With one item confirmed, Owen's confidence soared. The next step was to find the other items on the list as quickly as possible. If he could deal with all the Horcruxes before the old wizard did, effectively ruining his plan to trade his life...
Haha, the look on the old man's face would be absolutely priceless!
Psychopaths are actually quite easy to understand. And for someone like Voldemort—whose mental instability was caused by the physical act of splitting his soul too many times—it was even easier. He simply wanted revenge on Harry Potter, to defeat Dumbledore, and then to prioritize controlling Hogwarts. Through brainwashing-style education, he intended to use the students to control the British wizarding world, and then slowly expand internationally.
His logic was clear, easy to understand, and the policy was sound. He just never succeeded.
Yet, while a mental patient who split his own soul could figure this out, the Ministry of Magic couldn't. They were even thinking about how to cut educational funding and suppress Hogwarts' teaching resources.
This was forcibly pushing the new generation right into the enemy's arms.
Wizards have long lifespans, but they aren't immortal. Just like Muggles, a portion of wizards die every year. Few die of old age; many die from their own stupidity.
After sighing over this for a moment, Owen handed his reply to the owl. He hoped this letter would convince Minister Fudge to abandon some of his baffling operations. If Fudge continued to be so willful, Owen might have to arrange for his early demise.
God-tier opponents aren't scary, and having a team of pigs isn't necessarily scary either; what's scary is having teammates who actively drag you down!
A fool's sudden "bright idea" has buried countless geniuses—too many to count.
The letters were sent, and the list had been distributed along with them. All Owen had to do now was wait for news. It wasn't until he saw Harry Potter actively avoiding him that he remembered: It's been so long, why hasn't Sirius come to find me?
Did he get lost?
Even if he didn't dare come to Hogwarts, did he lack the guts to go to Hogsmeade?
"Mr. Potter, have you seen Sirius?"
"Um... Mr. Corlett... I..."
Seeing him like this, how could Owen not know what was happening?
"Mr. Potter, do you think you can save the whole world by yourself?" Owen stared into his eyes and said, " The case regarding Sirius involves more Politics than anything else. Do you think you understand Politics? Reality isn't like those fairy tale books you read. It is much more complicated. It isn't just black and white, and not all innocent people get a happy ending. Without a good sociopolitical environment, what happened to Sirius could happen to anyone at any time. Just because you want to play the hero for a moment, are you willing to abandon the innocence and freedom of someone unrelated to you?"
"No! I didn't!"
Harry Potter's face turned red, and the veins on his neck bulged.
But in Owen's eyes, this behavior made him look worse than a fool. "You don't have the brains for it, and I don't blame you, because you haven't reached that level yet and don't have a clear understanding. But you can't be stubborn. You have to listen to advice. Let Sirius come find me. There won't be any danger here."
"Why should I trust you?"
Hearing this, Owen froze. The smile vanished from his face, and he stood up straight. "Mr. Potter, your self-righteousness has made me lose the last of my patience with you. I don't need your trust, because your trust is worthless to me."
After saying that, Owen turned and walked away.
Harry Potter began to regret it. He didn't understand why he had said such a thing. When he turned around, he suddenly realized that the way some students were looking at him had changed.
Their conversation hadn't been private; it took place right by the door of the Great Hall. Many people had heard it, especially Harry Potter's near-shouted line, "Why should I trust you?" It spread through the castle instantly.
Harry Potter had once again become a celebrity in the school, only this time, the fame was negative.
Yes, Harry Potter protected the Philosopher's Stone, but could a first-year really survive Voldemort's hands on his own?
Yes, Harry Potter solved the Chamber of Secrets incident, but by now everyone knew that Mr. Corlett had discovered the Chamber long ago, and the Basilisk had even become Mr. Corlett's pet. With or without Harry, the Chamber was no longer a threat.
Compared to Harry's victories—which clearly had people helping from the shadows—Owen's feat of fighting four Dark Wizard poachers alone in the Forbidden Forest carried much more weight.
So, that line "Why should I trust you?" seemed to many students like the Savior had gotten a big head. Many began to distance themselves from him. Even within Gryffindor, some people started to stay away.
Of course, some chose to stand by him.
"Harry, that sentence was really too hurtful. Owen is essentially in our year. You aren't unaware of what he has done over the years. So, I think you should go apologize."
Hermione's eyes changed. She looked at Ron in astonishment. Ron said that? Shouldn't he be saying, "Harry, you're not wrong, ignore what others think"? Did Ron get body-swapped?
Surprise aside, Hermione spoke up: "Harry, I know you did it for your godfather, so you only acted that way out of urgency. I think Owen can understand that too. But to others, you look like you're in the wrong. So, you need to apologize, but you only need to apologize for your heated language."
This time it was Ron's turn to be stunned. This was Hermione? Shouldn't she have bluntly said, "Harry, you are wrong, you should go apologize"?
When did she learn to be tactful? Did she get body-swapped too?
"Mr. Potter, although I admire you very much, you are indeed wrong this time," said Colin. "Mr. Corlett is recognized by many people, especially Master Nicolas Flamel, who admitted that Owen is his final disciple. I believe Master Nicolas's judgment cannot be wrong."
Yes, Harry had figured it out by now too. His words had indeed been too excessive. Owen was trustworthy. Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, Professor Flitwick, and even the portraits in the castle trusted Owen implicitly. Yet he...
He had calmed down and thought it through, but Harry couldn't find Owen. He wasn't in the common room, nor in the Chamber of Secrets. Harry asked around, but no one knew where Owen was. Finally, he learned from Filch that Owen had gone out—likely to Hogsmeade.
At this moment, Harry knew he couldn't keep the secret anymore. Because Sirius was currently in Hogsmeade. His carefully hidden little scheme looked like nothing more than a joke in the eyes of others.