Everything You See Is Just an Appearance

"Brute force is always the slowest method, and I have better ways of dealing with him!" Voldemort added.

Macnair immediately shut up, and Lucius and the others relaxed. This meant that they did not have to fight this battle.

One had to know that even the Dark Lord had fallen in the Knockturn Alley. The danger there was obvious. They might not be able to return alive…

"You teach at Hogwarts, Severus, and should be familiar with Ivan Harls. What do you think of him?" Voldemort suddenly turned to Snape and asked.

Snape was surprised by Voldemort's sudden question, but he recovered quickly and spoke after a moment of silence.

"Difficult to assess … He was the oddest and most gifted student I have ever met, intelligent, studious, righteous, but at times disorderly and contemptuous of authority.

He spent a lot of time with Potter and Weasley, and Dumbledore often praised him for being part of the wizarding community…"

Macnair and the others frowned at Snape's statement, which seemed to them to be a sign of contempt for their master.

Voldemort, however, showed no sign of anger.

"Very well, you did not lie, Severus… it is a pity that what you saw was a façade," Voldemort said darkly. "But yes, his disguise was excellent. You must not have seen his wicked, condescending face!"

Snape and the others looked at him in confusion, unsure what he meant.

Voldemort immediately recounted the events of the night in Knockturn Alley, leaving out the details of his battle with Ivan.

Lucius and the others were shocked to hear that Ivan Harls had raised an army of Regulators in Knockturn Alley and forcibly brought all the wizards there to the Wizarding Market.

How bold and bold was that?

Was he really only fifteen?

Even Peter Pettigrew, who was standing beside Lord Voldemort with his head down, shuddered.

Snape was equally surprised. He had been in contact with Ivan Hales several times and vaguely understood that he was not as gentle and polite as he seemed, but he could never have guessed that Ivan Hales harbored such ambition!

He was like the next Lord Voldemort…

No, a Dark Lord more powerful than Voldemort!

"Ivan Harls mastered a charm that would temporarily increase his combat prowess, and intended to use it on Dumbledore to kill him in a sneak attack…" Voldemort's face grew darker as he recalled Ivan's arrogant attitude that night.

"Severus, I need you to find an opportunity to deliver this message to Dumbledore…" Voldemort said darkly.

"Yes, Master!" Snape replied respectfully, suppressing his shock.

"Dumbledore would never have allowed him to grow any further…" Voldemort muttered to himself. If he could feel the threat that Ivan Harls posed, he would not have been able to do so with the white wizard.

Once Dumbledore saw the true nature of Ivan Harls, the two sides would immediately start fighting, and whichever side won, Dumbledore would be able to reap the benefits.

With that in mind, Voldemort turned to a fierce-looking Death Eater and spoke again. " Yaxley, since you work for the Department, try to get the Ministry to check Knockturn Alley, and I'll put Macnair in charge of assisting you."

The Order of the Phoenix was worse than the Death Eaters he had just assembled, let alone the Regulators.

Dumbledore might not be a match for Ivan Harls, so he had to give the kid more trouble… or at least keep him busy.

Yaxley and Macnair nodded in agreement to the order.

After explaining his plan for dealing with Ivan Harls, Voldemort turned his attention to the missions he had assigned to the group.

Although he was prepared to shift the blame to his two sworn enemies, he would still have to do his best to strengthen his forces if he wanted to be the one behind the scenes.

"Master, the Dementors are considering our proposal, and they're not happy with the Ministry's recent actions. I'm sure they'll turn on us soon!" Peter Pettigrew said cautiously.

"Wormtail, I hope you understand that my patience is limited. I will give you two more weeks at most…" Voldemort began impatiently.

He had had enough of these fence-sitters and was desperate for his true servants to return to him.

The first step was to deal with the Dementors guarding Azkaban…

After giving Pettigrew Peter a casual warning, Voldemort looked at another Death Eater and asked, "What about the werewolves?"

"Master, the werewolves, led by Fenrir Greyback, are happy to join us on one condition…" Amycus Carrow bowed slightly and hesitated before replying. "They want the recipe for the Wolfsbane Potion."

Voldemort frowned. He knew who invented the Wolfsbane Potion, of course, and it would be a fool's dream to get the recipe out of Ivan Harls.

However, he seemed to have thought of something and his frown disappeared. He turned to Snape.

Before Voldemort could ask, Snape cut to the chase. "I have deciphered the recipe for the Wolf's Bane, but it will be less effective than the original."

"Well done, Severus. Even when my loyal servants return, you will remain my most trusted right-hand man!" Voldemort declared.

He was very pleased with Snape's performance, which was the only good news out of all the bad news.

"As for you, Carlo." Voldemort turned his head and looked at the Death Eater. "After the meeting, inform the werewolves that I agree to this condition, but that the recipe will not be given to them until the Ministry has been breached, and until then we will supply them with enough wolfsbane every month."

"Understood!" replied Amycus Carrow, bowing his head.

After a series of questions and answers, the heavy atmosphere in the antechamber relaxed considerably, except for Lucius, who was still looking pale and anxious.

It didn't take long for Voldemort's gravelly voice to reach them.

"Lucius Malfoy … is there nothing you wish to report to me, or have you failed in the task I assigned you?"