[HP]Timepiece Countdown

Around noon on Christmas Day, Harry returned to Gryffindor Tower.Moody escorted him himself, with a stern face all the way, ambiguous about many of Harry's questions, and dismissing him only by saying that Dumbledore would explain everything to him himself when he was done with the matter.

Harry couldn't do anything about it.He did see something in Voldemort's eyes, but if he was not mistaken, that was the last part—

After Voldemort's spell shot at Dumbledore went awry, the Dark Lord was so mad that he looked like he was going to destroy everything; to be honest, even if he wasn't really there, Harry could easily judge that, in the end The dark magic was powerful; in the end, Voldemort simply Apparated as the Aurors scrambled to fend off the spell.

Harry wondered if those on the reef were all right, especially Dumbledore.But considering that Moody said Dumbledore was busy with follow-up matters, he had reason to believe that the headmaster was safe and sound.

However, this was just Harry's guess.Fortunately, Moody left him something useful, a tightly rolled newspaper, before he hurried off.

Harry couldn't wait to unfold it, and found that it was an urgent special issue of today's "Daily Prophet".Undoubtedly, the entire front page was occupied by a picture of Voldemort: a snake-faced man floating in mid-air, his wand pointing downwards obliquely, countless ferocious serpents composed of black water and silver fire are attacking out of the screen violently; The green fire rocks and the like quickly spontaneously ignited into nothingness, and the transparent protective cover was shaking precariously under this powerful attack.

The perspective of this photo is completely opposite to what Harry saw before, which also allowed Harry to see Voldemort's expression: the man had a hideous complexion, his scarlet eyes seemed to shoot fire, and he would kill everyone in the next second Like fate.

Voldemort was really furious.

Although he had the upper hand in a one-on-many battle, and even publicly declared himself invincible, he was still very angry.

Harry subconsciously touched the scar on his forehead, and then touched the writing on his chest.He did see Dumbledore's surprise in Voldemort's eyes before Voldemort's outburst of rage caused him to faint with a headache.

Therefore, not only Voldemort, but also Dumbledore did not foresee this happening.

That said, the accident probably started with him—he saw Voldemort wanting to hurt Dumbledore, he tried to stop it; and somehow he succeeded.

Probably not quite a success, Harry couldn't help thinking wistfully.If he hadn't discovered his hindrance, the Dark Lord would not have been so angry, and probably would not have used such dangerous group-killing magic.

But it is too early to draw final conclusions.Barely restraining himself, Harry continued to flip through the newspaper.The second edition of "Mass Prison Escape Occurred in Azkaban" was clearly written, and there were ten photos side by side below, each with detailed descriptions of people and crimes.He noticed Bellatrix's thick lips pursed mockingly at a glance, and his heart sank.

He thought of the chart he had seen first in his dream and then in the dark room.

It doesn't have any markings on it, but it could only be a map of Azkaban.

Everything makes sense: Voldemort went to Azkaban earlier to prepare for the escape of the Death Eaters; Dumbledore learned about Voldemort's actions and the existence of the sea chart from Harry, and also did preventive work ; However, the escape of the Death Eaters was not prevented, and Voldemort and Dumbledore fought hand to hand.

This is probably the reason why Voldemort didn't want to fight in the end: the Death Eaters had all escaped successfully, his goal had been achieved, and there was no need to stay any longer.

"Of course they'll know," said Voldemort, almost like a promise, "when they should know."

Harry remembered what he had said to Voldemort in an argument not long ago, and the Dark Lord's interest in saying it.He also knew why now: the Death Eaters must have been helped when they escaped from prison after more than a decade of imprisonment; either to avoid the dementors or to win them over.If anyone could do the latter, it must be Voldemort.

Page Three's reports confirmed Harry's suspicions, in a not-so-good way. "The two escapes are suspected to be related. The Ministry of Magic is worried that Black is the 'caller' of the Death Eaters"...

Harry was furious at the sight of the subject.Not wanting to waste his energy reading bad things about Sirius, he flipped to the next page—the fourth page revolved around casualties, and he was glad that no one died.The Aurors present were more or less injured, but Fudge, who was surrounded by them, was fine.Umbridge was the most unlucky: she tried to squeeze into the protective circle of the Aurors as Voldemort delivered the final blow, but before she had time, she was admitted to St. Mungo's intensive care unit.

Although he knew it shouldn't be, Harry still couldn't help feeling that this was the only thing that happened in the early hours of the morning that could be called reconciliation.Looks like their first Hogwarts High Inquisitor will not be able to deliberately trouble him again this term; unless she can easily get out of her hospital bed after being half-faced and a leg scorched by the Dark Lord's green fire Get up.

After a while, Harry withdrew his wandering thoughts and continued to look down. As soon as the words "Former Minister of Magic Fudge took the blame and resigned" came into view, he was immediately attracted——

"It is reported that Fudge, the former Minister of Magic, submitted his resignation earlier today. Considering the evil incident that happened in the early morning, he may not have a better choice than taking the blame and resigning. In the past six months, the Ministry of Magic under the leadership of Fudge Insisting that the man who should not be mentioned by name has not been resurrected, and that Dumbledore and Harry Potter who made this claim are sensationalists and complete liars. This has been proved to be an act of slander, and the credibility of the Ministry of Magic therefore Seriously questioned...

"According to an employee of the Ministry of Magic who did not want to be named, Fudge's dereliction of duty did not stop there. He said that Dumbledore had already known that the Death Eaters might escape from prison and had repeatedly reminded the Ministry of Magic. But Fudge refused Believe this reminder, never send more people to Azkaban, and those who dare to mention this matter in front of him will even find another reason to be demoted or fired...

"It is worrying how much security we have left under such cowardly and incompetent leadership. Even more worrying is that the Ministry of Magic is currently leaderless. Emergency procedures have been initiated and a new minister will be appointed in the Coming out later today..."

Given the current mess, Harry had reason to think that whoever the new minister was, he could hardly do worse than Fudge.He hastily scanned the analysis of possible candidates at the beginning of the article, and moved his gaze to the right side of the page——

"Dumbledore takes the lead against the man who must not be mentioned by name"

Under the caption is a photograph of Dumbledore holding his wand aloft, the tip of which forms a gigantic, hemispherical shield that encloses almost the entire small reef.His body remained motionless, but judging from the strenuous expression of the nearest Auror who was also maintaining the protective cover, the situation at the scene was quite dangerous.

"Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Witchcraft and Witchcraft, appeared in the waters outside Azkaban and provided immeasurable help to the Aurors. According to reliable sources, before the arrival of the Aurors, someone tried to intercept the escape There was an encounter with the Death Eaters. This is most likely Dumbledore's arrangement, as he himself arrived on the scene before the Aurors. We have not yet learned the identity of the pioneers, but no bodies have been found at the scene ..."

advance staff?Someone from the Order of the Phoenix?

Harry tensed up immediately.Who is on duty today?hurt?They should have left before the Ministry of Magic arrived, the Order of the Phoenix was a secret order after all.Furthermore, Dumbledore even saved the Ministry of Magic, so how could he allow members of the Order of the Phoenix to take risks?Finally, if something happened to someone in the Order, Moody's face must be far more than grim, right?

After repeatedly confirming that his logic was correct, Harry managed to calm down and turned to the next page of the newspaper.The new pages are full of speculation about how Voldemort will be resurrected, of all kinds.

"No one survived the Avadasso hit, the only counter-example we know of is Harry Potter. It now appears that the man who must not be named has extended the scope of this exception. As the most dangerous man ever The Dark Wizard, we're not yet sure how many forbidden spells he has mastered; but whatever they may contain, it's clear that one of them has something to do with bringing the dead back to life...

"Maybe he's not the real person? After all, no one has really seen him in more than ten years? Witnesses at the scene quickly denied the reporter's speculation. 'That's definitely him,' said a staff member who was willing to be interviewed, his lips turned white, 'he The way he looks—his magic—his everything—when you face him, you can even feel the hairs on your whole body stand on end under the forceful magic—if there are fakes who can do this , that’s about the same as me!’”

"The man seemed stronger after his resurrection?" 'Yes,' replied another senior clerk despondently, 'I hate to say it, but the truth is we used all the men we could, And there was only one on the opposite side. As a result, he retreated completely, and what about us? I swear I only touched a little spark with my hand, but look at it now—” He showed the reporter his arm that had become unwieldy, The burnt part above is cracked like dry earth, bone deep, 'I'm in line for a therapist at St Mungo's, I'm sure I'll have to look at this problem before it spreads to more places. Tell everyone Get ready, we've got a tough fight to fight.'”

"So no one can answer the question of why the person who can't even be named came back? Not really. 'Soul mate,' they both said in unison, 'if the other half of a person is still alive, it is possible to bring that Even though this probability only exists in theory, and no one has ever heard of that person having a soul mate, such unthinkable things as resurrection have happened, so what is impossible?'”

The interview about the soul mate is obviously self-deprecating, but after that part of Harry can't stand it.He stared at the word "soul mate", his body was stiff and his hands and feet were cold.

Why didn't he find out sooner?If it is true that he survived and Voldemort lived, does that mean that only his death can really kill Voldemort?

**

Voldemort's headache was finally getting better.

He sat in a high chair, facing the roaring fireplace.There was no light in the room, and it was so quiet that there was only the slight crackling of the burning firewood.

That meant the boy was finally diverting his attention, he thought, no longer circling between nervousness and worry.Accurately described, after such a long time, the boy finally had other priorities besides being nervous and worrying about other people.

He just reacts to the boy's negative emotions at first.Hate, needless to say; anger, very reasonable; pain, even more natural——

But it is not these that are most unbearable, but emotions that seem softer and more harmless.Grief, worry, protection, and everything that can be explained with bloody love.

Weak, Voldemort yelled again in his head, too weak.

The boy is both his horcrux and his soul mate.With this deep connection, he couldn't kill him; on the flip side was the fact that his magical powers and remaining Horcruxes were more than enough to guarantee both of them immortality.Ordinary people are nothing but ants, and the world is like a cloud of smoke. He really can't understand the boy's thinking.

Not that he has to understand, but he has to think about his own head, right?The overwhelming power of the combination of the two is indeed fascinating. The premise is that he can't make him as painful as the last time every time...

There was a slight rustling sound, and someone was coming. "Master?" Little Crouch called softly, not sure if Voldemort was asleep.

"Say." Voldemort squeezed out a word from his sharp lips, eyes still closed.

Hearing this, Little Crouch took a few steps closer and knelt down beside the chair. "Bella's condition has stabilized and she is well. Rodolphus is tending to her, and the others would like to express their loyalty and gratitude to you in person."

In normal times, Voldemort would definitely agree, but now he is really not in the mood. "Say, Voldemort knows, they know what to do."

Crouch Jr. agrees. "Yes, master, we can't wait to continue playing for you."

Voldemort nodded slightly. "Do you have anything else to do?"

Little Crouch paused for a moment, and his voice became lower when he spoke again. "There are news from outside that there are many people looking for you, master."

"The Ministry of Magic or the Order of the Phoenix?" Voldemort sneered back. "They'll be wasting their time."

"Your appearance has brought an unprecedented sensation," said little Crouch with reverence, "everyone should kneel at your feet with all hearts and minds. Neither the Ministry of Magic nor the Order of the Phoenix are the smartest That kind of people."

That's a smart way to say it, not to mention that Crouch Jr. is doing exactly what he says. "True." Voldemort smiled faintly, "but that's not what you really meant to say, I suppose?"

"Master is wise." Little Crouch immediately continued, "I want to report to you that, apart from the Ministry of Magic and the Order of the Phoenix, there are some people who are surrendered by the power you displayed and want to join our team and completely obey your command .”

It sounded like a good thing at first glance, but Voldemort frowned slightly. "Someone found it?" he asked, finally opening his eyes.

"They do have this intention, but no, they don't know where we are yet. After all, if they can find us easily, so can the enemy. I just want to ask you, how to deal with these people?"

Voldemort pondered for a moment.Spies were the first thing that popped into his mind, but he suspected that the Ministry of Magic hadn't thought of such a solution so quickly, and the Order of the Phoenix would never have done it. "who are they?"

"Many people come from overseas, Master." Crouch Jr. wisely picked out what he thought was the most critical and convincing point, "If you want their detailed information, we can try to get in touch with them further."

Voldemort pursed his lips.Of course he has plans to expand his power outward.However, on his roadmap, this was originally arranged after getting rid of his prophesied enemies and conquering the British wizarding world.Today, the first thing has become unrealizable, and even the second thing cannot be completely completed.Thinking about those damn headaches...

The Dark Lord narrowed his eyes slowly, and he changed his mind. "Just do it," he ordered, his tone soft and firm, "We really need new blood."