Chapter 871 - The Foretelling

There is a stretch of silence, before Voldemort emotionlessly says, "Lestrange," curling his fingers at the wizard as if beckoning a temperamental pet. "The Unspeakable has no further use, yes?" He asked as his pale unnatural fingers ċȧrėssed the wand lovingly in his hand.

The tall, thin, dark-haired figure of Rodolphus Lestrange steps forward and bȧrėly tilts his head in a bow. His cheeks are gaunter as of late and his dark eyes burn as cold and deadly as ever. "If I may be permitted to speak plainly, Dark Lord?"

"Speak, Lestrange," Voldemort crisply answered turning his crimson serpent gaze towards his servant.

"The Unspeakable is still required to depart from the Department of Ministries safely," Rodolphus candidly explained. "I understand that the Dark Lord wishes for no loose ends, but the Unspeakable cannot yet be killed. There is still further use to him."

A loud snort is heard to the side belonging to Devante Nott. The tall wizard with a pointy chin arrogantly steps forward arching his angry-looking brows upward in a blatant fashion. "Lestrange, you answered very much in the same manner for the pathetic guard. You have grown weak," he smirked. "Your weak actions cast shame upon the Dark Lord's plans."

Rodolphus's eyes glitter with a cold burning fire. "It is a far more foolish action to slay a weak guard in the most disordered manner as possibly by sliting the guard's throat and not even bothering to vanish the blood nor corpse away. The Auror's will most certainly realize that an internal intrusion occurred during the time of the giant's attack. Should they survive this night, they will inevitably increase the inner defenses as well. And none of the Wizengamont will protest the Minister of Magic, Eugenia's Jenkins request. Not after tonight."

Rodolphus's lips curled into a grim snarl. "Furthermore, the Auror's have already closed the hidden tunnels under the Ministry. A second breach will be nigh impossible without a great cost at our expense and no guarantee of success. If I did not know any better, I would believe that you wish for the Dark Lord to fail and be captured, Nott."

Before Devante can speak in his own defense, Voldemort impatiently hisses, "Enough!" The two wizards fall silent as Voldemort tilts his head to the side and says, "And what do you think, Nagini?"

Both Devante and Rodolphus become stiffen at seeing the glittering serpent eyes gleam from the shadows. An exceptionally large green snake slithers out from the shadows. The serpent was as thick as a man's thɨġh with a flat head like that of a venomous viper. It had diamond patterns on its skin as it hissed in passing at the two wizards, before coiling around her kin.

Nagini hisses at her kin that the wizard should not be killed as the cold, dark one was correct even if she did not like to agree on anything with Lestrange. "Is that so?" Voldemort murmured out loud with a trace of cold amusement. "It would seem that Nagini agrees with you Lestrange much to her displeasure."

"Very well, let us commence to search. We are short on time," Voldemort icily said as Nagini slithered away and began to search. The two wizards obediently moved away while Boderic Bode remained behind staring blankly into the distance.

Striding directly to row forty-five, Rodolphus paused at the long alley of shelves filled with tiny yellowing labels on dusty glass orbs. Some of the orbs have a weird, glowing liquid; others are dull and dark as if about to glow out like the wick of a candle. His eyes become drawn to the glistening orb that is not yet coated in dust. The scribbled tag reads, "The Broken Serpent, the Roused Lion, and the Three-faced Runespoor, and the abomination, Hydra."

Rodolphus's eyes linger on the last written word on the tag. His mind pieces together the puzzle and connects the symbol to that which he had a presence at the time of S.R. Wilke's death. For a moment, he is sorely tempted to reach out and touch the orb, but he knows that the orb is enchanted to not be taken except by the Keeper of the Prophecy Hall and the prophecy holder. Should another attempt such a feat, there would be dire consequences. Instead, he points his wand at the tag and murmurs a spell under his breath. The prophecy tag transforms to read as "Lord Voldemort and Hydra," just as Capricorn had instructed him to.

Rapidly putting his wand away, Rodolphus in a loud voice says, "Milord, I have found the prophecy orb!"

Devante along with Voldemort hurry towards Rodolphus Lestrange with Nagini leading the way. The three arrive at row forty-five to see Lestrange stepping back and gesturing to a glittering orb. Voldemort eagerly strides forward and halts before the glowing orb. His crimson eyes narrow at reading the prophecy tag, "Lord Voldemort and Hydra."

"Hydra?" Voldemort whispered to himself causing his crimson eyes to glow with a hint of old fury. It must be his enemy! His crimson eyes glow with old madness for a moment, before the madness passes and his mind becomes clear again.

Voldemort's pale, thin spider-like fingers reach out and carefully grasped the orb, before crushing it in his hand. The prophecy orb shatters and the mystical, ethereal voice of Sybill Trelawney is heard. "That which Cassandra has spoken is gone, but that which spoken can never be truly be taken. And so, it returns, and so I say, 'Two stars have fallen, both equal in might…. Both filled with darkness and despair…. But neither can live for the Hydra hides in the shadows…. Long forgotten, long thought gone, but not all things that are forgotten are ever truly gone...The Hydra will consume them both….and the world shall finally perish and fall away into utter darkness...-Yet life and death will clasp hands in solemn accord, the Hydra must perish..."

"At long last, I glimpse the identity of my foe," Voldemort thought devilishly to himself. As a consequence, a terrible grin appeared on his face causing the hair of those watching to stand on end.

Without the aid of a wand nor verbal incantation, Voldemort casts the vanishing spell upon the broken prophecy glass orb shards erasing them from existence. "The giants will not be able to hold out for much longer," he commented as his crimson serpent eyes blinked in pŀėȧsurė, before turning them upon Nott.

Devante appears startled at the Dark Lord's sudden attention before a sly grin spread across his face. "I have little doubt that Master anticipated the Giants' losses and I would even go as far as to suggest that that was master's intentional plan all along," he said with great flattery.

"It is not your place to speak on the subject, Nott," Voldemort sneered in displeasure said causing Devante to hurriedly bow in apology.

A hint of surprise flashed through Devante's eyes at the Dark Lord's refusal of flattery. The Dark Lord in the past had quite enjoyed and basked in the flattery of his followers. And yet, the Dark Lord seemed especially disgusted by his flattery. The soul shard within Devante Nott slowly began to awaken causing a gleam to flash through his eyes as the soul shard emerged from his magical core to completely take over the host. The puppet was not acting according to the script.. They would have to rectify the situation immediately.