Chapter 164: The Blood of the Enemy
Cyrus put down the book in his hand. This book was not a fake, but it did not record anything about ancient magic.
"That makes sense. Voldemort, Ranrook, or even me, none of us have passed the Guardian's test yet. It's impossible for them to hand over the ancient magic directly to me."
However, although the book does not record any ancient magic, it points to a secret room under Hogwarts, and the test of the four guardians begins from there.
Additionally, the book contained a memory—a memory of Morgana, a transfer student at Hogwarts.
There wasn't much to say about this part of the memory.
Cyrus had a good idea that Morgana, the girl capable of witnessing echoes of ancient magic, had likely taken a wrong path in the end. This was probably why the Four Guardians had set up trials to find a truly worthy heir.
However...
"Even though I only played the beginning of the game, I've seen some cutscenes. There's a dark wizard ending, isn't there?"
Cyrus smirked, a hint of sarcasm in his expression. "Looks like the Guardians' trials weren't that effective after all."
How could four spirits, dead for hundreds of years, truly judge the nobility of a living soul?
Morgana had failed, and the protagonist of the game could easily become a dark wizard formidable enough that even Voldemort might defer to them.
Cyrus didn't see himself as a good person, but at least he had no intention of using force to intimidate the world, nor did he take pleasure in killing.
Although he did have plans to break the Statute of Secrecy, he didn't consider it inherently wrong.
Some things can only be judged as right or wrong when they surpass the current era.
However, it's too early to discuss these matters now. Without enough power, even the idea of breaking the Statute of Secrecy is just a fantasy. Grindelwald had the Elder Wand and still failed, and Cyrus's current strength was far from sufficient.
Moreover, it wasn't just about individual strength; he needed a group of true followers, much like Grindelwald's acolytes.
Even in a world where individual power is paramount, the strength of the collective cannot be ignored. He couldn't possibly go against the entire world and kill all the wizards.
If that were the case, there would be no need to break the Statute of Secrecy, as there would be no wizards left.
"I should focus on completely erasing this fragment of Voldemort's soul first!"
Holding the magical book, Cyrus wasn't worried that Voldemort would once again surpass him. He now had enough time to deal with the hidden dangers within himself.
And so, time passed, and it was already nearing Christmas.
....
The day before the Christmas holiday, Hogwarts was covered in snow.
Once again, Harry had to stay at Hogwarts for the holidays.
He had mentioned to Sirius about spending Christmas together, but Sirius's face had darkened at the suggestion. He seemed to recall something unpleasant and ultimately refused Harry's request.
In reality, he was worried about the state of the house at 12 Grimmauld Place. The Black family name sounded grand, but in truth, the place was a mess.
That dilapidated house, which could hardly be called a "home," was not somewhere even Sirius himself wanted to return to.
However, now he thought that he could take some time to tidy up the place. This way, Harry could spend the summer with him, and they could talk about James's past and have long conversations through the night.
But that was something for the future.
"It's okay, Harry. I'll stay with you," Ron said, patting Harry on the shoulder.
"Besides, I think it's the same no matter where I am, and at least at Hogwarts, I don't have to eat Mum's corned beef."
Harry immediately responded with a grateful smile.
In fact, Ron hadn't been home for Christmas in several years.
"What do you think Mr. Riddle will give us this year?" Ron said with some anticipation.
Generally, Ron's Christmas gifts were only from his parents, Harry, and Hermione. Mrs. Weasley's gifts were always the same: some soft candies and a new sweater. Harry and Ron's gift exchange was usually quite perfunctory.
Therefore, he was very excited and curious about the gift he would receive from Riddle.
"I don't know either," Harry shook his head. "But Mr. Riddle—or—Mr. Cyrus always manages to get good things."
He thought about that map he had received before.
'I wonder if Mr. Cyrus has found the Athenaeum room he was looking for...'
While Harry was lost in thought, Malfoy suddenly strutted over with an arrogant swagger.
"What's wrong, Potter? Staying at school again this term? Your godfather who just got out of prison isn't planning to take in a poor, homeless wretch like you?" Malfoy sneered, flicking his platinum-blond hair as he looked at Harry with disdain.
Just like before, Malfoy's words were still highly unpleasant.
"Get lost, Malfoy! No one here wants to talk to you!" Ron retorted angrily.
However, for them, Malfoy was just a minor nuisance.
In fact, Malfoy didn't really want to argue with them.
Recently, he had received a letter from Narcissa, asking him to spend Christmas at Hogwarts.
But Draco Malfoy, who hadn't gone home for Christmas last year, didn't want to follow Narcissa's arrangement this time, especially after what happened last year. Thinking back, Malfoy still felt a bit apprehensive.
Cyrus had tampered with Malfoy's memory before. Initially, Draco didn't notice anything unusual, but soon he found that many parts of his memory didn't add up.
Although he still couldn't recall the contents of the altered memories, he knew that his body had been controlled.
The thought of this made Draco shiver.
He decided he should not stay at Hogwarts this Christmas; he wanted to go home immediately!
After most of the young wizards left the school, the castle quickly felt empty.
In the midst of the swirling snow, a few scattered young wizards walked together towards the Great Hall to attend their cozy dinner.
Meanwhile, beneath the leaden-gray sky, a tiny footprint the size of a fingernail appeared in the snow, extending from the Forbidden Forest to the castle, only to be quickly covered by the falling snow.
——It was Peter Pettigrew.
For a long time, Peter Pettigrew had been waiting for an opportunity, a chance to obtain Harry's blood.
After the trial that cleared Sirius Black's name, he was supposed to be subjected to the Dementor's Kiss, but he was "lucky." That night, the Auror guarding him was careless, giving Pettigrew a chance to escape.
However, the exposure of his Animagus form brought him many inconveniences.
He knew he could be discovered again at any moment, and when that happened, death would be his only fate.
Thus, only one path lay before him—returning to the Dark Lord's embrace once more.
He began searching for Voldemort's whereabouts, and his "luck" held as he found him without much delay. At that time, Voldemort was searching everywhere for his lost Horcruxes. When he encountered the cowardly servant Pettigrew, he was quite pleased.
After all, he was struggling on his own, and the loyalty of his other Death Eaters was uncertain.
Voldemort was well aware of recent events in the wizarding world and knew that Pettigrew had no other options, so he didn't worry about Pettigrew betraying him.
Just as Voldemort sneaked into Hogwarts and fought Cyrus in the Athenaeum Hall of Knowledge, Pettigrew also returned to Hogwarts.
However, he did not dare to enter the school directly, but wandered around the forbidden forest, hoping to find a suitable opportunity to bring Harry's blood back. However, this was not easy. In fact, he passed by Harry several times, but he did not dare to act rashly.
With so many people in Hogwarts trying to kill him, how could Pettigrew dare to risk exposing himself?
'But now, the opportunity is right in front of me!'
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