Lucius Malfoy had no problem with the Dark Lord meeting at his manor. In fact, when Voldemort unexpectedly appeared in the Malfoy family's living room and made this request, he was so flattered that he was almost speechless with emotion. "Of course, host, of course...... It's my pleasure to serve you......"

Voldemort had expected this. "Until then, the Dark Lord has time to hear what you want to report on. He sat down in the most luxurious chair, and with a glance he seemed to notice that there were others present.

"I've been ready for a long time, master. Malfoy replied respectfully. He followed the Dark Lord's gaze and hurriedly said, "Draco, you can go." ”

Draco Malfoy's already pale face seemed to be a little paler. He didn't dare to look at Voldemort at all, bowed slightly, and walked away quickly.

Voldemort glanced nonchalantly at the back. "I heard Barty say that you've finally done what I asked you to do, Lucius?"

Malfoy's face contorted slightly at the name, but he immediately disguised it. "Yes, my master. In fact, not long after you left, Sissi got in touch with the house-elf. Your judgment of Cialis Black is very accurate, he was not careful enough, we summoned Kreacher several times, and he found nothing......"

"Okay, let's get to the point. Voldemort interrupted impatiently, "What does that house-elf know?"

Malfoy cautiously glanced at the black-robed wizard's face. "Even though there's the Loyalty Charm in that place, we've got some information......" he began to recount the facts of Kreacher's leak, interspersed with the part that was secretly pushing the Ministry of Magic to enforce the law.

A moment later.

"As you can imagine," Voldemort propped his hand on the table, his chin resting on his two long fingers, "since we are not moving, the Order of the Phoenix will not be able to respond effectively. Not to mention, there's the Ministry of Magic holding them back......" he sneered, "The Minister of Magic is an idiot, but stupid is useful. ”

"With the exception of the Minister, many people in the Ministry of Magic are almost obedient to me. Malfoy immediately said, "They don't trust Dumbledore at all, not even a single child. ”

In Malfoy's expectation, this should be complimented by Voldemort, but the Dark Lord still thinks about it, not even looking at him.

The silver-haired man wanted to speak several times, but finally he couldn't hold back. “…… You...... Can...... Tell me graciously, is this true?" he asked, almost eagerly, "we really haven't done anything in the last six months?"

Voldemort stared at him sharply—and the blonde man immediately lowered his head. "You want to find out why Voldemort left, do you?"

"Whatever you do, you're sure to succeed. Malfoy didn't dare to breathe, and jerked up the sleeve of his left arm until he revealed the crimson pattern of a snake spitting out of the skull. "It usually only gets darker when you summon it, but about a week ago, it went from bright red to what it is now......"

This coping, I have to say, is quite smart. Voldemort's face softened. "Lucius," he said softly, "Voldemort would prefer you to use this clever flattery to do things for Voldemort. ”

Malfoy was startled and immediately fell to his knees. "Master, I have become deeply aware of my mistake and I am trying to make amends. In fact, earlier today, I just got a new piece of information – I think you might be interested to know about Harry Potter ......"

"Huh?" Voldemort was indeed intrigued. But I haven't seen him for a few days, what did the boy do again?

Kreacher said that Harry Potter had contacted Siris Black the night before. Malfoy said quickly—he could tell he was doing the right thing," they talked about some Order of the Phoenix business—you know, master, house-elves are forbidden to tell the secrets of the Order of the Phoenix—and then about Harry's internship at the Ministry of Magic. ”

Voldemort wasn't surprised. Dumbledore pressed the truth that Harry was his Horcrux, but that didn't stop Dumbledore from telling the Order of the Phoenix that the connection was harmful. However, the Ministry of Magic internship ?...... It's to protect the savior in all directions. "Go on. ”

The werewolf asked Potter if he had any dreams lately, and Potter denied it - he said you never forgot about Occlumency. Malfoy added, carefully paying attention to Voldemort's expression, "Later Potter had to admit that Occlumency is hard to learn. Lupin told him that Snape was a master of Occlumency, and told him to work hard...... It sounds like both Blake and Lupin care about this. ”

"Potter was right. Voldemort hit the nail on the head, "The boy wasn't good at hiding himself at all—in fact, he had no talent for it." "It's too easy to peek through that straightforward brain, and he doesn't even feel a sense of victory at all. "Anything else?"

Malfoy shook his head with difficulty. "No more. ”

To Malfoy's surprise, Voldemort didn't continue to ask. He turned his chair and faced himself with the roaring fire in the fireplace. It was normal for Harry to inquire about the affairs of the Order of the Phoenix, and the only thing that had been intriguing the boy lately was the internal affairs of the Ministry of Magic, but prophecy was also one of the many truths that Dumbledore had suppressed, and the boy could not learn from anyone other than him and Dumbledore.

Anyway, without saying anything about the Occlumency class interruption, Harry must have thought about the consequences...... More or less, finally ...... Then he might be able to start as well......

Seeing Voldemort lost in thought, Malfoy quietly stood up. To be honest, he was puzzled as to why Voldemort and Harry were using Occlumency on each other. Sounds like the Savior would have dreamed about the Dark Lord if he hadn't used to?He shuddered, feeling that he had better not inquire into it.

It was a long time later. "Who else knows about this?" Voldemort asked suddenly.

"Nobody," Malfoy snapped back to his senses, immediately reassuring, "not even Sissi knows." ”

"Then don't tell anyone. Voldemort was satisfied. "Now, prepare the place. ”

"Yes. Malfoy withdrew. When he returned, he had rolled up his left sleeve and consciously put his arm within reach of his master—

Voldemort nodded at the acquaintance. He stretched out his hand and pressed it against the hideous and terrible sign, and the scar instantly turned black thicker than ink.

When the two of them entered the living room, which had been converted into a conference room, the others were already waiting inside. Seeing the Dark Lord, who had not appeared for a long time, they stepped back to both sides, their eyebrows lowered and their eyes pleasing to the eye, and they said something like "Master, it's an honor to receive your summons".

Voldemort didn't care, and strode over to the edge of the main seat. "Barty," he began, "you sit to my right." ”

That position was equivalent to the second-in-command of the Death Eaters, and Barty Crouch Jr. immediately became the focus of attention of all the Death Eaters. The pale man with straw-colored hair quickly came out of the ranks, and did as he was told, with no special emotion on his face.

Voldemort was satisfied. His gaze circled around the others, and finally landed on a man whose face was set in a curtain of long, greasy hair. "Severus?" he said softly, "I'm not mistaken, you're here today?"

All eyes turned to Snape again. The Dark Lord summoned the Death Eaters for the first time after his return, but Snape was not present. Although he later claimed that he was working as a double agent for Voldemort in the Order of the Phoenix, and that leaving without permission would reveal his identity, this was still a big point of attack.

The man named was unhurried: "Master, Dumbledore is not at school. I figured I wouldn't be found out if I left, so here I was. ”

Voldemort narrowed slightly.

He had known that Dumbledore was not at school - to be honest, Dumbledore was too blind, because no one would ignore him, including the Ministry of Magic. He also thought Snape's reasoning was justified, after all, he had never seen Snape lying...... No one could lie in front of the Dark Lord and go undetected, and he had that confidence, even if that empty look looked like he was using Occlumency......

Voldemort's mouth tightened imperceptibly. When he asked Malfoy not to mention it to others, he had already recalled the previous speculation that had been extinguished by him when it first appeared—the reason why Dumbledore chose Snape to teach Harry Occlumency, probably because Dumbledore thought that Snape's Occlumency was exceptional, good enough to offset the disadvantages of the holidays, and even good enough to resist his deviant thoughts......

Is this really possible?

Voldemort thought and glanced at Crouch Jr. again. The loyal Death Eaters were staring at him, pale eyes as unguarded as ever—in fact, he could feel that, unlike most people, little Crouch almost welcomed his deception. "You're sitting next to Barty, Severus. He said softly, his expression and tone unchanged, but he had already labeled Snape "suspicious to be checked" in his heart.

Soon, everyone was in place. Not all positions were occupied, and Voldemort deliberately arranged for a number of empty slots to come out, including the three closest to his left. "It was reserved for the Lestranges," he declared bluntly, "that they are loyal, and Voldemort would never treat the loyal badly." ”

There was a slight commotion around the long table. “…… You've bestowed the honor they deserve, Ghost Knight, what a great glory. Yaxley across from Malfoy said.

Voldemort waved his hand absentmindedly. "It's just a small piece of magic, and I'll give you that honor if you're faithful, and I assure you in the name of the Dark Lord. ”

There was another rustling sound, mixed with echoes of "of course" and "yes". Having said that, they found that only little Crouch did not react in surprise, and couldn't help but cast a look of hidden jealousy.

Malfoy sat in a chair two places away from Snape, uncontrollable in his anxiety. "Master, we know you've gotten stronger," he said, leaning forward slightly, pleased to hear a low approving voice, "We...... Is it an honor to hear about it?"

Voldemort glanced over, and the smiling gaze made Malfoy subconsciously shrink his neck. "Of course there are indestructible reasons for me to leave," he whispered, "I got the wand of Slytherin himself. As he spoke, he raised his hand, and the serpentine wand appeared in the palm of his hand.

Everyone at the table gasped, their eyes widening, including Snape.

A Slytherin wand?

The Death Eaters had expected Voldemort to tell them more about the particular serpentine wand - if not how it was obtained, it was better to talk about its power, preferably to show it off again - but Voldemort clearly had no intention of doing so. He quickly took it back, complimented McNeil and the other four (who were responsible for liaising with the giants and werewolves), asked a few questions about the Ministry's initiative, and announced that it could be disbanded.

Not to mention Malfoy, the vast majority of Death Eaters felt that something was wrong. Slytherin's wand could indeed explain why the Dark Lord has been gone for months, but why hasn't there been any new action yet?

"Master," asked Avery, boldly, "may I be bold enough to ask you what new orders you have, or do you still need us to continue with the previous orders?"

The so-called previous directive continued to infiltrate the Ministry of Magic. This was Voldemort's number one priority upon his return, and many Death Eaters were active in it. It was Malfoy who was in charge at first, and Avery was replaced by Avery after August. At the beginning of September, the operation was abruptly suspended, and a group of people were in the clouds.

Thinking of this, Malfoy couldn't help but stare at Avery diagonally opposite him with resentment. Most people looked in the same direction as him, except for Crouch Jr. and Snape.

"There's no need, Avery. Voldemort replied softly, with a brutal look of triumph in his red eyes, "You should be able to guess why Podmore entered St. Mungo's like Baldø." ”

Broderick Bodø is a Ministry of Magic clerk. It was through him that Voldemort learned much useful information, such as that the Minister of Magic was working on a magic on an unprecedented scale, supposedly known as war magic.

On the long table, there was another neat gasp. All they knew was that Malfoy had brought Bald to Voldemort, but that was enough—whether it was the Imperius Curse, the Oblivion Curse, or the more common Confusion Charm, the Dark Lord's power was not in question. So in this matter, what is even more puzzling is that the dormant Dark Lord actually went to the Ministry of Magic in person?

Avery was amazed. "Oh, I don't know about you...... Now......" He stammered a little, but at last he found the word, and asked carefully, "You have got what you want, master?"

Voldemort hooked the corners of his mouth, but did not answer directly. "The operation was completely canceled. Let's let our Minister of Magic have a good time, and one day, he will understand that he has been going around all along, so let them go. ”