Voldemort stared confidently at Marius Cloud. As a genius himself, he knew exactly how most gifted individuals thought. Arrogant, ambitious, always seeking power beyond rules or limits—surely this kid couldn't resist what he was offering.
Too bad he had no idea Marius didn't care in the slightest about his "mentorship."
After all, Marius had the Archmage System, the perfect path to power. Compared to that, Voldemort's pitiful scraps weren't even worth considering.
"All right then, Marius. Now tell me your decision," Voldemort said, smiling with satisfaction.
He was utterly convinced of his success. A young prodigy from a pure-blood family, overflowing with talent and youthful naivety—how could Marius possibly refuse? And if he had both Quirrell and this kid as insiders at Hogwarts, stealing the Philosopher's Stone would be all but guaranteed!
Marius answered slowly, voice calm and composed. "Your offer sounds quite tempting, Lord Voldemort…"
That made Voldemort's smirk widen with confidence.
"...But in your current half-dead condition, you don't really make the most convincing recruiter."
The smile disappeared.
Marius continued without pause. "Sure, you probably have plenty of knowledge that Hogwarts won't teach me. But you can't offer me protection. Which means, even if I joined you, I'd be living in fear—constantly hiding my identity."
"That's only temporary!" Voldemort growled. "Once I return and reclaim my power, the entire wizarding world will tremble before me!"
"Maybe. But the future is never certain, is it?" Marius smiled faintly. "What if I slip up? Just one careless word after arriving at Hogwarts, and boom—the great Dark Lord falls before he can even rise again."
This time it was Marius who smirked, while Voldemort's face turned stormy—not that he had much color in it to begin with.
"Oh, and let's not forget," Marius added casually, "if I leak even a little information about you—combined with my already extraordinary talent—Dumbledore will surely take me under his wing as his secret weapon against you."
"With him personally training me, the power I'd gain might not be much less than what you're offering. So, tell me, Voldemort… What do I really have to gain from siding with you?"
"You underestimate the reality!" Voldemort howled. "You're a pure-blood heir. Someone like Dumbledore, with his narrow-minded views, would never trust someone like you. He'll keep you at arm's length—reject you!"
"Easy there, old relic," Marius said with a grin. "I never said we couldn't cooperate."
Voldemort's expression froze. "...What do you mean?"
Marius's smile sharpened. "I already know who you are, which means I have your biggest weakness in my hands. So why not strike a deal? You offer me benefits, and in return… I don't report you to Dumbledore. That's cooperation too, isn't it?"
"You're playing with fire, boy!" Voldemort seethed, nearly choking on his own fury.
"No worries." Marius raised his wand and chuckled. "I'm quite good at Aguamenti, as you've experienced firsthand. I'm sure I can put it out."
The vivid memory of being nearly drowned in a torrent of magically conjured water made Voldemort's eye sockets twitch. The once-feared Dark Lord—almost snuffed out by a pre-schooler with a water spell. Unbelievable.
"You'd better consider the consequences!" Voldemort hissed, eyes narrowing like blades. "Even if I did nothing, you weren't going to report me. But now you dare try to leverage that!?"
"Hmm? When did I say I wasn't going to report you?" Marius asked in mock surprise. "Do you have any evidence?"
"..."
Voldemort had no response. Marius had never promised that—but the way he spoke, the way he acted, had given Voldemort the illusion of safety.
It was a terrifying realization.
After a long silence, Voldemort's lips curled into a sharp, cold grin. "Fine. Tell me what you want."
"At this stage, I'll keep it simple," Marius said smoothly. "I want you to personally teach me high-level Dark Magic—things I can't learn at Hogwarts."
Voldemort considered it for a moment, then nodded.
"Very well. Come to this fool's office whenever you can. I'll teach you everything you wish to know."
To Voldemort, this was a trap worth setting. The addictive power of Dark Magic had ensnared countless brilliant minds before. Marius would be no exception—once he tasted it, he'd sink deeper and deeper into its seductive abyss. By then, Voldemort wouldn't need to force him—he'd come begging for more.
"I'm glad to see Lord Voldemort can be so... cooperative," Marius replied cheerfully. "Here's to a fruitful partnership."
With that, he turned and left the staff carriage without looking back.
Inside, Voldemort stood silent and brooding, the temperature around him seeming to drop several degrees.
"The Cloud family… always the Cloud family…" he muttered darkly, while Quirrell fidgeted nervously nearby.
"M-Master… maybe it's time for you to lay low again…"
"Shut up, you imbecile!"
But neither Voldemort nor Quirrell realized that outside, walking down the corridor, Marius was also smiling coldly.
"Actually, you guessed right," he murmured to himself. "Even if you didn't give me anything, I wouldn't report you to Dumbledore."
"Because the best Voldemort… is a half-dead Voldemort."
"So do me a favor—and keep crawling in the shadows for as long as you live, Dark Lord."
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T/N:
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