Chapter 751: Law and Order in Knockturn Alley
Chapter 751: Law and Order in Knockturn Alley
"Anyway, I need to see results within six months, understood?" Voldemort added.
Snape acknowledged, and Draco hurriedly nodded.
Voldemort was very satisfied. The hand on Draco's shoulder pressed down even harder, and a thick Dark Aura began to surge from the point of contact.
Draco let out a soft hiss, clenching his teeth tightly, feeling as if his shoulder was being seared by a hot iron.
If not for Voldemort's authority, he would have screamed out long ago.
After what seemed like an eternity, the hand was finally withdrawn, and the prolonged agony came to an end. Draco collapsed to the ground, drenched in cold sweat from his forehead and back.
"This is part of your advance reward", Voldemort said indifferently.
Reward? Draco was a bit confused. He had thought Voldemort was deliberately torturing him.
Draco hastily pulled open his collar and saw that his shoulder now bore a skull mark.
A black Great Serpent was slowly emerging from the skull, as if it were alive, and it looked incredibly mysterious.
This is the Dark Mark?!
Draco immediately recognized it. He had seen the same symbol on his father's arm and knew it was the mark of a Death Eater.
If it had been just a few days ago, Draco would have been overjoyed. He had always thought becoming a Death Eater was a prestigious and powerful position. But now, his mind was preoccupied with the assassination mission...
Since the newly gathered Death Eaters were few in number, Voldemort did not intend to give a lengthy speech. The entire meeting lasted just over an hour before it concluded.
The Death Eaters, having received their orders, did not linger for a moment and quickly Disapparated.
Snape stepped out of Riddle House, his mind replaying the conversation he had with Dumbledore in the Hogwarts Tower ten days ago.
["After I am dead, if there comes a day when Voldemort suddenly falls into great fear, living in constant terror, then that will be the moment!"]
Snape frowned deeply. Initially, he had thought Dumbledore's mind was addled by the potion he had brewed, leading to such wild speculations. But now, it seemed otherwise...
The Fidelius Charm that enveloped the entire base, the orders to investigate and assassinate Ivan-Hals, all pointed to one thing.
The immensely powerful Voldemort, who struck fear into the entire Wizarding World, was afraid!
Afraid of a fifteen-year-old boy.
And that person wasn't even called Harry Potter...
This thought left Snape feeling a sense of absurdity and made him even more curious about what had happened that night in Knockturn Alley, and why Voldemort had been forced to flee.
Could it be... that this was all part of your plan?
Dumbledore?
...
A few days passed quickly. Under the forced intervention of Aurors like Fenrir, Knockturn Alley was completely transformed.
The clutter and garbage that had once filled the corners were thoroughly cleaned, and the unemployed loiterers wandering the streets were all rounded up and forced to participate in the street renovation work.
Moreover, the enthusiastic Aurors went door-to-door, explaining the new rules of Knockturn Alley to the residents and distributing a copy of the New Century Manifesto to each one.
According to the Aurors' descriptions, this book contains the grand ideals of the Great Lord, which every Wizard in Knockturn Alley must understand and read thoroughly.
Every three months, they conduct an examination, and Wizards who fail will be imprisoned and become experimental subjects for the Great Lord.
Under this threat and pressure, Knockturn Alley underwent a dramatic transformation in just a few days, with every household displaying banners promoting law and order.
The two Aurors who entered to investigate witnessed this harmonious scene firsthand.
"Captain, are we in the wrong place?" Sunny looked around, staring at the sign that read "Promote Civility, Foster New Trends", feeling thoroughly bewildered.
Three years ago, she had visited Knockturn Alley a few times and vaguely remembered the streets being quite chaotic, with Dark Wizards often lurking nearby, giving her uneasy glances that made her feel very uncomfortable.
But today's Knockturn Alley was completely different. There was no more of that foul, pungent smell, and the Dark Wizards had all vanished. The Wizards passing by mostly wore reassuring smiles.
Has Knockturn Alley changed so much in these few years?
Sunny found it hard to believe.
"How should I know what's going on? But this is definitely Knockturn Alley!" Delius shook his head, equally surprised by the changes.
After all, this was a gathering place for Dark Wizards, an area the Ministry of Magic usually couldn't control. Now it looked orderly, with various propaganda slogans plastered on the walls.
With the Aurors' keen intuition, Delius was certain there had to be something wrong.
After exchanging opinions, the two decided to find someone to ask about the situation. They stopped a middle-aged Witch who happened to be passing by.
"Hello, ma'am. I heard there was a conflict in Knockturn Alley a few days ago. Is that true?" Sunny asked.
"No, you've misunderstood. There was no conflict here", the Witch said, squinting her eyes and smiling. "That night, some familiar Wizards just gathered for a lively bonfire party."
"A bonfire party?" Sunny's eyes widened.
Delius's mouth twitched.
The middle-aged Witch nodded and vividly described the grand bonfire party that night. In the wee hours, a few drunken male Wizards got into a spontaneous Magic duel, which ended up burning down a house and causing quite a commotion...
Delius was skeptical.
While the Witch's story was a bit strange, it was certainly more plausible than rumors of a resurrected Dark Lord fleeing from Knockturn Alley.
"What about these?" Sunny pointed to the propaganda slogans on the walls, curious.
The middle-aged Witch sighed deeply and explained. In recent years, the chaotic state of Knockturn Alley had been a source of pain for every Wizard living there.
So this year, they spontaneously united and drove away the troublemaking Dark Wizards, deciding to rebuild their own community.
These slogans were their vision for a better future!
Sunny and Delius exchanged glances, their faces blank as they bid farewell to the Witch. Walking down the clean street, their heads were filled with questions.
This can't be the real Knockturn Alley...
(End of Chapter)
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