Night had fallen as the group made their way back to Hogwarts Castle from the Forbidden Forest.
Cassandra, as usual, stayed close to Tom, subtly seeking praise. Tom, however, pretended not to notice, only offering the occasional soothing gesture, as one might pet a cat to forestall a sulk.
Harry and Sirius brought up the rear. Sirius had wanted to have a proper talk with Harry for a while, but now that the moment had arrived, he found himself at a loss for words. An awkward silence settled between them, eventually broken by Sirius.
Looking towards the magnificent, ancient castle in the distance, its orange-yellow lights seemed to glow warmly against the starry backdrop, he said, "I'll never forget the first time I walked into that castle." A look of reminiscence flickered in his eyes.
Seeing that Sirius had spoken, Harry naturally responded, "It would be great to come back again after I'm free."
Sirius, ever direct, seized the opportunity. "Harry, do you know that when you were born, James and Lily asked me to be your godfather?"
"I know."
"I understand if you still want to live with your aunt and uncle, but if you want a different kind of home..."
"What? Live with you?"
"It's just an idea. I understand if you don't want to." It was clear that Sirius occasionally struggled with his own uncertainty.
But Harry didn't seem to mind. Don't want to? How could I not? While he definitely wanted to live with Tom, Tom was constantly traveling the world, spending more time at Hogwarts than in their London apartment. Therefore, if there were no other option, living with his godfather Sirius was a viable alternative.
However, regardless of the circumstances, he couldn't possibly go back to Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon's unless Tom allowed it. But Tom neither wanted to nor was interested in doing so. After all, he had no intention of persuading Harry to return to the Dursleys, regardless of Dumbledore's retired status and lack of involvement.
So, barring any unforeseen circumstances, Harry really might have to move.
Just as Sirius was beginning to feel optimistic about Harry's unspoken agreement…
"Hmm? Is it getting a little brighter?"
Looking up, he saw the dark clouds gradually dispersing, and the full moon that had been obscured was slowly revealing itself. Recognizing the imminent danger, Sirius immediately cried out anxiously, "Remus! No!"
Lupin, realizing what was happening, frantically looked around for a place to hide, but unfortunately, they were in an open area, with nowhere to conceal himself. Just when he was about to despair…
Tom, walking ahead, didn't even turn his head. He casually conjured the dark clouds back into place, obscuring the full moon once more.
"..."
Lupin and Sirius, relieved, breathed a collective sigh.
This puzzled Ron and the others. What was going on? Why were they all suddenly so agitated?
"Although it was a close call... at least you can still work at Hogwarts, right?" Sirius patted Lupin's shoulder reassuringly.
Recalling the panic he had just experienced, Lupin shook his head slightly. It simply wasn't suitable for him to continue working at Hogwarts. His identity would eventually be exposed, and he had to hide every full moon. He figured it wouldn't be long before some clever young wizards figured him out.
Rather than leaving in disgrace later, it was better to end it now. Besides, there was Voldemort's curse on the Defense Against the Dark Arts professorship. Perhaps leaving now was the wisest choice.
Thinking this, Lupin forced a smile. He had come to terms with it.
...
Meanwhile, elsewhere.
After such a "long" search, Bellatrix Lestrange and Barty Crouch Jr. finally located Voldemort's remnant soul.
It had to be said, the soul fragment was remarkably good at hiding.
The allegedly fearless Quirinus Quirrell, who was terrified of death, had been prepared to face Dumbledore before attempting to steal the Philosopher's Stone. While confident of victory, he had forcibly separated a portion of his soul as a precaution.
Following this, he even ate over a dozen "mini-hamburgers" to repair his soul.
It's worth noting that because Quirrell's consciousness had dissipated, the remnant soul had consumed all of these "mini-hamburgers" himself.
Recalling that pungent smell… he could only admit he had misjudged Quirrell; Quirrell was undoubtedly his bravest henchman.
This was undeniable; after all, who else besides Quirrell would willingly eat tons of excrement?
But regardless, he ate the excrement, saved his life, and while Quirrell was gone, he still had a chance to rise again.
Furthermore, with his most loyal henchmen—Bellatrix Lestrange and Barty Crouch Jr.—having "escaped" and found him, the remnant soul felt almost certain of a comeback!
Then, the other Tom Riddle, and that old bastard Albus Dumbledore… hehehehe…
Of course, a direct confrontation was out of the question. Although I hate to admit it, I can't defeat Tom Riddle with sheer strength right now.
But that's not a big deal. The other Tom Riddle, even if your magical skills surpass mine, what have you accomplished in curses?
The soul fragment firmly believed that with decades of experience in curses, as long as he found a treasure Tom also coveted as bait, he could easily outmaneuver Tom!
He might even be able to kill him outright!
Besides, the soul fragment may not have much else, but he'd collected quite a few treasures over the years!
Although he'd used a large portion to make Horcruxes, it wasn't a major problem. Even if he still had treasures that hadn't been made into Horcruxes, as long as he could kill Tom, even if they were Horcruxes, they were expendable!
At worst, he'll just eat a few more sh… mini-hamburgers and make a couple more Horcruxes!
That's right, he still had mini-hamburgers left. He had hidden these "strategic resources" because he couldn't bear to throw them away.
With this in mind, the soul fragment began urging Bellatrix Lestrange and Barty Crouch Jr. onward.
Bellatrix Lestrange and Barty Crouch Jr. obediently agreed to speed things up.
The soul fragment was very satisfied with their attitude.
Although he wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, he felt that the two of them seemed a little different, but he didn't pay much attention to it. After all, they had been imprisoned in Azkaban for so many years; some changes were to be expected.
As for the possibility that they might be planning to betray him… Impossible! Absolutely impossible!
He knew better than anyone how loyal Bellatrix Lestrange and Barty Crouch Jr. were!
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