Chapter 1366: A Whiff of Conspiracy
Chapter 1366: A Whiff of Conspiracy
The brief gathering soon came to an end, and after the other Death Eaters left, Yaxley pulled Snape aside to continue the previous discussion.
"You don't seem too keen on this matter?"
He personally poured a glass of red wine for Snape.
"The black market dealings have caused quite a bit of trouble lately. I think we should cut our losses while we can," Snape said politely as he accepted the wine, but he didn't seem inclined to drink it.
"I want to, but the Dark Lord does not tolerate failure. I've already messed up once, and I can't afford to fail again, or else..."
Yaxley really didn't want to end up like Lucius, so he had to resolve the black market issue before Voldemort returned.
"That may only make things worse," Snape said, his eyes fixed on the wine in his hand. "You should be wary of Albert Anderson."
"Do you think this is likely to be that Mudblood's scheme?" Yaxley's eyebrows arched slightly. While he had indeed pinned the blame on Albert, it didn't necessarily mean he truly believed the boy was involved.
"I don't know, but the fact that we're having violent clashes with foreign Dark Wizards, resulting in numerous casualties on both sides, doesn't that seem absurd to you?" Snape prompted, though he knew his words were unlikely to sway Yaxley. He simply wanted to offer a timely reminder.
"I don't know. Maybe you're right, but...I have no other choice," Yaxley said, his eyes narrowing as he fixed his gaze on Snape. "Severus, I hope you'll lend each other a hand. There aren't many of our old friends left."
"We've always done that, but you know I can't do much beyond offering verbal support!" Snape set down his wine glass and said to Yaxley, "If anything comes up, you can find me at Hogwarts."
"Could this really be related to that Mudblood?" Yaxley suddenly had a bad feeling about this.
To be honest, while Yaxley often referred to Albert as a Mudblood, he actually feared that the boy might be his downfall.
Just as Snape had pointed out, this dispute was highly unusual.
It was abnormal for Dark Wizards to start infighting and killing each other in Voldemort's Britain.
Could they have fallen into the Mudblood's trap?
Yaxley thought he could smell a whiff of conspiracy. If... He quickly shook off these ridiculous thoughts from his head and began making arrangements for what came next.
Even if it was a trap, the plan had to continue.
Yaxley would not allow himself to fail.
As long as they thoroughly crushed those foreign Dark Wizards, the Hogsmeade black market issue would basically be resolved.
Thus, the other Death Eaters and wizards who had pledged allegiance to the Dark Lord were forced to stay busy, guarding against any potential sneak attacks from the foreign Dark Wizards.
However, their vigilance seemed to be for naught, as not a single foreign Dark Wizard showed up in Hogsmeade to cause trouble. Instead, some wizards from other countries, having heard about the black market, specifically traveled there to partake in the transactions, and everything seemed to have returned to the way it was before.
Even the Hog's Head pub was bustling once more.
No, to be accurate, the Hog's Head had always been popular among Dark Wizards, but Aberforth seemed unconcerned about this. He continued his routine of kicking everyone out shortly after ten o'clock.
"Ariana, what do you think that guy is up to?"
Aberforth, who had just been about to head back to his bedroom, received a message from the Order of the Phoenix, warning him that foreign Dark Wizards would be attacking Hogsmeade that night. They advised him to take his valuables and evacuate to a safe place to avoid any potential harm.
Aberforth had already heard about this from the Death Eaters who came to drink at the Hog's Head—that Hogsmeade would be under curfew that night to guard against vengeful outsiders.
Vengeful outsiders?
That descriptor didn't seem quite fitting.
At least, in Aberforth's opinion, the Death Eaters' actions were far more despicable. He had personally witnessed the tragic death of Boswell.
However, he refused to believe that those outsiders would come to avenge Boswell.
Thus, the only possible explanation was that someone had deliberately incited conflict between the two sides.
The Death Eaters killing each other was truly a delightful sight.
Aberforth grumbled as he picked up a photo frame from the wooden table, along with the Galleons he had recently earned and a large amount of food. He then made his way into the secret passage to Hogwarts, guessing that the group of foreigners would use the pretext of revenge to raid Hogsmeade and make a quick profit before leaving.
He wondered if the small amount of money he had left behind would satisfy those Dark Wizards.
As for the foreign Dark Wizards driving out the Death Eaters and continuing to occupy Hogsmeade, he believed that after the last incident, no one would be foolish enough to have such thoughts again.
As the night deepened, the vigil continued.
However, the Death Eaters on guard duty had relaxed their vigilance. They played cards, enjoyed snacks, and bet on whether the group of foreigners would actually show up.
Yet, it seemed like the information they had received was false.
The Death Eaters waited until the depths of the night, but not a single foreigner appeared, and even the next shift had already arrived.
It seemed as if they had scared themselves for nothing.
Of course, the Death Eaters guarding Hogsmeade didn't really have much to worry about, as there were also a lot of Dementors patrolling the area. For Dark Wizards who couldn't summon Patronuses, being targeted by a large group of Dementors was also a big problem.
After all, that powerful Dark Wizard, Boswell, had been killed by them.
If it weren't for that Mudblood, Albert Anderson, being too strong, they would have liked to use a similar method to deal with him.
Unfortunately, that guy's Patronus was too powerful, and even the Dementors didn't dare to approach him.
As dawn approached, the leader of the Death Eaters became increasingly cautious, as they had taken advantage of the other side's sleep to launch a sneak attack.
"Those guys probably aren't coming."
In the brightly lit Three Broomsticks, a Death Eater spread out his cards and announced to the others, "I win this round."
"No, they will come!" Rudolph said firmly. "Because that group wants to make a final profit before leaving Britain, so I'm sure they will come."
"Come on, Rudolph," another Death Eater at a different table scoffed. "We're hoping they'll show up too, so maybe we can make some money as well."
In fact, none of those present believed that the group of Dark Wizards from various European countries could unite. Even if they did come to Hogsmeade to rob them, it would be at most a few individuals taking secret revenge. But there were more than a dozen people here, and Yaxley's men could reinforce Hogsmeade at any time using the Floo Network or Disapparition.
"Last drink, don't drink too much and mess things up."
Cagason was one of the few veteran Death Eaters, entrusted with an important task by Yaxley. He didn't want to repeat the mistakes of the past.
However, as soon as Cagason finished speaking, a Dark Wizard suddenly fell onto the table as if he had fallen asleep.
This abnormal situation immediately aroused Cagason's alertness. Those who had drunk the last round of wine had fallen asleep one by one.
This scene startled the others.
"Enemy attack!"
Chaos erupted in the Three Broomsticks.
The Dark Wizards raised their wands and went on high alert, surveying their surroundings. After checking the drinks they had just consumed, suspicious glances were cast in Cagason's direction.
"Idiots, do you suspect that I put the Draught of Living Death in the wine?"
Cagason was furious. After cautiously looking around and confirming that there were no enemies nearby, he yelled at the Death Eater next to him, "What are you standing there for? Go and inform Yaxley about what's happening here, and ask him to send more people to help."
The others also snapped out of their daze and followed Cagason's orders, forming teams to go and find the Dementors.
They needed the Dementors' help.
Not long after Cagason left the Three Broomsticks with his group, Rudolph, who had pretended to drink the wine and feigned unconsciousness, got up from the floor and quickly walked outside the pub. He raised his wand and released red sparks into the sky.
The feast of the night had just begun.
(End of Chapter)
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