Struggling to survive at Hogwarts

Chapter 362 Mystery

When Voldemort asked to keep Thea, no one was surprised by the outcome; in fact, they were speculating in their minds:

Master, it seems we need to get Blake to take action.

In fact, their guesses weren't too far off; Thea was indeed going to make a move, but Voldemort was with her.

To be honest, when Voldemort revealed the last message Bella had sent him, Thea was filled with terror.

Am I... really that successful as an undercover agent?

In her dazed state, Thea heard a piece of news that none of the Death Eaters, including old Nott, knew:

"Bella's second attack started as early as 8 p.m., and now it's 11 p.m...."

Seeing Thea's uneasy expression, Voldemort slowly revealed his guess, even though it was almost a certainty:

"Bella may have been captured, and the last communication she sent me was an address—an address that could turn the tide of the battle..."

"So, you chose me."

This was the first time Thea had interrupted Voldemort. The instant she looked up, she clearly saw the red light in Voldemort's eyes, which vanished in an instant.

"You are her daughter."

"...Why do you think that after I learned the truth about my birth, I would still be so foolish as to continue to regard her as my mother?"

Thea truly couldn't understand. Did Voldemort really believe that she would develop feelings of affection for a mother who had donated her blood?

Even after being "provoked" by Thea, Voldemort remained calm. He simply observed Thea's loss of composure and only spoke again after she quieted down:

"I've heard it said that the less a person has, the more precious what they have becomes."

"Later, almost everyone I knew proved this to me."

"Thea, ask yourself honestly, do you really have no feelings for Bella at all?"

Voldemort's words were deafening, and Thea stood frozen in place.

She remained silent for a long time, then saw the certainty on Voldemort's face on the reflective floor. In that moment, she knew—the time had come.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

When Harry woke up again, a full seven hours had passed since he pushed the dragon.

“You scared us to death, with your recurring high fever and delirium…”

Hermione never mentioned Harry being pushed off the dragon, only complaining, half-jokingly, that Harry worried her.

The rare moment of closing his eyes allowed Harry's tired body and mind to get plenty of rest, and he now felt better than ever before.

He wasn't impatient with Hermione's nagging, and simply muttered:

"I'm alive………"

Hermione thought Harry was talking to her, and replied, "Yeah, thank goodness you're still alive."

Is this really just luck?

Or was it done intentionally by someone else?

Harry instinctively ignored the second guess, simply giving his two friends a big hug before calling them to set off.

"Where?"

"Hogwarts".

"what?"

"What's wrong? You look like the sky has fallen?"

"Damn it, it would take at least two hours to fly from here to Hogwarts, even without sleeping!"

Why is it so far?

Harry's question made Hermione and Ron exchange an embarrassed look, and finally Hermione stepped forward to explain:

"You...you should be able to believe what happened back then. We were both terrified and accidentally flew far away—"

Harry understood Hermione's explanation, but at the same time, a sense of unease began to take root in his heart.

Did she foresee all of this?

The Horcrux, the rocket crossbow used to escape, the killing curse that failed to kill him, and even their erratic course in their panic...

The wind howled in his ears, but it couldn't dispel the gloom in Harry's heart.

Next, just like in the original story, they dragged their exhausted bodies into a skirmish with the Death Eaters in Hogsmeade, where they also encountered Aberforth, who came to their aid.

What made Harry feel like he was in a dream was that he saw two Dumbledores there, no, to be precise, three.

The fierce Aberforth who rescued them, the portrait of Ariana hanging on the wall, and this one who should be lying in his grave—the former headmaster of Hogwarts, Albus.

“…I need an explanation.”

After Aberforth left the house gloatingly, Harry, who had actually been gone for a while, asked a question with a calm expression.

"I'm sorry, it was actually an accident. I didn't expect her to be so bold..."

Next, Dumbledore told them a fantastical story comparable to Merlin's resurrection and the awakening of the four great figures.

“She took me to a… safe place until—a few hours ago, I heard the news that she had killed the savior.”

Dumbledore's inquiry was undisguised, and Harry had already pieced together some clues in his mind, but many more tangled questions remained.

He evaded Dumbledore's question and instead asked:

"And you? Can you guess what she's up to?"

Even Dumbledore, who was always all-knowing and a master strategist, was speechless. He shook his head:

"In fact, ever since she gave you a killing curse, I've been unable to figure out what she's trying to do..."

"but,"

Dumbledore then changed the subject:

When I finally found myself waiting for you here, I realized I might have a clue what was going on—

Seeing the three men's eyes quickly brighten from despair, Dumbledore couldn't bear it and turned his head to look at the towering castle.

"Go to Hogwarts—it's all over there."

Meanwhile, inside the castle, Draco was also silently repeating this sentence in his mind:

"Everything will end here—"

He was so engrossed and hurried that he didn't hear the footsteps behind him.