The fourth-grade and older students were thrilled by the news and went wild for it. The younger wizards below the fourth grade, on the other hand, were envious and drooled with envy, especially the third-year students who had no chance to participate in the Triwizard Tournament and would graduate just before the next tournament, making them the most unfortunate generation.
Suddenly, the students' conversation topics shifted from the Azkaban breakout, the first event, and Tom's medal to Christmas and the dance.
The girls laughed and whispered in the hallways, chatting excitedly with their best friends. Every time a boy passed by, they would get excited and comment to their friends, especially if the boy was handsome and attractive, which would make them burst into laughter as if they were plotting something mischievous. In addition to that, they were also excitedly discussing what to wear to the Christmas dance...
Tom felt like he had become a walking clown. Wherever he went, he attracted the attention of countless witches and received many laughs and longing looks. In contrast, Hermione's expression grew increasingly sour, as someone was trying to steal her puppy.
Her mood had deteriorated completely, and she didn't understand what Tom was waiting for. Why hadn't he asked her to the Christmas dance yet? Was he waiting for her to take the initiative?
But how could she do that? What would it look like for a girl to ask a guy to dance? Did girls even do that? Thinking about this, a charming and delicate face appeared in Hermione's mind, and she felt that that silver-haired half-blood from France would probably invite Tom herself.
She had confidence in Tom, but...
Suddenly, Hermione became indecisive.
As for Tom, he was considering how to invite Hermione to accompany him to the dance, whether he should do it solemnly or just mention it casually. He was indecisive, if he chose the former, how should he propose it? If he chose the latter, wouldn't it be too careless and superficial? Wouldn't it make Hermione feel that he didn't respect her enough?
Tom's head was full of questions. That's why, for the first time, he ignored Hermione's mood and showed indecision. His intuition seemed to be warning him, but he didn't pay it any heed.
Until the evening when owls brought an edition of the Daily Prophet that put an end to the young wizards' discussion topics and also to Tom's confusion.
When he saw the headline of the newspaper, he felt like his heart was being squeezed.
The "Daily Prophet" on the front page reported in concise and clear words:
[Azkaban has been attacked by a mysterious dark wizard; the number of casualties and injuries has not yet been determined.]
All of this originated from the meeting of the Death Eaters at Malfoy Manor...
...
"Please, take a seat."
Voldemort's voice snapped all the Death Eaters back to reality; they now realized that the meeting was not over, and their grand and all-powerful lord was still present. They averted their gazes from Bellatrix and refocused their attention in front of them.
In front of Bellatrix, Voldemort showed a rare kindness and invited her to sit beside him, making the Death Eaters aware of who would occupy Lucius's vacant seat.
No one felt dissatisfied. In terms of her position, Bellatrix Lestrange undoubtedly held a prominent place among the Death Eaters. Before Voldemort lost power, only Lucius Malfoy could compare with her. And after Voldemort's resurgence, probably only Barty Crouch Jr. could match her.
But Bellatrix had disobeyed her master's will. Instead of sitting beside him, she crawled on the floor to Voldemort's feet and kissed the corners of his robe.
That kiss was so passionate and devoted that even when she kissed her own husband, Rodolphus, she had never done it with such dedication.
"Bellatrix Lestrange..." Voldemort whispered her name softly. Being mentioned by her master, Bellatrix couldn't help but tremble with excitement; she seemed even more thrilled.
"I owe you."
"No, not at all!" At these words, Bellatrix immediately shouted, "You never owed me anything!"
"No," Voldemort's voice was soft but firm, "Making such a loyal servant as you languish in Azkaban for fourteen years is my debt."
Bellatrix's eyes filled with tears.
"How are the others?" Voldemort indicated that she could stand up.
Bellatrix rose enthusiastically, bowed respectfully, and humbly retreated to her seat assigned by Voldemort.
"We're all fine. In Azkaban, we were always thinking of you..."
Voldemort extended a hand to stop Bellatrix's words.
"Rodolphus Lestrange, Antonin Dolohov, Augustus Rookwood..." Voldemort successively mentioned one name after another, all of them were Death Eaters who had been imprisoned in Azkaban.
In the list of names mentioned by Voldemort, the surname Lestrange appeared three times, representing the eldest of the Lestrange family, Rodolphus Lestrange, his wife, Bellatrix Lestrange, and his younger brother, Rabastan Lestrange. The three of them were the last heirs of the ancient and pure Lestrange family, and their loyalty to Voldemort surpassed the desire to continue their lineage.
It must be said that all three had been imprisoned in Azkaban. That wasn't exactly a suitable place for procreation, so unless some miracle occurred, the family line would extinguish in this generation.
For this reason, the expressions on the present Death Eaters' faces upon hearing those three names were quite peculiar. From their perspective, the Lestranges were insane. If they wanted to demonstrate their loyalty, simply Bellatrix and her husband would have sufficed. Why did Rabastan have to get involved? Wouldn't it be more pleasant to have a free life in the magical world of Great Britain and continue to have descendants there? Why did they have to endure with their brother and sister-in-law in Azkaban?
What the Death Eaters could think, Voldemort could also think. Therefore, in his heart, the Lestranges held a very special place.
Finally, the list was completed.
"Of the people mentioned, how many are still alive?"
The entire place fell silent; no one knew the exact number. The casualties caused by the first attack on Azkaban were still being calculated.
Voldemort didn't expect his servants to provide him with an answer. He looked at Bellatrix and asked her, "My most loyal servant, what reward do you desire?"
Bellatrix shook her head, "Being by your side and serving you is my greatest reward."
Upon hearing Bellatrix's response, Voldemort found that he liked this servant even more. He decided to give her a reward, a reward he had never given before!
They could have a child together, if she wished, he would be willing to grant it. In Voldemort's eyes, that would be the ultimate reward.
Of course, as the Dark Lord, Voldemort wouldn't use the conventional methods of a common wizard or a Muggle. They could use magic to resolve it all. Their offspring would have the purest blood and exceptional magical talent. That's what Voldemort had discovered through his research; through dark magic, he could make Bellatrix pregnant, and the part he would provide would have exceptional talent for dark magic, he hoped Bellatrix wouldn't fall behind.
With Bellatrix's reward in his heart, Voldemort looked at the Death Eaters in the room. He had one last, and most important, thing to announce to them.
"I have something important to tell you," Voldemort's gaze swept over the servants on both sides of the long table, "I'm going back to Azkaban. This time, I will bring it down!"
Voldemort laughed sinisterly; he didn't believe Dumbledore was still there. Could Dumbledore endure 24 hours a day in Azkaban? He didn't plan to give the Dementor King time to summon the army of Dementors; this time, as soon as he arrived at Azkaban, he would go directly into battle against the Dementor King and liberate the prisoners in the cells.
The present Death Eaters were stunned. They didn't expect Voldemort to launch another attack immediately after his defeat. However, upon careful consideration, it seemed to make sense. After thwarting Voldemort, Dumbledore might let his guard down, and at that moment, Voldemort could catch him off guard.
Voldemort didn't pay attention to the various ideas of his followers. He stood up and turned into a black cloud of smoke before disappearing. Before departing, he left a sentence:
"Stay here and await news of my victory."
Voldemort acted this way to maintain secrecy. Although Tom and Dumbledore represented an elaborate act, the distrustful Voldemort didn't rule out the possibility of a traitor in his ranks.
Although in his heart, he considered it unlikely, Voldemort took precautionary measures by keeping everyone who knew what had happened under house arrest.
After Voldemort left, the Death Eaters remained sitting in the room, unsure of what to do.
"Lucius, why is it getting more deserted in here? Where are the drinks and snacks?" Bored and idle, some Death Eaters began to pester Lucius.
That simple question received a cascading response, and everyone in the room began to criticize Lucius for not knowing how to treat the guests.
They didn't do it because they were really hungry, but because they realized Voldemort despised Lucius, had lost his favor, and they would all like to win it back, so they started harassing Lucius to earn Voldemort's favor.
The underlying reason was that Voldemort wanted to see how Lucius was intimidated by losing favor, and the Death Eaters, who understood his intentions, put it into practice.
Lucius Malfoy's face alternated between blue and red. Finally, he suppressed his anger and said quietly that he would order snacks to be prepared.
But just as he was about to get up and take the main seat at the table, Bellatrix, who was sitting at the end of the table, stared at him.
"The master ordered us to wait here for his news!" Bellatrix's meaning was very clear; she opposed Lucius leaving the room.
Lucius: ...
"But I see everyone wants to eat something, can we let everyone go hungry?" Barty Crouch Jr. intervened, and it was clear that he disagreed with Bellatrix.
Bellatrix raised her eyebrows, feeling the young man's provocation. She understood it; this young man was competing with her for dominance among the Death Eaters. The first Death Eater under Voldemort was still up for debate!
Before Bellatrix could reply, Lucius offered a very reliable solution.
"Dobby." After a brief internal struggle, Lucius snapped his fingers and summoned his own house-elf.
Lucius approached Dobby and bent down to look at him.
"Go to the kitchen and prepare snacks for our distinguished guests. Quickly!" At the same time, a piece of paper fell into Dobby's palm. Due to Lucius's position, the other Death Eaters couldn't see his small movement.
"Yes, sir." Dobby made a deep bow and disappeared on the spot.
Voldemort's sudden turn was a success. After Tom and Dumbledore left, it never occurred to them that Voldemort would return to Azkaban with the injuries he had at that moment. According to Dumbledore's opinion, the first matter that should occupy Riddle was to heal the injuries on his arm, not to continue assaulting Azkaban.
Voldemort was an unpredictable man, and his behavior clearly exceeded the expectations of Tom and Dumbledore. If both of them had stayed here preparing an ambush, it was most likely that Voldemort, in his weakened state, would have been sent back as a wandering shadow. So Voldemort was taking a considerable risk. But with greater risk came greater reward. Voldemort had a great success in his adventure, managing to conquer Azkaban.
Without Tom's organization and Dumbledore's support, the Ministry of Magic staff hadn't been placed in their positions, so Azkaban's defense was at its weakest. The Dementors were no match for Voldemort and were easily dispersed, leaving the prisoners exposed to him.
Fortunately, Tom's order in Azkaban was still effective: when someone tried to free the prisoners, the Dementors could kill them.
So, after defeating the Dementors, instead of fleeing outside, the Dementors fled into the depths of the prison and entered the prisoners' cells, administering the Dementor's Kiss.
Voldemort, exhausted from the battle against the Dementors, didn't even realize at first what was happening in the prison.
When he realized what was happening in the prison, more than a dozen prisoners had already been killed by the Dementors.
"Damn them," Voldemort waved his wand, summoning his Patronus, and rushed into the depths of Azkaban...
With Voldemort's help, many Death Eaters who hadn't been executed in time were rescued by him. It wasn't until Dumbledore arrived that Voldemort stopped his attack on Azkaban. But it was already too late. Voldemort laughed manically and turned into a black cloud, disappearing on the horizon. He left only Dumbledore standing in place, looking angrily in the direction where Voldemort had gone, surrounded by Ministry of Magic Aurors...
...
Seeing the news in the Prophet, Tom felt a fire of anger in his mind.
"I'll go find Dumbledore," he said as he took the newspaper and headed to Dumbledore's office.
"I'll go with you!" Hermione didn't hesitate for a moment and followed him.