Chapter 886: Voldemort's Meeting
Chapter 886: Voldemort's Meeting
Two men suddenly appeared out of thin air and hurried down a narrow alleyway.
"This will be... hss... the greatest honor of your life," said the taller man.
"I don't feel that way," Lainis replied without turning back. "But Mr. Crouch, could you please stop sticking out your tongue? It's disgusting."
"Huh!"
A cold glint flashed in Bartemius Crouch Jr.'s eyes. "I'll consider it... if you manage to leave here alive today."
On the left side of the alley was a thicket of brambles, and on the right was a neatly trimmed hedge. At the end of the alley, a turn revealed two magnificent wrought iron gates.
Neither of them stopped; they walked straight through the gates as if passing through Platform 9¾ at King's Cross Station.
"Such a conspicuous residence," Lainis remarked, looking at the peacocks by the pool. "This must be Malfoy's place, right? Everyone knows he's a Death Eater, aren't you afraid the Aurors will come looking?"
"Why should we be afraid of the Aurors," Bartemius Crouch Jr. said, sticking out his tongue. "Besides, do you really think this is Lucius Malfoy's house?"
Bartemius Crouch Jr. let out a cold laugh and took the lead in entering the house, followed closely by Lainis.
It seemed as if they had passed through an invisible door.
The original entrance hall distorted with the light, quickly disappearing, replaced by a luxurious room.
The expensive marble floor gleamed, and the tapestries on both walls were embroidered with exquisite patterns. Upon closer inspection, one would find that these patterns were stitched with complete unicorn tail hair, each one worth a considerable amount.
This must still be the Malfoy residence; only he would decorate his home so extravagantly.
But now wasn't the time to ponder this.
As they entered the room, it was already filled with people, all seated around an elaborately decorated long table.
The long table wasn't completely occupied, and there were still empty seats. However, after they entered, two Dementors blocked the door.
"Everyone is here," a clear voice sounded from the head of the table. "Welcome, my loyal servant, you have eliminated a bothersome pest, and this is the best news I've heard in a while."
In the flickering candlelight, the man's face emerged from the shadows, hairless and snake-like, with two slender nostrils and a pair of gleaming red eyes with vertical pupils.
Whether it was due to the dim light or some other reason, half of his face was pale, and the other half was dark.
"It's an honor, Master," Bartemius Crouch Jr. knelt on the ground, his entire face contorted with excitement.
"It's just reaping the rewards, and it's indeed an honor."
A strange voice drew everyone's attention.
"Welcome to you as well, our new friend... a warrior who killed the legendary Auror." Voldemort's red eyes seemed to flicker.
"Welcome to your initiation. Sit down; we've been waiting for you for a long time." He gestured to an empty seat on the right side of the long table.
"It's an honor," Lainis said, kneeling on one knee and placing his right hand on his chest.
Bartemius Crouch Jr. beside him stared blankly.
What's going on?
He had been so arrogant on the way here, acting as if no one mattered. He had thought Lainis was a tough one.
In Bartemius Crouch Jr.'s mind, Lainis would surely be punished for disrespecting the Dark Lord. He was even prepared to witness the spectacle.
But what was happening now?
This kneeling was too skilled, without a hint of hesitation. Someone who didn't know better might even mistake him for a seasoned Death Eater.
Bartemius Crouch Jr. was speechless, but Lainis didn't even glance at him. He sat directly in the seat designated by Voldemort.
"Nice to meet you," a hand reached out from the side.
"Allow me to introduce myself, Maurice Ollivander. We'll be colleagues from now on."
"Babar Lestrange."
The two hands shook briefly and quickly parted, appearing somewhat perfunctory, but compared to the indifferent people around, it seemed more sincere.
"He might be trying to be friendly," Lainis thought, scanning the room and memorizing everyone's appearance.
There were factions within the Death Eaters, and the old Death Eaters who had followed Voldemort for sixteen years naturally looked down on newcomers.
As far as he knew, Ollivander and he were both new Death Eaters, and they probably wanted to stick together.
"Everyone is here," Voldemort said.
"Sorry, Dark Lord," Lainis raised his hand. "You just said everyone is here?"
He looked around; there were still many empty seats at the table.
"Yes," Voldemort replied. Today, he was unusually magnanimous, not feeling annoyed at the interruption. Instead, he patiently explained.
"Here..." He pointed to the nearest empty seat on the left, "The person who sat here was once my most loyal servant, but unfortunately, he died in battle two months ago."
"And Crabbe... Rabastan..." He pointed to a few more distant empty seats, "They all died at the hands of the same person. Do you want to know who it is?"
"I don't want to know," Lainis blurted out. "But no matter who it is, I'm willing to eliminate the one who dares to oppose you, Dark Lord, to show my loyalty."
Voldemort's scarlet eyes fixed on him for a long time before he chuckled lightly, "I've seen your loyalty. You killed that famous Auror."
He looked around, "So many people couldn't accomplish what you did. Well done.
"I'm thinking, perhaps I've been too merciful, which is why their efficiency is so... low!"
Wherever Voldemort's gaze fell, everyone subconsciously lowered their heads, afraid to meet his eyes.
Despite Voldemort's initial interest, the conversation did not continue on the topic of his past.
"Well, Severus, do you have any interesting news?"
"My Lord, Minister Bones went to Hogwarts and met with Dumbledore. They agreed to disband the Phoenix Society and allow its former members to join the Aurors."
The surrounding Death Eaters immediately became intrigued and looked at the speaker with curiosity.
"What a surprise, Severus," Voldemort said with interest, studying Snape. "You received this news so quickly after their meeting this morning. Well done."
"It seems I shouldn't have doubted you before. How is your leg feeling now?" Voldemort asked with concern.
But this unexpected tone of voice made Snape break out in a cold sweat.
He touched his right leg, hidden under his robe, where a gruesome scar remained—a scar left by Voldemort a few months ago.
Without reason, without evidence, Voldemort had simply doubted his loyalty or, perhaps, was testing him.
"This is as it should be, my Lord," Snape managed to say, maintaining his composure.
"This is an opportunity for us," another Death Eater eagerly interjected. "Perhaps we can use some of our old friends in the Ministry to get rid of those annoying fools once and for all."
"And when we take action again, we won't have to worry about anyone suddenly interrupting us. Dumbledore is indeed getting senile, making such foolish decisions."
The speaker became more and more excited, not realizing that the Death Eaters around him were subtly adjusting their chairs to distance themselves from him.
"You make a valid point," Voldemort said, his face darkening. "But am I to understand that if the members of the Phoenix Society don't join the Aurors, you'll be powerless?"
The speaking Death Eater suddenly snapped out of his excitement, his mouth agape but unable to utter a sound.
Although this was true, saying it out loud was akin to admitting his own incompetence.
The Death Eaters feared nothing more than being deemed incompetent by Voldemort. No wonder those around him had been keeping their distance; they didn't want to be splattered with blood later.
As he listened to the occasional sounds coming from the shadows, his heart raced, and he wanted to explain, but someone else spoke up before he could.
"Of course not, Dark Lord," Leinis spoke up. "Are the members of the Phoenix Society that formidable? I think it's quite simple."
His words were provocative, almost as if he was slapping everyone in the face, but surprisingly, no one refuted him.
After all, Leinis had just killed Alastor Moody, one of the key members of the Phoenix Society. His accomplishments were undeniable.
"Indeed," Auren, sitting beside him, chimed in. "If I were to encounter them, they wouldn't stand a chance."
The others looked up at him.
Although Auren lacked notable accomplishments, his success rate in completing tasks was remarkably high. In less than two years since joining the Death Eaters, he had already risen to the same level as Bartemius Crouch Jr. and others.
However, with someone taking the lead, the rest of the Death Eaters began to voice their opinions as well.
The room buzzed with conversation, and the Death Eater who had spoken earlier stood there, feeling his limbs turn cold and his body tremble.
The others shifted their positions again.
If things went as expected, this man was likely doomed. Voldemort had suffered a significant loss in the Hesidiri Archipelago and would surely seek someone to vent his frustration on.
And here was a ready candidate.
No one spoke up for him; instead, they seemed to be distancing themselves.
This wasn't surprising...
Someone had to bear the brunt of Voldemort's anger. If not him, it could very well be one of them.
Now, with someone willingly offering themselves, the others were delighted and moved further away, happy to avoid being splattered with blood when Voldemort's little pet fed later.
But what surprised everyone was that Voldemort let the man off the hook.
Voldemort waved his hand dismissively, allowing the man to sit down.
This...
The others were perplexed.
The Voldemort before them seemed different from the one they knew. The earlier concerned tone and now, the magnanimity in letting the man off... If not for the Dark Mark on their arms, they might have doubted if this was even the real Voldemort.
The atmosphere was so eerie that no one knew what to say, and they sat there, frozen in place.
"Continue," Voldemort narrowed his eyes. "Any other news? Share it all."
"Sure, anything goes. We have plenty of time today."
This...
"Very good," Voldemort nodded again, clearly pleased with the news.
Another positive update.
Now that they were essentially operating out in the open, it wouldn't take long for the Aurors to catch on to their activities.
Over a hundred homeless wizards was a significant force, and it would surely catch the Ministry off-guard, a not-so-insignificant ace up their sleeves.
Voldemort tapped his fingers on the table, his expression unreadable, showing no signs of pleasure or anger.
"Continue," he said calmly. "One by one, starting with you, Goyle."
A bulky Death Eater raised his head and mumbled, "I... I enchanted a dog to chase and bite Muggles... Does that count?"
"Next time, you should just kill the Muggle," Voldemort said coldly. "Continue."
Seeing that Goyle's absurd answer went unpunished, the others relaxed and began reporting their progress.
They searched for suitable updates, and if they couldn't find any, they made them up.
Voldemort, surprisingly, was uncharacteristically lenient today, not even scolding them as he listened to their reports as if he genuinely cared.
Time ticked by.
One hour, two hours...
Creak.
Lainis, who had been sitting for a long time, shifted in his seat.
Voldemort's gaze immediately shifted to him, staring at him, but then moved away after a moment.
Auren, sitting beside him, raised an eyebrow.
He thought he saw the man's throat move slightly, but it might have been his imagination.
Auren seemed to find something amusing, a slight smile playing on his lips, but it quickly faded, and he resumed his calm demeanor.
...
By this time, everyone had finished speaking, and they sat there, looking at each other, unsure of what to do next.
Usually, these meetings would have ended by now, but today, Voldemort seemed unusually patient, showing no signs of concluding the meeting.
They dared not ask or speak, so they continued to sit.
"Continue, I enjoy hearing your stories," Voldemort said again.
With no choice, they resumed their search for updates.
Several hours later, their mouths were dry.
"Very good," Voldemort suddenly stood up and, to the confused gazes of everyone, quickly left the room, taking the Dementor blocking the door with him.
What did this mean?
Everyone was perplexed, but from the current situation, it seemed like the meeting was... over?
It must be, for the Dark Lord had left, and what were they still doing here?
So, one by one, they began to leave.
Auren stood up and patted Lainis on the back, a friendly gesture.
"It's rare to see a new face, and one that isn't useless at that. Care to join me for a drink?"
His words immediately provoked anger from the Death Eaters who were still in the room.
"What, aren't you all useless?" Auren challenged, spreading his hands.
"Go ahead, gloat," a Death Eater said coldly. "The Dark Lord knows who his most loyal servants are, and one day, I'll make you taste the Cruciatus Curse."
"I look forward to it, Garson," Auren said nonchalantly. "Besides, I think my Cruciatus Curse is pretty good too. Care to try it?"
"Hmph, we'll see.
The Death Eater stormed off.
"Hey, friend," Auren patted Lainis on the back again. "Seriously, how about a drink? Cauldron Pub sounds good. I love seeing the Hit Wizards' expressions when they recognize me."
Lainis didn't respond, merely shaking his head.
"We're going to be colleagues on the same ship from now on, and you won't even talk to me?" Auren's smile grew. "You're not very friendly."
"Hmph."
Lainis seemed to find him annoying, furrowing his brow and huffing.
Without waiting for Bartemius Crouch Jr., who had come with him, Lainis quickly left the room, walking briskly through the courtyard and disappearing behind the wrought iron gate.
In no time, Auren was the only one left in the room.
He didn't rush to leave but instead, he walked to where Lainis had been sitting, stroking the chair thoughtfully.
It was strange, too strange.
From Lainis' initial behavior, he didn't seem like a quiet person, and he was more than happy to mock the other Death Eaters.
He had started the conversation, but his behavior was odd, as if he had suddenly become introverted.
"How interesting," Auren mused the finely crafted chair.
Why did he suddenly stop talking? Was it to hide something?
If so, what was he hiding?
Flavor? If he had eaten something with a strong flavor or drunk a potion, it would be easy for others to notice when he spoke.
But this reasoning was a bit forced, as no one had eaten or drunk anything recently.
After all, Voldemort was right there, his face growing darker by the minute, and being stared at by him, no one dared to do anything extra, even if they were just reporting work, and their mouths were dry from talking.
Unless... he didn't need to open his mouth for others to notice.
Besides flavor, there was something else that would be revealed with just a mouth.
Auren walked up to a gilded mirror and spoke softly, "Am I overthinking this? Maybe he just doesn't like talking..."
As he spoke, his two rows of teeth were faintly visible in the dim light.
...
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report