Escalation of Conflict

It will be very difficult for him to join the group; he won't be able to pass the political background check!

After all, in Voldemort's eyes, Edmund should be a dead man.

However, it cannot be ruled out that Voldemort, having committed numerous atrocities and killed countless people, had forgotten even the names of his victims and had no recollection of killing Edmund once.

However, even if he truly didn't know Edmund was still alive, there are other explanations.

Considering that in retrospect, Old Soman was basically certain that Voldemort's goal was the life-saving artifact in his possession, he might also consider Edmund's "fake death" as a sign that Old Soman had other trump cards up his sleeve.

Furthermore, the idea that he hadn't paid any attention to the Somans after that... was naive and difficult to explain the ambush in Diagon Alley. Edmund simply dismissed the thought.

Edmund stared at the back of Lucius's head with a strange look, wondering if Lucius's eagerness to recruit him was Voldemort's own doing.

If not, if Voldemort didn't believe Edmund was the Edmund he had killed, but instead saw him as Edmund's bastard son who had taken his place... this is the kind of melodramatic soap opera plot that only happens in prime-time dramas.

Or perhaps Lucius didn't take Edmund's resurrection seriously at all, and didn't think he was worth winning over; if all of this was Lucius's own doing, then the development of this matter would be quite comical.

If he could actually meet Voldemort through Lucius, he would have to think carefully about what to say.

I wonder if Voldemort's lungs are as tough as Dumbledore's, or if he could blow them up in one go.

However, if Lucius was acting on Voldemort's orders to get so close to him, that would be a different kind of ridiculous.

Edmund didn't believe Voldemort would tell Lucius about his past with the Soman family. If Lucius knew who he was associating with, he should have been more humble. This also shows that Voldemort is different from Grindelwald; Voldemort doesn't seem to treat his followers as human beings.

This is truly hilarious. Just think about Lucius's attitude towards Harrison and Harrison's utterly numb gaze. It's such a wonderful cycle of mutual disregard for the lower classes!

Is there a situation more favorable to Edmund than this? No!

For Edmund, the risk of opposing a villain was far lower than challenging a benevolent and powerful figure. Letting him deal with scoundrels was tantamount to sending him back to his happy old days.

Edmund was thrilled at the thought that he might soon have the chance to meet Voldemort!

If this bastard has the artifact with him, then he can really try to use the Summoning Spell to call back his artifact.

It would have been even better if Voldemort hadn't been carrying the mask. Knowing the dark wizards as he did, Voldemort might have wanted to kill him again. Once the "whoever kills Cain shall be punished sevenfold" curse was triggered, he'd have a new toy!

I wonder if Voldemort was stronger, or Dumbledore?

Okay, stop for a minute, time for fantasy over.

Lucius then demonstrated two more spells to Edmund before announcing the end of the club activity. He reverted to his usual suave demeanor as prefect, chin held high, urging the Slytherins to return to the common room before curfew.

The corridor was almost entirely filled with the bright moonlight of the full moon. Edmund thought happily that he should encourage Battery Number One to work harder and learn the advanced version of the Summoning Charm.

Edmund was still thinking about it when he got back to his dorm. Maybe he should have Gerald bite off one of his "roommates'" noses to urge the Wizengamo Wizarding Court to make a judgment as soon as possible.

Travers, who hadn't even gotten into bed yet, was so startled by his appearance that he broke out in a cold sweat, rubbing his arms back and forth, trying to soothe the goosebumps on his skin.

The next day was Monday, and we had to attend two consecutive spell classes taught by Professor Flitwick.

This lesson was actually simpler than the first one. Professor Flitwick repeatedly emphasized three times that "the Levitation Charm is for after Halloween! We need to ride broomsticks before we can play Quidditch!" The young wizards reluctantly accepted it and started practicing the simpler spells again.

The spell is "Vileosa," which, both in sound and in use, is an abridged version of "Yugadimu Leviosa."

According to Professor Flitwick, its history is actually longer than the latter. "Yugadimm Leviosa" is an enhanced version that was developed and passed down over time by an unnamed genius wizard.

Undoubtedly, the young wizards who had successfully cast "Yugadimu Leviosa" used the spell very smoothly, but no one was too excited.

Professor Flitwick behaved very well in the face of the uninterested young wizards.

Yes, honesty. He kept rubbing his fingers together, a sheepish look on his face, clearly thinking about how his good intentions had backfired in the previous lesson, which was why the children treated the first spell so poorly.

Fortunately, the young wizards who had previously failed to cast spells successfully also managed to use this simplified version of the incantation.

Only Peter Pedro of Gryffindor was a beat slower, but Lupin patiently demonstrated the spell for him, and in the end, he successfully cast the spell.

Edmondo glanced a few times in Remus Lupin's direction. The man looked unusually weak today, his face pale as if he would collapse at any moment.

Despite his poor condition, Lupin's magical abilities remained unaffected. Professor Flitwick, seeing him resolve Peter's doubts, nodded repeatedly, sparing no praise whatsoever.

Compared to the worldly and sophisticated Professor Slughorn, who preferred talented geniuses and wealthy individuals, Professor Flitwick clearly appreciated the efforts of mediocre young wizards in trying to light their wands.

Edmund seemed to have a sudden realization, feeling that he had grasped the reason why most Ravenclaw students loved learning.

How could the Ravenclaws not love learning when a group of kids who are not yet grown up can have their spells successfully cast and be seen and appreciated by their headmaster every time?

Just then, a sudden arc caught Edmund's attention.

Just now, in that corner where he couldn't see, Avery, who had been keeping a straight face, also breathed a sigh of relief.

Although when he first chanted the incantation, the feathers in front of him shot straight into the sky like cannonballs, and nearly hit Sofia Wolper when they fell, causing her to scream.

But at least this proved that he wasn't a dud. Avery didn't care about the disdainful looks from his classmates anymore. He smiled almost innocently, overjoyed that he had finally accomplished something since the start of the semester.

This was hilarious, and it amused James, who already had a grudge against Lily because he called her a "Mudblood."

The rascal lifted the feather in front of him, making it spin nimbly and gracefully, while constantly winking at Avery.

Seeing this, Avery couldn't stand the provocation. His face turned red, and he grabbed a bottle of ink and threw it at James.

"Yugadimur Leviosa," Sirius Black quickly recited, successfully stopping the hidden weapon. He paused for a moment, then his expression changed.

Edmund nearly applauded him. Even he couldn't understand how Black had done it. Perhaps his mischievous talent had responded to Sirius's spell?

In short, this kid flicked his wrist out of thin air and unscrewed the cap of the ink bottle, pouring dark green ink all over Avery's head and face, causing the surrounding classmates to scream in surprise.

"What's going on!" Professor Flitwick rushed over, moving quickly. He chanted the incantation clearly: "Clean and refreshed!"