The Dark Lord's Brilliant Calculations, Hostages in an Awkward Position

Neville's body floated uncontrollably in mid-air, slowly approaching the Veil.

The Death Eater watched this scene with great interest. In the more than ten years since Voldemort lost power, they would never have dared to play like this. Ron, Ginny, and Luna were all extremely worried, but there was nothing they could do right now.

Harry gritted his teeth and gripped his Wand tightly, while Hermione prepared to fire one last bullet, determined not to let Neville disappear before their very eyes.

"Stop with your petty schemes," Lucius said calmly. "If you dare to make any moves, Bellatrix won't just use the Levitation Charm, she'll use the Killing Curse."

And don't forget, the other three are still in our hands. You don't want them to get out of here before Longbottom, do you?

"You're a monster," Harry yelled, glaring at him.

"It really hurts me to hear that, Potter."

No matter how much you hate me now, please remember, I gave them a chance to live. The unknown doesn't mean death, does it?

"What's the difference?"

Lucius paused for a moment, then shook his head with a cold laugh, "How ignorant!"

To leave this world painlessly is infinitely more blissful than to suffer Cruciatus Curse and a final, unbearable death.

If you don't believe me, you can ask the Longbottoms of St Mungo's's. If they had a choice, they would definitely kneel down and beg Bellatrix to do the same for them.

"You are not allowed to insult my parents," Neville shouted angrily. "They are heroes. They didn't reveal a single secret while they were being tortured."

"They were quite stubborn; they didn't beg for mercy at all from beginning to end."

I'm curious whether their son has that kind of loyalty.

"Please curb your curiosity," Lucius said speechlessly. "Our master has other tasks to complete; we can't afford to waste our time torturing people."

"Other tasks," Bellatrix scoffed, her tone much softer. "The master's substitutions are so inexplicable, perhaps that person..."

"Just follow the master's plan."

Bellatrix stopped talking and turned her attention to Neville.

He drew closer and closer to the Veil, and looking at the Veil so close to him, he felt his thoughts being gradually swallowed up.

Neville suddenly fell to the ground. Having just recovered from the brink of death, he quickly got up and tried to keep as much distance as possible from the Veil.

"Who's there?" Crabbe around and finally fixed her gaze on the stone chair near the door.

"Well!"

A sigh filled with helplessness clearly reached everyone's ears.

Aaron removed the Disillusionment Charm from his body and exposed himself to everyone with the Book of Prophecy in hand.

Harry breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing him, and his tense expression relaxed somewhat.

Others might not know Aaron's achievements, but surely he did. The Death Eater here are clearly more difficult to deal with than those that appeared in that cemetery years ago, and their numbers are relatively fewer. He's definitely not in any trouble.

Hermione lowered her head awkwardly, not daring to meet his gaze, and even the gun in her hand felt extremely hot.

"Hahaha..." Bellatrix paused for a moment, then burst into maniacal laughter, "You really did come after all."

"You know me?" Aaron frowned slightly, his heart skipping a beat.

He had no recollection of having any connection with this escaped convict, even though she was Sirius Black's cousin.

"The first time we met, it was... the Dark Lord King's brilliant strategy."

"A handsome ten-year-old boy might appear; let's keep an eye out," Bellatrix said meaningfully, then suddenly raised her Wand, and a layer of transparent ripples quickly spread in all directions.

"Anti-Apparition Jinx?" Aaron pondered Bellatrix's words, and his brows furrowed even deeper as he sensed a slight obstruction in the space.

"Uncle Lucius, could you please give me an explanation?" Aaron asked Lucius, while also trying to buy Order of the Phoenix some time.

He had no choice but to act just now, or Neville would have been finished. But now he seems to have inexplicably fallen into a pit, and if he wants to climb out safely, he has to rely on reinforcements.

"You should be able to guess that the Dark Lord arranged another task, which was specially prepared for you."

Aaron chuckled to himself, "Voldemort is really quite patient with me!"

"Another guy who dares to say his name." Bellatrix glared at him fiercely. "You..."

"I'm not like Harry Potter. In some ways, Gaius's blood is even more noble than Pure-blood. If you're going to insult me, you'd better not use things like 'filthy bastard,' that would be too rude."

Bellatrix's expression froze, her lips twitched slightly, and she didn't know how to retort.

"Aaron, the Dark Lord wants to see you."

You'd better cooperate and not make things difficult for us.

Most of the Death Eater gathered in 1949 had wasted more than a decade, so those gathered here today are the elite Death Eater of Azkaban.

More than a decade of imprisonment left them no time to deal with other matters, but it also deepened their understanding of Dark Magic.

Aaron glanced around, neither confirming nor denying the claim.

These people's magical power levels are at least on par with his, and even the weakest are close to High-level Archmage, especially Bellatrix, this crazy woman, who has already faintly stepped into the threshold of becoming Grand Archmage.

However, strength is not the same as combat power. If he is determined to run away, these people cannot stop him.

There are a whole bunch of burdens here, plus the Anti- Apparition Curse, so the situation is a bit difficult. A forced breakout will definitely result in casualties.

Delaying time is key. As long as we can hold out until the Order of the Phoenix arrives, all problems will be solved. Professor Snape, you absolutely cannot let us down at this crucial moment!

"We'll talk about that later," Aaron waved his hand dismissively. "How did Voldemort know I was coming tonight?"

"In fact, even the Dark Lord isn't sure," Lucius chuckled. "Our main objective tonight is to Prophecy Orb, and Potter has already helped us with that."

As for you, it was purely a pleasant surprise. He guessed you might come for a friend, and that turned out to be true.

"I'm sorry," Harry said weakly, "If only I could calm down..."

There's no need to apologize, really.

You've already paid the price for your impulsiveness, and I don't think an apology will teach you a lesson.

Your level of self-destruction is absolutely masterful. You do it at least once a year, and it's never the same thing twice. I'm always curious how you manage to do it.

To be honest, it's a miracle you're still alive today.

Harry:...

"As for you," Aaron said, looking at the captured Ron, Ginny, Luna, and Neville behind the Veil, with a wry smile, "Weren't you all very stubborn before you came? We couldn't stop you!"

And now? Do you feel even a tiny bit of regret?

The group exchanged glances, their words carrying a bitter taste; they had indeed acted impulsively.

"And you." Aaron looked at Hermione speechlessly. "How did I cover for you?"

I gave you enough tools for just one person, not to save six people. You could have escaped unscathed.

"I..." Hermione bit her lower lip, her eyes slightly red, "I'm sorry, but I can't just stand by and watch!"

"Forget it, there's no point in talking about it now," Aaron said dejectedly. This time, he had taken the initiative to appear in front of the Death Eater, which had already violated the ancestral teachings of the Gaius Family.

From this moment until the conflict in the Magic World ends, the family will no longer provide him with any protection.

"Enough with the nonsense," Bellatrix said impatiently. "It would be your honor to come with us to see our master."

"Let me finish." Aaron took a deep breath and looked at Harry seriously. "Do you know why I came here?"

Harry paused for a moment, then shook his head in confusion. "I don't know. Surely it's not because they're worried about our safety?"

"Have some self-awareness," Aaron said with a sneer. "To be honest, whether you, especially you, live or die has little to do with me. I tried to persuade you, but I couldn't stop you, so I won't feel any guilt."

However, she was a bit of a special case. I didn't want her to die with you all, so I gave her something to save her life, but it turns out my plan wasn't very sound.

"After I returned to my dorm, I did several Divination and saw some scenes of you after you came to the Ministry of Magic."

To be honest, I wasn't worried when I saw you being chased by these Death Eater. It was within my expectations. After all, this was a trap from the start. It would be unreasonable for Voldemort to have planned everything.

But when I saw someone give up the chance to leave and waste a precious bullet, I couldn't stand it anymore. At that moment, I realized something I had overlooked: she would not follow the safe route I had arranged. What I gave her was at most for her own protection, and it was impossible for her to save six people.

Actually, when I saw this, I almost smashed the Crystal Ball in anger, but I managed to hold on. After all, if you hold on a little longer, no reinforcements will come.

"But in the end I received a terrible Prophecy: tonight someone will die at the Death Eater."

"One person?" Bellatrix chuckled knowingly. "Your Prophecy is probably wrong; there should be at least four."

"If the four of them are sent into the Veil, then it's uncertain whether they will die or not," Aaron explained thoughtfully. "Then who will die?"

Hermione and Harry exchanged a glance, both feeling goosebumps all over their bodies.

"I... am I going to die?" Harry murmured. If he were taken to see Voldemort, he would have no chance of survival. This time, he didn't have the Priori Incantatem or the Portkey.

"It's highly likely, after all, the items I gave her are enough to buy Voldemort's life," Aaron said, then changed the subject, "However... judging from Hermione's previous behavior, I'm a little uncertain. She might be foolish enough to bargain with Voldemort and try to save you as well."

It's not that she couldn't do such a thing, but if Muggle-born wizard makes such a condition, it's a death sentence.

Hermione looked a little awkward; she actually had that idea.

I'm telling you this so you can be mentally prepared.

If someone is destined to die tonight, then you will bear a large part of the responsibility.

Harry nodded, pale-faced; he couldn't find any excuse to refute it.

"An interesting story," Bellatrix said, raising an eyebrow. "But it won't just be one person who dies."

"Avada Kedavra".

A green glow shot straight at Neville, and at that moment a yellow Magic Array appeared in front of him.

Bellatrix's lips curled into a slight smile. The Killing Curse wasn't so easy to ward off; she could almost see Longbottom's death.

But her smile froze the next moment as a rocky hand shoved Neville to the ground, just in time to avoid the green light.

"It's a bit unreasonable for them to suddenly take action."

"Consider it bad luck," Bellatrix said coldly. "He's wasted enough time. Come with us, Gaius."

"Putting aside the fact that I haven't decided whether I want to go with you to see the Dark Lord, at least tell me why he wants to see me!"

"It might be related to your identity." Lucius paused, then added, "A deeper identity."

"Lucius, is it alright to tell him this?" Antonin asked, frowning.

"This is just my guess; the master never said that."

If you guessed wrong, just pretend I didn't say anything. If you guessed right, it's okay too; the master will talk to him about this anyway.

Upon hearing this, Aaron's expression darkened slightly.

It seems Voldemort has other plans this time; he's given up on making him submit, but he definitely won't be friendly to him.

"Phew!" Aaron took a deep breath. "I don't really understand, but as long as I don't go, it's fine."

"You have no choice," Bellatrix sneered. "If you cooperate, fine, but if you don't, we might kill you."

Aaron:...

That's quite surprising, but where does your confidence come from?

"Aaron," Lucius gave him a meaningful look, "The Dark Lord won't hurt you."

"I believe that, after all, I have always remained neutral and have not explicitly stood on the opposite side of him."

But... Uncle Lucius, do you think I'll just give up?

"No, but there's no need to take the risk. Now that you're here, you won't be leaving so easily, and..." Lucius paused, then turned to look at Ron and the others, "We have three, no, including Potter, Granger, Longbottom, we have six hostages. You don't want them to get hurt, do you?"

"Despicable," Ginny cursed.

"This is an opportunity you've provided," Lucius said calmly. Ginny was speechless; there's no more awkward situation than being a hostage.

Aaron glanced at the silent hostages and couldn't help but chuckle. "Uncle Lucius, I'm not like Harry Potter, a lone hero who's addicted to saving people."

One of our family's ancestral precepts is: do not accept threats.

Whether they got hurt or not is their own fault, what does it have to do with me?

"Malfoy, what nonsense are you spouting?" Travers, one of the escaped prisoners, glared at Lucius with displeasure. "Shouldn't we just arrest him and be done with it? Or do you have other plans and are you disobeying your master's orders?"

"Shut up! You don't know him. If we really fight, at least half of us will be dead," Lucius said, barely containing his anger. He then pointed his Wand at Hermione. "I can decide to release her, as long as you make the right choice."

Aaron:...