Hogwarts: This holy light is righteously evil

Chapter 159 The Mummy

Having been repeatedly outmaneuvered and ambushed, Voldemort was becoming increasingly agitated. He had no chance to retaliate except to keep running away and dodging.

With a dull thud, a giant red dragon, its size having increased several times over, descended from the sky with a claw that carried a gale-force wind. The claw's force tore apart the deathly smoke cloud that Voldemort relied on for movement, and the powerful airflow slammed into his body, sending him flying several meters before crashing heavily against the stone wall of the secret chamber.

Voldemort looked up at the fire dragon, whose size had increased dramatically and whose scales were now thick, and a sense of utter absurdity welled up inside him.

At this moment, he even had an outrageous thought: the opponent was relying on external forces to boost their combat power beyond the norm, which was tantamount to openly breaking the rules of combat!

If that claw had landed squarely on his body, even with his resistance to dark magic and his possession by a remnant soul, he would have been instantly annihilated!

Every attack was aimed directly at life; there was no probing, no holding back!

Behind him, Puni continuously unleashed death curses while raising his staff.

The relentless pursuit, crushing, and deadly attacks broke through Voldemort's bottom line of forbearance, igniting his pent-up rage!

He no longer tried to evade or maneuver, raising his wand high above his head. His demonic energy exploded violently, unleashing dozens of evenly thick, dark green death curse beams that swept in all directions, covering the entire secret battlefield.

The area-of-effect death curse was terrifyingly powerful. Puni immediately activated defensive magic and commanded the dragon to retract its body to block it. The group was forced to retreat and keep a safe distance.

The image of the fire dragon withstanding an Avada Kedavra spell and only suffering physical weakness without dying flashed through Puni's mind, allowing him to understand the underlying rules of instant-death spells.

Avada Kedavra is not an absolutely unbeatable killing spell. Like most finishing spells, its effect depends on the target's physical condition.

Once a living being's physical strength exceeds a critical threshold, it will have a high probability of being immune to the lethal effects of curses.

The reason why there have never been any cases of wizarding groups being immune to the Death Curse is that wizards have devoted themselves to studying spellcasting and tempering their souls, and rarely tempered their physical bodies. Their physical resistance is weak, so they naturally cannot withstand the erosion of the instant-death magic.

Throughout Hogwarts, Hagrid, a half-giant, is the only one with the potential to be exempt from the Killing Curse, but he would never willingly test his resistance on himself.

dead!

Puni accelerated and charged forward, but when he was only a dozen meters away from Voldemort, a series of rubble scraping and vibrating sounds came from the top wall of the secret chamber, and heavy stones loosened and rolled down.

Puni didn't need to look up to observe; he could sense the massive number of giant rocks falling in batches, their impact points completely covering the entire open area that Voldemort had previously cleared. The falling rocks were large enough to crush flesh and blood and pulverize bodies.

If they remained in place and were hit head-on by the boulder, their survival rate would be less than 10%.

Unwilling to risk his life to avoid danger, Puni immediately stopped his attack, used his feet to propel himself backward, and activated a displacement spell to make his body disappear on the spot.

In the next instant, the light and shadow recombine, and he landed steadily on the top of the dragon's broad head, looking down and locking onto the battlefield below once again.

A series of deafening explosions resounded as the dome and walls of the secret chamber continued to crumble and fall away. Heavy rocks slammed into the stone floor, creating craters of varying depths and jagged edges. Debris and rubble flew everywhere, raising thick dust that obscured visibility.

Puni stood atop the dragon's head, intently scanning the fallen rock formation, and instantly noticed something amiss.

The fallen objects were not ordinary rock fragments, but rather stone snakes, exclusively belonging to this secret chamber and under the unified control of the group of serpentine sculptures on the stone walls.

In a flash of thought, Puni instantly understood Voldemort's plan.

This person had no intention of fighting anymore. From the moment he activated the falling rocks and summoned the stone snake, his only goal was to take the opportunity to escape from the secret chamber!

Puni tried to stop him, but Voldemort ran very fast.

In the end, he still managed to escape.

"Qiu, what's the next class?" Puni reached into his pocket and rummaged around, intending to pull out the textbook for the corresponding course.

Qiu also took out a book from her bag and looked up to reply, "The next class is Defense Against the Dark Arts. We've hardly ever had a proper class in this subject before. I'm quite curious about Professor Quirrell's level. I heard he's a graduate of Ravenclaw and travels all over the world. He must have a lot of knowledge. I'm really looking forward to this class."

She casually flipped through the pages, glanced at the book, and turned to look at Puni: "Aren't you even a little bit curious?"

"Me?" Thinking of Quirrell's fierce fight and desperate escape in the underground chamber last night, Puni's tone held a hint of feigned eagerness. "Of course I'm looking forward to it, really looking forward to it."

But deep down, he was harboring wicked thoughts and making unfounded speculations.

I cornered him in a locked-room battle last night, is he going to be too exhausted to take a day off from class the next day?

But reality was completely different from what he had expected; the Defense Against the Dark Arts class proceeded as scheduled.

Puni found a seat. He rarely came to this classroom. As soon as he entered, he smelled a strong garlic odor.

Not long after, Quirrell, with a thick scarf wrapped around his neck, walked into the classroom unharmed.

Puni kept his gaze steady, his face revealing only two emotions.

Firstly, there was a slight aversion to the pungent smell filling the room; secondly, there was the ordinary curiosity of the new teacher, without revealing any of the apprehension about their confrontation the previous night.

Seeing that Quirrell's physical condition was still relatively stable, Puni secretly wondered how many unicorns he had hunted and fed on their blood after escaping last night to repair his decaying body to this extent.

He was absolutely certain that the blood of a single unicorn could not achieve such a restorative effect.

"Good morning, everyone. I am Quirrell, the teacher in charge of the Defense Against the Dark Arts course. You can call me Professor Quirrell from now on. We just met at the end of last semester. I hope we can get along well in the future."

No one was surprised that the professor spoke haltingly and occasionally stuttered.

The lesson officially began, and Quirrell pushed up a sealed wooden coffin. Puni instantly understood the topic of the lesson and finally figured out the source of the strong garlic smell in the room.

The coffin contained an ancient Egyptian mummy, which naturally emitted a strong, decaying odor. Quirrell used this odor to mask the putrid smell of his parasitic Black Soul, and the two smells were so mixed together that it was difficult to distinguish between them.

Considering his background alone, it's not unusual for Quirrell to collect an ancient mummy, given his frequent travels around the world.

Puni knew that ordinary people thought mummies were extremely dangerous, but that only applied to the spirits of the dead who had completed a full resurrection ritual.

The successfully revived mummy is a high-level undead entity, and its overall combat power is in no way inferior to that of an ordinary lich.

However, the coffin in front of us was taken out of the pyramid tomb before the complete resurrection process was completed, and it has completely lost the possibility of being revived. Its only use now is as a classroom teaching aid.

Quirrell began his explanation along the wooden coffin, from the various curse runes engraved on the coffin to punish tomb raiders, to the complete process of preserving mummies in ancient Egypt, even explaining details such as extracting brain tissue from the nasal cavity.

The group of young wizards below listened with a mixture of nausea and interest. Compared to other dry and theoretical subjects, the Defense Against the Dark Arts course was clearly more exciting. Many students secretly changed their opinion of Quirrell and realized that he was not as terrible as the twins had described.

Kopni stared at the mummy in the coffin, filled with emotion.

The complete set of spells related to mummies almost brings together all the core elements of the black magic system. It is also the goal that countless black wizards pursue throughout their lives. A complete set of spells that points directly to the miracle that everyone dreams of, breaking free from the boundary between life and death and achieving resurrection.

To be brought back to life is the greatest miracle in the world, and no living being would willingly refuse it if there were even the slightest possibility of it happening.

If one could achieve immortality and avoid facing death, it would be the ultimate pursuit of everyone throughout their lives.

Looking at the billions of living beings in the world, very few can reach the state of immortality; almost no one can do it.

Therefore, respecting life and death and cherishing oneself are the most realistic survival principles.

Quirrell's Defense Against the Dark Arts class has enjoyed a steadily rising reputation since its inception.

Even though the mummy in the classroom couldn't move and was just a static teaching aid, the news quickly spread throughout the school, sparking considerable discussion.

The students who had never attended the class were filled with anticipation, curious about what strange magical teaching aids Quirrell would bring out in the next class.

However, dissenting voices also emerged within the school, with the Weasley twins leading the unrest.

Upon hearing the news that a mummy was on display in a second-grade classroom, the two immediately gathered a group of third-grade friends, hand-wrote several colorful banners, and formed a group to block the door of Quirrell's office to protest, demanding that the mummy be on display in class so that the third-grade students could also observe and learn.

Quirrell, who was timid and prone to panic, was surrounded and harassed by the twins for a long time, leaving him at a loss and unsure how to deal with these mischievous older students.

Before long, Professor McGonagall arrived after hearing the news. Before she could even reprimand or advise him, the Weasley twins immediately took the lead and scattered, disappearing completely.

This style of causing trouble and then running away has long been the norm for the two of them. Professor McGonagall stood there and sighed helplessly, completely at a loss.

Professor McGonagall stayed behind to calm the tense Quirrell. As the vice principal, she publicly praised him for his innovative course design and excellent teaching results, reassuring him not to worry about the students' antics.

The person who secretly asked Professor McGonagall to step in and save the day was none other than Puni.

He leaned against a pillar in the corridor, quietly watching Quirrell receive comfort and praise in his office, and couldn't help but smile.

He was very curious about the furious and frustrated expression on Voldemort's face, which was now parasitizing the back of Quirrell's head and hidden under the scarf.

Life on campus proceeded smoothly, and Saturday arrived as scheduled.

Puni joined the Ravenclaw Quidditch team and went to the playground.

Before we knew it, the second Saturday arrived, and Gryffindor, Slytherin, and Hufflepuff all began their new school team selections simultaneously.

Hogwarts school rules explicitly prohibit first-year students from participating in Quidditch selections. Due to this restriction, only one second-year student from each of the three houses was selected for the official teams in this round of selections, resulting in a very small number of lower-year students joining the team.

It was thought that with the selection of new players for each house over, the Quidditch team structure would be finalized, but the situation did not calm down.

A week later, a message that quickly spread throughout the castle disrupted the preparation rhythm of the various college teams.

Harry Potter was successfully selected for the Gryffindor Quidditch team and took over the position of Seeker.

Oliver Wood has now taken over as captain of Gryffindor Quidditch.

Wood was meticulous and originally planned to keep Harry's joining the team a secret, keeping this exceptionally talented first-year student as a trump card and a killer move for the season, never revealing him until the official competition.

However, the news blockade only lasted for half a day before it spread throughout the entire Hogwarts.

Harry didn't try to hide the news of joining the team. His roommates Ron, Neville, Seamus, and Dean were the first to know the good news and celebrated it openly in the hallways and dining halls, sharing the good news with everyone they met.

The news spread through the student circle to Nick, the Gryffindor resident ghost who was nearly headless, and all the resident ghosts in the castle learned of it at the same time.

These ghosts, who had been lurking in the castle for centuries and whose lives were dull and uninteresting, suddenly had a whole new topic of conversation. They chatted and discussed it in the corridors and the Great Hall. In just half a day, everyone in the school knew that Harry had become the Seeker of Gryffindor.

In the afternoon corridor, Puni ran into Harry and stopped to greet him.

"Harry, congratulations on officially joining the Gryffindor team."

"Now we're opponents on the field, and in the upcoming Quidditch match, we Ravenclaws won't hold back."

Cho, standing beside him, nodded in agreement: "That's right, Harry, I won't deliberately be modest towards you."

She has now become the college's finder.

However, Harry's special status, and the fact that he was able to fill the core position at the age of a first-year student, is enough to prove that his flying talent is extraordinary and he is by no means an ordinary lower-year student.

Harry looked up at Cho: "Please give it your all during the competition, senior."

Since learning that his biological father, James Potter, was also Gryffindor's ace Seeker and had led the team to victory in the Quidditch Cup, Harry developed a strong sense of confidence and an innate belief that he could excel in the tournament.

"Let's wait and see."

Puni chuckled softly, then turned and led Qiu away from the corridor.

For some time afterward, Voldemort remained hidden in the shadows and did not cause any trouble, and life at Hogwarts became relatively peaceful.

Given Voldemort's cunning and shrewdness, he certainly wouldn't remain dormant or in seclusion for long.

The forbidden forest snake trail is secluded and conspicuous, only suitable for emergency escapes.

Voldemort spent five years digging deep into the secrets of the castle, and the number of secret chamber entrances and exits he discovered must have been far greater and more concealed than Puni's.

During this time, Puni learned from the snake sculpture that Voldemort had not set foot in the stone wall resting room since the battle in the Chamber of Secrets.

Even after receiving this news, Puni remained on guard.

One afternoon, two weeks into the semester, at the Hogwarts Library.

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Sunlight streamed through the glass window, casting slanted rays onto the wooden desk.

Hermione arrived at the library on time as usual, familiarly carrying the books she needed for the day's lessons from the lending area, and then choosing an empty seat by the window.

She methodically spread out her textbooks, handwritten notes, blank parchment, and ink bottle, quickly entering her own highly efficient self-study state. She was organized and her progress always far exceeded that of her fellow freshmen.

But this focus didn't last long. The unusual commotion of a crowd next to the History of Magic section inside the library abruptly pulled Hermione's attention away.