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Chapter 861: The Activated Ancient Clock
Chapter 861: The Activated Ancient Clock
"I can’t keep this up any longer", Harry thought to himself.
Although he had managed to barely fend off Snape’s attempts to pry into this particular memory over the past few days, the intense mental strain of two whole weeks had left him sleep-deprived and extremely fatigued. Harry was unsure if he could withstand Snape’s Legilimency the next time they met.
If his mental defenses were breached, Dumbledore’s return of the Invisibility Cloak would be exposed, and Snape would know his every thought…
The thought sent a shiver down Harry’s spine, and he immediately decided to skip their meeting tonight and temporarily halt his Occlumency lessons.
However, he knew that interrupting his Occlumency training was only a temporary solution and could raise Snape’s suspicions. What he needed to do most was to uncover Snape’s true allegiance and expose his connection to Voldemort to everyone…
Thinking about how Ivan and the others had been deceived by Snape’s act, Harry felt a heavy sense of responsibility. He turned to Ron and asked, “Ron, can you get me the schedule? Oh, and do you know if Snape has any classes today?”
Ron, who was diligently memorizing a Transfiguration textbook, paused before responding, “I don’t think so. George mentioned that Professor Snape took the day off… Professor Mcgonagall covered his Defense Against the Dark Arts class this morning.”
“He must be meeting with Voldemort!” Harry said with certainty, a hint of excitement in his voice. This meant that Snape was not in his office and wouldn’t be back for a while!
Harry could take this opportunity to slip into the office, retrieve his wand, and even search for evidence of Snape’s betrayal!
From his previous dreams, Harry knew that when Snape was busy or couldn’t use a magical image to communicate with Voldemort, he would write his messages on a piece of paper and place them inside the broken Ancient Clock.
The Ancient Clock had a specific magic within it that could accurately deliver the letters to Voldemort…
Similarly, Voldemort could use a similar method to send orders to Snape, and these letters might still be around.
Harry suspected that these items were likely kept in the locked cabinet next to the wooden desk.
During his Occlumency practice last night, he had noticed that Snape was very protective of the broken Ancient Clock and never let him near the locked cabinet.
This all aligned with what he had seen in his dreams…
“So you plan to sneak into Snape’s office to find evidence? I don’t think Snape would keep those letters around… He’s not stupid; a normal person would have destroyed them long ago,” Ron said after hearing Harry’s reasoning.
“It’s not that simple! Why else would Snape lock that cabinet? Even if it doesn’t contain letters from Voldemort, there must be some other evidence in there,” Harry insisted, adding, “And the Ancient Clock might have some clues as well…”
Ron thought about it for a moment and realized it made sense, so he stopped trying to persuade Harry. Instead, he eagerly joined Harry in discussing their next move, preparing for a new adventure.
After a brief discussion, the two decided that Harry would use the Invisibility Cloak to search Snape's office, while Ron would stand guard in the entrance hall, ready to delay Professor Snape if he returned early.
With a plan in place, Harry couldn't wait to get started. He immediately headed back to the dormitory, retrieved the Invisibility Cloak from his trunk, and set off towards Snape's office.
The door was locked.
Fortunately, this was no problem for the well-prepared Harry. He rummaged through the pockets of his wizard robes and pulled out a peculiar key, which he gently placed on the lock.
With a clear "click", the office door swung open. Harry let out a relieved sigh, silently vowing to thank George and Fred later. Their lock-picking tool was as effective as advertised.
Silently entering Snape's office, Harry's heart raced. Thankfully, the room was dark and empty, just as they had expected.
Harry didn't dare turn on the lights or linger for too long. He quickly approached the locked cabinet, used the lock-picking tool to open it, and yanked the drawer open.
To his surprise, the drawer was empty.
Harry was taken aback, momentarily at a loss. Could he have been wrong?
No, if the drawer was truly empty, why would it be locked?
This thought renewed his determination. Snape might have moved the items to another location.
With time still on his side, Harry began searching the office. However, after a thorough search, he found nothing but a pile of odd-smelling potion ingredients. He had to admit that the evidence he sought might not be in this room, or perhaps Snape had already destroyed it.
Just as Harry was feeling discouraged, the ancient clock on the wooden desk caught his eye. He noticed that the time it displayed was different from usual, showing exactly twelve o'clock.
Several possibilities flashed through Harry's mind. The change in time could indicate that Voldemort was summoning Snape—this might explain why Snape had requested to leave the school today.
Alternatively, it could mean that Voldemort had issued new orders, and Snape had left in a hurry and failed to notice the clock.
With a glimmer of hope, Harry cautiously approached the ancient clock and began examining it. As his finger touched the base of the clock, he inadvertently pressed a small, raised button.
Before he could react, Harry felt a sharp tug behind his navel. His feet left the ground, and his body was pulled into a swirling vortex of space.
It was then that he realized the ancient clock was not a magical item for sending messages; it was a Portkey!
(End of Chapter)
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