Chapter 693: Harry's Nightmare (Edited)

With the arrival of June, the weather gradually became warmer, and the sun shone more intensely. Under the sunlight, the grass outside the castle seemed to glisten like silk, and a gust of wind made it ripple like ripples on a lake.

Fifth and seventh-year students were about to face the pressure of the O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T. exams, while other students were also preparing for their final exams.

The atmosphere in Hogwarts Castle suddenly became tense. This tension manifested in various details, such as the fact that even classmates who used to be playful were now actively seeking to borrow notes from older or more outstanding students. It was also evident in the crowded library and the common areas that remained filled with people late into the night. There were even street vendors in the hallways selling all sorts of study remedies and tips.

Everyone demonstrated with their actions that the final exams were just around the corner.

In class, teachers stopped teaching new subjects and allowed students to review on their own. This was the most terrifying time because there was always a top student who would get a stack of notes, making you realize the gap between you and the best students. Additionally, every question they asked the teacher would make you nervous.

This was the end of the term, and even Tom felt a bit nervous.

Tom was convinced that he should distance himself a bit from Hermione. With the arrival of final exams, she transformed into a pressure creature, going from the Steam Lady to the High-Pressure Steam Lady.

Miss Granger's studious behavior motivated Tom, who had adopted a more relaxed attitude, but Hermione dragged him back into studying.

After all, how could you dare to relax when your girlfriend was in the library? How could you go to sleep when your girlfriend was working late into the night?

Fourth-year students were given a week to review by their professors. It seemed like they had plenty of time, but considering the amount of material, the time felt insufficient.

At first, they reviewed all the content, then focused on key points, and finally came to the conclusion that they should review the subjects they would take first; the rest could be reviewed after the exams.

So, the week of final exams arrived: Transfiguration, Charms, Potions... Students would showcase the results of their semester in the classroom.

Although Tom had neglected some subjects, with Hermione's tutoring, he managed to make up for what he had missed and face the exams confidently.

When Tom handed in his History of Magic exam, he sighed in relief – he was finally done!

Students who had finished their exams left the castle to relax and have fun. They now needed entertainment: the third and final task of the Triwizard Tournament was an excellent choice for that.

Young wizards gathered to discuss the champions' status and the legends of Japanese wizards, while Tom went with Hermione to the shore of the Black Lake. He rested his head in Hermione's lap, gazing at the blue sky and feeling the spring breeze caress his face, until Tom drifted off to sleep.

It was normal, after a long week of exams, for students to want to rest.

Harry did the same, he fell asleep. But this time, the dreams returned to haunt him...

This time, he arrived in an unknown corridor where an expressionless female voice spoke.

[...Level nine – Department of Mysteries.]

At the end of the corridor was a large black door, and as he approached, the door opened automatically. Behind the door was a circular room with many doors. Harry didn't have time to check them, his feet acted on their own and he walked on the black stone floor, passing through the second door, and strange dripping sounds echoed around him.

He quickened his pace and reached the third door, which opened like the others. At that moment, he was inside a room the size of a church, filled with shelves of objects. His steps slowed, and Harry now had time to carefully examine the objects on the shelves. He saw that the shelves were filled with crystal balls used for divination.

Harry could feel the excitement inside him; his heart began to beat faster. When he reached row 97, he turned left and entered a narrow aisle between two rows of shelves.

There, there was a human figure.

"Master, I'm looking for it; I just need a bit more time..." Bellatrix's fearful and anxious voice echoed from beneath the figure's hood.

"Hurry up! I don't have much time!" Harry heard his own mouth emit a sharp, cold voice, devoid of any trace of human kindness.

This voice was familiar to Harry; it was Voldemort's voice.

"Bring it to me, place it in front of me! It is the key to our victory. If I can obtain it, the entire magical world will bow at my feet."

"Yes, Master, you will be the sole ruler of the magical world."

Voldemort laughed, "Yes, in a few hours, I will rule it all!"

Amidst his maniacal laughter, Harry abruptly woke up, feeling a sharp burning pain in his scar. Beside him, Ron was quietly playing cards but was also alarmed.

"Are you okay? I thought you were just tired and wanted to rest for a while. Was it a nightmare or... that kind of dream?" Ron lowered his voice, looking at Harry, whose face was covered in sweat, feeling a sense of unease in his heart.

"It was that kind of dream," Harry replied with an answer Ron didn't want to hear.

"I need to see Professor Dumbledore... and maybe Tom, do you know where he is?" Harry wiped the sweat from his face and looked at Ron.

"Professor Dumbledore should be in his office, as for Tom... look, there he is." Ron pointed outside the window. "I just saw him resting by the Black Lake."

He grabbed Harry, and they headed for the window where they could see Tom resting by the lake with Hermione.

"I'm heading over there," said Harry, and without wasting time, Ron followed.

"You haven't told me what's going on yet," Ron said.

As Harry rushed downstairs, he told Ron, "Voldemort is at the Ministry of Magic!"

Ron: ???!!!

"What?!" Ron's mouth could have accommodated an egg.

Harry didn't have time for explanations; he just hurried to the Black Lake. A few minutes later, Harry woke Tom from his exhausted sleep.

"Are you saying Voldemort is looking for something in the Department of Mysteries, something that will allow him to rule the magical world?" Tom raised his eyebrows, mirroring the same expression Hermione had behind him.

"It's true," Harry nodded.

"There is no such thing in the world, and if there's something to fill the gaps, that would be in Dumbledore's hands," Tom said, referring to the Elder Wand, one of the Deathly Hallows. However, even possessing the Elder Wand wouldn't enable someone to rule the entire magical world. Even if Voldemort pulled a remote control for a nuclear missile out of the Department of Mysteries, it wouldn't make him rule the entire magical world.