"Where is he?"
William asked instinctively, glancing around as his chubby hand gripped his magic wand, covered in a thin layer of sweat.
"Might have used the Disillusionment Charm—Revelio!"
As a seasoned Auror, Nothus quickly caught on. He first looked down at the Sneakoscope spinning wildly and flashing on his chest. In the next moment, his magic wand swung forcefully, sending an almost tangible wave of transparent light flying to the left. The other Aurors reacted swiftly, covering the surrounding in a flurry of Revealing Spells from every direction.
"Over here!"
An Auror stationed on the right seemed to have detected something. He waved his wand, sending a scarlet charm flying towards a stone pillar nearby. The lime exploded, and a dark figure tumbled out from behind the pillar, shaking its head and struggling to stand up.
"A Three-Headed Dog? So small?"
Seeing the creature that seemed so rare it was only rumored to exist, William blinked in bewilderment.
"Woof! Woof woof woof!"
The Three-Headed Dog, only as tall as everyone's calves, ran towards the group in an adorable manner. But in just two seconds, the smiles on the faces of the group vanished instantly. The reason was apparent, as the previously petite Three-Headed Dog began to enlarge proportionally, its figure swiftly surpassing three meters, with no sign of stopping—
"Roar—"
The once charming bark now turned terrifying, the deep sounds pounded on everyone's chests with each step the Three-Headed Dog took. "Attack!" Nothus's voice roared from the crowd, and the next moment, a torrential rain of spells fired from the Aurors' wand tips, targeting the Three-Headed Dog's face.
"Clang clang—"
Clear, crisp sounds of clashing metal echoed as the Three-Headed Dog instinctively shook itself in response to the spells. A faint blue barrier repelled them all, while countless Blasting Curses exploded on the surrounding stone pillars, sending up plumes of dust.
"Roar!"
By now, the Three-Headed Dog had rushed up to the crowd, its form, now swelling to over five meters tall, loomed over even the largest trolls. Bright scarlet flames rose from the tips of its three heads, converging and spreading to the base of its tail. Watching the beast that seemed to have crawled out from Hell, everyone's legs felt weak.
"Cer…Cerberus!"
As a Divine Servant of Olympus, Andrew easily recognized the legendary hellhound that was said to guard the Netherworld. As his trembling voice rang out, the once fierce Three-Headed Dog instinctively halted its two attacking heads, looking rather dazedly at the feeble humans in front.
...Foolish dog!
Watching the three dog heads turn dumbstruck just by being called their name, William, hiding behind the Zeus Statue, couldn't help but slap his forehead. Wasn't this the name they had just come up with yesterday? How could they remember it so clearly so soon?
Indeed, when naming things, one should choose names that others can't quickly come up with…
As these thoughts passed through his mind, William kicked Norbert who was by his feet, "Get on with it, stop dawdling."
"Roar…"
The rebellious Norbert sighed weakly, and its form began to expand as well, unfurling as heads sprouted from its neck side after side, until its forepaw stepped on the Zeus Statue's face, boasting nine heads in total—
Then, it unfurled its wings, "Roar—" The sharp, resonant roar startled many Aurors who had been frozen by the hellhound. They instinctively looked up, and then—
"Gah—"
Three Aurors fainted on the spot, the remaining few didn't look well either. Andrew opened his mouth, eyes dazed, "Hydra? The Netherworld, is the Netherworld attacking us?" After muttering these words, Andrew uncontrollably fainted as well. Witnessing the scattered, unconscious Aurors, the only one still standing, Nothus, felt his legs go weak.
"Heh heh."
Seeing his twisted humor pay off, William couldn't help but chuckle. Of course, he hadn't used Transfiguration Techniques to give Norbert nine real heads or set Fluffy's rear on fire, but instead utilized Ancient Magic interwoven with Occlumency to create a Blinding Technique, subtly altering what others saw—
But the modifications weren't extensive, lest others easily detect the illusion's flaws.
Given the current situation, this group couldn't react properly anymore. The only Auror who remained standing turned his gaze towards William, the soft laugh he emitted was barely noticeable, but Nothus still sharply caught it, mustering his courage, he brandished his wand—
"Oppugno!"
"Engorgio!"
Dozens of basketball-sized canaries flew from the man's wand; each head of "Cerberus," and one of "Hydra's" nine heads was instantly captured. The tiny, golden birds perfectly captivated their attention, and he quickly used his wand to lash a bunch of fine strings around the waist of each Auror. Then, his figure swiftly retreated past an obstruction-free path—
"Crucio!"
As the man focused on rapidly retreating, a figure suddenly appeared. A ghastly-white curse shot forth, Nothus instinctively shielded the Minister with his right hand. Andrew, who had been unconscious, immediately awoke when struck by the curse…unfortunately, the brief wakefulness lasted less than three seconds.
"Ugh…"
The man's trembling hand closed his eyelids once more.
"Who are you?"
Watching the cloaked figure appear before him, Nothus couldn't help but feel a chill in his heart. He glimpsed at the sleek black marble floor beneath, for the legendary beasts had cornered him against it, with the heavy breaths of the Three-Headed Dog hitting the back of his neck and wafting its rancid breath.
"Who are you people?"
A hoarse, unpleasant voice emanated from the black robe.
"I am the Head of the Auror Office at the Greek Ministry of Magic, Nothus Sophocles."
The man stated in a solemn voice. As he spoke, he glanced down at the "adorably gruesome" chubby figure in his hand, "…This is my elder brother, the Minister of Magic, Andrew Sophocles… now tell me, who are you?"
"The Ministry of Magic…heh, you should recognize me,"
The silhouette spoke as he removed his hood, revealing a hairless, chalk-white back of a head, with crimson, slit-pupiled eyes resembling that of a serpent. His mouth curled slightly, exposing wicked, sharp teeth, "I am Voldemort, and I hereby grant you the privilege to call me Master."
It's cosplay time, out in the world, identities are self-assigned.
...
...
"Achoo!"
On the distant edge of the Albanian Jungle, a bat-like creature perched atop a tree suddenly sneezed without warning. It squinted its pair of crimson eyes, unimpressed by the abrupt sneeze, instead focusing intently on a brightly lit Wizard Tavern not far away.
The current form couldn't sustain much longer, so Voldemort needed to find a human host before his power dissipated.
Voldemort felt this might be his lucky break.
Ever since that night half a year ago when his consciousness was invaded, an inexplicable force appeared in his essence. After the Philosopher's Stone incident left him broken and unable to even transfer his form, he somehow acquired a new surge of power.
Heavens haven't abandoned Voldemort!
Voldemort decisively chose to act. No longer bound by snake forms, considering the inhospitable and rarely traversed jungle, unconventional methods were his best chance for escape. Thus, after frequent bodily transformations, he utilized Quirrell's memories to find this tavern located on the outskirts of the Albanian Jungle.
Now, he just needed to await an opportunity…
Spotting a lone woman, intoxicated, stumbling into the jungle after pushing open the tavern doors, the bat bore a humanoid smirk.