Isaline was in a daze. She watched as Hydrus dragged Edmond's soul back from the brink.
She watched as Hydrus shoved that soul into the body of a snake.
Even though she was a Slytherin, she was terrified of snakes. Yet, looking at this slumbering giant serpent, she actually found it quite handsome!
"Audrey,"
Although Hydrus was now showing her true face, Isaline had long since grown accustomed to calling her Audrey and couldn't change the habit on a whim.
"Can Edmond really be brought back to life?"
Hydrus had just finished her work and was rolling up her sleeves, full of ambition and ready to get to business.
Hearing Isaline's question, she immediately replied, "Absolutely!"
She tucked the basilisk-form Edmond back into her suitcase and gave Isaline a hug.
"Help me contact Mr. Lucas Bagshott of the English national Quidditch team. I'm participating in this Quidditch World Cup! But there is one condition: I must be a starter!"
Before Isaline could even react, Hydrus had already disappeared with her suitcase.
Isaline wiped the tear stains from her face and tilted her head in confusion.
The national Quidditch team? *Doesn't she hate Quidditch?*
...
...
In a lakeside villa in Ukraine.
A noticeably heavier Rick Astley was listlessly plucking at his guitar strings.
Such a comfortable life was well and good, but he still missed the fulfilling life he used to have.
The 'fulfilling' life, specifically—not the latter part where he had to work like a slave.
Squelch!
Audrey appeared before him, abruptly and without warning.
"Audrey!"
Rick sprang up from the sofa. "Does your school have holidays even for Halloween now? Wait, that's not right—Halloween passed several days ago!"
Audrey smiled. "There aren't that many holidays. I just feel like we've been so lazy lately that we're letting down the fans who love us! So, I want to organize a global concert tour. What do you think, brother?"
"That would be fantastic!" Rick tossed his guitar aside and rubbed his hands together excitedly. "Tell me, what do we do?"
Audrey smiled and handed Rick a business card.
"This is the business card for the General Manager of ATV. Contact him directly. Just confirm with me once the concert schedule is out!"
She needed to make sure it didn't clash with the Quidditch World Cup qualifiers!
...
...
At the AA Group headquarters in Ukraine, in Vinda Rosier's office.
Squelch!
"Hydrus!"
Vinda lowered her raised wand and said grumpily, "What's so urgent that you had to come in person? Didn't Gellert ever teach you? Don't Apparate into someone else's room so casually; you'll get hurt by accident!"
But a moment later, Vinda's aggressive expression softened. Looking at Hydrus, who seemed different from usual, she appeared to realize something, and a hint of sorrow crossed her face.
"Edmond... is he gone?"
Hydrus shook her head. "Almost, but I saved him."
Vinda knew of Grindelwald's prophecy and the effects of the Veela Panacea. Hearing that Edmond had survived, the old lady was genuinely shocked.
"I've come for two things,"
Hydrus pulled a list from her robes. "First, I need to collect these alchemy materials. Please ensure they are acquired as quickly as possible. This is crucial for the reconstruction of Edmond's body."
Vinda took the list. Although she didn't know what 'body reconstruction' entailed, it didn't stop her from executing the order. In her eyes, Hydrus—who possessed the same prophetic abilities as Grindelwald—was practically guaranteed to succeed in anything she set her mind to.
Especially since Edmond was her favorite junior.
"Second, I need the Group to distribute welfare to all Ukrainian citizens in my personal name. The total amount is set at two hundred billion dollars."
"Why?"
Vinda was stunned. Two hundred billion dollars was nearly a month's profit for the Group! That was no small sum.
"Trust me, the returns gained from this expenditure will far exceed your imagination,"
Hydrus continued, "This welfare event should be held once a year. It must become a Group tradition."
Vinda nodded, accepting the proposal.
Seeing Hydrus turn to leave, Vinda called out to her, "Hydrus, wait a moment."
Hydrus looked back at Vinda in confusion. She saw Vinda press a golden metal bell.
Three seconds later, there was a knock at the door.
"Auntie, it's me!"
"Come in," Vinda replied.
The door pushed open, and a woman with black hair and a black dress walked in, radiating elegance.
Her face was as fresh as a blossom, and her figure was as lithe as a swaying willow.
Hydrus already had a guess as to who this beauty was because Edmond had mentioned her, but she politely asked, "And this older sister is?"
"Sister?" Vinda Rosier burst out laughing. "This is my niece, Rosalia Rosier. She's eighty-four years old this year!"
Magic was wonderful, but seeing an eighty-year-old beauty with the appearance of a youth still gave Hydrus a small shock.
She seemed to have forgotten that Glenda Chittock, who looked barely thirty, was actually several years older than Dumbledore—making her his undisputed senior!
"Hello, President,"
Rosalia spoke. "I am Rosalia Rosier. It's a pleasure to meet you. From now on, I will be taking over Edmond Grindelwald's duties. To be clear, I won't indulge your personal affairs as Edmond did. I am the President's assistant, not a nanny."
Seeing Rosalia's serious expression, Hydrus couldn't help but smile bitterly.
It seemed her reputation for being lazy and bossy wasn't going to improve anytime soon.
...
...
In a small cottage in Hogsmeade.
The owner of the house was said to be a relative of a certain pure-blood family.
At the end of August, the owner's 'nephew' inherited the cottage.
According to this 'nephew,' the previous owner had grown tired of England's wretched weather due to chronic rheumatism and had immigrated to the United States.
While the neighbors found it strange—rheumatism wasn't a major issue for wizards—they minded their own business and didn't ask questions.
In the living room on the first floor.
Barty Crouch Jr. sat calmly on the sofa, trying to figure out how to obtain Harry Potter's blood.
Selenis's pained wails drifted down from the upstairs room.
The Muffliato charm was applied to the perimeter of the cottage so those outside couldn't hear, but Barty Jr. heard every sound clearly.
"What a foolish woman,"
He muttered. "To have the chance to follow the Master is an opportunity others would beg for! To actually hate the Master for some so-called family grudge? Utterly idiotic!"
In truth, today's attack on Hogwarts would have been the best opportunity to get Harry Potter's blood, but the Master had insisted on punishing Selenis first, and Barty Jr. would never argue.
The Master's decision was absolute!
Though the operation in Hogsmeade had failed and the professors were now guarding Harry Potter more closely, it didn't matter. As long as their pawn, Remus Lupin, remained undiscovered, there would be plenty of opportunities!
"Master!"
Barty Jr. called out toward the second floor. "I'm heading to Hogwarts!"
Voldemort's voice came from upstairs: "What is it?"
Barty Jr. replied respectfully, "I need to strengthen the Imperius Curse on Remus Lupin. He is vital to us; we cannot afford a single moment of relaxation."
"Go on then, go!"
Selenis had already removed her headscarf. Her once-beautiful long hair had fallen out, leaving her head completely bald.
She was currently crawling on the ground, drenched in cold sweat and gasping for air. Her body was so weak she couldn't utter a word.
Voldemort's face was attached to the back of her head, currently wearing a look of satisfaction.
"Barty Jr. is such a good boy, so hardworking!"
He murmured to himself. "If only the other Death Eaters were as dedicated as he is... instead of being useless like this waste, lacking both ability and loyalty!"
As he spoke, Voldemort controlled Selenis's body to stand up.
He pushed open the door and made his way down to the basement.
There were over a dozen cages in the basement. Most contained desiccated corpses, but two still held living people.
Clearly, the mental state of these two survivors had snapped. They were slack-jawed and vacant-eyed, doing nothing but giggling idiotically.
These were the last two bloodlines of the Gray family besides Selenis, Bode, and Alan.
"Barty Jr. needs to work even harder,"
Voldemort placed a hand on one of their heads. The person began to twitch violently, and Selenis's pale face regained a visible rosy hue.
Though her complexion improved, Selenis's tears would not stop flowing.
"If we don't hurry, once these final food sources are consumed, I will have to go out and hunt. The probability of being discovered will increase drastically!"
The Gray family member in the cage was quickly drained into a withered corpse. Their eyes rolled back, and they fell silent forever.
"So, work harder, Barty Jr.! Work harder!"
Voldemort laughed neurotically. "You must be looking forward to seeing me return to my peak as well, aren't you?"
"Ehehehehehehehe..."
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]