845 Voldemort: I Must Have Revived in the Wrong Way!

Peter's shrill cries echoed through the hall.

However, no matter how he defended himself, Voldemort did not waver in the slightest. Instead, he became even more ruthless, as if he was looking for someone to vent his anger on.

The screams lasted for five minutes, until Peter was nearly unconscious from the torture. Then, as if bored, Voldemort lifted his wand and stopped casting.

Looking at Peter, who was lying on the ground and convulsing uncontrollably, the Death Eaters in the hall shuddered and felt a surge of fear.

No matter how down-and-out the mysterious man was, he was still a vicious Dark Lord who could easily take their lives.

After ruthlessly venting his pent-up anger, Voldemort regained his composure and finally answered their questions. "I was not the one who led the attack on the Ministry of Magic to kill Fudge yesterday morning. All of us were tricked!"

'What?'

The Death Eaters were stunned by Voldemort's words, and Fenrir glanced down at the Daily Prophet lying on the table, its cover displaying a picture of Voldemort leading Bella, August, and the others into the atrium.

The Dark Lord's red eyes, strange snake-like face, vicious methods, and unrivaled power were the hallmarks of the Dark Lord, and Fenrir found it hard to believe that anyone else was in disguise.

Not to mention, Voldemort had promised to rescue Bella and the others on Hallowe'en, so Fenrir did not suspect anything when he received the news this morning.

Snape, on the other hand, understood what Voldemort was trying to say and made a guess. "Master, are you saying that someone disguised themselves as you, rescued the Death Eaters from Azkaban early, and then led them to attack the Ministry?"

"But who but the Dark Lord could possess such power?" Fenrir asked cautiously, puzzled. "Is it Dumbledore, using Polyjuice Potion to take the form of his master?"

Having only recently joined the ranks of the Death Eaters, Fenrir's knowledge of the Dark Lord was limited, and he had the impression that Dumbledore was the only one who could match him.

Fenrir's skin crawled at the thought of the famous white wizard in the form of Lord Voldemort, going on a killing spree at the Ministry of Magic.

Moreover, if he remembered correctly, Polyjuice Potion could not be brewed at will. It required the hair or body tissue of the transformed object to be added.

Fenrir glanced at Voldemort's bald, hairless head and decided it would not be easy.

The other Death Eaters, who knew more than Fenrir, quickly recalled the rumour that had been circulating in the wizarding community for several months.

In addition to Dumbledore, there was someone else in the wizarding world who had the power to rival, or even surpass, the Dark Lord, but upon seeing Voldemort's darkening face, everyone wisely kept quiet and did not shout the forbidden name.

Fenrir grew increasingly curious when no one answered for a long time. As the atmosphere grew tense, Snape spoke.

"Ivan Hals did it! I think he bribed a lot of Aurors to play along with him, and that's how he got past the Ministry so easily."

"As for the Polyjuice Potion, in case you haven't heard, Ivan Harris modified it in his third year, so he must have mastered some way of brewing it without the use of specific body tissue," Snape said, making up an almost perfect cover for the embarrassing subject.

Voldemort could not help but be moved by Snape's attempt to lie for him. When he was at his worst, Snape was the only one who was as caring as ever.

What a competent Death Eater!

Voldemort looked from Snape to the Death Eaters, his dislike of them growing.

Under Lord Voldemort's piercing gaze, Fenrir and the other Death Eaters shuddered, and one of them tried to please him.

"Master, whatever the reason for Ivan Hals's attack on the Ministry, in its present form, it is clear that they have failed…"

"Failed?" Lord Voldemort sneered, his suppressed anger rising once more. "No, I fear they have succeeded!"

Success? Snape's mind raced. Could it be that the Death Eaters were being set up to die?

No, it couldn't be that simple. If someone had to be killed, they could have done it in Azkaban. There was no need to kill their way into the Ministry and put themselves at unnecessary risk.

Snape's eyes wandered to the Daily Prophet, where he recalled several reports that, when the Dark Lord was about to take the Ministry of Magic, Pierce, the current Head of Department, acted like a saviour and saved thirty high-ranking Ministry officials.

According to the Daily Prophet, the Chief Executive had been told by Lucius Malfoy to be prepared.

But now that I think about it, it was too much of a coincidence, like a big stage play… someone playing the Demon King deliberately creating panic and disaster, just to set the stage for the final hero…

"Could Piers be working for them? Is Ivan Hals trying to take over the Ministry?" Snape asked, realising this and feeling a chill run down his spine.

It was all part of a scheme. No wonder Minister Fudge was killed in the attack on the Ministry, as they had intended to elect Pierce to the office!

"It's the only possibility!"

Voldemort's eyes were bloodshot as he spoke through gritted teeth. His body exuded a terrifying pressure and he was about to explode.

He could not accept the fact that seventy-one of his most loyal men had been killed in the Ministry!

Not only that, but the other party had also taken control of the Ministry of Magic, exposing his existence to them… and destroying all of his plans!

He did not expect to reveal his whereabouts any time soon.

It was for this reason that he did not personally rush into Azkaban to rescue Bella and the others. Instead, he had Peter Pettigrew take advantage of the shift change, when Azkaban's defences were at their most vulnerable, to sneak in in in his Animagus form and lead the team out.

All this effort is in the hope that the Ministry will attribute the mass breakout to carelessness on the part of the guards and the Dementors riot…

This was the only way he could sit tight, hide his tracks, and sow discord between the Ministry and Ivan Harris.

However, he woke up this morning to find that everything had changed, and that he had been demoted from being a behind-the-scenes schemer to a rat hiding in the ground.

Now that the entire wizarding community knew of his existence, the Ministry might have sent a team to hunt him down.

Although the Aurors posed no threat to him, they were Ivan Hals's eyes and ears. If the Aurors found him while he was out, they would immediately attack him.

Voldemort thought back to the battle a few months ago, and his eyes showed fear and confusion.

He wondered how things had suddenly come to this.

He had endured humiliation for more than ten years and gone through all kinds of hardships to return to the world. He should have made a name for himself and dominated the world of magic. He should not have been cooped up in this room like he was now.

Could it be that there was something wrong with the way he was revived and he was beaten up by a brat because he did not recover his full strength?

Voldemort's mind was full of self-delusion, but he knew very well that he would only be stronger than he was fifteen years ago!