Chapter 1370: So He's the Real Antagonist
Chapter 1370: So He's the Real Antagonist
"You have greatly disappointed me!"
Upon his return to Britain, Voldemort received news of the recent events that had transpired in his absence, and his fury knew no bounds. He never imagined that in just a few months, the entire British wizarding world would fall into such chaos.
Foreign dark wizards dared to cause trouble on his turf, and his loyal Death Eaters had been defeated by them.
Yaxley, who had controlled and held significant power over the British wizarding community, was beaten by these foreign dark wizards. They ravaged Hogsmeade, occupying and plundering the village.
What infuriated Voldemort the most was the incompetence of the Death Eaters in failing to protect their own manor, turning them into a laughing stock in the British wizarding world.
The string of bad news didn't end there.
During this time, Yaxley had also allowed the members of the Order of the Phoenix to break into Azkaban and free the prisoners.
Didn't he realize that by exposing their weakness, the wizards they had oppressed might rise up in rebellion?
How would they rule Britain then?
Voldemort wondered if he had misjudged Yaxley, whom he had trusted to manage Britain in his stead. He had indulged Yaxley's ambitions, and this was how he was repaid?
Feeling the weight of Voldemort's piercing gaze, Yaxley lowered his head, afraid to meet the Dark Lord's eyes, let alone offer any excuses. He knew Voldemort despised liars, and making excuses would only make him seem more incompetent.
"I believe you know what consequences await you," Voldemort said, raising his wand and pointing it at Yaxley. The next moment, Yaxley fell to the ground, convulsing from the pain, while the surrounding Death Eaters remained silent, afraid that the Dark Lord's anger would turn towards them.
"Severus, tell me what happened."
After severely punishing Yaxley for his failure, Voldemort dismissed everyone else and kept only Snape to question him further.
Snape proceeded to recount the events that had taken place in Britain after Voldemort's departure. He spoke of Yaxley's establishment of the black market, the sudden expulsion of the Death Eaters by foreign dark wizards, Yaxley's subsequent recapture of the black market, and the retaliation he faced from the foreign dark wizards. He also mentioned the Order of the Phoenix's prison break at Azkaban.
"I believe that group of foreign dark wizards is being controlled by someone in the shadows," Snape said. "Otherwise, it would be difficult to unite dark wizards from various European countries. Yaxley obviously thought the same, which is why he boldly reclaimed Hogsmeade. The prison break at Azkaban further proves this point."
"So, you're suggesting that this has something to do with that Mudblood?" Voldemort inferred from Snape's words. Yaxley's handling of the situation wasn't necessarily wrong, but their opponents were evidently more formidable, which was why Yaxley suffered such a crushing defeat.
"Yes, I warned Yaxley, but he clearly misidentified his true enemy," Snape said helplessly.
"Send Walton in." Voldemort waved his hand, signaling that Snape could leave.
As Walton McNeil entered, he unconsciously glanced at his former boss, Yaxley, who was now completely unconscious, and quickly averted his eyes to look at the Dark Lord. He bowed slightly to show his respect, but was met with a piercing pain that drilled into his bones.
"You have disappointed me, Walton," Voldemort said coldly, looking at one of his few remaining old accomplices.
"Master, I didn't intentionally let the Order of the Phoenix take the prisoners from Azkaban," Walton said through gritted teeth, bearing the excruciating pain. After Voldemort moved his wand, Walton quickly added, "At the time, Yaxley asked me to stay behind to continue gathering more people. But it was already late at night.
The prison break at Azkaban by the Order of the Phoenix took us completely by surprise. Although we received the news immediately, most of our forces had already left with Yaxley. I could only send someone to wake up the Aurors from the Ministry of Magic and dispatch them to Azkaban to handle the situation. But from the start, that group had no intention of truly joining us. They simply let the members of the Order take the prisoners from Azkaban."
Voldemort's expression grew darker as he realized that if what they said was true, this Albert Anderson was an even more troublesome opponent than Dumbledore.
What was worse, this Mudblood had gone into hiding, and they had no way of finding him.
Voldemort suddenly recalled something he had done in the past.
Now, however, their roles were reversed, and the Mudblood was using despicable means to target him from the shadows.
"We must find a way to get rid of him," Voldemort declared.
Looking at Yaxley, who was now completely unconscious, Voldemort turned to Snape, the Death Eater who knew the most about this Mudblood.
Snape was not surprised that Voldemort wanted to deal with Albert, but he had his doubts about the endeavor.
"I'm afraid it won't be easy, Master," Snape said, careful not to meet Voldemort's gaze. "For one, we don't even know where he's hiding. And based on what I know of him, he's a very cautious individual. He's not like Harry Potter, who is easily tricked. I suspect that even if we capture his friends, he may not be moved by it."
"What do you suggest we do?" Voldemort asked, looking at his loyal servant.
"Target the Defense Association he has formed," Snape offered. "Just like with Wormtail back then, we need a traitor to provide us with inside information."
"You already have someone in mind," Voldemort said, his satisfaction with Snape growing.
"I believe the members of the Defense Association are likely to be his friends and acquaintances," Snape explained. "But... that Mudblood is very cautious, and I can't be sure if he has taken precautions against something like this."
In truth, Snape did not want to target Albert. All signs indicated that he was a very vengeful individual.
"I will have Yaxley assist you," Voldemort said, placing a hand on Snape's shoulder. "We must eliminate the members of the Order of the Phoenix and the Defense Association, but there is no need to rush this. You have ample time." With that, he turned and left.
"Is it because even the Dark Lord doesn't have full confidence in killing Anderson?" Snape wondered as he watched Voldemort's retreating figure.
Turning his gaze to the unconscious Yaxley, Snape retrieved a potion from his robe pocket and forced it down Yaxley's throat before using a spell to rouse him.
"Looks like I've escaped the worst of it," Yaxley said with a bitter smile as he became aware of Snape by his side.
"The Dark Lord has given you a chance," Snape said. "He wants us to work together to deal with that Mudblood." He then explained Voldemort's task for them.
"This..." Yaxley fell silent for a moment before asking, "Do you have a plan?"
"We start with the Defense Association," Snape replied. "I need a 'Wormtail' to provide us with information."
"That will be... difficult," Yaxley said weakly, leaning against the wall. "So far, we don't even know who exactly is in this Defense Association."
Anderson's friends from school were like the original Death Eaters.
Both men fell silent, their thoughts turning in a similar direction.
The Mudblood and the Dark Lord were actually quite similar.
At times, Yaxley even entertained the absurd thought of recruiting Anderson into the Death Eaters.
After all, he had heard that Anderson was not truly a Mudblood but a descendant of some pure-blood wizard, making him at most a half-blood.
The book should be completely written by the end of next month, so it will be finished as planned. Afterward, I will write a sequel, even if not many people will read it.
(End of Chapter)
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