Chapter 147 Little Tom, does this Great Killing Curse work?
After Professor Snape's birthday passed, Dylan noticeably felt that in class, Professor Snape's attitude towards even the Gryffindor students had softened considerably.
For instance, normally when Professor Snape scolded Ron, he would say he was stupider than a troll.
Recently, when he saw Ron making a mistake, he would only reprimand him for being as reckless as a headless ghost.
This was incredibly mild! To the point where Ron himself found it unbelievable.
Another day, after school.
Dylan went for his usual tutoring session in Professor Flitwick's office.
When he returned to the dormitory that evening, he didn't see Harry or the others.
It wasn't until close to curfew that Harry and Ron returned, their faces grim.
Seeing their somewhat troubled expressions, Dylan raised an eyebrow. "Is something wrong?"
The two exchanged glances. Looking at Seamus and Neville, who were already in bed, they stealthily moved closer to Dylan.
They lifted their bottoms, about to sit on Dylan's bed.
"Wait a moment!"
Dylan's eyes widened.
"You're just going to sit on my blanket with your jackets on? Can't you see the mud on your robes?"
"Ah, sorry."
Harry awkwardly froze his half-crouching bottom in mid-air, then quickly lifted it.
"Scourgify!"
After Harry used his wand to clean the mud off himself and Ron, he stood by Dylan's bed, not sitting down again.
Dylan rolled his eyes. "What are you standing around for? Sit here."
He patted the bed beside him, then shifted his body to make room.
"Moo?"
At this moment, Coal Ball's head poked out from under his covers.
Dylan scratched Coal Ball's chin, pulling it closer to himself, as he watched Harry and Ron sit down, looking a bit embarrassed.
"What exactly happened?"
Harry frowned, sighing. "It's Hermione. She was also attacked by the monster tonight!"
Dylan raised an eyebrow. "Oh, that's truly awful."
(.) Hearing Dylan's seemingly not-so-tense tone, Ron and Harry both froze.
"It... it's quite awful," Harry stammered. "If we hadn't found her in time, Hermione might have been eaten by that monster!"
Ron couldn't help but ask, "Dylan, do you have any more Mandrake Restorative Draught? Hermione is in the Hospital Wing right now!"
Dylan pursed his lips and shrugged. "I'm sorry, all my Mandrake Restorative Draught has already been used. One bottle saved Mrs. Norris, and one saved Harry's little fanboy. I really don't have any more."
Ron's expression dimmed.
Harry's face also looked quite upset.
"I don't think you need to worry too much about this. Before Christmas, Neville and I went to the greenhouse to check, and the Mandrakes are growing very well. I think they'll be ready soon."
Dylan tilted his head slightly. "Once the Mandrakes are mature, Professor Snape will naturally brew Mandrake Restorative Draught—he'll surely brew it faster than I can."
Harry nodded helplessly. "It seems that's the only way."
Ron's brows were furrowed, and he remained silent.
Just then, Harry quietly glanced at Seamus and the others.
Neville and Seamus weren't specifically paying attention to them.
Harry again lowered his voice, then pulled a notebook from his bag.
"Because the people who've been hurt recently all seem to be connected to one place, Ron and I decided to go check it out."
"Then we found this notebook in the girls' bathroom on the second floor... the one that became famous because of Malfoy last time."
Dylan's gaze fell on the notebook in Harry's hand, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"But what's strange is that, except for the first page, where you can make out a name written in blurry ink, the rest of the notebook is blank."
Harry handed the notebook to Dylan.
Dylan took it nonchalantly.
"Hermione went to the library to research information about the owner of this notebook. She might have discovered something and wanted to investigate, but she was attacked unexpectedly!"
Harry explained quietly to Dylan.
Ron also nodded beside him. "When we found Hermione, she had a mirror and a piece of paper in her hand. The paper had some information—the monster in the Chamber of Secrets seems to be... a Basilisk!"
Harry also spoke up. "And the owner of this notebook—Tom Riddle—received a special award for services to the school fifty years ago."
"Many professors were there when Hermione was attacked. I took the opportunity to ask Professor Binns. The Chamber of Secrets was opened fifty years ago! And someone died then too!"
Ron nodded repeatedly. "We think this notebook must be a diary. Maybe it records what happened fifty years ago."
As he spoke, he couldn't help but feel annoyed. "But there's nothing on this notebook except a rotten name!"
"We've tried everything, from revealing charms to erasers that remove invisible ink, but nothing works!" Harry added.
"Dylan, you can do Divination, right? Can you divine anything about this notebook?" Ron asked urgently.
Dylan rubbed the diary in his hand, blinking. "You know, Divination isn't an easy task, so I think it might take me some time to try."
"But if you want a result quickly, I could try to foresee if that monster, including the Heir of Slytherin, will have any significant impact on Hogwarts."
"You can do that? That's great! Dylan, do you need to prepare anything?" Ron's eyes widened excitedly.
Dylan casually rummaged through the bedside cabinet, then pulled out a crystal ball and placed it on the bed.
Coal Ball curiously poked its head towards the crystal ball, then was gently pushed back by Dylan.
"No need."
One of Dylan's hands hovered above the crystal ball, his already somewhat slender fingers slightly curved, his palm loosely cupping the crystal ball, and he began to gently rotate it.
A mist gradually spread within the crystal ball.
Harry and Ron sat by the bed, their eyes fixed on the crystal ball, hoping to discern something from the hazy mist.
However, beyond the mist, there was only mist. They couldn't see anything clearly.
But the two of them looked up and saw Dylan's focused expression, his gaze locked on the inside of the crystal ball, as if he saw something within. They dared not speak, only sitting there blankly.
After a moment, Dylan's movements gradually stopped, and his eyes slowly closed.
Harry, eyes wide, asked expectantly, "Well?"
Dylan's airy voice came: "I saw a few shadows."
"Shadows?" Harry and Ron were stunned again.
"Are they the monster's shadows?" Harry pressed.
"No, I only saw a few shadows, killing each other. Ultimately, Hogwarts remained safe and sound." Dylan slowly shook his head, opened his eyes, and tossed the crystal ball back into the bedside cabinet.
—In fact, he hadn't performed any divination.
He just wanted to try and deliberately give Harry and the others a broad prophecy.
He wondered if he would earn some achievements once the prophecy truly came to pass.
"Alright, it's getting late. I think you two should go to bed, and so should I."
Dylan held the diary in his hand and looked at Harry and Ron.
Having learned from Dylan that nothing would happen to Hogwarts, the two were slightly relieved, but still stood up a bit nervously.
—With such a major event, whether Dylan's divination was effective and accurate was still unknown.
But there was nothing they could do. All they could do now was sleep.
After they left, Dylan didn't pay any more attention to Harry and the others. Instead, he tried to put the diary into his inventory.
It didn't work.
Dylan raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Then you can feel your brother Coal Ball's big butt."
Dylan placed the diary aside, then picked up Coal Ball.
"Sleep leaning on this."
Coal Ball squinted at Dylan, then looked at the diary.
Dylan smiled faintly. "Don't worry, it won't hurt your butt."
Coal Ball: ? Although it didn't quite understand its owner's request, it obediently shifted its butt.
With a soft "thump," it sat down.
Then it adjusted its posture so its head could rest on its owner's pillow, becoming much more comfortable before it finally narrowed its eyes.
Dylan also lay down to sleep.
When the night was quiet and still.
Dylan, who had been resting for a while, slowly opened his eyes.
He had to go to the Forbidden Forest tonight to spit out the Mandrake leaf from his mouth.
This accursed leaf had been in his mouth for a whole month.
Dylan even felt like it was almost melted, turning into a mushy state.
Leaving Coal Ball to continue sitting on the diary, Dylan glanced back at the sleeping Harry and the others, then shimmered and vanished.
The Shadow Realm combined with Coal Ball's ability.
He could even become an invisible ghost.
He passed directly through Hogwarts' walls and doors, unimpeded.
Reaching the edge of the Forbidden Forest.
Due to the added variable of the diary, Dylan had originally planned to hunt some Aragog's offspring on the way tonight, and then find a unicorn to see if he could snag some of its hair.
But now, Dylan planned to rush back immediately after preparing for his Animagus transformation.
—To prevent the diary from causing any trouble under his nose.
"I didn't expect to wait until later when little Tom started causing mischief, then send Kael'thas to deal with him. Now, this fellow has delivered himself to my doorstep."
In that case, Dylan wouldn't mind researching what this diary was all about first.
Dylan knew that the current little Tom couldn't emerge from the diary yet.
Previously, he was able to control the Basilisk through Ginny because Ginny continuously communicated with Tom through the diary, allowing him to gradually manifest.
Even in the original story, after Harry picked up the diary and constantly communicated with it, unleashing the dark magic within, Tom was able to fully appear in the Chamber of Secrets.
But for now, this is just a soul fragment that cannot emerge from the diary.
Even if it has the ability to perceive the outside world, it's limited to gradually controlling the person using the diary through mental communication, employing dark magic.
So Dylan isn't afraid at all that by holding and researching this diary, Tom will realize that he is the one who has mastered dark magic.
Not to mention the considerable number of max-level soul-related spells Dylan currently possesses.
Even if Voldemort were resurrected, Dylan wouldn't flinch if it came down to a battle of top-tier dark magic.
No need to even mention a tiny, split-off soul fragment.
Aside from controlling a Basilisk, what kind of waves could it possibly make?
Entering the Forbidden Forest, Dylan didn't delve deeper.
He looked up at the sky; the night sky was incredibly clear, without a single cloud.
The pure moonlight poured down unobstructed, bathing the Forbidden Forest in a silvery glow.
Further away, the trees in the Forbidden Forest were shadowy, their branches and leaves swaying gently in the breeze.
A slight inhale brought the unique dampness and fresh scent of grass and wood from the forest.
Dylan stopped, took a small crystal vial from his inventory—this contained his saliva.
Dylan held the bottle, careful not to let it get too close to himself.
—Who would dare smell that?
Then, he removed the Mandrake leaf from under his tongue—the leaf was damp. Dylan carefully rolled it up and then pushed it into the bottle's opening.
Looking at the stringy saliva, Dylan blinked.
—Fortunately, these things were his own; Dylan didn't feel too disgusted.
The crystal vial shimmered under the moonlight, its outline reflecting the shadows of the surrounding trees.
The spot where he stood perfectly reflected and received the moonlight from the sky.
Dylan raised his hand, two fingers weaving through his hair, precisely grasping a strand, and with a gentle pull, plucked it out.
He held the strand of hair up to his eyes and then inserted it into the crystal vial as well.
Having completed this step, Dylan reached behind him for a silver spoon containing a teaspoon of dew.
—This was something Dylan had prepared earlier, collected from a place that had seen no sunlight for seven full days and was untouched by human feet.
After pouring the dew into the crystal vial, Dylan took out a Death's-head Hawkmoth pupa and held it before his eyes.
Under the moonlight, the Death's-head Hawkmoth pupa glowed with a greenish luminescence, its surface adorned with fine textures.
Dylan merely observed it briefly before also inserting it into the bottle's opening.
After mixing all the ingredients into the crystal vial, Dylan smiled. "Now, all I need to do is wait for a thunderstorm to arrive."
The bottle in his hand contained only a mixed liquid, a blend of various ingredients, not an actual potion.
Holding the bottle, he turned it a few times under the moonlight, then Dylan walked deeper into the Forbidden Forest.
Finding an ancient tree, Dylan buried the mixture beneath it.
Since he met Hagrid almost every now and then, their multiple encounters had given him a rough idea of Hagrid's patrol routes.
And Dylan had also reminded Hagrid not to come near this area recently.
So Dylan could basically ensure that before a thunderstorm arrived.
This place would neither be exposed to sunlight, remaining consistently dark, nor would anyone pass through, ensuring it stayed quiet.
Combining what he read in books with what he learned from Professor McGonagall, the steps to practicing Animagus were not actually that complicated.
It was essentially four steps.
First, hold a Mandrake leaf.
For a full lunar cycle, from one full moon to the next.
Dylan had to keep a Mandrake leaf in his mouth without swallowing or removing it, otherwise, he would have to start over.
—Just like last time.
The second step, create the mixture.
By the second full moon, place the saliva-soaked leaf into a small crystal vial, letting it absorb pure moonlight.
Then, add a strand of one's hair, a silver spoon of dew collected from a place untouched by humans and sunlight for seven days, and a Death's-head Hawkmoth pupa.
Then, place this mixture in a quiet, dark place until the next lightning and thunder storm arrives.
And thunderstorms aren't a common weather event.
When would the next thunderstorm come? There's no telling.
Thus, this involves luck.
If lucky, the storm will naturally arrive soon.
If unlucky, this process might take weeks, months, or even years.
However, the climate in Britain is quite good; there are usually one or two, or even several, thunderstorms each year.
Dylan wasn't worried that he would be unable to complete his Animagus transformation for a long time because of this.
The third step, which Dylan was about to do, was to chant the incantation during the waiting period.
The fourth step was to complete the transformation.
Having done all this, Dylan returned to his dorm. Coal Ball's eyes were slightly ajar, and upon seeing Dylan, its eyelids drooped again. It lay on Tom's notebook and continued to snore away.
"This little ungrateful creature."
Dylan's mouth twitched.
Before, no matter where he went, Coal Ball always wanted to follow him.
But now that it had been playing with Norbert for a while and had other companions, it not only didn't want to sleep with him anymore but even its attitude towards him wasn't as affectionate as it used to be!
Wasn't it afraid that he would run out late at night and encounter some danger?
Dylan let out a soft snort and lay back on his bed.
Sleep!
But he didn't sleep for long.
Before sunrise, he got up again.
He then placed the tip of his wand over his heart and chanted—
"Amato Animo Animato Animaus!"
After finishing the incantation, Dylan looked up at the sunrise outside the window.
Sunrise was fleeting.
In an instant, it was as if an enormous Lumos Maxima spell had lit up the entire world.
Hogwarts Castle was bathed in golden light, its ancient towers and spires edged with gold.
Looking at the Forbidden Forest in the distance, though the weather was still cold, it made the morning mist even more hazy, slowly drifting through the trees, then gradually revealing its outlines in the sunlight.
Branches and leaves swayed gently in the wind, and the mist slowly dissipated.
The sky was soft, orange-red dawn spreading freely, blending with the pale blue backdrop, bringing a warm aura that dispelled the last of the darkness.
Dylan exhaled slowly.
—Witnessing the sunrise every day was one of his small pleasures during his diligent studies.
At sunset, Dylan chanted the spell once more.
After dinner, Dylan didn't go to the library to read but entered his suitcase and looked at Tom's diary, placed amidst the Cockroach Clusters.
—This was a genuine pile of Cockroach Clusters.
After a day of thinking, Dylan concluded that since the diary was now in his hands.
Even if he wouldn't completely claim it for himself right now—he still intended to give it to Harry later so he could continue his battle with Voldemort.
Then, he, as Kael'thas, would swoop in and take both the Horcrux and the Basilisk.
But that didn't mean he couldn't conduct a few small experiments on this diary now.
First, he used the Imperius Curse to control the diary.
—Before this, Dylan had remained invisible using the Shadow Ring.
Then, ensuring the diary was completely under his mental control, Dylan raised his wand again, pointing its tip at the diary.
"Avada Kedavra!"
biubiubiubiubiu—
In an instant, no less than fifty sickly green flashes of light, eager to burst forth, shot out from the tip of Dylan's wand like a torrential downpour, striking the diary head-on.
"—!!!"
Next, the diary, whose surface had been crawling with countless cockroaches, instantly looked as if it had been scorched by flames.
The diary became charred under the spell's effect, its edges seemingly curling up.
Even though the notebook made no sound, Dylan felt a shriek in his ears.
"What a powerful Horcrux."
Fifty Avada Kedavra curses later, the diary only showed some changes, but nothing further, nothing Dylan wanted to see.
A Horcrux itself has no life in the traditional sense; it lacks independent consciousness, emotions, and life characteristics like growth and reproduction. It is merely a vessel for a soul fragment.
It has never lived, because it lacks life, yet it is not inanimate, because it carries a soul fragment, distinguishing it from ordinary objects.
Since it is not alive, it naturally cannot be killed by the Killing Curse.
Even if Dylan used dozens of Avada Kedavra curses on it, it would only make it weaker.
"This is an absolute gem for grinding mastery tasks!"
Dylan stroked his chin, looking at the completely charred diary.
Curses like the Killing Curse and the Cruciatus Curse cannot genuinely affect a Horcrux.
Under the power of dark magic, they would only gradually erode the Horcrux's power.
However, a Horcrux is a Horcrux. No matter how weak it becomes, it can still serve as the soul anchor left by its creator in this world.
Even if it suffers a fatal blow, it will not truly kill its master.
It will only force them into a state between life and death, allowing them to remain in this world.
Furthermore, a Horcrux itself is immune to ordinary magical and physical attacks, and it also possesses a certain degree of self-healing ability.
Even if a Horcrux is pierced by a Basilisk's venomous fangs, if no further damage is inflicted to utterly destroy the Horcrux, the wound can slowly heal over time.
Just like in the story, if Harry hadn't continuously attacked the diary multiple times with the fang, this Horcrux would very likely have returned to its original state someday.
Additionally, the dark magic used to create a Horcrux also endows it with an extremely powerful protective mechanism. Only truly extreme and powerful forces can completely destroy a Horcrux.
For example, Godric Gryffindor's sword, or the dark Fiendfyre.
Spells like Avada Kedavra and even Sectumsempra can only cause damage to a Horcrux. But no matter how much damage is dealt, if it cannot lead to death, it is ultimately useless.
"Even though from my few encounters with little Voldy, he's been as weak as a little chick, yet despite autonomously creating six Horcruxes, he was limited by his understanding of death and souls. He thought these Horcruxes would be enough to transcend death, completely unaware that even with Horcruxes, they could be utterly destroyed."
So, once Voldemort's first Horcrux is destroyed, he'll naturally realize the importance of his other Horcruxes.
Dylan doesn't want to expend too much effort meticulously searching for each of those Horcruxes.
For him, instead of actively seeking them, it's better to let those Horcruxes fall right into his lap.
This is also one of the reasons he doesn't want to interfere too much with Harry's growth.
Children have to grow up eventually; the path they choose is their own.
Ultimately, Voldemort and Harry fighting to the death has no impact on him, and he can even benefit from it.
Why not, then?
Furthermore, although conceptually, a person's soul can be split into seven fragments, meaning one can create a maximum of six Horcruxes, with the main body of the soul, that makes a total of seven parts.
But in a subjective world, if Voldemort's escape routes were completely cut off, would he suddenly go berserk and tear his soul into a hundred or two hundred pieces?
Even if his soul ultimately became extremely unstable and distorted.
Even if he lost control of his actions and completely lost his sanity.
While losing himself might be unacceptable for Voldemort, who seeks absolute power and control, but...
If all self is to be lost, then why bother with the details?
Dylan has never split his own soul, so he doesn't know what state one is in after splitting a soul, especially after multiple divisions—is it even possible to split further?
—Even the comprehensive guide to souls he found in the Restricted Section has no specific descriptions of this.
At most, there are only vague speculations.
So, for Voldemort, who has delved deeply into dark magic, Dylan couldn't guarantee how far he could go.
Moreover, Voldemort is a person with no bottom line.
The price of creating a Horcrux is practically nothing to Voldemort.
Just an innocently murdered soul; Voldemort finds them in abundance.
With one soul and any object—even a dung ball pushed by a dung beetle.
Voldemort could create a new Horcrux.
At that point, as long as one Horcrux is out there, one has to consider whether Voldemort might have more Horcruxes scattered about.
Dylan just wants to quietly read, quietly listen to professors lecture, and quietly cast various malevolent dark spells on various test subjects.
He doesn't want to get involved in the troublesome business of Voldemort.
—Does he have to replace Harry and chase Voldemort around every day? He doesn't have that much free time to play hide-and-seek with little Voldy!
Therefore, in his first year, Dylan didn't even participate much in Harry's activities.
Only at the very end did he want to pick some peaches—but alas, old Dumbledore was home, and he couldn't even pick the peaches.
This unfavorable experience made Dylan even less willing to get involved in Harry's "exciting adventures."
It was useless anyway!
Unlike now, where Harry goes to deal with Voldemort.
Voldemort, too, will, in an attempt to prove his strength, to save face, to bear witness to the world—
—That he is the one destined to rule the entire world!
His previous defeat was just him being careless, not quick enough! Even for this, when dealing with the so-called prophecy that only one of him and the Chosen One can live, Voldemort will make no extra or unnecessary preparations.
—That would diminish his prestige in everyone's eyes.
Dylan cast many spells on the diary.
Mostly dark magic.
I have to say, this diary was quite resilient.
It took everything he threw at it.
And Dylan, in turn, verified a few things.
After doing all that, he killed most of the cockroaches in the cockroach enclosure, using their life force to replenish the diary's drained power.
Finally, he made the diary look no different from when Harry had handed it to him.
Wearing gloves, Dylan took the diary out of the cockroach pile, held it in his hand, and after some thought, realized he had a question for Tom before returning it to Harry.
He raised his wand, the light of Sectumsempra flickering at its tip.
Dylan painstakingly wrote:
"Do you refrain from killing women and children?"
Instantly, a pungent, burning smell spread.
Then, below the scratches, a line of text remained silent for a moment, finally surfacing with difficulty.
"I do not."
The handwriting was shaky, as if enduring some pain.
Dylan raised an eyebrow, then wrote again with his wand: "Really?"
Another moment of silence.
The handwriting reappeared with difficulty.
"But your wife is not a child, and your son is certainly not a woman."
—This was the handwriting manifested under Dylan's Imperius Curse.
After getting the answer, Dylan suddenly felt a bit dull.
This kind of gallows humor was too boring to ask himself.
—I'll just wait until I actually meet Voldemort next time and ask him then.
Shaking his head, he killed several hundred more spiders in the spider pile, replenishing the diary's life force with theirs. Dylan, carrying it, exited the suitcase space.
A night passed, and dark clouds were gathering.
Upon waking, Dylan looked at the sky, first finishing the Animagus incantation, then raising an eyebrow slightly.
"Am I this lucky? The mixture was just buried, and a thunderstorm is already coming?"
Dylan was a bit surprised.
It was a good thing he hadn't made any mistakes while making the mixture, forcing him to start everything over.
Otherwise, if he missed this thunderstorm, he wouldn't know when the next one would come.
Until evening.
"Boom!"
Thunder roared.
Heavy rain poured down.
Dylan had already been waiting by the crystal vial he had buried.
When the heavy rain arrived, Dylan retrieved the crystal vial.
At this moment, the original mixture inside had already transformed into a blood-red potion.
The quantity wasn't much, probably enough for one gulp.
Dylan's face lit up, and he quickly carried the potion back to his dormitory.
The dorm was empty at the moment, so he didn't greet anyone but went straight into his suitcase space.
He pointed his wand at his heart.
Chanting.
""
"Thump"
"Thump"
When he felt his heart beating within his chest.
Dylan immediately twisted open the crystal vial's stopper, tilted his head back, and downed the potion in one gulp.
Immediately, Dylan felt a faint but clear heartbeat in his ears—it was the sound of a second heartbeat! The rhythm of this heartbeat was different from his original one, as if it came from another mysterious life.
And this feeling grew increasingly intense.
No, it was no longer just a feeling.
The powerful thumping of the heart intertwined with Dylan's initial heartbeat.
The boundary between the two heartbeats began to blur, and the sound grew louder and louder, even making Dylan's eardrums ache!
"Thump-thump!"
"Thump-thump!"
"Thump-thump!"
"THUMP—!"
Like a thunderclap exploding within his body, the heartbeat reached its most stunning peak! At this moment, Dylan's body began to change.
His skin sprouted tiny scales, each shimmering with an eerie green glow! Seeing this, Dylan's eyes widened.
"Scales? This is..."
The next moment, Dylan felt a creature suddenly appear in his mind.
He focused his gaze and was instantly stunned.
"I'm actually—"
(End of Chapter)
.....
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