The days at Hogwarts

A lame old man with an old face that Harry had only seen in his dreams appeared. If the residents of Little Hangleton were here, they would definitely exclaim. It was Frank, the concierge who died tragically at Riddle House for unknown reasons!

He looked at Voldemort with his eyes, and there was worry in his slightly trembling voice: "So, he is really a wizard? This guy is going to kill me, you fight him, kid..."

It looked like Harry had help.

Loren was thinking, and he noticed that the soul squeezed out of Voldemort's wand was completely different from the ghost. The emotions were more stable than the ghost, and even preserved the memory after death. Judging from the performance of the two people leaving the wand, it was stored in the wand. Zhong is also able to perceive things around him.

According to his understanding of the magical world, there are two destinations for intelligent creatures after death. Those who are attached to the human world can transform into ghosts through the magic power in their bodies, and those who bravely face death will go to the world of the dead through a hazy illusion. At least he has never heard of the souls of the dead being trapped in a magic wand.

The soul that appears now is like the mark left on Voldemort by the deceased, the reflection of the soul.

Loren carefully observed the process of the gray smoke transforming into a soul. He speculated that this process of making the mark of the deceased appear as a soul may be the product of multiple coincidences. For example, the bodies and souls of two people have a unique connection. For example, the two people have a unique connection. The core of the human wand is all Fox's tail feathers, and the phoenix has the ability to rebirth from nirvana...

More gray smoke emerged from Voldemort's wand, and transformed into human figures amid the ethereal singing of the Phoenix and the trembling of the golden light net. Some of them had unshaven beards and looked haggard, while others were covered with coarse wolf hair, and their sharp teeth and claws still flashed coldly...

The souls killed by Voldemort walked around the two of them, and their voices of encouragement to Harry merged together, like the distant and peaceful singing of a church choir, making Harry feel infinite power flowing into his body.

The voice cursing Voldemort also made him grit his teeth and turn pale.

A figure emerged from the yew branches. The young woman had green eyes and long crimson hair hanging on her shoulders. Seeing her floating figure, Harry's shoulders trembled. The same green eyes Tears came out.

"Your dad is here too..." Lily Potter said softly, "He wants to see you, it will be fine, Harry..."

The soul of James Potter is a tall man with disheveled hair, smiling and calm: "After the connection is disconnected, we can only buy you a short time. You must get the door key. Do you understand, ha?" profit?"

"clear."

The light network trembled violently, and as the stream of light dissipated, the song of the phoenix disappeared instantly. Silence returned to the wilderness cemetery. The souls of many deceased people densely obscured the vision. The spells of Voldemort and the Death Eaters had no effect on them. Because they are already dead and cannot die again.

"[The trophy is flying]"

Harry grabbed the trophy flying in the air and felt his navel being tickled. He was instantly swept away by an invisible space whirlwind and disappeared into the cemetery of Little Hangleton.

While the Death Eaters were surrounded by souls, Barty Crouch stood in front of his son, looking relaxed as he had never felt since he graduated from Hogwarts and entered the Ministry of Magic: "I see When it comes to your mother, she doesn’t blame you, she wants me to tell you that she loves you..."

Little Barty had a cold face, and even looked at him with a hint of sarcasm.

"I don't blame you either, I love you too."

Barty Crouch Jr. was stunned for a moment. Before he could answer, Barty Crouch's already translucent body dispersed into mist again. The cool evening breeze blew, and apart from a tattered physical corpse still remaining in the venue, there was no trace of Barty Crouch in the world.

Snape seemed to see those eyes again in a trance, and smiled at him, which disappeared in the dew of the summer night the next moment. He stood there stiffly, like a tombstone standing in a cemetery that had not had time to be engraved, with a two-winged angel holding a scythe behind him.

Without the magic power of the phoenix to maintain, the figures of the souls became lighter and lighter, starting from the lower body and gradually becoming transparent. However, their mission had been completed, with free and easy smiles on their faces.

"Master, what should we do now?"

Lucius Malfoy stood beside Voldemort with a slight bow and asked cautiously.

Voldemort's face was gloomy and uncertain. If you hadn't seen it with your own eyes, it would be difficult to imagine that such a twisted snake face could have multiple emotions such as anger, fear, and resentment at the same time. The expressions were clear or even unaffected.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He quickly ran through what happened during the duel in his mind, but he couldn't find any answers.

Why does he feel connected to Potter?

Why did both of their wands undergo unexpected changes?

Is all this protection set up by Dumbledore on Harry Potter, or...

Voldemort suddenly opened his eyes, and then slowly narrowed them into a slit. Scarlet cold light seeped out from the slit and focused on Snape on the right. He said calmly and softly: "Harry Potter will definitely go back." Will report everything to Dumbledore, he will be there soon, get out of this place as soon as possible."

"I have a manor nearby." Lucius said smoothly.

"separate!"

"what?"

"I want you to act separately and not expose my whereabouts or the news of my return for the time being."

"This……"

Lucius wanted to say something more, but Voldemort's cold and stern gaze made his heart tremble, and he retracted his unnecessary questions.

"Don't worry, friends, we have plenty of time..." Voldemort said softly, "In the thirteen years since I lost my power, many interesting things have happened, and the people who once resisted us have regained some power, and now their ears are sensitive. August is trapped in Azkaban, and taking rash actions will only cause us to lose more friends."

"You are right, Master."

"McNeil."

"I'm here, Master..."

A Death Eater named Walton McNeil stood up. He had a large frame but no flesh on his face, and his whole face looked fierce and mean.

In fact, the same is true of his job. He is an executioner with bloody hands, responsible for executing guilty magical animals in the Ministry of Magic. He loves to use an ax to chop off the heads of ferocious animals in front of horrified eyes.

"Contact Greyback and ask him to come back. It's time to recall our loyal servants...the dementors confined in Azkaban, the expelled giants, and those appalling dark creatures..."

"I'll do it immediately." McNeil's figure flashed and disappeared.

"Bellatrix, Barty... explore the situation in Azkaban, our friends are still waiting..."

"Lucius, try to win over the current senior officials of the Ministry of Magic..."

"..."

The Death Eaters who received the order left one by one, and in the end, only Snape was left standing there quietly, wandering around all night as if he was back to the beginning, leaving him alone to face Voldemort. .

"Severus..." Voldemort took two steps and stopped in front of him. His dark snake eyes looked back and forth on him and said softly, "You should know that I don't completely trust you..."

Chapter 504 Ending

It was already very late, but the sky in the middle of the night in summer was not so dark that you could not see the way forward. The breeze blew from the wilderness and hills, and was divided into strands by the stone carvings and tombstones scattered in the cemetery. The fallen yew trees The leaves and grass blades on the ground were blown by the wind and drifted away quietly.

Loren hid in the corner and observed secretly, without worrying too much.

Although Voldemort regained flesh and blood and showed great power in front of the Death Eaters, he showed favor to Bellatrix and Barty Crouch Jr., and many Death Eaters tortured and punished them with the Cruciatus Curse.

All in all, the combination of kindness and power was used to regain people's hearts without harming the lives of any Death Eaters.

He was even tolerant of Snape.

There is only one reason. Voldemort has just returned and is short of manpower. Every Death Eater is his precious servant.

So letting Snape stay alone now is not to take action, but to give Snape a chance to express his loyalty again and make his position clear.

When all the Death Eaters left, Snape's heart became calmer and calmer. If Voldemort's Legilimency could break through his Occlumency, he would see that there was no panic or hesitation in the depths of his consciousness, only something as silent as the deep waters of the Black Lake. peaceful.

Snape saw the shadow of the angel statue cast behind Voldemort, covering his original shadow. It seemed to have wings. The shadow holding the long scythe was Voldemort's shadow. The blade of the scythe was stretched very long, as if harvesting. The god of life.

He slowly looked into Voldemort's scarlet snake eyes. There was no wave in his eyes, as calm as a lake of stagnant water: "I will serve you..."

Voldemort looked steadily into his eyes, as if he wanted to see his own shadow in those eyes: "You know what I want."

"Master, please give me some time. I will sort out Dumbledore's information over the past thirteen years. It won't take long..." Snape said dryly, with no trace of error in his voice or tone.

"Do you resent me?" Voldemort asked suddenly.

Snape failed to follow his train of thought and frowned in confusion: "What?"

Voldemort's eyes narrowed and he stared at him: "Thirteen years ago, you begged me to spare that woman's life, but I killed her, Harry Potter's mother, your beloved... Lily ·Evans!”

Snape opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything. There were complex and diverse emotions on his cheeks, including sadness in remembering the deceased, sadness at the death of a loved one because of him, and unknown longings. …

Voldemort circled around him, the shadow of death always shrouding his body, and a hissing sound like a snake spitting out its core came from his mouth: "Look at you, Severus, a picture of someone trapped by love. Every part of his face exudes the disgusting... love that Dumbledore keeps talking about. "

"Or do you want to tell me that you have given up on that relationship, from Spider-End Alley to Hogwarts, and even after graduation, and this person died under my wand, how do you expect me to believe it? Voldemort said softly, "Even before that, you were my most loyal servant..."

"After that, I was also your most loyal servant." Snape put away the complicated expression on his face and said calmly, "That night, I lost two of the most important people at the same time, one was Lily and the other It is the Dark Lord that I have been pursuing, the one who guides me forward..."

"I have been depressed for a long time and chose to stay dormant in Hogwarts as an ordinary Potions professor. I teach students every day, correct homework, and read Potions journals...I don't care about McGonagall, Flitwick, and Spout. Excluded by Lao, I have no goals and can’t see the way forward. I feel like a body without a soul. If there is anything else that can interest me, it’s only potions..."

Voldemort listened to his story without saying a word. In the blind corner where Snape couldn't see, the expression on his face softened a little. In a daze, he seemed to see the years he spent in the orphanage before entering Hogwarts.

"Until Quirrell snatched the Sorcerer's Stone..." Snape seemed not to notice Voldemort's sudden sharp gaze, and continued on his own, "I have a pursuit, the supreme pursuit, which comes from your inspiration and also from Warning of Lily’s death…”

Voldemort's slightly hoarse voice took over what he had not finished: "Conquer death and gain immortality."

Loren slowed down his breathing. He immediately understood Professor Snape's plan - to use the same ideal to convince Voldemort.

Voldemort must have never imagined that his ultimate goal was not immortality at all, but resurrection...

Snape's black eyes shone slightly and he raised his voice slightly: "The Philosopher's Stone is an important clue to the elixir of life, but Dumbledore seemed to be afraid of me mentioning it. During the summer vacation after Quirrell's failure, he and Nico Co. Flamel personally destroyed the Philosopher's Stone.

"I suspected that this was just false news he had put out. After investigating for a period of time, I spent a year confirming that Nico Flamel and his wife were indeed dead, whether in a secluded place in the UK or in France. Their traces..."

"You are too worried, Severus. Dumbledore will not lie on this point. He is afraid that others will obtain the powerful power of the Philosopher's Stone." Although Voldemort was denying his behavior, his tone was unconsciously filled with appreciation. "He is such a timid and cautious person, claiming that death is another great adventure, but he has lived longer than most wizards, huddled in Hogwarts Castle away from all dangers and disputes, and he is afraid that someone will surpass him... …”

"Later, I investigated new clues..." Snape looked at Voldemort, paused, and said the word that made his pupils shrink, "Horcrux!"

Voldemort's eyes flashed with a dangerous glint, scarlet and terrifying: "What else do you know?"

"There is a book called "Advanced Dark Arts" in the restricted section of the library. The despicable Halbo left behind the method of making Horcruxes. The most critical page was torn..." Snape bowed slightly and said respectfully. Said, "Great Dark Lord, Severus is willing to be your most loyal servant forever."

Voldemort stared at him for a long time, his lips split open on both sides. If he had any doubts about Snape before, at this moment, all doubts about his identity and position were gone.

Dumbledore had already confiscated Ravenclaw's diadem and Hufflepuff's golden cup. He must have found out about the Horcruxes, so the headmaster would definitely not allow anyone to have any thoughts about the Horcruxes.

Voldemort slowly stepped forward and stood in front of him: "You made the right choice. I want to leave the most important thing to you..."

"At your service."

"I want you to return to Hogwarts, continue to be a dedicated Potions Professor, Head of Slytherin, and monitor Dumbledore's every move for me."

Snape hesitated for a moment: "But if I take Barty Crouch Jr. to escape without authorization, they will no longer believe me."

“Who said you took him away?” A meaningful smile appeared on Voldemort’s twisted snake face.

Snape followed his gaze and fell on the shapeless body in the middle of the field.

"The former Director of the Department of Legal Enforcement of the Ministry of Magic and the current Director of the Department of International Affairs and Cooperation, our professional Mr. Crouch has actually been a member of the Death Eaters many years ago. He hid his identity and escaped trial. But he didn’t expect that his son would be exposed by Karkaroff, so he replaced his son serving a sentence in Azkaban with his seriously ill wife..."

"Because of their respect for the Dark Lord, they decided to take revenge on Harry Potter, so they restarted the Goblet of Fire Tournament, trying to make the Boy-Who-Lived die in the tournament, and planned a series of secret plans... …”

Voldemort frowned slightly, seeming to be completely immersed in his own fabricated story, and sighed regretfully, "In the finals of the Goblet of Fire, their plan implicated others and caused the death of another student. Barty Crouch was exposed by a professor at Hogwarts and caught red-handed.”

"His father quickly received the news and hid in the area where prisoners are held in Hogwarts. He removed his son's restraints and tried to escape. However, he was discovered by the Potions Professor who was passing by and chased him all the way. In the end..."

Voldemort sighed triumphantly: "One death and one escape."

"This..." Snape looked hesitant, "Those people at Hogwarts may not completely believe this story, especially Dumbledore."

"They don't need to believe it completely. I know that old guy Dumbledore. He is always willing to give people one more chance, even if others think you are not worthy of trust..."

Voldemort said lazily that the pursuit of Horcruxes destined Snape to be a member of the Death Eater camp, "Severus, we have plenty of time, more than you have seen in history books, more than you have in your mind." As you can imagine, it will take a long time..."

"Serving you." After Snape said this, his figure flickered and disappeared into the cemetery of Little Hangleton.

After hearing the absurd stories fabricated by Voldemort, Loren immediately deduced in his mind the ripples these contents would cause in the wizarding world.

The story of Crouch and his son's Death Eaters is almost impeccable, and the Death Eater group will certainly help spread the story, while the group headed by Dumbledore will break out the story of another mysterious man's resurrection and return.

The key point of which news the general wizarding community will believe lies in whether Voldemort reveals his whereabouts.

Since Voldemort made up this story, it means that he has already made a plan...

Just when Loren thought Voldemort would leave quickly, he saw Voldemort approaching the haggard corpse that collapsed on the ground. After putting his wand into his black robe, Voldemort turned his head and looked into the air expressionlessly, as if What are you waiting for?

Soon Loren knew what he was waiting for.

The night was shrouded in the dead silence of the wilderness cemetery, and a bright orange flame suddenly appeared in the mid-air in the not-so-large open space.

There was obviously nothing to burn in the air, but the flames burned more and more fiercely, quickly expanding into an adult-sized fireball. Under Voldemort's gaze, the blazing flames rolled and tore through the air, making a slight explosion. noise.

A figure stepped out of the flames. He was wearing a gray ceremonial robe, his hair was tied together with olive branches, and his long white beard was tied in front of him with a hair tie.

Through the flames that gradually converged and extinguished, Loren could see the old face full of confusion and shock. He twitched the corners of his stiff mouth and complained silently in his heart.

What a pretense, if Dumbledore hadn't been here from the beginning, he would have eaten the stone sculpture in front of him.

"Good evening, Headmaster Dumbledore." Voldemort greeted him sincerely. "Unfortunately, there is nothing here, so I can't entertain you."

"Good evening, Tom..." Dumbledore seemed to quickly accept this fact, put away all expressions, and looked at him with a solemn face, "Maybe we can change places and let me, an old man, have a drink... I I’ve come a long way, I don’t mind walking a little longer.”

After listening to the meaningful words, Voldemort glanced at Riddle House located on the mountainside and refused: "Please believe me, Principal Dumbledore, the road I am walking is farther and more difficult..."

"Maybe I know a little bit..." Dumbledore looked at Voldemort from a distance across Crouch's body. "I once saw old trees covered with snake bones in the Albanian forest. Even in Hogwarts, I The students have also encountered the embarrassed ghosts who have no place to hide many times."

"But not everyone is as lucky as Harry Potter, such as the Hufflepuff warrior." Voldemort looked at Dumbledore's ugly face and pointed to the corpse not far away, the expressionless snake. A smile twisted on his face, "Perhaps poor Cedric needs an excellent teacher to guide him to the road of death!"

Dumbledore's lips were tightly closed, he was holding a simple wand, and his robes were swinging automatically without any wind. The majestic magic power was surging and accumulating in his old but still strong body, as if a turbulent wave would pour out and drown Voldemort at any time.

Voldemort had a gloomy face and slowly moved around Crouch's body, trying to avoid the old guy's lock on the opposite side.

They had fought several times many years ago. Although there was no fatal fight and the outcome of the battle was unclear, the result was that the Death Eaters' killings avoided Hogwarts, which had the largest number of Muggle half-blood wizards.

His years as a ghost were spent in thirteen years of painful suffering, but this old guy has been dormant in Hogwarts, without paying attention to the tedious daily teaching, twice rejected the nomination of the Minister of Magic, and does not have to deal with the complicated paperwork. Spend energy on it and have enough time to study magic...