The Death Eaters were working hard. Contacting the werewolf tribes was the easiest task, since the current wolf king, Fenrir Greyback, was himself a Death Eater loyal to Voldemort.
As the leader of the werewolves, he insisted that "blood is rightfully the werewolves' due, and werewolves should take revenge on normal people."
Remus Lupin once said that he had been bitten by Fenrir as a child. Greyback made it his life's mission to bite and infect as many people as possible. His goal was to create enough werewolves to conquer the wizarding world. To that end, he deliberately targeted children, claiming that if they were bitten young and grew up away from their parents, they would harbor hatred toward ordinary wizards and grow to become part of Voldemort's werewolf army.
Fenrir Greyback likely belonged to a pure-blooded werewolf lineage. His natural heritage allowed him, after transforming, to retain a clear sense of self and choose whom he bit.
When the Death Eaters found him, Fenrir Greyback gladly accepted their invitation.
In his eyes, Voldemort's summons was proof of recognition. Even if he had failed once, he still considered himself one of Voldemort's most capable subordinates, destined to command wolf packs for the Dark Lord and serve as his blade.
Beyond the werewolves, the Death Eaters also approached the giants—ugly, hulking creatures—but the process was far from smooth. In the end, this seemingly stupid group still managed to make an outrageous demand: they would only join the Death Eaters if Dumbledore were killed first. That became the final obstacle to sealing the pact.
The Death Eaters tasked with the negotiations had no solution. Only Voldemort at Hogwarts could handle the matter himself, yet with Harry Potter under close surveillance, it was extremely difficult to act.
Voldemort still wished to preserve the identity tied to his current body.
In contrast, progress with vampires was abysmal. The jester Regulus Black had created using Barty Crouch Jr.'s corpse was far more capable than the Death Eaters. With the fifty-two cards he distributed, the vampire clans responded accordingly, but the most they agreed to was neutrality. For the Death Eaters, this was a complete failure.
What's more, the jester had already united nearly all the vampires into a single bloc. Every vampire stronghold was now protected by the Fidelius Charm, with each family's secret-keeper being the head of another clan. This mutual restraint ensured that no vampire alliance could easily betray the others.
With the major vampire clans out of reach, only a handful of weak ones remained—and they had been warned not to join the Death Eaters. Even if a few wished to, the Death Eaters would still doubt their loyalty.
Thus, in the matter of vampires, the Death Eaters were utterly defeated by the jester. They didn't even know who he truly was, making the loss feel senseless.
"You mean to say all the vampire clans are under this… jester's control?"
Lucius Malfoy could hardly believe it. In today's wizarding world, there was actually a force capable of countering the Death Eaters.
Such power was not unheard of—Regulus Black himself was one example—but what was this jester? On his own, he had subjugated every vampire clan. Yes, subjugated. The jester had struck them down one by one: any who resisted were killed, any too weak were killed, and those too ugly were killed as well.
His preferences became known after he conquered several clans, rumors deliberately spread among the vampires.
The jester's "Alliance Pact of the Black Cards" bound twelve clans marked by the K, Q, and J suits—each home to several beautiful vampire women. Among the remaining forty smaller clans, every one at least had one beautiful female vampire. A few weaker clans survived only because they had a lovely daughter, spared from annihilation for that reason alone.
Once the jester united fifty-two clans, he ignored the rest. Through the signatures of all fifty-two, he issued a decree forbidding any vampire clan from involving itself in the conflict between the Death Eaters and the Ministry of Magic.
"Yes, my lord, our clan has always been loyal to the Dark Lord. We have never considered joining the jester," said an elderly vampire, bowing to Lucius Malfoy, while presenting the portrait of the jester.
Lucius Malfoy looked up at the clan leader and felt an unexpected surge of delight—something he had not experienced in a long time, not since facing the annoyingly handsome Regulus Black.
The vampire patriarch's appearance placed him squarely in the camp of evil.
Truly, just walking at night, he could frighten someone to death without lifting a finger.
Lucius then glanced behind him, where a line of descendants had inherited the patriarch's "distinguished" features.
"Welcome to our ranks. Your clan seems strong enough. Joining the Death Eaters is the right choice for you."
He had forgotten the man's name, so while speaking he deliberately avoided mentioning it.
"Thank you, Mr. Malfoy, for your recognition. The Grett family will follow your lead," said the clan head obsequiously. Simply joining the Death Eaters was not enough; they also sought high status within the group. By pledging loyalty to a prominent leader like Lucius, the Grett family hoped to secure their place.
In truth, Lucius Malfoy had not wanted to accept them. With such hideous and foolish faces, it was no wonder the jester ignored them. Even though the Grett family was one of the older vampire lineages, their lack of "righteous" appearance made their exclusion unsurprising.
But if he rejected them, they would surely turn to another Death Eater, strengthening that rival's influence. That could undermine Lucius's own position within the ranks.
"To follow my lead? Mr. Grett, you must be joking. We all serve the Dark Lord. It is his lead we must follow."
Though Lucius said this, he extended his hand.
The Grett patriarch eagerly clasped it and kissed the back in a pledge of loyalty.
The Death Eaters' recruitment efforts continued, but results grew worse. Magical creatures everywhere showed no interest in joining a wizard revolution. Their earlier participation had been due only to Voldemort's threats and persuasion.
Now, after his resurrection, they had little incentive. If anything, the fact that they refrained from causing trouble could already be considered restraint. After all, they had suffered heavy losses before.
The Ministry of Magic, after the last war, had not only purged the Death Eaters but also targeted magical creatures.
Centuries of population buildup had been decimated in a single sweep. In just over ten years since, they had barely begun to recover.
They were still licking their wounds.
The Death Eaters' recruitment drive had stalled, leaving their ranks restless.
Disappointment spread among the Death Eaters, impatience among the werewolves, and secrecy among the vampires—all worsening.
"It seems time to summon the fallen wizards. I just wonder how Regulus Black's own recruitment is progressing."
Whenever alone, Lucius Malfoy pondered this question. As an aristocrat of the wizarding world, he had always despised those who lived in the shadows. He worried about the negative impact of associating with them when necessary, and shunned them otherwise.
On this matter, Regulus Black's views were entirely different. Whether dragon heartstrings or dragon dung, he believed that if used correctly, both could achieve astonishing effects.
To deal with these fallen wizards, Regulus Black had organized three groups of his "Hundred-Handed Giants."
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