"Master, did Nott join forces with Ivan Harls, like Lucius did?" Snape couldn't help but ask when he saw Nott being held by the snake.
"No, he was under the Imperius Curse when I found him," Voldemort replied, looking dazed.
During his time at Knockturn Alley, he sneaked into the alley several times in an attempt to get information on Ivan Hales by interrogating a few lone enforcers.
However, to his surprise, they seemed to have been prepared for this. The wizards on duty were always in groups of seven and never separated. Each of them had a unique mark of a dragon on their wrist, and there was no opportunity to attack.
Fortunately, hard work paid off. After a few months of camping, Voldemort was able to find out more about Knockturn Alley and its personnel. He also guessed that there was a safe house nearby, but he could not find out its exact location.
Nott was his biggest gain in the past few months. He did not have that special magical mark on him, and his memory contained a lot of crucial information.
It included scenes of Ivan Hales leading the Regulators on a killing spree in the Wizarding Market, and blackmailing six pure-blood families, including Abbott and Parkinson, into submission.
He was also present when Ivan Hales spoke at the Wizarding Market.
These two decisive memories were enough for Dumbledore to see the threat that the wizarding world would face if Ivan Harls were allowed to continue to grow.
This was something neither he nor Dumbledore wanted to see!
Since they had a common goal, it was possible that they could work together, such as exchanging information through Snape, or at the very least, turn the tables and turn the fight into a three-way one.
"I understand, Master, and I will do as you command and tell Dumbledore exactly what Ivan Harls did…" Snape replied respectfully.
"Very well, I hope you will have good news for me within three days." Voldemort nodded, smiling a little more, pleased with Snape's respectful attitude.
Considering that the other party had helped him a lot recently and was so loyal, Voldemort asked again.
"You've been doing well lately. Do you want a reward, Severus?"
A reward? Snape's expression turned strange. He didn't think the Dark Lord would be able to offer anything of value.
However, Snape also knew that he could never walk away with nothing, or he would incur the Dark Lord's displeasure.
As these thoughts crossed his mind, Snape came to a decision, and with just the right amount of enthusiasm, he looked at Voldemort and spoke carefully.
"Master, I want to learn more advanced dark magic and gain more power, like… like you."
Lord Voldemort squinted at Snape appraisingly, then laughed. "You are very ambitious, Severus, but I will grant you this wish, and from this day forward, if there is anything you do not understand about the study of the Dark Arts, you may approach me at Riddle House."
Voldemort readily agreed. Snape was talented, but that was all. No amount of advanced Dark Magic could pose a real threat to him, so he was happy to use this as a means of encouraging Snape.
After delegating tasks to his loyal subordinate, Voldemort turned his attention to the remaining Death Eaters, coldly ordering them to stay out of trouble for the time being and to remain hidden.
Erifen and the others nodded submissively, but they were secretly plotting something else.
Lord Voldemort read their minds and sneered at them, not caring what they thought.
If it weren't for the fact that they sometimes needed someone to hold the fort, every single one of them would be dragged off to be fed to Nagini…
The wandering serpent seemed to sense Voldemort's thoughts, for it reared up high and gazed at the Death Eaters as if they were delicious meals.
… .
Two days passed in the blink of an eye, and the news of the mysterious man's reckless attack on the Ministry of Magic spread like wildfire.
Fudge, the former Minister for Magic, was, unsurprisingly, the first person to take the fall, having a lot of dirt dug up by the Daily Prophet, and a day later having his shady dealings with You-Know-Who exposed…
The wizarding community was in an uproar, and only Mrs Edgecombe, who claimed to be a close friend of the Minister, and a small number of Fudge's supporters came out to defend the former Minister, claiming that Fudge had been duped by You-Know-Who into doing so many wrong things.
In any case, Fudge's dereliction of duty, his assistance in covering up the mystery man's movements, and his disregard for Dementors caused a large number of Death Eaters to escape from prison.
In the course of one night, Fudge's reputation was notorious, and he was hailed as the most inept Minister for Magic ever!
Every day, thousands of letters were sent to the Minister's office, but Fudge's body had long since gone cold, and he was unable to come out to face the questioning.
These letters also placed quite a burden on the Ministry of Magic, which was still being rebuilt, and had to be staffed with several Howlers every day to intercept the incoming letters…
In this tense and dangerous atmosphere, a hero stepped on Fudge's corpse and exposed his face.
Pierce, then-Head of the Department of Magic, demonstrated his skills during the Battle of the Ministry of Magic, leading a large number of wizards to kill and capture seventy-one Death Eaters, as well as dozens of Azkaban felons.
In his inaugural speech the next day, Pearce announced that the Second Wizarding War had officially begun, and that a large number of Aurors would be sent to capture Lord Voldemort.
This hard-line attitude was immediately endorsed by countless civilian wizards, none of whom wanted to return to the Dark Lord's reign of terror and violence more than a decade ago.
Every wizard who lived through the Dark Ages cherished this hard-won peace and wished for You-Know-Who's arrest.
However, there were also those who felt that Pierce was being too arrogant. After all, everyone knew how powerful the Dark Lord was. No matter how many Aurors there were, they would not be a match for the Unknown One. This would only increase the casualties…