Chapter 771: Voldemort is Satisfied (Edited)

After Easter, Fish returned to his peaceful school life, but there was no peace outside the school.

First, the Ministry repeatedly attempted to meet with Dumbledore in person, but Professor McGonagall turned them down.

Nevertheless, Pius Thicknesse refused to give up and somehow managed to persuade the International Confederation of Wizards to grant Dumbledore an honorary medal for his contribution to wizarding education.

This time Dumbledore was present, and not only was he present, but he was also in very good condition. His face was flushed, showing no signs of injury, and he spoke with a voice as strong as ever. Even the charred index finger of his right hand had returned to its original state.

"Master! Snape is lying!"

Bellatrix exclaimed excitedly when Thicknesse brought her the news.

As a loyal follower of Voldemort, she hated the fact that Snape had betrayed Voldemort and yet was still being used. Most importantly... Voldemort valued him more than he valued her!

So now that she discovered Snape was lying to Voldemort, Bellatrix didn't hesitate to report it quickly, especially now that Snape was out of the game and couldn't use the same rhetoric as before!

Lucius looked up and gave his sister-in-law a glance, then lowered his head silently. His current position was quite uncomfortable, so it was not convenient for him to speak in defense of Snape.

"Yes, now I feel that Snape's words are more than likely true."

The man who spoke for Voldemort was Voldemort's most trusted servant, Barty Crouch Jr.

"Crouch! Have you gone mad?!" Bellatrix glared fiercely at Barty Crouch Jr.

But Barty Crouch Jr. remained unaffected. Compared to Bellatrix, he was able to see things more objectively, having a slight personal detachment.

He looked at Snape with respect and coldness, and said seriously, "I believe the Ministry's subsequent investigation may have alerted Dumbledore, so he showed up and acted as if he were perfectly fine."

Voldemort nodded approvingly but then directed a weak, almost powerless gaze at Dumbledore, Bellatrix.

For a cold-hearted lover like Voldemort, Bellatrix's loyalty was enough, but her skills were not. Only a small minority of them could serve as mere thugs and pawns, incapable of sharing the burden of more important matters.

The reason he had trusted Snape, aside from the fact that he was somewhat useful, was that he was good enough to get the job done. That's why Voldemort kept Snape under his wing for ten years, and after Snape "prevented" him from stealing the Philosopher's Stone when he was possessing Quirrell, how could he let him go so easily?

Barty Crouch Jr.'s ability to handle matters was very poor, and it was true that he had managed to help Voldemort return to life using Harry's blood... although the end result wasn't perfect, thanks to a certain boy.

But Barty Crouch Jr., like the escaped convicts, was not very clever.

Later, Voldemort also considered asking Barty Crouch Jr. to replace a low-ranking official in the Ministry of Magic with Polyjuice Potion to do things for him. However, now that even the Minister of Magic had been controlled by him with the Imperius Curse, he naturally didn't need to take such action, and he also needed someone with intellectual coefficient to handle some of the more important matters for him.

Bellatrix, seeing Barty Crouch Jr. speaking in favor of Snape, seemed a bit sullen.

But she had no evidence to contradict Barty Crouch Jr., so she sat back down resignedly, muttering aloud, "These are just your speculations..."

Snape reflected for a moment and suddenly said, "Bellatrix is right, we need to double-check it..."

Bellatrix, who had been somewhat disappointed, immediately showed a touched expression, looking at Snape with wild coldness and affection, ignoring her husband, who was sitting beside her, and Rodolphus Lestrange showed no displeasure with his wife.

Snape ignored Bellatrix and turned his attention to Lucius, who was sitting at the end of the long table.

"Lucius, how is Draco's mission going?"

"I haven't been contacted by Draco over Easter. The cabinet will be repaired soon, so I assume he will send good news soon," Lucius responded respectfully.

"Hmph!" Voldemort grunted and said, "Speak to Draco. I don't need this kind of vague response."

"Well..." Lucius gritted his teeth and said, "I will contact Draco immediately."

"Ahem, ahem." Umbridge, who had moved behind Voldemort, suddenly cleared her throat and said softly, "Master, if you want Draco to test the cabinet, it would be best to do it during the summer holidays."

After a period of adjustment, Umbridge had nervously integrated herself into the Death Eaters, and with her experience of gaining favor with her superiors at the Ministry of Magic, as well as her various cruel methods of torture, she had managed to earn Voldemort's appreciation. Now she had reverted to her childish way of speaking and could make suggestions at Death Eater meetings.

"Umbridge knows Fish McGonagall a little. She hangs out at the castle almost every night, and as long as she's away from the school, it's undoubtedly easy to sneak someone into Hogwarts."

"Hehehe..." Voldemort chuckled coldly. "And so what?" he sarcastically said, "Who wants to volunteer for the test?"

Voldemort's icy gaze swept across the audience, causing the few Death Eaters to stand in fear, while staunch loyalists like Bellatrix whispered that they would give their lives for Voldemort.

"Don't worry, Voldemort never fails to treat his friends well." Voldemort, well-versed in the ways of deceiving people, withdrew his gaze with satisfaction. But then he said in a sharper tone, "I'll leave it in Greyback's hands and the boys who escaped from Azkaban."

Voldemort, who had already accounted for his entire staff, would of course be foolish enough to let the Death Eaters, who supported his pure-blood philosophy, do something that was clearly a death sentence. But the werewolves and the prisoners were within his "precious" range, and even if they were caught, with the help of the Malfoys and the controlled members of the Ministry to cover it up, he would still remain undiscovered.

However, in order to obtain firsthand information, he intended to send a Death Eater to see what was happening.

Voldemort's eyes roamed among the Death Eaters and finally settled on Lucius' figure.

As far as he was concerned, he had mercifully given Lucius a chance for redemption, and if he were discovered, it would not only be his fault but also his son, who was studying at Hogwarts, would be implicated, which was a suitable punishment for Lucius, who had cost him a Horcrux.

As for Lucius' betrayal, Voldemort hadn't even considered it. If he had been in that semi-dead state, he would have worried, but now that he had regained all his strength, Voldemort didn't believe that any Death Eater would dare to betray him.

"Lucius, I'll let you supervise them. Any questions?" Voldemort asked, narrowing his scarlet eyes.

"None," Lucius stood up, feigning gratitude, and bowed deeply, "The Malfoy family is delighted to serve you, my Lord!"

"Very well." Voldemort nodded, satisfied.