Magical Studies at Hogwarts...

Chapter 199 Conditions for Complete Integration

"Hagrid is back. We just came back from him. You really almost killed him?"

"How could that be? I'm very confident he couldn't be in any danger, otherwise I wouldn't have used the Divine Sword Shadowless Spell... But why is he back so late? Almost a month late!"

"I don't know. Hagrid didn't tell us everything, but he warned us to be careful of you, saying you're a dangerous guy."

"Really? I think he's right, I am indeed in danger."

"That's right, that's right, that's why I'm staying away from you!"

"You've gone far enough, Hermione..."

Lying in bed, Hermione clutched her necklace pendant tightly, feeling a little lost. She didn't know what to reply next. It was just some translated information, yet the image of that person standing before her, speaking directly to her, kept flashing through her mind.

After a while, the burning sensation on her face subsided a bit, and Hermione cautiously replied, taking off the pendant and placing it beside her pillow. Then she covered her head with the blanket and curled up into a ball.

Faint laughter could be heard coming from inside.

"careful……"

Ike gently placed his thumb on the ring, a slight smile unconsciously appearing at the corner of his mouth, but he didn't reply. He simply put his arm behind his head and stared blankly at the ceiling.

About a month ago, he and McNeil finished their business with the Giants and quietly returned to Malfoy Manor. The first thing they did upon their return was, of course, to report to Comrade Voldemort, recounting in detail everything that had happened along the way.

Old Voldemort was very happy. No matter how stupid the giants were in the eyes of wizards, they were still an asset. What's more, the two of them had thwarted Dumbledore's plan and even almost killed Hagrid, that stupid half-giant.

The result is perfect; it couldn't be better.

After some encouragement, McNeil was sent out again by Comrade Voldemort. Ike, on the other hand, had no new assignments and stayed at Malfoy Manor to continue his research. This time, however, Comrade Voldemort would call him in every five days to check on his progress and offer suggestions and opinions.

Clearly, this trip to Austria has further elevated his standing in Lao Fu's eyes.

Soon, it was time for the routine inspection. In the basement, facing a specially set-up target, Ike stood five meters away, wand in hand.

Suddenly, the wand was flicked, and a golden light instantly struck the target, but it was as if nothing had happened, leaving no mark on it.

Comrade Lao Fu walked to the target, stretched out his hand, and tried to touch it, but his hand passed right through the middle and he didn't touch anything.

"Very good, little Ike, you succeeded." Old Fu waved his hand a few times and said to Ike with satisfaction, "The banishment spell? Yes, without a doubt, it succeeded."

"This is inseparable from your guidance, teacher." Ike put away his wand and bowed respectfully.

Comrade Old Fu chuckled a few times, took a few steps to help Ike up, and gently massaged his shoulders with his long, thin fingers, saying, "Don't be modest anymore, little Ike. This isn't the time to be modest; you should be proud!"

"You've accomplished something only a very few wizards in this world can do—inventing a spell from scratch. Without a doubt, that's fantastic!" Seeing Ike's face suddenly lose its humility and reveal a hint of pride, Old Volt was even more satisfied.

"Yes, that's right. You're my student, you should be proud!"

"I understand, teacher." Ike nodded, but he no longer had that cautious and timid feeling from before. He was clearly more confident now.

He patted Ike on the shoulder again, and then Old Fu grabbed his arm and pulled him back to the long table, making him sit next to him.

"You're already better than many Death Eaters. Even if your magic power is still a little behind theirs because of your age, it's not much," Old Voldemort said, looking into Ike's eyes. "However, that's not a big deal. While the amount of magic power basically depends on magical talent, it's not absolute."

"Thump, thump, thump..."

Suddenly, Comrade Lao Fu's fingers began to tap rhythmically on the table, and he fell into deep thought. After a long while, he suddenly stopped, and his expression became much more serious.

"Can I trust you, little Ike...?"

"You may, I am your student, teacher." Upon hearing this, Ike immediately stood up, his expression serious, and said solemnly.

Seeing this, Comrade Voldemort gave no response, but said slowly in his distinctive voice, "In my experience so far, many people have helped me a great deal. Like Dumbledore, even though we now wish we could kill each other, I'm still grateful to him; he's the one who brought me into the magical world..."

"No matter what, that won't change, even if he used some disgusting methods to achieve it..."

He paused, then continued, "I once wanted to reconcile with him. So, after I finished my travels, I returned to Hogwarts and asked for the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, but he refused."

"I knew from the way he looked at me then that he never changed his opinion of me. So..." Comrade Fu shrugged, as if telling a joke, "Why should I care about what he thinks?"

"I am Voldemort, the Dark Lord. They say I am the most dangerous dark wizard in history, and I am very satisfied with that assessment."

"The Dark Lord will not treat those who have helped him unfairly, so if you want something, you must give something in return. For example, your loyalty..."

As he spoke, his bloodshot eyes fixed on Ike, who returned the gaze without hesitation. The two stared at each other silently for a long while before Old Fu finally spoke slowly: "You are the most talented person I have ever met. You will achieve great things, but now is not your time..."

"They call you 'Little Master,' that's what I told them to do, so that's why they call you that. But you need to make yourself worthy of that title!"

"I will, teacher!"

Seeing Ike's determined look, Old Fu gently shook his head: "That's not enough, just talking about it isn't enough..."

He paused, then continued, "We need more manpower, you know that, but what you don't know is that we're about to do something big, to bring my loyal servants back to my side..."

"Azkaban..." Ike murmured, and Old Volt clapped his hands upon hearing this, appearing somewhat excited.

"Yes, Azkaban! This is what you'll be doing next!"

He then changed the subject, saying, "Of course, I won't let you do this alone, but you'll have to bring that bunch of useless guys with you..."

"To become the true master of Wormtail, you need to demonstrate your wisdom and strength!"

"Don't worry, teacher, I will do it!" Ike said firmly, his face full of determination.

"Very good, very good, then let me see it, little Ike!" Old Comrade Voldemort stood up, placing a heavy hand on his shoulder. "When you've accomplished all this, I will show you the most mysterious and greatest magic in the world!"

He leaned closer, whispering in Ike's ear, "When you've done it, I'll let you see those things..."

"For example, the great gift of Slytherin..."

(End of this chapter)