Hogwarts: Undercover Death Eater Replaces the Dark Lord

"Do you have any backup plan?" Cassandra asked softly.

"Backhand?" Lycos frowned, a hint of helplessness on his face. "It seems there really is no backhand this time. Riddle's calculations are too precise. He even seems to have taken my abilities into account..."

After all, he underestimated Tom Riddle's ability.

Because the Voldemort he was more familiar with might have split too many souls, his mind was not as clear as that of a normal person, so he was easy to fool and could easily gain Voldemort's trust.

However, the Tom Riddle in the Horcrux diary is actually Voldemort at the peak of his intelligence when he was young.

Young Riddle lived for many years in the pure-blood discrimination of Slytherin, was under the scrutiny of professors, and was under the suspicion of Dumbledore... He almost developed the ability to intrigue with others.

This school year's interlocking plans, borrowing the power of goblins to achieve one's own goals, were easy for Tom Riddle, who was at the peak of his intelligence.

Lecos is just an undercover agent who changed his job halfway through, how can he compare with him?

What's more, Riddle has been in the dark, while Lecos is in the light...it makes it even more difficult for Lecos to respond to Riddle in time.

Despite this, Lycos did not intend to sit still and wait for death, his mind was spinning rapidly.

"Let me think about it. Now we are surrounded by the Basilisk and Riddle from front and back. Is there any way to break the deadlock..." he muttered softly.

"If we follow the original world line, how did Harry Potter deal with the basilisk?" Cassandra lowered her voice, so that Riddle couldn't hear, and added in a low voice, "With the help of the Phoenix, using the Sword of Gryffindor to get rid of the basilisk?"

"But when Dumbledore went to duel with the goblins, he must have taken Fawkes with him." Lycos shook his head slightly. "With Fawkes by his side, Dumbledore's strength is at its fullest..."

"But without the Phoenix, a fearless figure who dares to look the basilisk in the eye, as our helper, we naturally can't let go of our hands and feet. We have to worry about looking into the basilisk's eyes at any time."

"It's already difficult to deal with Riddle, who wears the Ravenclaw Diadem, and now he's also restricted by the Basilisk... How can we win?"

Lycos thought about it for a long time, and the more he thought about it, the more desperate he became.

They were one phoenix away from escaping danger, and Dumbledore was the only one in the entire wizarding world who had a phoenix.

"Where can I find a phoenix..." Lycos sighed.

Cassandra said nothing, but gently pulled Lycos's left hand, which was not holding the wand.

In the fireball that was guarding the two people, the proportion of the crimson flames grew larger and larger, almost covering half of the sphere... The black flames within it were still struggling, trying to prevent the crimson flames from invading the sphere.

Anyone with a discerning eye could see that Black Flame couldn't hold out for much longer.

However, at this moment, there was a sudden tremor in Lycos's pocket, as if something was jumping inside.

Cassandra pressed on Lycos's pocket in surprise and felt something flat.

"It looks like your invisible stretch wallet?" she said.

Lycos was as puzzled as Cassandra. He had no idea what else was in his snakeskin wallet that could affect the movement of the entire wallet.

"Please help me open it and take a look." He pursed his lips.

Anyway, the situation is already bad enough and it can't get any worse...it's better to open it and see if there is anything inside the wallet that can save their lives.

"Shh-"

The moment Cassandra unzipped her snakeskin wallet, a long, thin object flew out of the wallet and hung quietly in front of Lycos.

It was like a long, thin black feather, emitting a warm temperature, and the fine hairs seemed to be burning with black flames...

Lycos's heartbeat suddenly slowed down.

He almost forgot... This was something given to him by the old man from the Witch Party in Black's ancestral home during the summer vacation.

Lycos still remembers that when Regulus Black handed him the feather, a rare look of envy appeared on his face.

"This is what Mr. Bareben asked me to give you. Remember to keep it close to you. This thing may save your life at a critical moment." Regulus' words at that time appeared in Lecos' mind.

"Cassandra," Lycos couldn't help but squeeze Cassandra's hand and said softly, "I remember now. I think I do have a backup plan..."

As he finished speaking, the black feathers suddenly ignited into a black flame.

This kind of fire is different from the black flames that protect the fire shield. Although it uses black as the main color, the edges of the flames emit an extremely beautiful golden light, as if it is a sacred thing that has fallen into darkness.

The sound of music came from somewhere, as if coming from the sky.

Under the sky where the dark clouds had not yet dispersed, the music became louder and louder, as if it flew from the horizon across thousands of mountains and rivers and reached the ears of Lycos and the others in the blink of an eye.

The voice was ethereal, ethereal and mysterious. Lycos and Cassandra both felt themselves relax, as if they had received some invisible encouragement.

The music grew louder and louder, until Lycos felt as if it were vibrating in his chest...

At this moment, black and gold flames erupted from the black feathers.

The next moment, a huge bird covered in black but with a layer of gold edges suddenly appeared, replacing the black feathers.

It was as big as a crane, with a tail emitting black flames and golden light as long as a peacock's tail, a pair of light golden claws, a long, sharp beak and two sparkling golden eyes.

Lycos stared at the big bird in amazement.

So, this is the feather that will save his life? It will summon a... phoenix?

But why is this phoenix black?

In this wizarding world, besides Dumbledore, who else would have the company of a phoenix?

Who is Mr. Bayerben, who can possess the phoenix?

Lycos had more questions in his mind than ever before. He felt as if he was facing a series of unsolved mysteries, which made him feel itchy.

However, now is not the time to think about these issues.

Even with a phoenix coming to help them, the danger is still not over... The basilisk has not been eliminated, and Riddle is still watching.

The black phoenix flapped its wings, and the fierce fire in front of them was blown away like a rootless duckweed, revealing Riddle's face in front of Lycos and Cassandra.

When Riddle saw a big bird in front of him, his expression changed.

"A phoenix..." He looked around vigilantly, fearing that the figure he feared most would suddenly appear nearby.

……

Chapter 167: Life-and-death duel with Riddle

"When did Dumbledore's phoenix turn black?"

A hint of doubt appeared in Riddle's eyes, but it was soon replaced by ferocity. He glared at the Dark Phoenix fiercely and said to Lycos:

"But whether it changes color or not has nothing to do with me! Anyway, that old fellow Dumbledore can't get rid of Lanlock so quickly. He can only send one of his pets to help you."

Having said this, Riddle burst into laughter again.

"Lex, is this bird your reliance?" He said with a frantic expression. "How can a bird with a mere 4X rating among magical beasts be compared with a 5X snake king?"

"Do you still think Dumbledore cares about you? No, he doesn't care about you, a Death Eater!"

"Do you regret it? It's too late. You should have paid the price for your betrayal long ago!"

As he said this, Riddle laughed wildly again, as if he was excited that the Death Eater traitor was about to be punished.

Lycos opened his mouth, but still couldn't bear to tell him that he was originally an undercover agent sent by another organization to Voldemort. How could this be considered betrayal...

What's more, this black phoenix is ​​not Dumbledore's... and the little bird mentioned by Riddle can really deal with the so-called snake king.

In the dangerousness ranking of magical animals, the Phoenix is ​​only ranked 4X despite its magic and power. This is because this magical creature is so rare that it is difficult to recognize all of its abilities.

Moreover, the phoenix is ​​gentle in nature and has never attacked humans. Even the wand maker can take the phoenix's tail feathers and use them as the core of the wand after friendly consultation with the phoenix.

Even though this friendly magical creature has been classified as a 4X danger level by experts, it shows how powerful the Phoenix is...

As for the basilisk, since both its venom that can corrode the soul and its gaze that can kill anyone who touches it are dangerous, it is classified as a 5X danger level almost without any discussion.

These two magical creatures have never truly battled.

Perhaps the basilisk's apparent strength, size, and magic resistance are stronger than the phoenix, but the phoenix's immortality inherently makes it invincible. Coupled with its flexible flying and teleportation abilities, it eliminates the possibility of being tied up by the basilisk.

So Lycos had no doubt that the Phoenix could deal with the Basilisk.

"Can you help me get rid of that basilisk?"

Lycos looked at the black phoenix that was gently flapping its wings and asked softly.

"Wow—"

The phoenix let out a high-pitched cry, then flapped its wings and flew out with a "whoosh", diving into the top floor of the astronomy tower where the basilisk was.

The basilisk pounced on the phoenix angrily, revealing its long and thin fangs like sabers in its mouth.

The phoenix nimbly turned left and right, avoiding the basilisk's fangs, which seemed particularly dull at this time, and then swooped down suddenly, poking its long beak into one of the basilisk's big yellow eyes.

Suddenly, a stream of smelly black blood splashed onto the ground and onto the walls and glass of the astronomical tower like a poisonous rain shower.

"Hiss..."

The basilisk roared in pain, its tail swung wildly, and smashed several transparent windows in succession.

The basilisk, with one eye blind, seemed to have become a headless fly. It could not find its nimble opponent at all and could only shake its body aimlessly. However, the cramped environment of the astronomy tower prevented it from even rolling on the ground.

The black phoenix danced around its head, singing an inspiring song, and from time to time it aimed at the scaly body of the basilisk, pecking here and there.

Black poisonous blood gushed out from the serpent's punctured wound, making a sizzling sound on the marble floor.

Lycos did not see the scene of Phoenix teaching the basilisk a lesson.

But even though he was standing on the top of the tower, he could still feel the strong vibrations of the basilisk's struggle and hear its painful roars.

He suddenly realized that the basilisk was no longer a threat.

So Lecos raised his head and looked at Riddle, whose face had already turned ashen.

"It seems I underestimated this phoenix," Riddle said gritting his teeth. "But so what? With a beak like this, barely bigger than a knife, even if the snake king lay still and let it peck at him, he would be in danger of his life for days and nights."

"But before that, I will take care of you two troublesome guys, and then I will go get rid of that phoenix!"

With that, Riddle raised his wand.

Seeing this, Lycos and Cassandra also loosened their hands and raised their wands to start a duel.

"Crucio!"

"Confringo!"

Two spells shot out at the same time.

Riddle glided a foot through the air like a ghost, avoiding Lycos's Cruciatus Curse.

Lycos grabbed Cassandra's waist and also hovered in the air.