Good or bad, does it matter?

A curious smile crept onto Snape's face as he observed the scene unfolding on the screen.

"Another 'Master' in his prime, and quite young, too... with impressive skills."

"You said you wouldn't interfere," Nagini remarked, looking puzzled. She had grown somewhat accustomed to the sight of blood, and if she had been human, she would have merely furrowed her brow slightly.

"I changed my mind. I'm much more used to working with Harold, and who knows what the next Minister of Magic will be like."

The battles on the screen continued, and things were not going well for the Ministry of Magic or the Death Eaters.

In the time he had been watching, four people had already died on the Minister's side, while only one had fallen on the other — a casualty at the hands of Shacklebolt.

Of course, many more had likely perished, as the Prince couldn't observe every wizard in the chaos. He wasn't particularly keen on watching for much longer, so with a snap of his fingers, the screen vanished.

"Enough. I'll have nightmares after this," he muttered.

"Severus, are you really not going to intervene? So many innocent wizards will lose their lives..."

"It's not our problem. I've 'helped' them enough in the past, and even now," he said with a tired sigh, extending his hand to gently pat the top of the saddened snake's head. "I'm not their guardian angel. Let them handle this themselves. They have enough strength and clever people among them. I even saved one. He'll likely recover by tomorrow, so the 'Black Star' plan has already failed by a third."

"A third?"

"As I said, the leaders' murders should have destabilized the country, sparking a power struggle, and then, well, you know," he yawned, reclining on a pillow and closing his eyes. "I doubt Tom is that easy to kill. He's still a slippery one, not to mention a powerful wizard... and not alone."

Another screen materialized before him, allowing Nagini to witness a battle between nearly twenty wizards in a crumbling building. Among them, five wore the masks of Death Eaters, while three unmasked wizards fought alongside them. These three were the Lestrange brothers and Lucius.

Twenty meters away, the Dark Lord himself was dueling three unknown wizards, one of whom was Laurel — identifiable by his missing hand. The other two were just as skilled as Shacklebolt, if not better.

It was impossible to tell who was winning, given that the observation radius barely extended ten meters around Malfoy. What was clear was that Tom was struggling against one of the Steel Squad commanders. Although it was hard to see through the eyes of the wizards, Tom was being pushed back.

The problem, Snape knew, was Voldemort's lack of physical strength and close combat skills. Despite his core rank as a Master, his body was frail, comparable to a Muggle's. He tried to keep distance between himself and the staff-wielding wizards, who were equally adept at both spellcasting and physical combat.

Laurel was especially troublesome, striking like a true assassin in the most crucial moments, using both a wand and a dagger.

Voldemort couldn't catch a break. He had no time to even use his favorite Avada Kedavra spell, relying instead on mass, wordless spells to fend off his opponents and keep them at bay.

Yet, the fact that he was holding his own against three powerful wizards at once — one of whom was his equal — was impressive. It was a testament to why he had earned the title of "Britain's Strongest Dark Wizard."

The Death Eaters, on the other hand, were faring better. They fought valiantly, proving they weren't ordinary wizards, capable of standing side by side with Tom.

The battle was a spectacle of color and elemental fury. The Black Star wizards favored elemental spells, which required little magical expenditure, while the Death Eaters employed more practical spells: disarming, disorienting, or even instantly killing their foes.

But Severus snapped his fingers again, and the screen vanished.

"Hey! That was getting interesting!" the snake protested, glaring at him indignantly.

"Nightmares later. Movie time is over for today," he said with a smirk, poking her nose playfully.

"The Headmaster has left the castle."

"Another wizard has joined the fray."

"Who?"

"Dumbledore. Probably off to help someone. It seems the Black Star decided to target more than just the Death Eaters and the Ministry."

"Turn it back on! Where else would you see something like this?" Nagini pleaded, sounding like a child whose favorite toy had been taken away.

"And who was just telling me to go to bed early?" Snape teased, a sly smile on his face as he met Nagini's embarrassed gaze.

"Fine."

When the screen reappeared, the situation had changed drastically. About ten more Death Eaters had joined the fray, and now Abraxas Malfoy and Corban Yaxley stood beside Tom, each taking on an opponent.

Every minute, more wizards arrived and immediately joined the battle, but interestingly, they were all Death Eaters. Snape didn't understand why the Steel Department commanders, including Charles, hadn't yet appeared. Even Harold had been targeted by assassins from Laurel's Gold Department. It was obvious why — the Ministry of Magic was deep underground, requiring secrecy to access the Minister's office. But why ordinary assassins were sent instead of Laurel himself remained a mystery.

Snape had his theories, though. Perhaps Charles hoped to eliminate Harold and finish off a weakened Tom. But where did he get such confidence that the assassins would succeed? That's what Snape didn't understand. This was, after all, the Ministry's headquarters, swarming with wizards and guards.

The more Snape thought about it, the more questions arose, with no clear answers in sight.

He didn't have a seal on Abraxas or Corban, so he continued observing through Lucius and other marked wizards. The battle was fierce, with shockwaves reaching even spies who didn't realize they were spies. But due to the chaos and steam, it was nearly impossible to make out the details, other than flashes of color, mostly green and dark hues, with fire, water, and ice mixed in.

Gradually, the pureblood wizards began gaining the upper hand, and Snape started piecing together what felt off about the situation. It seemed like only a handful of Black Star members were fighting the Death Eaters, and their numbers weren't growing. The fact that Laurel, who wasn't on good terms with the rest of the Steel branch, led this group made the whole thing reek of a trap.

But not many would've considered that. After all, who would sacrifice a powerful mage like Laurel? Yet, a sudden realization twisted Snape's face, and he shot upright from his bed, startling Nagini.

"Crouch…" he hissed in anger as the screen revealed two more faces — one belonging to Bellatrix, who immediately cast Avada Kedavra, killing one of the attackers, and the other to Barty Crouch, who had flown into the battle and joined the three aristocrats.

Snape had previously suppressed the Dark Mark so Tom couldn't summon Bellatrix or the others. But Barty, having encountered her in Knockturn Alley, had informed her of the attack, and they had Apparated together to Voldemort's side.

The situation was starting to irritate Snape, though he quickly suppressed his frustration. Now wasn't the time for this. He needed to think and decide on his next move.

From the beginning, he had no desire to help the Death Eaters, not even for Lucius's sake. Helping Harold, while not the brightest, was one thing — Harold sought peace and stability in the country. But aiding a mad dark wizard who wanted to exterminate Muggle-borns, enslave Muggles, and take total control was another matter entirely.

Now, however, Snape was left with no choice, which infuriated him. He couldn't let Bellatrix die, and it was unclear what Charles had in store.

Closing his eyes, he focused on the seal within Black's body...

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Hey guys, please read this chapter and tell me your views.

I tried to better the grammar and phrasing in this chapter, tell me if you can see any improvement in this chapter, or if you think that the chapters I have been uploading before are better.

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