"The Dark Lord's... wand has been in my house this entire time?" Narcissa looked at her husband in shock.
She hadn't known about this from beginning to end!
Lucius stared at the wand with terror, not even noticing his wife's gaze.
"Don't blame Lucius, Narcissa... I gave this to Lucius back then for him to keep safe. Furthermore, it was my request to keep it a secret from everyone. I'm very pleased that he kept that promise, even from you."
As Victor Wick spoke, he picked up the wand that had once caused countless slaughters.
There was nothing wrong with the wand; the fault lay solely with the one who used it... just like any powerful force.
It was indeed a powerful wand.
Feeling the immense magic contained within the wand, Victor once again assessed Voldemort's original strength.
His abilities were different now, so the things he could see were naturally different as well.
Narcissa looked at her husband, perplexed.
Seeing this wand, it was normal for Lucius to be afraid; after all, the Dark Lord's terror back then was known to the whole world.
But he was already dead... why did Lucius look as terrified as if the Dark Lord were standing before him once again?
"Lucius... Professor Wick... is there something you aren't telling me?" Narcissa asked suspiciously.
"Narcissa..." Lucius's voice was trembling. "When Professor Wick gave me the wand for safekeeping, he told me that if the day ever came when he came to take it back, it would mean... it would mean..."
"It means the Dark Lord is returning," Victor Wick added.
The color drained from Narcissa's face instantly.
To be honest, when Lucius followed Voldemort, she had lived in fear every day, worried her husband would die at the hands of the Aurors or be killed by the Dark Lord himself.
Now, after only ten years of peace, that terrifying Dark Lord was going to return?
"He... he isn't..."
"No one could kill the Dark Lord, and similarly, no one can stop the Dark Lord's return." Victor looked at the wand, a Death Eater-like fanaticism on his face.
Lucius tremblingly pulled out a large bag of Galleons and placed it on the table. "I have always remained loyal. Please, Professor Wick, put in a good word for me. My previous attempt to clear my name wasn't because of betrayal, but because..."
"Of course I believe in your loyalty, Lucius." Victor flipped his palm, and the Galleons on the table vanished. "I'm also happy to explain things to the Dark Lord on your behalf. After all, if we didn't take appropriate measures for self-preservation, we wouldn't have been able to continue working for his cause on the outside."
Hearing this, Lucius breathed a great sigh of relief. Accepting the money meant this could be settled!
He hadn't left much room for himself when he was clearing his name back then.
If the Dark Lord returned, even if he wasn't killed, he would certainly lose the status he had held.
In fact, when he took the wand all those years ago, he never thought Victor would actually come back for it!
"However, speaking of loyalty to the Dark Lord... right now there is a perfect opportunity to prove your loyalty. If this is done successfully, I'll have more leverage when I speak for you in front of the Dark Lord." Victor glanced at Lucius, his smile turning gentle once again.
But in Lucius's eyes, that gentle smile was more terrifying than a devil's grin.
"Please, give your orders. I will prove my loyalty." Although Lucius said this, he still hoped the opportunity Victor mentioned wouldn't be too dangerous.
"I plan to launch an assault on Azkaban after the Christmas holidays to rescue the Dark Lord's most faithful servants," Victor said with a smile.
Hearing this, Lucius felt the blood throughout his body run cold.
Attack Azkaban? Just the two of them?
Although there weren't many Aurors guarding Azkaban, it was infested with a massive swarm of Dementors!
How could that possibly succeed? It was a suicide mission!
"Professor Wick, I'm not opposing your plan, but... if it's just the two of us, isn't it a bit too reckless?" Lucius felt his throat go dry.
He knew Victor's madness. If this guy really started going crazy, what would he do?
Was he really supposed to abandon his vast fortune, his wife, and his son to risk his life?
"Of course it won't be just the two of us. In fact, I haven't been idle this year; I've secretly cultivated my own force." Victor soothed Lucius's emotions.
Lucius's heart settled slightly upon hearing this; he still believed Victor's words.
Because he had heard rumors in the underworld: though Victor's whereabouts had been uncertain in recent years, he never believed the Dark Lord was dead and had been searching for traces of him. Of course, such news was only heard by Dark wizards like himself who frequently moved through the underworld selling Dark artifacts.
For such a fanatical Death Eater to secretly recruit a group of desperate outlaws was completely reasonable.
"Then... alright, I'm willing to go." Lucius nodded in agreement.
Narcissa, her face pale, pulled at Lucius's sleeve, but Lucius helplessly pulled her hand away.
Lucius knew very well that since Victor had put it this way, he had to go.
Otherwise, if the Dark Lord returned, he would never be forgiven.
In fact, he had certainly doubted the truth of Victor's words and wondered if the talk of the Dark Lord's return was a lie.
But he didn't dare gamble.
If he went, even if the operation failed, he might be able to escape unscathed.
But if he didn't go... if the Dark Lord really wasn't dead, or if Victor went crazy and brought those outlaws to deal with him first...
"Good. When the time comes, I'll have someone destroy the Floo network at Azkaban first to prevent the Aurors from coming directly to support. In the meantime, just wait for my people to find you," Victor chuckled. "However, I won't be able to go on the day of the operation because I need to be with Dumbledore."
"Ah..." Lucius felt a pang of panic when he heard Victor say he wasn't going.
If Victor didn't go and sent him instead... then if anything went wrong, the blame would fall squarely on his head!
"Why do you need to be with Dumbledore?" Lucius asked hastily.
"Although we can stop the Aurors' rapid support, we have no way to stop them from sending out distress signals... If I don't help you stall Dumbledore, you'll have a hard time escaping."
Victor's answer was very logical. With Dumbledore's ability, getting to Azkaban would be much faster than the Ministry's Aurors, and he didn't need to use the Floo network at all.
"Then..." Lucius was flustered. If he had to go himself, he really couldn't feel at ease.
"You can also bring a few trusted friends. I believe you aren't the only one who needs to prove his loyalty to the Dark Lord, right?" Victor said meaningfully.
Lucius nodded in agreement, but internally he was cursing. This bastard wasn't satisfied with just his money! He wanted to take other people's money too!
However... since this bastard could be bought with money, it wasn't all bad news.
"Don't worry, Lucius. Our attack this time isn't actually to rescue those Death Eaters. We just need to put on a show. So, there's almost no danger." Victor said something that shocked Lucius and Narcissa once again.
Hadn't he just spoken about loyalty to the Dark Lord? How did it turn into an act in the blink of an eye?
"We want the Dark Lord to know of our efforts... Similarly, we want to keep the credit for welcoming the Dark Lord's return firmly in our own hands. If we really let those guys out... could you compete with them? Only by doing this can we gain a higher status than them when the Dark Lord returns!" Victor continued to entice Lucius.
Lucius immediately believed Victor's words.
Even working under the Dark Lord, there were differences in rank.
Those who were close to the Dark Lord and deeply trusted by him held statuses far exceeding other Death Eaters!
And most of those people were currently locked in Azkaban!
Therefore, this was indeed a perfect opportunity to surpass them, clear his own record, and secure the Dark Lord's undivided attention!
He'd go for it!
Lucius took a deep breath and finally made up his mind. "I'll go write letters to my friends right now!"
Seeing this, Narcissa knew the situation was irreversible.
She slowly walked up to Victor. "Professor Wick... my son Draco..."
"Don't worry, I'll have Severus protect him."
"Alright..." Narcissa sighed softly and stepped aside, though her brow remained clouded with worry.
When Victor met Regulus, the latter was sitting listlessly on a hotel sofa, awkwardly fiddling with a TV remote.
"Your brother is looking for you everywhere right now, wanting to give you a proper thrashing," Victor chuckled.
"What's his problem now?" Regulus tossed the remote aside.
A boring soap opera was playing on the television.
"Maybe it's because he found himself suddenly going from a wizarding world millionaire to a pauper with a net worth of only fifty Galleons?" Victor laughed.
Regulus's face flushed red instantly. It seemed he also felt a bit guilty about what he had done.
"So, how exactly did you burn through the entire vault's fortune?"
"I've been in the underworld for so long... naturally, I needed to increase my strength, and some things were just too expensive..." Regulus explained haltingly.
Victor felt he wasn't telling the truth. Even if he were buying rare materials to make strength-enhancing potions, it was impossible to empty the vault completely.
Seeing Victor's suspicious eyes, Regulus waved his hand. "Don't ask. I'll explain to Sirius later. Let's get to business..."
Victor nodded with a smile and didn't press Regulus further.
Although he didn't know where the money had gone, it had given him the opportunity to take Sirius as his workhorse.
From a certain perspective, he even had to thank Regulus for his squandering.
Victor took out the Dark Lord's yew wand and handed it over. "You know what to do, don't you?"
Regulus took the wand, his expression grave. "I know. Don't worry... It's just, I still think your plan is too risky..."
"When I lacked power, the plan was indeed risky, but things are different now."
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