war and peace

"We don't even know who he is?" Bellatrix asked pointedly.Voldemort glanced at her, and Bellatrix immediately realized that she had overstepped: "I'm sorry, Master, I was thinking of your safety..."

"It's okay, Bella, I know you're thinking of me," Voldemort nodded at her, "but he's important, and I don't want you to be rude to him." He put his hand on Harry's shoulder, showing another Smile.

The way the Death Eaters looked at Harry changed again and again.At first it was suspicion, then surprise, and now it is tacit understanding.It seemed to them that their master had cultivated his heir in about ten years.They had never seen their master speak so tenderly to a human being.And that smile, tsk tsk...

Harry stared behind the mask.Listen, what are these talking about?He sensed the change in the Death Eaters' attitude, knew they were all being led astray by Voldemort's words.Sure enough... Harry was thinking this when he suddenly saw Voldemort's face zoom in front of him. "I'm assuming you're happy with what you've seen, and I hope this helps you," he whispered softly. "Then, look forward to our next meeting."

Through his robes he poked Harry's pocket with his wand, which contained the black egg.There was a flash of silvery light, and Harry saw the same silvery light from his own body, and there seemed to be a tug behind his navel—the Portkey worked.

Another long flight.Finally Harry passed through the tower window and fell face-down on his own bunk.For a long time, he kept that posture motionless.The body-binding spell was released, but due to being immobilized for too long, his hands and feet were already stiff.He thought back to the events he experienced this early morning... The last image he saw just now was the rising sun peeking out of the horizon, and today is the Lord's Resurrection Day, the day when Jesus was resurrected after being crucified—he Think he knew why Voldemort had picked such a time.

Did Dumbledore know?Did the Society of the Phoenix take any action?Why did he pick Easter this year?

All kinds of questions filled Harry's head.This made him very distracted when facing the upcoming final exam.

Naturally, with Snape around, Dumbledore was supposed to know that Voldemort had returned and summoned the Death Eaters for a meeting.But Voldemort now knew that Snape was a spy. Even if Dumbledore summoned the members of the Order of the Phoenix to return immediately, there is no doubt that their sources of information must be much less.

In fact, Harry thought it was a surprise that Voldemort hadn't done anything about Snape.On the day he came back from Ireland, after he became conscious, his first reaction was not to go to the library to look up a map, but to go to the owl shed and ask the school owl to forward a note saying "Dangerous Do not return" to Going to the North Yorkshire Post Office, they also specially spent ten Galleons to request the highest level of confidentiality.

Snape should have received his oblique letter the next day.Harry wondered if Snape would take it as a threat or a prank, because there was nothing unusual about the Potions professor's sallow face.He also didn't know if Voldemort had called the Death Eaters to a meeting after that, the back of his portkey hadn't been lit for a while.

But at least he knew the meeting place: County Sligo, Ireland, and the huge stone buildings near that location were too eye-catching, the stone tombs of Callowmore.Does this mean rebirth?New beginning?Harry didn't know.Subconsciously, he felt that those lines were the point, but he couldn't find them in the library!Voldemort had said, "in his appointed time," and wasn't that when the song ended?

Also, Harry got a letter from Sirius on the first Sunday after Easter.It's not unusual, but his godfather read between the lines very worried.He told Harry not to open letters from strangers at random (Harry suddenly realized that he had done this more than once), not to touch some magic items whose purpose he didn't know, and not to deal with any weird people.

He knew what Sirius was worried about: Voldemort was back, and his personal safety looked very uncertain.I don't know what expression Sirius will have when he knows that he has had close contact with Voldemort himself for the first time.Voldemort still wanted to kill him, but for some reason he didn't do it (at least it seemed that way last time), but let him watch the Death Eater meeting...

This is so puzzling.

Harry continued to have a headache from these problems, and his nerves did not relax until the final exam came.Fortunately, the first-grade exams were not difficult for him. Even if he was absent-mindedly reviewing all day long, he successfully solved the test papers and practical tests.

To his surprise, Tom, who is usually inattentive, made a big splash in the exam.

Professor Flitwick had them tap-dance a pineapple across the desk, but Tom's fruit did more than just tap-dance.In fact, it goes through the first half with a beautiful spin—clearly aristocratic British tap dancing, then lightly gliding, with a little tiptoe—a very standard Soubresso startle, followed by an Angter Le Chaux cross weaving jump, followed by a slow turn of Tourlan.Just when everyone was staring dumbfounded at the pineapple that can only dance ballet, it stretched out the upper leaves, folded them like hands, stretched out its left foot, and turned its center of gravity to the right... Huh?Tango again?

Professor Flitwick was so taken aback that he almost fell off the pile of books he was standing on.

The same goes for the Transfiguration exam.Professor McGonagall asked them to turn a mouse into a snuff box, the more exquisite the higher the score.With an almost languid flick of his wand, Tom's mouse was gone, replaced by a silver snuffbox with an ornate S lettered on it. S is composed of intertwined snakes, with sparkling ruby ​​eyes.The letters are carved with Gothic pointed arches, topped with flying buttresses and towering pinnacles on either side.Harry wondered if, with a magnification spell, he would still be able to see the patterns on the window panes and the reliefs on the arches.

The Slytherin-like box shocked Professor McGonagall, as did all the other students taking the exam.

For the Potions exam, what Snape asked them to do was the Potion of Oblivion.Tom, as he always did with potions, made it almost instantly, while most of the people were still beating the feathers of the Soundbird to try to grind them into powder.Harry watched Snape's perennially stern face with uncontrollable surprise. It might be the first time that he didn't deduct points for Tom being a student of Gryffindor.

(Author's note: The feathers of the soundless birds are used to make veritaserum and memory potions. For details, please refer to "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them".)

It's much more than that.All the written examinations, including the most boring History of Magic, Tom was the first to hand in the papers.Judging by the length of his parchment, and the surprised expressions of the teachers when they saw his test paper, no one thought he was trying to be brave.

"That's how it should be!" said Hermione, half-enviously, half-enviously, after the exam.

They were sitting under a tree by the lake, enjoying the summer shade.A giant squid basks in the shallow water, its tentacles floating lazily from side to side.Harry spread his hands and feet, lay down on the grass in a large shape, and closed his eyes to listen to the two people beside him.

Tom's voice sounded disapproving. "I just don't want to see a 'P' line on my report card."

"Oh, come on," said Hermione, annoyed, "you just have to go to class and answer a few questions - sure to get an 'O' in every class! There's no question about that!"

Tom doesn't argue with her.How should he explain, as a Slytherin through and through, the subtle psychology of not wanting to give Gryffindor points?He glanced at Harry who was dozing off, the savior had been distracted recently.

Hermione followed his gaze.She stretched out her hand and pushed Harry, "Be happy, Harry, the exams are over, and the results won't be known until a week later."

Harry rolled over, thinking I'm not bothered by exams.However, he didn't want to tell his friends about the troubles he worried about. In his opinion, the fewer people involved in these matters, the better, so he just replied vaguely: "I'm fine... Maybe I should take a rest... ..."

Tom stared after him.It seemed that Potter really wanted to defeat him on his own... After seeing himself return with his own eyes, this point has not wavered... Should he say he has courage or is he too overwhelmed?

Hermione didn't let him go. "Get up," she shook Harry's shoulders relentlessly, "such a fine weather...you haven't talked to us for a long time...go back and catch up on sleep!"

Reluctantly, Harry opened his eyes, sat up, and leaned against the trunk of a tall beech tree nearby.Hermione was delighted, and began dragging him to recall the answers to the exam.Harry's protest—"Seriously, wouldn't it be better for you to ask Tom?"—was immediately dismissed by her, "Tom doesn't need the right answer!"

Naturally, in the end, Harry was defeated.However, it was true that he didn't remember much about the exam content, after all his thoughts were all about Voldemort.Hermione had a look of resentment, and Tom spoke at the right time to remind them that the sun was westward.

So the three of them left the lake, slowly climbed up the hill, and went back to the castle.Along the way they were discussing the upcoming final Quidditch match of the term - Gryffindor vs. Ravenclaw - and the looming summer holidays.Hermione said she would definitely write to both of them.Harry wasn't very interested in the summer because he was going back to Privet Drive.Tom said lightly that he would go surfing with his adoptive father to Bandolin Beach in Dogonil, and if time allowed, they could go to Galway to attend the Jockey Club in July first.

Harry couldn't help but envy.He figured he'd have to spend the summer wandering around the alleys around Privet Drive, if his aunt and uncle didn't like seeing him in their house.Hermione was also very fascinated, muttering that she must remember to bring her back some photos and the like.

The three of them turned the corner on the fourth floor together.The stairs to the auditorium were still on the other side, so they stood on the landing and waited for it to turn around.Hermione was still saying that the beach was one of the world's famous surf spots, but Harry suddenly felt the floor under his feet start to loosen.He only had time to shout "Be careful" before he fell down.

The cold, damp air whistled past his ears.As he fell, Harry was surprised to find that he could still think calmly about why the landing had turned into something like a trapdoor.He never knew there was a secret passage down here.

With a dull plop, Harry landed on something soft.He groped to sit up, and there was darkness all around him.This is where?Harry didn't react for a while, and touched around subconsciously.The floor is wet...there are many criss-crossing rhizomes...couldn't he have fallen under Lu Wei's guard? !

"I said Harry, can you move away from me?" A forbearing voice came.Harry felt a vibration where his hand was resting, and realized suddenly that it was Tom's chest.He quickly took his hands away and tried to stand up.But as soon as he moved, many vines entangled his legs.Harry swayed twice, staggered, and his body, which hadn't stood upright, fell down again.

"Luminescence!" Hermione's voice came from the other end.Harry saw in the dim light that she too was entangled, the tendrils of the plant stretching towards her wrist. "Are you all right, Harry, Tom?" She struggled and found that it made her more tightly bound. "It's the devil's net!"

Harry tried to get his wand stuck in his robes.As a result, when he turned his head, he found a pair of black eyes close at hand.He landed firmly on top of Tom, face to face, feet to feet.The moment he was stunned, vines stretched from all directions, binding the two together tightly.Harry looked at the face below in embarrassment, "I didn't mean to, I tripped..." Tom looked at him expressionlessly, pursed his lips, and shouted directly: "Hermione, burn them!" He He could have solved it by himself, but the savior accidentally fell on him, and he was completely entangled in the moment of delay...God knows how this situation happened.

"Fire!" cried Hermione, struggling.

A tongue of flame burst from the tip of her wand.Where the light reaches, those vines quickly retract and retreat.Harry felt himself lighten, and fell through the hole exposed by the plant's retraction.

They quickly fell to the firm ground.Harry's first reaction was, luckily not too high.It wasn't until he found that his teeth were hurting and the sensation under his lips was a bit strange, and then he had a second reaction: it's over, he asked Tom to cushion him again, the third time in just a few minutes...