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Chapter 876: Voldemort's Frustration
Chapter 876: Voldemort's Frustration
The Hesidiri Archipelago, despite being an island in name, was surprisingly vast, even boasting a mountain range within its borders.
Perhaps this was the reason why black dragons could reside here; a smaller island would hardly accommodate such creatures.
The good news was that as Voldemort ventured deeper into the island, he transformed into a black mist, leading his inner circle of Death Eaters away.
Kyle and most of the expendable minions were left behind, trudging over the mountains on foot.
However, this was also a blessing for Kyle; without Voldemort by his side, he could act more freely.
"Tired, mate?" Kyle caught up to a lagging Death Eater and patted his shoulder from behind. "Want something to drink? I've got some Butterbeer here."
The man turned around, and upon recognizing Kyle's face, he froze momentarily.
Odd, this usually hot-tempered and not-so-skilled Travarnott was surprisingly agreeable today.
But before he could ponder further, a wand slashed through the air in front of him.
"Legilimency!"
The Death Eater's gaze immediately became unfocused.
Kyle examined his memories, shaking his head in disappointment.
Again, nothing useful. He had checked six Death Eaters, but found no valuable information.
These guys didn't even know the purpose of their mission.
It seemed that he would have to turn to the inner circle of Death Eaters for answers, and the ideal candidate would undoubtedly be Rodolphus Lestrange, who had served Voldemort before.
However, he was likely to stay by Voldemort's side, making it a challenging task.
Kyle pondered for a moment, then waved his wand casually.
"Confundus Charm!"
The just-awakened Death Eater immediately fell back into unconsciousness.
"Should I inform the Phoenix Society?" Kyle muttered to himself without turning his head.
Logically, the Phoenix Society should intervene in such a large-scale Death Eater operation, but with Voldemort present and Dumbledore's whereabouts unknown, even if the Phoenix Society members arrived, it wouldn't make much difference.
Moreover, Cornwall needed reinforcement... Although Barbar Lestrange was Moody in disguise, Bartemius Crouch Jr. hadn't returned yet, and Kyle hadn't spotted him in the crowd.
If the Phoenix Society redirected their forces here, what would happen if Tonks encountered danger?
Yet, he couldn't keep silent either. If something unexpected occurred, like the black dragon flying away, the Ministry of Magic would face significant trouble if they remained uninformed.
After a moment's hesitation, Kyle took out a specially prepared scroll and wrote a line on it.
"The Dark Lord has appeared in the Hesidiri Archipelago."
This was a Sending Scroll, with the other one in Cedric's possession.
As a level-headed and rational individual, Cedric, upon receiving Kyle's message, would undoubtedly know what to do.
At the very least, upon seeing the Dark Lord's name, they should exercise more caution.
However, the Hesidiri Archipelago was a bit far, possibly exceeding the range of the Sending Scroll.
After all, when Kyle created this scroll, it was intended for internal communication within the Ministry of Magic, not for international use.
Kyle folded the scroll, opened a box, and jumped inside.
Soon, a creature with a horse's body and a fish's tail squeezed out of the box. In the instant it landed, its tail vanished, transforming into a complete horse that swiftly galloped towards the seaside.
A mermaid, a magical creature capable of freely altering its physical form, was just what Kyle needed... well, rescued during the Triwizard Tournament. Now, it was time to put it to good use.
Although the mermaid-turned-owl lacked the innate homing ability, Kyle didn't require it to deliver the message to a specific location.
Based on the position of the Hesidiri Archipelago, as long as it crossed the ocean and reached the edge of Britain, Cedric should be able to view the content.
After completing these tasks, Kyle habitually kicked the unconscious Death Eater away and then took out a Fire Arrow, pursuing the direction where Voldemort had disappeared.
With time buffer, he also needed to gather more information.
Voldemort was unlikely to remain with the Death Eaters forever; when they separated, it would be Kyle's chance.
With the help of a flying broomstick, Kyle quickly overtook the cannon fodder troops and was the first to arrive at the other side of the island.
Before him was a village built at the foot of the mountain, with houses mostly constructed from stones and a particular plant, exuding a medieval charm, akin to a miniature version of Diagon Alley.
Kyle hid behind a tree, observing the village.
The once-quiet village was now ablaze, and the Death Eaters following Voldemort were frenziedly destroying the humble houses, seemingly venting their anger.
However, Kyle didn't spot any strangers.
The entire village had been evacuated before Voldemort's arrival, and the residents had likely taken refuge in the mountains.
It must be said that Miles MacFusty was indeed a clever man; facing such a large number of Death Eaters, only a place teeming with black dragons could offer true safety.
In his line of sight, Rodolphus Lestrange was kneeling, curled up like a cooked shrimp, struggling on the ground.
Unsurprisingly, Voldemort had likely used the Cruciatus Curse on him as punishment for his foolishness.
"Where are the people you mentioned?" Voldemort's roar was audible from a distance.
"Master... they... they agreed... and offered terms of cooperation... I swear..." Lestrange writhed in pain on the ground.
"You fool, you've been deceived! They're just buying time, stalling for everyone's escape," Voldemort snarled, casting another Cruciatus Curse. "It seems Miles MacFusty doesn't want to be a smart man."
Rodolphus Lestrange was in so much pain that he couldn't speak, only his twitching legs indicated he was still alive.
The other Death Eaters arrived at the scene and stood there, heads bowed, pretending not to notice Rodolphus.
Kyle seized the opportunity to leave his hiding place and blend into the back of the group.
"Those who defy the Dark Lord will pay the price," a large man declared, toppling the last intact house as he approached. "Go and find them!"
The Death Eaters exchanged glances, well aware of the dragon's roars and the intertwined flames they had heard earlier.
There were dragons in these mountains, at least a dozen of them.
Venturing in to find people seemed like a death wish.
However, their hesitation didn't last long. With a slight turn of Voldemort's head, the Death Eaters scattered like birds and beasts, rushing into the mountains in the blink of an eye.
Confronting the dragons didn't guarantee death, but standing there certainly did.
As Old Crabbe had said, defying the Dark Lord came with a price—the price of life.
Kyle was among them, but he didn't venture far. Soon, he stealthily returned.
After confirming that the village held no further value, Voldemort departed, leaving behind only Rodolphus Lestrange, tormented by the Cruciatus Curse and on the verge of collapse.
"Tsk, tsk, what a waste," Kyle muttered, aiming his wand at Rodolphus's head.
"Legilimency."
The previously infallible spell now revealed only a chaotic mess, devoid of any useful information.
Occlumency? Kyle furrowed his brows.
Of course. A trusted aide of Voldemort would undoubtedly know Occlumency, a skill they must master for self-preservation.
But this complicated matters.
If Legilimency failed, Kyle would have to resort to Veritaserum.
He had some of this potion; during a holiday, Headmistress Sasya of St. Mungo's had gifted him a box containing dozens of various potions, including a small vial of Veritaserum, as a reward for defeating a werewolf.
Additionally, on a Christmas occasion, Snape had also given him a bottle of the potion.
Although Snape's intentions were not entirely pure, the potion itself was genuine—a proper Veritaserum that guaranteed truthful answers with just two drops.
However, given Rodolphus's current state, he probably couldn't speak coherently.
Kyle hesitated, contemplating whether to seek another opportunity... but such chances were rare, and encountering a lone high-ranking Death Eater like this might not happen again soon.
Should he take Rodolphus away and leave the Hebrides altogether?
Kyle's mind raced with indecision, and the effects of the Polyjuice Potion on his body gradually wore off due to the passing time.
As Rodolphus struggled to open his eyes, he was met with a face he would never forget.
The Lestrange family, once numerous among the Death Eaters, had been reduced from three to one after this man's appearance. And it was all because of Kyle!
Rodolphus, summoning strength from an unknown source, gripped his wand and waved it skyward.
A giant skull materialized in the air, with a snake coiling around it.
[Read the full chapter at Book 9@Book/Bar!]
He knew that in his current state, killing Dumbledore's successor would be challenging, so he chose to release the Dark Mark!
The Dark Lord would surely come upon seeing the mark.
Kyle panicked, realizing that Rodolphus had awoken without him noticing, and his own appearance had returned to normal.
"You can't escape..." Rodolphus panted heavily, his eyes wild with madness and glee.
"I never imagined... I'd encounter you here..."
"It's quite a coincidence. I seem to have a special connection with your Lestrange family," Kyle said, steeling himself. He put away the Polyjuice Potion and replaced it with a thumb-sized potion, forcing Rodolphus's mouth open and pouring the potion inside.
Instantly, Rodolphus became more polite, and the madness in his eyes faded.
"Tell me, what's your purpose here?"
"To recruit the Hebrides Black Dragon and initiate the war," Rodolphus replied in a monotone voice.
"Is that all?" Kyle asked again. "What if you can't recruit it?"
"To kill the wizards of the MacFusty family, create chaos, and provoke the dragon to riot."
"You will do as I say."
Under the influence of Veritaserum, Lestrange answered without hesitation, "The Black Dragons are highly averse to magic. As long as numerous wizards keep using magic, they will leave the Hebrides..."
"Avada..."
Before Lestrange could finish his sentence, Kyle suddenly ducked, rolling just in time to narrowly avoid a Killing Curse flying from a distance.
A cloud of dark fog descended from above.
Voldemort had returned!
Without hesitation, Kyle prepared to Apparate away, as he had already gathered most of the information he needed. Staying there any longer seemed pointless.
But in the next moment, Kyle found himself still standing in the same spot.
"Did you realize that Apparition is useless?" Voldemort landed on the ground, a mocking smirk on his lips, "Care to guess why?"
"Professor Dumbledore, Riddle has fallen for our trap!" Kyle's eyes lit up, and he shouted, "Let's kill him together!"
"Dumbledore..."
Voldemort turned his head instinctively.
A gentle breeze carrying a few leaves slowly flew past his face.
He had been tricked...
The red light in Voldemort's eyes instantly intensified, almost to the point of bursting out. But when he turned back, intending to crush the shameless thief, he saw only the tail of a broomstick.
"Avada..."
Several streaks of green light flew swiftly from behind, forcing Kyle, who was attempting to escape on the broomstick, to change direction and fly deeper into the mountains.
The Fire Arrow was fast, but not faster than the Killing Curse. The only option now was to... well, think of another plan.
At least, he had to shake off Voldemort first.
This unprincipled Dark Lord had secretly learned the Anti-Apparition Charm.
Kyle even suspected that the reason he hadn't appeared earlier was to set up this charm.
The mighty Dark Lord, resorting to tricks instead of spells—wasn't that embarrassing? But regardless, Kyle had to admit that he had been careless this time.
He had planned to ask his questions and then leave, but now it seemed that wouldn't be so easy.
The only good news was that if Voldemort couldn't Apparate, then Kyle, who also couldn't Apparate, might have a chance to outrun the Fire Arrow...right?
"I..."
Kyle glanced back and was so startled that he almost fell off the broomstick.
Voldemort, once again in the form of dark fog, was closely following behind, and the distance between them was shrinking.
This was the Fire Arrow, capable of speeds up to 150 miles per hour, the fastest broomstick in the world, and it was being chased down?
This was outrageous! Kyle made another sharp turn, diving deep into the heart of the mountain range.
As he flew, one hand on the broomstick and the other rummaging through his bag, he pulled out several Mandrake Roots and tossed them behind him. The roots, freshly uprooted, emitted ear-piercing screams that echoed through the mountains.
Voldemort, in his fog form, was unaffected by the Mandrake's cry, but the fog momentarily dissipated, allowing Kyle to gain some distance.
"Just another cheap trick!"
Voldemort was exasperated, perhaps more than he had ever been.
In his eyes, Kyle was like an insect, one that could be squashed with a single step. But the problem was that this insect was not only fast but also seemed to be coated in a slippery substance, making it difficult to catch. And occasionally, it would even spit out something disgusting, making it impossible for him to grasp. This was a new experience for Voldemort.
"Did Dumbledore teach you these tricks?"
Enraged, Voldemort drew his wand, and Killing Curses flew towards Kyle without restraint.
"This isn't what the Headmaster taught us," Kyle muttered, but he didn't dare linger. He dove into the forest within the mountain range and disappeared from sight.
Voldemort landed on the ground, waving his wand furiously. It seemed he had cast some sort of charm around the mountains. Then, he shot a Dark Mark into the sky.
Within seconds, several clouds of dark fog appeared one after another, as the Death Eaters who didn't know the Anti-Apparition Charm rushed over.
"Master."
Crabbe, Goyle, and the other Death Eaters approached Voldemort, trembling with fear and standing respectfully.
They could tell that Voldemort was furious, angrier than they had ever seen him, even more so than when he had encountered Dumbledore at the Ministry of Magic.
They didn't know what had happened, but they dared not ask.
"Gather everyone here and find this shameless thief!" Voldemort waved his wand, and an image of Kyle, created by magic, appeared before everyone's eyes.
The magical image was so vivid and lifelike that it was almost indistinguishable from the real Kyle, even if he were to look in a mirror.
A shameless thief? Crabbe and Goyle, not the brightest, were even more confused.
They knew who Kyle was; after all, it was this person who had caused chaos during Voldemort's resurrection and rescued Harry Potter from the sacrificial altar.
But what was this about a thief? And to dare steal from the Dark Lord himself?
Was he not afraid of death?
Seeing Kyle's image, even though it was created by his own magic, caused Voldemort's originally pale face to flush slightly, and his voice turned icy cold.
"Remember, this time, I don't want to hear any news of your failure."
...
(End of Chapter)
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