Chapter 416
Harry Potter: A Certain Ancient Rune Professor of Hogwarts (TL)
In the late-night, at a slightly desolate hill.
Between the hills, an old house covered with ivy towered, with the glow of magic all around. Felix ignored it, he glanced at the dark window on the top floor and lightly pushed the door open, it was quiet inside.
He passed a shadowy corridor, at the end of which thereâs an ancient door.
As he got closer, he heard some noise, a kind of huffing and puffing bellows, wispy like a dying patient. There were other sounds heard from within, like vials and bottles fiddling sound, followed by the sound of liquids being poured into vials.
âBring the potion here!â An icy voice ordered.
Felix heard the sound of liquid being gulped down the throat, along with a painful groan from inside, the man who was drinking the potion is suffering a tremendous agony, and it took him a while to settle down.
âYou better hope your son has intercepted that elf or youâre the one whoâs going to suffer â¦â The cold voice seemed to be talking to someone, but Felix didnât hear any response, so he tapped his forehead lightly, and from a magical perspective, he saw three magical sources.
One is slightly normal, but the other two ⦠are alarmingly evil.
Barty Crouch, Voldemort, and a dark wizard? What makes Voldemortâs special state distinct, and why was Dumbledore not optimistic about this trip?
Felixâs mind wandered with thoughts, as the communication mirror wobbled in his pocket. Then he raised his wand and aimed it in the direction of one of the more distinct magical fluctuations, black arcs of electricity kept accumulating at the tip of the wand, ready to strike in the blink of an eye.
âWhoâs out there?â The icy voice asked.
âGo!â
Black lightning bolt swiftly passed by and penetrated the wooden door, at the same time, Felix pushed the crumbling wooden door open as he entered the room. His body shone with various protective items, and he wore a trench coat made of dragon hide mixed with basilisk skin.
In the room, a magic barrier blocked his lightning, Felix brought everything in the room into his focus.
It is a modest room. Barty Crouch stood behind a chair, which was no surprise. On the chair, there is a swaddling cloth, in which an infant that looked like a skeleton, without a trace of hair on its head or body, and its body appeared as if it is covered with scales, and its skin looked dark and reddish, like tender flesh that had been wounded.
Its arms and legs were thin and limp, and its face looked like a flat snake face, with two narrow slits where the eyes should be, from which a seeping red light radiated.
âMr. Voldemort, I have to say, despite being prepared, I was still startled when I actually saw you.â
Felix said kindly, but his eyes were fixed on the corner of the chair, where a large snake, which measured at least twelve feet long, and at the moment it is crawling up Barty Crouchâs leg, the snake is smart enough to hide most of its body behind Crouch, and it hissed as its head poked out from Crouchâs neck.
Felixâs initial target was that snake.
That big snake had more magic in it than the weak, baby-like Voldemort in front of him! He had previously misjudged the right person based on his magic perspective, no, perhaps he was right â¦
Horcrux.
Felixâs mind flashed with a word.
Voldemort actually used a living creature as his Horcrux, and he didnât consider that when the creature died, its soul would dissipate together with the fragments of his soul?
He gained a true understanding of Voldemortâs insanity.
âTake Nagini and leave first.â Voldemort, who had been sitting in his seat, ordered.
At that moment, a black lightning bolt abruptly appeared and went straight towards Barty Crouch, to be precise, the snake head on the right side of his neck.
âZizi Zizi!â
After a tooth-aching sound of electricity, the black lightning was forcibly deflected, which tore a hole in the wall and sprinkled sparse moonlight in.
Felix stared at Voldemort, who wheezed heavily, his chest booming with a bellows again. But this is already impressive enough for a temporary body built of potion and magic to block his attacks twice in the nick of time.
He did not intercept them any further, Barty Crouch had disappeared with the snake. There is someone waiting for them outside, I wonder if Voldemort will vomit blood when he finds out.
Morbid white flames slowly emerged from behind him, Felix looked at Voldemort and asked with interest, âYou actually decided to personally intercept me, which is very different from my impression of you ⦠they are quite important to you?â
âWhat makes you have this ridiculous idea?â Voldemort said slowly, the previous two spells made him overwhelmed, his baby-like carcass leaning on the back of the seat, like a puddle of talking meat.
He said in a very hoarse voice: âIf you had experienced my experience, felt my despair, you would realize that even a puppet, a humble elf, should not easily be discarded â¦â
âI guess so, as you donât have enough manpower.â Felix nodded slightly, and the reason why Winky could survive became clear. The flames behind him continued to spread, and he stepped forward with one foot, and the Breathtaking fire poured downward like flowing water, starting with his toes and running wildly out towards the left and right sides.
Two fire snakes converged behind Voldemort and linked into a standard circle, circling the seat in which Voldemort had been sitting. Then the flames streamed upward, like a chain of white fire ropes intertwined, woven into an airtight net.
In this net, whether it is an Apparition or a Portkey, it would be difficult to activate.
âTo be able to wield the Fiendfyre to this extent, you can be ranked at the top of my echelon.â Voldemort said lightly, he showed zero intent of fleeing, as if he just wanted to talk to Felix.
Felix looked at him calmly, once he had tried Dumbledoreâs power, so he knew he couldnât afford to be careless now. But inevitably, a question rose in his mind: why Voldemort did not block him? Could he be incapable of doing so?
âYouâre wondering why I didnât fight back?â Voldemortâs sickening voice resounded again, â There is no need to have any concerns, I canât do a thing in my current state, dear fellow ⦠a few months ago, I was still wandering in the Albanian forest, possessing those small animals for a long time, it all wearied me down, but there was nothing I could do, at that time I was worse than the lowest of the wandering souls ⦠but that was the only way I could find a glimpse of being alive.â
âUntil Peter Pettigrew found you.â
Felix stated, and in his magical perspective, as far as his field of vision could reach, there existed only one source of magic that is Voldemort. There are no Portkeys, no magical traps, only Voldemortâs own weak but deeply evil magic wreaking havoc and distorting his perspective.
He suddenly realized why Voldemort wanted to talk to him so badly because he had no means of resistance now.
âYeah, until Peter Pettigrew found me â¦â said the hoarse, icy voice, âa cowardly, weak-minded servant, and as much as I hate to admit it, if he had been still here, I would have had an easier time than I do now. What a pity.â He sounded like he had lost a napkin that is still usable.
âPeter Pettigrew was taken away by the Ministry of Magic, and he was kissed by a Dementor.â Felix stated.
âIâm well aware ⦠heâs gone and wonât outlive more than a week,â Voldemort said coldly, âIâve experimented and tried to prolong that kind of thing as long as I can, but the results are often not as satisfactory as they should be. â
âWhile you were still at your peak?â Felix said.
âItâs just some boring game. When all your servants are gone out to spread your glory, you need to find something for yourself, some of my servants ⦠Bella liked to torture people, but I got tired of it, and I preferred to study dark magic, the dark arts, they are as fascinating as a deep astral night with no stars⦠â¦â
Voldemort said in a long, pithy voice. His voice was not as harsh as it was at first, perhaps because of the tone of voice, Felix could not help but associate it with an academic conference.
At that time, Voldemort slowly said: âMy friend, widen your flames a little, we have plenty of time.â
Felix remained unmoved on the contrary the flame cage pushed down even lower, his control over the Fiendfyre is extremely high, so except for the charred circle on the floor, the other items in the room are perfectly unscathed.
âDonât you have something to say? Iâm still listening, but forgive me I have very limited patience.â
Voldemort let out a snort, âI once thought of you as a second Dumbledore, but you donât have his patience â¦â
âVoldemort, you have been praised for your achievements in dark magic, but you can not beat Dumbledore, and you know what people say about you two? He is the only person you fear. Iâm curious, would you have acquiesced to this kind of statement to spread if you hadnât been taught a real lesson?â
âDumbledore â¦â Voldemort chewed on the name, his voice growing even colder, âThat old man hides himself so well that everyone is fooled by him, heâs a brilliant hypocrite. â
He scowled at Felix and grinned with ridicule, âMaybe all of you treat him like an old man who can just talk nonsense?â
â Isnât that right? Heâs well over 100 years old.â Felix asked as he picked out his words to the point, as the words are valuable to both him and his enemy.
Voldemort made a contemptuous voice, but he didnât follow Felixâs lead in the conversation. âIâve gotten to know you in great detail ⦠Felix Hap; I was surprised to find that we come from very similar backgrounds,â he said softly, âWe both had no choice but to live in a muggle orphanage, equally gifted, but subjected to strange looks-â
âIâm sorry to break it to you, but I was happy in the orphanage.â Felix interrupted him.
âI see, Muggle researcher ⦠how ironic, youâre like the opposite of me.â The slit in Voldemortâs eye flashed red and his tone filled with nostalgia, âI actually had hopes of being your colleague now, and according to your age, I might as well be your professor. Unfortunately, Dumbledore rejected me without any consideration.â Voldemort said with deep emotion. âHe always did.â
âYou must have been very naughty when you were a child to make him have such a bad impression of you.â Felix said teasingly.
Voldemortâs squinted eyes opened and his face, which looked like a skeleton, became vivid and twisted. âAnother, another one of his brainwashed peeps, Felix Hap, I have no desire to kill you all of a sudden, Iâd like to see what heâll do to you when you clash with him. From what I understand, youâre not a nice person to talk to â¦â
Felixâs eyes shined as he gauged him, âIs this the trait required to become the Dark Lord? Arrogance and ambition beyond the norm?â
âItâs confidence and a Vision.â Voldemort corrected.
âWell,â Felix said mildly, âthen, I need you to follow me back, you better share this with Dumbledore face to face, you must have a lot more personal things to say.â
âThere will be that day, but not today, I will deliver a rousing speech in front of his corpse.â Voldemort said.
Felix opened his hands, then fiercely closed them, and the morbid white Fiendfyre converged toward the center, condensing into a long, eerie white sword that dropped violently.
He took a few steps back at the same time, with his eyes narrowed to see what else Voldemort had up his sleeve, but unexpectedly, the white fiery longsword went straight through Voldemortâs chest, with flames splashing everywhere, staining Voldemortâs swaddling clothes, creeping all over his torso, âcracklingâ and burning violently.
In the fire, Voldemort let out a seeping scream, the slit-like red eyes opened to the limit, and the blood-red eyes stared dead at him.
âBesides Dumbledore and her, you are the third person to bring me the feeling of death, I will remember you, Felix Hap!â
He shouted harshly, as his whole body turned into the firewood for the Fiendfyre, Felix stared at him, as a nebulous shadow rose from above the flames, he looked like smoke condensed without a solid mass.
If he is in the flames, he takes the flames as his body, and in the water, he takes the water as his murky figure.
âYou cannot kill me, and I will return at any momentââ The illusory shadow twisted and hissed in pain.
âWhoosh!â
A dazzling green light pierced through the Shadow, and it hit the air as if the Killing Curse had no effect on it. Then, Felixâs eyes flashed with silver light, as the thinking room and the Legilimency was used in turn, the effect was still close to nothing.
Tough call.
Felixâs thoughts revolved in his mind, his magic was useless against Voldemortâs shadow, and then he recalled some words.
Worse than the lowest of the wandering souls â¦
But his hand remained firm, this is his first meeting with Voldemort, and both of them were slightly surprised. When Voldemort guarded his Horcrux, Felix deliberately feigned ignorance, he did not know if Dumbledore had succeeded, and if he failed, he would have to make an absolute killing arrangement for their next meeting.
At the same time, Voldemort was forced to stay behind and use his body as bait. But his current state is simply powerless against Felix, he has long been ready to lose this body, which is nothing to him, So he used that opportunity to talk with Felix instead, to see if he could alienate the relationship between Dumbledore and him.
Felix then used this rare opportunity to skilfully cast spells â zooming spell, black lightning, green mist, milky white light, golden flame ⦠One powerful magic after another appeared in the Crouch House as he released his magic as freely as possible, the light of magic exploded with a myriad of radiant colours.
He tested the weakness of Voldemortâs remnants, but Voldemort ignored all these magic, and flew straight through the silver shield, floating above the ceiling that had a large hole in it, and said with ridicule.
âThatâs a lot of tricks, but one magic is enough to kill someone!â
He cast a hazy, malevolent glance and rushed into the gray sky, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
After a moment of silence, Felix exhaled gently.
âWhen I finish the Book of Rune and research a magic rune formation that targets you, letâs see how you can still run.â He said with a bit of dissatisfaction, but he had realized that he could hardly deal with Voldemort in this state.
Voldemort at this moment is still too far from a real living being, so that means any normal means simply cannot be effective against him, and there is no historical information targeting this state of magic.
Perhaps this is why when Dumbledore knew that the remnants of Voldemort wandered into the Albanian forest, he did not do something about it.
âMagic ⦠memories ⦠emotions ⦠projection of existence, which is his true nature? In the middle of life and death, relying on the help of Horcrux to leave a shadow behind to stay here, if we destroy all the Horcruxes before he is reborn, is it possible to make him lose his reliance on the reality?â
Felix mulled over, when he saw the Herpo the Foulâs Horcrux decay, he thought something similar.
He was not worried when Voldemort ignored many of his spells, because he knew Voldemort was in a special state, so neither of them could do anything about the other. Judging from Voldemortâs eagerness to escape, he must also have an unknown weakness.
He thought quietly until a silver shadow suddenly appeared and descended into the ruins.
Felix raised his arm, the silver phoenix Patronus fell on his slender fingers, Dumbledoreâs gentle voice heard: âHe escaped and went underground ⦠but I intercepted Barty and the snake.â
The phoenix after saying it disappeared into a silvery mist.
âBut itâs really you.â Felix said as he stared at a picture frame on the table in the middle of the ruins in which Barty Crouch embraced his wife and a handsome-looking young man stood beside him on the right side.
He already knew who is the spy in the castle.
Felix turned around and walked out of the house, behind him the Fiendfyre raged like a dragon, seething and roaring, and swallowed the house clean in one gulp, he threw the picture frame into the fire as well and stood in the cold wind of the late-night, staring at the raging Fiendfyre which baring its gaping fangs and claws.
âIsnât it sad that thereâs no one to promote your name, Voldemort?â He said playfully.
Felix raised his wand high and mouthed the incantation that he had received from Lucius Malfoy, âMorsmordre!â A green light soared out and flew high into the air.
A large skeleton, composed of countless turquoise star-like things, a large python emerged from the mouth of the skeleton, like a tongue. The skeleton rose higher and higher, glowing brightly in a cloud of greenish smoke, against the dark night sky, like a new constellation.
In the distance, Dumbledoreâs figure appeared, he shook his head, not quite approving of Felixâs approach, but he did not stop him either, it should let the Ministry of Magic have some sense of caution.
Then he turned to leave, there are too many things to deal with tonight, at least, there is still a spy in the castle, he wondered if he could catch him in time. Barty was also badly injured, the only pity was that the snake died so crisply, and it turned out to be a Horcrux, he hadnât heard that information at all in the communication mirror.
Felix waved his hand, and then the Fiendfyre faded out, leaving ruins all over the place.
He took a big step forward and disappeared abruptly in the cover of the mountain forest, leaving only a low voice drifting in the dark night sky.
â The next time I see you, Voldemort, I hope you will regain your body completelyâ¦â
â¦
A few minutes ago â
Hogwarts Castle, Gryffindor dormitory, Harry jolted out of bed with a splitting headache.
âââââ
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