Chapter 441: Orb of Prophecy
Chapter 441: Orb of Prophecy
Stepping into the room, Liam found that this place was very similar to the Prophecy Hall in the movies. The room was as tall as a church, with towering shelves lining the walls, each holding dusty glass orbs with yellowed label papers beneath them. There was nothing else in the room.
The light came from candles set at regular intervals in the candlesticks on the shelves, just like in the black circular hall, these candles emitted a blue glow. The stark contrast to the outside house made the room feel as cold as a snowy winter field.
Harry led the way, running to the right along the silver numbers under the candlesticks, remembering that the location in his dream was on the 97th row. Liam, who was at the back, took advantage of Hermione's cover, knelt down, and placed the box on the ground before opening it.
The box had eight gems, and each time he pressed one, a corresponding Puppet emerged. A few seconds later, all eight Puppets stood in front of Liam.
"This time, the target is much stronger than the Vampire, so it's best if you all work together. If you're not confident, it's better to let it go rather than forcing it. Stealth is the priority this time. Only attack if you're sure it will be a fatal blow. Once you see the Dark Lord or Dumbledore, leave immediately, and Rose Crystal will open the door to return you to your worlds."
"Understood", the Miniature Dolls chorused, then performed a curtsy in unison before flying up to the shelves and disappearing into the darkness.
"We need to hurry, or we'll lose Harry and the others", Hermione said quickly, watching the Puppets vanish into the darkness at the top of the room. When they reached the 97th row, they heard Harry shouting, "Oh no, someone help him, he's covered in blood!"
Liam quickly pushed past the Weasley Twins and saw Harry kneeling on the ground, with Sirius Black lying in front of him, covered in blood and pale as death.
"He's not in serious danger", Liam said, using his wand to release a green light that spread over Sirius Black's body for a check. After sensing the magic power feedback, he continued, "He's been hit by three or four Cruciatus Curses and has some injuries, but they're all treatable. I'll try to wake him up. However, he's very weak, and even if he wakes up, he might need help to move." Harry's face visibly relaxed upon hearing this.
What Liam didn't say was that his examination confirmed that the person lying there was indeed Sirius Black, both in body and soul, and hadn't been replaced by anyone else. This was better than the worst-case scenario he had imagined.
Liam understood why this was the case. Voldemort, being the Dark Lord, had a certain pride and arrogance. He didn't believe that a few young wizards could escape from him and his Death Eaters with an adult wizard who was essentially incapacitated. Therefore, he wouldn't resort to deceptive tactics like impersonation or ambush, which would be beneath his dignity.
On the other hand, a Sirius Black who couldn't recover quickly could slow them down and increase Voldemort's chances of success. If someone had impersonated Sirius and the first attack failed, Harry and the others would realize it was a trap and run away, which would be disastrous.
After all, Harry and his friends were just students, and running away from the ruthless Death Eaters was the most natural choice. Harry had already escaped from Voldemort twice, so it was reasonable for Voldemort to make more preparations this time.
Thinking about the group of Death Eaters likely lurking nearby, Liam couldn't help but look around cautiously. However, all he saw was darkness.
Since the ambushers hadn't revealed themselves yet, it was crucial to wake Sirius Black first. Once he was awake, they could at least understand what had happened.
"Life Renewal", Liam said, pointing his wand at Sirius Black and casting a Quenya spell. A mix of red and green light flew from Liam's wand and spread over Sirius Black's body.
The light was quickly absorbed into Sirius Black's skin. Under the nourishment of this magic power, which was rich in natural and Life forces, his skin began to regain some color, and the wounds on his body started to heal. Finally, Sirius Black’s eyelids began to flutter, and he slowly opened his eyes.
“Sirius Black, you’re awake,” Harry said, a smile spreading across his face.
Sirius Black’s eyes darted around, as if searching for something. Then he narrowed his eyes and looked at Harry, his face showing a tense expression. His lips moved with effort, as if trying to say something to Harry.
Harry bent down and leaned his ear close to Sirius Black’s mouth. He heard him speak in a hoarse and weak voice, “How did you get here? Hurry, get out of here, it’s a trap.”
“What, a trap?” Harry’s head snapped up in shock. He then noticed that over twenty shadows had appeared around them, blocking their escape routes on both sides. The eyes of these figures glinted from beneath their hoods, and more than twenty wands, their tips glowing, were aimed at their hearts.
“Alright, Harry. Take the glass ball with your name on it from the shelf next to you and hand it to me. Otherwise, you and your friends, and your godfather, will all die here,” a voice from under a hood said, deliberately kept low. Liam recognized it as Lucius Malfoy.
Harry guessed that each Crystal Orb might correspond to a specific person, and only the designated person could remove the glass ball from the shelf. This made it clear why Voldemort’s followers had lured him here. The Crystal Orb was likely the Secret Weapon Voldemort was seeking to defeat them.
Though he understood this, Harry had no other choice. With Sirius Black in tow, they seemed unable to break through the Death Eaters’ encirclement, and he certainly wouldn’t abandon Sirius Black.
Harry could only look at the Death Eaters hiding under their hoods with a defiant gaze. Out of some consideration, the Death Eaters only pointed their wands at them but did nothing more. However, he knew that this standoff wouldn’t last long. If he didn’t react soon, the Death Eaters, once their patience wore thin, might resort to other means to force his compliance, potentially causing more harm.
As he fretted, he caught a glimpse of Liam, who was half-kneeling beside Sirius Black, discreetly administering some medicine to him with the cover of a few classmates. When Liam noticed Harry watching him, he mouthed the words, “Buy time.”
Harry immediately understood. As an Alchemy master, Liam likely had a potion that could heal Sirius Black in a short time. He was hoping to buy enough time for Sirius Black to recover. This would be a better situation than their current predicament.
“Is this the glass ball you want?” Harry asked. A few Death Eaters laughed; from the dark figures on Harry’s left, a shrill woman’s voice said smugly, “The Dark Lord is always right! So do as we say, or I’ll be happy to torture a Pureblood traitor and a Mudblood.”
With no other option, Harry walked towards the row of shelves and heard Lucius Malfoy say from behind, “Yes, it’s on the row at eye level. You’ll see your name and the great Dark Lord’s name on the slip of paper under the glass ball.”
Harry saw the glass ball, which bore his name, Voldemort’s name, and a date from sixteen years ago. He hesitated for a moment, then thought, “What the hell, I’ve come this far.” He grasped the dirty little ball, expecting it to be cold, but instead, it felt as if it had been sitting in sunlight for hours, warmed by its own light. He easily removed the glass ball from the shelf.
“Hand over the Orb of Prophecy. There’s no need for anyone to get hurt,” Lucius Malfoy said coldly.
(End of Chapter)
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