Marvel's master of cosmic magic

Chapter 495

Late at night, Malfoy Manor.

The meeting room was dimly lit, shadows pooling beneath crystal chandeliers.

"My lord, that’s the situation," Lucius Malfoy said carefully. "Rowan Mercer will become the new Minister for Magic any day now. Once he’s in office, he’ll likely push for international cooperation and a broader crackdown on us."

The false Voldemort idly stroked Nagini’s head, nodding.

"Don’t worry," he said calmly. "This happened in Britain. As long as it doesn’t spill over into other countries, their Ministries won’t commit much. At most, they’ll send token support. Most of them are fractured and self-interested. They’ll never form a real united front."

Lucius hesitated. "Then... what should we do next?"

He was terrified.

The old Voldemort had been horrifying enough. This new one was worse. He had crushed the combined magic of tens of thousands of wizards without effort.

If this creature decided to kill him, Lucius wouldn’t last a second.

But he had no choice.

He was already on this ship.

And if Voldemort really unified the wizarding and Muggle worlds, the Malfoy family would become royalty.

Second only to Voldemort himself.

The risk was worth it.

"Our next steps are simple," Voldemort said. "First, continue recruiting influential figures inside the Ministry. Someone like Umbridge, for example. You’re better at persuasion than I am."

Lucius inclined his head.

"Second, after what happened at the World Cup, more wizards will want to join us. Bring them all to me."

"Third, Rowan Mercer is inconvenient. So we won’t focus on Britain for now. We’ll expand abroad, build numbers, and deal with him later in one decisive strike."

Lucius and the Death Eaters listened in rapt silence.

It sounded exactly like the strategy of a man preparing to conquer the wizarding world.

In truth, every move they made was laying the groundwork for Rowan’s eventual unification of both worlds.

"My lord is wise," Lucius said fervently.

The others nodded in agreement.

Yes, Voldemort was unstable.

But he was still brilliant. Charismatic. Terrifyingly powerful.

Following a Dark Lord like this meant glory was inevitable.

As for Rowan Mercer?

He was strong, sure.

But he was young.

And the Ministry was already riddled with their people.

Enemy in the open. Allies in the shadows.

The advantage was theirs.

"Remember," Voldemort added coldly, "no killing without my permission. Not wizards. Not Muggles."

Lucius stiffened.

"In the past, we were too extreme. We turned the entire world against us."

"That ends now."

"We recruit allies. We keep neutrals from becoming enemies."

"Once we succeed, we can settle accounts properly."

His eyes gleamed.

"And if any of you kill without my order and ruin my plans..."

He let the threat hang.

"Yes, my lord," the Death Eaters said in unison, trembling under the crushing pressure of his presence.

Three days later, amid a storm of headlines, Rowan Mercer was sworn in as Minister for Magic.

His first act was ruthless efficiency.

Rufus Scrimgeour became Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.

Nymphadora Tonks was promoted to Director of the Auror Office.

Amy became Head of International Magical Cooperation and Vice Minister for Magic.

Arthur Weasley was elevated from a minor clerk to Director of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes.

Remus Lupin was appointed Director of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures.

Ludo Bagman, rewarded for his loyalty, kept Magical Games and Sports and was given the Department of Magical Transportation as well.

Talented wizards Rowan had personally worked with were pulled out of dead-end jobs and placed into real positions of authority.

Political freeloaders were fired or exiled to meaningless posts.

Except for a few deeply rooted figures like Dolores Umbridge.

Rowan left them exactly where they were.

For now.

The Ministry transformed almost overnight.

Efficiency skyrocketed.

Public confidence surged.

Even those who had doubted Rowan’s age were forced to admit he was terrifyingly competent.

At Hogwarts, with Dumbledore still missing, a new Headmaster had to be chosen.

Rowan nominated Severus Snape.

The board approved.

Harry Potter was devastated.

His remaining school years were officially doomed.

The Triwizard Tournament was canceled outright.

No one wanted international guests while Voldemort was loose.

Minister Mercer’s first emergency council convened in the top chamber of the Ministry.

The agenda was simple: rescue Dumbledore and Cornelius Fudge. Destroy Voldemort. Eliminate the Death Eaters.

"What’s the international response?" Rowan asked.

Amy’s expression darkened. "France and Ireland have sent significant Auror reinforcements. The others are still ’deliberating.’"

Which meant stalling.

France and Ireland moved quickly because they were close and directly threatened.

The rest didn’t feel the danger yet.

For distant Ministries like the American one, Voldemort was still Britain’s problem.

If Britain handled it alone, even better.

Why risk their own people against a monster who could annihilate thousands of wizards at once?

This was human nature.

It had been the same with Grindelwald.

Without Dumbledore rallying people personally, international cooperation would have collapsed back then too.

Rowan folded his hands, thoughtful.

Everything was unfolding exactly as he had predicted.

...

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