Hogwarts: Who uses a crowbar in wizard duels?

"Do you remember when you were in first grade, I told you why Voldemort couldn't touch you?"

Dumbledore looked at Harry and asked slowly.

"You said at the time that it was because my mother sacrificed herself to protect me, leaving a mark on me."

Although he wasn't sure how his question was related to this matter, Harry recalled Dumbledore's words and answered.

"That's right, Harry. It was a great magic, sacrificing one's life to become a protective mark for you. This mark is ingrained in your skin and your blood. It was this magic that protected you."

"When Voldemort found you, he didn't know any of this. He used the Killing Curse to kill you, but the magic was reflected back at him."

"At first, I also thought that some of Voldemort's powers had been transferred to you through your scars, such as Parsley."

"But after hearing about your nightmare, I felt it might be something more serious."

"The Killing Curse is a vicious curse that directly destroys the soul. His Killing Curse was originally aimed at your soul, but it was reflected back onto his own soul. It is possible that the reflected curse connected the souls of both of you, creating some unknown connection between your souls."

"So whenever Voldemort gets close to you, or when you feel intense hatred or murderous intent, your scars will ache, you'll dream of his perspective, and you might even become connected to his thoughts..."

Dumbledore slowly shared his current speculations with Harry and Kevin.

These words stunned not only Harry, but also Kevin.

It seems that Harry was only informed of these things after Voldemort's resurrection next year, when he had multiple dreams of Voldemort's thoughts.

Did Dumbledore already know that so quickly?

Although Harry had expected it, he still found it hard to accept at first.

His soul was connected to that of his enemy.

Dumbledore didn't actually want to tell Harry these things for the time being, because if Harry were controlled by the Imperius Curse, the news would leak out.

Voldemort would exploit this to scheme against Harry and even control him.

However, he later realized that Kevin's previous words made sense: not telling Harry anything was what put Harry in danger.

Therefore, he wanted to plan ahead and make Harry vigilant in advance.

"Of course, Harry, none of this can be fully confirmed yet, but you need to be vigilant."

"And Kevin, I hope you can help Harry learn Occlumency as soon as possible to prevent Voldemort from invading Harry's mind."

Dumbledore and the other man processed the information for a moment before continuing.

Kevin processed the information quickly and nodded.

It's not a big deal to tell Harry this news in advance.

Dumbledore is probably still investigating the Horcruxes, but he doesn't yet know how many Horcruxes Voldemort has.

Dumbledore didn't say anything more after that; this information was enough for Harry to process for a while.

However, he believed Harry could pull himself together because he had a group of true friends around him.

"Harry, don't worry too much about it. You are still you, and it's up to you to decide what kind of person you want to be."

"Once Voldemort is defeated, everything will be over."

Dumbledore offered Harry a few words of comfort.

"If you dream of anything else after that, tell me immediately."

"Now you need to focus on the next match, because Voldemort will definitely make his move in the final match."

Dumbledore was unaware of Voldemort's ultimate goal and methods, so he could only tell Harry to remain vigilant.

Harry could only nod; he knew that this conspiracy ultimately targeted him.

Kevin and Harry then left Dumbledore's office together.

Before leaving, Dumbledore reminded the two not to tell anyone about the torture Neville's parents had suffered, and they both nodded.

It's very unethical to reopen old wounds.

After he came out, Harry was still thinking about his relationship with Voldemort.

He is no longer that fragile little boy.

Since Voldemort wants him dead, let's see who takes whose life first!

Harry now harbors a fierce determination.

He absolutely refused to allow the wonderful life he had finally achieved to be shattered by Voldemort once again.

Seeing Harry's expression, Kevin knew his worries were unnecessary.

The two chatted casually as they left the floor where the principal's office was located.

The main issue was Harry asking Kevin what Occlumency was.

It's basically just a technique to prevent others from using your mind to search for your memories.

When we got to the first floor, we passed Professor Snape's private storage room.

Karkaroff's voice came from inside.

"Severus, this mark is becoming more and more obvious. It hasn't been like this in over a decade. Something must have happened."

"This is an omen, Severus!"

Karkaroff's voice carried a hint of panic.

However, Professor Snape didn't seem to intend to get entangled with Karkaroff any longer, and simply opened the door, intending to kick him out.

However, as soon as the door opened, Kevin and Harry were seen standing outside.

Harry could also clearly see the Dark Mark on Karkaroff's arm.

When Karkaroff saw someone outside the door, he immediately pulled down his sleeves, resumed his indifferent demeanor, and strode away.

Snape saw that Kevin seemed to have something to say, but after seeing Harry, he didn't want to say anything anymore.

He snorted coldly and closed the door again.

"Professor Snape, what's wrong? Why did you slam the door as soon as we met?"

"Did something upset you? Tell me about it and cheer me up."

Kevin stubbornly banged on the door and shouted.

Harry, who was still thinking about the mark on Karkaroff's arm, was suddenly made to break out in a sweat by Kevin's actions.

You're really courting death...

Harry couldn't help but take two steps back.

The next second, Snape opened the door without warning.

A single spell sent Kevin flying two meters away.

"roll."

After saying that, he slammed the door shut again.

Harry was glad he hadn't been standing behind Kevin...

Kevin fell to the ground, grimaced as he stood up, and dusted himself off.

"Ouch, that was really heavy-handed..."

He muttered a soft complaint, then, as if afraid Snape would hear, quickly pulled Harry away from there.

"Kevin, that's the Dark Mark on Karkaroff's hand, right?"

"Yeah, Death Eaters all have these things. I heard that this mark can be used to contact the Dark Lord," Kevin replied.

"Then tell me, since he went to see Snape and showed this mark, could it be that they also have some connection with Voldemort...?"

Harry hesitated again, saying that he knew Kevin and Snape had a good relationship, but there were indeed some suspicious points about Snape, so Harry couldn't help but voice his doubts.

"Karkaroff is a coward. He betrayed Voldemort and offered up the Death Eaters as a condition for his release. He certainly won't dare to go back to Voldemort's side."

"As for Professor Snape, he was indeed a Death Eater in the past and probably did bad things, but he is now atoning for his sins."

"Dumbledore believed in him, and I believe in him too. I think you could try believing in him as well, except when you're being used as a guinea pig to test drugs..."

"......All right."

Harry nodded and said no more; he was willing to trust Kevin's judgment.

This incident is now considered closed.

The days that followed were filled with the arduous practice of spells.

It refers to Harry, of course.

Ron even neglected his own final exams in order to practice with him.

However, it did pay off. During this time, both of them mastered many spells and made rapid progress.

Kevin, on the other hand, was busy preparing lessons.

Fortunately, Hermione was with him.

Moreover, Hermione can now help Kevin prepare lessons, which makes Kevin's work much easier, giving him more time to practice spells and spend time with Hermione.

An occasional surprise test revealed that many people had improved their scores.

Perhaps by the end of the semester, he might actually be able to complete Professor Snape's task.

Everything is moving in a positive direction.

Until the day before the final competition, Dumbledore spoke to Kevin alone.

Kevin was stunned as soon as he opened his mouth.

"Kevin, if... Voldemort's goal is to use Harry's blood to resurrect himself, don't stop him..."