Chapter 273 269. Beauxbatons. Part 1. The Garden.

London. Lestrange Manor.

After yet another emergency meeting that had resolved only a few issues regarding the resumption of the war, Voldemort left the conference room with visible irritation.

Preparations were progressing too slowly, hampered by the incident in France, where he had lost face and authority in the eyes of most of his allied wizards.

For this reason, several suppliers of potions and artifacts had severed all ties, old and new, with him: connections built primarily on fear and his name.

After that incident, many had begun baring their fangs, which infuriated him; he could not tolerate disobedience.

Not to mention that about twenty percent of the Death Eaters had abandoned the organization during his absence and vanished without a trace.

They had managed to find only a few, but the staged public execution of the traitors had failed to restore the weight his name once carried.

Yet even these turncoats did not anger Voldemort as much as the bastard who had dared to send that humiliating photograph to all his allies and subordinates, accompanied by an insulting message on the back that thoroughly mocked his appearance, dwelling especially on the nose, or rather, the absence of one.

Because of this, it had become a forbidden topic within the organization.

For the same reason, Rabastan Lestrange had been taking a beating at every meeting lately, since he’d been specifically tasked with finding this joker, yet hadn’t made any progress.

Nevertheless, Tom could not call the infiltration of Ascolt a failure.

In addition to securing ten fairly powerful wizards who had agreed to serve him in exchange for their freedom, he had found Mortis, the teacher.

Mortis was a powerful dark wizard against whom Tom himself could scarcely hold his own.

If they fought to the death, his own demise would be inevitable, but Riddle had no desire to commit such folly.

Thanks to daily duels, he felt his skills improving with each passing day as he gained experience and learned new spells.

He was certain that when the war resumed, he would leave nothing of Dumbledore.

Yet these successes did not dull the vigilance of Slytherin’s descendant for even a moment.

Just as he had not trusted this suspicious old man before, so he did not now, for there was no such thing as a free lunch, and everything came at a cost.

Therefore, Tom remained especially on guard around Mortis, even though he understood he could not defeat him if the man chose to attack.

But even if that happened, he had no intention of surrendering his life so easily.

Upon returning to the office that had formerly belonged to the head of the Lestrange family, Riddle sat at the desk and began studying the more detailed reports Lucius had presented regarding the German market, where several underground traders were willing to supply artifacts for a good price.

"Heh-heh... how interestingly everything is arranged here...," a mocking, unpleasant, raspy voice came from behind him, a voice he had grown accustomed to in such a short time, yet he still reached for his wand, "...and so many talented children. I’m almost envious..."

"I’m busy."

"I see..." Materializing to the right of the desk, Mortis approached a portrait of a mustached man in a tuxedo. "...so much fear, hatred, and resentment in the eyes of your subordinates... I wouldn’t be surprised if one day they stab you in the back." He looked at Tom with a wide, toothless grin.

"Is that what you were trying to surprise me with? And since you understand people so well..."

"You are as much an open book to me as the rest. Your anxiety and the fear buried deep in your soul: I see it all perfectly. You are wary of me, but needlessly so. I do not wish to harm you, only to observe where your game leads." Ignoring the bulging vein on Riddle’s forehead, Mortis approached him again and patted his shoulder. "...Learn to relax, my student."

"Were you there?" he asked with a menacing glare, irritably brushing the hand away.

"Yes, I was, but I didn’t go inside. The phantoms were enough."

"Were you scared?"

"Yes." The brief, direct answer immediately silenced Tom. "I want to live a little longer, and picking a fight with someone who keeps the Chimera King as a pet is something only a fool or a suicidal man would do. Or did you specifically want to sic him on me? If so, that was an excellent move. Had I been less cautious, I might have lost my life there."

"What kind of creature is that?" Voldemort tensed, hearing of such a monster for the first time.

"I had forgotten how limited your knowledge of the outside world is." Riddle’s eye twitched, but he restrained his urge to subject Mortis to the Cruciatus Curse. "If measured by your classification, it exceeds the XXXXX category, and it is not the only such creature. Therefore, I have no desire to make such a dangerous enemy."

Such news was bound to surprise Tom, although he himself had once tamed a Basilisk.

And if such creatures roamed the grounds of Severus’s manor, it was no wonder that the attack involving over two hundred mercenaries had failed.

Because of this, he had been forced to urgently reconsider his plans regarding Severus and simply try to avoid crossing him entirely.

So he had even stopped punishing Bellatrix and sending her on dangerous missions, because if she died, his trump card and shield would disappear, and making enemies of an enraged Severus and his teacher was the last thing he wanted.

And now he had confirmed his fears: that he had acted correctly that day.

Mortis did not even need to read his mind to understand what the student standing before him was thinking.

*Heh-heh... how interesting... I’d love to see his face when he learns that the woman he considers his most faithful follower, that boy’s pawn, hates him to the core... Ah... I can hardly wait to see how this spectacle ends. His expression... What a pity I can’t play with her a little, or perhaps... create such an enemy for myself...? Then life would certainly become much more interesting...*

"I see. Then disappear and stop bothering me." Seeing the delighted expression on Mortis’s face, Tom once again had to restrain himself from using the Cruciatus Curse on him.

"Boy, watch your tongue. I am not your subordinate." In an instant, Mortis’s face shifted from pleasant excitement to murderous coldness, and the shadows in the room came alive, writhing like snakes.

Within seconds, twilight descended upon the office. Not a single ray of light could penetrate it. Riddle could see nothing but a pair of eerie, blood-red eyes and feel nothing but a dark, cold aura that overwhelmed him with a feeling he had not experienced in a very long time: fear.

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South of France. Canigou Mountain.

Beauxbatons could rightfully be called the most beautiful and elegant school in all of Europe. Though it was one of the oldest educational institutions, only slightly younger than Hogwarts, it had lost none of its former charm.

The school building was a magnificent white castle in the finest medieval tradition.

Despite being built atop a mountain, Beauxbatons was surrounded by splendid, meticulously kept gardens and meadows. In front of the walls stretched a beautiful English garden, where Severus and Nagini were walking.

Perenelle had not forgotten her promise to let them wander through the school and behold the enchanting landscapes and gardens whose beauty had been described in countless books.

And Severus had to admit, the books had not lied.

The variety of flowers, the rows of neat, low shrubs trimmed into perfect squares, and the pleasant, gentle fragrance that hung in the air.

It was like another world, utterly incomparable to Muggle parks.

The garden was not empty, of course. Students strolled along its paths, mostly girls, along with other wizards who had come to visit their children.

The female students wore light blue dresses with matching jackets and berets, white gloves, and black shoes.

The male students’ attire differed little in color and style: the same white gloves, black shoes, and light blue jackets, though they wore gray trousers and white shirts instead of dresses.

Additionally, each student wore a robe, the top button of which indicated their house.

Approaching the center of the garden, they came upon a tall fountain surrounded by wooden benches, each already occupied by happily chattering girls.

"Compared to the city, the atmosphere here is completely different... so peaceful and beautiful..." Nagini inhaled the clean air, fragrant with flowers and herbs. With a serene smile on her lips, she closed her eyes and rested her head on his shoulder.

"I can only agree. This is a wonderful place, especially compared to gloomy Hogwarts." He shifted his gaze toward the wall, beyond which the castle lay.

"If you like our school so much, why not stay and join us as a new teacher?" A deep, somewhat loud female voice came from behind him.

"Not interested," he replied calmly, turning to face the speaker, a lady nearly three meters tall, with pleasant features, large expressive brown eyes, olive skin, a large, slightly curved aquiline nose, and loose hair falling to her neck.

She wore a blue satin robe with fur at the neck and sleeves, a matching dress beneath, and black shoes.

"I am pleased to meet you, Madame Maxime," he said, having to tilt his head back, as she stood three or even four heads taller than him. "My name is Severus Prince, and this is Nagini Prince." At hearing her name paired with his, Nagini blushed deeply but looked thoroughly pleased.

"Professor Flamel has already told me everything. When I learned it was you, I decided to give you a personal tour." Olympe Maxime, the current headmistress, offered him a reserved smile.

"Thank you. I didn’t expect you to come personally, but..."

"I read your book on Defense Against the Dark Arts and very much wanted to meet its author." She gestured toward the large iron gates, and they walked in that direction under the curious gazes of students, some even older than Severus himself, since Beauxbatons, unlike Hogwarts, had a nine-year program.

"I hope it wasn’t so you could hit him over the head with it?" Nagini asked jokingly.

Olympe let out a few chuckles before replying.

"Of course not. I was pleasantly surprised and learned a great deal, especially from the medical sections and the Chapter on emergency procedures. I also very much enjoyed the presentation of the material, as well as your talk at the Ministry of Magic."

"I’m flattered. I never expected to hear such praise from a headmistress herself."

"I once considered writing a similar book myself, but after reading yours, I realized that even if I had attempted it, I could hardly have covered all the topics you addressed with such thoroughness. It was truly demanding, laborious work; it’s hard to believe it was written by a seventh-year student." There was no hint of doubt in her words; she was simply amazed that someone so young could have produced such a work.

"I had good connections at the Ministry of Magic, which helped me obtain the core data analyzed in the book. I then expanded on it with help from teachers in certain areas." Severus shook his head calmly. There was no need to mention that the true author of the book was Voldemort himself, the enemy of both France and Britain, and that he was merely a co-author.

"Modesty becomes you, of course, but excessive modesty can sometimes be detrimental."

"I’ll keep that in mind, though I’m usually called quite the vain bastard." He glanced at Nagini, who looked at him with embarrassed indignation and elbowed him in the side.

"Severus!"

"All right, all right. I’ll be quiet." He winked at her cheerfully, then looked up at the gates, which were slowly beginning to open. "You could have just used the right door," he remarked, glancing at the smaller entrance through which ordinary students passed. Olympe quickly averted her gaze.

*Fine... though I didn’t want to attract the students’ attention...* Severus didn’t particularly like being the center of attention, especially when it was unnecessary. Now everyone was watching them, and he disliked the girls’ predatory gazes and the Veela charm that hung in the air.

*That’s exactly why I don’t want to stay in this place. The charm is too irritating...* With those thoughts, they entered the school grounds.

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