Homecoming from Hogwarts

"I seem to smell the scent of guilt—"

Voldemort stretched his nostrils as wide as possible and sniffed the air.

"Why is this?"

The Death Eaters sitting in two rows at the long table lowered their heads, as if they were attending a memorial service.

"Who can give Voldemort a reason?"

Voldemort asked softly, his bloodshot eyes roaming around both sides of the dining table, finally settling on a figure with gray hair wet with sweat.

A hint of sneer appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"My dear Lucius, perhaps your wisdom can help Voldemort solve his puzzles?"

Lucius jumped up with a thud, his lips moving as he avoided Voldemort's gaze.

The first attempt to speak failed.

Lucius' voice was very hoarse, he suppressed his voice and cleared his throat.
"Owner."

Lucius gasped.

"I think. Maybe it's because of Brian."

After stealing a glance at the Dark Lord and seeing that he showed no signs of being furious, Lucius continued to speak tremblingly.

"Bones is just a puppet. The Ministry of Magic is against us under the command of Brian. He is not as weak as Dumbledore. We..."

"Afraid to confront him, huh?"

The playful smile that appeared on Voldemort's lips was not just directed at Lucius, but at many people at the long table.
"Oh, maybe I should put it another way. Voldemort's Death Eaters are afraid to go against Brian. You are afraid that Brian will come up with new ways to deprive you of your wealth."

Voldemort's light words caused a riot.

Many people puffed out their chests and loudly assured Voldemort that everything they had belonged to the supreme Dark Lord, and they were willing to give everything for the Dark Lord at any time.

Of course, there were also many people who wiggled their buttocks uneasily, and their voices in defense of themselves were not so confident.

"How disappointing—"

Voldemort's soft words immediately restored the chaos in the restaurant.

"Oh, I'm beginning to miss the well-trained Death Eaters I once had. What I see before me now is a mob -"

The Death Eaters continued to shrink their heads.

Everyone knew that Brian's tough policies made it difficult for them to move forward.

Yaxley and Rosier could get Witch Weekly to run a few stories discrediting Brian.

But what's the use?
If it were Dumbledore, when faced with such reports, he would simply turn a blind eye and allow them to manipulate the news media to discredit him.

But Amos Tower Blaine was not one for rules.

After publishing the report, Witch Weekly might immediately face censorship and be shut down for rectification, and soon, the Daily Prophet would have an article on the front page written by Rita Skeeter herself, about Witch Weekly being infiltrated by evil forces.

The truth is just as the Dark Lord said.

They no longer dare to act as recklessly as before.

Because they organized a grassroots strike movement, Brian directly used public opinion and power to seize their workshop shares.

What if the infiltration of the Ministry of Magic went too far and Blaine noticed it?

Maybe Brian will take some tougher action.

The goblin has made it clear that he is on the same side as Brian, and he can deprive their family of the wealth accumulated over centuries at any time.

Even if the gold is brought home, it is not safe.

Many Ministers of Magic would not have been able to bring strikers to confiscate a house, but they believed that Brian could do it, and that he dared to do so and was not afraid of threats.

When they followed the Dark Lord to fight the Ministry of Magic before, the Ministry of Magic at that time was not so 'unruly'!
"Severus?"

Voldemort turned his head and looked at Severus who was sitting upright.

"Perhaps you have some good news for me?"

"There is indeed a piece of news, my lord. Amos Star told me this in person during a casual chat -" Severus looked into Voldemort's eyes and said,
"He attended the International Confederation of Wizards meeting with Dumbledore, and then he went to investigate the breach of Extor, and..."

Severus glanced at Adam Vogel, who was smiling and gentlemanly.

"A woman, Jasna Vogel, was arrested near Ekstad."

The smile on Adam's face froze, then disappeared.

"Ah, what unexpected news--"

Voldemort showed a flash of surprise, and looked at the first person on his right.
"Dear Adam, I remember you told me that your daughter may have been sacrificed for the great vision we shared?"

"I think so, your Majesty the Dark Lord—"

Adam Vogel slowly stood up and bowed to Voldemort.
"When the Ekstra collapsed, I thought Jasna didn't make it out."

There wasn't much sadness on his face, but rather more confusion on his face when he turned his head to face Severus.

"Jasna's wand was broken during the battle to capture Exeter, so she can't cast spells. Moreover, the German Ministry of Magic immediately blocked the area near Exeter to capture the prisoners hiding in the mountains and forests--"

Severus explained calmly,
"Jasna couldn't Apparate, so she had to hide in the mountains. That's why she was found by Amosta."

Adam nodded.

This explanation reasonably explains why, although Jasna was not dead, she was caught by Brian after so many days.

"It's a pity, Adam—"

Voldemort said,

"You have trained an excellent witch, but she has fallen into the hands of Brian again. But don't worry, Voldemort can promise that I will set her free-"

"I have no doubt of it, my Lord -"

Adam said respectfully,

"After all, you rescued Jasna and I from Azkaban."

Voldemort nodded in satisfaction, then looked at his followers thoughtfully.

After a while, he looked at Adam again.

"So, how are the prisoners we rescued from Exta now?"

Severus didn't move, but his eyes were fixed.

"They were all placed in an undestroyed stronghold of mine—"

There was a hint of expectation in Adam's old voice.

"When they knew that it was you who freed them, they were all very grateful to you. They all swore to fight for you, respected Dark Lord."

"Oh, really?"

Voldemort said undeniably,
"It seems that after the disastrous defeat in Diagon Alley, we have gained some support."

"But it may be difficult for these people to enter the UK, dear Dark Lord--"

Adam said,
"The British Ministry of Magic is now under strict control. They have deployed a large number of sentries, secret sentries and monitoring magic on the border. The original smuggling channels are no longer usable."

"That wasn't my plan, Adam—"

Voldemort smiled.

“I have certainly been thinking about your earlier suggestion lately, my dear Adam.

After Brian formed that ridiculous joint force at the Federation and planned to attack us throughout Europe, I began to think that in addition to the goal of killing Harry Potter, maybe Brian should also be taught a lesson--"

Voldemort said this lightly, attracting the curious gazes of many Death Eaters.

"What is your specific plan——"

Adam looked at Voldemort eagerly.

"Brian wanted to throw more obstacles our way.
And I will tell him how ridiculous his scheme is and how it will never succeed. Maybe it's time for more people to realize how terrifying Voldemort is."

In the restaurant shrouded in darkness, Voldemort's soft chanting could be heard. (End of this chapter)