Hogwarts: My name is the Unforgivable Curse...

Chapter 341 The De-Soul-Weaponization of the Crystal Ball

"..."

After examining every single item in the room for what seemed like the umpteenth time, Harry finally couldn't help but yawn, which he then quickly passed on to Ron beside him.

After Avada activated the device, the nested rings began to slowly rotate, causing the other Horcruxes in the grooves to revolve regularly around the central black crystal ball, as if simulating the movement of a galaxy. But apart from that, there were no other visible changes...

At first, Harry and Ron were quite engrossed, trying to discern some mysterious magical essence from this device that could separate souls; however, after the device had been running steadily for over twenty minutes, their attitudes began to change.

Twenty minutes later, they were already wondering why they had suggested staying instead of leaving the room and going to school to kill time, as Ken had suggested.

They had considered leaving now, but Ken seemed completely absorbed in observing the dull machine, as if he could glean some incredibly beautiful melody from those soporific tracks. Harry and Ron didn't dare to open the door to the Room of Requirement rashly, nor did they dare to chat quietly to pass the time...

However, just as they were considering whether they should actually take a nap, the machine finally changed.

With a muffled hum, the black crystal ball, which had been floating steadily in mid-air, began to tremble slightly. A large amount of gray mist was violently pulled out from within by some unknown force and poured into the object closest to the crystal ball—the ornate locket. Within that gray mist, a distorted, sleeping face could be vaguely discerned…

"What is that?!"

Ron was only slightly surprised, but Harry's heart was already in turmoil—he had seen Voldemort's soul being sucked into the crystal ball, so he knew that the gray mist being pulled out was exactly the same as when it was sucked in!

Ken... he really did it?

Although he had received assurances from the mysterious senior, when Harry witnessed firsthand how Voldemort's soul had been successfully separated using his methods, he still felt a strange, overwhelming emotion surge through him like a tsunami—anticipation? Curiosity? Shock? And…a hint of fear?

It's probably what Ken was saying—that fragment of Voldemort's soul is haunting his mind.

"...It's a success."

Finally, after an unknown amount of time, the gray mist in the crystal ball dissipated completely and was absorbed into Slytherin's locket. Avada was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief, rubbed his sore eyes, and immediately summoned a glass of water, tilting his head back and drinking it all in one gulp...

"It worked?"

Harry wasn't sure if his tone was one of surprise or delight when he said it: "So, does that mean I...?"

"Not now—I'm afraid I need to rest for a while."

Avada pulled up a chair and sat down, stretching his neck a bit wearily. He immediately heard a series of crackling sounds, followed by a cool sensation on his head: "Recording that data was a bit too energy-consuming, and I need to be extra focused when I'm operating on you... But the good news is, this magic will take less time than I expected."

"Can it get even shorter?"

Harry repeated it with a hint of delight—he didn't know if he could withstand the entire process of experiencing this magic, if he had to remain conscious and perfectly still like that crystal ball...

"What are you thinking—this is already the best-case scenario we could have anticipated."

Avada rolled his eyes and replied, "In my original estimate, this might have taken a full day or two. But judging from the current situation, even including my rest time, it should be completely resolved by noon today..."

How long do you need to rest?

"Take a half-hour break... You can also leave the Requirement Room, go out for a drink of water or do some light exercise, and come back in half an hour. I'll open the door for you then."

"Okay, we'll be going now."

After watching Harry and Ron leave the Room of Requirement and closing the door behind them to block his view, Avada slowly closed his eyes, began to regulate his mental energy, and gradually relaxed...

……

Half an hour later, Avada opened her eyes and, with a flick of her wrist, opened the door to the Room of Requirement a crack, making it visible on the wall of the eighth-floor corridor outside. Almost immediately afterward, the door opened from the outside, and Harry and Ron walked in again.

"When do we start?"

Harry asked as soon as he entered the room.

"Wait a moment... I need to adjust the instrument again, it will take about five minutes."

Avada stood up, took the small bottle containing Voldemort's main soul, then walked to the experimental apparatus and removed all five Horcruxes from it. Next, she went to another apparatus that hadn't been touched before, which was larger and more complex in structure than the experimental apparatus.

It was literally "one ring" bigger. That instrument had an extra ring compared to the experimental instruments next to it, and the outermost ring was made of a material that was clearly different from the other rings. It was wider, and the patterns engraved on it were more intricate...

Avada Kedavra waved his wand, manipulating the six items that carried Voldemort's soul—the diary, the Resurrection Stone, Hufflepuff's cup, Slytherin's locket, Ravenclaw's tiara, and the glass bottle containing Voldemort's soul—and embedding them one by one, with Voldemort's soul occupying the outermost and most peculiar ring.

The fragment of Voldemort's soul from the black crystal ball has been transferred into Slytherin's locket during the experiment and is now quietly placed on a table not far away.

"...That's fine."

After placing the six items in their respective positions and checking and adjusting them with his wand, Avada finally turned to Harry and said, "You can move a chair and sit in the middle of this machine. I need you to fall asleep so that no unexpected mental fluctuations could become an unstable factor."

"So... what will it feel like?"

Harry's expression visibly tense and uneasy.

"No, that's not your soul to begin with. Separating it out should only make you feel better."

Avada replied, watching Harry, still somewhat apprehensive, carry the chair to the center of the machine and sit down: "Besides, you were already unconscious anyway, so even if you felt something, you probably wouldn't be able to feel it... Are you ready?"

"Uh-huh."

Harry bit his lip, closed his eyes, and nodded.

He collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

(End of this chapter)