Entitled

Chapter 147

The air inside the Three Broomsticks was thick with tension, the normally bustling pub now eerily quiet as Severus stepped through the door. 

His black cloak billowed slightly as he walked, his face a mask of cold indifference, but inside, his heart pounded with fear and anger. He knew what was coming, but he had no choice. He had to protect Violet and the twins, no matter the cost.

The room was dimly lit, only a few flickering candles casting shadows across the walls. In the far corner, surrounded by several of his Death Eaters, sat Voldemort, his pale, snake-like face twisted into an expression of barely-contained rage. Yaxley and Bellatrix stood nearby, their eyes fixed on Severus as he approached, but it was clear that they, too, were wary of Voldemort's mood.

As Severus entered the circle of Death Eaters, his dark eyes locked onto Voldemort's glowing red ones. He stood tall, his voice calm but laced with the weight of the lie he was about to tell.

"Where is Violet?" Voldemort hissed, his voice sharp and venomous, each word dripping with malice. The room seemed to shrink, the oppressive weight of Voldemort's presence pressing down on everyone in the room.

Severus inclined his head slightly, his tone measured as he replied. "Violet... Iris... I don't know who took the twins, My Lord. Someone must have snuck into the castle and taken them with the help of the house elf, Poppy. I have no idea where they've gone."

Voldemort's face contorted with fury, his long, skeletal fingers clenching into fists. He stood abruptly, his tall figure towering over Severus as he closed the distance between them. The air crackled with dark magic, and the temperature in the room seemed to drop as Voldemort's anger radiated like a physical force.

"You expect me to believe that?" Voldemort spat, his voice a deadly whisper. "That you, the Headmaster of Hogwarts, the Dark Lord's most trusted servant, could not prevent a simple house elf and a witch from slipping through your fingers? You failed me, Severus. You allowed them to escape!"

Severus's jaw tightened, but his face remained impassive. He knew this would come, had anticipated Voldemort's wrath, but hearing it now, in this moment, sent a chill down his spine. He had no choice but to hold firm.

"My Lord," Severus began, his voice steady though the tension in the room was suffocating. "I swear on my life, I have no knowledge of where they went. I was in the castle, tending to my duties, and by the time I was aware of their absence, they had already gone. I do not know how it happened, but I swear I did not aid them."

Voldemort's eyes flashed with fury, and without warning, he raised his wand, pointing it directly at Severus. "You dare to lie to me, Severus?" he snarled, his voice filled with cold, malicious anger. "I have given you power, control, and yet you fail me like this?"

Severus didn't flinch, though he could feel the sharp prickle of Voldemort's dark magic pressing against his skin. He knew Voldemort could kill him with a flick of his wrist, but he couldn't afford to falter now. "I am loyal to you, My Lord. I did not help her escape."

Voldemort's lip curled into a snarl. He stepped closer to Severus, so close that their faces were nearly inches apart, his voice a low hiss as he spoke. "Loyal? You call this loyalty? You call letting my daughter—" his voice cracked with venomous rage, "—and my grandchildren vanish into the night, loyalty?"

The Death Eaters around them shifted nervously, their eyes flicking between Severus and Voldemort, the tension in the room almost unbearable. No one dared to speak, no one dared to intervene.

Voldemort's voice lowered, the anger in his tone simmering into something more dangerous. "You think I do not know, Severus? That I am unaware of the bond between you and Violet? You've grown soft, haven't you? Playing house with Violet, thinking you could defy me? I never should have allowed this!"