The Truth of Thirteen Years Ago, Dumbledore's Protection

"Get up, Lucius," Voldemort said expressionlessly. "I'll let it slide for now, since you've been loyal enough. I hope you'll continue to serve me well in the future."

"Of course, Master, thank you for your magnanimity," Lucius said.

Voldemort looked at the others and said coldly, "Thirteen years, a long thirteen years."

"I will only forgive you after you have paid back thirteen years of debt."

"Master," Peter Pettigrew Peter weakly raised his left hand, "I'm back."

"You have indeed paid off some debts," Voldemort said indifferently, "But not out of loyalty, but out of fear. You're afraid your old friends will come after you."

Peter Pettigrew shrank back, trembling as he covered his right hand in fear.

"However, you still sent some to the field, especially in the last few months, Wormtail."

Voldemort will not let down those who have helped him. Voldemort's Wand swept across Peter Pettigrew Peter's severed hand, and a Winky silver hand seamlessly joined his arm.

Peter Pettigrew no longer felt pain. He tried to grasp the silver hand, and the feeling of being connected by blood made his breathing become heavier. "Master, thank you, Master."

"I hope you will not waver in your loyalty to me, Wormtail."

"No, Master, absolutely not."

"The Lestrange Couple should stay here; they are loyal and would rather be imprisoned in Azkaban than betray me."

When Azkaban is breached, they will receive rewards they never dreamed of. Dementor will be our natural allies, we will recall the banished Giant, I will find all my loyal servants, and I will once again possess a regal horde of fearsome Fantastic Beasts...

Lucius, I believe you'd still be willing to lead the torment of Muggle... McNeil, you're busy eliminating dangerous beasts for the Ministry of Magic, wouldn't there be something even better for you to eliminate... Crabbe, Goyle..."

Voldemort, like a capitalist, painted a rosy picture for his Death Eater, clearly defining the division of power and granting them the conditions they desired but could not currently fulfill.

However, the Death Eater firmly believed this, because they had possessed similar power more than a decade ago.

Harry and his friends, however, felt their scalps tingle and their hearts pound with fear.

They were just a few years old when the Dark Lord's power spread throughout the Magic World, and they knew nothing about it.

As I grew up, I lost interest in learning about it, and I had no opportunity to learn about it, because everyone around me kept it a secret.

"No wonder my father said it was the darkest hour in the Magic World," Cedric said Despair. "But we may never see it."

"It seems the Magic World is about to descend into chaos again," Aaron sighed. "But that has little to do with me. No matter how chaotic the world becomes, Gaius can remain unscathed."

The four of them looked at Aaron, wondering where he got the confidence to say such a thing.

"There are still a few people who haven't come here," Voldemort shook his head. "Three died for me, one didn't have the guts to come back and he will pay the price, and the other I think has left me forever and will be executed."

But I am comforted that my most loyal servant is still here, isn't he, Crouch?

The Fake Moody walked proudly to the front of the group, just as the effects of the Polyjuice Potion were about to take hold.

His body began to change drastically. The scars on his face disappeared, his hair turned light yellow, his prosthetic leg was pushed out by his real leg, and a real eye replaced the magic eye that was rolling around all the time.

Barty Crouch Jr. Crouch Jr. appeared in everyone's sight, scanning the other Death Eater with disdain and mockery in his eyes.

After all, given the circumstances here, the Dark Lord's resurrection is undoubtedly due to his status as the biggest villain.

"Hogwarts, my loyal servant has brought a child here through his efforts." Voldemort looked at the bound Harry Potter and said with indifferent sarcasm, "Harry Potter, I heard his fame is as high as mine."

But what excited me even more was that he also brought another guest, Aaron Gaius.

"Hello." Aaron awkwardly raised his hand, then looked at Voldemort. "Could I untie those three? They shouldn't be wary of us now, right?"

"Random."

"And our Wand."

Voldemort gave Barty Crouch Jr. a wink, and the boy immediately returned the four Wand to him.

Aaron untied the three men's ropes and handed them Wand one by one.

"They just gave it back to us so easily?" Phoebe was somewhat bewildered.

"He was very weak just now, and the slightest accident could have interrupted his resurrection ritual. But now he can crush us like an ant, so there's no need to be on guard," Aaron said seriously. "The Wand can only give you a little unrealistic sense of security, but our situation hasn't changed at all."

"What about Harry?" Cedric asked in a low voice.

"Brother, can't you be a little more perceptive?"

Do you think any of you can compare to Harry Potter?

Aaron was speechless. Voldemort was clearly using Harry Potter to make a grand entrance and announce his return.

For a prisoner to ask someone to release his enemy is no different from courting death.

"You're pragmatic, that's what I admire most about you," Voldemort praised. "If they made that request of me, I would kill them without hesitation."

An ordinary Hufflepuff, Durmstrang's big oaf, and Beauxbatons ' pretty face—they're worthless to me.

The three of them were furious upon hearing this, but they were speechless and didn't know what to say even if they had the courage to refute him.

They were merely the pride of the magic school, while their opponent was the infamous Dark Lord; they were simply not on the same level.

"the Boy Who Lived," Voldemort approached Harry Potter. "Your legend is built on lies. Do you want me to tell you the truth about that night thirteen thousand years ago? Do you want me to tell you what exactly gave me my magic?"

"Should I tell you?"

Voldemort turned to look at the group of Death Eater, deciding to satisfy their curiosity and also to provide a reasonable explanation for his defeat thirteen years ago.

"Because of love, when the lovely Lily Potter gave her life to save her only son, she was given the utmost protection."

That was an ancient magic, one I should have remembered, but I foolishly ignored it.

"The Blood Protection Charm," Aaron murmured. "Harry is lucky. He was willing to give his life for his beloved blood relatives. This is one of the most touching forces in human history."

"That's right, that curse reflected my Killing Curse back onto me. Do you know why they're called Death Eater?" Voldemort asked meaningfully. "I've conquered death, and I've gone further down the path to immortality than anyone else."

I only encountered a small test, and although it took a little longer, I passed it without a doubt.

Aaron:...

This is the first time I've seen someone express their fear of death in such a refreshing and unconventional way.

"When I was barely clinging to life, and I had even given up on the idea that my loyal Death Eater would come looking for me, Wormtail found me."

He needed a powerful backer because he was afraid his former friends would cause him trouble.

Fate was on Voldemort's side; he unexpectedly encountered a witch from the Ministry of Magic, Bertha Jorkins, and subdued her without warning.

We obtained very useful intelligence: news of the Triwizard Tournament and a loyal servant.

"Then you controlled Crouch, rescued Barty Crouch Jr.., and then teamed up to subdue Alastor Moody, using his hair to continuously create Polyjuice Potion, so that Barty Crouch Jr. Crouch Jr. could enter Hogwarts and have his name put into the Triwizard Tournament trophy," Aaron said thoughtfully. "As for the purpose, it should be Harry's blood!"

"This is an ancient Dark Magic," Voldemort explained with a laugh. "The servant's flesh is the source, the father's bones chose this place, the enemy's blood... there are too many choices, but only Harry Potter's blood is the most suitable, because it can break the spell his the Mother left on him."

"There's a small problem. If you just want Harry's blood, is it really necessary to go to such lengths?" Aaron asked, puzzled. Harry Potter is the most troublesome person in all of Hogwarts, and he's been injured countless times in the past few days. Getting his blood doesn't seem like an easy task.

"Because he was so well protected, he didn't even know it himself."

Dumbledore made too many arrangements for him; that Muggle Family was torture for him. He didn't know that as long as there were relatives around, even I couldn't touch him.

Where is Hogwarts? I, barely clinging to life, cannot possibly harm him under Dumbledore's nose.

But once he left those two places, he spent all his time with that Warlock family who liked Muggle.

"Once they've finally managed to get alone, the Ministry of Magic will launch a full-scale search."

Upon hearing this, Aaron clicked his tongue inwardly, and for some inexplicable reason, he felt a pang of sympathy for Voldemort for a second.

At that moment, he also thought of his bodyguard team, who seemed to have been diligently and conscientiously protecting him in the shadows for over a decade.

He always fails at crucial moments. For example, right now, he has been sending out distress signals for more than ten minutes, but no one has come. Not a single one.

"But it doesn't matter, things have changed now." Voldemort suddenly raised his arm, his pale, slender fingers pressing against the scar on Harry's forehead. "I can touch you now."

Harry felt a sharp pain in his head, but because he was bound to the statue, he couldn't even struggle.

"Cruciatus Curse!"

Another wave of excruciating pain struck, and Harry convulsed, his eyes rolling back in his head from the agony.

He felt as if his heart was being gnawed by insects, and as if his bones were being scraped by worms.

The agonizing torment made him wish he were dead; even falling into a coma seemed like a luxury.

Cedric couldn't stand it any longer and was about to raise his Wand to stop Voldemort, but Aaron beat him to it.

A blue beam of light struck Voldemort directly, but it was blocked by Barty Crouch Jr.. before it could get close. However, this incident also interrupted Voldemort's torture of Harry.