The Bard of Hogwarts

Chapter 373 Eighteen Months, Voldemort Was Afraid

Time is sometimes an intangible concept.

Eighteen months is enough time for a fledgling bird to grow into a swan.

Similarly, eighteen months could once again cast a shadow over the English magical world.

……

The old house in Lestrange.

In a luxuriously decorated but slightly outdated living room.

At this moment, the oval table was packed with people, yet you could hear a pin drop.

"Hahaha, this is so interesting! To come back to life, this has even surpassed magic..."

Voldemort sat in the main seat, his tone smiling, but his crimson eyes were icy cold.

The laughter gradually subsided after a while.

"Do you know what? The greatest sign of stupidity is that people hate those they've never met and take pride in things they've never done..."

"I don't want you to become fools, like Barty Crouch Jr."

Voldemort calmly surveyed his surroundings, below whom stood a crowd of over twenty people, some with respect and others with fanaticism.

Without exception, these people were the most loyal Death Eaters imprisoned in the deepest levels of Azkaban.

In the past, Voldemort might not have cared about these people, but now that he sees hope, they are now very helpful, at least they can gather a lot of important information.

Voldemort was disgusted by Barty Jr.'s unauthorized actions, which not only broke the previous agreement but also created a new mortal enemy for him.

Even if Barty Jr. eventually turns himself in to the Ministry of Magic, many things cannot be mended after a break. Once a rift appears, repairs can only delay the inevitable.

What he's doing now is making amends, especially after receiving news of Svenburn's sudden appearance, the secret of his resurrection, the rules behind that die...

He wanted everything, but now was not the right time. He had to wait until he had dealt with Dumbledore before he could make a proper plan.

Thinking of this, Voldemort glanced sideways at the burly wizard:

"Fenrir, how many wandering werewolves have you gathered?"

Fenrir Regbork, a vicious and infamous werewolf, behaved like a well-behaved student after being called out, appearing trembling with fear.

"Master, so far I have only gathered 276 werewolves. The rest were persuaded by Remus Lupin to provide wolfsbane in exchange for it..."

Having said that, Fenrir fell silent, lowering his head in preparation for punishment.

To his surprise, the expected punishment did not come; instead, he received a slightly comforting reassurance.

"276 people? That's enough!" Voldemort said in the main seat, his tone unchanged.

"My dear professor always thinks of the big picture, so let's throw his big picture into chaos! Let these werewolves start raiding Muggles. They don't need to achieve anything spectacular, but they can't be idle..."

A calm voice, yet uttering the most chilling words.

Below, apart from Bella, Gagson, and others who looked indifferent, Fenrir, Lucius, and others all had drastic changes in expression.

Fenrir was thinking about the werewolves he had painstakingly gathered, who had become discarded pawns in the blink of an eye, making it easy to imagine that one day it would be his turn.

As for Lucius, he was thinking even further: attacking Muggles and creating panic was a clear provocation of the secrecy laws.

If the secrecy law is broken, it could lead to utter destruction, and this is no longer just a matter within the wizarding community.

Voldemort sat in the main seat, quietly watching the crowd below. Although they were all masters of facial expression management, their inner thoughts were certainly not consistent with their outward appearances.

He didn't care about that; as long as he completed the order, that was enough. What he thought in his heart was unimportant.

"That's all for today. Fenrir and Lucius, stay behind."

After a moment of silence, Voldemort ended the brief meeting.

……

As everyone left, Lestrange's ancestral home became deserted and desolate.

"Lucius!" Voldemort spoke slowly, "Your Malfoy family's judgment is as sharp as ever, even making me feel a little jealous."

"Master, I..." Lucius stood up, wanting to express his stance through action.

"Don't be nervous! Sit down and talk." Voldemort waved his hand.

"I didn't intend to do anything to you. Go and deliver a letter to Svenburn. Although Barty Jr. has turned himself in, this matter still needs to be addressed."

Hearing this, Lucius was deeply moved. In the seemingly calm tone, he sensed a mixture of helplessness and relief.

In fact, Voldemort was in this situation at the moment, but he had no choice but to compromise, otherwise he would have no chance of winning if the other party joined forces with Dumbledore.

As for relaxing, to be honest, he had been on guard for the past year and a half since the other party suddenly disappeared from Hogwarts.

The terrifying thing about Slytherin's snakes is that they lurk in the shadows, waiting for the right moment to deliver a fatal blow to their opponents.

That's why he rescued these Death Eaters; spreading his spies and informants was better than having only one person on guard.

Now, however, it is no longer necessary.

Although Svenburn did not make a high-profile appearance, he did make a brief but memorable appearance at the Ministry of Magic.

Even though it was just a meeting with Fudge, that was enough.

……

Lucius left, taking with him a letter that weighed heavily on his mind.

That afternoon, after he left.

The Stone District, Manchester, London.

In a typical middle-class three-story house, Ino slowly put down the letter in her hand in the guest room, her face expressionless.

"What happened?" Having spent so much time together, Hermione immediately noticed the problem.

Ino wasn't surprised that Hermione had noticed; he shook his head slightly and chuckled softly.

"It's nothing! He's scared of Voldemort's letter."

"Ha, even the Dark Lord is afraid? Unbelievable." Hermione chuckled and teased.

She has been back for three days since the story ended, and her parents, with Lockhart's help, have regained their memories.

Living in her own home, with her parents and loved ones by her side, she felt very happy.

"So what are you planning to do?" Hermione asked tentatively.

Although she was asking a question, she didn't want to disrupt her existing lifestyle.

Just now, Hermione could guess what Ino was thinking, and now Ino understands Hermione's thoughts in the same way, but there are some things he doesn't intend to compromise on.

"Hermione, you should know that you can't ignore a snake just because it's temporarily dormant. Otherwise, who knows what it might do to bite you."

"I know that, but Barty the Youngster is already in Azkaban..." Hermione sighed softly. She knew perfectly well that Ino was right.

In fact, for a girl, her parents and lover are her whole life. Perhaps she will add children in the future, but that's in the future.

Hermione sighed, and the atmosphere in the guest room became somewhat heavy.

at the same time.

After a moment's thought, Ino continued the conversation:

"Don't worry! He can't escape this time. Besides, this time I'll find a real prophet, otherwise Horcruxes will always be a problem!"

Fudge knew that Barty Jr. had turned himself in, since he had already mentioned this when he was looking for Lockhart to restore Hermione's memories of her parents.

However, some matters cannot be resolved simply by turning oneself in.

Just like a wizard's swallowtail dog, if its tail isn't docked in time and it's discovered by Muggles in violation of the Secret Law, the Ministry of Magic will always punish the wizard who owns the dog.

……

As she spoke, Ino raised her hand, her fingertips flicking out one by one, and slowly plucked the harp in her arms.

The soothing melody begins; although the tune is simple, it has a folk song feel to it.

Simple musical notes, as if by magic, transform into flowing water and gentle breeze.

The sound dispelled the oppressive atmosphere that had just formed in the room.

(End of this chapter)