A certain broken Hogwarts

Chapter 237 The Encounters of Both Sides

"How dare you! You dare to impersonate the Dark Lord and deceive me!"

Bellatrix's sharp, piercing roar echoed in Owen's ears, making his eardrums buzz, and even dust fell from the ceiling.

Owen paused for a moment, then finally understood why the other was so angry. Harry was quite the clever little devil, pretending to be Voldemort's idol in front of such a fervent fan.

Doesn't he know that the person who understands a person best is often the one who loves or hates that person the most? It's much harder to pretend to be Voldemort in front of Bellatrix than to pretend to be Voldemort himself in front of him.

Now, Harry's outrageous actions have thoroughly enraged Voldemort's die-hard fans, leaving Owen to clean up the mess...

Owen was speechless and somewhat surprised. He hadn't expected the body-swapping effect to work under these circumstances, especially since the Shrieking Shack was already within the Hogsmeade Village area. However, considering its proximity to Hogwarts, it was possible that the body-swapping effect could apply.

Owen's gaze swept quickly around, spotting Blaise lying in the corner, his fate unknown, but he didn't notice the ominous shadow following them. His expression darkened.

"The 'Ominous' isn't tracking my soul or consciousness, but my body? So it's with Harry now... This is absolutely terrible!" Owen felt a sharp pain in his teeth. He didn't think Harry could handle that thing.

He still doesn't know whether the body swap involved the soul or consciousness, nor does he know whether Harry or him would die if Harry were killed by the "ominous" force... In short, it's not a good thing.

"I need to get back quickly." Owen tried to stretch his body, his brows furrowing slightly.

His hands and feet were bound tightly, the tough yet slender ropes digging deep into his flesh. Every muscle in his body ached as if it were being torn apart, his bones creaked as if they were about to fall apart, and his forehead felt like it was about to split open. It was clear that this body had undergone torture before.

But Irving was more concerned about another aspect. He felt a sense of constraint in this body that did not belong to him, as if he had been forcibly stuffed into a small space, his mind as if it were wrapped in a thick straitjacket, bound layer by layer in a hard shell.

It's easy to see that his magical power level has definitely decreased significantly. Although a wizard's magic mainly comes from the mind and will, mental strength is closely related to the body. Not to mention that this little wizard's body has not undergone the dark magic transformations that Owen performed, so many abilities are currently unusable.

"It seems I was too lenient with you, Potter, daring you to deceive me like this." In a moment, Bellatrix had already stood in front of Owen, looking down at him with a pair of crazed eyes.

She raised her wand and pointed it at Owen's chest, her chest still heaving violently with rage. The ferocious and terrifying look on her face made Owen have no doubt that she only wanted to torture him to death with the Crucifixion Curse.

"How could I have lied to you?" Owen smirked, looking at her with curious eyes. He was quickly adapting to the situation, his rapidly working brain clearly sorting out the spells he could use and those he couldn't release.

"Shut up! I forbid you—to insult—the Dark Lord—in this way again!" Bellatrix screamed, each word distinct, her bulging eyes seemingly about to pop out of their sockets.

"How dare you call yourself the Dark Lord with your bastard mouth?" she said, her eyes filled with a mixture of reverence and fear. At that moment, she seemed like a little girl lost in reverie. "He is so great and stern, he would never put on that hypocritical face and casually forgive the mistakes of his servants..."

This guy is clearly a sadist, yet he shows masochistic tendencies when facing Voldemort? Owen thought without changing his expression. He didn't lack ways to escape, so he felt a little more relaxed.

"...So you deserve to die!" Bellatrix said, her expression instantly changing. She jabbed her wand into Owen's chest and roared cruelly, "Crunch in the Heart—"

A cold, dark fog suddenly emerged from Owen's body, instantly coalescing into a sinister, evil shadow that, trailing a long black cloak, lunged at its opponent with a "whoosh," abruptly silencing the half-shouted incantation.

Faced with this sudden attack, Bellatrix's face froze in a mixture of rage and shock, but her body leaped to the side and back with superhuman speed. The Dark Guard grazed her left shoulder, leaving a deep black wound on her left arm, and also snatched Harry's wand from her left hand with a corner of his cloak.

"Avada Kedavra!" Bellatrix rolled twice on the dusty floor in a very disheveled state, then shot a blinding green beam of light at the Dark Guardian floating in mid-air.

Owen narrowed his eyes, showing no disappointment at the missed surprise attack. He calmly and indifferently controlled the Dark Guardian, which floated lightly through the air, while the beam of the Killing Curse struck the crumbling ceiling hard.

With a loud bang, a large amount of gravel and billowing dust fell together, filling the entire room with yellowish dust and obscuring the two people's vision.

Owen choked and closed his eyes, then a chilling gust of wind rushed into his arms, bringing him immense comfort. The Dark Guardian swept his body into the sky, and a spell that pierced through the dust struck the spot where he had just been lying, blasting a hissing, smoking crater.

Owen stretched his wrists, which were bound and unable to move freely, and grasped the wand that the Dark Guard had snatched from Bellatrix with his right hand, swinging it steadily. The ropes binding him snapped and dissipated into wisps of smoke.

"Nyx!" Owen, draped in the Dark Templar's armor, hovered in mid-air, hurled a Crucifixion towards Bellatrix's location, and then calmly called out.

……

When Harry regained his senses from the dizziness, he found himself standing in a dark, deep corridor. The familiar carved walls on either side reminded him that he was back at Hogwarts.

All the pain in his body vanished in an instant, and even his bound hands and feet were freed. He raised his right hand, stared blankly at the wand in his hand, and couldn't react for a moment to what had happened.

The torment I had just endured seemed like an illusion; there was no filthy house, no Bellatrix, and no poisoned Blaise…

But Harry quickly realized that the wand in his hand wasn't his; it looked familiar. He raised his hand and touched his hair; it felt soft and smooth, unlike his own hair, which was always messy and sticking up. Moreover, he felt somewhat uncomfortable; although his body was warm, he inexplicably felt waves of coldness, as if his body was filled with ice.

"This isn't me... Oh no, bodies switched! This is Owen?" Harry jumped up in alarm, instantly forgetting all his discomfort. "Owen and Blaise are in danger!"

Just as he turned to run to the professor to rescue the person, he suddenly heard a loud crash beside him. Harry turned his head and saw a large, sturdy iron cage standing next to him for some reason. There was nothing inside, but the cage bars were trembling and bending as if they had been hit by something.

"An invisible beast? No..." Harry turned his gaze to the shadow cast on the ground and saw a vaguely outlined monster locked in a cage. It changed shape like smoke, and could only be vaguely made out to be a four-legged beast.

"What is that?" Harry cautiously jumped back a step, feeling a chill run from his heart to the soles of his feet. An invisible monster, yet it had a shadow? What dangerous things was Owen up to at school?

He cautiously backed away, intending to ignore the creature for the time being. However, things didn't go as planned. The monstrous shadow inside the cage raised its claw and swung it violently, tearing the sturdy iron bars apart like planks, and the entire cage shattered into pieces like building blocks.

Harry was still a little dazed, but his hand reacted quickly, casting a spell towards the shattered iron cage. The wand in his hand wasn't his own, so it wasn't very smooth to use, but fortunately, the spell was still successfully cast.

The red beam of light shone directly on the wall of the corridor, while the dark shadows imprinted on the ground continued to approach him unaffected. Harry could even see the hideous fangs in the gaping maw.

"Missed it? That's impossible..." Harry hurriedly backed away, then suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. He remembered what Owen had told him, "A vicious dog lurking in the shadows? An ominous sign?"

As soon as the thought crossed his mind, the blurry black shadow on the ground instantly condensed into the shape of a large dog, which then charged toward his shadow on the ground with its powerful hooves.

"I can't let it touch my shadow!" Without thinking, Harry took off running down the corridor. The large, dark dog's shadow chased after him relentlessly, causing cold sweat to bead on Harry's forehead.

What Owen jokingly said at the study group meeting turned out to be true—he really was being hunted by something "ominous"! Harry couldn't help but feel guilty for not choosing to believe him. But now wasn't the time to think about that, because he realized that two legs couldn't outrun four.

He frantically cast all the spells he knew behind him, but none of them had any effect. Just as he was about to cross the exit of the corridor, the large, dark dog suddenly appeared in front of him. Harry stopped abruptly, stumbled, and almost fell to the ground.

"Owen said that only shadows can attack it..." Harry turned and ran back, grabbing random ornaments from the corridor and throwing them behind him. In his frantic movements, the shadows of a few items struck the dark figure on the ground, causing it to pause slightly.

"That's impressive!" Harry's eyes lit up, and he ran at top speed with all his might. As he passed a suit of armor, he rammed it with his shoulder and knocked it over, then grabbed the spear that the armorer was holding.

The steel spear was incredibly heavy, but thankfully Harry had a brain and used his wand to lighten it.

He whirled around, carefully watching his shadow, keeping it a safe distance from the large dog's dark silhouette. Gripping the end of his spear tightly, he swung it around, hammering and stabbing at the dog repeatedly, occasionally leaping back to avoid its counterattacks…

The scene was both thrilling and comical. To those who couldn't see the "ominous" presence, Harry's performance resembled a hilarious one-man show, displaying a kind of eccentric madness.

This is the absurd and ridiculous scene that Snape witnessed as he followed a cat-like creature into the corridor.

As Harry, disguised as Owen, swung his spear and spun himself around like a windmill, then staggered a couple of steps, nearly crashing his head into a nearby pillar, Snape's perpetually gloomy expression froze for a moment, his unfathomable eyes momentarily lost in thought.

"What are you doing?" Snape asked in a deep voice after a moment of silence.

Harry then spotted the Headmaster and, as if seeing a savior, ran towards Snape, brandishing his spear and filled with surprise and excitement.

Seeing the neurotic-looking young wizard charging towards him menacingly, Snape took a half step back and secretly gripped his wand in his pocket.

Harry, oblivious to the other's unease, shouted breathlessly, "Professor Snape, Owen and Blaise are in danger! They're in Hogsmeade, and Bellatrix too!"

Snape's brow furrowed even more. He tilted his head back slightly and said in a low voice, "Owen?"

"Yes, Owen!" Harry turned and stabbed the large, dark dog in the nose, his voice urgent. "I'm Harry! We just switched bodies!"

Snape frowned and glanced at him, doubting that this eccentric fellow was Harry. But now was not the time to delve into it; he simply nodded slightly and hurried on his way.

"What are you doing?" Snape said, his face darkening as he watched Harry start running for his life again and randomly casting spells. Casting magic in the corridor right in front of him? Did he really think he, the headmaster, was just a figurehead?

"Can't you see it, Professor? There's the shadow of a big dog chasing me!" Harry gasped, continuing to try various spells: "Palmtops of Exile!"

The wand in his hand trembled slightly, and reluctantly spat out a silver-white stag from its tip. The stag lowered its head and charged towards the shadowy figure, but unsurprisingly missed.

At this moment, the big dog's shadow suddenly stopped, tilted its big head, and twitched its nose a few times, as if it was sniffing something hard.

After a moment, it seemed to finally realize that the person in front of it was not its target, so it jumped into the shadow of the stone pillar without hesitation and disappeared.

Harry watched it disappear before letting out a sigh of relief, leaning on his spear with one hand and his other on his hip, panting heavily. The brief ordeal of surviving had nearly exhausted him; his heart was pounding so hard it felt like it would burst out of his chest.

"The shadow of a big dog? I think The Quibbler would be more than happy to publish the strange and unexpected things you've encountered, Potter," Snape said sarcastically, watching with disgust as the stag disappeared into thin air and then flew away like a large bat.

Harry sighed angrily, but still quickly caught up with Snape and began to explain the whole story to him.

……

The enclosed space of the Screaming Shack was filled with dust, and everything in sight was covered by a thick yellow veil. The increasingly dim environment made everything difficult to see clearly.

Upon hearing Owen's call, Nyx, who had been watching the show from upstairs with great interest, flapped its wings and flew over. It had been there ever since Harry began impersonating Voldemort. Being able to communicate with Owen, it naturally recognized that the person before it was no longer Harry.

"Take me back, Nyx." Owen waved his wand, sending out a rope to restrain Blaise, who was slumped in the corner, and then stretched out an arm toward the phoenix that was taking flight. He was worried about Harry facing the "ominous" alone and intended to rush back immediately.

Rather than killing Bellatrix, saving his own life is more important. Besides, his magic is currently greatly limited while he's inside Harry's body, and his wand isn't very responsive, making it virtually impossible for him to take down Bellatrix.

Just then, a blinding green light flew diagonally towards them, forcing Owen and Nyx to dodge to either side, narrowly avoiding the spell. Immediately afterward, more green flashes exploded in the confined space, like a series of dazzling yet deadly fireworks. Stimulated, Bellatrix began randomly unleashing Killing Curses in all directions.

Owen was forced to hide behind a wall, watching angrily as the wall he was hiding in was blown to pieces. He precisely threw Blaise into a collapsed pit in the corner of the room, preventing him from being killed by the ricocheting spells.

With a cold expression, he controlled the Black Magic Guardian to fly out, quickly locking onto Bellatrix's trail through the black, white, and gray vision, and then nimbly began to surround and intercept her.

Bellatrix was quickly forced out, and the surrounding dust gradually settled. The two stood in opposite corners of the room, staring at each other, their gazes seemingly sparking intense flames in the air—one as cold and indifferent as a deep pool covered in frost, the other as wild and violent as an erupting volcano.

"You're not Harry Potter." Bellatrix glanced at the Dark Lord guards flitting around her, licked her lips, and said with certainty, "Good boy Potter wouldn't know such a spell."

She stared at Nyx, who had transformed into a ball of fire and was flying towards Owen, then shouted at him with a look of disgust, "You're Owen Shafik! So eager to become a pureblood traitor, standing against the Dark Lord? You've debased yourself!"

Owen narrowed his eyes, suddenly feeling a familiar gaze and a sense of danger. He quickly scanned his surroundings, his gaze locking onto a dark, cat-like figure peeking out from the shadow of a broken wooden table.

"Is 'Ominous' chasing after us?" Is there even a delay?

Owen, however, was not alarmed but rather delighted. Without hesitation, he swung his holly wand, a flash of light piercing the darkness and shattering the wooden table into pieces. The shadowy figure emerging from its shadow vanished without a trace.

"Looks like we don't need to worry about Harry anymore. I can deal with Bellatrix for a while now." Owen rolled his eyes with ill intent, looking at the woman opposite him who had become tense again because of his sudden casting of a spell, and suddenly revealed a bright and dangerous smile.

"Who said I'd stand against the Dark Lord?" He arrogantly raised his chin, his words sounding incongruous with Harry's face. "Quite the opposite, I'm the Dark Lord's most loyal follower!"

(End of this chapter)