Entrance Ceremony

Grindelwald Apparition with Sean to the outside of the Malfoy Manor. After landing, he looked at Sean with interest. "Generally speaking, this kind of moment requires a rather grand entrance ceremony."

Sean shrugged. "Sir, if you follow me in, it'll be as lavish as it gets."

"A good idea. I look forward to that day." Grindelwald smiled and disappeared into thin air.

Sean withdrew his gaze, casually swung his black robe, and then smiled as he walked toward the manor.

Malfoy Manor was brightly lit, and the luxurious villa, which originally housed only a few masters and servants, suddenly became crowded.

People dressed in black, wearing black hoods and covering their faces, gathered in the living room. However, despite the large number of people, there was no noise or commotion in the room.

Bellatrix Lestrange was dressed particularly formally tonight. She was not veiled, and wore a black lace court dress, a gorgeous pearl necklace, and a linen hat adorned with magical flowers. She looked exceptionally beautiful tonight.

However, the fervor on her face ruined her elegant beauty.

Beside her stood a man with equally fervent eyes. He was also unmasked and was looking expectantly toward the doorway.

The Malfoy couple, the owners of the manor, did not cover their faces either.

"My colleagues—" Lucius began, seemingly wanting to do more before his master arrived, "Show your faces. The master will not be pleased to see you cowering like this."

The masked Death Eaters exchanged glances, and one of them said in a deep voice, "Lucius, when you informed me you said we would discuss the master's movements together. Now that everyone is here, let's talk."

Bella turned her head sharply. "Watch your tone. When you mention your master, maintain your reverence."

The person seemed to want to say something more, but in the end gave up.

Lucius tilted his head slightly: "Some people haven't all arrived yet—"

The man standing next to Bella scoffed. He was Bella's husband, Rodolphus Lestrange, a fanatical follower of Riddle.

"Those cowardly, foolish traitors have already tried to sever ties with their master."

"The master's whereabouts are unknown..." a voice said softly, but the source was unclear.

Bella raised her wand and then slowly lowered it. She smiled and said, "You cowardly mouse... someone will punish you..."

Upon hearing this, the other Death Eaters exchanged glances, understanding the implication in the other's words.

"Master... is back?" a Death Eaters asked timidly.

"What? Shouldn't you be celebrating this, Avery?" A sorcerer beside him called out his name with a sinister grin.

Avery paused for a moment after his name was called, then looked at the person who had exposed him with some annoyance. "Wilkes, don't forget what you've been up to this past year!"

Wilkes twitched the corner of his mouth, his voice still carrying a sinister undertone. "Avery, you should worry about yourself first. Your father is far more loyal than you."

"The loyalty of the Avery family needs no one else's judgment."

"Yes, Master knows what's going on—doesn't he?"

Bella and the Malfoy couple did not stop the Death Eaters ' argument; they simply watched the scene coldly. The summoned Death Eaters were unaware that their master had recovered; their thoughts varied, some harboring tentative intentions, others fanatical fervor.

Of course, those who didn't come to the scene are practically dead.

Bella held a piece of parchment in her hand, which recorded the events that had occurred in the past few days when the Death Eaters were summoned.

She was not yet the madwoman tormented by the Dementor; she still retained considerable wisdom, and with her husband's assistance, the contents of the parchment were clear and detailed.

Bella looked expectantly towards the door, now only waiting for her master to return...

The relationships among Death Eaters are strange. Apart from Riddle and a very few others, they only know the true identities of a few people, but various small circles are intertwined, and identities are quickly exposed.

Unable to prevent their own identities from being exposed, they worked even harder to uncover the identities of others. As for their purpose, most of them probably knew it in their hearts—if things were exposed and the Death Eaters lost power, they might be able to exchange their freedom for betraying their former comrades.

Time passed slowly, Bella, Regulus, and the Malfoy couple had summoned them, remained silent. The Death Eaters grew increasingly impatient, but no one dared to leave immediately until their suspicions were confirmed.

Of course, many people already had other ideas in their minds—if they still couldn't see a future for the Death Eaters or any hope of Riddle's recovery after tonight, then they really had to consider leaving.

Human emotions flow like undercurrents beneath the surface of deep water, and as dusk falls, the atmosphere in the manor grows increasingly restless and anxious.

Lucius and his wife exchanged a glance, both understanding the meaning in each other's eyes.

"Why haven't they shown up yet? Just who was that person last night?"

For most of the people here, joining the Death Eaters was due to Riddle's personal charisma and the slogans he shouted.

As Pure-blood Wizard, who wouldn't want to reach the pinnacle because of their bloodline?

However, over the years, due to the presence of Dumbledore and Grindelwald, the Death Eaters, although they have developed into a fairly powerful organization, have mostly operated underground.

In fact, their leader's first major move ended in disaster, and they even found themselves in trouble.

They did not doubt their master's power, but his prestige had inevitably declined somewhat.

The uncertainty of the future is the biggest source of anxiety for speculators.

Just as people's hearts were becoming increasingly restless, the magnificent chandelier on the ceiling of the Malfoy Manor suddenly trembled slightly, and moisture seemed to have been added to the roaring fireplace not far away. The flickering flames seemed to be tightly gripped by an invisible hand, making it difficult for them to breathe, and the luxurious living room became dimly lit.

The door opened by itself, and a figure unfamiliar to most people appeared before them.

"Welcome—" The newcomer calmly opened his arms, as if he were the master of the place.

"Sean Wallerup!" Several wizards who had participated in the operation against Sean widened their eyes, not understanding why he was here.

The party organizers, Bella and the others, didn't react in time. Lucius jabbed his cane hard, and the marble floor made a dull thud.

The atmosphere in the living room suddenly became strange, and the Death Eaters all pulled out their wands.

Some people remembered that Sean was once the master's target, and they wanted to capture this suddenly appearing kid.

Some suspect this is a trap set by the Auror or Dumbledore, who want to escape from here.

Most of the people were unaware of the situation; they didn't know Sean's identity or the meaning of his presence, and simply followed their companions' actions by pulling out their wands.

Sean smiled and made a grasping motion, and the flames in the fireplace returned to calm, and the chandelier stopped swaying.

At this moment, the others noticed that there seemed to be something like a mist flowing around Sean's hand.

"Bella— " Sean slowly walked towards Bella and extended his hand.

"Master... Master?!" Bella trembled.

"My smart girl—" Sean exclaimed, sending shockwaves through the hearts of everyone else in the living room!

The underage boy before him was his once incredibly powerful master?!

Sean coldly observed everyone, though his heart was already racing—it was incredibly exciting to pretend to be the darkest one in front of so many villains.

But he still has enough confidence.

Riddle was a suspicious man by nature. He didn't rule his subordinates with personal charisma, but with powerful magic. Riddle wouldn't open his heart to anyone except himself.

Among the Death Eaters present, no matter how many were absolutely loyal or how many harbored ulterior motives, as long as he was the real Riddle, no one would dare to betray him.

Sean extended a hand, his smile calm yet aloof, "Compared to these bastards who deserve to be buried, your loyalty is truly touching—"

"Master, Master..." Bella trembled with excitement.

"But now, don't act like an idiot—" Sean suddenly narrowed his eyes.

Bella shuddered and finally realized what was happening, handing over the parchment in her hand.

Sean casually walked to the head of the long table and sat down, without even glancing at the Death Eaters.

The parchment contained information about all the Death Eaters, including each person's reaction after the summons was issued.

Sean saw many familiar names on it. Before coming here, he had searched for a lot of information and even spent a sum of Galleon to buy a wizard information book from Knockturn Alley —as long as you pay enough, personal information is never really private.

He casually flipped through the pages, then looked up and smiled as he glanced at everyone present.

"Please sit down, why don't you sit down?"

The Death Eaters glanced at Sean, whose expression was relaxed but whose eyes were cold, and they unconsciously exchanged glances with those around them.

Bella said this is her master? But... but...

Many people have already begun to have doubts, but no one dares to truly question them without concrete evidence.

In this eerie silence, the Death Eaters gradually took their seats.

"How long has it been?" Sean licked his lips, then waved casually. "Come on, my friends, take off your masks and let me have a good look at you. I've missed you all terribly—"

There was a moment of silence, and surprisingly no one made a move.

Bella jumped to her feet and roared at everyone, "Can't you hear me? Can't you hear what Master said?!"

"Shh, shh," Sean held up a finger, "Bella, always remember, as nobles among wizards, we must have sufficient manners—"

"Yes, yes..." Bella sat down immediately like a docile puppy, maintaining an elegant posture.

It feels so good to have a fanatical follower...

Sean sighed inwardly, then looked at everyone.

"You must have a lot to think about now that you see me like this, my friends."

No sooner had he finished speaking than his wand suddenly pointed at someone.

Shocked, suspicious, and fearful, the person neither defended himself nor dared to.

A piercing scream echoed through the living room, sending shivers down everyone's spines. As they looked at the boy sitting at the head of the table, fear began to resurface in their eyes.

In Sean's mind, the number jumped from thirty-eight to forty, and below it was the name of the ability: Hermione Granger's Echo.

Every five spells cast, the next spell becomes Silent Casting; every twenty spells cast, the next spell becomes Wandless Casting; every forty spells cast, the next spell is amplified. (Echo effects can overlap.)

The next spell will be a silent, staffless amplification spell!

Sean scanned everyone expressionlessly, then suddenly chuckled, "Looks like, after changing bodies and not seeing you for so long, some people are already starting to forget me..."

The Death Eaters looked at each other, and finally, some of them began to remove their hoods and masks.

One after another, like a chain reaction, as one mask was placed on the table, more and more true faces were exposed to everyone's eyes.

Sean laughed even harder, the corners of his mouth curving upwards in an evil way.

After all that, only five Death Eaters remained, hesitant to remove their masks.

"Oh, it seems you no longer trust your master..." Sean sighed regretfully.

The remaining five people were nervous, but some of them had already become suspicious.

Although the man before him behaved exactly like his master, the biggest flaw was that he didn't use the Dark Mark to contact everyone. Thinking further, even if Sean Wallerup was truly possessed by his master, how much magic could a young wizard who hadn't even graduated from school possess?

They were no mediocre individuals; they had already seen through the spell just now. It wasn't the Cruciatus Curse, but a silent Stinging Hex.

The person in front of me is suspicious...

However, what prevented them from raising any doubts was that Sean acted so naturally that they found it difficult to speak.

"Master, please forgive me," a deep-voiced wizard said, "My identity is rather sensitive—this is also for the sake of serving you better in the future—"

"Shh..." Sean interrupted the other person.

He lazily propped his face up with his hand, then casually placed his wand in front of him and began to spin it.

The wand spun rapidly, a playful look on Sean's face.

Finally, the wand stopped and pointed to the right side of the long table.

Everyone looked over, and there stood a person who hadn't taken off their mask.

"Master, Master..." Under the gaze of so many eyes, the man stammered.

Sean smiled and spread his hands, "As a leader, I must fully respect the opinions of my subordinates—you don't need to take them off—"

"Master..." The man swallowed.

Then, Sean made a fist in mid-air without any expression.

Everyone's instincts kicked in, and their hair stood on end in an instant!