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Chapter 31 - The Background

"I must say," Edmund finally broke the silence, "when I learned what you did to those Death Eaters, I was thoroughly impressed."

"And I am pleased to meet such a fine young wizard," he added with a smile.

Antonio returned the smile.

"The pleasure is mine, Lord Bones," he replied politely.

"I believe my daughter has already given you a general idea of what to expect from us and what we expect from you in return," Edmund continued, not bothering to beat around the bush.

Antonio nodded and answered.

"I have a general understanding, and ideologically, I do align with the idea of opposing the Death Eaters."

"Still," he continued with a pause, "I do not fully understand the details. Things like what exactly is expected of me, what my responsibilities and duties would be, or in what manner you intend to oppose the Death Eaters."

Edmund nodded. "That is precisely why you are here to discuss this."

"Let me begin with some background," he said, settling into, the topic.

"This entire scenario, the rise of a so called dark lord, a spearhead of movement for getting the place the pure bloods deserved in the society began about three years ago."

"It was odd, really. His supporters or perhaps the man himself started referring to him as the Dark Lord, even though he claimed to be fighting for the so called welfare of the pure bloods. He should have been called the light lord, at least from his supporters."

"Then came the laughable rumours that he was only being called the Dark Lord because he was willing to use any means, including violence, to pursue his goals. They said that there was a light hidden behind this darkness for the pure bloods and we must all embrace it."

"In the beginning, no one took him seriously. After all, it was not the first time someone had tried to start a pure blood movement. Even now, there are multiple groups separate from the Dark Lord pushing that very agenda."

"But there was something different about this man. He claimed to be Lord Slytherin, a descendant of Salazar Slytherin but for whatever reason, he never formally claimed the lordship or his seat in the Wizengamot."

Antonio nodded thoughtfully. These were details that were not public knowledge, so he had not known much about them. And whether Voldemort could actually claim Salazar Slytherin's title had always been a topic of debate. It had been an issue that had sparked endless speculation and fan theories in his previous life.

"Along with that claim, it was his own strength that truly helped his rise," Edmund continued. "The Dark Lord is said to be magically superior and very powerful. Some even say that only Albus Dumbledore has the power to stop him."

"While I do not personally believe that to be entirely true, I cannot say for certain," Edmund admitted. "But he has quite a few able wizards and witches working under him."

'The rumours are true, Lord Bones,' Antonio thought silently.

"People started getting drawn to his propaganda, and his following grew steadily. For reasons unknown, the Dark Lord insisted that his followers wear masks, hiding their identities. That is when they came to be known as the Death Eaters."

Antonio nodded again, and Edmund continued.

"Even up to that point, few had taken him seriously. His tactics had been limited to sending representatives and emissaries to various pure blood families, trying to persuade them to join his cause. It felt more like political manoeuvring than outright rebellion."

"But everything changed about two years ago, one year after his name first surfaced."

"The Death Eaters, dressed in full regalia, launched their first attack," Edmund sighed grimly, "on a magical inn. Four half blood wizards were killed, and over a dozen pure bloods were wounded."

"That was the moment when the Dark Lord's name began to echo across Wizarding Britain and when his name began to strike fear in the hearts of common witches and wizards."

"But that was just the beginning," Edmund continued. "The first attack was followed by a second, then a third and then it exploded."

"At first, the Death Eaters were careful not to kill pure bloods. At most, if a situation arose, they would injure them. It was during this period that many pure bloods began joining the Dark Lord's cause. He was hailed as a brave and courageous man, willing to fight for the supposed benefit of the magically pure."

"You could say the Dark Lord had gathered a small fan following, especially among the younger generations. Many began to idolize him and mimic his beliefs. They wanted to walk on his path. Liberation from muggle born, they called it. That propaganda significantly boosted his number of followers."

"But over the past six months, everything has changed," Edmund said, his voice growing colder.

"The Death Eaters no longer care whether pure bloods are killed. Their earlier attacks, once specific, well targeted, and carefully executed have become completely erratic. Communities inhabited by ordinary pure blood magical families have started to come under attack. Dozens and dozens are wiped out in a single attack."

"Their message of pure blood welfare has twisted into something far more dangerous. They now care only for pure blood nobility. A common pure blood and his or her family means nothing to them now. And I am certain it would not be long before even the noble pure blood families are targeted as well."

"The dark only want power and more power. He cares for nothing else. He wants to rule the Wizarding Britain or maybe even the entire world."

"And it is not just that," he added grimly. "They have begun to show open hatred and loathing for Muggles. A large number of attacks have been reported in Muggle areas over the past couple of months. For them, the life of a muggle is cheap as an insect or an ant."

 

A heavily silence enveloped the room when Edmund Bones finished his narration. His eyes remained fixed on Antonio who was busy in his thoughts. Till now, Edmund Bones had not revealed some very deep secret about Voldemort. But what he had done that he had made the story of Voldemort entirely clear. He would now not have to think and assume a lot of things based on his past life knowledge.

In fact, he knew a far more deeper secret of Voldemort. Of the dark lord being a half blood himself.

"Quit an intriguing tale this is," Antonio remarked.

Edmund stared at him in surprise then a small chuckled escaped his lips. "Intriguing you say."

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