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Chapter 409: Little Hangleton Village!!
Little Hangleton Village.
Riddle House.
Frank, the old gardener, heard voices in the middle of the night.
He came down from the dusty attic and saw a strange glow coming from the drawing room.
Fire was burning on the wall.
And in the room stood a small man in a robe.
A robe.
It looked like the kind described in storybooks—wizard robes.
Frank had never seen such clothing in real life.
The little man seemed to be holding a baby.
But what frightened Frank most was this—
The man kept calling that baby Master.
"Master, if you're still hungry, you can drink a little more," the man said nervously.
"No… no… what about Nagini?"
"Feed her first. Then bring me something to eat later. I'm exhausted after everything on the road."
"Nagini is outside," the man whispered. "She should be back soon."
Then he placed the baby into a large chair.
Silence filled the room.
Frank was just about to push the door open when the small man suddenly asked:
"Master… how long are we staying here?"
Frank was certain now.
He had heard the word Master again.
And then the baby spoke—
In a cold, adult voice.
"We will stay for a while. Our plan cannot begin until the Quidditch World Cup is held.
"At that time, wizards from all countries will gather.
"The Ministry of Magic will be overwhelmed.
"That will be our chance."
Frank frowned.
Wizard… Ministry of Magic… Quidditch…
What did it all mean?
He had never heard such words in his life.
But the people inside continued.
"Master… I think… we don't really need to use Harry Potter…"
"No need?"
The voice turned sharp.
"You're regretting coming back to me, Wormtail.
"Do you wish you hadn't returned…
"Because I've become like this?
"Weak. Broken. Pathetic."
"No!" Wormtail cried quickly.
But the cold voice did not believe him.
"You regret it.
"You want to leave now, don't you?"
"No! You've forgotten—I also brought you Bertha Jorkins!"
"Yes… yes. You brought Bertha Jorkins.
"And from her, I learned useful information.
"For that, you were helpful.
"But since you discovered that I killed her…
"You've started to fear me.
"You blame me for cutting off your last escape."
"That's not true!"
Wormtail sounded shaken.
"I've done horrible things before. Why would I be afraid to kill one woman?"
The cold voice returned, quieter—
Colder.
"Kill one more…
"And I can fully arrange my plan for Hogwarts."
"Wormtail… I hope you will not disappoint me.
"…Because if you do—"
Frank's heart pounded.
He didn't understand everything.
But one thing was certain:
They were murderers.
They had killed Bertha Jorkins.
And they were planning to kill again.
Then—
A new voice echoed.
"Nagini is back."
Nagini?
Frank suddenly felt something cold brush against his heel.
A massive snake slid past his leg.
Hissing.
The people inside the room also began to hiss—
Replying in the same eerie sound.
Frank froze.
And then he heard it.
"Nagini brought me interesting news," the baby said slowly.
"There is an old Muggle outside…
"He has been listening the whole time."
The door creaked open.
Wormtail's face appeared.
Frank was dragged inside and forced into a chair.
Since he had already been discovered, Frank shouted:
"I heard everything! You've killed someone!
"I've called the police! You'll be arrested!"
The baby slowly turned its head.
"Police…?"
Frank finally saw its face.
It was not a baby at all.
It was a nightmare wearing the shape of one.
Noseless.
Red-eyed.
Skin stretched tight across bone.
Frank could not breathe.
Then—
The creature raised its wand.
A flash of green light filled the room.
Frank's body went limp.
He collapsed forward, lifeless.
---
Far away—
At Privet Drive—
Harry Potter jolted awake in his sleep.
---
Darren knew nothing of this.
He was still living peacefully in Dumbledore's manor.
Strangely enough—
Both Dumbledore and Grindelwald turned out to be rather… fun-loving.
Every day, they changed the manor's portal location—
And dragged Darren across the world.
One day in France.
Another in Egypt.
Another in China.
When Darren visited China's wizarding community, he received an especially warm welcome.
The reason?
The Blue Dragon Wand in his hand.
It had been gifted to him by their sacred Blue Dragon.
Although the system claimed it was merely a "reward"—
Darren had actually seen the dragon himself.
An enormous dragon.
Female.
Terrifying.
Extremely greedy.
She tried to swindle every single Galleon Darren owned.
He only realized he had been tricked… after losing five hundred Galleons.
To protect the image of the "Holy Father," he pretended not to notice.
In an innocent tone, he told Lady Blue Dragon that he needed to save his remaining money to donate as medical aid to others.
So he could not spend more.
He even said—
He only had a little over one hundred Galleons left.
Enough to survive for the next four years.
Lady Blue Dragon was instantly moved.
Before Darren left China—
She secretly stuffed ten thousand Galleons into his hands.
When Darren finally departed, Lady Blue Dragon was seen wiping her tears with a small handkerchief—
Telling him that if he ran out of money…
He should definitely write to her again.
She had questioned Dumbledore thoroughly.
And forgotten her own greedy nature entirely.
If Darren had not firmly refused further gifts…
She might have been crying in her lair even now.