Chapter 168: The Eve of the Competition
"As long as you serve me well, Lord Voldemort will not treat you badly." Voldemort said with satisfaction
"I will show my loyalty, master," Peter replied
"I'm looking forward to it. But for now, let's bring our friends in. He has bad legs and feet, this is not hospitality~ Nagini. Voldemort suddenly changed his words
Peter was also quick to respond. Hearing Voldemort's reminder, he waved his wand forward, and the door of the concealed room was immediately opened.
Outside the house, there stood a rickety old man. The hair is long, dry and thick. Holding a shovel in his left hand, a lamp in his right hand, and a pair of dirty and torn military rubber boots under his feet, he was not wearing a shirt, and he was wearing a pair of faded overalls. It was not clear in the dim candlelight, but the horror in his eyes revealed the state of mind of his master.
"Come on in—dear Frank. Wormtail, turn my chair around, why don't you know how to be polite. The gentle voice said
"Uh.... Okay, master. Peter hesitated, and shuddered to turn his chair.
At this moment, the man named Frank was already dripping with sweat on his forehead, and his right hand carrying the lamp trembled involuntarily. The faint flame began to flicker as he moved—dimmer and dimmer. He tried to run away, but the python behind him blocked his way.
"See you again... Well? You're not the same as you used to be. Time flies – remember when I was a teenager. Voldemort, who turned around, said as if he were chattering. I didn't realize my appearance at all, and I had a big impact on others.
"You! ... You are... What..."Looking at the baby in the chair, wrapped in a blanket. For a moment, Frank was so frightened that he couldn't speak.
"Forgot about me? It's sad - I thought what happened to the Riddle family was enough for you to remember for a lifetime."
"You... You're the one... That boy! "Memories of the dead suddenly came flooding back
"Hehe-I'll just say it~ Your brain is not as useless as that broken leg"
After knowing the identity of the deformed baby in front of him, Frank completely lost his mind. He involuntarily stepped back, but the python was already attached to his body from behind, and the head of the snake was also next to his head. As the core continued to spit out, an inexplicable sound was emitted.
"I know—I know, don't rush~ Nagini"
“...”
The sizzling continued. Immobilized, Frank suddenly had a ridiculous idea..... The man in front of him can talk to snakes.
The moment the thought broke, a chill instantly permeated the whole body. He suddenly felt a weightless fall. The person in front of him seemed to be standing on a high place, watching himself slowly fall into the abyss. The distance grew farther and farther until it was eaten away by darkness.
"I haven't seen an acquaintance for a long time, and I wanted to talk more. But Nagini can't seem to wait. That... Do you have anything else to say? The tone of indifference was like an ultimatum
"I.... I...."Fear not only ate away at his will, but also seemed to choke his throat. He tried to howl... But no matter how tightly he pulled his throat, he could only let out a beastly roar.
"It seems that there is none"
Frank, at the end of his rope, watched as it gracefully lifted a wooden staff with a disproportionate hand.
"How long has it been... Goodbye then, Frank" said, and a light flashed.
The green light that symbolizes life is Frank's last impression of the world.
————
Early morning, 16 Bakers Street
"Aren't you alright?" Betty knocked on Ivey's bedroom door
"Here it is - here it is"
The door opened, and Ivy stepped out of the room and carefully closed the door.
"Let's go"
"Brebelle not with us?"
"Erin said to take her Apparition directly"
Walk down the stairs to the living room
"To join Harry?"
"Well, the Burrow"
The two grabbed a handful of Floo powder and disappeared into the house.
————
Burrow
As a burst of flames rose, Ivy and Betty arrived.
"Mr. Arthur, Mrs. Molly, excuse me" appeared, and the two immediately greeted each other.
"Hey—welcome, haven't you eaten yet? Come on~" Mr. and Mrs. Weasley greeted warmly
"It's really a charcoal in the snow" The two of them were not polite, and sat down at the table naturally.
"Erin—" asked Lady Molly as she cooked
"They're lazy, and when the time comes, they'll just apparition."
"Haha—it fits her style very well," Mr. Arthur said with a smirk
"Ron, what about them?" Ivey asked
"I'll call them - Arthur, help me look at the pot." Lady Molly gave a command, and ascended the stairs.
"Mr. Arthur, you must have been busy lately, right?" After she left, Ivy chatted
"Much better," Arthur replied, fiddling with his ticket, "the preliminary work has already been completed, otherwise how would I have had time to go to the game." If it had been some time ago, I wouldn't have even had time to eat. Just trying to figure out how to arrange the portkeys has made us rack our brains. That's pretty good! Didn't you see the Magical Sports Division—that's all for one person for ten people! Bertha Jorkins was called back halfway through her annual leave. Everyone was busy and dizzy – except, of course, their director. ”
"It's really hard," he replied lightly, and his expression was silent. But the heart is not as calm as it appears.
Bertha Jorkins.... If memory serves, this man should have died a long time ago. Was it because of the change in his previous actions – or .....
"Doorkey? Is it the kind of thing that can teleport people to a certain place? Betty asked
"That's right. Oh yes," Mr. Arthur, who was sorting out the tickets, suddenly stood up excitedly and spun around, "what do you guys think?" ”
Mr. Arthur is now dressed like a western cowboy from the last century. Shirts, waistcoats, wide belts, flared leather trousers.
"It's a good fit for you~ Mr. Arthur," Betty smiled
"Like Muggles? We're going to hide our identities when we go," he asked eagerly
"Seamless," Ivy nodded
"What's seamless?" Suddenly Ron's voice came from the stairs
The sleepy-eyed men followed Mrs. Molly downstairs
"Hi ~ very energetic," Ivy greeted
"Hey~ you're here," the boys and girls replied
"Isn't the Godfather here yet?" Harry said, rubbing his eyes
As soon as he finished speaking, a flame burned again in the fireplace of the Burrow.
"Long time no see—everyone," Sirius, with a demeanor, stepped out of the flames
"Just in time, let's eat," Lady Molly beckoned him to sit down
"Didn't Charlie and Bill come? What about Percy? Ivy glanced at the few people present
"They can be apparitioned, they can sleep more and be lazy," Lady Molly explained as she served the food to the crowd.
"So they're still sleeping! Why can't we also use phantom shifting? Fred said angrily
"Because you're not old enough to pass the exam"
"Phantom Shifter still has to pass the exam?" Harry asked curiously
"Of course. If you don't want to be separated. Mr. Arthur said
"But why do we get up so early?" said Ginny, looking out the window. A faint light had just lit up on the horizon.
"Still a little way to go," replied Mr. Arthur
"Walking? We're going to walk to see the World Cup? Harry said
"No, no, no, that's too far, just a short distance. In fact, the time was so early to avoid Muggles. Because of the large number of wizards coming together, it was difficult not to attract the attention of Muggles. So we had to be careful."
"Cut—it's too much," George pouted, his hand reaching into his coat pocket and shaking it with a slight crashing sound.
"George!" His movements caught Lady Molly's attention
"What—what's wrong?" George immediately clenched his pockets and replied with some weakness.
"What's in your pocket?" Mrs. Molly said expressionlessly
"Nothing! It's some snacks," he clutched tighter
"Don't lie to me!" Lady Molly pointed her wand at George's pocket, "Fly!" ”
With the spell being shouted, something colorful flew out of George's pocket.
George tried to reach for it, but he didn't. They flew straight into Lady Molly's hands.
"Fat-tongued toffee! It's these things again - for you to destroy these things! Lady Molly was furious, and she looked at the twins, "There must still be one!" Take it all out! ”
The twins want to run, but—
"Fly! Flying! Flying! ”
Mrs. Molly cast a spell, and large pieces of toffee flew out of the twins' coats, linings, trousers—and even cuffs. In short, whatever you can think of, or what you can't think of – it's all crammed.
"It took us half a year to make these things!" Seeing his baby fall into the hands of his mother, Fred cried out aggrievedly.
"Huh—half a year spent on this? That's great! Mrs. Molly laughed angrily, "No wonder O.W.L. can't get good grades!" ”
"It's okay. We just want to open a joke shop, and we don't want to go to the Ministry of Magic. George argued
"And said! Without a little ambition, you know how to change your way to get into trouble all day long! ”
"We are not Percy! You don't want to impose his ideas on us! ”
....
The two sides argued with reason, and the rest of the people did not dare to intervene. Even Mr. Arthur buried his head behind the newspaper.
The atmosphere was not very friendly when leaving. The Weasley twins didn't say a word to their mother.
"Father, don't you care about your wife?" On the way, the twins begin to denounce their father.
"Molly is right," said Mr. Arthur solemnly, "although I don't require you to enter the Ministry of Magic, the consequences of your invention of those things to sell to others are very bad. Any idea how many complaint letters come in each term at Hogwarts? If this continues, you will most likely be summoned by the Office for the Prohibition of Misuse of Magic. ”
"How can it be that serious? It's just a little bit of a gadget. What do you say—Ive," George was looking for a helper
"That's all light," Ivy also frightened, "if this is a proper crime of smuggling dangerous goods in the Muggle world." On the wizard's side, you might get Azkaban for three or five years. ”