HP - Shadow Monarch - Chapter 128 - Beginning the Hunt for Wizards in the Wizarding World 02.

[Chapter Size: 2000 Words.]
Third Person POV

London.

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...

Snape knew he couldn't simply return home after what had happened; he needed to create more distractions.

He watched his Patronus shining brightly in the sky as dogs began barking throughout the neighborhood. People shouted and pointed at the glowing figure, and even Muggles could see its light.

It was ironic for him to use a Patronus, given his cruel demeanor and his reputation for eliminating other wizards—even Dark wizards. He still killed people, and yet, he had good memories. His focus for summoning the Patronus was rooted in his own foundations, the one who had once made him a guardian.

Snape had to pause to admire its form, even though he had seen it many times before. He often wondered if his manifested animal would change, just as Lily's had. And it had—its shape transformed into something he never expected: a ruler.

This made him ponder how he could improve the spell, wondering if it could become something more than just a tool to repel darkness...

Nevertheless, he pushed aside these thoughts. He had to create a distraction in the wizarding world greater than any he had made that night. He needed something that would divert suspicion from him entirely.

"Then I should hunt more of them..." he said aloud, considering leaving more Dark wizard corpses before the night ended.

"But I can't just attack their dogs... Some families have been after me for so long they want me dead. Why not take the opportunity to make them pay?" he muttered.

At that moment, he glanced at Lily again. She was stunned, staring between the Patronus rising into the sky and Snape.

The next moment, he vanished, leaving her there alone. He reappeared a short distance away, only to teleport again, moving toward a specific destination.

An hour of continuous teleportation brought him to a village a little way from London. Snape appeared fatigued from the prolonged use of his magic, but he pressed on. He entered the village until he found a large house surrounded by high walls.

"There are ten guards..." Snape remarked, analyzing the situation. He teleported 50 meters into the air to survey the property.

He landed calmly, rolling his neck in a small stretch. "Let’s begin," he said before disappearing again.

The guards patrolling the property had no time to react as someone appeared beside them and ended their lives. Snape felt no pity for these people, already imagining the kind of services they provided to their master.

He began teleporting silently throughout the property, taking down every guard with such speed and precision that no one realized what was happening. Decapitations came swiftly, leaving the property eerily quiet in their wake.

It was only after some time, when everything became too calm, that the atmosphere turned unbearable. It was then that Lord Norton began to stir. Feeling something amiss, he opened his eyes and raised his head from the bed.

He first looked at his wife, still asleep beside him, and decided to get up. Grabbing his wand from under the pillow, he felt an inexplicable unease that made it hard to breathe.

Cautiously, he advanced toward the door, moving with care. He didn’t know why, but something deeply unsettled him. Slowly, he turned the doorknob and opened the door a crack, pointing his wand into the corridor.

The sound of wood scraping echoed in the silence. All he saw, however, was an empty hallway.

"I must be imagining things..." he murmured to himself, trying to sigh in relief.

He closed the door, wiping some sweat from his brow. But as he turned around, he saw a shadowy figure standing behind him. It had been watching him the entire time, and the sight made him jump in fear.

"No, I don’t think you’re imagining things," the figure said in a distorted voice before launching a brutal attack.

Lord Norton was struck so violently that he crashed through the door, landing in the corridor as the wood shattered. His wand flew from his hand as he screamed in agony midair, the result of a Cruciatus Curse cast at point-blank range.

He rolled several meters before stopping, groaning in pain. Stunned, he looked up, trying to understand who this intruder was. Snape stood there in the doorway, watching him. He took a few steps forward, but then noticed movement behind him.

Norton’s wife had risen, grabbed her wand, and aimed it to cast a spell at Snape.

Snape simply raised his hand calmly, and before she could fire her spell, she was struck by a bolt of lightning. The spell hit her directly, throwing her against the wall. She collapsed unconscious, her body still trembling from the electric shock.

"You are clearly with him, so I won't show mercy, even if you're a woman," Snape said coldly. He had investigated the mansion before entering and uncovered disturbing things.

"Who... who are you?" snarled Mr. Norton, incredulous at the hooded intruder in his home.

"You don’t need my name just yet, as we have some time. After all, I’m here for you, and that’s what you’ll receive tonight," Snape replied as he approached.

He picked up Norton’s wand from the floor, inspecting it for a moment. Then, pressing his thumb against it, he broke it with a small explosion that didn’t even harm him.

"No!!" Norton was shocked to see his wand destroyed so effortlessly. Snape tossed the remains to the ground and continued walking.

"If you want to know who I am, very well... I am your worst nightmare tonight," Snape declared, cold and threatening.

That was the last thing Norton heard before being hit again by another spell that flung him to the end of the hallway. He collapsed, groaning, as he tried to process the situation.

"Guards! Guards!" Norton began shouting, but no one came. The mansion was silent.

"Your guards are all dead. I made sure of that before entering," Snape said, slowly approaching.

Norton, panicking, looked at him, trying to understand who this man was and why he was doing this. He didn’t seem like an ordinary enemy.

"Why are you doing this? I don’t recall having enemies. Besides, I’m a Death Eater, in service to the Dark Lord. He won’t accept this, not even from someone within his circle!" Norton said, trying to appeal to reason or even to the implied threat.

Snape merely stared at him, expressionless for a moment, before a cruel smile crept across his face.

"Oh, you do have enemies, Mr. Norton. You’re just too arrogant to recognize them. In any case, I’m here to settle a debt your family owes me..." Snape said, taking calm steps forward. He continued, "Don’t worry about whether I’m a Death Eater or not. Maybe I am, maybe I’m not. That doesn’t matter now. What matters is that you’re coming with me."

Snape cast another spell, making the man scream in pain. Norton fell directly onto the stairs, his body writhing as he felt his bones crack and break.

Snape descended the stairs calmly, finding Norton lying on the floor, groaning as he tried to crawl. Norton’s gaze showed more fear than ever before.

"How tiresome," Snape murmured, raising his wand and pointing it at him. With a simple levitation spell, he caused Norton’s body to float. Norton could only groan, unable to speak, his eyes filled with hatred and fear.

Snape walked through the corridors, carrying Norton until he found a staircase leading to a hidden basement, out of sight. When they reached the bottom, the scene made Snape narrow his eyes. He had been there before. What he found now enraged him.

Upon entering the Norton family’s torture chamber, Snape noticed several bodies scattered across the floor—some in cells, others chained to the walls. It didn’t take him long to deduce that they were Muggles, whom the family had brought in for their sadistic amusement.

"What are you doing?" Norton struggled to ask as he felt his body thrown to the floor, rolling to the center of the torture chamber.

"You know," Snape began, as the magical distortion hiding his appearance gradually faded. His aged figure disappeared, revealing a teenager. He pulled back his hood, exposing his true face.

"When you sent those four men after me, right after I left school, I was a little upset. I had to kill them quickly and cover everything up, though it wasn’t difficult. You were the one who sent that group, weren’t you?" Snape said calmly.

The man stared at him, his eyes wide with shock at seeing the teenager who had once tormented his son standing there. Snape continued.

"But I let it go back then. For a month, I suppressed the urge to come here. However, tonight, I’ve killed many people. I need to keep creating chaos to distract the Ministry. So, I’m choosing a few more targets. And you, as someone who owes me a debt, will pay it tonight," Snape concluded.

"You... you’re Severus Snape?" Norton murmured with difficulty, still in immense pain. His voice was incredulous, almost in disbelief at what he was seeing.

"Yes," Snape confirmed, coldly. "Don’t look at me like that. You might think I’m just a killer. Generally, I only kill Death Eaters. Usually, I use a blade for a quick death. But with you, Mr. Norton, it will be different."

Snape stepped closer, his eyes burning with suppressed rage.

"After seeing that you enjoy torturing Muggles, perhaps it’s only fair that you experience some of the pain you’ve caused them," Snape said calmly.

The man stared at Snape, perplexed, unable to process the words he had just heard. He watched in horror as Snape moved closer, his own fear and anger overwhelming him.

"You won’t do this! You can’t! I’m a Death Eater! I don’t believe you killed my men. The Dark Lord won’t stand for this!" Norton shouted, trying to sound threatening, but his voice trembled.

"You think I’m afraid of your master, the Dark Lord?" Snape responded icily. "If that man starts to bother me, I’ll kill him, just like I’ll kill all his dogs. Just like I’ll kill you tonight," he concluded, without hesitation.

Snape wasted no time. He pointed his wand at Norton’s chest, who trembled with fear. In the next moment, an animalistic scream echoed through the basement, accompanied by a flash of green light.

The next hour was a nightmare for Mr. Norton. His wife, still lying on the floor, remained unconscious. His son, also incapacitated after being stunned by Snape before he invaded the couple’s bedroom, had no awareness of what was happening in the basement below them.

That night was marked by Norton’s screams of pain, which echoed until he could resist no longer. Snape made him endure the same torment he had inflicted on so many Muggles, until, finally, the man died from the suffering, begging for a quick death—a mercy Snape did not grant.

"Another one down," Snape murmured, observing the body sprawled on the ground.

He pondered what to do next.

"I have a few hours before sunrise... Maybe I should hunt more wizards. But where should I go?" Snape reflected aloud in the silence that now dominated the room.

"Perhaps the black market is a good choice," Snape decided at last. After all, the place was always teeming with dark wizards engaging in illicit activities. It would be an excellent opportunity for him to continue his hunt for the rest of the night.