Appeasement had failed. Recruitment of Dementors was a lost cause. Voldemort's remnant soul was beyond frustrated. Facing down so many soul-sucking fiends, his inherent vulnerability to soul attacks was proving to be an insurmountable obstacle.
There is only one option left.
If he couldn't recruit them, perhaps exchanging some imprisoned dark wizards might appease them? It wasn't unreasonable, was it?
The Dementors clearly thought so. They were already feeling the pangs of food shortage, and this "Socket Spirit" dared to try and steal their rations?! They renewed their assault with a vengeance.
Lanlock, caught in the crossfire, was practically trampled. He bitterly regretted trusting this "bald man" and coming to Azkaban in the first place.
Fortunately, Voldemort's remnant soul managed to extract four dark wizards from their cells. These weren't just any wizards, but Voldemort's remnant soul's own "old, weak, and disabled" henchmen. The British Ministry of Magic, a glorified prison for Death Eaters, had Azkaban under its thumb. These four had been incarcerated here after being captured— conveniently, by the Death Eaters themselves. So, when they saw Voldemort's remnant soul arriving specifically to rescue them, they were moved to tears, oblivious to the fact that their rescue was simply a matter of being conveniently located.
...
Shortly after the "old, weak, sick, and disabled" were freed, Tom received news of Voldemort's remnant soul's little escapade at Azkaban. He wasn't particularly concerned, and frankly, he was even a little disappointed. If the Dementors had genuinely joined forces with Voldemort's remnant soul and Lanlock, he'd have had more fodder for Nagini.
Still, it wasn't all bad news. Knowing Voldemort's remnant soul's current whereabouts was at least something. The goblin memories hadn't mentioned him, and it was good to have confirmation that Voldemort's remnant soul had indeed teamed up with Lanlock.
After replying to the Death Eaters who had reported the disturbance at Azkaban, Tom promptly set off for the Ministry of Magic himself.
...
Tom's visit to the British Ministry of Magic wasn't for anything of great importance, but rather something trivial that he found amusing. Fudge had mentioned it towards the end of their fourth year—giving Tom's young Death Eaters a taste of life as Aurors, in the hopes that they might consider joining the Ministry after graduation.
Tom wasn't surprised by Fudge's suggestion; he'd overheard the Minister subtly making the same pitch to Harry and the others before. Fudge had extolled the virtues of the Ministry's generous salaries and benefits. Unfortunately, Harry and the others weren't exactly short on money, and as budding Death Eaters, they didn't seem particularly interested in becoming Aurors.
This had prompted Fudge to write to Tom, suggesting they let Harry and his cohorts experience the job firsthand; perhaps a little exposure to the daily grind would change their minds, Fudge hoped.
Fudge's motives were simple: cultivate a closer relationship with the promising young Death Eaters Tom had his eye on, thereby decreasing the odds of being discarded as a "disposable pawn."
Tom was well aware of Fudge's anxieties, but he didn't particularly care what the Minister thought. He didn't need to explain himself, and he certainly wasn't going to offer any reassurances. Still, he had to admit, Fudge's suggestion was intriguing. And so, Tom had agreed. The "Summer Auror Experience Program," however, had been delayed by their little trip to find giants in the Scottish Highlands and was now taking place in the latter half of the holidays.
...
After Harry and the others returned from the giant settlement in the Scottish Highlands, they went home. They had all received letters from the Ministry of Magic in advance, so Tom didn't need to fetch them himself. Their parents would bring them if they were interested.
Hermione, however, had already returned from her trip, and since the Grangers were Muggle-borns and unfamiliar with the British Ministry of Magic, Nagini had been dispatched to collect her. In Tom's opinion, Hermione was likely the one most interested in the Ministry.
Tom walked through the streets of London, lost in thought. Leaving Hogwarts was a matter of simple Apparition. He hadn't Apparated directly into the Ministry of Magic because, after so many years in the wizarding world, Tom occasionally enjoyed observing the Muggle realm.
Except for being harassed, of course.
After politely turning down the twenty-third young woman who tried to flirt with him, Tom finally arrived at Scotland Place. The entrance to the British Ministry of Magic was a red telephone booth located at the intersection of Great Scotland Yard and Scotland Place in central London.
After rejecting the fifty-ninth woman who tried to flirt with him, Tom entered the red telephone booth and dialed the number…
"6, 2, 4, 4, 2."
Beep
The call connected, and the cheerful voice of a welcoming witch from the British Ministry of Magic came through, "Hello, may I ask the purpose of your visit?"
"It's me."
"I'm sorry, I didn't know you were…"
"Tom, Tom Marvolo Riddle."
"…"
Click.
Tired of hearing the welcoming witch's monotonous, panicked apologies, Tom hung up the phone. The phone booth then descended like an elevator, arriving at the second floor of the Ministry of Magic, deep underground in central London.
The Ministry of Magic was a ten-story building hidden beneath the heart of the city. Tom's destination, the Auror's office, was located on the second floor.
Ding
The elevator arrived. Tom stepped out, bypassing the two welcoming witches, and walked purposefully towards the Auror's office. The office consisted of a series of open cubicles, each a dedicated workspace for an Auror. The overall style was rather utilitarian. Cubicle walls were adorned with portraits of dark wizards, maps, clippings from the Daily Prophet, and other work-related items.
Aurors' desks held common office supplies like quills and parchment, and many had magical artifacts and case evidence boxes stored beneath them. Because Aurors were always in a hurry, accustomed to working overtime and rushing off on urgent missions, they preferred to keep essential items close at hand.
Even now, Tom could see Aurors bustling about.
"It must be tough," Tom murmured.
His words caused the Auror walking past with his head down to stop abruptly.
---
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