Cedric, though briefly torn, was not a person to waver. He gave Cassandra a deep look, then swept his hand and declared, "Let's go!"
Meanwhile, Voldemort, who had been whispering to Harry Potter, twitched an ear. A meaningful smile spread across his distorted face as he slowly said, "Cassandra? I'm growing to admire you more and more!"
With that, Voldemort turned and began to walk away, instructing Lucius and Peter Pettigrew, "Keep a close eye on him! If Harry Potter escapes, neither of you will live!"
Voldemort then vanished with a shimmer and reappeared in the Malfoy Manor courtyard, his gaze falling upon Cassandra.
Cassandra froze at the sudden appearance of Voldemort, then roared at Cedric and the others behind her, "Run! Run, quickly!"
Cedric, pulling Ron, turned and bolted out of Malfoy Manor without hesitation, with Hermione and Luna close behind.
Seeing this, Voldemort suddenly began to laugh, his laughter growing louder and louder. Just as it reached its peak, Voldemort cut himself off, saying with disdain, "Run? Where will you run to? Now that I have returned, the entire wizarding world will obey my command. Where could you possibly go?"
As he spoke, Voldemort abruptly transformed into a swirling black mist and surged rapidly toward Cedric and his companions.
Seeing this, Cassandra moved to intercept him, but at that moment, Bellatrix and the others' attacks intensified dramatically. Cassandra simply couldn't disengage to stop Voldemort.
Hearing the sound behind them, Cedric gritted his teeth, forcefully shoved Ron forward, then turned to shield Hermione and Luna. He drew his wand, directly confronting the black mist that was Voldemort's transformed self.
As Voldemort rapidly approached, Cedric cast several different spells, but to his astonishment, his curses simply vanished upon entering the black mist, without even a ripple.
From within the black mist, Voldemort's voice echoed, "It's no use. You will surrender obediently! Don't worry, the pain won't last long. Once Dumbledore arrives, you will be set free!"
Then, the black mist, upon reaching Cedric, suddenly expanded, almost instantly enveloping Cedric and the others completely. Cassandra could only watch, powerless.
At that moment, the black mist, Voldemort's transformed state, drifted gradually towards Cassandra. Then, the black mist suddenly contracted, and moments later, Voldemort reappeared before Cassandra.
Cassandra looked back to see Cedric and the others lying unconscious on the ground. Though Cassandra deduced from Voldemort's tone that Cedric and the others were not dead, her heart had sunk to rock bottom.
Meanwhile, the surrounding Death Eaters gradually closed in, encircling Cassandra. Looking at the predatory Death Eaters around her and the noseless Voldemort before her, Cassandra shook her head and then quite simply put away her wand.
Seeing this, Voldemort couldn't help but burst into laughter, saying, "Cassandra?! I remember you. I also remember saying that, for the sake of your Slytherin heritage, I would give you a chance. If you swore allegiance to me, I would bestow upon you the Dark Mark and allow you to join the Death Eaters, to become one of my followers."
"At the time, you refused me. And now? Where is the one you swore allegiance to? Where is the Alliance? Where are they?"
"I am now willing to give you another chance! Submit to me, and I can forgive your past transgressions!"
Hearing Voldemort's words, Cassandra sneered coldly, "If Wentworth and his Alliance were here, do you think you'd have the opportunity to speak to me like this?!"
"You little brat, do you know—"
No sooner had Cassandra finished speaking than Bellatrix, her face contorted with fury, rushed forward, pointing at Cassandra and roaring. However, Bellatrix's words were cut short by Voldemort.
Voldemort pushed Bellatrix aside, stepped in front of Cassandra, and, pointing at Cedric and the others behind him, furiously said, "If you do not choose to submit, then I will kill them now!"
Cassandra glanced back at Cedric, then smirked dismissively, "Then do it! You think you can threaten me with them? I'm sorry, I'm not their parent! Their lives or deaths truly hold no such importance to me!"
Hearing Cassandra's words, Voldemort gazed deeply at her, then suddenly sneered, "Hahahaha, you want me to kill them, because you're afraid I'll use them to threaten Albus Dumbledore and Wentworth Grindelwald, aren't you?!"
Cassandra fell silent, for that was indeed what she had just been thinking.
Seeing Cassandra's silence, Voldemort knew he had guessed correctly. He scrutinized Cassandra from head to toe, saying, "Excellent, truly excellent! A moment ago, you were risking your life to save them, but seeing that it was futile, you could so decisively abandon them. They are, after all, your close friends! Truly a born bad seed; I admire you greatly!"
Cassandra coldly retorted, "I don't need your admiration!"
Voldemort seemed entirely unbothered by Cassandra's reaction. He simply waved a hand dismissively, and a vine from the Malfoy Manor courtyard, like a giant python, swiftly snaked over, tightly coiling around Cassandra.
Voldemort then sneered, "You don't want me to use them to threaten Albus Dumbledore and Wentworth Grindelwald, so I shall make sure you don't get your wish!"
"Once I've killed those two, I'll see what choices you have left!"
Then, Voldemort waved his hand, and naturally, Death Eaters stepped forward, leading Cassandra deeper into Malfoy Manor. Cedric and the others, still unconscious on the ground, were also carried by the Death Eaters deeper into the manor.
Voldemort then returned to the Great Hall, looking at Harry Potter, who was still suspended in the air. He suddenly said to Lucius beside him, "Imagine how wonderful it would be if Albus Dumbledore could see Harry Potter in his current state!"
Hearing Voldemort's words, Lucius quickly said, "My esteemed Lord, we could take a photograph of Harry Potter as he is now, and send it, along with the picture, to that old man Albus Dumbledore!"
Voldemort's eyes lit up at Lucius's suggestion. He said, "Excellent, an excellent idea. Let it be so! I refuse to believe Dumbledore will remain calm and hidden at Hogwarts after that!"
——————————
Want to read the whole story? Head over to my Patreon ——— patreon(.)com/PrimalDemon [remove the parentheses ( )]
This fanfic has been fully translated!