I, Hogwarts Second Time Around.

Chapter 404 Christmas Gloom

Could it be that sixteen-year-old Tom has come back to life?

So it had a big impact on Harry?

Irving firmly believed that this was highly likely.

But can Bella move that fast?

As he pondered, Harry continued, "I saw—I saw myself eating people."

"Cannibalism?" Irving raised an eyebrow.

What a bizarre and disturbing dream!

"He wasn't exactly human—he looked like a ghost, and I looked like a ghost too," Harry said timidly. "I feel like I'm in Hogwarts, even though it's all white around me, I still have this feeling that I'm in the castle."

"Inside the castle?" Owen's face darkened. Voldemort had infiltrated Hogwarts?

Damn—Dumbledore wasn't around at that time.

"Besides that, what else did you hear?"

Honestly, Irving really wanted to use Legilimency to see for himself, because most of the memories that can be spoken are supplemented by the brain, and some details and inconsistencies may be hidden.

“I also heard a few conversations,” Harry said, panting and pale. “It sounded like there were a few people talking outside the castle. Someone broke into the Ministry of Magic to steal something, but failed. He was discovered, and then—then someone died. I couldn’t tell if the person was a thief or a Ministry employee, but anyway, the soul of the dead person appeared in the castle, and then I ate it.”

"Huh?" Owen was completely confused.

What on earth is going on here?!

"It's just a dream, Harry," Ron said casually, "and it's a complete mess with no logic whatsoever."

"No—this isn't a dream!" Harry roared. "It's not a dream, not just any dream. I saw it. I was there. My scars hurt, you know? The beginning was a mess, but the end was so real. I even remember what that person's soul tasted like."

Irving remained silent.

Although Harry's explanation was a mess, he caught a crucial passage.

Someone has broken into the Ministry of Magic to steal things!!!

Recalling the original story from my memory.

It seems that during this period, Voldemort wanted to know the complete prophecy of Professor Trelawney about the Messiah, so he sent Nagini to infiltrate the Ministry of Magic and steal the prophecy orb.

Mr. Arthur Weasley happened to be on duty that day, and he was subsequently attacked by Nagini.

Wait a minute—Irving suddenly paused.

Nagini is currently in Nicolae's safe house, where he is trying to find a way to cure the Blood Curse.

However, judging from the lack of response over the years, Nick himself probably has no power to break the Blood Curse and cannot turn Nagini back.

Irving can guarantee that the Nagini he saw was not a Horcrux.

She didn't possess the sinister magic of Horcruxes; all she had was the cruelty of a wild beast.

In other words, Voldemort did not meet Nagini in this world.

In the original story, he was supposed to be a first-year student, and he only met her after Quirrell died and returned to his remnant soul state.

Otherwise, given the connection between Voldemort and Nagini, he would definitely have taken Nagini with him when he infiltrated Hogwarts.

Doesn't this mean that Voldemort should have another Horcrux?

A new Horcrux that didn't exist in the original story?

This is a troublesome matter.

Although these Horcruxes will separate after the Outer God dies, the thought that there might be several Voldemorts in the future is very unsettling.

Wait—this isn't the time to think about Horcruxes—keep that to Harry Potter. The problem now is the dead wizard—could it be Mr. Arthur?

"Harry—did you see what that soul looked like?" Owen pressed. "Was it male or female? What was its build like?"

"I...I didn't see it clearly?" Harry's heart tightened because Owen suddenly seemed a little anxious, which made him worried.

"It was too dark, and the ghost was glowing with silver light all over, so I couldn't see its face at all."

"Think!" Owen said urgently, "Think carefully, is it Ron's father?"

At this point, there was no time to worry about anything else; the first thing to do was to confirm their identities.

As for Ron—his playful expression suddenly froze. He looked at Owen with a strange expression.

"You don't actually believe what Harry said, do you? That was just a dream!"

Harry ignored Ron, who was still acting silly.

He frowned and tried to recall carefully.

As for Hermione, she gradually became wary as well. The little witch realized that what Harry had seen might not be a dream.

No—it doesn't quite look like it.

After a moment, Harry looked up again. "I know Mr. Arthur. That ghost looks taller than him."

"While this isn't exactly good news—because someone's dead—someone can be thankful." Owen glanced at Ron beside him. Then he looked back at Harry. "Do you know what that intruder, that thief, was trying to steal?"

"I don't know—" Harry paused, "but it's definitely something Voldemort cares about a lot. I could feel his urgency."

"Tsk—" Irving curled his lip. "This is really not good news."

If Voldemort really gets his hands on that prophecy orb, he's in big trouble.

He looked at Harry with a hint of pity.

Harry, on the other hand, felt uneasy under Owen's gaze.

In the original story, Voldemort was unaware that Harry was his Horcrux.

When he discovered that Harry could invade his consciousness, he probably thought that the blood he used to resurrect Harry, along with the curse from his mother, also existed within him, which was why there was such a connection—Dumbledore's little scheme.

After all, no matter how hard Voldemort racked his brains, he could never have guessed that after being rebounded by his own Killing Curse, a part of his already unstable soul would split off and attach itself to Harry.

Who could have guessed that?

But what if—what if Voldemort knew the whole prophecy?

He would then likely realize that Harry is his Horcrux.

To understand this, we must decipher this prophecy, Professor Trelawney's original complete prophecy: "The one with the power to conquer the Dark Lord is approaching... Born into a family that has defeated the Dark Lord three times, born at the end of the seventh month... The Dark Lord marks him as his formidable enemy, but he will possess power that the Dark Lord does not understand... And one of them must die at the hands of the other, for neither can live; only one can survive... The one with the power to conquer the Dark Lord will be born at the end of the seventh month..."

Snape, standing at the door, only heard the first three sentences: "The one with the power to conquer the Dark Lord is approaching... born into a family that has defeated the Dark Lord three times, born at the end of the seventh month..."

So don't ask why Voldemort had to kill Harry Potter. If he hadn't, none of the subsequent events would have happened.

That's because Voldemort didn't know the complete prophecy. The first three lines only said that an enemy was about to be born, and he was going to kill that enemy—isn't that perfectly normal?

The most important line in the entire prophecy: The Dark Lord marks him as his nemesis, but he will possess energy that the Dark Lord does not understand.

Considering that his physical body was later destroyed by the Killing Curse, Voldemort might have realized that a part of his soul had been attached to Harry at that time, which is what is called—the Mark.

If Voldemort really realizes this, then Harry is in big trouble, because if Harry wants to kill the part of his soul that doesn't belong to him, only Voldemort can do it. In the current situation, how could Voldemort possibly destroy his own Horcrux?

When the Outer Gods perish, Harry will either die directly or his soul will be twisted into some kind of monster.

Or, in order to completely eliminate Voldemort, the only option would be to ask a savior to go.

In short, the endings were all tragic.

"We should tell Dumbledore about this," Hermione said quickly.

If what Harry said is true, then—a dark wizard has infiltrated the castle—and it could very well be Voldemort himself.

What a terrifying turn of events!

"Yes, we need to act immediately." Owen waved, and the three little ones followed him right away.

The group walked through the castle corridors, crossed the drawbridge, and arrived at the tower where the Alchemist Professor's office was located.

Fourth floor—Irving pushed open the door to Victor's office.

"Something's happened!" he said.

In the room, Viktor, who was engrossed in studying a manuscript, slowly raised his head. "What's wrong?"

"There might be a dark wizard who has infiltrated the castle—and it's highly likely that Voldemort himself is one," Owen said seriously. "I need to see the headmaster immediately."

Upon hearing this, Viktor frowned but did not ask any further questions.

He slowly rose to his feet, and the armor on his arm automatically extended, transforming into a cane.

He then stood up with his cane and tapped the ground.

Suddenly, blue light shone on the ground.

It was only then that the young wizards noticed that intricate ancient runes were carved on the floor of his office.

His hand seemed to be pulling on a silk thread.

The next moment, the bricks and stones on the ground began to float up one by one.

The layers overlapped, and almost in the blink of an eye, a stone door appeared that allowed two people to stand side by side.

He walked shakily to the stone gate and tapped it with his cane.

Like a flint, after a burst of light, the stone gate revealed the appearance of another place.

Without pausing for a moment, Viktor strode in.

Owen then led the other young wizards in.

It was as if we had entered a completely different world.

After passing through a golden hall, the group stepped into a passageway.

At the end of the passage, push open the door.

A huge circular venue suddenly appeared before everyone.

The ceiling is over ten feet high.

More than a hundred candles cast flickering lights among the hanging branches.

Like the United Nations headquarters venue, countless tiered seats extend downwards.

Ahead, behind the podium, is a huge gilded emblem with a wand piercing through a giant "M". The "M" is supported by scales on either side, and the emblem's ring bears the words "International Wizarding Federation" in capital letters.

"Where is this?" The young wizards looked around curiously.

Such a magnificent and enormous building prompted them to exclaim in awe.

"The Federation headquarters," Owen said casually.

Although he has never been here, one can guess.

"Irving?" Suddenly, someone stood up from the seat in front of them and waved.

The group looked over at the sound and saw it was Percy.

"What are you doing here?" Percy stepped forward, his face pale, with thick dark circles under his eyes and bloodshot eyes, clearly having stayed up for several nights.

"We need to speak with Headmaster Dumbledore," Hermione said.

Then another person stepped forward. "Dumbledore isn't here; he's in his office."

"Hey! Isn't this Mr. Aubrey Benny? You've been relegated here too?"

Ober Benny, a young magical officer in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement at the British Ministry of Magic, who even had a dramatic encounter with Owen in his second year.

Irving's mocking voice reached Mr. Aubrey's ears, and a flash of resentment crossed his face, followed by indignation. "That political monster Barty Crouch is now ruthless in eliminating dissidents. Most of the officials who supported Dumbledore have been purged from England by him."

"Oh! So, is the Ministry of Magic still functioning normally?" Owen asked curiously.

“It won’t collapse right away,” Mr. Ober Benny said. “Alright, I’ll lead the way.”

He forced a smile, then led the young wizards in a certain direction.

Along the way, the wizards they saw all seemed to be in a hurry.

Every now and then, a few curses could be heard.

Most of them are examples like: idiot, moron, moron, etc.

There were also some who noticed Owen and Hermione.

Despite my busy schedule, I managed to squeeze out a moment, managed a smile, and came up to greet them.

"Hello, Miss Granger."

"I never expected to see you here."

They were both enthusiastic and not very enthusiastic, because they were so busy with work that they could only say hello and then had to leave in a hurry.

"You're really popular now!" Ron said, looking at Hermione with a hint of jealousy.

He couldn't sense it while at school.

As soon as they came outside, the well-dressed wizards, who looked like important figures, all came up to greet Hermione with smiles.

He envied this kind of prestige.

Ron couldn't help but think, "If one day I could have such prestige, what could I possibly want?"

"This is all thanks to Owen; I'm just using a false title," Hermione explained seriously. She wasn't smug about it because she knew very well that it was all Owen's doing.

"This is also due to your hard work." Owen smiled at her. "If someone were an idiot, even if they wanted to maintain a false reputation, they would be exposed very quickly."

Although Irving did not specify who that idiot was.

But both Harry and Ron felt that he was talking about themselves.

About five minutes later, the group arrived at a mahogany door. Inside, they could hear a noisy commotion, as if Dumbledore were entertaining a large group of people.

Aubrey knocked three times, and the voices inside suddenly stopped, as if they had been switched off.

The door opened automatically, and they went inside. The room was brightly lit. The floor was clean, gleaming marble, and there were rows of bookshelves and portraits of wizards on both sides.

There was only one table in the office, behind which was a huge floor-to-ceiling window, overlooking the circular meeting hall they had just seen.

"Oh, it's you guys!" Dumbledore said, sitting in the high-backed chair behind his desk.

He wore a dark blue robe with a purple and gold trim, looking energetic, his sharp blue eyes fixed on the people who entered the office.

Besides Dumbledore, there were three other people in the office.

Two familiar faces: Irving's maternal grandmother, Wenda Rozier.

And the principal of Ifamoni—Yulari Hicks.

The last one, Irving didn't know, or rather, he had never met him in person, but he had seen him in the newspaper.

He wore a black cloak, had a cold expression, gray hair and brown eyes, and looked to be about forty or fifty years old. He exuded a powerful aura.

This person is none other than Samuel G. Kohauer, the current president of the Magical Congress of the United States.

"Professor, Harry..." Hermione immediately began, preparing to say: Harry had a dream that Voldemort invaded Hogwarts. But as she said it, it sounded so absurd.

Moreover, the atmosphere in the office was very oppressive. She immediately guessed that they had just been discussing something very important. If she were to say these things, would she be kicked out by that serious-looking wizard?

At that moment—Owen reached out and patted her arm, indicating that he would take over the matter.

He paused for a moment, letting Miss Granger's anxiety dissipate into the empty atmosphere, before speaking when the wizards present were becoming impatient.

"Chairman Samuel G. Koohauer, I know you. From the newspapers, of course." After a moment, Irving finally spoke, staring at the middle-aged man. "What do you plan to do with the relics along the Brazilian coast?"

He received a letter from his grandfather yesterday, so it was easy for him to guess why he was here.

"Who are you?" Chairman Kouhauge sounded displeased, drawing out the last syllable of his voice as he looked at Owen with disdain. "A young wizard from Hogwarts?"

He guessed who they were.

Because of the Christmas holidays, Owen and Hermione were not wearing their school uniforms.

"Adult matters"

"As the chief physician, I feel I still have the right to know what you're doing, right?" Owen looked at him calmly, a dangerous smile playing on his lips.

He had no liking for these officials, because they were useless except for creating chaos and making things worse.

Take the situation in Brazil, for example.

He had just dealt with Italy, and these guys came up with Brazil. If he hadn't gotten angry, he would have been completely subdued.

"You—" Upon hearing Owen's words, Chairman Samuel G. Kohauer finally recognized Owen's identity from the man in front of him, whose gender was unclear but who had distinctive silver hair.

The attending physician at Rozier's Magical Disability Hospital.

Faced with such a status, he finally showed a little respect.

"This is a secret of American magic, and I have no right to tell you."

"A classic answer." Owen chuckled, rubbing his neck and feigning exhaustion. "Fine, since you're not going to be honest with us, then Rozier Hospital will say goodbye to America. Your wounded will have to heal themselves."

Working overtime on Christmas Day is so frustrating.

"You," Chairman Samuel G. Kohauer was furious. No one had ever rejected him so bluntly before, and today—his gaze swept over Dumbledore and the woman who, despite being in her sixties or seventies, looked like she was in her early thirties.

In an instant, the anger intensified.

At that moment, he seemed to transform into a wild beast, speaking coldly to Owen in a tone that sounded as if he could vomit blood, "I advise you not to do this."

"Oh?" Owen raised an eyebrow slightly.

Threat?

Was he threatened?

It's been so long since anyone threatened him; he really misses it.

"Sorry, do you believe the hospital will be closing down tomorrow?"

"You're going against all the wizards in America, and that won't do you any good," Chairman Kouhauge said coldly.

"A willingness is priceless," Irving said calmly.

"Hmph—" Chairman Samuel G. Koohauer's cheeks twitched, clearly enduring a surge of anger. He didn't speak immediately, but quietly looked at Owen, his eyes slightly narrowed, seemingly lost in thought.

After about several tens of seconds, he suddenly opened his eyes wide.

As if remembering something.

"I suddenly remember, you're the young Hogwarts wizard who clashed with one of our witches in February, and both of them fell unconscious!"

"So what if it is?" Irving said dismissively.

"That witch, Koyatl Stewart, died less than three months after leaving England following the Goblet of Fire. Should I suspect that you were responsible?"

"What?"

"Koyatel is dead?"

"I can't believe it? How could she?"

Suddenly, the chairman in front of me dropped a bombshell.

This almost immediately shocked the young wizards present.

Both Hermione and Harry Ron looked at Euryale Hicks, the headmistress of Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, with disbelief.

The other party did not offer any explanation, but simply nodded with a tense expression.

"Leaving Hogwarts for three months and then suddenly dying, you really know how to make excuses. I think she was already seriously ill before coming to England. The Magical Congress of America doesn't care about its own young wizards, forcing a young wizard with a terminal illness to participate in a dangerous competition like the Goblet of Fire, and ultimately hastening the death of poor Coyatt." Owen was spouting nonsense, but his expression was so confident, as if that was really how things were.

He didn't seem intimidated by the chairman's attempt to frame him.

He looked directly at the other person and said, "I think the public is willing to believe this kind of news."

"Is he seriously ill?" Hermione exclaimed.

"A terminal illness?" Ron exclaimed.

The two fools actually believed Irving's story.

Suddenly, a huge sense of guilt welled up in their hearts.

Was the reason that crazy girl acted so flamboyantly because she was about to die?

The immense guilt overwhelmed both of them, realizing they had actually fought with a patient.

Seeing the two people beside him, Owen couldn't help but sigh softly. Look at them—these are people who still have a conscience. Then look at the political monster in front of him; his face is only gloomy, and it's not because of the girl's death, but because Owen is threatening him.

"Hmph—" he snorted, "Professor Iphamoni and the students will tell the world that Miss Koyatl is perfectly healthy."

“But readers will only believe the truth they want to believe,” Owen retorted sharply. “Do you think they’ll believe the words of a powerful institution like the Magical Congress, rather than a healer who has saved hundreds of lives?”

(End of this chapter)