Hearing that name, the three newcomers all shuddered.
They each harbored a deep fear of that name, while the others remained composed.
Even Neville wore a calm expression.
John spoke softly, "You should all know by now—Voldemort is back. There's no doubt about it. And your parents know it too."
He turned to look at Crabbe and Goyle. He had known for a long time that their fathers were Death Eaters.
Cold sweat soaked their backs, and beads of sweat the size of peas rolled down their faces.
They were still holding onto that blood-red glass orb, not letting anyone else touch it.
John continued, "I can tell you this—between Voldemort and me, there is a hatred that cannot be crossed. That hatred will only end when one of us is dead."
"So I don't want to see, either in this school or in Slytherin, any foolish person doing Voldemort's bidding."
At those words, the two of them lowered their heads. John took a deep breath and said, "Crabbe. Goyle."
The moment he called their names, everyone's gaze fell on the two of them.
Malfoy's expression changed instantly. He pulled out his wand with a sharp motion. "You two bastards!"
His face was twisted with anger, hatred, and disbelief—these were the friends he had grown up with, and yet they were serving Voldemort.
"You joined the Death Eaters? Itold you not to!" Malfoy roared, voice shaking with grief and fury. "Why?!"
"Draco, we were forced!" Crabbe cried out in despair. "My dad held down my hand—he carved it himself. I couldn't stop him!"
"That's no excuse for betrayal!" Malfoy shouted.
"Calm down, Draco." John raised his hand and gently pressed down the wand, his expression composed. "They didn't betray anyone."
"But they became Death Eaters." Malfoy's voice was filled with frustration. But could he really bring himself to punish his own friends?
Malfoy fell silent. He couldn't accept it.
John patted him on the shoulder in comfort and said with a smile, "They're not Death Eaters. They gave up that identity with their own hands."
Malfoy jerked his head up and looked at the two of them. Crabbe and Goyle pulled back their sleeves, revealing faint scars on their left arms.
"We didn't betray anyone!" Goyle said loudly.
Malfoy's tense body finally relaxed. He slumped into a chair and cursed, "You could've said that earlier—I almost killed you both!"
Cedric shook his head helplessly. Knowing Malfoy, the credibility of that threat was... questionable.
After settling Malfoy's emotions, John walked over to Pansy.
Pansy looked incredibly nervous and stammered, "I-I didn't join the Death Eaters."
"I know. What I want to tell you is that your father might try to force you into it one day too." John looked her in the eye and asked seriously, "When that day comes, if it's between friends and family—what will you choose?"
Pansy fell into a deep internal struggle. Her father was a Death Eater. If things turned out just like John said... what was she supposed to do?
Daphne saw her best friend struggling and spoke up with concern, "John, do you have any way to solve this?"
Pansy looked up at John, eyes filled with hope. John chuckled softly and said, "There is one way—I think it's worth a try."
He continued, "Crabbe, Goyle, I need you two to tell me—what exactly was your mission?"
John glanced at them. The two exchanged looks and replied, "Poisoning."
"Heh~ Looks like Voldemort is well aware of my strength," John said, unsurprised. He returned to his seat and sat down leisurely, saying, "I can tell you all—there's a way to solve this problem once and for all."
"What way?" Cedric asked.
Leaning back in his chair, John calmly said, "Kill Voldemort."
The room fell silent. Simple, yes—but no one had ever succeeded in doing it, except for the Chosen One, Harry Potter.
John smiled mysteriously. "We might not be able to—but someone else can. Dumbledore."
"Him?" Cedric said hesitantly, "We know how powerful Dumbledore is, but Voldemort's in hiding…"
"Not everyone's in the dark, are they?"
John said casually, "Right now, Voldemort is staying at Draco's house."
This time, everyone was completely dumbfounded.
Especially Crabbe and Goyle—both of them were actually starting to get angry.
"He was yelling at us so fiercely just now, and turns out you're the one hiding the guy at your house!"
The two were full of indignation. Damn you, Draco—who would've thought you were that kind of person?
Malfoy's expression was grim. "My father brought him back. If it weren't for my mother stopping me, I would have launched a bombardment…"
He clenched his fists, gritting his teeth.
"This is actually a good thing," John shook his head slightly. "Knowing Voldemort's whereabouts is very helpful to us."
"Wait—you guys are actually planning to go against the Dark—You-Know-Who?" Pansy stared at the members of the Constellation Society in horror.
Were all the Constellation Society members this crazy? Or was she just out of the loop?
A bunch of students… discussing how to take out Voldemort?
Malfoy gave her a smug grin, "Pansy, you really are too easily shocked."
That was Voldemort, for Merlin's sake!
Was she really the one who was overreacting, or were they just completely reckless?
Pansy felt like the world had gone mad.
John used Legilimency to calm Pansy's emotions. Then he said, "Once, even a baby defeated Voldemort. Why would you think we can't?"
But that was the Chosen One…
Pansy didn't say it aloud, but it felt like she was meeting this group for the first time—her childhood friend, her bestie…
Yet both of them seemed to think all this was perfectly natural.
So this was the Constellation Society—home to monsters and geniuses. Pansy thought.
"Dumbledore has already gathered a force outside. It's called the Order of the Phoenix, and it was once the Death Eaters' greatest enemy. He's waiting for a battle with Voldemort," John said calmly.
"We need the right opportunity to spark a direct conflict between the Order and the Death Eaters."
Drive the tiger to swallow the wolf.
That was John's plan.
And the prerequisite for this plan was John knowing the movements of both the Order of the Phoenix and the Death Eaters.
With that information, carrying out the plan wouldn't be hard.
In fact, John could go to Dumbledore right now and tell him Voldemort was hiding at Malfoy Manor.
But that wouldn't maximize the benefits.
John needed timing—an opportune moment for the two strongest forces of the century to clash. And from that clash, he would reap the rewards.
He didn't expect Dumbledore to kill Voldemort—because of the Horcruxes, that was impossible.
At the very least, until he found all the Horcruxes, Voldemort needed to stay alive.
But crippling Voldemort wasn't a bad idea either.
At the very least, it would keep him quiet while John searched for the Horcruxes. As for how to carry it out, John already had a plan.
Neville looked a little dazed. John said, "Neville, you should have realized by now."
"Realized what?"
"My plan," John explained patiently. "I want to use the Order of the Phoenix. So I hope your parents won't get involved."
Neville was silent for a while, then said firmly, "I understand. I'll persuade them to back out."
John nodded in satisfaction and turned to look at Crabbe and Goyle.
There was a strange gleam in his eyes as he said meaningfully, "I need a favor from you two."
The two of them swallowed hard. This was a man who dared to manipulate both Voldemort and Dumbledore—resisting him wasn't even an option in their minds.
By the next day, everything that had happened in the Constellation Society had become a secret, swallowed down and buried deep.
...
The first day of school began with Potions.
Which, for most people, was not a pleasant experience.
Especially for Gryffindor—Harry had already been scolded so harshly it could peel paint off walls.
Snape didn't go any easier on Harry just because he had joined the Order of the Phoenix.
Especially since Harry was brewing a calming draught and had basically ignored the instructions.
Malfoy laughed loudly without restraint, while John, as usual, was awarded house points—something everyone had grown used to by now.
After class, Harry was extremely irritated.
He had argued with the people in his dorm the night before—Seamus, like those other idiot wizards, still refused to believe that Voldemort had returned.
"I thought he'd be a bit better this year," Hermione said in a disappointed tone. "I mean, he joined the Order of the Phoenix now, and everything."
"Mushrooms don't change their spots," Ron snarked as usual. "I still think Dumbledore's mad for trusting Snape. What proof is there that he's really stopped working for You-Know-Who?"
Hermione disagreed. "I think Dumbledore must've gotten enough proof, even if he didn't show it to you, Ron."
"Oh, shut up, both of you," Harry snapped, thoroughly annoyed. "Can't you give it a rest for once?!"
With that, he stormed off, leaving the two of them staring at each other in stunned silence.
___________
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