บท 506: Chapter 506: The Forgotten Mansion (Edited)
That mansion has been abandoned for a long time.
This mansion, situated on the hillside, used to be the most luxurious and majestic building for several miles around. Its geographical location proves it: from this mansion, you can see the entire small village of Little Hangleton.
However, no house, no matter how luxurious, can withstand the ravages of time. Half a century ago, something strange happened in this mansion, an unsolved mystery to this day. The village elders, along with local journalists, have recounted the story over and over, which has become increasingly absurd and extravagant. But the beginning of the story has never changed: fifty years ago, on a summer morning, a maid entered the living room and discovered that the owners of the mansion, the Riddle family, were dead.
The death of the Riddle family was mysterious. The bodies of the three family members showed no signs of violence, and forensic experts could not determine the cause of their deaths. They appeared healthier than many living people.
The inhabitants of Little Hangleton believed that the Riddle family's gardener, the strange Frank Bryce, was the killer. There was no evidence, but due to suspicions, they considered him guilty.
The Riddle mansion changed hands two more times, but both families only lived there for a short time and moved away because of the feeling of horror and ominousness they felt in that place. The mansion ended up in the hands of a wealthy unknown person, who neither inhabited it nor transformed it into another type of place. He left it abandoned, supposedly for tax reasons, although no one knew what taxes he was referring to.
For Frank, this turned out to be good news, as the wealthy owner continued to employ him as a gardener. For this elderly war veteran, advanced in age, with hearing problems and a lame leg, having a job to sustain himself was luck and a blessing.
Frank had no special skills, or rather, his skills were no longer needed in this era. If he had to write a resume, Frank could only list two skills in the personal skills section: "Expert in handling the Lee-Enfield rifle" and "gardening."
Yes, in addition to being known as the "gardener suspected of murder," Frank had another identity: a veteran of World War II.
Frank, born in 1917, had the misfortune to live in a time when there were some "minor skirmishes" between the great European powers: England, France, Germany, Italy, and Russia. Frank's father was drafted and never returned, claiming to "put an end to all wars." But that didn't affect Frank.
When he was an adult, he joined the British army and participated in World War II.
He was a little luckier than his father. This time, England and France were not willing to sacrifice 60,000 people for a mile of land. The unit he was assigned to withdrew from Belgium and was eventually evacuated to Dunkirk to the island of Great Britain.
Frank was lucky because he was injured in the ears by the explosion of a German grenade and wounded in the leg. This allowed him to be discharged and away from the war. But he was also unlucky because once discharged, he never had the opportunity to regain military honor.
While his war comrades set foot on French soil four years later and marched to Berlin, he could only trim branches on the Riddle estate in Little Hangleton, carrying the mark of a "loner," without any honor or compensation. He was forgotten, like the mansion.
Frank was a reliable person. Although the owners of the Riddle estate never came to inspect their property, he diligently continued to care for the Riddle mansion's gardens, fulfilling his duties as a gardener.
When he was young, he fought against the Germans, and now in his old age, he fought against the weeds in the garden, while the allies of the weeds were the village children. These children liked to throw stones at the windows of the Riddle mansion, and they enjoyed riding their bicycles on the lawn that Frank had worked so hard on.
Those children might grow up to be elegant lawyers, life-saving doctors, or educators, but when they were young, they were just a group of mischievous little rascals. They knew that Frank valued that abandoned mansion and its garden, so they deliberately engaged in destructive actions to attract Frank, who walked limping with his cane through the garden chasing them.
Every time this happened, they had fun, laughing as they scattered.
So, when Frank woke up on an August night and sensed activity in the old mansion, he instinctively thought those children were coming to bother him again.
He changed his clothes, took the spare keys to the house, grabbed his cane leaning against the wall, and limped into the darkness...
The unexpected guests in the house were none other than Peter Pettigrew, Barty Crouch Jr., and Voldemort, along with the snake Nagini.
After finding Voldemort in the Albanian forest, Peter and Barty Crouch Jr. used Nagini's venom and unicorn blood-infused earth to recreate a small, frail body for Voldemort. Then the three, along with the snake, began their journey.
"The fire is lit, master, and there are still potions in the bottle. If you're hungry, have a bit more," Peter said after lighting the fire, addressing Voldemort, who was on the couch.
"We'll talk about the potions later. Move me closer to the fire, Wormtail."
After getting closer to the fire, Voldemort felt a little more comfortable, but he also started to feel a slight discomfort. He couldn't believe that the great Lord Voldemort was afraid of the cold. He was becoming increasingly dissatisfied with his new body.
"Squeeze a bit of venom from Nagini before I go to sleep. I need to replenish my strength overnight. This journey has exhausted me."
Wormtail nodded, and then silence filled the room. Voldemort, with his back to his two servants, watched the fire in the fireplace. His two followers, with strange expressions, looked at each other, as if communicating through their gazes.
"Master, the information is accurate," Barty Crouch Jr. broke the silence. "The Quidditch World Cup is about to begin... Potter will definitely be there."
"Yes, Potter loves Quidditch. He won't miss this big event," added Wormtail beside him.
Voldemort fell silent.
"In my opinion... it would be imprudent to act during the Quidditch World Cup. All those meddling Ministry of Magic people will be on the move," Voldemort said impatiently in his voice.
After a brief moment of silence, Peter gathered courage and said, "Master, it can be done without Potter..."
His voice trembled slightly.
This time, the silence was much longer than before.
Voldemort's voice became sharp, as if he had touched a sensitive spot, and he hissed with anger.
After venting his anger, Voldemort spoke coldly, "I won't use another person. I have my reasons for choosing that boy..."
The remaining words no longer mattered to Peter and Barty Crouch Jr.. They were extremely satisfied with that answer.
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