Chapter 324

"I've always known you had ulterior motives, but you can't just lay them out bare." Sirius pulled his feet off the table. "If we keep meeting to discuss 'resurrecting the Dark Lord,' turning a blind eye might suffice. But if you want to openly declare your banner and form an organization, then I say: there must be a Dark Lord."

"That makes sense." Lucius nodded slightly, then sneered, "Because all your followers claim loyalty in the name of the Dark Lord, don't they?"

"One thing at a time—I think Regulus is right." Bellatrix agreed.

"We don't need a Dark Lord at all. Pure-blood families united are enough." Lucius seemed about to say more, but realizing the other two powerful figures disagreed, he tactfully retracted. "Still, we need a symbol. We must stay hidden behind the scenes and blame every evil on the Dark Lord."

At that moment, Harry understood the topic Neville had argued with him about in first year: even if Voldemort was destroyed, a new spokesperson would emerge.

"Excellent. Then who will be this Dark Lord?" Sirius said deliberately. "Snape?"

"We all know Snape's strength is formidable, but choosing a Dark Lord requires broader consideration." Lucius seemed to be warming to the idea. "For instance… bloodline…"

"Yes, bloodline is crucial." Bellatrix suddenly grew fervent. "Delphine carries pure Dark Magic blood. She is meant to inherit the Dark Lord's throne."

"But we can't ignore ability entirely." Lucius frowned. "And how old is Delphine? What use would she be as Dark Lord?"

"Clever plan." Sirius sneered. "Delphine clearly has no governing ability—you just want to use her to seize power."

"But Delphine's bloodline…" Bellatrix shrank under Sirius's gaze and changed her tone. "Let's wait until next time. We'll discuss this again when Snape arrives."

"Indeed, we must wait for Snape to join us." Lucius agreed. "Then let's end today's meeting."

During the meeting, people seemed awkward and barely spoke to Harry. But after it ended, Bellatrix suddenly said she wanted to meet him.

Under Sirius's arrangement, "Harry" was to secretly meet Lucius Thursday afternoon. After the meeting, he planned to have a private talk with Bellatrix first.

"Mr. Bach, I must tell you honestly—I truly wish to resurrect Tom." Bellatrix appeared sincere. "No girl would refuse the chance to bring back her lover, if she had it."

"I don't doubt your love for Tom," Harry mused on Bellatrix's demeanor. "But does Tom love you? And if you want to install Delphine as Dark Lord, wouldn't it suit you better if Tom never returned?"

"Mr. Bach, you needn't be so guarded with me." Bellatrix spoke earnestly. "Consider this: from a purely strategic standpoint, I can accept either Tom's return or his absence. As a single mother, isn't it natural for me to want to resurrect my child's father?"

"That's true, but why didn't you refute Lucius when he said you didn't want to resurrect Tom?" Harry felt the situation was growing complicated; he couldn't voice his own opinion, so he pressed further.

"He's an ambitious man, so he sees ambition in everyone." Bellatrix gave a look of contempt. "I admit I miss the old days—but more importantly, those days were brought by Tom. Without him, they'd mean nothing."

"So what is it you want from me? Do you want my support for Delphine?" Harry hesitated.

"Yes, after careful thought, I believe Regulus was right." Bellatrix sat up straight, organizing her words. "If we're to step into the open, a clear banner is essential."

Harry suddenly recalled: they had used the excuse of a "Second Dark Lord" to rally the Death Eaters who refused to surrender. If they abandoned the Dark Lord, these fanatics might do anything.

But if they accepted the succession from Grindelwald to Voldemort, then the Dark Lord must be a position earned by merit—Bellatrix's plan to install Delphine solely by bloodline would face serious obstacles.

"What do you think should be the standard for choosing a Dark Lord—ability or bloodline?" Harry asked.

"I think Delphine's ability isn't lacking. She carries ancient, noble blood. Given time, she will become a great witch." Bellatrix spoke with noticeably less conviction.

Actually, she wasn't wrong. Voldemort's magical talent was undeniable, and he carried the bloodlines of Slytherin and Peverell. Delphine's talent should be strong.

But why did Bellatrix always sound uncertain when speaking of ability and bloodline? Harry found this strange. If he dug deeper, he might suspect Delphine was a Squib—or a Obscurial?

The possibility was low. Harry set it aside for now.

"I'm not unwilling to offer some support. After all, I'd rather back Tom's own daughter than a stranger." Harry felt it was time to end this pointless conversation. "But the problem is—even if I openly support you, I have no significant power or influence. I doubt I could help much."

"And I don't have much time to spare on this. My priority is finding Horcruxes and resurrecting Tom." He added.

Bellatrix looked disappointed, but had nothing more to say. Everything Harry said aligned perfectly with the persona of "Harry" he'd cultivated—and in fact, Bellatrix had likely already anticipated this outcome.

After watching Bellatrix leave, Sirius placed a hand on Harry's shoulder and asked curiously, "What did she say to you?"

"She wants my support—because of emotional ties." Harry repeated. "She thinks I'd naturally favor the daughter of an old friend, if we truly believe Harry and Voldemort were close."

"And what are you going to do?"

"From 'Harry's' persona alone, I should support Bellatrix." Harry nodded. "But according to our original plan, it's better if Lucius becomes the Dark Lord."

"Also, I feel Bellatrix is hiding something." Harry recalled her evasive, nervous gaze. "Delphine might have some issue—something strange with her bloodline. We need to find out what she's worried about."

"Ha!" Sirius suddenly laughed. "If Delphine isn't Voldemort's child at all, this whole thing becomes hilarious!"

"Unlikely." Harry shook his head. "Still, we should investigate."

The investigation, of course, fell to Sirius. Harry returned to school, resuming his struggles with homework and club activities.

That night, Harry ate snacks in the Torchwood while listening to the usual chatter about underage magic. Since Friday's mock trial, students had been debating it. From the case alone, the rule did seem overly strict. But from another angle: strict rules require enforcers. Zhang Qiu had broken the law repeatedly outside school—and nothing ever happened. Clearly, the Ministry didn't take Xiaowaishifa seriously—it turned a blind eye.

Students, especially the girls in SPEW, loved to imagine scenarios, cast themselves as victims, and then feel intense empathy. Next, they'd invent a strawman—like a stupid, cruel bigoted Muggle—and fantasize about verbally crushing them, then gloating over their imagined victory.

Unfortunately, they carried their unresolved SPEW debates into Torchwood. Harry was glad he'd brought his homework—it made his final Saturday night at least productive.

On Monday, Snape was discharged from the hospital. But he didn't rush to find Harry. It wasn't until Tuesday evening, when their Occlumency session was scheduled, that Harry saw Snape—looking unusually drained.

"Things change rapidly, Potter." He half-closed his eyes. "You'd better master Occlumency quickly. You'll soon be under the spotlight."

"What?" Harry was confused. "You mean… Harry is going to… run for Dark Lord?"

"It has nothing to do with Harry. That's just the foolishness of some idiots." Snape sneered. "I mean Harry Potter himself."

"Me?" Harry couldn't follow Snape's logic. "What am I supposed to do?"

"Let me first tell you what happens when you don't learn Occlumency properly." Snape gave a cold laugh. "Bellatrix… her worries and fears burn like torches in the night. And her mind is almost completely unguarded. Do you know what I found?"

"A ridiculous theory—I almost laughed out loud. But you can't deny it's not impossible." Snape leaned close, staring at Harry's forehead. Slowly, he said: "You. The Boy Who Lived. Harry Potter. You are the Dark Lord's illegitimate son."