Awakening from a long dream, Voldemort stared blankly at his reflection in the mirror.
The white-haired, deeply wrinkled man in the glass—could that really be him?
"Did I really stand here for sixty years?"
Voldemort murmured and used magic to sense the passage of time.
"Only fifteen minutes. Looks like this is an effect of the illusion."
He murmured and shook himself. His aged face disappeared, and his body returned to its youthful form.
But just after regaining his youthful appearance, he suddenly came to his senses and whipped around to look at Bellatrix behind him.
What met his eyes was an aged face, framed by long hair streaked with black and white.
"Bellatrix..."
Voldemort murmured. After a moment's thought, he raised his wand and touched it to his temple.
He drew out a flowing silver strand and, guided by his wand, quickly touched it to Bellatrix's temple.
In an instant, Voldemort entered the illusion again.
Only this time, he had entered Bellatrix's illusion.
"No one dares question the Dark Lord. No one."
The moment he opened his eyes in this world, he saw Bellatrix roaring and pointing her wand at... Danylis.
"Either bring every Vampire family over to the Dark Lord's side, or choose death."
Her roar filled the entire hall. Voldemort glanced around in confusion and realized he was in Hogwarts' Great Hall.
His mouth twitched. He simply couldn't accept the idea of using a student dining hall as his office.
"Silence."
Voldemort spoke slowly, interrupting Bellatrix as she was about to cast a spell. "Everyone out. Bellatrix, you stay."
Everyone let out a long breath, then filed out, leaving only Bellatrix, who stared at Voldemort in confusion.
"This is a dream, Bellatrix. We're in the Pyramid of Khufu..."
Voldemort began explaining their situation, leaving Bellatrix astonished.
"Impossible."