Harry Potter and the Great Old Ones

Chapter 634 Smashing the Chessboard

"Liberate and reshape the world?" Tiera said with a light laugh. "Yes and no."

“Simply liberating and transforming the world is not enough,” Tiera said with a smile. “The old world order still exists, and it won’t be long before it returns to the cyclical nature of history.”

"The dragon slayers became dragons, the rebels became oppressors, and as the original revolutionaries perished one by one, monsters and demons regained the upper hand. Headmaster Dumbledore, you see, it's just like this game of chess—"

“How perfect the game is now! Every pawn, every knight, every king and queen stands in its proper place, respecting each other, all perfectly aligned. But…” Tiera grasped a pawn and advanced it forward—

“But once someone crosses that line, the result is—” Tierra laughed as she watched the soldier being chopped to pieces by Dumbledore’s soldier.

“Then conflicts will still occur.” Tierra smiled at Dumbledore. “So you see, conflicts will still happen. Wars will still happen. Turmoil will still happen. In the end, when chaos reaches an uncontrollable point, a particularly outstanding person will be needed to restore order. It’s like a cycle. As long as the rules of the game remain unchanged, everything will return to the cycle.”

"So, so these are all minor issues I need to address. It's not just about solving these minor issues, or more precisely, I don't care about these minor issues," Tierra said. "War is war, famine is famine, and everyone's life is hard. That's the benefit of becoming a divine being."

“I have abandoned unnecessary sentimentality and sympathy, and I can see the long-term benefits and the long-term goals.”

“What I’m going to do is solve the problem of the rules of the game at its root,” Tierra said firmly, reaching out and flipping the chessboard off the desk.

All the pieces were scattered on the ground, and then Langiersu waved his hand again.

The colors on these chess pieces faded, turning them all into pure white, mixed together, and they could no longer be distinguished from one another.

Downstairs, in the converted classroom, Horace Slughorn's Christmas ball was still going on, and after trying everything, Harry was finally caught by Horace Slughorn.

"Aha, Harry!" Horace Slughorn, with his seal-like round belly and red, slightly tipsy nose, grabbed Harry as he tried to dodge towards the bathroom.

“Professor,” Ha greeted Horace Slughorn with a smile that looked more like a grimace, then his eyes began to dart around the ballroom. “Um, Professor, I… my… my dance partner might be looking for me… I think I should… I should go with her—”

“Oh, Miss Luna Lovegood?” Horace Slughorn said with a smile. “Ah, yes, I remember, I remember. Her father, Mr. Xenophilius Lovegood, was a mischievous young man when he was at Hogwarts. After he resigned from the newspaper, I thought he might not amount to anything. But he actually had a second spring in his career. His Quibbler magazine now sells far more than the Daily Prophet. He is the uncrowned king of the wizarding news media!”

“Oh, um. Yes, yes,” Harry nodded absentmindedly.

“Unfortunately, he seems a bit busy and declined my invitation. However, I heard that Tyrell is currently discussing the establishment of a wizarding television station with Mr. Lovegood,” Horace Slughorn continued, seemingly not intending to let Harry off the hook. “You know what a television is, right? It’s a very magical little thing, invented by Muggles. It’s said that it can be used without magic, allowing us to see images from very, very far places from our homes. I stayed with a Muggle family when I traveled to Europe before and used that thing they called a television. It was amazing—” “I know, Professor, you’ve forgotten, I lived with a Muggle family for a while before I enrolled.” Harry began to sound a little impatient, then said urgently, “It’s been a pleasure talking to you, but I’m sorry, I really have to go find my dance partner—”

“Oh, Harry, don’t be in such a hurry.” Horace Slughorn pulled Harry back as he tried to leave, and said drunkenly, “I just saw Miss Lovegood, she and Tyella were having a great time dancing, don’t disturb them!”

"What?" Harry asked in surprise, "Tierra asked Luna to dance?"

“Yes,” Horace Lugghorn said. “Come on, let’s go meet your alumni. They’re all incredibly successful in the wizarding world. Believe me, Harry, they’re all wizards as gifted as you. You know what that talent is—like his mother! Of all the students I’ve ever taught, only a small fraction have that kind of talent, Harry, Snape, um... aha! Severus!”

Horace Slughorn suddenly called out, his eyes lighting up.

—What terrified Harry was that Slughorn opened his arms as if he really saw Snape walking out of the thin air.

"Stop hiding! Come on, join us, Severus! Let's have a drink together. I was just discussing Harry's potions talent! I'll definitely remember that. After all, you taught Harry for five years; his current achievements certainly owe a debt to you!"

"Heh." Snape chuckled coldly, his voice coming from behind Harry. "The funny thing is, I've never taught him anything. Or rather, I don't think he'd remember anything I taught him."

“That’s pure genius!” Horace Slughorn yelled, clearly drunk, his face flushed red to his ears, completely oblivious to his volume. Harry’s ears throbbed from the shout. “You should see what he brought me: perfect water of life and death in the very first lesson—I’ve never seen a student do better on their first attempt. Not even you, Severus—”

"laugh--"

Harry swore he had just discerned a chilling sneer amidst the cacophony of voices.

"Oh really?" Snape deliberately drew out the word, then asked in a cold and condescending tone.

Harry felt that the Christmas ball was becoming even more unbearable, and he wished he could leave immediately.

But now Snape was clearly interested, seemingly enjoying the moment to humiliate Harry, and quietly blocked one of Harry's few escape routes.

Regular updates will resume this month, so please send your monthly tickets and recommendation votes!



(End of this chapter)