Chapter 855: The Albanian Forest
Chapter 855: The Albanian Forest
Upon hearing Aurel's explanation, Kyle's first instinct was skepticism. How could he possibly believe it? Voldemort had only started his activities after Harry's enrollment at Hogwarts, but when Aurel came to Hogwarts, Harry was merely an ordinary boy living in his aunt and uncle's cupboard.
Sensing Kyle's disbelief, Aurel spoke calmly, "I didn't believe it either, at first. But I saw him with my own eyes, barely more than a pathetic ghost, hiding and struggling to survive in the Albanian forest."
"Albania!" Kyle was taken aback, and his doubts began to waver.
After all, it was in Albania that Chi Lo had encountered Voldemort.
"How did you end up there?"
"Have you forgotten my profession before coming to Hogwarts?" Aurel chuckled.
"A bard, or rather, a member of the Magical Creature Smuggling Squad disguised as a bard," Kyle replied.
"The captain," Aurel corrected him. "The Albanian forest has the highest concentration of Runesnakes, and they are highly valuable magical creatures. We've visited there numerous times."
Kyle furrowed his brows, determined not to let Aurel go. He twirled the wand in his hand, but Aurel immediately noticed.
"Don't bother," Aurel said, shifting his position again. "You know you can't kill me, and remember, the Dark Lord is nearby."
Kyle looked up, gazing into the distance. The sky there had been flashing with the green light of Avada Kedavra spells since earlier, and the frequency was increasing. It was evident that the battle between Voldemort and Dumbledore had intensified.
If Kyle were to make a move, Aurel would likely run for help, turning the fight into a two-on-two confrontation. Voldemort might not care about Aurel, but Dumbledore would surely be distracted and come to Kyle's aid.
Still not fully recovered, Kyle didn't want to be a burden. After a moment's thought, he put away his wand.
"That's right," Aurel smiled. "Staying here is beneficial for both of us. Let's continue, where were we?"
"Albania," Kyle said. "How did you know it was the Dark Lord?"
"It was quite a coincidence," Aurel explained. "We had lost the target we were supposed to capture, and a few hot-headed teammates wanted to take it out on some ordinary snakes. But I noticed one snake that was different."
"How was it different?"
"Its eyes," Aurel said, slightly raising his head as if recalling something. "Snakes don't have emotions, but I saw anger and contempt in its eyes."
"But it's just a snake, not even a magical creature. How dare it show contempt towards a wizard?"
"So, you suspected it was the Dark Lord?"
"Not at the time."
Aurel shook his head. "Everyone knew the Dark Lord was dead. Even if I sensed something off about the snake, I didn't think in that direction. I assumed someone was using them for magical experiments... if you've worked in the Ministry, you'd know how common such things are."
"Until not long after, someone on the team went mad for no apparent reason."
Aurel spoke calmly, "I was tracking a Runesnake alone in the forest when I saw that snake again, along with a fellow smuggler who was supposed to be on the other side of the forest... the very person who almost killed it."
At this point, Aurel turned to Kyle, asking in a strange tone, "Have you ever seen a person with two faces?"
Kyle blinked. Of course, he knew about the face on Chi Lo's back, his first encounter with Voldemort.
But Kyle didn't share this information with Aurel, standing there silently, waiting for him to continue.
"I have," Aurel murmured. "I'll never forget that face on the back of his head—ugly, distorted, but I recognized it. It was the face of the Dark Lord, who was supposed to be dead.
"How ironic, isn't it? The once-powerful Dark Lord, still alive, but in such a pathetic state, clinging to life as a snake. But he's alive.
"I knew then that he would return, bringing a war even more terrifying than the one ten years ago.
"Didn't you tell anyone?" Kyle asked, looking at him.
"Why would I?" Aurel countered. "And even if I did, what would they think? They'd assume I was crazy. The Ministry's behavior a few years ago proved that. Even when Dumbledore shattered their self-deceiving peace, he was labeled a madman and lost his position as the Chief Warlock of the International Confederation of Wizards. What chance would a notorious smuggler have?"
"It's rare for you to have such an accurate assessment of yourself," Kyle couldn't help but remark.
"Always have," Aurel replied, unbothered.
Kyle looked into his eyes, trying to find the flaws in his previous statements.
First, why did he enter the Albanian forest alone, knowing that the danger of venturing into such a vast forest alone was far greater than with company? Especially in a place like Albania.
Having another person meant an extra pair of eyes, and in the face of overwhelming magical creatures, it could buy some precious time... After all, people like Aurel wouldn't value their companions' lives; they always put Galleons first.
Additionally, there was the question of how he managed to avoid being detected by Voldemort.
Kyle narrowed his eyes and continued, "So, what happened next? Where did the possessed person go?"
"Who knows..." Aurel said nonchalantly. "The Dark Lord didn't seem to fancy that body and quickly returned to the snake's form. He became delirious, and we abandoned him."
They had a habit of discarding people without value.
However, the fact that the possessed person didn't die after being controlled by Voldemort indirectly proved how weak he was at the time, so weak that he didn't dare to eat properly.
When he possessed Quirinus, he nearly drained him of his life force, leaving Quirinus a mere shell, like a walking corpse.
"But I kept an eye on it, and after that, the Dark Lord could possess stronger Runesnakes," Aurel sighed, "I wanted to continue observing, but due to certain circumstances, I had to leave Albania and come to Britain."
"The notebook," Kyle thought for a moment and asked.
He remembered that the reason the Beaters had gone to such lengths to capture a magical creature smuggler was because of a notebook.
"That's right," Aurel smiled, "Our funds come from those big shots, and their requests take priority."
"Do you want to hear it?" Aurel teased, looking at Kyle, "I can tell you about it if you're interested. It'll definitely broaden your horizons."
"I'm not in the business of cleaning up the Wizarding World," Kyle waved his hand dismissively, "You keep it for your own protection."
"It's fine, I won't need it anymore," Aurel chuckled, "It became useless after Fudge was killed. He started buying from us when he was the Deputy Minister for Magical Catastrophes, and he was the one who least wanted the notebook to be exposed."
Was this matter also related to Fudge?
Oh, right, aside from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, only the Minister himself could mobilize the Beaters. Given Fudge's concern for his reputation, he certainly wouldn't want his dirty laundry aired.
"Never mind then," Aurel changed the topic again, "You already know what happened next. I accidentally met Dumbledore and, to avoid the Aurors, I came to Hogwarts to teach Dark Arts Defense."
"I was also curious about the Dark Arts Defense Curse. They say it was established by the Dark Lord, and if it still exists, it proves that he's not truly dead."
"Are you sure?"
"Of course," Aurel sighed, "When the Beaters and I faced off, they didn't notice anything amiss. But when they dealt with a first-year student, they repeatedly failed. Isn't that a curse?"
"What surprised me even more was that after spending a lot of time to finally escape the Beaters, I returned to Albania, only to find that the Dark Lord had disappeared. He seemed to have left the forest... That's when I guessed that he might be making a comeback soon."
"Boom!"
A loud rumbling sound came from a distance, and a blue lightning bolt streaked across the sky, like divine punishment, affecting even those far away.
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A strong gust of wind blew, stirring up clouds of dust and fallen leaves.
"What formidable power," Aurel stood up and gazed at the sky, "With such powerful magic, the battle over there should be coming to an end as well."
"I have one more question," Kyle said quickly, "Why did you join the Death Eaters?"
"Why did you join the Death Eaters?" Aurel turned his head, "Because only in the sewers can you more easily find the rats hiding within."
"What do you mean?"
"It's none of your business," Aurel said bluntly. "Chatting time is over, and by the way, I'll give you another message. That werewolf's wedding..."
As he spoke, a flash of undisguised disgust passed through Aurel's eyes, but it quickly disappeared.
"It's best not to return to Godric's Hollow, it's more dangerous there... Oh, and don't take me as your own, next time we meet, there won't be any more cozy chatting time, I'll kill you."
"Tsk, a person chased by the Venomous Fanged Cat is actually talking about killing me." Kyle sneered, "I'm really scared."
With that exaggerated tone and an incredibly punchable expression, Aurel couldn't hold it in anymore, his face turning dark and his teeth grinding audibly.
What was even more infuriating was that he couldn't refute it; Kyle at this moment was indeed not someone he could deal with. Not to mention those two 5X-level Magical Creatures, which could leave any Death Eater helpless except for Voldemort.
Aurel looked deeply at Kyle, said nothing, and Apparated away.
After Aurel disappeared, Kyle glanced again at the direction where Dumbledore and Voldemort were fighting.
At some point, it had become quiet again.
A soft puff sounded, and Dumbledore appeared not far away.
"Let's go, he's about to catch up," Dumbledore said, but as he spoke, his legs went weak, and he almost fell to the ground.
Kyle quickly stepped forward and grabbed his arm.
At that moment, a green light shot from a distance, but just as the Killing Curse was about to hit Dumbledore, he disappeared again.
Kyle disappeared with him.
When Voldemort arrived, he found no one.
"Dumbledore, is all you can do is hide?" he roared, half of his face turning charred, and his bald head now had an additional spiderweb-like crack, looking even uglier than before.
Receiving no response, he vented his anger on the surrounding trees, and in an instant, he destroyed a large area of the forest.
"Someone rescued Dumbledore!" he looked coldly towards the direction behind him, "Aurel, I need an explanation. Where were you just now!"
"I was chasing that disgusting Kyle Choa, my Lord." Aurel lowered his head and said respectfully.
"Did you kill him?"
"No, my Lord."
"So you failed!" The Elder Wand in Voldemort's hand glowed green again.
He was in a foul mood now, and if Aurel couldn't give him a satisfactory reason, he wouldn't mind killing this rather decent servant to vent his anger.
"He got his hands on 5X Magical Creatures, it's tricky. I don't have the powerful magic of my Lord, and killing him will take time."
Aurel looked calmly into Voldemort's eyes, and even knowing he was a Legilimency master, he showed no intention of dodging.
Moreover, what he said was true; the Three-Headed Dog and the Venomous Fanged Cat, one with rough skin and tough meat, and the other capable of spitting toxic mist and also with rough skin and tough meat, were indeed tricky.
"But I led him to Bellatrix's place, where there are many of our people, and they will definitely kill him."
Passing the problem to others, this was Aurel's idea. Even if he didn't see Kyle again, it was Bellatrix's incompetence, and it had nothing to do with him.
"Bellatrix!"
Aurel shouldn't have said that, as it only made Voldemort angrier.
Bellatrix had taken seventy Death Eaters, almost three times the number of Phoenix Society members. Logically, they should have killed everyone and returned by now, but Voldemort hadn't received any news yet.
Were these people all useless?
At this point, Voldemort no longer had the mind to pursue Aurel's incompetence. He had only one thought in his mind.
Since Dumbledore had escaped, he would kill the members of the Phoenix Society to collect some interest, letting him know the consequences of his cowardice.
Oh, and Bellatrix, considering her previous loyalty, he had given her several chances, but she had messed up the task each time.
This time, she must be punished and face the Dark Lord's wrath.
Voldemort took a deep breath, and the flesh on his face began to squirm. Soon, the charred areas, including the crack on his head, restored to their original state.
He looked towards the direction of Godric's Hollow, turned into a black mist, and flew over without a word.
...
(End of Chapter)
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