Author's Note: Don't forget to vote, comment and leave a 5 star review to help the story grow and reach more people.
Read upto +30 Chapters worth of content ahead and receive extra updates daily by going to my Patreon and becoming a fellow Patreon.
Patreon: mrfanfiction140
Be sure to read my other Novels as well:
- Naruto: Multiverse Adventures
- Hunter x Hunter : The Alchemist.
----
Deep in the Cairngorms of the Scottish Highlands.
Far from the main hiking trails, right beneath a leeward cliff, a rugged and gloomy Castle stood stubbornly.
It was protected by the Fidelius Charm, making the Castle appear to the outside world as nothing more than an inaccessible steep rock face or an ordinary stretch of woodland.
Inside the Castle.
The siblings Amycus Carrow and Alecto Carrow were sitting around a wooden table.
Scattered across the table were several worn pieces of parchment—drafts of failed business plans or threatening letters—a few empty wine bottles, and a handful of Galleons.
At that moment, the Carrows were staring intently at the pile of Galleons, as if trying to multiply them through sheer force of will.
Since the fall of the Dark Lord, their lives had been like a leaky boat, sinking lower and lower.
Running a legitimate business? They had neither the patience, the brains, nor the reputation for it.
The few "deals" they had attempted—such as threatening small shopkeepers for "protection money" or reselling Dark Arts items of unknown origin—either ended with alert shopkeepers reporting them to the Ministry of Magic, causing endless trouble, or collapsed because their notorious reputation scared buyers away. In the end, they didn't just fail to make money; they lost quite a bit as well.
To fill those holes, even the few ancestral properties and collections that still generated a meager income had to be sold off cheaply to other pure-blood families eager to take advantage of their misfortune.
They were living off their remaining capital, and the "mountain" was almost gone.
"Big brother, the Galleons we have left... there really aren't many." Alecto stopped tapping at the table with her fingers. "I'm afraid we'll barely have enough to go to Knockturn Alley next month to restock on... 'essentials.'"
Bang!
Amycus didn't answer. He simply slammed his elbow onto the table, producing a dull, heavy thud.
"Damn it! Damn them all!" he roared. "Those cowardly traitors! Those blood-sucking profiteers! And that damn shop! They couldn't even open a stupid box!"
Robbery was supposed to be their area of "expertise," yet their very first attempt had met with such a humiliating "Waterloo." To them, it felt even worse than a failed business venture.
While the two were worrying over their poverty, outside the Castle, high in the sky—
Lynn hovered in midair above the Cairngorms.
In his mind, the system prompt sounded at just the right moment.
[Ding! Mission issued.]
[Mission Objective: Make your enemies feel pain]
[Mission Reward: Curse Chain]
[Effect: When targets are afflicted by the same curse, the Spells you use when casting again can be chained together.]
[Guess what this thing can be used for? [Funny-face.jpg]]
Lynn glanced at the system mission and ignored it. Looking down, he spotted several groups of hikers carrying large backpacks.
"Troublesome."
His wand tapped downward.
Silent ripples spread outward with Lynn at the center, and the effect of the Muggle-Repelling Charm quietly enveloped the area.
The hikers below stopped in their tracks and began turning around, heading back the way they had come or descending the mountain entirely. Soon, this section of the mountain range returned to silence.
Clearing complete.
Lynn began a carpet search.
His gaze swept over every rock crevice, every clearing in the woods, and every pile of stones that looked naturally formed.
He flew slowly and carefully.
However, after circling the area completely, he found nothing. The mountains remained silent, with no sign of any Castle or manor.
Lynn stopped in midair, frowning slightly.
"Not here? There's no reason for Lucius Malfoy to lie to me..." he muttered. "Then it's hidden, and hidden very deeply... the Fidelius Charm? Or some other advanced concealment magic?"
Suddenly, his eyes lit up as he remembered a spell he had learned from Quirrell. It was perfect for fishing people out right now.
"Morsmordre!"
A green light shot from the tip of his wand into the high clouds.
Immediately afterward, the clouds were dyed green as a giant skull made of glowing light emerged, occupying a huge portion of the sky.
From the skull's mouth, a vivid green python slithered out, forming a lifelike Dark Mark that hung silently over the Cairngorms.
Inside the Castle, Alecto Carrow, who had been irritably watching her brother Amycus slam the table, happened to glance out the high window.
Alecto Carrow froze as though struck by lightning.
The next second, she leaped up from her chair, her finger trembling as she pointed outside.
"Mas... Master! Big brother! Look! It's the Master! The Master is calling us! The Dark Mark! The Master's mark!!"
Hearing this, Amycus's elbow-slamming stopped abruptly.
The moment that massive green mark entered his sight—
"Ha... Hahaha!" He sprang to his feet as well. "Alecto! Quick! Let's go! It's the Master! The Master has returned! The Master is summoning his most loyal servants! We've waited too long! Far too long!!"
Overwhelming joy instantly drowned out all reason in the siblings' minds.
Thoughts of dwindling Galleons, hiding their tracks, or even basic caution were all thrown aside. Only one thought remained: respond to the Master's summons! Right now! Immediately!
The door was yanked open from the inside.
Amycus and Alecto Carrow scrambled out in a frenzy.
With near-manic joy on their faces, they rushed toward the forest in the direction of the Dark Mark, stumbling along the way while shouting incessantly:
"Master! We're here!"
"Your most loyal servants are here!"
"Amycus/Alecto Carrow, at your service!"
"Master! Wait for us!"
...The Carrows stumbled and crawled their way beneath the slowly fading skull.
In the clearing, Lynn stood with his back to them.
In the Carrows' eyes, Lynn appeared to be gazing upward with "longing" at the fading Dark Mark in the sky, his posture seemingly immersed in the power and terror symbolized by the mark.
Amycus and Alecto Carrow exchanged a glance, both seeing the same conclusion in each other's eyes:
This must be another "comrade" who had answered the Master's summons. A young newcomer, recently recruited. Looking at his "devout" upward gaze, there was no mistaking it.
Their long-standing arrogance, combined with the ecstasy of believing the Dark Lord had returned, made them instinctively put on the airs of "seniors."
They showed no courtesy whatsoever toward this "junior" standing between them and the direction of the "Master."
"Hey! Kid! Why are you standing there dazing off? Didn't you see your seniors arriving? Get out of the way! Don't block the path!" Amycus barked arrogantly.
Alecto Carrow chimed in immediately, "Exactly. No manners at all. The Master is summoning us—is this really the time for a newcomer like you to stand around daydreaming? Scram!"
They took it for granted that anyone responding to the Dark Mark must be "one of them," and among "their own," the Carrows naturally considered themselves the more experienced and "core" members deserving of priority and respect.
Hearing the shouting behind him, Lynn slowly turned around.
His gaze swept over the two of them: one hunched and scarecrow-like, clearly Alecto Carrow; the other short, stocky, and clumsy, with tiny eyes buried in fleshy cheeks—definitely Amycus.
Their appearances perfectly matched Lucius Malfoy's description and the silhouettes from the surveillance footage.
Perfect. It really was these two scumbags.
The last trace of doubt about "finding the wrong people" vanished from Lynn's mind.
Before the Carrows even had time to feel suspicious about Lynn's calm reaction—
The hand holding Lynn's wand was already raised.
"Fuck you! Crucio!"
The scarlet beam, mixed with the Undying Curse, instantly slammed into Amycus's body.
"Arghhh—!!!"