I became Voldemort

Chapter 201: The Death Eater’s Call

The cold, damp wind blew through the trees, causing Harry to involuntarily hunch his shoulders.

Lupin thoughtfully cast a spell on him, and Harry immediately felt warmth spread through his body.

"A warming charm," Lupin said with a smile. "Let me tell you a little secret: Snape invented this spell. He always has a lot of novel ideas. Later, your father learned many of them. James used to bully him with the spells Snape invented."

Hearing Lupin talk about his father, especially about him defeating Snape, made Harry feel very pleased.

However, in reality, some things always sound so light and inconsequential. If those scenes of bullying were to be shown to Harry, he would realize that his admiration for his father might not be so deserved.

Fortunately, Lupin quickly changed the topic and said seriously, "Don't take pride in that, Harry. Using your power to bully others is not a good thing; it's no different from what Voldemort does. We did many foolish things back then, and looking back now, I really regret it."

At least—Remus Lupin deeply regretted it.

"But I think Snape deserved it," Harry said angrily. "You know how awful he is! I bet if Voldemort were to come back, and if Snape had the chance, he'd definitely kill me to present my head to Voldemort. He hates me!"

"It's Professor Snape!" Lupin emphasized this but didn't comment on Harry's other statements.

Whether Severus Snape still remained loyal to the Dark Lord was yet to be determined. Although he had infiltrated Dumbledore's circle under the Dark Lord's orders, after all these years, who could say if this double agent hadn't developed other intentions?

But at this moment, it seemed that Snape certainly did not have any fondness for Harry Potter.

However—

Harry Potter, the son of Lily and James, was someone whom Barty Crouch Jr. believed Snape had every reason to hate. After all, Snape's love chose his bully and had a son with him and that son was the reason her family got targeted by the Dark Lord.

They walked a long distance, farther than Harry thought they'd gone when they visited the Acromantulas' camp, because they passed a large depression that seemed to have been scorched by flames. It was completely unrecognizable now, but Harry guessed it might have been the Acromantulas' nest.

Once upon a time.

"Alright, we're here." Lupin stretched his body and stopped in an open area, casually tossing the suitcase he was carrying to the ground. "This is far enough."

He licked his dry lips, and the look he gave Harry grew more and more unfamiliar.

"Professor Lupin, what herbs are we looking for?" Harry asked, squinting his eyes.

His scar now hurt more than before, as if someone were using a blunt axe to continuously chop at his forehead.

"We're not looking for herbs, Harry." Suddenly, Harry noticed that Lupin's voice had changed, becoming both unfamiliar and oddly familiar.

He felt like he had heard this voice somewhere before, but the memory was hazy.

"Professor?" He took a step back, instinctively raising his wand. But a red light moved faster than him, striking Harry's hand like lightning. The next moment, his wand flew out of his grip and landed in "Lupin's" other hand.

"Expelliarmus!"

"Ugh! Professor ...Lupin?!"

Harry's eyes were filled with confusion and bewilderment, along with deep wariness. He put one hand into his pocket, where there was a fake Galleon.

The previous one had been destroyed by Voldemort, but Cyrus had made this new one. By channeling magic into it, Cyrus would be able to sense it.

However, "Lupin" didn't give Harry any chance.

"Hahaha! Stop your little tricks, Harry." With a wave of his hand, the fake Galleon flew out of Harry's pocket like a bullet, and was destroyed mid-air by a spell.

"You're not Professor Lupin? Who are you?!" Even though Harry had completely lost the ability to defend himself, he didn't back down. His green eyes stared intently at the impostor Lupin, unwilling to believe that Lupin could be a traitor.

"You're clever, Harry, but also very foolish."

"Lupin's" face began to swell, as if thousands of spiders were crawling under his skin, trying to tear it open and escape.

Then, a face Harry had seen before appeared.

It was the man from his dream.

"Crouch!?" Harry's eyes widened in shock.

Without thinking, Harry turned and began to run toward the edge of the Forbidden Forest, but how could he outrun the speed of a spell?

"It's me, Harry," Barty Crouch Jr. sneered. He then made a broad swish with his wand, and two thorny vines appeared out of nowhere, binding Harry tightly like steel wires.

The thorns kept tightening, their sharp spikes cutting into Harry's skin, causing blood to trickle down.

"The master doesn't want me to kill you, but I can let you suffer a bit first," Barty Jr. sneered coldly.

"Accio Harry!" Instantly, the tightly bound Harry flew to Barty's feet. Barty planted a foot on Harry's chest, bending down to grab him by the collar and lift him up.

The next moment, the lock on the suitcase clicked open by itself, revealing nothing but a plain, unremarkable cup inside. Dragging Harry along, Barty reached out and grasped the cup—

Pop!

The Forbidden Forest was suddenly empty.

About ten minutes later, a group of invisible creatures, drawn by the scent of blood, gathered around, hovering in the area.

...

Whoosh—!

There was the sound of wings folding.

A golden eagle descended from the sky, its wings folding into a cloak as it landed. The man with golden tips on his neatly combed black hair slowly stood up, looking at the group of professors and Harry's friends waiting for him atop the Astronomy Tower.

All four Heads of House were present, along with a haggard-looking Lupin and an anxious Sirius.

"Cyrus, Harry has been taken!" McGonagall said urgently, looking at Cyrus. "We can't reach Albus right now, so we have no choice but to ask for your help!"

It was she who had suggested seeking Cyrus's help.

Though she still didn't fully trust Cyrus, McGonagall was too concerned about the safety of her students to care about that now.

"The fake Galleon you gave Harry—can it help us find him?!" Sirius asked hastily.

"No, it won't work. The other one must have been destroyed," Cyrus replied. He had already tried earlier. He then turned to the others, asking about what had happened.

"It's my fault," Lupin said. He had just been rescued by the professors from a cupboard in the DADA office. He looked extremely weak, with a chunk of his hair missing. "Barty Crouch Jr. has been impersonating me all term, and he's the one who took Harry!"

"Now is not the time to worry about who's to blame," Cyrus said sternly. Without the Galleon, he had no way of knowing where Harry was. Just then, Snape, who had been silent, suddenly clutched his arm.

Sweat dripped down his forehead, as if he were enduring some painful punishment, but he didn't make a sound.

With a lifeless look in his eyes, he turned to Cyrus and said something that shocked Hermione and the others beyond belief:

"He... he's summoning me!"

_______

A/N: Don't worry, the death eaters will join our MC.

12 Advance Chapters—