Harry Potter: I started checking in from Diagon Alley

“Don’t worry.” Eric patted Sirius’s arm and laughed, “When did you ever treat me like an ordinary student?”

Upon hearing Eric's words, Sirius stopped talking.

Indeed, as Eric said, Sirius never treated him as an ordinary person.

On the contrary, Sirius's attitude has changed from initial resistance to cooperation, and now, as he has had more and more contact with Eric, he has come to understand Eric better.

Whether it's trying to destroy the Horcruxes, save Harry, or fight Voldemort.

All of Eric's actions have further enhanced his personal image.

Sirius then realized that he had subconsciously regarded Eric as someone superior to everyone else.

At the very least, like Dumbledore, he was the kind of person worthy of following and respect.

This has nothing to do with age; it is simply the most direct manifestation of a wizard's talent.

Grindelwald sneered from the side, "Step back, Black family brat. A person should know their own limitations. Their business is none of your concern."

Sirius ignored Grindelwald's directness and just kept looking at Eric. After a long while, he finally said, "Don't die."

“He can’t kill me,” Eric replied softly.

Sirius nodded, said nothing more, and led Grindelwald backward.

Eric concluded by saying, "I've taken Harry and the others back to their tents; they're safe now. Try to walk as much as possible. Mr. Grindelwald's body probably can't withstand another Apparition."

“I won’t die even if you die,” Grindelwald scoffed.

Sirius nodded: "Be careful."

After saying that, he led Grindelwald out of the woods.

Only after Sirius Black and Grindelwald had retreated did Voldemort, in the distance, call out, "Have you finished your last words?"

Just like before, his voice echoed throughout the entire forest, without any attempt to conceal it.

Eric strode toward Voldemort, laughing as he went, "I never knew the infamous Dark Lord could be so kind. You actually managed to hold back when you saw the person who was just next to me."

He didn't use magic to amplify his voice like Voldemort did, knowing that Voldemort could hear him that way too.

“You have many misunderstandings about me, Mr. Clapton.” Unexpectedly, Voldemort spread his hands and smiled politely. “My target has never been him, but you. He is worthless to me, just a dying old man.”

Standing respectfully beside Voldemort were Barty Crouch Jr. and numerous Death Eaters.

During their conversation, Death Eaters continued to receive summons from the Dark Mark and Apparate to the location.

As soon as they appeared, they all knelt on the ground without exception, bowing their heads to Voldemort.

Among these people, Eric also spotted Draco Malfoy's father, Lucius Malfoy, whom he had met in the stadium box that evening.

Eric closed the distance between himself and Voldemort, laughing as he walked, "Worthless? Aren't you curious about where Grindelwald's wand is?"

Upon hearing this, Voldemort's expression changed slightly. He paused for a moment before saying, "You know more than I thought. I've been watching you since you were at Hogwarts, but those fools didn't realize your value."

Voldemort said, "That's precisely why I'm afraid I have to thank you, Clapton."

“Thank me? Why?” Eric asked in surprise.

Voldemort grinned, his lips seemingly unusually shaped, opening almost to his ears, making him look terrifying: "I thank you for letting me rediscover the value and allure of magic."

“In the past, I was always pursuing things that represented ‘power’ in the public consciousness, such as the Elder Wand and the Philosopher’s Stone, and that’s why I failed,” Voldemort said. “But now it’s different. Your experience has shown me a path that I’ve paid less attention to before: strengthening myself.”

Voldemort said, "The essence of a wizard lies in the soul, and the essence of the soul represents the power of magic. In other words, my understanding of this aspect may have been slightly flawed before, but now I will not make such a mistake again."

Voldemort said, "So, I contacted Rozier and made a deal with them, with the aim of killing you. Unfortunately, in the end, I still failed."

Voldemort continued, “Although I am reluctant, I must admit your talent, Clapton. Sometimes I really wonder if you would like to join me and become my second-in-command. I assure you, you will gain unparalleled glory, wealth, and everything you desire.”

Upon hearing this, a Death Eater who had just arrived and was lying on the ground hurriedly raised his head and cried out, "Master, he's a Mudblood..."

Before he could finish speaking, Voldemort raised his hand slightly, and the Death Eater was instantly engulfed by a green flame. He didn't even have time to scream before he turned into a pile of ashes.

"I don't like being interrupted when I'm talking..." Voldemort said coldly.

This startled the Death Eaters around them.

Little Barty, who had originally wanted to interject, quickly shut his mouth.

Eric ignored him and said, "I don't quite understand what you mean. Do you want to recruit me, or do you want to kill me?"

Voldemort laughed: “Recruit? No, I don’t believe someone like you would submit to anyone. Even I cannot subdue you.”

"So you want to kill me?" Eric asked with interest.

Voldemort closed his eyes and murmured with a sense of enjoyment, "This is not killing, Clapton. You must realize the difference. I prefer to call it—evolution. To be able to kill someone I recognize as talented is an unparalleled feeling, and at the same time, I will become stronger because of it."

"So," Voldemort said, "you will accept my invitation."

"...You mean, you want me to join you?"

"No, I mean, duel with me, and then die in front of me."

Voldemort's laughter grew wider and wider, then he looked intently at Eric, his eyes revealing an endless longing.

“Okay, I accept,” Eric said with a smile.

Eric bowed slightly, holding his wand, and gave Voldemort a wizard's salute.

This is a ritual that wizards have been performing when dueling since ancient times.

On the other hand, Voldemort expressed the same sentiment.

Chapter 191 Ultimate Offense and Defense!

After the ceremony, Voldemort and Eric seemed to have instantly established some inexplicable understanding.

Both of them chose to make a move at the same time.

In terms of speed, Eric is faster.

But Voldemort was quick to react. As he stepped forward with his right foot, Eric and Voldemort clasped hands and almost simultaneously swung their wands at each other.

In an instant, the two forces collided in mid-air.

boom!

Two semi-transparent air waves canceled each other out.

Voldemort used a spell similar to the Barrier Charm.

And the same goes for Eric.

The magic they used was based on obstacle spells, but with their own interpretations added.

This resulted in two extremely similar spells.

The two had almost identical ideas, both focusing on spatial design.

This is also a test.

The Obstacle Charm is considered a relatively basic spell.

However, it's difficult to use it effectively.

The same spell can produce completely different effects in the hands of a master and an ordinary person.

Eric and Voldemort each took three steps back, then took another step forward.

"Is this all you've got? Not very impressive!"

Voldemort laughed maniacally.

The two spells clashed in the air once more, producing a series of sharp cracking sounds. This time, two flames appeared beneath the feet of both Eric and Voldemort, intertwining to form a massive fireball.

Both of them moved slowly, and each attack was a skillful probing.

At this moment, a mocking expression appeared on Voldemort's face. He laughed and said, "How foolish! Such a test not only fails to anger me, but also excites me even more. This feeling is quite nice."

With that, Voldemort flicked his finger, and a green light shot towards Eric at lightning speed.

Upon seeing the light, Eric remained calm and dodged it.

With a single breath, Eric appeared on the other side of the woods.

However, the green light exploded near his body, forming a small mushroom cloud.

As the smoke gradually dissipated, Eric's body disappeared without a trace. His body spun and flickered in mid-air, as if searching for some way to escape.

This is a kind of magic similar to teleportation.

Voldemort did not make another move. He waited quietly, waiting for Eric to cast a spell so that he could seize the opportunity to launch a sneak attack.

Eric's figure was hidden among the trees; in this forest, his speed was extremely fast.

"Hahaha! You can't escape!"

Watching Eric's elusive figure, Voldemort couldn't help but burst into arrogant laughter.

He swung his wand sharply and strode forward, fireballs appearing in front of him and hurtling towards Eric's location.

A series of loud explosions rang out.

Eric was very fast, narrowly dodging the fireballs each time. He was unharmed, but the surrounding bushes fell one after another.

The intense heat of the fire transformed the nearby woods into a fiery inferno.

But Voldemort's laughter suddenly stopped because Eric suddenly turned around and stopped to Voldemort's side.

With a mocking smile, he said, "You think you can control me?"

Eric flicked his right hand, and a sharp water arrow shot out from his hand, heading straight for Voldemort.

Voldemort was shocked and immediately cast a spell. The ground beneath his feet lit up, and one earthen wall after another blocked his way.

The earthen wall summoned by Voldemort was, of course, different from that of ordinary wizards.

On several earthen walls, there are not only exquisite carvings, but also a relief of a skull representing the Dark Lord.

The thickness of the earthen wall was also quite astonishing.

Eric's water arrow condensed into a tiny dot in mid-air, gradually forming the shape of a longsword.

"break!"

Eric tapped his wand again, and the longsword made of water pierced forward.