Chapter 90 - 90: Lord Voldemort Has Returned!

Dumbledore said, "I'm sorry. I'd rather believe anything else, but this did happen. Cornelius, I know what you're thinking, but I truly have no interest in becoming Minister for Magic. I only hope you can trust me." "Trust you? Of course, I trust you!" said a middle-aged man's voice. "We've been old friends for years. But what good is my trust alone? I have to give the rest of the Ministry some kind of explanation, don't I? This young lady and Mr. Potter claims they were attacked by You-Know-Who and Peter Pettigrew. And yet, the so-called Chamber of Secrets was burned to ashes. If they're willing to admit now that they made it all up, then we can pretend nothing ever happened. But if she insists on sticking to her story, then I'm going to have to ask both of them to come back to the Ministry for further investigation." Hearing this, Edward immediately slipped into the room under the Disillusionment Charm. Inside the Headmaster's Office were Dumbledore, Snape, Umbridge, Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge, Dawlish, as well as Audrey and Harry. Snape said coldly at that moment, "I'm sorry, but they are Hogwarts students, not criminals." "But the clues they've provided are full of inconsistencies, aren't they?" Dawlish interjected. "Either she's lying, or she's hallucinating, or someone's used the Imperius Curse on her—trying to cause panic by spreading false information!" Dumbledore responded calmly, "I believe Miss Hall." "Ha! Hahahaha!" Umbridge let out a shrill laugh. "I was young once, too, always eager to be in the spotlight, always craving everyone's attention—and so we'd make up stories. Ghosts, monsters, the Dark Lord…She's succeeded, hasn't she? Got everyone's attention, not just the school's but even the Ministry's. I don't know whether to call her clever or just a foolish little girl. Defeating the Dark Lord and becoming a saviour again? Who does she think she is—another Harry Potter? Or maybe another Lily—" Before she could finish, Snape suddenly stepped forward. Towering over her, his voice was cold as ice. "Apologise." "What did you say?" Snape enunciated each word: "I said—you need to apologise to Miss Audrey Hall." Umbridge shouted, "Snape! I'm warning you—I'm here on behalf of the Ministry!" Whoosh! Snape drew his wand and pointed it straight at her. "This is the last time I'll say it—apologise." Dawlish quickly drew his wand and aimed it at Snape. "Professor Snape, I advise you not to do anything reckless!" Snape glanced at him with contempt. "You want to duel me, Dawlish? Have you already forgotten how you and your thirty Aurors were easily dealt with by a single dark wizard?" "You—!" Dawlish's face turned beet red. "All right, that's enough." Dumbledore knocked on the table at that moment. "Cornelius, do as you said. Leave two Auror teams here at Hogwarts to patrol. And that will be the end of it." Fudge's lips curved upward slightly. "Oh, Albus, I'm glad to see you've made such a wise decision." Umbridge, however, was still clearly dissatisfied. "Minister Fudge, I still think they should be brought in—" "Enough, Dolores. That's enough," Fudge said, waving her off. He removed his hat and gave Dumbledore a shallow bow. "We'll be going then." With that, he led Dawlish and Umbridge out of the Headmaster's Office. A long silence followed. Dumbledore turned to Audrey, lips pressed tightly together, and to Harry, whose face was contorted in anger. He offered them a solemn apology. "I'm sorry." Harry could no longer hold it in. He shouted, "Sir! Why?! We told the truth—why won't they believe us?!" Dumbledore smiled faintly. "Harry, the world is often like this—full of helplessness." Snape said coldly, "Or perhaps it's just that you're too much of a coward, Albus." With that, he turned and left, slamming the door behind him with a loud bang. "Sigh—" Dumbledore shook his head, then turned toward Edward's direction. "You can come out now, Edward." "Huh?" Audrey and Harry turned in surprise just as Edward cancelled his Disillusionment Charm and reappeared. "I'm sorry, Edward. I'm sorry, Audrey," the old man apologised once more, sincerely. Audrey quickly responded, "This isn't your fault, Professor." "Yes, of course it isn't." He rubbed his forehead. "Lately, I've been wondering if I really have been…too cowardly. And the answer seems to be yes. So then I began to think—how can I change that?" He shrugged. "So-called 'cowardice' is the impression I've left on others through my past words and actions. Unless I draw my wand and…subdue Cornelius right here and now, nothing I say or do will change that image in the short term. But if I actually do that, it would be tantamount to declaring war on the Ministry and the entire wizarding world." Edward remained silent. In truth, in the original timeline, very few people truly understood Dumbledore's strength—perhaps fewer than ten. And half of them were his enemies. That's why later, when Fudge brought only a few Aurors to arrest him, they still felt confident. "Just give me a little more time," Dumbledore said seriously. "Things will get better soon. In the meantime, with Aurors stationed at Hogwarts, you'll all need to be extra cautious—especially around Umbridge." The three nodded. "Understood." Once they stepped out of the Headmaster's Office, Harry left in frustration, deep in thought. Audrey, on the other hand, turned immediately to Edward. "What are you planning?" Edward blinked. "Huh? I didn't say I was planning anything." "That's exactly why I know you're planning something. Because you didn't say anything at all." "…" They stared at each other for a few seconds before Edward suddenly grinned. "You know how I've been trying to figure out how to play a convincing madman, right? I just had a brilliant idea." "What is it?" "How about we send Cornelius Fudge a little gift?" A glint of cold amusement flashed in Edward's eyes. "A gift he'll remember for the rest of his life." ——— Evening had fallen. In a shabby red telephone booth on the streets of London, a man wearing old-fashioned clothes had just dialled a number when his body suddenly went limp—he lost consciousness on the spot. Edward stuffed him into a specially prepared, magically expanded bag and casually tossed it aside on the street. Then, with a wave of his wand, he transformed himself into the man's likeness. At that moment, the telephone booth began to descend rapidly, just like an elevator. Moments later, he arrived in the Atrium on Level 8 of the British Ministry of Magic. "Good evening, Mr. Corey," a witch greeted Edward with a smile as he passed. Edward gave a slight nod and headed straight for the elevators. As soon as the elevator doors closed, he flicked a coin into the air. "Will I be able to get the Time-Turner tonight?" The result was no—a number appeared, indicating a negative outcome. Edward frowned. "I thought the Ministry's management of Time-Turners wasn't that strict." Without hesitation, he activated [Madman to the Right], twisting fate so the previous divination result became false. Ding. The elevator stopped and opened on Level 9—Department of Mysteries. The room where the Time-Turners were stored was located on this floor. However, Edward didn't get out. Instead, he pressed the button for Level 1. Just as the doors were about to close, a squat, toad-like pink figure hurried up. "Corey, wait for me!" "Of course, Madam Umbridge," Edward said as he reached out to hold the doors open, letting the pink toad waddle inside. "What are you doing here?" Umbridge asked suspiciously. "Did Minister Fudge send you?" "No, ma'am. I just forgot to press the right floor when I got in." "No wonder." The elevator hummed upward. Umbridge stared straight ahead, eyes fixed and expression stiff. As soon as the elevator stopped at Level 1, she darted out like a missile and headed straight for the Minister's office. "Minister Fudge! It's all settled! Dumbledore won't be able to cause any more trouble!" "Excellent!" came Fudge's delighted voice from inside the office. "We must seize this opportunity. Either Dumbledore stays in his place as Headmaster for the rest of his life, or we strip him of everything until he has no choice but to obey!" "I believe the second option is much safer," Umbridge chimed in. "Who knows what he might try next using the students." "You're right! Absolutely right!" Meanwhile, just before the elevator doors shut again, Edward quickly scanned the layout of Level 1. Then, he pressed the button to return to Level 8. He picked a quiet spot in the Atrium, sat down, and closed his eyes as if dozing off. At the same time, he activated the Resurrection Stone's [Wraith] ability—his spirit separated from his body, carrying his wand, and passed through the floor to reach Level 1. This was his first mission using spellcasting in spiritual form. In the world of the Mysteries, most Beyonders with Spirit Vision could easily spot him in Wraith state, and unlike Klein, he didn't have the Emperor card to amplify his powers. In spiritual form, he was actually more vulnerable. But the world of Harry Potter was different. Here, the normal ghosts were only semi-transparent at best—and still visible. In contrast, his Wraith form was completely invisible! He silently entered the room adjacent to the Minister's office and cast the Imperius Curse on a nearby wizard. The wizard immediately stood up and, following orders, walked to the Minister's office door and pushed it open. Inside, Fudge, Umbridge, and Dawlish were chatting happily, their faces beaming. At the unexpected intrusion, Umbridge frowned. "Kane? What are you doing?" Kane smiled. "Minister, I came to see you specially." Fudge raised a brow. "About what?" "It's about Dumbledore. He said that…Stupefy!" Bang! A spell shot out and struck Dawlish square in the chest, launching him into the wall. He crumpled to the floor, unconscious. His last thought was: That sensation…so familiar…! "Kane! What are you doing? Are you mad?!" Umbridge shrieked. "Oh, no, no, no." Kane began to laugh. "I'm no damned Kane." As he spoke, his features twisted and shifted rapidly. His face became charred and disfigured, with melted, wax-like skin and distorted features resembling that of a corpse. His sclera turned crimson, like the eyes of a bloodthirsty monster. "!!!" That face—Fudge could never forget that face. It was the nightmare of the wizarding world—the most evil Dark Lord of modern history, Voldemort! "You…you…" Fudge was so terrified that he couldn't even form words. Umbridge immediately shrank into a corner, trembling uncontrollably. Kane let out a chilling laugh. "Good. I'm glad you still remember me." He suddenly whipped out his wand and cast Cruciatus Curse on Fudge. "But why…why, when I staged such a magnificent performance to announce my return to the world, did you all choose to cover it up? Hmm?!" Fudge writhed in agony, rolling on the ground as if he were on fire. He tried to scream, but Edward had already removed his mouth—he couldn't even cry out. All he could do was slam his head against the floor in desperation. Umbridge tried to crawl away quietly. Kane stepped over and cast the Imperius Curse on her. She immediately beamed with a blissful smile, stood up, opened the door, and told the approaching Aurors, "Minister Fudge is experimenting with a new spell—everyone back to work!" The Aurors exchanged glances, then returned to their offices. After all, the Minister's number one lapdog had spoken—they had to listen. "Cornelius Fudge!" Edward cast another Cruciatus, then leaned in close, smiling darkly. "Don't worry. I won't kill you. To give you the punishment you deserve, I'll come back to visit you every few days. And each time, I'll let you taste the Cruciatus Curse…again and again… until you go mad. Just like…the Longbottoms." "Enjoy it—enjoy every agonising day to come." With that, Kane strolled out of the Minister's office. He flung his arms wide, laughing wildly as he waved his wand. "Tremble! Be afraid! Cower! I declare to the world once more…that Lord Voldemort has returned!!" ——— [Note]: Don't forget to VOTE. It keeps me motivated.