Harry Potter and the Obscurus

Chapter 131 The Prophecy of the Child

Voldemort stopped pacing.

He stood there quietly, coldly watching as his servants knelt down one by one, kissing the hem of his black robe.

Soon, more and more Death Eaters arrived at this place, until their numbers were large enough to form a circle on their own, at which point Voldemort finally closed the Dark Mark teleportation channel.

"Welcome, my loyal Death Eaters. It has been thirteen years since I last gathered you all here..."

Voldemort said calmly:

“Thirteen years...it goes by so fast, so fast that it feels like I just witnessed this scene yesterday, but you all don’t seem to have the same feeling.”

In an instant, a chilling atmosphere suddenly filled the graveyard. All the Death Eaters shuddered, a testament to their reason as they forcibly stopped themselves from retreating.

"Look at you all, your magic is as abundant as ever, and everyone is healthy and well. It's truly gratifying. Sometimes I can't help but ask myself, why have these wizards who call themselves Death Eaters never come to find and help their master?"

Upon hearing this, no one in the Death Eaters dared to tremble. Even Dolokhov, who had just been praised by Voldemort, held his breath.

I will answer this myself.

Voldemort raised his head and said:

"They thought I was finished, that I had completely fallen, that I had lost to a mere infant. So, they slunk back to our former enemies, regretting their actions and lamenting how helpless and innocent they had been, how many times they had been struck by the terrible Soul-Stealing Curse. But I had demonstrated my great power to them, and I had told them more than once that I possessed the ability to stop death."

Having said this, Voldemort deliberately looked up at the "guest" in the distance before speaking again:

"Let me answer. They believe there is a more powerful force in this world, a force so powerful that even Voldemort, the Dark Lord, was defeated by it. Heh heh heh... I, Lord Voldemort, have always hated traitors and fools, yet I cherish the wizarding bloodline. Whether it's that Mudblood and Muggle guardian or the so-called boy who survived, if they were willing to submit, I would never want to see my fellow countrymen shed blood. But today, after such a devastating betrayal, I have finally understood a truth—mercy towards the enemy is cruelty towards oneself!"

"Master! Forgive us! Forgive us!"

One of the Death Eaters couldn't withstand the pressure and suddenly collapsed to the ground, convulsing.

However, Voldemort shook his head disdainfully at the man groveling at his feet.

“Tsk tsk tsk, Avery, do you think this is enough to pay off your thirteen-year debt? Get back in the standing room. We still have guests here. We can’t let them think that Death Eaters are a bunch of spineless cowards.”

call!

An invisible force rose from the ground as Voldemort waved his hand, and the wizard called Avery was not even ready to stand up before his feet were firmly planted on the ground again.

Upon seeing their master cast the Staffless Silent Spell, the Death Eaters in the circle instantly stirred, muttering things like "Great" and "By Merlin," but Voldemort completely ignored them.

After slowly scanning the crowd, Voldemort fixed his gaze on the gaps in the Death Eater circle.

"Among the Death Eaters who should be standing here, some are absent, but compared to you hypocrites who put on a show of righteousness before the world, these men are undoubtedly more loyal... Bellatrix Lestrange, Rodolphus Lestrange, Labastan Lestrange... They would rather be imprisoned in Azkaban than betray me... Don't you think so, Lucius? My most cunning friend?"

"Master, I have always paid close attention to your whereabouts, over the years..."

"Over the years, you have never taken the initiative to look for me."

Voldemort interrupted Lucius Malfoy:

"I heard that you were very close to Porter a few years ago, including that Lily Health Insurance company, and you even had a stake in it. Is that true? Hmm?"

"That was just a smokescreen, Master! If we didn't do it this way, neither Dumbledore nor those troublemakers in the Ministry of Magic would allow us to live in peace! Besides, I have endured humiliation and hardship these past few years, all so that I could be fully prepared when you return!"

"Don't be so quick-witted, Lucius..."

Voldemort replied lazily:

"Those who have disappointed Voldemort will be given a second chance, but their loyalty must be proven through their actions."

"Of course! Master! Of course!"

Lucius Malfoy said with a sigh of relief:

"Thank you, Master! Thank you for your magnanimity!"

Voldemort ignored Lucius. As the heir to the Slytherin ideals, he could not easily kill Malfoy, the most illustrious of the Twenty-Eight Houses.

Of course, this doesn't mean he trusts this two-faced "friend." He simply feels that after eliminating all his enemies, he still needs to leave one or two so-called noble wizards to serve as a facade for his propaganda of pure-blood ideology.

"Aside from those imprisoned in Azkaban and unable to attend, there are also 8 Death Eaters missing..."

Voldemort walked to the largest gap in the crowd and said:

"Three of them died for me, one didn't have the courage to come back, one was executed last year, and it's unknown whether another is still loyal to me, and..."

"And Barty Crouch Jr."

Harry, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly spoke up, interrupting Voldemort.

He said:

"Barty Jr. impersonated his father, hiding in Hogwarts as a judge in the Triwizard Tournament. The two shared the same name and harbored similar secrets, so neither the Marauder's Map nor the memory fragments in the Pensieve revealed any flaws. If I'm not mistaken, this guy is the one who fired the Dark Mark at the Quidditch World Cup."

"Harry!"

Voldemort's noseless face grinned into a smile more hideous and maniacal than a pumpkin lantern.

He shouted:

"I'm so sorry, I completely forgot to introduce to my servants our special guest for tonight! Friends, open your eyes wide and take a look, this is none other than the Dark Lord's nemesis—the great Harry Potter!"

A considerable commotion arose among the Death Eaters. Regardless of their loyalty, news of Harry's two consecutive victories over Voldemort in his first and second years had already reached their ears.

"Master, we...we all long to know how...how you returned to us?"

A hunchbacked man asked timidly.

“That’s not what you’re curious about, is it, Nott? What you really want to know is how I lost to a little baby who couldn’t even hold a wand.”

Voldemort asked softly.

His expression remained unchanged, but the Death Eater known as Nott had already collapsed to the ground.

"I wouldn't dare! Master! I wouldn't dare!"

"Crucio!" (A sound that pierces the heart and rips out the bones)

"Ah! Ah..."

call out!

Nott's wailing suddenly stopped.

A silent spell cast with the palm of his hand followed immediately by the Heart-Piercing Curse, striking him.

And so, while torturing his servant, Voldemort explained to the other Death Eaters:

“Lily Porter sacrificed herself that night.”

His voice echoed clearly throughout the cemetery.

"I confess, I forgot that ancient magic. When a mother gives her life with all her heart, an untouchable taboo is formed between me and the child she protects. None of my spells can harm Harry Potter, not even the Killing Curse, which would bounce back to me. Ah... the feeling at that moment was even greater than the pain of being skinned alive, but I withstood this cruel test, I conquered death! Even without a body, even as a remnant soul, I still survive!"

With that, Nott's punishment finally ended. Amidst a series of silent wails, the man in the black robe fled back to his Death Eater comrades in a panic.

Voldemort turned around, his scarlet eyes fixed on Harry, and continued:

"After that, I wandered alone in the forests of Albania. Without my wand and my former magic, possessing other animals and absorbing their life force became my only means of survival and recovery. Just when I finally encountered a foolish young man who had the chance to steal the Philosopher's Stone and reshape humanity, the great Harry Potter once again stepped forward."

A deathly silence fell as all the Death Eaters stared motionless at the two wizards facing each other, wands in hand. But just when they thought the two were about to fight, Harry spoke again.

How did you find Bertha Jorkins?

"Good question."

Voldemort answered without any pretense:

“You know, sometimes luck isn’t on your side. A woman whose memories have been altered by Barty Crouch can easily get lost in a place like Albania. By chance, I persuaded her a little while she was lost, and helped her recover her fragmented memories. Guess what? She told me everything about the Triwizard Tournament, Barty Crouch Jr., and that traitor Peter. However, I didn’t rush into action because I learned my lesson from my last failure…”

"Avada kedavra!"

“Erecto!” (Stands upright)

The green, a symbol of death, crashed violently into the wall made of rubble. In an instant, the two who had been exchanging words had completed a fight.

"You've made more progress in the past two years than I expected."

Voldemort praised Harry in a sarcastic tone:

"It seems my initial thought was correct. The boy who survived the ordeal was not just a pretty face with nothing but a strong exterior. If I had rushed to possess a mediocre person, I wouldn't have been able to taste the joy of revenge. I did kill Bertha-Joggins, but before that, I possessed her and used unicorn blood and Nagini's venom to create a body that could be used to complete the shaping magic."

"Sectumsempra!" (Divine Edge Without Shadow)

"Oh?"

The invisible blade was stopped by some kind of spider web-like defensive magic a second before it hit Voldemort. Harry couldn't recognize what kind of dark magic it was, but from the look of it, it seemed somewhat similar to the security mechanisms in Borgin's shop.

"This magic is interesting, but it's still far from being able to hurt me. Don't you want to hear the rest of the story? Or are all the students Dumbledore taught a bunch of uncouth country bumpkins?"

Harry held his wand horizontally, secretly putting one hand behind his back as he replied:

"Isn't the rest of the story about you returning to Europe, contacting and freeing Barty from the Imperius Curse? The Quidditch World Cup and the Triwizard Tournament were indeed good cover. Whether it was attacking Alastor Moody or brewing Polyjuice Potion, the Ministry of Magic couldn't spare the resources to investigate. Eh? Speaking of Polyjuice Potion, if I'm not mistaken, the method used to rescue Dolohoff was similar to the Crouch family's method back then, right? They used Bertha Jorkins's corpse? No wonder the Aurors investigated for so long."

"You truly possess extraordinary talent, just like me, Harry Potter."

Voldemort's face contorted with rage as he said:

"I can give you one last chance to submit to me. Let us swear an unbreakable bond here and now. As long as you are willing to brand yourself with the mark of the Death Eaters and offer your eternal loyalty to me, I will not harm you, nor your closest loved ones. Don't rush to refuse; think it over carefully. I, Voldemort, have never treated anyone with such magnanimity..."

"I refuse."

Harry's words were resolute, without the slightest hesitation.

Voldemort's expression grew increasingly sinister.

He raised his hand, clenched it into a fist in the air, and then slowly lowered it.

"I'm telling you to use your brain and think about it."

"There's nothing to consider."

Ha replied in a more resolute voice:

"You killed my mom and dad."

"Then there's nothing more to say."

"Avada kedavra!"

"Avada kedavra!"

Two green lightning bolts shot close together toward their respective targets.

The terrifying magical output affected the gravity and magnetic field of the entire cemetery. Gravel, weeds, and branches floated erratically into the air.

The Death Eaters scattered and fled.

boom!

It was another exchange of killing curses.

Unlike the previous encounter, this time Harry collided head-on with Voldemort's curse.

The magic threads, intertwined like a giant python, twisted and rolled.

The electric shock-like sensation on their wands caused both of them to instinctively sever the magical connection between them during their life-or-death struggle.

Rumble!

A deep trench was torn into the ground.

Dust filled the air, and rats, snakes, insects... as well as the bones of Muggles buried there, were either broken into pieces or flying away.

The Death Eaters, who had finally managed to hide behind the cover, breathed a sigh of relief. But before they could even see where their master and Harry Potter were, two waves of heat, one red and one blue, burst out from opposite sides of the ravine and collided.

"Gubraithian!"

"Pestis Incendium!"

The ancient fire and the fire of the ancient celestial fire, each 50 feet tall, transformed into a serpent monster and wrestled with the appearance of Fuzhu.

The thousands of degrees Celsius caused the stone tombstones, statues, and coffins to crackle and pop.

Slowly, a few Death Eaters, bold enough to prove their loyalty to their master, drew their wands and stepped forward.

"Do not move!"

Voldemort shouted to his servants.

His bloodshot eyes were filled with resentment, a stark contrast to Harry's stern expression as he controlled the blue and white giant stag.

To the Death Eaters, Harry appeared to be evenly matched with Voldemort. However, from the very first moment they clashed, Voldemort held a decisive advantage. Had he not consumed Felix Felicis, calming agents, and enhancers before the fight, he might have been too slow and lost the first time they attacked each other with the Killing Curse.

Fortunately, life-or-death battles can change in an instant.

A seemingly insignificant decision made just a second ago could very well become a crucial factor in determining the outcome of a match.

Unlike Harry, who was marveling at the overwhelming power of his opponent, Voldemort, who had failed to kill his nemesis despite his two all-out attacks, was now trapped in a self-justification trap.

Harry can't beat him.

He could have cleared his name and avenged himself in five more minutes.

The problem is, Harry is only 14 years old.

A Dark Lord who has been famous for decades, how could he not completely defeat a child who was imprisoned and had no protection from Dumbledore?

Doesn't that mean the prophecy is true?

When he was 14, his magical abilities were far inferior to Harry's!

If this "boy who survived a great calamity" were to escape again, would he really grow into a wizard even more powerful than himself a few years or a decade later?

We must destroy Harry Potter here as soon as possible!

"Meterolo Tonaro!" (Tornado Spell)

As Voldemort unusually shouted the incantation, a tornado pierced through the clouds and the ground, lifting the Fire Serpent into the sky.

The wind fanned the flames, and the fire itself had the property of consuming fuel to increase its power. In just a few breaths, the basilisk, which was originally only 50 feet tall, transformed into a 300-meter-long hydra.

Large beads of sweat dripped from Harry's forehead.

Although the Ancient Flame will not be consumed by the Flame of Life, if he concentrates all his energy on controlling the flame to protect himself, Voldemort's next Killing Curse will surely kill him!

In this extremely critical moment, a thought that seemed not to belong to Harry suddenly popped into his mind.

"Engorgio!" (Grow bigger quickly!)

"Expello Portable Swamp!"

Whoosh!Whoosh!Whoosh!Whoosh!

Four oversized portable swamp toys, wrapped in W-shaped packaging paper, flew in the four directions: east, south, west, and north.

The next second, under the resistance of the Celestial Fire Giant Deer, a white Fuzhu, whose size was many times smaller, raised its head and neighed.