Hogwarts Bloodline Chapter 679: When Did My Marauder's Map Become Common Knowledge? - Novel Cool

Chapter 679: When Did My Marauder's Map Become Common Knowledge?

Chapter 679: When Did My Marauder's Map Become Common Knowledge?

Mad-Eye Moody vented his frustration at the Aurors' half-hearted efforts, berating them for several minutes before turning to Ivan and speaking.

"Hals, if all the Aurors had your keen observational skills, that little brat’s disguise would have been exposed long ago."

"Thank you, Professor Moody", Ivan shrugged, not committing to the compliment.

With Mad-Eye Moody's temper, which Auror would dare to question him thoroughly?

"Then what happened, Alastor?" Dumbledore asked.

"After that, they kept me for a while, seemingly planning something. Once the Aurors left, Barty Jr. released me and said he was going to take me to see his master, Voldemort!" Mad-Eye Moody's expression turned serious.

"Dark Lord?" Hermione's eyes widened in surprise. "So Harry was right, he has truly returned?"

"At first, I was shocked too, but I don't think so, at least that’s my belief..." Mad-Eye Moody muttered, smacking his lips.

Hermione was thoroughly confused and didn't understand what Mad-Eye Moody meant.

Mad-Eye Moody quickly clarified her doubts, tapping his wand on the chair and transforming it into an oval bundle with an opening, resembling a baby blanket.

"This is the Voldemort I saw!" Mad-Eye Moody recalled, his voice trembling.

Hermione stepped closer and found that the bundle indeed contained a lifelike infant statue, so realistic it could pass for a real baby at first glance.

However, bizarrely, the baby had a flat, snake-like face, with dark red skin and a faint layer of snake scales covering it.

"Is that Voldemort?" Hermione's mind was reeling; she couldn't fathom how the terrifying Dark Lord from the stories could be this grotesque, almost like a dead infant.

Ivan also took a closer look. Indeed, the current Voldemort was shockingly ugly, and it seemed that after losing most of his power, the Basilisk bloodline had caused his form to severely mutate.

"Hey, what do you think? Surprised, right?" Mad-Eye Moody grinned sarcastically. "When I first saw him, I couldn’t believe it either. The infamous Dark Lord was being cradled by Peter like a baby. When Barty Jr. pointed him out and told me that was Voldemort, I thought they were joking."

"Your suspicions are correct, Alastor. Voldemort has not truly returned", Dumbledore gazed at the bundle and the strange infant inside, then continued solemnly.

"But compared to before, he has grown stronger. He is no longer a pitiful ghost but has a body, which means he can cast spells again..."

Mad-Eye Moody nodded. He had made similar sarcastic remarks at the time, and the enraged Voldemort personally cast the Cruciatus Curse on him, torturing him.

This was enough to prove that Voldemort was not as fragile as he appeared, still a highly dangerous Dark Lord.

"He tortured me with the Cruciatus Curse all night, and then, when I was at my weakest, he altered my memory, making me believe I was a fanatical Death Eater who had been undercover at the Ministry of Magic all along..."

"I always knew it was wrong. Why would a Death Eater arrest so many Dark Wizards? I tried to correct this notion, but I couldn’t control myself. He used the Imperius Curse on me, reinforcing this belief and using it to control my actions and words."

I guess I really am getting old. My willpower isn't what it used to be, and in the end, he managed to turn me into a docile puppet."

At this point, Mad-Eye Moody let out a weary sigh.

"That's not your fault, Alastor. Voldemort has delved deeply into the study of souls and Dark Magic. No one knows exactly how far he's gone..." Dumbledore said, trying to console him.

Ivan nodded in agreement.

Don't be fooled by the fact that Voldemort hasn't fully resurrected yet and his power is far from its peak. He still has a solid foundation, and no ordinary wizard can stand up to him.

After all, in the original timeline, Voldemort effortlessly controlled Barty Crouch, the former Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, and Mad-Eye Moody's superior, without any resistance.

In comparison, Mad-Eye Moody's resistance is commendable. Voldemort had to put in considerable effort to fully control him.

Of course, it might also be because altering memories is a delicate process, requiring him to weaken Mad-Eye Moody's will as much as possible.

Ivan thought to himself, while Mad-Eye Moody continued to recount the events.

"After that, Voldemort probably thought I had surrendered, so he didn't deliberately avoid me when talking with Peter and Barty Jr.

I overheard them discussing a plan. Voldemort originally intended for Barty Crouch Jr. to use Polyjuice Potion to impersonate me and enter Hogwarts, which would have made the plan easier to execute.

After all, using the Imperius Curse for remote control is far from convenient. They could only order me to do certain things but couldn't get real-time updates on the progress. I had to report back periodically, and only then could Barty Jr. give me further instructions."

"Why did they change the plan halfway through?" Ivan frowned, asking a question that had been puzzling him.

"I don't know", Mad-Eye Moody shook his head. Then, he seemed to remember something and continued, "I suspect they were worried your Marauder's Map might expose them."

"It seems Peter Pettigrew revealed a lot about me... I thought he had genuinely forgotten everything after losing his memory", Ivan said with a cold laugh.

"Even without Peter, they wouldn't have been able to keep the map a secret. Many people in the wizarding world know about it. It would be strange if Voldemort didn't notice", Mad-Eye Moody added.

Ivan was taken aback, his expression odd. When did his Marauder's Map become common knowledge?

"Have you forgotten, Ivan? Last year, when we were clearing Sirius Black's name, you showed the Marauder's Map. It made the front page of the Daily Prophet the next day", Hermione reminded him.

She had collected every Daily Prophet article related to Ivan and read them multiple times, so she remembered it clearly.

Ivan rubbed his forehead, realizing he had forgotten about that.

He had seen the walls covered in Daily Prophets in that chamber, probably a result of Barty Jr. having nothing better to do. No wonder he was so cautious about the Marauder's Map.

"There's one more thing you might have overlooked. Voldemort is a master of memory. He might have ways to help Peter recover some of his lost memories", Dumbledore added. "Peter was one of the creators of the map and would know how to avoid it."

(End of Chapter)

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