Hearing their questioning voices, Severus simply walked nonchalantly to one end of the long table, pulled out a chair, and sat down.
"Don't be so agitated, everyone. You should all understand that I have no need to lie about this matter. Since I said I've found Master, you really don't need to be so impatient."
"Then where is Master now!" Rosier stared intently at him. "You're not going to say something like, Master doesn't wish to see us yet, so you're acting as his proxy for now, are you!"
Severus chuckled lightly. He pointed at Rosier mockingly.
"Look, look at his anxious, unsettled appearance. If left to your own devices, what could you possibly accomplish?"
Rosier's face flushed red, yet he dared not retaliate.
He didn't dare gamble on whether Severus was merely bluffing or had truly found Voldemort.
But such a sweeping mockery eventually prompted some to speak up.
"The reason we gathered here together is to welcome Master, not to listen to you mock us here. If you have truly found Master, then whatever you wish to say, we will of course listen attentively. But where is Master now!"
Lucius also looked at Severus, his expression slightly displeased.
"Stop playing games here. Whether Master has instructions for you or arrangements for us, you can tell us directly on such an occasion."
Severus merely leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, surveying the dozen or so Death Eaters seated around him. He let out a cold laugh.
"You lot, opportunistic, cowardly, with not a shred of loyalty to Master… if you only want to rely on Master's might again to regain wealth and glory, then don't speak these high-sounding words."
This statement caused all the Death Eaters present to look at each other in surprise.
The next second, someone's expression changed drastically, and they stood up abruptly from their chair.
"What do you mean by that!"
"Are you planning to turn your back on us now!"
"We've done everything you asked! What are you trying to do now?"
Lucius was also angered by Severus's words. He couldn't understand why Severus was acting this way.
As he had said initially, there was no need for Severus to lie about finding Master, nor was there any need to mock everyone present.
This neither fit the persona of the former Professor Snape nor the approach of the reformed Severus who had come to them later.
Lucius met Severus's gaze. From start to finish, he saw no trace of mockery or amusement in those eyes, only utter calmness.
At that moment, a flash of insight suddenly crossed Lucius's mind!
'Since it was certain Severus wouldn't lie about finding Master, and his current actions defied logic, combined with the words he had just spoken...'
"And what loyalty do you truly have! Do you think we actually believe your so-called temporary hiding and compromise was for..."
Just as the reprimands against Severus grew louder and more numerous, edging towards more core and sensitive topics, Lucius suddenly raised his voice, drowning out all others.
"Severus Snape! You may mock us, insult us in any other way, but you must not slander our loyalty to Master!!"
His words landed with weight, suppressing all the noisy chatter and causing the Death Eaters who had been collectively attacking Severus to turn their strangely varied looks towards Lucius.
Lucius ignored their gazes. He just looked seriously at Severus and emphasized again,
"I care not for the accusations you level against us. We agreed initially that as long as you found Master, we would provide you with various forms of support. But now you've written to us saying Master is found, so there must be a result."
"Where is Master? When will he return to lead us again?"
The drawing room fell silent. The Death Eaters who had been firing at Severus wore mixed expressions. Some looked oddly at Lucius, as if he were a different person. Some looked thoughtful, as if having realized something. Others kept glancing back and forth between Lucius and Severus, their faces growing increasingly angry.
Severus simply watched Lucius with a smile as he finished his heartfelt speech. Then, suddenly, Severus spoke respectfully.
"Master, do you find this acceptable?"
He clearly wasn't speaking to anyone present. Upon seeing Severus's sudden change in demeanor, most of the Death Eaters lining the long table felt a collective shiver run down their spines, staring at Severus in shock.
And behind Severus, an indistinct, ghost-like, illusory figure had appeared at some unknown time.
The moment that figure manifested, every Death Eater could feel the Dark Mark, dormant for eight years, produce that familiar, searing heat as if fire were scorching their skin!
Only one person could activate this mark. No one could impersonate or replace him!
The next second, almost everyone present scrambled to their feet from their chairs. All their previous arrogance and pressure vanished, replaced solely by terror and shock.
The Death Eaters prostrated themselves on the floor, assuming the highest posture to welcome their master.
Severus, however, merely rose respectfully from his chair, then bowed and stood behind the figure.
"Master!"
"The Dark Lord!"
Various excited voices began to rise. These people reacted quickly. Regardless of their earlier verbal attacks on Severus, they now became Voldemort's most loyal followers, the ones most anticipating his return, the ones with no other ulterior motives!
However, after the chorus of addresses, the scene fell completely silent.
The figure now seated in Severus's former chair simply looked wordlessly at those kneeling on the floor. That hand, even more illusory and transparent than back in Albania, tapped the table lightly, intermittently.
Even after receiving no response for a long while, the Death Eaters, pressured by this invisible force, broke out in cold sweat on their foreheads, yet they still dared not look up, waiting for the man in the chair to speak.
"Severus told me that I might, for now, trust you, just as I trust him."
Finally, the figure's voice rang out. But the first words he spoke made everyone present lower their heads even further!
Everyone could understand that what followed this statement would hardly be praise.
"I, of course, also believed that my former like-minded friends would, even in the face of great setbacks, ultimately maintain their basic loyalty to me. But believed loyalty is never as convincing as loyalty seen with one's own eyes, is it not?"
"So I had him appear alone first. I wanted to see properly whether you have changed from before, and if so, in which direction? Towards the better, or towards the direction no one wishes to see."
At this, the few who had scolded Severus the most began to tremble uncontrollably.
Even though this man had vanished from the Wizarding World for eight years, the fear and awe he instilled in these people's hearts had not diminished in the slightest.
The air remained quiet for a long time. No one dared interrupt now, until Voldemort spoke again.
"I heard that when faced with Auror pursuit back then, you claimed to have been under the Imperius Curse, which is why you became my followers?"
This question made it impossible for Lucius and the others to remain silent like cicadas in winter.
"Master! Master! We only did that to preserve our strength, to find you again!"
Old Nott's eyes were red-rimmed, tears streaming down his aged face as he cried out loudly.
"After your disappearance, no one could stand against Dumbledore anymore! Under those circumstances, if we had continued stubborn resistance, all the success and influence we had built over the years would have been wiped out!"
"Our own lives and deaths are trivial! But if you were to return and find yourself without helpers, without servants, unable to fight against those who obstruct you, to sweep them away… that would be the true crime!"
His words were moving, as if every syllable, every letter, every punctuation mark was his sincere feeling-
If one ignored what he had said to Severus earlier.
The others present also showed great agreement, constantly echoing Old Nott's words, describing how much humiliation they had endured initially to save themselves from Azkaban, and how hard they had worked over the years, striving in every way to find their Master again.
Only Lucius remained silent.
He understood clearly that after grasping Severus's true intention earlier, his words and actions then had been sufficient. There was no need now to make up for it like the others.
In such moments, saying more could lead to more mistakes.
After the kneeling figures finished their lamentations, Voldemort slowly spoke again.
"Severus has, of course, already explained these matters to me. He also told me of the help and effort you provided him in order to find me."
"Coupled with your performance just now at the beginning, although some seemed concerned only with their own interests, forgetting to consider the bigger picture, the performance of the majority was satisfactory, especially Lucius's."
Hearing his name singled out, Lucius immediately raised his head, his face flushed with excitement and honor.
"You have done well. Severus has also taught your son well."
Lucius simply declared loudly,
"This is merely my duty!"
The other Death Eaters around him cast envious looks his way at that moment.
Everyone understood that Lucius had seized the opportunity!
Only Severus, standing behind Voldemort, kept his eyes narrowed, watching the 'master' before him.
After leaving the Weasleys', Severus had opened the teacup lid and dutifully informed Voldemort that he had returned to Hogwarts, met with Dumbledore in the morning, and finally found a suitable opportunity in the evening to let the scattered Death Eaters in Britain know their Master had returned.
But Voldemort obviously couldn't truly trust Lucius and the others completely. Otherwise, in the original timeline, when Quirrell brought him back to Britain, he would have had Quirrell take him to those pure-blood families who prioritized self-preservation.
It was only because of Severus's guarantee this time, plus Severus's proof that his search for Voldemort relied on the funding from Lucius and the others, that Voldemort was willing to contact his former servants.
However, before the contact, he chose not to appear immediately, conducting a test instead.
From this process, Severus could see that Voldemort was noticeably weaker now than he had been yesterday in Albania.
This teacup could help him maintain his current state briefly, but it couldn't stop the loss of his power.
He still needed someone to help him now!
Either resurrect as soon as possible, or obtain unicorn blood immediately to temporarily restore his strength.
This was also why Voldemort, after hesitation, chose to meet Lucius and the others tonight.
Even with his initial trust in Severus, he couldn't place all his hopes on one person, and he needed more helpers!
"I require something."
Sure enough, Voldemort spoke.
And now, of all times, was when everyone most wanted to prove their loyalty. How could the Death Eaters hesitate in such a scenario?
"Whatever you need, Master, we will definitely obtain it for you!"
Lucius's mind was also active now. He wondered if the Dark Lord wanted the golden cup Severus had previously tasked them to find.
Just as he was about to say that he could deliver what Master needed in less than a week, Voldemort spoke again.
"Unicorn blood!"
"Within a week, I need you to kill a unicorn and present its blood to me!"
The Death Eaters, who had been ready to agree wholeheartedly, froze upon hearing this request. They looked at each other in surprise.
Within Britain, the only place where unicorns roamed wild... was the Forbidden Forest at Hogwarts!
That meant if they wanted to kill a unicorn and obtain its blood, they would have to infiltrate Hogwarts to do it.
And who was at Hogwarts now?
Albus Dumbledore!
"I will personally present a living unicorn to you! My Master!"
Everyone turned unanimously to look at the person who had accepted this task without hesitation… Severus Snape!