Free Web NovelChapter 655: Voldemort Breaks Down
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Voldemort had placed enormous hopes on the golden apple.
This was a legendary treasure he had practically traded half his life to obtain.
As for why he still hadn’t doubted the apple’s authenticity despite already knowing the entire ruin had been a trap? That was entirely thanks to Tom’s absurdly good forgery skills.
The faintly circulating divine power radiating from the apple had completely dazzled Voldemort. These past few days, aside from healing his injuries, he had done little but cradle the fruit in his hands while fantasizing about the unimaginable power he would gain after eating it.
"GRAAAH!"
Voldemort opened his mouth as wide as possible and swallowed the entire golden apple whole without even chewing.
A normal person would at least want to savor the taste of a legendary fruit like that.
A smarter person might even preserve the seeds and try growing a golden apple tree.
But Voldemort’s thought process had always been fundamentally different from ordinary people’s.
He didn’t care about flavor. He only cared about results.
Swallowing it whole ensured not a single trace of its power would go to waste.
As for planting trees?
That possibility had never even crossed his mind.
A treasure like this was something only he deserved to possess.
After gulping down the fruit, Voldy sat there expectantly, waiting for the effects to kick in.
One minute passed.
Nothing happened.
Three minutes.
Five minutes.
Half an hour later...
The smile on Voldemort’s face slowly stiffened before disappearing entirely.
In the end, he was forced to accept a horrifying reality.
He’d been scammed.
"...No."
"NOOOOOOO!!!"
The miserable scream echoed far beyond the cave, making Bellatrix and Lockhart shudder simultaneously when they heard it.
"Impossible! The golden apple can’t be fake!"
...
"Of course it’s fake." ƒreewebηoveℓ.com
Inside the headmaster’s office at Hogwarts Castle, Tom waved a hand helplessly, utterly speechless.
"Professor, Grindelwald was at most injured. There’s no way he’s on the verge of death. Please don’t let those idiots fool you. If someone could really push him into a corner that easily, the entire world would fall into chaos."
Tom was genuinely losing faith in humanity.
There were simply too many idiots in this world. And worse, they all loved acting on sudden bursts of inspiration.
Only one day had passed since the battle, and because Grindelwald hadn’t shown himself even once, rumors that he was critically injured and dying had already spread like wildfire.
The whole wizarding world exploded.
More than ten highly influential wizards had already contacted Dumbledore, urging him to seize this "golden opportunity" and permanently eliminate Grindelwald.
Tom had nearly gone numb listening to it all.
The world truly was one giant amateur circus troupe.
Even the people at the top were this shortsighted.
There was still a mysterious organization like the Sun Chasers lurking in the shadows, their strength completely unknown, yet these people were already thinking about attacking Grindelwald instead.
Were they not afraid of someone sitting back and profiting while both sides destroyed each other?
"Tom, I know the rumors are false too."
Dumbledore let out an almost imperceptible sigh, clearly dissatisfied with those people as well.
"I can refuse their requests, but I can’t personally go to Durmstrang Institute to verify Grindelwald’s condition. My movements are too sensitive right now. It would lead to unnecessary misunderstandings."
He paused briefly before continuing, "So... I’d like to ask you to make the trip in my place and pay Grindelwald a visit."
"I see..." The boy blinked. "Professor... then what about classes?"
"You’ll be on holiday for the entire week." Dumbledore smiled slightly, understanding immediately that Tom had agreed, and promptly offered his own terms.
A free week off?
Naturally, Tom had no reason to refuse. He accepted without hesitation.
And seeing how anxious old Dumbles looked, Tom even thoughtfully offered to leave that very day. The lingering gloom between Dumbledore’s brows visibly eased at once.
...
After leaving the headmaster’s office at Hogwarts Castle, Tom planned to inform the girls before setting out.
Unexpectedly, he ran into Fontaine on the third floor.
Although Fontaine tried hard to hide it, Tom could still read quite a bit from his expression and eyes.
Secret delight.
And... Confusion.
Honestly, that was exactly how things stood right now. Not only was Fontaine confused, the Sun Chasers behind him were equally baffled.
Who exactly was impersonating them?
How could some knockoff version of their organization be this terrifying?
The guy had actually managed to injure Gellert Grindelwald.
Both Tom and Dumbledore had attended that lavish banquet that day, which meant all three major suspects had been ruled out.
Could it really be one of their own people? Or maybe someone who greatly admires them and hopes to join? Or... a conspiracy?
Whatever it is, they had to do something.
Originally, Scott had not wanted to disturb his teacher, the true founder and hidden leader of the Sun Chasers. But at this point, he had no choice except to grit his teeth and seek him out.
If this continued, the Sun Chasers would become the most hated target in the entire magical world. They would attract countless eyes, and from then on, anything they tried to do would become far more troublesome.
They’ve already angered many families in Africa, the Gringotts branch there, Voldemort, and now Grindelwald and his crazy acolytes.
This madness has to stop.
.
.
.
