war and peace

Harry put all the Dark Arts books he had smuggled out back into the library.He hoped he was stealthy enough, because whoever found out he was reading these wicked books was not what he wanted to see.

He had given up on the idea of ​​finding clues from Horcruxes or from Avada Kedavra.In his view, Voldemort has undoubtedly once again demonstrated his superb knowledge and skills in the dark arts.Thinking of the information revealed in that diary, what he should do most is to learn Occlumency well.He wanted to know what Voldemort was up to, but he couldn't be fooled by the illusion he created, could he?

Without Quirrell, without Norbert, the first grade that is about to pass is very dull.The scar didn't hurt either - in fact it never hurt, and Harry had never imagined such a peaceful situation happening.Except for one illness, his student life has never been so peacefully spent in a year.

Of course, at the end of term, Harry would not think so.But now he has no idea what will happen next.

After the last negotiation with Tom (Harry didn't think it was a quarrel), he paid attention not to disappear without a trace as soon as the class was over, and honestly followed Hermione and Tom to do three-point and one-line life.Hermione always had a straight face at him at first, but the corners of her mouth curled up furtively to show that she was happy to see Harry back among them at last.Tom was noncommittal, his manner was very natural, and there was no way to see that Harry had yelled at him.

Study life is very peaceful.Gryffindor House narrowly beat Hufflepuff House in the Quidditch match, which excited the cubs for a long time.And Harry knew in his heart that without a suitable Seeker, Gryffindor's chances of winning the last game against Ravenclaw were very small.

Meanwhile, his Occlumency is progressing rapidly.By the time the Easter holidays rolled around, Harry had gotten used to going to sleep with his mind cleared every night.Sure enough, the last time Dumbledore asked Snape to teach him was wrong, they were hostile to each other at that time, and it was impossible to learn anything well.The book says that the most ideal state is for people to see what they want to see, without resistance, just to forge some memories, or guide him to other, irrelevant memories.So what Harry is doing recently is to stuff his previous memories into the deepest part of his mind, and then fill up the surface with trivial memories of his usual meals in class.

But Harry had less and less free time as they began to study for the exam.With Hermione beside you reciting the twelve uses of dragon's blood, or practicing the movements of your wand, it's hard to find the time to clear your mind.Moreover, the teachers assigned a lot of homework, and Harry had to spend most of his time in the library, trying his best to complete the heavy homework.

On Easter Eve, they had the first clear weather in months.The sky was clear and clear, blue like the color of forget-me-not flowers, and there was a breath of summer in the air.

Most of the students at Hogwarts have received easter eggs from home.Hermione's parents gave her eggs filled with all kinds of sugar-free treats.The ones that Sirius gave Harry were much more interesting. There were flashing firecrackers that wouldn’t explode, wizard hats with pointed peaks, and some live mice popped out. curse.In the letter sent along with the easter eggs, he expressed his regret that Harry could not come to Grimmauld Place-"I really want to try the fun of hiding eggs!"

There was nothing in front of Tom on one side.Hermione couldn't see it, and insisted on giving him half of her share, which Harry did.Tom himself claimed that he didn't feel much about it, but they both thought he must be pretending not to care.Harry asked himself, for a person like him who never received a gift for Christmas before, and now that someone thought of him and cared about him, he would be happy no matter what he received.

As for the fact that Sirius had given him a large stuffed bunny — Harry had caused quite a stir when he unwrapped it — forget it.The big snow-white rabbit, Harry, was snatched by all the girls in Gryffindor just after touching it, and he couldn't help wiping off his cold sweat.Naturally, Hermione won in the end, and the expressions on the faces of the other girls seemed to be regretting, why didn't they have a good relationship with Harry Potter?

Hermione loved the rabbit so much she even gave Harry a big hug for it.But they certainly couldn't bring a toy that was as tall as a person into the library, so Hermione had a quick bite of breakfast, and then went back to Gryffindor Tower with her doll under the jealous eyes of other girls.

The world is finally quiet.Harry knew now that the girls were going crazy and he couldn't stand it.He'd have to mention that in his reply to Sirius, and don't send him a cute version next time.He sat down and removed the scattered wrappers from next to his breakfast, discovering an unremarkable packet underneath.

Another unsigned one.

Suddenly Harry had a bad feeling, and he took a quick look around.Thanks Sirius, everyone is still talking about that stuffed animal.He stuffed the packet into his robe pocket, took a few gulps of orange juice, and took two slices of toast. "I'll be waiting for you and Hermione in the library," he mumbled to Tom, and strode out of the Great Hall, looking for a quiet place where no one was around.

Harry weaves through the complicated corridors of Hogwarts, passes two gargoyles, and finally stands in front of an empty wall.I need a place where I won't be seen... I need a place where I won't be found... I need a place where I won't be found... Harry said something to himself, and a door appeared in the wall, He dodges in.It shouldn't be such a troublesome thing, but Harry felt that the package was probably something Voldemort gave him again, so he'd better be careful.

This is a tall and empty room, with bright candles burning on the huge ceiling lanterns.There were no windows, and the walls were smooth and hard. There seemed to be a scent in the air, probably from the candles.Harry made sure the door he had come in was securely shut before he took out the package.

Inside the brown paper is a box.When Harry saw the familiar carved rosewood box, the corners of his eyes twitched violently.It really was him!What would Voldemort give him at Easter, could it be an Easter egg?Harry couldn't help thinking.

It turned out... there was really an egg-shaped object inside.

It doesn't have any patterns on it, it's all black, and it's much smaller than ordinary eggs, only the size of a marble.Harry held it up and looked at it, noticing that there was a slight slit in its side.He hadn't expected it to open so easily when he scratched it with his fingernail, so he was startled when he saw a snake poking its head out, and dropped the thing on the ground.

A big black snake slowly rises from the cracked eggshell, its body is translucent.Only then did Harry realize that it was not a real snake, but a rather powerful Apparition Charm.The snake opened its mouth, and Harry could even see the reflection of its fangs: "Castacoldeye,

Look at life, look at death (onlife, ondeath,)

Knights, forward! (horseman, passby!)”

……what is this?

Harry watched dumbfounded as the snake disappeared into thin air.If he heard correctly, he seemed to hear a snake reciting verses just now?is it possible?

He stood there, stunned for a long time, and then went to pick up two halves of black eggshells on the ground.He turned them over and over several times, but there were no patterns or characters on them.Voldemort wouldn't give him something to play with, would he?

Harry tapped resolutely, but there wasn't much to find for something that big.Finally he tried saying "Come out" to it in Parseltongue, which he himself thought was silly for an eggshell that had nothing.But a piece of paper appeared out of nowhere above the eggshell, and was hovering less than an inch from the tip of his nose.

Harry stared at what appeared to be a page from a diary.Still in that gorgeous gothic font, it's moving fast: "It looks like you weren't happy with the Christmas present I gave you, so I'll have to make you another one. It's an indeterminate portkey, you're welcome Come to me when it works."

Then the paper disappeared.Harry stared, it looked like Voldemort was determined to keep him from saying anything against it, but would it do any good?But Voldemort is really bold, isn't he afraid that his whereabouts will be exposed?Are you not afraid to tell what you see?Or tell Dumbledore?

Harry thought about the Ministry's reaction after he had said it last time, and about Dumbledore's possible response, and realized to his chagrin that he really didn't want to tell anyone.This feeling as if everything was under someone's control really sucks, he hatedly closed the two semi-elliptical eggshells and stuffed them into the pocket of his robe.

Was there another possibility that Voldemort was trying to lure himself out of Hogwarts so he could kill him?By then, Harry thought, he had been a long way out of the Room of Requirement.Then he wouldn't have to go to such trouble at all, he could have done it when he left Hogwarts for Grimmauld Place - no, his ten years at his aunt's house was a better time...

Voldemort didn't even make a move!What is he waiting for?Harry felt the round egg through his robes, and made a decision that he thought was crazy.He was going, when the egg got hot or something showed signs of being effective, he was going to see what Voldemort was up to.

By the time Harry arrived at the library, Hermione and Tom had already arrived.Hermione didn't ask where he had gone, in fact, Harry felt that most of her thoughts were still on the toy rabbit.Tom probably agreed with him, though he said nothing.

Their learning efficiency is extremely low on this day.Hermione was always drawing circles on the parchment subconsciously, and when she found it, she would blot it out irritably; Harry was thinking about that round, hard thing in his pocket, wondering where he would be taken, and for this he had to Make some preparations; Tom looked at the sky now and then, as if an opal-eye might fly over it at any moment. (The Opaleye is a dragon native to New Zealand. See the book Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.)

At dinner time, the three of them left the library together.Just after turning a corner, before Harry could react, he heard Hermione's surprised voice: "Professor Dumbledore!"

Harry looked up to see the Headmaster smiling at them, looking like he was going to the library. "Miss Granger, it looks like you don't think I should be here, do you?"

Hermione's face flushed. "No," she said, "I'm just surprised..."

Dumbledore seemed to have just played a little joke on her.His blue eyes flicked across Hermione and fell on Tom: "I've noticed that you're often seen together, and it's a good thing you love to learn." He turned to Harry, "Didn't you, Harry? Running past the front of the office - I was just about to get in the door and almost scratched my nose."

"Uh..." Harry hesitated.Morning?Wasn't that when he ran to the Room of Requirement?Only then did Harry realize that the principal's office was on the same floor as the Room of Requirement, so he was really seen by Dumbledore in the morning.As he recalled whether he had expressed any abnormal anxiety at that time, he searched for a suitable answer in his mind: "I ran the wrong stairs, and I was in a hurry to go to the library..."

He met Dumbledore's eyes, trying to adjust his expression to a state of chagrin, while recalling his previous memory of getting lost in Hogwarts.There was a slight probing sensation in his head... Harry's heart sank.

"Aha, we have all encountered such a thing." Dumbledore looked very happy, and he pointed in the direction of the auditorium, "Why don't you hurry to eat? I heard that there will be delicious lamb tonight. "

"What about you, sir?" Harry asked reflexively.Dumbledore looked at him from under his half-moon glasses and gave a sly smile: "You have to know, Harry, that being a Headmaster always has a little bit of privilege."

The three of them said goodbye to Dumbledore and hurried to the Great Hall.The experience of being up close and personal with a famous wizard kept Hermione excited for a while.Tom still couldn't see any change in expression.Harry didn't know whether he should be happy or sad.He knew he hadn't revealed it, whether it was because he was really good at Occlumency, or because Dumbledore hadn't expected him to have learned Occlumency at all.His Occlumency lessons came in handy, but he wasn't too happy about it.