had information on the Dark Lord's whereabouts-

Especially if the Dark Lord was still in a weakened state, desperately in need of assistance, then they-

They would be on the verge of striking gold!

What Crouch? What Lestrange?

They were all fools blinded by so-called blind loyalty, making reckless moves.

They are the Dark Lord's truly loyal and reliable servants!

Of course, this is under the premise that Voldemort is still alive. If Voldemort is really dead and Severus can prove it, then they can flatly reject Barty Jr. and continue to enjoy their own life of superiority.

The key lay in whether Severus could provide evidence!

"What proof do you have?"

Lucius spoke on behalf of everyone.

Mere words meant nothing. Even memories could be altered with magic. Severus had to produce something concrete that would convince everyone present!

However, Severus didn't answer directly. Instead, he countered with a question.

"Lucius, the Dark Lord once gave you a blank diary, correct?"

Of course Lucius would never forget this. The diary had been handed to him personally by the Dark Lord for safekeeping.

He had never dared to touch the diary himself, only sensing that it was an immensely powerful dark magic object.

So many years had passed, and with the Dark Lord still absent from the Wizarding World, Lucius had grown increasingly inclined to believe that the Dark Lord was truly dead.

In recent years, Auror inspections of dark magic objects had grown stricter. Lucius felt it wouldn't be long before he'd have to find a way to dispose of the diary.

And this matter, aside from Lucius himself and the Dark Lord, was something no one else could possibly know!

Not even his wife Narcissa or his son Draco knew the diary's origins!

Hearing Severus mention it, Lucius instinctively clenched his fist, his eyes widening in shock.

"The Dark Lord truly spoke to you privately!"

From his reaction, the other pure-blood wizards could tell this was no fabrication.

This was clearly a real secret, one that should have been known only to Lucius and the Dark Lord!

Severus merely smiled.

"Go and fetch that diary. It's the key to finding the Dark Lord."

Hearing this, Lucius left in a hurry.

He wouldn't trust a house-elf to handle such an object.

The group in the drawing room didn't have to wait long. In less than ten minutes, Lucius returned, clutching a black-covered diary.

"This was given to me by Master himself for safekeeping. He said only I knew of its existence and ordered me to protect it well."

Lucius took a deep breath and placed the diary on the long table in the center.

The pure-blood wizards sat on either side of the table, their eyes fixed on the diary. Outwardly, it appeared utterly ordinary… almost like a Muggle notebook.

At this time, Severus had stepped forward.

"Could you fetch me a quill, Lucius?"

His request was quickly fulfilled. A bottle of ink and a quill were placed before him.

Then, in front of all the pure-blood wizards present, Severus flipped open a page of the diary.

It was completely blank, devoid of any writing… until Severus dipped the quill in ink and wrote a line:

[Mr. Tom Riddle, we've finally foundyou!]

The dark green ink was slowly absorbed by the page after the words were written, until all the letters vanished.

About four or five seconds later, a new line of text appeared on the page!

[Who are you?]

After seeing this line of words, the person who reacted the most was Nott!

He had been one of the earliest Slytherin students to follow Voldemort, a founding Death Eater, and a contemporary of the Dark Lord during their Hogwarts years!

Therefore, he recognized the handwriting of the newly appeared text instantly… it was the Dark Lord's writing from his school days!

"Master! It's me! I'm your most loyal servant, Stuart Nott!"

Nott dropped to his knees, prostrating himself, his entire body trembling.

His actions startled the other pure-blood wizards.

Aside from Nott, others who had attended Hogwarts during Voldemort's time also recognized the handwriting. They also fell to their knees.

The rest were either frozen in disbelief or still skeptical of the diary, unsure whether the one responding was truly Voldemort himself!

Even if they take Lucius at his word, before he brought out this diary, no outsider had ever known of its existence.

But could this be a staged performance by Lucius and Severus?

After all, they've always been in cahoots!

While the pure-blood wizards reacted with varying degrees of shock and suspicion, Severus merely glanced at Nott, the first to speak, and said coolly.

"This diary contains Master's memories from before he was sixteen. As long as it exists and those memories remain intact, it proves Master is still alive! But for now, communication with the Master within the diary is limited to writing… it cannot hear our voices or see our actions!"

Clearly, Severus had only revealed half the truth about the diary.

At the same time, Severus signaled the kneeling pure-blood wizards to stand up.

"You were among the first to follow Master. You recognize his handwriting, and the sixteen-year-old Master within would surely recognize yours as well. Come, greet him… let him know his loyal servants have found him!"

Nott didn't hesitate. He was the first to scramble to his feet.

As one of Voldemort's former classmates, he had indeed been among the earliest and most longstanding followers. When the Dark Lord returned to Hogwarts after graduation to apply for the Defense Against the Dark Arts position, Nott had been by his side!

He took the quill from Severus, his hand trembling uncontrollably as he wrote on the blank page.

[Master! It's me! Do you still recognize my handwriting?]

The words were quickly absorbed by the diary. A moment later, a name appeared in response, tinged with curiosity.

[Are you Stuart Nott?]

Nott was overcome with excitement. Gripping the quill, he wanted to pour out his years of unwavering loyalty… how he had endured the Ministry's persecution, lying low, waiting only for his Master's return.

However, before he could write another word, someone else impatiently snatched the quill from his hand!

[And me, Master! Do you remember me?]

[Julius Rosier?]

Seeing that the consciousness within the diary could indeed identify them one by one based on their handwriting, the other pure-blood wizards, now fully embracing their restored identities as Death Eaters, grew even more fervent and exhilarated!

They jostled for the quill, eager for the young Riddle in the diary to recognize them, desperate to prove they were the ones who had brought the Dark Lord back!

But as Severus had said, this diary only held Voldemort's memories up to age sixteen.

Only those who had been his classmates or close associates during that time were recognized. Later recruits like Lucius, Crabbe, and Goyle were met with confusion, and the diary claimed not to know them.

By the time these verifications were complete, the group was nearly ninety percent convinced of Severus' claims. They were eager to continue conversing with the Riddle in the diary-

But then, Severus abruptly snapped the diary shut, cutting them off.

"Gentlemen, this diary can indeed serve as proof of our loyalty to the Dark Lord. But it only contains his memories up to age sixteen. It confirms he is alive… but it cannot fully replace the Dark Lord himself!"

The Death Eaters turned their gaze to Severus, who now held the diary. Their breathing grew ragged.

"What are you suggesting?"

Someone demanded.

Severus raised his voice in declaration:

"We can use this diary to bring the true Dark Lord back!"