Crouch grinned merrily but said nothing.

The black man waited for a while, then slowly said, "Where is it?"

"Are you curious?" Crouch asked meaningfully.

Snape's voice was dry, and after a long pause, he answered affirmatively: "Of course."

Crouch didn't hesitate and said straightforwardly: "On the eighth floor, you will find a huge portrait of a group of giant monsters dressed in ballet costumes, holding clubs, beating a wizard."

“Walk past him three times and keep in mind your own needs.”

"The Room of Requirement will open for you."

"One of my father's Horcruxes was once stored there."

Snape's voice was cold: "I should really thank you for trusting me so much and telling me this news now."

Crouch seemed not to notice Snape's sarcasm and responded gently: "You're welcome, Severus, you are my best and only friend now."

"Then why did you make me the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor?" Snape asked.

Crouch shook his head. "Testing your loyalty."

"Loyalty?" Snape repeated the word.

Crouch tilted his head, looked at the black man, and said meaningfully: "Severus, these are my and the master's biggest secrets. Now I trust you very much, so I will tell you all this."

The black man said nothing.

After a moment, Snape's voice came out again: "Is there anything else you want me to do?"

"It would be best if you could let me out." Crouch said sincerely.

Snape sneered again: "Give up this ridiculous idea."

He paused. “If I get the chance, I’ll do it.”

Crouch sighed: "And if the dosage of the potion could be smaller..."

"Both Potter and Dumbledore are experts in potions," Snape interrupted him, "I have already done my best to hide this potion."

"What about the guy hiding in the school? Do you need me to help him escape?"

Crouch responded: "Don't worry about him, Severus."

"That man has been under my control with potions and the Imperius Curse. He is probably in the hands of the Wild Hunt now, and may be dead."

Snape said in a low voice: "Really?"

"Time is up."

"If there is anything else, we can find a chance to talk about it next time."

The potion lost its effect, and the black figure softened into a pool of transparent water.

Crouch stared at it and spat out a number: "Six hundredth."

From the moment the potion took effect and the little black man appeared, he began to calculate the time in his mind. Ten minutes, no more, no less.

In the principal's office.

Snape sat back and said calmly, "Good news."

"Our hard work paid off. Crouch finally has more trust in me."

"According to him, Voldemort still has two Horcruxes left, and one is Nagini's big snake."

"One is the same as you guessed before, it is the diadem of Ravenclaw."

"Where?" Dumbledore asked him.

"Potter... Harry is right." Snape couldn't help but glance at Harry, his voice a little stuttered, "Potter previously speculated that there was a Horcrux hidden in the castle, but it's not there now. It's in the hands of the Wild Hunter now."

Geralt's face turned serious: "Wild Hunt."

"It seems we have to find them somehow." Dumbledore whispered.

Harry asked, "Where was it hidden in the castle?"

"On the eighth floor, in the Room of Requirement," Snape said succinctly. "There is a portrait of a troll. Just think of your needs and walk back and forth three times, and you will be able to open it."

Dumbledore suddenly realized: "Is that so?"

Harry glanced at him.

"Last year, one night when I got up to go to the bathroom, the bathroom on the eighth floor was used by students." Dumbledore continued patiently, "When I was anxious to find a bathroom, I passed by there several times and suddenly found a clean and tidy bathroom. However, when I wanted to use it again the next day, I couldn't find it."

"And Sybil, she kept saying she had lost several bottles of sherry wine and hid them on the eighth floor, but they were never found."

"It looks like she's hiding in the Room of Requirement."

Harry said nothing, his hands tangled together in irregular movements.

"If you want to go, go and take a look." Snape read his inner thoughts and spoke directly.

Harry hesitated and shook his head: "Professor Snape, do you think he really trusts you?"

"Crouch will only trust one person, and that's his father." Snape said, his voice as cold as a venomous snake spitting out its message, "I don't think he will trust me just by sending a message."

Harry nodded. "I'm worried about that, too."

"The Wild Hunt are not merciful people. They also have magic that targets the soul."

"It would be better to hand him over to you, Professor Snape, than to hand over a weak soul to others."

Snape laughed twice without any emotion.

"Maybe the castle is still in the Crown." Harry said his guess, "There's just a secret passage that can go in and out. If we go through it, it can leave with the person in the castle."

"This will expose Professor Snape."

Snape said nothing, looking at Dumbledore.

"I think it's possible that Severus wanted to go to the eighth floor many times, but was discovered by Harry." Dumbledore thought and made a suggestion, "In this way, we can find the Room of Requirement naturally."

Snape opened his mouth, wanting to speak but stopping himself.

This kind of stupidity...

"Albus, thank you for your advice." Snape looked at Dumbledore's empty hands. "Are you so eager to use what I gave you?"

Dumbledore shook his head: "Severus, this is the best solution."

"Yeah, make me a fool." Snape nodded, and every word he uttered felt like thorns.

Not long after he sat down, he stood up again, looked coldly at Dumbledore and then at Harry: "I am now preparing to be a fool, Albus, maybe you can give me some advice."

This preparation is not for Crouch to see.

It is to keep it in the brain and store the memory.

Memories can be false, but for any master of Legilimency, no false memory can be hidden from their eyes.

That evening.

Snape cast an Disillusionment Charm on himself and walked to the portrait of the troll on the eighth floor. As Crouch had said, he walked back and forth in front of the portrait three times, and a door appeared on the wall of the portrait.

He was about to reach out and grab the door handle.

"Professor Snape, what are you doing here?" Harry's voice came from behind him, making him freeze.

He held his breath and remained motionless, disguising himself as a piece of air.

The advanced illusion spell allowed him to blend completely into the environment.