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In the small woods near the Quidditch World Cup campsite, several wizards were arguing.
"Did you not promise me that you would only create chaos?"
The wizard with long pale-blond hair kept his voice as low as possible, but his tone revealed great dissatisfaction.
Seeing the current chaos in the campsite, Lucius almost wanted to swear.
"Why use that spell? Do you know the consequences? Once the Ministry traces this back to us, we are all finished. Being sent to Azkaban would be the lightest punishment."
Before he could finish, the other man interrupted him roughly.
"Lucius, so what if the incompetent Ministry finds out?"
The man standing opposite Lucius looked perfectly calm.
"This is not the world of thirteen years ago."
Lucius felt as if his lungs were about to burst with anger. Why would this man not listen properly?
The Ministry might be incompetent, but it was still the largest and most legitimate wizarding organization in magical Britain, with countless capable people under its command.
So what if the incompetent Ministry found out?
It could drag him directly to Azkaban, where he would spend the rest of his life with nothing but despair and darkness.
"Lucius, do not tell me you have not felt it."
The man opposite Lucius pointed at his own left arm.
"Our king has returned. He is calling us."
"Your recent behavior has gone directly against the Dark Lord's will. If you do not want to be treated as a traitor outright, then fall in line. You should know what happens to traitors."
The threat in the man's tone was obvious.
Traitors to the Death Eaters suffered torment more terrifying than death.
Lucius's face turned ashen, but he did not dare say more, because the other man was right. Every sign showed that the person who had disappeared for nearly thirteen years was truly about to return.
The Dark Lord was coming back.
Seeing Lucius yield, the man nodded.
"This is only an appetizer. We need to gather more companions."
"Lucius, as one of the Dark Lord's most trusted former servants, this task will be yours."
Hearing that, Lucius's expression became even uglier, but a strange glimmer flashed in his eyes.
Everything happening now had been predicted by that person.
At the Quidditch World Cup campsite.
The Dark Mark, which had once left countless Ministry elites helpless and forced them to wait until it faded on its own, had now been split in two by the enormous golden sword resembling Gryffindor's, then quickly dispersed.
Strictly speaking, however, the sword in the sky had not been what dispelled the Dark Mark.
It was only a display made for others to see. The thing that truly erased it was the light snap of Dudley's fingers when he waved his wand.
More accurately, alchemy.
After the Dark Mark incident, many wizards broke into cold sweat. Alcohol evaporated with the sweat, and their minds cleared quite a bit.
So the first thing they wanted to do was run.
"Keep them here. Do not let a single one go."
Dudley spoke coldly. It was impossible to let them escape. Since they had come, they could stay.
With a wave of his hand, an invisible barrier blocked the wizards' path.
Carrow and the wizards with him seized the chance, using spellwork far above average to knock those wizards down.
Before long, all of them had been captured.
Thirty-eight. Not counting the one in the woods, thirty-eight wizards in total had taken part in causing trouble and destruction.
To put it bluntly, thirty-eight wizards had frightened one hundred thousand wizards into fleeing. It was a grand joke.
In Dudley's eyes, these thirty-eight were only a disorganized crowd. The rest were not even as good as that.
"What happened? My goodness. Mr. Dursley, what on earth happened here?"
Just as in every story, the guards representing justice arrived at the very end.
Led by Ron, the Ministry members headed by Fudge finally came late.
Seeing the campsite like a ruin and masked wizards lying all over the ground, Fudge was stunned.
The Ministry officials and Aurors behind him looked even more nervous. They had clearly seen the Dark Mark appear in the sky. Although it had lasted only a moment before being cut apart by a golden sword, it had appeared.
Dudley briefly explained what had happened. The Minister's face darkened visibly.
Muggles tortured. A violent riot. Campsite destruction. Wizards attacked. The Dark Mark summoned.
Most importantly, it had almost reached him.
If not for the help of Arthur's youngest son, Ron, perhaps he would already have been burned to a crisp.
And that was not all. The Quidditch World Cup had been hosted in Britain. Now that it had become this, he could already imagine tomorrow's front page of the Daily Prophet. The British Ministry of Magic would become a laughingstock, and he, the Minister, would be the first target.
There was no way to shift the blame. Yesterday, one hundred thousand wizards had seen him here.
If he could not shift the blame, then he would severely punish the criminals.
'No matter who they were, I will make them pay.'
Fudge looked at the dozens of captured wizards and thought angrily.
Being stupid and mediocre did not mean he had no temper.
This man not only had a temper, he had quite a large one. When angry, he would even argue with Dumbledore.
"Minister Fudge, I think we should first question the mastermind."
"Mr. Dursley, you are right."
"Let us reveal the face of the heinous person who summoned the Dark Mark."
After hearing Dudley's words, Fudge repeatedly agreed. His fawning attitude was only a step away from groveling.
Fudge did not care what the Ministry officials behind him thought. He only wanted to preserve public support, keep his position as Minister, and maintain his power.
'If Mr. Dursley had not been here today, there truly would have been no way to salvage this.'
Fudge's limited brain began spinning quickly.
He had to seize the credit for capturing the main culprit and the accomplices.
Mr. Dursley would definitely help him. They were allies.
Yes. The wise and mighty Minister Fudge had remained calm in the face of a sudden attack and directed the Aurors to capture the criminals one by one.
While Fudge indulged in wild thoughts, Dudley pointed his wand at the wizard in the woods, the one struck by the Body-Bind Curse after summoning the Dark Mark.
At this moment, the man was as quiet as a dead mouse.
"Lumos."
Dudley did not use an illumination spell of his own. He used the most basic light charm in the wizarding world.
A little glow emerged from the tip of his wand. It slowly rose, then suddenly expanded, giving off a faint light that illuminated the whole woods and revealed the man's appearance.
Fudge froze when he saw the man's true face.
Behind him, the Ministry officials stretched their necks to look.
Then, like Fudge, their faces filled with astonishment.
How could it be him?
Because this person was none other than Barty Crouch, who should have been traveling with them but had disappeared.
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