Hogwarts: Oh no, I've become Voldemort!

“Let me give you some advice, Harry. The professor of the Divination class you and Ron chose this semester—Sybill Trelawney—is actually quite gifted at prophecy, though she’s mostly a con artist. If you trust me and happen to have overheard her make a prophecy, feel free to tell me. Just write it in that journal and I’ll know. (Please keep this a secret from Ginny; I can’t handle her barrage of messages. It’s been a rare few days of peace and quiet.)”

Upon seeing this, Harry suddenly laughed.

That night, after confirming there was no danger, Dumbledore still left "Riddle's Diary" with Ginny. Harry hadn't expected that "Mr. Riddle" had a backup plan, even though Ginny had been writing many words into the diary without receiving any response.

"My second piece of advice is that you'll most likely need the spell on the back of the greeting card, so it's a good thing to learn it sooner rather than later. My third piece of advice, or rather, a reminder, is to remember that sometimes what seems like a dangerous omen can be the opposite; things you're with all the time can be the ones that show their true colors."

“Your friend, Cyrus.”

"P.S.: I don't think you'd tell Dumbledore about what happened today, would you?"

Just then, the letter in Harry's hand suddenly burst into flames, startling him so much that he quickly threw it away. A small ball of flame burned the letter to ashes in mid-air before falling back down, leaving only the birthday card. He immediately realized that the letter had been enchanted.

Harry picked up the greeting card, and in one corner of the card, filled with blessings, was written a spell:

Patronus.

Note: When casting the spell, you must recall happy things in your mind.

“Palmtophantom Flame?” Harry had never heard of the spell, but since “Mr. Riddle” thought he needed it, he could at least memorize the name.

Last year, Ginny excelled in many subjects thanks to Mr. Riddle's tutelage. Especially in Charms, Harry dared to say that many third- or fourth-year wizards might not be a match for Ginny.

Harry held the greeting card in his hand, his heart still pounding.

Reason told Harry he should tell Dumbledore everything; no one was wiser than Dumbledore.

But inexplicably, he felt there was nothing wrong with it. "Mr. Riddle"—no, it should be Mr. Cyrus—and Voldemort were perhaps not the same thing at all. As he wrote in the letter, "Sometimes what seems like a dangerous omen may be the exact opposite."

He put the envelope away, wondering what Mr. Cyrus was doing right now. Did he know that Ginny and Hermione missed him?

After the truth about the attack came to light, no matter what Mrs. and Mr. Weasley said, Ginny believed that Mr. Cyrus might not be a bad person. Even Hermione, who had been petrified, said that he just wanted her to sleep for a while.

"He probably thought I was too smart and a bit of a hindrance, and he even reminded me to use spells to weaken the basilisk's magic," Hermione said.

Perhaps only Ron was truly convinced that Mr. Cyrus was a terrible enemy. Ginny thought Ron was simply terrified by anything related to Voldemort, while Hermione believed it stemmed from Ron's resentment that Mr. Cyrus was unwilling to help him with his homework and exams.

However, Harry was actually just worried that Ron was being overly concerned about his sister, which was why he was still uneasy about the matter.

However, even Ron wasn't against Mr. Cyrus on everything. At least he thought Mr. Cyrus had done a very good job of beating up Slytherin and wiping out the eight-eyed spiders in the Forbidden Forest.

It can be considered as ridding the people of a scourge.

Chapter 95 The Shadow Behind Fate

Germany, a country that has only recently unified, still seems to be in a state of some chaos.

However, for wizards, there has always been only one German magical world; the wall that separates Muggles cannot separate wizards.

Gregorovich got up very early. August would be his busiest month, as young wizards who had received letters of acceptance to Durmstrang Academy would come to his wand shop with their parents to buy wands. He relied on this month for most of his business.

But today seems a little different.

When Grigorovich opened the window, he saw a huge eagle soaring across the sky, its golden feathers gleaming in the morning light, looking incredibly beautiful. But he wasn't happy at all.

He inexplicably thought of a person who had disappeared long ago—Gellert Grindelwald.

When the thief stole the Elder Wand from him, he was leisurely perched on the windowsill, looking like a large golden bird.

"Hopefully it won't be a bad day." He sighed. By now, the bird high in the sky had disappeared. Grigovich retreated back into the house; he had to get ready to open for business.

Having finished arranging everything, Grigovich pushed open the door, wondering when his first guest would arrive. To his surprise, his first guest was already waiting at the door.

It wasn't a young wizard, but a rather awkward teenager, quite tall and handsome. Compared to a wizard, the other person's attire was more like that of a Muggle. Even though Gregorovich didn't quite understand Muggle fashion, he had to admit that the other person's outfit looked very fitting, as if a doll that served as a mold in his wardrobe had come to life and appeared at his shop's doorstep.

Of course, the most peculiar thing was the other person's hair and eye color. The ends of their thick black hair were dyed gold, and their pupils were also gold, as if they were inlaid with two pieces of golden amber.

Gregorovich had never seen this person before and was certain he wasn't one of his previous clients. However, Cyrus's appearance still evoked a sense of goodwill in him, and he couldn't help but ask, "Here to buy a wand?"

"Yes, the wand we had before broke."

The wizard who appeared here at this moment was Cyrus.

In fact, his wand was not broken. Malfoy specially made a replica for him that was very similar to the wand Voldemort used before. It was made of yew wood, had phoenix tail feathers, and even the shape of the wand was exactly the same.

However, that wand was not very useful to Cyrus.

Wand science is a very profound subject. Even wands made from the same kind of materials will not be exactly the same. Even wands made from the same tree or the same magical creature, like brothers, may be chosen by two wizards with completely opposite personalities.

Furthermore, the combination of the yew wand and the phoenix tail feathers might suit Voldemort, but not necessarily Cyrus.

Previously, limited conditions were tolerable, but now that he was finally free, Cyrus naturally intended to get a brand new wand that suited him, preferably powerful enough!

Although he was temporarily free from Dumbledore's threat, Cyrus didn't actually think his situation was so optimistic. Back in Azkaban, Cyrus had taken a few drops of Felix Felicis to boost his confidence, thus creating the unprecedented "Imagomagus," for which he was extremely excited.

But after the effects of Felix Felicis completely wore off, he suddenly realized something was wrong.

Felix Felicis may offer some inspiration, but creating such a powerful spell directly is impossible. The transformation of Magus into magical creatures is a problem that has puzzled wizards for millennia, and the answer cannot be found so easily.

The voice that appeared in his mind at that time still seems a bit too strange now. If he hadn't been under the influence of Felix Felicis, Cyrus would never have dared to try it rashly.

An unknown voice, an unseen mind—that's how he himself deceived Ginny, ultimately lowering her guard. Even though the outcome seems good now, who can truly know what the curse will ultimately have?

However, what frightened him the most was that the spell that had echoed in his mind countless times was immediately forgotten after he mastered the magic.

This is a bit too bizarre.

It's important to understand that although he was resurrected from the diary, his abilities from his Horcrux state remained intact. In essence, he was a living "Pencil of Reflection." All his memories, if he so desired, were readily available!

But Cyrus's memory of that stormy dawn was not so clear.

He only remembered one incantation, but when he tried to replay that memory in his mind again and again, the incantation in his mind turned into jarring static, as if it had been enchanted to prevent eavesdropping, like a television that could not receive a signal.

There are only two possible reasons for this outcome: First, he genuinely didn't hear the incantation and has no related memory, so the incantation simply doesn't exist. However, this possibility is clearly invalid. The other possibility is that someone tampered with his memory, without his knowledge.

But who could alter his memories without him noticing?

Even Dumbledore couldn't have done that.

Cyrus felt as if he had suddenly fallen into a huge net, as if fate was weaving something, and someone was standing behind the loom of fate, manipulating everything.

He felt a great sense of urgency, and at the same time, he longed for even greater power!

No one wants to be a pawn that can be sacrificed at any time, even if the person behind it is fate itself.

That's why Cyrus wrote to Harry, hoping he could help keep an eye out for any new prophecies Professor Sybil Trelawney might have left behind.

This old charlatan didn't leave behind many proper prophecies in his lifetime, but two of them were related to Harry and Voldemort.

Cyrus, born from Voldemort, is like a snake reborn with a new skin, but he must also admit that he now has a significant connection to Voldemort. Perhaps the new prophecy will hint at his fate?

However, no matter what, without sufficient strength, it is impossible to fight against fate; the first thing is to make oneself stronger.

“Come in and have a look. It’s still early. Maybe a lot of young wizards will come in a little while.” Gregorovich slowly stepped aside to let Cyrus into the shop. This wand shop was about as old as Ollivander’s, and Gregorovich himself was much older than Ollivander’s.

In fact, he was more than ten years older than Dumbledore.

Chapter 96: Is 79 Galleons too expensive?

"Looking to buy a new wand? What are your requirements, sir?" Gregorovich asked as he showed Cyrus around the shop. The shelves were filled with wands passed down through generations of Gregorovich's family, many of them covered in dust, and the shop had a distinctly old smell.

“I wish I could get a powerful wand,” Cyrus said, looking up at Gregovich’s wand shop.

There are probably tens of thousands of wands here, and the dense, tall shelves are filled with wand boxes that have been gathering dust for a long time.

This made the store dimly lit, and the large shadows made the temperature inside somewhat low. However, the environment inside was not cold at all. Dust particles danced in the dry air.

“Everyone who comes here to buy a wand says that,” Gregorovich laughed, proudly. “Of the three most famous wand manufacturers in Europe, only the wands I make are the most powerful. But I must say, the others also have their own advantages. Some people look for the most suitable one, while others pursue the most stable one.”

He grabbed a box from the shelf almost without thinking:

"Elderberry, the nerve of the dragon, a combination of death and power, twelve inches long, extremely strong and proud, only the most gifted wizards can subdue it."

As soon as Cyrus received the wand, he immediately felt its magic. He had never tested the Elder Wand's power, but the wand in his hand was indeed the most powerful one he had acquired in a long time.

He could feel the power of the wand. With a slight wave, magic power immediately surged from the tip of the wand, and red flames exploded.

“You’ve got it under control very well. Every wizard who’s tried this wand before has made a huge commotion; they couldn’t get it to submit,” Gregorovich exclaimed in amazement.

"This is indeed the most powerful wand I have ever encountered. I'll take this one."

Cyrus was very pleased with the wand.

However, after seeing how easily the wand, which was paired with the dragon's nerves, subdued the dragon, Grigovich had some other thoughts.

“Of course, without being immodest, I am the most outstanding wand maker in the history of the Gregovich family,” Gregovich said with a smile. “But I think you might want to try another wand first before making a decision.”

As he spoke, he cast a Summoning Charm, and a delicate box flew swiftly, knocking over many wand boxes, but Gregorovich didn't seem to care at all.

After studying the Elder Wand, he tried many different combinations.

For example, there was the Elder Wand and Thestral Feather, which were complete replicas of the Elder Wand. Unfortunately, this combination did not show the magic expected. On the contrary, Gregorovich made several more, all of which were very mediocre.

He then experimented with some new materials and gradually grasped some patterns. Phoenix feathers and elderberry are also a good combination, but phoenixes are extremely rare, and their availability is highly uncertain.

Sometimes it can create an extraordinary wand, and sometimes it seems ordinary. On the contrary, dragon nerves or dragon heartstrings are more suitable for elderberry, and the two often bring unexpected results.

As for other magical creatures, he also made many attempts, such as trying to obtain the feathers of a thunderbird.

Wands made from this material are inherently powerful, but compared to wands made from thunderbird feathers or other materials, they are even more sensitive and uncontrollable. To this day, very few wizards are capable of wielding that wand effectively.

Cyrus was also curious about what kind of treasure he was hiding. When Gregovich opened the exquisite box, a very ornate magic wand was presented to Cyrus.

"Also made of elderberry, the core of the staff comes from a very strong and special thunderbird."