Chapter 348: War Shadow
Chapter 348: War Shadow (Request for Subscriptions, Favorites, and Votes)
"Then what should we—" Liam asked, but Dumbledore silenced him with a gesture.
"Of course, I don't need you to rush to the front lines, at least not until all of us old folks are gone", Dumbledore said in a calm but somewhat harsh tone. "However, as those who are already involved in this matter, I believe you need to know about it and be mentally prepared."
After saying this, Dumbledore changed to a lighter tone. "Of course, even in the most brutal of wars, we must continue to live. Enjoying a happy life is also a powerful counterattack against evil forces. At least on this championship day, I think you should celebrate with your classmates. You should head back to the Common Room now."
After dismissing Liam and the others, Dumbledore, Mcgonagall, Mad-Eye Moody, and Snape went to his office. It seemed he was going to discuss the next steps with the Order of the Phoenix members.
On the way back to the Common Room, Harry looked somewhat lost. Of course, he had been tricked into participating in the Tournament, not entering voluntarily. So his confusion wasn't about losing the Tournament, but rather about Voldemort's next move.
"Liam, what do you think Voldemort will do next?" Harry mustered the courage to ask.
"I don't know", Liam shook his head. He was telling the truth. With the plot taking a significant turn, the future was once again shrouded in mystery. He genuinely had no idea what Voldemort's next move would be. "It's probably the same old routine—gaining power, recruiting followers, and ultimately seizing control. All villains follow the same pattern."
At this, Liam stopped and looked into Harry's green eyes. "But whatever comes, it will come. When it does, we'll face it. Harry, focus on improving yourself and preparing. Don't let the Dark Lord dominate your life."
"Ah, every time you talk, you sound like an elder—" Hearing Liam's advice, Harry looked a bit better. He even managed to joke. "But you're right. Worrying too much now won't help. I'll try to adjust."
The Common Room indeed had a grand party prepared, and everyone partied until one or two in the morning. Fortunately, exams were over, so everyone had plenty of time to sleep in the next day.
However, the festive mood was shattered the next morning. During breakfast, owls delivered newspapers to everyone, and those who opened their papers immediately grew serious.
Liam unfolded his subscribed newspaper and saw the front page of the Daily Prophet dominated by ten black-and-white photos. Nine male wizards and one witch were depicted, some smirking silently, others tapping the frame with a finger in an arrogant manner. Each photo had a name and the crimes for which they were imprisoned in Azkaban.
"Neville, are you okay?" Liam suddenly noticed that Neville, sitting beside him, was trembling. Following Neville's gaze, Liam looked at the only witch's photo on the newspaper.
The witch in the photo had wild black hair and a thin-lipped, proud, and disdainful smile. She clearly inherited the Black family's good looks, but her long Azkaban sentence and her near-mad devotion to Voldemort had taken a toll on her beauty.
Beneath the photo, it read: Bellatrix Lestrange, tortured Frank and Alice Longbottom, resulting in their permanent incapacitation.
At that moment, Liam just patted Neville's shoulder. He knew any words would be futile. He could only hope that Neville would find a way to move past this.
After breakfast, Liam ran to the Room of Requirement, which had transformed into a junk warehouse. Hermione was already waiting for him. As soon as he entered, Hermione, holding the newspaper, asked, "Is this the work of that person?"
"Yes, but it's also good news", Liam told Hermione, sharing his thoughts from the journey, which left her bewildered.
"Good news? Ten dangerous Death Eaters escaped, and you think that's good news?"
"Of course", Liam explained. "We all know that the Death Eaters weren't few in number, but only a fraction, maybe less than a third, were imprisoned in Azkaban. If that person needs help, it would be easier for him to contact the Death Eaters who are still at large. I suspect he risked going to Azkaban to rescue them because he hasn't resolved his own issues yet, and he doesn't dare to reach out to those outside who might not be entirely reliable. This suggests he will lie low for a while, until he's fully prepared to reappear."
"Your analysis makes sense. Alright, what did you bring me here for today?" Hermione was curious about Liam's invitation to this place.
"To get you a bodyguard", Liam said, leading Hermione to the Troll specimen. "I noticed that the person who prepared this specimen did an excellent job, and it's been unused for one or two hundred years. I thought about turning it into an Alchemical Automaton, so you'll have something to help block spells during battles."
"Do you have an Alchemical Automaton?" Hermione asked, looking at the Troll.
"Yes, I made one using a creature I found." Liam then took out two palm-sized Basalt Deathclaw Puppets and dropped them on the ground. Soon, two metallic creatures appeared before them.
"Ugly—" Hermione commented after a glance. "But I can see that it's designed for war. Appearance isn't important. I'm looking forward to the gift you're about to give me."
"This puppet will be different from mine. Mine is more offensive, while a Troll-based puppet will be more defensive."
"That sounds perfect for me", Hermione smiled and nodded. "With this, I won't be a liability in the next battle."
"I'm looking forward to fighting alongside you", Liam said with a smile, then he began the transformation process.
After laying the specimen down, Liam carefully examined it. Since the Troll's internal organs had been removed during the specimen preparation, he filled the empty spaces with a High Wall-nut, using runes to integrate the two. This gave the Troll some plant-like characteristics.
Next, Liam used magic ink made from various plant leaves to draw runes on the Troll's body. He also embedded Sunlight Gems, inscribed with runes, into different parts of the Troll's body, connecting them with modified Rune Vines to form a complete magic power circulation system.
At each step, Liam had Hermione input magic power into the components, making the energy circulation easier for her to control.
Finally, about half an hour before dinner, the new puppet was complete. Hermione dripped a drop of blood onto a Sunlight Gem, embedded it in the puppet's left chest, and closed the Valyrian Steel lid with silver runes.
"Recall", Hermione spoke the command in High Valyrian, and the puppet rapidly shrank into a palm-sized, dusty Troll figurine. The figurine looked abstract, like a flawed piece created by a novice sculptor.
"Thank you", Hermione said, storing the figurine in her Bracelet. "During this time of shadow, I think it will come in handy soon."
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
