Chapter 929: Noseless
Chapter 929: Noseless
After missing the best opportunity to kill Pettigrew, Sirius Black was beside himself with rage.
With Voldemort's help, Pettigrew had successfully transformed into a rat and escaped into the sewers, vanishing without a trace. No amount of anger could change what had happened now.
Kreacher informed him that after causing such a ruckus in the Dutch Ministry of Magic, they had failed to capture Pettigrew. This could very well incite their fury, leading them to seek retribution.
The idea of staying back to continue the search for Pettigrew had crossed Sirius' mind, but he quickly discarded it as futile.
Once Pettigrew had scurried into the sewers, he would undoubtedly leave the country, and there was no telling where he would hide.
Moreover, Harry's second project was about to commence. Although he had entrusted Remus to look after Harry before leaving Britain, Sirius felt the need to return and keep a close eye on things himself.
In the end, urged by Kreacher, Sirius inspected Voldemort's infant body, took a few photographs of the ugly, snake-faced baby, and then hastily departed.
As for the corpse, he left it behind for the Dutch Ministry of Magic to deal with; after all, they should get something out of this whole debacle.
Upon his return to Britain, Sirius immediately contacted Albert through the two-way mirror, informing him of the failed attempt on Pettigrew's life and casually inquiring if Albert had any connections to purchase safe and reliable Polyjuice Potion.
The idea of procuring it from the black market was unappealing, as one could never be sure if it was safe to consume.
"I failed."
Upon hearing this, Albert was genuinely surprised.
Sirius had been well-prepared and determined when he set out to kill Pettigrew, yet he had still failed? Logically, with the use of Polyjuice Potion, the task should not have been overly difficult.
"It was Voldemort," Sirius hesitated before explaining the details to Albert. He was hoping to gain some information about Pettigrew's whereabouts from him, and it was best to be forthcoming about what had transpired. "He stayed back to hold me off, allowing that traitor Pettigrew to escape."
"Tsk, tsk. The 'mysterious man' is really losing his touch these days. I never thought he'd be the type to hold back for one of his servants," Albert's teasing voice echoed from the two-way mirror, leaving Sirius silent.
In truth, he agreed with Albert's assessment. The old Voldemort would never have cared about Pettigrew's life, much less stayed back to ensure his escape.
After returning the two-way mirror to Harry Potter, Albert went about his own business.
To be frank, he didn't really care much about Pettigrew's life or death.
In fact, for Albert, it was better that Pettigrew had escaped rather than being killed by Sirius Black. If Pettigrew had died, who knew what would happen next? If Moody suddenly stopped being a spy and fled, Albert would be the one suffering a huge loss.
The very next day, the commotion caused by the Dutch Ministry of Magic was splashed across the pages of the Daily Prophet. They openly lodged a diplomatic protest against the British Ministry of Magic, citing Sirius Black's "unlawful actions."
After expending so much effort only to let Pettigrew slip through their fingers, the Dutch Ministry had lost all face, and they could only shift the blame onto Sirius Black, promptly placing him on their blacklist.
If Sirius had left any later, he might have been detained and framed by them.
Of course, Rita Skeeter obtained the latest and most sensational news from Sirius Black himself—the photographs of Voldemort's infant form. She used them to mercilessly ridicule the incompetence of the Dutch Ministry in the newspaper, exposing their true colors to the British wizarding community.
Regarding Voldemort, however, Rita Skeeter remained tight-lipped, choosing only to publish the photographs provided by Sirius.
She had no choice in the matter, as she knew that even if she and the Daily Prophet refused, someone else would publish them eventually. Sirius had his own magazine, and if they beat her to it, she would surely face repercussions.
In fact, the most credible piece of evidence was the photographs of Voldemort's infant body, as a picture was worth a thousand words. The baby's hideous appearance was enough to frighten children to tears.
When Fudge received the protest from the Dutch Ministry, he was furious. He contemplated using this incident to cause trouble for Sirius Black, but before he could make a move, Sirius had already explained the entire situation and deftly passed the buck.
No matter how one looked at it, the incident had nothing to do with him.
Alright, then.
After all, Sirius had merely provided information about Pettigrew's whereabouts; he hadn't forced the Ministry to attempt to capture him.
Anyone who wasn't a fool could see that Sirius had employed a clever scheme, using the Dutch Ministry to try and eliminate Pettigrew, only for them to bungle it and then try to save face by blaming Sirius.
With everything laid out so clearly, Fudge naturally wouldn't cause trouble for Sirius.
He still had some scruples, especially since he hadn't completely fallen out with Dumbledore. There were some things he simply couldn't do.
The photograph provided by Sirius Black in the Daily Prophet sparked a wave of discussion within Hogwarts.
There was no denying that Voldemort's infant form was exceptionally ugly. In Fred's words, "I've never seen a child look like that. You'd think someone had been slapping him in the face constantly, flattening it out completely."
Although these words were said in jest, the baby's flat, snake-like face was indeed a topic of conversation, as no one had ever seen a child with such a peculiar appearance.
Is that really a baby? Many students at Hogwarts had seen Voldemort's appearance when he transformed into a Bogurt, and now, upon seeing his infant form, they began to gossip about the mysterious man's secrets.
Several students wondered how Hogwarts could have possibly admitted such a student.
Did they not fear scaring the other students? Looking at the photo, one could only imagine how terrifying he would become as an adult.
He has no nose! A keen-eyed student pointed out this cruel fact. Whether it was the flat-faced snake-like infant or Voldemort's appearance as a Bogurt, neither of them had a nose.
The news that the mysterious man had no nose began to spread throughout the school.
When Moody learned of this, his face turned as dark as thunder.
However, what truly incensed him was the unknown individual who had given the Dark Lord the nickname "Noseless." If he ever found out who was responsible, he would make sure they experienced the Cruciatus Curse firsthand.
News of "Noseless" quickly spread privately throughout Hogwarts Castle.
Although Hermione found it rather distasteful, Harry was undoubtedly one of the students most delighted to use this new moniker.
As for reverence for Voldemort? Sorry, but the savior who dared to confront Voldemort head-on in his first year wouldn't feel any awe towards "Noseless."
In fact, many people found the nickname amusing, but who came up with it? Most believed it was Harry Potter, and only the savior, Potter, would have the guts to give the mysterious man such an insulting moniker.
Harry, who was inexplicably implicated, didn't bother to refute it. After all, he had already locked horns with Voldemort, so giving him a nickname seemed perfectly normal. At the very least, "Noseless" diminished the fear people felt towards Voldemort more than names like "the mysterious man," "Dark Lord," or "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named."
He quite liked Albert's take on the nickname: "Isn't that great?"
Most students from Slytherin didn't find the matter amusing at all. Every time they heard someone mention "Noseless," they would look on coldly, as if to say that once the Dark Lord returned, those who mocked him would pay dearly.
Barty Crouch Jr., disguised as Moody, was about to explode with rage. He would never tolerate anyone insulting his most revered Dark Lord like this.
However, Moody couldn't openly stop the other students, as doing so would be highly suspicious and out of character for him.
So, no matter what he wanted to say, Moody could only keep it to himself.
Ever since the "Noseless" incident, Moody's face became even gloomier (his visage was already fearsome enough), and he ate less at every meal.
Finally, Moody couldn't hold it in any longer. During one of Harry's lessons in Dark Arts, he brought up the topic:
"I've heard some news lately, and there's something I need to remind you all about. Don't underestimate his danger, and I don't want you to let your guard down because of a nickname. Don't treat this as a joke, or you might end up losing your own lives."
Although Moody's words succeeded in shutting Harry up, he still couldn't stop the trend from spreading.
These rumors had nothing to do with Harry.
The gossip about "Noseless" kept getting dug up, and those intriguing and fear-inducing rumors began to circulate within Hogwarts, soon becoming a hot topic for many students during mealtimes.
Turns out, "Noseless" wasn't a pure-blood wizard at all!
Turns out, "Noseless" used to be very handsome and had a nice nose! Turns out, "Noseless" was a prefect and student body president during his time at Hogwarts!
Turns out, "Noseless" really was the heir of Slytherin!
Turns out, "Noseless" was indeed a genius!
Turns out, "Noseless" almost became the Minister of Magic!
...
More and more gossip about "Noseless" sprouted like spring weeds and quickly spread throughout Hogwarts Castle. Even the students from Slytherin were shocked by the revelations.
Now, everyone was curious: How did the once handsome student body president, the outstanding Hogwarts student who was expected to become the Minister of Magic within a decade, turn into the feared "Noseless"?
Moreover, they felt that these rumors sounded increasingly familiar.
There seemed to be a student at Hogwarts who fit all these descriptions.
Albert wasn't a pure-blood wizard, and he was handsome and had been a prefect. As for the student body presidency, that was probably only a matter of time, and no one doubted it.
Although Albert wasn't the heir of Slytherin, he was undoubtedly a genius, and he, too, was expected to become the Minister of Magic within a decade.
So, someone asked Albert curiously:
"How did such a genius end up becoming the Dark Lord?"
After all, they had so many similarities, and perhaps a genius could better understand the thoughts of another genius.
Some were already worried that Albert would one day turn dark and become the third Dark Lord, and they felt that it would be a terrifying prospect.
"There's a thin line between a genius and a madman."
When asked about this, Albert calmly replied, "The name Voldemort actually means 'flight from death,' in other words, the mysterious man probably wanted to achieve immortality. What else could someone who seeks immortality be if not a madman?"
A mad genius was already close to becoming a demon, especially one as extreme as this.
And the mysterious man, growing up in the relatively extreme environment of Slytherin, lacked care and affection. As he frequently dabbled in Dark Magic, he became cruel, and his methods and ideology were heavily influenced by Slytherin, causing the former genius to transform into the feared Dark Lord.
Albert's analysis was truly eye-opening, and when people thought about it, it made a lot of sense. The only ones who protested were probably the students from Slytherin.
They were unhappy with Albert for portraying Slytherin as a breeding ground for Dark Wizards.
However, this was an undeniable, harsh truth. Not only did the Dark Lord hail from Slytherin, but most of the Death Eaters as well.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a den of Dark Wizards.
While the entire school was caught up in the "Noseless" nickname frenzy, Albert was having a good laugh in the library. He opened the task panel to check the newly completed task: "Nickname."
Giving the Dark Lord a nickname was a big deal, and the task rewards were naturally substantial. Experience and skill points were a given, and he could also obtain a designated skill from Voldemort. The only trouble was that it incurred a pretty high hatred value of twenty points, causing Albert to hesitate about claiming the reward right away, lest Voldemort resurrect and come knocking on his door for revenge.
However, he could leave the task rewards unclaimed for now and come back to them later. After all, once Voldemort was thoroughly defeated, there would be no need to worry about hatred values anymore.
"You seem to have come across something delightful," Katrina said, eyeing Albert.
"It's nothing."
"Is the second project ready?" The girl hesitated for a moment before asking, "Is the baby Isabelle?"
"I don't know. But I was thinking of choosing one among Fred, George, and Lee Jordan." Albert had actually discussed this matter directly with Professor McGonagall, but she had indicated that the decision rested with the organizers.
"Everyone was actually a bit worried that you might turn into the third Dark Lord one day," Katrina suddenly said.
"I have no interest in being the Dark Lord," Albert said dismissively.
"I never worried about that," Katrina said as she sized Albert up. "But you are good at manipulating others, a skill that all Dark Lords excel at."
"Dumbledore is good at persuading others, too," Albert shrugged. "I'd rather live the life I want. Being the Dark Lord is too exhausting, and everyone would be out to get you."
(End of Chapter)
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