A certain broken Hogwarts

Chapter 150 Manifestation of Life

After a period of rainy days, the weather became hot and humid again, with damp air filling the air, and the branches and leaves of the plants in the forbidden forest seemed to be dripping with water.

In a low-lying depression in the Forbidden Forest, Owen smiled deeply as he toyed with his wand, calmly watching a giant eight-eyed spider curl up in a ball, screaming and howling, its life force being drained by the diary.

He picked up the diary with some disgust and shook it, feeling as if it had been tainted with a spidery smell.

"Why did you get into a fight with a spider?" A sentence appeared faintly in the diary, clearly indicating that Tom didn't like this kind of ingredient either.

"Because I hate spiders," Owen replied with a grin. "There are so many cute little creatures in the Forbidden Forest, of course I have to pick the uncute ones to kill..." Tsk, being picky isn't good.

"Speaking of which, Tom, you've absorbed quite a bit of life force by now, haven't you? You should tell me the method. Helbo dared to attack me in broad daylight; if we don't find him soon, we'll only become more and more passive." He strolled leisurely among the tall trees, a pure white quill pen automatically writing on the notebook.

"The vitality and magic of animals are so different from those of wizards; I haven't actually absorbed or converted much of it..." Tom said pitifully, as usual, without delaying any longer. "But your situation is indeed dangerous, and as a friend, how can I continue to stand by and watch?"

Owen clicked his tongue inwardly. This guy's words were indeed untrustworthy; not a single punctuation mark could be trusted. If the life force he absorbed wasn't enough to satisfy Tom, this guy wouldn't have given in.

Neat and beautiful handwriting appeared on the diary, quickly filling an entire page:

"Owen, remember? I once told you that the common ability of Horcruxes is to absorb life force. When the Horcrux's owner loses their physical form, the Horcrux's mission is to revive the main soul. Its primary goal must be to absorb enough life force so that it can temporarily control a body or condense a temporary shell to gain autonomous action. This is the prerequisite for everything."

"Hornets draw life force in many different ways, such as bewitching others to willingly give up their life force, secretly absorbing life force through contact, or actively hunting like we do..."

"But no matter the method, Horcruxes cannot indiscriminately drain life force. Owen, this is not a simple matter, unless we achieve a close cooperative relationship like you and I..."

Irving gave a slight smirk, pretending not to see the word "intimate." He continued reading:

"...Herbo's Horcruxes must first select one or more targets to absorb life force, then have close contact with them for a period of time to establish a mysterious connection. After that, they must also have frequent close contact with them. Self-preservation is the instinct of all living beings, and living beings will instinctively resist such attacks. Therefore, Horcruxes must ensure that the targets are under their influence."

"In other words, Helbo's Horcrux might be able to control others to do things for him from a distance, but it must be hidden in a place that the object whose life force he is draining can frequently access."

"Once we find those people, I believe you'll find a way to locate that Horcrux, right, Owen? Of course, if you think it's too difficult, I don't mind guiding you step by step..."

"Thank you for your help, but I don't think I'm that stupid." Owen chuckled and touched the corner of his lips, then changed the subject: "But how do we find those people? You know, a person's vitality is always fluctuating; even a cold or lack of sleep can cause it to drop."

Tom's handwriting appeared unhurriedly, with an air of elegance and composure: "This is what I'm going to teach you, a spell, Owen. I once improved a spell that allows you to see the state of everyone's life force..."

"This mantra is 'Life Manifestation'."

"Ah, it was originally a spell used by healers to observe patients' conditions. It could only be used on one person at a time and was very vague. Later, in order to find some uniquely gifted...experimental subjects, I combined it with transfiguration to improve it. Using this spell to deform your eyes will help you observe the form of life force more clearly and allow you to observe more objects."

"Don't worry, this is not a permanent transformation spell."

"Within the vision granted by this spell, you will find that all life force appears as pure white. Those with abundant life force are brightly colored, while those with weak life force are dull in color. If you see chaotic colors in someone's life force, it means that something else is influencing them, such as a Horcrux..."

"I think if there's nothing else in Hogwarts affecting people's life force, you can easily pinpoint those whose life force is being drained."

Owen leaned against the trunk of a huge pine tree, his eyes shining as he memorized the principles and key points of the spell. The theoretical knowledge involved in this improved spell was not beyond his scope of knowledge; it was just a different approach that gave him a sense of enlightenment.

Yes, Tom is truly a treasure of a boy.

Owen closed his diary with satisfaction, his straight black wand twirling nimbly between his long, pale fingers: "Learning this spell isn't difficult... Try it out during a Quidditch match."

He called out to Melete, who was catching a rabbit, then turned and walked back, his feet crunching on the soft fallen leaves. A light brown cat-like creature leaped nimbly out of the grass, tail held high, and followed Owen at his feet. The two figures, one large and one small, gradually disappeared into the dark forest.

……

The Quidditch match was about to begin; the weather remained hot and humid, with distant rumbles of thunder.

The students, unusually, put aside their concerns about the Heirs and chatted excitedly, all anticipating a thrilling Quidditch match. Everyone was relieved that the school hadn't canceled the Quidditch tournament during the Heirs' rampage; in this time of widespread anxiety, the students desperately needed a lively and exciting match to lift their spirits.

Of course, many people are also worried about this, because Harry Potter will also be appearing.

"Hopefully they won't annoy Potter during the match..." Ernie of Hufflepuff shook his head sympathetically. "Just imagine, they might 'accidentally' run into a monster that just happens to jump out from the corner after the match and die instantly! Don't expect Potter to be very forgiving..."

As the rumor spread, the excited discussions in the Great Hall gradually subsided, turning into anxious murmurs, and people couldn't help but cast worried and pitying glances at the Gryffindor players.

Harry, no longer caring about the gossip, sat silently with Draco at the long table in the Great Hall, fidgeting nervously. This was their first Quidditch match ever, and their opponents were Gryffindor, a team they were always fiercely competitive with Slytherin. The pressure and tension had kept them up at night for the past two days.

"Good luck, I believe in you guys." Owen patted Harry and Draco on the shoulder, looked at their slightly pale faces from nervousness, and smiled with narrowed eyes.

"Hmph, just you wait and see." Draco's pale blond hair drooped listlessly, but his words showed no sign of weakness.

Harry lifted his eyelids slightly, revealing faint dark circles under his eyes. He forced himself to change the subject and said, "Owen, I thought you weren't going to watch the game..."

"Well, it's your first time after all, so I have to join in the fun... and hopefully record the utter embarrassment you both look like," Owen said with a grin. "Life always needs a little fun, right?"

Harry's initial emotion froze on his face. He looked at Owen with a frustrated expression, who seemed to be enjoying the show. The surge of grief and indignation in his heart instantly dispelled the tension that made him want to vomit.

"Haha, I've got my camera ready." Blaise, not wanting to miss out on the fun, waved his camera, specifically there to capture exciting moments and funny scenes.

Daphne smiled, both amused and concerned. She and Pansy were holding a huge green banner with the words "Potter will win, Malfoy will win" shimmering silver, making it look dazzling and very eye-catching.

"Would you like something?" Gore asked, reluctantly handing over the dessert in his hand.

"Thank you, no need." Neither Harry nor Draco intended to eat at this moment, lest they vomit while bouncing on their flying brooms and make a fool of themselves.

As eleven o'clock approached, the entire school's faculty and students began heading to the Quidditch Stadium, where they sat in the high stands, shouting and cheering. Dumbledore, unusually, hadn't gone missing and was chatting with Professor Flitwick with a smile.

Irving and his entourage sat in the highest row of the stands, watching the two teams, now dressed in green and red jerseys, enter the field and soar into the leaden sky at Ms. Hodge's sharp whistle.

Gryffindor’s Lee Jordan was giving a passionate commentary on the match. Well, Gilderoy Lockhart had really wanted the job, but Professor McGonagall had shrugged him off.

Slytherin's flying broomsticks were significantly faster than Gryffindor's; they practically became seven blurry green shadows, speeding through the air like the wind. Combined with their already outstanding skill, they unsurprisingly gained the upper hand.

It started to rain, and large raindrops pattered against the stands, but this did not dampen the enthusiasm of the young wizards. They cheered, applauded, or booed according to the situation on the field, and the noise drowned out the sound of the rain.

Slytherin took the lead, 60-0. Draco had scored three goals, his smug expression making everyone's fists itch. Harry, meanwhile, flew high into the air, circling the pitch again and again, searching for the Golden Snitch.

Owen turned his gaze away from the arena, cast a waterproof spell on himself and Daphne, then silently stood up from his seat, walked around to the back of everyone, drew his wand, pointed it at his eyes, and recited the spell.

Along with a slightly sour feeling, his jet-black eyes suddenly turned bright red, giving him a more eerie look.

Suddenly, my vision became much blurrier, as if covered by frosted glass, and it became even more hazy and unclear in the heavy rain.

In this view, Irving saw the Quidditch pitch transformed into a sea of ​​light. Pure white rays shot straight into the sky, dispelling the dense rain and making the gloomy sky seem brighter.

He saw the lawn shimmering with a faint light, like fireflies scattered across the sky, and the distant woods like a sunrise on the horizon. He looked towards the stands, where everyone radiated bright colors, like vibrant flames constantly changing shape, full of vitality.

Owen glanced down at the pure white flames emanating from his body and silently assessed himself: "Hmm, rich color, concentrated form, very healthy..."

He took Tom's diary out of his pocket and glanced at it, finding no signs of life. After putting the diary back in his pocket, he turned to look at the stands where the teachers were.

The professors all radiated bright light, showing no abnormalities, including Peter Pettigrew. Of course, this only meant that Peter Pettigrew hadn't had his life force drained by the Horcrux; whether he was being controlled was uncertain.

Notably, Dumbledore's body was tinged with a beautiful golden-red hue, faintly coalescing into the phantom of a phoenix taking flight. This was the first time Owen had witnessed its concrete form under this perspective. However, the incredibly powerful phoenix image concealed Dumbledore's true life force fluctuations, making it impossible to discern his true form.

Owen shook his head and turned his gaze to the arena. He saw that Harry and Draco were fine, but the white light surrounding Fred and George Weasley appeared slightly dim, with a faint grayish-black tinge at the edges, looking somewhat ominous. However, this color was very faint, as if it were a lingering residue from a long time ago, seemingly about to dissipate in the rain.

"Is this the lingering aura of some kind of influence that Dumbledore spoke of?" Owen stroked his chin thoughtfully. "It seems Voldemort once drained their life force, perhaps even controlled them... but why did he give up?"

It's understandable that the soul fragments within the crown chose to relinquish control over them; after all, controlling others would consume the life force they had painstakingly absorbed, making it a losing proposition. But giving up absorbing their life force is incomprehensible. Having finally established a connection, why would they simply spit out the meat that was offered to them? Even a brain-depleted idiot wouldn't do such a thing.

Owen pondered for a moment, continuing to analyze the situation in the stands. On the Slytherin side, he found the only person bearing the marks of a Horcrux: Ginny Weasley. The long-haired red girl had her back to him, cheering towards the arena, her life force perfectly mirroring that of her twin brother.

Irving frowned slightly, looking puzzled and confused. He slowly moved around the stands, circling the entire area to find everyone who seemed suspicious.

Several upperclassmen girls at Ravenclaw were in a similar situation to the Weasley twins. This suggests that the diadem must have been around Penelope Crivart for some time, and these girls were influenced during that period. After Penelope was petrified, the diadem moved to Ron Weasley's place, where he hid it.

The three Hufflepuff first-year students, their life-giving flames much dimmer and mixed with a somber gray, looked rather unsettling. They were sitting in the stands, yawning occasionally, seemingly suffering from the effects of the Horcruxes. This surprised Owen.

On the Gryffindor side, Percy Weasley's greyish-black aura appeared more intense, but it was also dissipating; Dean Thomas, Ron's roommate, was in a similar state. It seemed that Ron had hidden the tiara in his room for some time.

And, most seriously, is—

Irving took a deep look at the man sitting in the middle of the stands, Neville Longbottom. The poor guy's white aura had almost turned into a dim grayish-white, mixed with black mist.

"It really was you." Owen's lips curled up slightly; he had guessed it the day Hermione was attacked.

Since Voldemort wanted to figure out Harry's true strength and weaknesses, he definitely needed to find a way to contact him, and infiltrating the study group was one of the best options. Ron didn't join the study group, which clearly meant Voldemort had made other preparations, and Neville, Ron's roommate, was undoubtedly the easiest target and the easiest to make a move on.

This would explain why Ron Weasley only acted strangely towards Hermione and Harry, but didn't seek help from Neville, with whom he spent every day. He knew Neville also had problems, and this might have been a desperate warning from Ron in his desperation. Neville's claim that he never noticed anything unusual about Ron is inherently illogical.

Neville was present when they were attacked on the anniversary of Harry's death, which is how Voldemort learned that Harry spoke Parsley. Hermione was likely targeted twice not only because Voldemort found her special contribution award objectionable, but also because he discovered something unusual in her long-term interactions with Neville, leading Voldemort to want to eliminate her.

The clue Hermione didn't mention that day was probably related to Neville's problem. She suspected it but wasn't sure, perhaps worried that revealing it rashly would hurt Neville's feelings and the others' emotions, so she investigated secretly on her own. Maybe she saw something that day…

"Neville..." Owen pinched his chin, his eyes narrowing. "In that case, Voldemort knew about Ron Weasley's schemes much earlier, so he abandoned Ron, who had already been exposed; he learned that Dumbledore knew about the diadem, so he stopped being discreet and directly controlled Ron's body to attack Harry, which was both making use of waste and a blatant provocation of Dumbledore's arrogance..."

"But..." Owen slowly revealed a smile, "your true colors are showing."

He thought he already knew where the crown was hidden. Well, thanks to Tom's unwavering support.

Feeling a sudden soreness in his eyes, Owen rubbed them and ended the "Life Manifestation" spell. His once vibrant red eyes returned to their deep black, though a few fine blood vessels appeared on the whites of his eyes due to fatigue.

"Twice, I was chased by the basilisk twice," he muttered softly. "In return, destroying one of your Horcruxes isn't too much to ask, is it?"

The rain was getting heavier. Irving opened a black umbrella, took one last look at the intense Quidditch match, and turned to walk towards the castle in the rain.

Thank you Xifengyou for the 100 Qidian coins!

(End of this chapter)