Who let this Dementor into Hogwarts!

Chapter 598 Meanwhile, on the other side

"Bastard!" Little Dick shouted at someone, but Cohen guessed it wasn't the Earl, because the Earl didn't yell back.

[So energetic! Let's argue a few more times!]

Sissoko's voice also chimed in, sounding like he was thoroughly enjoying the show.

Snapped!
Cohen opened the trapdoor and went downstairs.

Magic candles were lit below, so that only the flames in the skull's eye sockets could provide illumination.

Upon discovering Cohen's return, the Earl immediately flew towards Cohen, and the skull floated towards Cohen on the stairs.

"This skeleton you brought back insulted me!" the count said angrily.

"My dear little master, how dare your owl slander you!" the skull complained angrily to Cohen, "That two-faced beast—"

"You have the nerve to call me a beast? Aren't you a beast yourself?!" the count glared at him. "Just because you have a skull doesn't make you anything special! You worthless little elf stuffed into a **—"

"Stop, stop, stop." Cohen raised his hand, then glanced at the Earl. "Earl."

"Alright," the count said listlessly. "Let's go, son, let's not bother with this skull—"

"Young master, it insulted you!" the skull cried. "It said you were... were... were—a Dementor raised by an old pervert! It not only insulted you, but also your great father!"

“I will punish it.” Cohen closed his eyes. “But we have more important things to do now—I need to bring my father, Herpo, back, and now I need to find something he left behind.”

"I can help you, little master!" the skull said excitedly. "I know many things about you, master, and I can help you—"

“Do you know where his Horcrux is?” Cohen said. “I need his soul as a beacon so he can find his way back.”

The skull froze, its open mouth remaining agape, even the green flames in its eye sockets stilled—

"Well..." the skull said somewhat awkwardly, "Actually... well... my master didn't trust me that much either..."

“I’m very disappointed,” Cohen said calmly. “It seems your so-called loyalty has nothing to prove—then you’re useless…”

Cohen pointed his wand at it.

"No—Master, I have it! I have it!" the skull exclaimed hastily. "I've heard Master mention it—his Horcruxes are hidden in a place no one else can ever find, and no one else can ever destroy—"

"You're even calling out 'young master' to save your life?" Cohen said incredulously. "Maybe you're just a petty thief who broke into my father's old house."

"No, no, no—I'm telling the truth!" The skull was almost crying, because Cohen's wand tip was already faintly emitting a magical fluctuation of deadly magic.

“I’ll give you one sentence,” Cohen said.

"'I hid it in the abyss where no one treads, my soul became the heart of the world, killing me is like killing themselves'—I heard my master say that—my master didn't tell me nothing, he just didn't tell anyone..."

"How long have you been with him?" Cohen narrowed his eyes.

“Many years, young master!” the skull immediately interjected, “It started when you first became the greatest wizard! I followed you, watching you create one perfect spell after another and creature after another…”

“So, you know where he went while he was making the Horcruxes, right?” Cohen asked. “Back then…” the skull recalled, “the master left—but he said he was going north—very north…and then when the master returned, he said he had finished making the Horcruxes…”

“Very well, you’re not entirely useless,” Cohen said.

"Well... young master, after you return..." the skull said obsequiously, "could you perhaps give me some... you know..."

“A reward, if I can find his Horcrux,” Cohen said. “He’ll definitely give you a ‘reward’.”

Cohen had no idea what the reward would be.

However, the skull did work. Now Cohen has a general direction for finding the Horcrux and no longer has to search aimlessly like a headless fly.
-
Meanwhile, on the other side of Britain...

12 Grimmauld Place, London.

Many members of the Order of the Phoenix gathered here.

“In fact, I think it was the right choice not to trust the Nortons,” Snape said softly from one corner of the long table. “Given their boundless tolerance for Cohen Norton and the incomprehensible horrors their son has committed—we all know that boy was a dangerous experiment, created by the Burkes for the purpose of making weapons… Dumbledore has always been too trusting of others.”

“I don’t think so, Snotty,” Sirius said coldly. “He trusted you too—and now we’ve put you here.”

Harry, who usually couldn't participate in the discussion, was now sitting at the table, but he didn't say a word, as if he was thinking about something.

Hogwarts ended its term early due to the terrorist attack, and the Ministry of Magic temporarily took over and reorganized Hogwarts' security operations.

"It seems your tolerance for them is almost 'limitless,' because that child fed you Hogwarts leftovers, which gave you that 'kindness'—"

“Severus,” Lupin said wearily, “we don’t harbor any hostility towards the Nortons… Sirius, keeping Edward and Rose out is just a precaution, and Edward already has enough to do—”

“But Edward never tried to ask me anything about the Order of the Phoenix,” Tonks said, somewhat puzzled. “I don’t understand why you would connect what Cohen did with the Nortons; they have no idea why.”

“Because Edward came back alive after catching up with Cohen,” Kingsley said. “If the kid had really gone mad, he couldn’t have come back unscathed.”

“Maybe it’s just because Cohen loves him and Rose,” Harry said, who hadn’t spoken until now. “There was a Death Eater who touched Mr. Norton, and Cohen immediately used the Killing Curse on him…”

“There’s not much point in discussing these things now. As far as I know, the kid went to Greece,” Moody said. “Nobody knows what he’s going there to do—but at least we know he’s not on Voldemort’s side.”

"Harry, did Dumbledore tell you anything before he died?" Lupin asked Harry.

“He…” Harry hesitated for a moment, looking at the large group of people staring at him, but ultimately didn’t mention the Horcruxes. “He told me… to prepare to face Voldemort…”

“That’s like saying nothing at all,” Snape said.

“I think we need to give you special training,” Moody said gruffly. “If that’s what Dumbledore says, then we’ll prepare you. You can’t go into battle like this; you’ll be eaten alive.”

Moody forced what he considered a relatively friendly smile onto his scarred face, but no one present felt that his last words did anything to ease the tension.

“Hmm.” Harry nodded, subconsciously touching the side of his robe.

There was a leather pouch that Sophia had brought, and Harry had her hide in it temporarily to prevent her from bringing back a "Korn Basilisk" and causing others to become nervous.

(End of this chapter)