They were living in Little Hangleton again. It was dangerous to stay at Bartemius Crouch's house. Even under the Imperius Curse, Barty's father could accidentally bring someone with him, and that was dangerous for keeping the secret. So Pettigrew moved Lord back to his Muggle ancestors' house and was now shivering in his sleep near the fireplace, which had cooled down overnight.
Voldemort couldn't sleep, he was agonising over the future, and his thoughts were darker than the clouds. When creating the Horcruxes, the Dark Lord understood that sooner or later they would have to be used, because Dumbledore would not give up power over England without a fight, and the risk of dying in some skirmish or because of betrayal grew with each passing year.
Moreover, he had long since realised that the headmaster had learned at school that Voldemort had made himself a Horcrux, but for some reason had not taken any action on the matter. Even the murder of the mudblood from Ravenclaw remained unsolved, although Dumbledore, of all people, could certainly draw parallels.
Fearing that the old man would find the diary and take it by force, Tom took advantage of the murder of his Muggle relatives, his father and grandparents, and immediately after Hogwarts, he created a second Horcrux from an artefact stolen from his uncle, Morfin Gaunt. The Aurors investigating the case decided that Morfin himself had committed the murders and sent him to Azkaban. Voldemort enchanted the lord's ring and hid it in his uncle's hut, casting such powerful magic on it that it was impossible to remove the artefact in its current state — there simply wasn't enough power. The ring was so heavily cursed that it could destroy any thief.
Because of Dumbledore's machinations, Riddle couldn't find work anywhere and had a hard time getting hired at Gorbins and Burkes. When a lonely old lady, Hapziba Smith, brought in an unremarkable antique cup and medallion for appraisal, Tom looked through the catalogues and realised what treasures fate had presented him with, but the old madwoman refused to sell him the relics. Then, one night, he broke into her house and performed another ritual to create a cresta, placing it in the founder's bowl, and then, later that year, he made another cresta from the Slytherin medallion, simply killing a vagrant for the ritual.
The story of Mrs. Smith's murder became public knowledge, and Voldemort had to leave England urgently. He had to travel a lot, perfecting his magical skills and not shying away from any crimes. Once in Albania, Voldemort noticed a Ravenclaw diadem in the hands of a peasant. Making another Horcrux out of it, he finally decided to return to England. Arriving in London, Tom took a short break and re-established ties with his former friends. After that, the future Dark Lord tried to enrol at Hogwarts, but was unsuccessful, receiving a categorical refusal from Dumbledore, who had by this time become the school's headmaster. However, he managed to hide the Ravenclaw diadem in the "Room of Requirement" in the storeroom for unwanted items, where no one would ever be able to find it.
In the 1990s, fearing that he would be exposed after Quirrell's defeat, he killed Bertha Jorkins, who had been brought to him by that cunning rat, and made another Horcrux out of his snake familiar, Nagini.
And now, at the age of sixty-eight, Voldemort has realised that for a full resurrection, all parts of the soul must be present during the ritual. That is why magicians did not make more than one Horcrux before. If it is possible to recover with the help of a soul fragment, the body will be incomplete, and only Merlin knows if the magic will be fully restored.
Voldemort gritted his teeth in frustration: "What an idiot I was! How am I going to collect the Horcruxes now, in this state? Well, okay, the biggest Horcrux can be obtained by forcing Malfoy to give it up, and another one can be taken from Hogwarts by ordering Barty to bring the diadem. Nagini is here with me, the unaccounted fragment is in Potter's head. With its influence, Barty managed to free himself from the Imperius Curse at the Quidditch World Cup. But how am I going to get Slytherin's locket and Hufflepuff's cup from Gringotts? Without Bella, who is now in Azkaban, the goblins will never let me take it, and freeing Lestrange in his current state is impossible." Voldemort shifted slightly in his chair, and the homunculus's frail body was immediately shot through with a nagging pain in his back, but it did not distract him from his thoughts.
"So we'll have to take a risk," the ugly monster's thoughts raced again. "I'll organise the restoration in several stages. First, I'll gather what's available. I'll perform the ritual, and I'll take the ring, the medallion and the bowl myself later. And then, after some time, I'll repeat the ritual, or maybe not, if the body turns out to be good right away."
"That's why we have to act now!" he growled, finally waking up.
"Get up, Tail," Voldemort hissed viciously, sending a "sting" at him.
Pettigrew frantically kicked his legs and jumped up.
"Yes, my Lord?" He looked questioningly at his master. "Are you uncomfortable sleeping? Are you thirsty? Hungry?"
The homunculus grimaced in disgust, his already ugly face contorting even more.
"Peter, I need to retrieve something from our slippery friend. It is very important for my recovery.
"What is it, my lord?" Peter crawled closer to the chair.
"It's a simple black notebook with 'Tom Marvolo Riddle' written in gold at the bottom. I gave it to the Malfoys for safekeeping.
"But they betrayed you, my lord," Pettigrew clicked his teeth in fear. "How will I get the diary?"
Voldemort grinned and looked at Peter with evil red eyes on his wrinkled face:
"Remember, Peter, I always get what I want. You need to rent a house in Knockturn, my cowardly ally, and then lure Narcissa Malfoy out onto the street. Lucius will give anything to save his wife.
"But I can't do it alone, my lord," bleated the frightened Pettigrew.
"I didn't say you'd be alone. I think Barty can help you," hissed Voldemort. "I don't believe that senile old fool is keeping him locked up in the castle."
***
Narcissa Malfoy did not often leave the estate, but she was not a recluse. She socialised with her friends and visited beauty salons and fashion shops in Diagon Alley. Today, upon learning that Twilfit & Tatting was opening its new spring dress collection, she immediately decided to attend the event. Arriving at Diagon Alley, she walked confidently towards the shop. Upon entering, she went into the showroom, which had been specially enlarged by magic, and sat down in a chair near the podium.
The same chairs, arranged along the runway, were already filled with women. Here and there, Narcissa noticed acquaintances and exchanged polite greetings. However, when the first model stepped onto the podium in an elegant dress, all voices fell silent and all eyes turned to the runway. Narcissa forgot everything as she assessed and mentally tried on the beautiful haute couture designs.
Time flew by unnoticed, and when the happy woman left the shop laden with boxes, Alastor Moody stepped towards her. Rolling his magical eye, he twisted his mouth contemptuously and said:
"Your husband is currently giving evidence in Aurorate. You've finally been caught, Devourer. You are also under arrest for complicity. Do not resist if you do not wish to aggravate your guilt. We are now apparating to Aurorate."He held out his gloved hand to her.
Stunned by these words, Narcissa meekly took the hand of the famous dark wizard, and they were immediately sucked into the portal. Finding herself on the second floor of some small house, before she had time to recover, she was immediately hit with a "Petrificus Totalus" spell.
"That was quick," said Pettigrew, sitting on a chair, surprised. "Didn't anyone see you?
"Of course they did," Barty sneered. "But who cares about other people's problems?"
He looked at Rat:
Did you buy the 'living death' potion like I told you?
Pettigrew silently placed the vial on the bed.
"Pour three drops into her, that'll be more than enough for two days," the sight of Moody unconsciously aroused animal fear in Pettigrew, "and I'll write a letter to our dear Lucius. Don't overdo it, or we'll have to give Malfoy her corpse," Barty snapped and began to quickly dictate a message on parchment to the nimble pen.
"One, two, t-t-three," Peter stumbled, sweating from nervous tension, and started again: "One, two, three... Mordred... How much have I poured in?"
***
Malfoy returned home from another business trip, but the manor greeted him with silence. After asking the house elf where his wife was, he learned that she had gone to Twilfit and Tatting for a fashion show and had not yet returned.
"Probably decided to discuss everything with her friends," thought Lucius, calming down, and went to his study to work.
In the evening, he asked the elf if his wife had returned and, upon hearing that she had not, ordered dinner to be served in his study. Two hours later, worried, Lucius decided to visit Narcissa's closest friends to inquire about her whereabouts. His wife had never before allowed herself to be away from the manor for so long without warning, and Lucius was becoming seriously concerned.
When he got dressed and was about to leave for the Green Grasses, an unfamiliar owl tapped on the study window. Mechanically pulling out the message, Malfoy immediately unfolded it:
"Hello, my slippery friend. I know you betrayed me, so I won't beat around the bush. Before my downfall, I left a diary with your family for safekeeping. I want this item back immediately, or your wife will die. I don't know where Abraxas hid the notebook, but I think it's in a well-protected place in the manor. As soon as you find it, leave a message for me at Gorbins and Burks.
P.S.
If you don't manage to do this in three days, my loyal servants will start sending your wife to you in pieces, you vile traitor.
Lucius stared at the letter in fear, his heart frozen with terror: "So this is the dark lord's first move, and I'm not ready."
Malfoy rushed to search all the hiding places, ransacked the manor, but could not find anything. In the morning, he called all the house elves and asked them to search the entire house thoroughly once again. The elves also found nothing.
Lucius was so helpless he wanted to kill someone. It was the first time Malfoy had ever felt so helpless. His only love was in the clutches of the Dark Lord, and he couldn't do anything about it. Lucius couldn't even get the ill-fated diary back because he didn't know where it was. Finally, in despair, he fell asleep in the living room chair, still clutching the bottle of firewhisky.
***
Cassius took another look at the craftsmen's work, grunted with satisfaction, and set off for Hogsmeade. Near the Black Lake, where the second stage would take place, a grandstand was built for spectators, and heating spells were cast on both the boards and the surrounding air. Cassius suggested to Albus that they install a large screen in front of the stands and place magical cameras in the water to film the participants and show the spectators all the twists and turns of the second stage. Dumbledore thought about it and agreed.
Still, sitting for three hours in the cold by the water's edge, waiting for the tournament participants to appear, was incredibly boring. The stage would begin in a week, and it was essential to thoroughly test the entire system to avoid any surprises. To do this, they needed to visit the artefact makers to order devices similar to the cameras.
After spending half the day at the artifact makers, Cassius decided it was time for lunch and apparated to Malfoy Manor. Of course, the faithful Kreacher cooked amazingly, but Cassius preferred not to forget his parents and spend time with them, despite his busy schedule.
Imagine his surprise when he saw his father in the living room in an insane state. Lucius had resumed his search that morning and, constantly reaching for the bottle, had already searched every possible nook and cranny for the third time. Finding nothing even remotely resembling a diary, he collapsed back into his chair, his mind racing with panic and sinking deeper into despair. This was the state Cassius found his father in.
Ordering the house elves to bring a sobering potion, Black deftly poured it into the sluggishly resisting Lucius. When he shook several times and came to his senses, Cassius coldly asked what had happened and where his mother was. Lucius silently handed him the letter.
Putting the parchment aside, Cassius clenched his fists tightly and fell into deep thought. Sober and slightly rumpled, Lucius watched his son's musings, which he shared aloud, with secret hope.
Having decided on a plan, Cassius looked at Malfoy and summed up harshly:
"You were doing the wrong thing, father. You should be looking for your mother, not a diary. Especially since there was an incident at Hogwarts the year before last when the youngest Weasley's mind was taken over by an artefact diary.
Lucius stared in amazement at such revelations.
"I didn't tell you, but I think it was the Dark Lord's filigree," Cassius continued. "And now he's trying to get to the diary because it was his first Horcrux out of who knows how many. Adding a few previously created filigrees to the ritual of regaining a body is very useful for restoration.
Cassius smiled maliciously:
"Probably, this paranoid gave them to his followers for safekeeping, and now he can't collect them because his closest ones are in Azkaban. However, I destroyed the diary, so even if Voldemort is resurrected, he will never regain his former power.
Cassius slapped his knees and stood up:
"All right, father, let's go perform the search ritual. Get the vial with my mother's blood from the vault, and we'll see where those creatures are hiding our Lady, and then we'll pay them a visit." His eyes flashed predatorily.
Lucius calmed down a little and immediately went to the family vault. Cassius was already waiting for him near the ritual hall. Lord Malfoy led his son into the hall, and the young magician immediately began to cast spells. When the ritual took effect, the crystal amulet immediately pointed to an ordinary house in a diagon ally.
"There it is," Cassius said with satisfaction.
"There it is," Cassius said with satisfaction.
Lucius zoomed in on the image, adding energy from the altar to the ritual. The map enlarged the house, and the glowing green dot turned out to be in one of the rooms on the second floor.
"Let's go now," Lucius decided immediately. "Stop the ritual, son.
Cassius nodded silently and began to recite the final incantations.
After blocking the manor, the mages transgressed into Diagon Alley, where they were joined by Crabbe and Goyle.
"No one left while we were here, Lord Malfoy.
"Did you put up the anti-apparition dome?" Lucius asked.
"Yes, boss, as soon as they appeared.
"Well, sonny," Malfoy sneered, pulling out his wand, "let's go see who decided to play such a joke on our family."
***
Five minutes ago, Peter suddenly sensed something was wrong. He listened to his magic, but found nothing. At first glance, everything was quiet, the woman lay as if dead, and there was no one else in the house. Pettigrew peered carefully through the crack in the curtains and scanned the street. At first glance, there was nothing suspicious, but suddenly his eyes locked onto a tall, stocky man in a plain grey robe.
"Crabbe!" Peter's heart sank. "He's connected to the Malfoys. What's he doing here?"
His heart skipped a beat when he ran to the window on the other side of the building and saw Goyle in the shadows of the trees. "And he's here too!" Pettigrew was already shaking with fear. After rushing around the room, not knowing what to do, Peter decided he had to run. Deep down, he hoped that Lord would not kill him for his failure, because then there would be no one left to look after the homunculus.
Well, who could have guessed that the damned Malfoys would find them so quickly? It was a good thing they had kept this woman here and not at the Lord's house. Otherwise, things could have turned out even worse.
Glancing one last time at the motionless woman, Peter thought, "Should I use Avada or not?"
But then a thought crossed his cowardly mind that the Malfoys would never forgive him. No matter what happened in the future, if they found out who was responsible for her death, those slippery Slytherins would find a way to get even with him, even if they were technically on the same side.
Deciding that petty revenge wasn't worth the risk, he turned away and, transforming into a rat, scurried into the cellar. Despite his insignificance, Pettigrew always tried to leave himself a way out.
One by one, the wizards burst in and pointed their wands, ready to kill. The house was deathly silent, and Lucius and his son instantly flew up to the second floor, opening every door in succession.
"Narcissa!" Hearing his father's voice, Cassius immediately rushed towards the sound. Jumping into the room, he saw Lucius, pale as death, kneeling by the bed and holding his wife's lifeless body by the shoulders.
"Mum!" Cassius was immediately by her side and also grabbed his mother by the shoulder. Her hand was cold as ice and hard as stone. Her white face and blue lips told him that Narcissa Malfoy had been dead for a long time.
"A-a-a!" Lucius screamed furiously, shaking his wife's body by the shoulders. "It can't be, she's alive, she's alive!"
Cassius looked down and realised that his hands were also shaking slightly. A bitter sense of irreparable loss for the person he loved most in the world grew in his heart. He sank to the floor, devastated, watching his father's inconsolable grief. His throat tightened, and he couldn't utter a word. His mother had been the closest and dearest person to him.
Cassius felt his magic begin to fill everything around him like a black cloud, threatening a catastrophic magical explosion. His father had already fallen silent and lost consciousness, and the black veil almost touched his mother's body, but Cassius, with a titanic effort of will, began to drive his rage back inside. It bubbled and shot out in bursts, but Black still managed to limit the effect of the magic with his body. Only a single black bolt of lightning broke free from his hand, exploding in the neighbouring room and raising a cloud of dust.
Touching his father's neck, he made sure he was alive and breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't need to lose his father as well because of his own lack of restraint. Gradually regaining his composure, Cassius cast a diagnostic spell on Lucius first to make sure he was not in any danger, then automatically cast it on his mother as well.
A wild hope flashed through his heart when Black felt a magical response telling him that life still lingered in the stiff body. Unable to believe it, Cassius ran a more detailed diagnostic and, fortunately, the result was confirmed. From Snape's sixth-year potions lessons, Black remembered a potion that had a similar effect and knew that its effects could be reversed with "Rowan Decoction."
Taking two vials from the first-aid kit, the boy immediately poured the "Rowan Decoction" into his mother's mouth and poured a few drops of the "golden potion" into his father's. Lucius immediately began to come to, but his mother remained motionless, although her body was gradually warming up.
"Mordred, why didn't the potion work as it should? Cassius cursed under his breath as he got to his feet. "I can feel that she's alive!"
Lucius sat on the floor, dazed, shaking his head, leaning against the bed.
"What happened to me?" he croaked, trying to stand up.
"I'm sorry, Dad, you were hit by the blast of my magic," Cassius admitted. "I barely managed to hold back the magic when I saw you and Mum.
Lucius looked at Cassius anxiously:
"It's not your fault, son, don't blame yourself, it's me who didn't keep an eye on her. I shouldn't have let her go alone, but who knew those creatures would do something like that.
His face contorted again when he looked at Narcissa.
"I will avenge her, I will avenge her terribly," the magic of his vow began to gather over his hand.
"Dad, Dad, Mum isn't dead, she's under the influence of the 'living death potion' or something like that," Cassius interrupted his father excitedly. "I couldn't wake her up with the 'rowan decoction', but the diagnosis says she's alive.
Lucius looked at his son in disbelief:
"She's alive?!" He stared at him with such mad hope that Cassius felt uneasy for a moment.
"Yes, father. Mother is alive, just sleeping very deeply. Like a sleeping princess in a Muggle fairy tale," Cassius smiled crookedly.
Lucius picked up Narcissa and commanded:
"Then let's go. I'm afraid your outburst will bring the entire Auror Corps and the DMF here in no time.
They hurried down the stairs, and Lucius nodded to Crabbe and Goyle.
"What was going on up there, my lord?" Goyle asked anxiously. "There was such a blast of dark magic coming from above that we thought you were fighting Voldemort.
"Later," Lucius snapped. "Right now, we're going to the manor, via some intermediate points so we won't be tracked. I'll tell you everything when we get home."
Dumbledore emerged from the vortex of transgression almost simultaneously with Scrimgeour. Along with them, on the quiet street of Diagon Alley, now cordoned off by the Aurors who had arrived earlier, was Alastor Moody, who had followed the headmaster. The Aurors had already surrounded the inconspicuous building, which differed little from the neighbouring buildings on Diagon Alley.
"Upstairs, carefully, they might still be there," ordered Scrimger, and two groups of five Aurors, brandishing their wands, immediately rushed into the house.
A minute later, Rufus heard the fighters on his communication amulet and nodded to everyone to come inside.
Moody surveyed everything with his magical eye, leaning heavily against the wall:
"So what happened here, did a werewolf attack you?" he asked irritably, tapping the floor with his staff.
"Judging by the readings on the instruments, which were screaming all over the ministry today, there was a huge surge of black magic here. It feels like the unnameable has risen and unleashed Inferno Flamare on the entire Diagon Alley," Rufus said with a grimace.
Moody shuddered involuntarily, focusing for a moment on the artefact spinning in Scrimger's eye socket.
Dumbledore pulled out his gnarled wand and sent out a wave of white light that immediately engulfed the entire house. It was not a kind, gentle light, but a powerful, furious element that burned everything dark in its path, restoring the entire building to its original state with cold detachment.
"Has Tom really gained such power again?" Dumbledore thought to himself with dismay. "Now it will only be possible to fight him again at Hogwarts, and even then only with the help of a source. Mordred's underwear! I was going to gut that Crouch today to find out where Riddle is hiding. I thought I could end the war with one blow! Now I'll have to lure him to Hogwarts and pit him against Harry," Dumbledore grimaced in frustration, though his face showed nothing but benevolent detachment. The old man didn't believe in prophecies, but he always tried to use them to his advantage. Albus had always believed that a powerful wizard creates his own future and only fools go with the flow.
"Well, then, I bid you farewell, gentlemen," he said, turning to Scrimgeour. "If you learn anything new, please let me know, and Alastor and I will leave you.
They apparated to Hogsmeade, and Scrimgeour and the Aurors headed for the Ministry of Magic.
***
"All right, Father, I'll keep an eye on Draco," Cassius promised, patting him encouragingly on the shoulder. Lucius Malfoy took his wife to Switzerland, where there was a clinic famous throughout the wizarding world for successfully treating the effects of harmful magic. The family healer, who had been summoned urgently, examined her and said that the witch was alive but had been poisoned with a "living death potion." She would need long-term treatment and care to recover. Lucius handed over all his affairs to his managers and decided to stay with Narcissa in the hope that it would help her recover sooner. Cassius's father asked him to talk to Draco so that he would not worry. At the moment, he was not in any danger at school, but Lucius asked both of them to be careful just in case. The situation was beginning to heat up, and Lucius did not want his children to suffer as well. Cassius nodded in agreement with his nervous father, but decided that he would not let the attack go unpunished. A black wave of hatred rose within him, and he promised himself that no one would go unpunished. Whether it was Voldemort or his servants, he would kill them all.
***
"What have you done, Morgana's spawn?" the homunculus yelled at Pettigrew, who was kneeling in front of the chair. "You left her there?! How are we going to get the diary from the Malfoys now, you Mordred idiot. Crucio... Crucio... Crucio!!!"
Peter screamed in pain, writhing on the floor, while Voldemort couldn't stop. The whip hissed happily, wrapped around the chair, watching the tortured man with pleasure, tasting the air with its forked tongue.
The sound of apparition outside the window made Voldemort stop, and the exhausted Peter immediately curled up in a foetal position, squealing in terror.
"Naga, see who's there?" And the snake quickly slid towards the door. A minute later, Barty entered in the guise of Moody, glancing warily at the huge reptile crawling nearby.
"My lord," he fell to his knees, awkwardly pulling up his prosthesis, "I brought what you asked for." And Crouch handed the homunculus a golden tiara.
"Yes, it's her," Voldemort hissed voluptuously, stroking the diadem.
He turned his satisfied gaze to the prostrate Peter, whose wrinkled face contorted even more:
"Worthless scum! See how you should carry out my orders? Crucio!" the Dark Lord shouted again, pointing his wand at the cowering Death Eater.
"My lord?" Barty dared to interrupt his master after a moment.
"What is it?" The homunculus turned to him, foam appearing on his lips.
"From Potter's memory and his red-haired friend, I learned some important information for you today," Barty replied, swallowing hard.
"Well, hurry up, what are you mumbling about?" Voldemort began to get angry.
Barty, afraid of being hit with Cruciatus, told Riddle what he had found out. It turned out that several years ago, a diary identical to the one the Lord had described had been destroyed by Potter. In the memory of the bespectacled boy, it was clear how he, wounded, pierced the black notebook with the basilisk's fang and how he had killed the huge monster before that.
"Potter defeated the basilisk?" Voldemort whispered incredulously. "That can't be!"
"The redhead also has this information in his head," confirmed Crouch. "His sister was under the influence of your diary and nearly died in the secret room.
Voldemort sighed sadly. Having lost such an important Horcrux, it was becoming increasingly difficult to hope for a full recovery.
"Those damned Malfoys decided to get rid of him that way," the homunculus hissed viciously. "They slipped the diary to a blood traitor and waited for Dumbledore to find and destroy the filigree. Vile creatures... Never mind, when I regain my body, those who deserve it will be rewarded," he looked at Barty. "And the fools who dared to go against me will suffer until they die!"
***
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