One Sneeze Destroys A Magical Civilization

Chapter 295 [Hourglass of Time] (For subscription)

"The beauty of time? A genius like you stands at a height that an ordinary person like me will never be able to reach." Umbridge complimented with a fake smile on his face.

From her reaction and expression, it is not difficult to see that this ambitious old woman does not understand the importance of the Hall of Time and the significance of conducting various experiments here.

To be precise, most wizards have the same attitude towards time magic. Even Dumbledore, Voldemort, and Greenwald did not realize the great potential contained in the time reversal spell. Instead, they filled the next door with prophecies The ball room is more interesting.

Of course, since Greenwald is a prophet, he has a very powerful prophecy ability, so it is not surprising that he is more interested in prophecy.

As the person who knew him best, Dumbledore would inevitably attach great importance to prophecy.

As for Voldemort, it was purely out of fear of Dumbledore, so he also had an almost morbid obsession with prophecy.

Otherwise, after hearing that prophecy, he would not have been so eager to find the two newborn babies, just to wipe out the so-called "destined enemy" in the bud.

In the end, he was rebounded by his own killing curse, completing the almost ridiculous achievement of "I killed me".

The reign of terror that was finally established also fell apart.

If Zuo Si were a Death Eater, this stupid and neurotic idiot would have been abandoned long ago, and a shrewd and capable new leader would be selected from within, such as Lucius Malfoy who knows how to assess the situation.

After all, no matter how powerful Voldemort is, he is far from being unable to be defeated or even killed.

He himself will be injured as if under the spell, and he will die if he is stabbed by a poisoned dagger.

Thinking of this, Zuo Si casually grabbed a hummingbird that was transforming under the magic of time, and asked meaningfully: "You sent Fudge away because you wanted to talk nonsense, right?"

Umbridge shook his head hastily: "No, of course not. Have you read the list I sent via owl before?"

"I've seen it. I have to say that the Ministry of Magic hides a lot of good things. There are many things on the list that I am very interested in."

Zuo Si did not hide anything, directly took out the list from his pocket and handed it to the other party.

I saw some words circled in red ink on the parchment.

Without asking, he knew that these were what he wanted.

"Time converter, time magic research data and related progress, celestial body movement magic in the planetary room, love-related magic data in the locked room, and thinking research in the brain hall, for the soul and death. Record……"

Every time a word was uttered, beads of sweat would appear on Umbridge's forehead.

The reason is very simple!

All those circled by Zuo Si are regarded as the core secrets by the Ministry of Magic without exception, so that even the Minister of Magic Fudge is not very clear.

Some have even been shelved decades ago. It is estimated that the records and materials have been thrown away in unknown places for safekeeping. It is not an ordinary difficulty to find them from the piled up database.

In particular, the information to be affixed with a machine seal must have both the authorization of the Minister of Magic Fudge and the approval of the parliament.

"What, is there any difficulty?" Zuo Si asked bluntly.

"No, of course not. It's just that many of the things you want are very sensitive, and I need some time to operate them." Umbridge explained cautiously.

She didn't know if it was an illusion, but she suddenly found that the young man in front of her was exuding a terrifying aura, which made people inadvertently have an urge to kneel down and obey.

Regarding this remark, Zuo Si smiled noncommittally, and continued to ask: "So what can I get today?"

"Time-Turner! I've filled out a declaration form and completed all approvals for you."

With that said, Umbridge took out the prepared meeting gift from his pocket.

It is a golden pendant with a circular cutout ornament hanging from the end and a small hourglass in the center.

Every turn of this round timer can make the time go back one hour.

no doubt!

If one were to choose the most valuable magic item, then the Time Turner in front of him would definitely be at the top of the list.

Although its origin is far inferior to the three famous "Deathly Hallows", its development potential and function are many times higher than the former.

Especially in the hands of Zuo Si, who has a certain understanding of the time reversal spell, it can be completely transformed into a powerful magic item or even an artifact that controls the flow of time.

"Awesome! Exactly what I wanted."

Zuo Si unceremoniously picked up the Time-Turner, feeling the power of magic flowing continuously at both ends of the hourglass, with a satisfied smile on his face.

Since I am currently in the Hall of Time, the flow of time can be observed more intuitively and clearly here.

"Then our cooperation..." Umbridge tentatively cautiously asked.

Zuo Si chuckled and replied: "As long as you continue to provide me with such interesting magic props and research materials, I guarantee that you will be able to take the position of Minister of Magic in the next few years."

moment!

Umbridge's eyes began to shine, and the corners of his mouth rose wildly to show an ecstatic expression. At the same time, he made a solemn promise: "Thank you. I swear that if I become the Minister of Magic one day, including the Department of Mysteries All the secrets inside will be open to you. No matter what kind of material you want, or how dangerous the experiment is, it can be carried out under legal conditions.”

"Don't worry, ma'am, with your current status, status and prestige, it's not easy to sit on the position of Minister of Magic. Because when you climbed up by all means, you inadvertently offended too many people .” Zuo Si reminded with a half-smile.

"Do you have any good suggestions?" Umbridge asked humbly.

She is not a fool. She understands that because of her low starting point and low vision, she has done a lot of things like taking credit from others.

At that time, she used her young and beautiful capital to hook up and seduce male bosses, not only successfully escaped possible punishment, but also got a quick promotion because of it.

But as his status continued to rise and he came to a real high position in the Ministry of Magic, he realized that because he only wanted to climb up but did not build his own team, the power at hand was like a castle in the air, and it came entirely from his immediate boss, Fudge.

Once Fudge steps down, he may be dismissed by the next Minister of Magic in minutes.

That's why Umbridge has always been loyal to Fudge despite spying on the position of Minister of Magic.

Later, Voldemort was resurrected and took control of the Ministry of Magic. She was obviously not a Death Eater, but she took advantage of the trend to fall to the other party.

With no grounded connections, the woman can only gain power by earning the trust of her superiors.

"It's very simple! From now on, change your image in people's minds.

Make good use of Fudge's indecisive character, and take the decision of the resurrection spot into your own hands.

In this way, make more deals with those rich pure-blood families, and then use the money you get to increase salaries and welfare benefits for those working in the Ministry of Magic, or provide minimum living security for poor wizard families .

In addition, set up some awards to encourage invention and creation, and put forward some easy-to-understand and loud political slogans.

For example, using magic to put people first, spells change lives, and another example is to make the British wizarding world great again.

As a politician, you have to learn how to be close to the people.

Even if it's just for show, let ordinary wizards think that you are a good official who is willing to care about the suffering of the people.

With a good reputation, many people will stand up and recommend you to be the next Minister of Magic.

At that time, if we use some means to build momentum, we will naturally have the capital to compete for this position.

In fact, due to the sparse population of the wizarding world, the political model is relatively simple, far less complicated than the Muggle world. "

Zuo Si gave a lot of concrete suggestions that can be operated in one breath.

After all, the higher Umbridge climbed and the more power he wielded, the more he could benefit from it.

As for whether the British wizarding world will change drastically in the future, Zuo Si is actually not worried at all.

Because Voldemort's resurrection and return itself is a reshuffle.

After this war, those stubborn families who insisted on pure blood theory will completely lose power, replaced by an era where half-blood and Muggle-born wizards completely rule.

Not to mention whether Umbridge can survive this dark period, because of her character, it is very likely that she will cooperate with Voldemort in order to keep the power in her hands, and she will inevitably be liquidated afterwards.

So it doesn't matter how the other party messes around in the past two or three years. Anyway, the great Dumbledore will always stand up and take care of the mess at critical moments.

In addition, finding more things for the principal to do can also prevent him from always focusing on himself.

no doubt!

Zuo Si's suggestion instantly opened a door to a new world for Umbridge, who was suffering from having no foundation.

The latter stood on the spot and thought about it for a long time, and then he couldn't help sighing: "Sous, it is the greatest luck in my life to be able to cooperate with you. I can't think of it, apart from your extraordinary talent in the field of magic research, you are also very talented in the field of magic research. Still brilliant politically. If these ideas work out, I don't have to worry about Fudge losing power when he steps down."

"Remember, in the magical world, things like power usually come from two sources. One of them is power, a powerful and awesome magical power, and the other is the support from the majority of people below. Good Use Fudge's time in office to gain political capital for yourself, and when he steps down you can launch a sprint for the position of Minister for Magic."

After all, Zuo Si no longer paid attention to Umbridge, but stood in the center of the room at the junction of countless time flows, and began to modify the time-turner he had just obtained in his hand.

Although strictly speaking, this thing still belongs to the Department of Mysteries of the Ministry of Magic, he only borrowed it temporarily through some legal procedures.

But he obviously didn't have the slightest intention of returning it.

With Umbridge's knowledge reserves, it was obviously not enough to recognize what a dangerous thing Zuo Si was doing, so after observing for a while to no avail, he turned around and left the Hall of Time alone.

Because there are a lot of clocks and hourglasses here, she always feels very uncomfortable.

After the ambitious woman disappeared, the originally stable time barrier in the room suddenly became agitated.

Those hummingbirds that had continuously degenerated into eggs according to certain rules and were hatched again and again suddenly switched between egg and bird forms hundreds of times in less than a few seconds.

The impact of the chaotic time flow in the end, suddenly spanning millions of years, directly turned into a stone, or more precisely, it should be called a fossil.

The time converter in Zuo Si's hand has also changed from an hourglass to an hourglass group composed of hundreds of tiny hourglasses.

Now, its function has changed from simply going back one hour in a circle, to a powerful treasure that stores the amazing power of the junction of time.

The holder can pay the magic power to designate a target to accelerate or decelerate for a short period of time once a day, which lasts for ten seconds.

The effect depends on the amount of mana paid.

Among them, the acceleration of time is equivalent to speeding up the attack and casting action several times or even ten times, so as to achieve the effect of stabbing countless swords in an instant, or releasing a large amount of amazingly powerful magic in one breath.

Unlike the Nine Rings magic time stop, it does not allow the time of both parties to flow in a relatively static state, but in a dislocation of synchronous acceleration.

Therefore, it is still possible to attack and defend without any hindrance.

As for the time deceleration, it has the opposite effect.

In addition to the above two abilities, this treasure will also instantly spy on all the situations that may happen within the next five seconds according to the wearer's wishes.

Note, however, that "may" means it might happen, it might not happen.

Using this ability requires spellcasting focus and keen judgment, and it may have negative effects on patients with difficulty in choosing, so you must be extra careful when fighting, otherwise you will be attacked by the enemy.

Last but not least.

This treasure that stores time nodes is essentially a prop that strengthens time magic.

Nine-ring spells such as time stop can now be memorized with only one eight-ring spell slot, and their duration is doubled.

This also means that when dealing with enemies who are not immune to time stop, Zuo Si can use massive "time stop" to play with them.

Of course, the price is that the time barrier built by the Department of Mysteries with the painstaking efforts of several generations or even a dozen generations has completely become worthless.

Because after losing the most important time junction, it will start to decay over time, until it finally collapses completely and returns to the previous normal area.

It's not quite visible yet, but in a few months the ubiquitous clocks and hourglasses that symbolize time on the walls, ceilings and floors will be mostly gone.

Professor Crocker, who has been engaged in research for many years, may find something is wrong, but Umbridge will definitely do his best to silence his voice, and finally cover it up by making big things small and small.

After all, it is the instinctive reaction of almost all bureaucrats to cover up their mistakes.

In addition, the current Minister of Magic, Fudge, and others are not very interested in the research progress of the time reversal spell. Instead, they collectively shift their attention to the resurrection of the dead with the Philosopher's Stone, which naturally cannot cause any waves.

In this way, after renaming the time transformer in his hand as [Hourglass of Time] and removing the chain, Zuo Si did not spare any mana to make it into a very high-level treasure card, and then restored the item form Attaches to the back of the collar of the garment.

In this way, he can use this powerful magic item at will without interfering with several other magic items.

Feeling the power endowed by [The Hourglass of Time], Zuo Si immediately couldn't help but smiled and muttered to himself: "This trip to the Ministry of Magic is really rewarding. It seems that I really prefer to follow the People from the evil camp, because they are always naked when talking about interests, unlike people from the good camp who always carry ideological and moral baggage.”

"You like dealing with people from the evil camp. I'm afraid it's because of these guys that you can satisfy your appetite." Diary suddenly complained.

Zuo Si shrugged his shoulders indifferently: "It's all the same, there is no essential difference.

Taking this transaction as an example, since Fudge still has some morals and conscience, he may give me some convenience in many places, but he will definitely not hand over the secrets hidden in the Department of Mysteries.

But Umbridge is different, in order to be able to climb to the pinnacle of power, she doesn't care what price she has to pay.

Especially when these costs are paid by the British Ministry of Magic, this woman doesn't care at all.

It's as if people are extra generous when they spend money that doesn't belong to them. "

"So this counts as congeniality?"

There was a hint of irony in the tone of the diary.

Zuo Si shook his head lightly and explained: "No, this is me taking advantage of the weakness in the other party's heart and the urgent desire for power.

I don't regard people like Umbridge as my own kind or friends, but simply as a consumable that can bring benefits.

Because her ideas, thinking patterns and intentions have been completely exposed, without any privacy and secrets.

In interpersonal communication, the party who first reveals its true intentions will often be at an absolute disadvantage.

Only those who hide their true intentions are invincible.

It's a pity that most people don't quite understand this point, and they always like to express themselves non-stop.

Trying to prove yourself better in this way.

As everyone knows, their actions will be recorded by eyes hidden in the dark, and then their weaknesses will be found through careful analysis. "

"Your personality is really getting darker and darker. You know? You were not like this before."

The diary faithfully fulfills the function for which it was created, constantly comparing the past with the present way of thinking.

Zuo Si responded with a sneer: "Darkness? I prefer to call it the growth of wisdom. If I didn't force myself to make changes during those days in the floating city, I should probably have been ripped apart and soaked in Somewhere in a jar full of embalming fluid. Remember that girl named Miral?"

"Mirael? Ah! Of course I remember. After digging out her eyeballs, heart, liver and kidneys, you made them into an embalmed corpse, but you wrote more than 16,000 words." In the tone of the diary With a sense of ridicule.

"Remember what she said before she died?"

The smile on Zuo Si's face disappeared, replaced by an extremely complicated look.

The diary said without thinking: "Of course I remember. Before you killed this girl, you asked her why she killed herself. She replied that she wanted to live. Because she was controlled by the necromancer, if she didn't If you do that, you will die. In this way, Asta forces you to learn what is cruelty and cruelty, as well as how to behave in the floating city."

"You're right. The thing that touched me the most is that no matter at any time, you must always put your own survival and safety first.

And before I killed Miral, I forgave her and told her I didn't do it out of hate, it was just that I didn't want to die either.

Only by killing her and making her into an embalmed corpse will Asta think that I am an apprentice worthy of training, not a tool or experiment that can be discarded after use.

The transformation of every adult's personality often means experiencing one or a series of major events.

For me, this incident is the opportunity to promote myself to change.

Because when you don't have enough power to change the surrounding environment, the only thing you can do is to adapt as best you can, and then fully integrate into it.

I bet that if I return to my hometown now, I am afraid that I will not be able to adapt to my ordinary life, but will become an unstable element that will cause great harm to society..."

After saying this, Zuo Si stopped talking with the diary and turned to leave the Department of Mysteries, and used the remaining time to visit the British Ministry of Magic.

Especially those various black magic items confiscated during surprise inspections and various daily necessities with illegal spells, finally made him realize why there is such a strange department as "Prohibition of Misuse of Muggle Items" .

It's not that wizards have big brains, but that there are quite a few guys who like to make fun of Muggles as pranks.

Although most of the effects can only be regarded as a joke, for ordinary people who know nothing about magic, they will be scared out of their wits if they accidentally encounter it.

But it's a pity that Arthur Weasley is currently under suspension for review, so there is not even a single staff member in the entire office except for these things.

Otherwise, Zuo Si would be more than happy to chat with each other about what modifications have been made to the flying car.

He also saw many very interesting magical creatures as he passed the "Department for the Management and Control of Fantastic Beasts" on the fourth basement level.

Most of them were confiscated from illegal smugglers, but a small part was also captured and locked in cages because of frequent activities in places where Muggles gathered, or even attacks.

When dealing with magical creatures that injure, kill, or eat humans, the way wizards deal with them is not much different from the Muggle world, and they all follow the principle of human supremacy.

Anyone who has tasted human blood and flesh will be executed soon after a simple discussion and trial.

Zuo Si saw the process of a curly-winged bat that ate a human brain being directly beheaded by a sharp ax and died on the spot.

Despite the small number of people in the British magic community, there are quite a few departments under the Ministry of Magic. There are more than a dozen of them in total.

What's more interesting is that due to the lack of manpower, each department has an average of only two to three heads, and some of them are even single seedlings.

And this structure has led to the inevitable concentration of power to a very small number of people.

In many cases, there is even no need for discussion. The attitude of the top person in charge of a department determines how the whole matter will end.

So there will be a lot of discrimination.

For example, the savior Harry Potter has nothing to do after violating a series of laws, but some unlucky people will be dealt with seriously as long as they violate one.

After thoroughly figuring out the inner workings of the Ministry of Magic, Zuo Si finally returned to Hogwarts on Sunday night and promised Fudge to attend the semi-public resurrection ceremony held by the Ministry of Magic a month later.

The moment he opened the door with steady steps and walked into the auditorium on the first floor, Gilderoy Lockhart, who was sitting on the staff seat for a meal just a second ago, immediately seemed to have Parkinson's syndrome, not only It was the hand holding the spoon that was shaking, and the whole body was shaking violently, and the eyes showed boundless fear.

"Professor Lockhart, what's the matter with you? Could it be that your family has a genetic history of epilepsy? I happen to know a few potions that can relieve this symptom, do you want me to make a few for you?" Snape said Zuo asked kindly.

"No...no need, thank...thank you. I suddenly feel a little uncomfortable and want to go back and lie down for a while."

Lockhart dropped the spoon directly, stood up hastily, turned around and ran towards his office.

His face was so pale that no blood could be seen at all, he looked like a living vampire.

And no matter where he goes, he always holds the Voldemort's diary in his arms and refuses to let go.

Not long after Lockhart fled, Zuo Si came to the dining table of the teaching staff and asked in a playful tone: "What's wrong with our Defense Against the Dark Arts professor? Is he anxious or something else?" Unspeakable secret?"

"I think his reaction just now was a bit like having an epileptic seizure." Snape mocked with the corner of his mouth slightly raised.

Zuo Si pretended to be regretful and sighed: "Oh—that's such a pity. When I entered the door, I wanted to invite him to continue to attend the next class. You must know that his performance in class is It has won unanimous praise from all the students.”

Seeing the two singing and making fun of Lockhart, Dumbledore immediately interrupted with a strong cough: "Okay, let's put aside the matter about him first. If you don't mind, can you tell me that Fudge invited you this time?" Was there anything discussed at the Ministry of Magic?"

"Nothing special. They just showed me some research results, and set a time to hold a semi-public resurrection ceremony in a month." Zuo Si selectively told some truths.

"Who is it?" The expression on Dumbledore's face instantly became very serious.

Zuo Si replied bluntly: "Gideon Prewett. Mrs. Weasley's brother, Ron, Ginny, George and Fred's uncle, and also made a contribution to fight against the Death Eaters in the last wizarding war." Heroes who have made outstanding contributions.”

"Gideon Prewett?!"

When Professor McGonagall heard this name, his long-sealed memory was instantly activated. He tried not to let his emotions lose control, and said in a polar voice: "I remember him! He and Fabian Prewett are both good. Yes! Even in the face of the siege of five Death Eaters, they still desperately resisted until the last moment. And they are all Robert's best friends."

"You agree?"

Dumbledore clearly noticed the drastic change in Professor McGonagall's mood and the sudden outburst of repressed feelings.

"That's right. Because I have no reason to object. It's human nature to desire to bring back relatives who have died unnaturally. What's more, the resurrected object is a tragic hero." Zuo Si is very straightforward expressed his attitude.

This answer undoubtedly made Dumbledore frowned even tighter, and at the same time raised his head to ask: "You understand what this means, right?"

Zuo Si nodded slightly: "Of course. This means that in order to compete for a resurrection spot, many families and individuals will spare no effort. However, Minister Fudge promised that he will work with the parliament to formulate laws and rules to ensure the protection of the Philosopher's Stone." The power will not be abused, and it will not be used to resurrect those Death Eaters."

"What else? Have you thought about how that person would react when he heard the news?" Dumbledore said with strong concern in his tone.

Zuo Si responded indifferently: "If you mean Voldemort, you don't have to worry about it.

Because the Philosopher's Stone I created itself contains amazing life energy.

Unless he is fully revived, no matter how he touches it, he will be severely injured in an instant.

As for the Death Eaters under him, except for a few lunatics with abnormal brains, no one is willing to risk offending the entire wizarding world to steal the Philosopher's Stone for them.

Most importantly, this way, you can give those heroes the happy ending they deserve, don't you think? "

"But this breaks the boundary between life and death, and disrupts the laws of the entire world. Maybe one day in the future, you will pay a heavy price. You should be more cautious, and not let Fudge and those people mess around. "

Dumbledore finally stated his reasons for objecting.

In his opinion, whether it is time magic, prophecy, or resurrection from the dead, they should all be locked in the room of the Department of Mysteries without seeing the light of day.

Because these things are not the power that wizards can control at all.

Just when Snape was about to refute, Professor McGonagall suddenly stepped forward: "No! Albus! I think you are wrong this time, and South is right."

"Minerva! You..."

Dumbledore obviously didn't expect that the vice-principal, who had been standing behind him all these years and silently supporting him, would change his position in such a direct way.

"Sorry, not everyone can be as sensible as you. I want to resurrect my brother Robert, and I want to resurrect my former lover Dougal. Because this strong feeling of longing to meet and reunite is like a ball of eternal love. An unquenchable flame that burns my heart and soul."

After all, Professor McGonagall raised his head to reveal his tears-filled eyes.

And this scene made Dumbledore fall silent for an instant.

Because he had noticed that all the professors present here supported the use of the Philosopher's Stone to resurrect the innocents who died in the First Wizarding War, and even his heart was a little shaken.

Powerless!

confused!

Don't know the future direction!

For a moment, Dumbledore even felt that even the complete elimination of Voldemort had become irrelevant.

After all, even if he is revived, it is absolutely impossible to be the opponent of the young man in front of him. No matter how many times he is revived, it will only become a short record of the opponent's series of resounding titles and achievements.

But soon, the old man expelled these thoughts from his mind.

Unlike Zuo Si who is keen on creating and changing, Voldemort is a complete destroyer. His existence is a huge threat to the entire wizarding world and must be eliminated.

In the end, Dumbledore didn't say anything, but stood up and returned to the headmaster's office silently.

He understood that in this confrontation of ideas, he had completely lost to Zuo Si, and it was impossible to stop the Ministry of Magic's plan to resurrect the dead.

Watching the headmaster leave without a sound, Snape's nervousness instantly relaxed, and he forced a smile and said to Professor McGonagall, "Welcome to join us."

"You have secretly resurrected Lily, right?" Professor McGonagall tentatively asked hopefully.

"Yes, I resurrected Lily."

Snape didn't try to hide or lie, but chose to show his cards openly.

He understood that this matter could not be hidden for long, so he wanted to win another ally to join him.

"Successful? I mean... how is Lily now?"

Upon hearing that the resurrection was successful, Professor McGonagall's tone suddenly became tense and excited.

"How should I put it... She has lost a lot of memories, but she is still the same Lily, her personality has not changed much. And after forgetting those unpleasant experiences, the whole person has become very cheerful and happy. For For me, this is enough." Snape said affectionately.

"Lost memory? How much will be lost? Why?" Professor McGonagall is undoubtedly very sensitive to this issue.

Snape patiently explained: "According to South's speculation, the soul of a human being after death should gradually forget everything in life with the passage of time.

Therefore, the longer the dead person is resurrected, the more memories they will lose.

If it is hundreds of years, it is very likely that it will return to the state of a newborn baby.

But don't worry, your brother and love should die around the same time as Lily, and after being resurrected, just sharing memories should bring them back to life in no time. "

"I see! I'm relieved to hear you say that. But what are you going to do with the fact that Lily is married? And what are you going to tell Harry the truth?"

While saying these words, Professor McGonagall glanced at the savior who was sitting at the Gryffindor table and buried himself in cooking from the corner of his eye.

"As I said just now, people who are resurrected will lose a lot of memory. So even if someone puts great effort into resurrecting James Potter, he cannot easily accept a woman who is completely strange to him as his wife. What's more, do you think the Ministry of Magic Is the resurrection quota so easy to get? As for Harry, he will slowly accept the reality, and I will fulfill my responsibilities as a stepfather."

Snape also turned his head to stare at the Savior, his attitude was exactly like an "old father" looking at his unworthy child.

Harry seemed to feel something out of thin air, and suddenly raised his head to meet the former's gaze.

next second...

The hairs all over his body stood up in an instant, and he shuddered uncontrollably. At the same time, he recalled the incomparably real dream not long ago.

Could the nightmare of Snape becoming his stepfather come true?

At the thought of calling this most hated professor his father, and watching him show affection to his mother all day long, Harry's skin began to crawl all over his body.

Just when he was about to complain to his friend Ron, he suddenly realized that he hadn't seen Ron much for several days.

The youngest son of the Weasley family has been getting up almost as soon as dawn recently, disappearing for the whole day, and returning to the dormitory at night when everyone is asleep.

"Hey! Do you know where Ron is?" The savior asked other students not far away.

A senior Gryffindor student quickly replied after thinking about Thok: "Well - I think it's probably working in the garden in the backyard of the castle. But I suggest you better not go to him."

"Why?" Harry asked without knowing why.

"Because the appearance of anyone would hurt Ron's self-esteem, and his personality became extremely bad and irritable, and he liked to laugh at visitors in a sarcastic way, even his brothers and sisters were no exception."

"real?"

Harry looked at the twins in disbelief.

"Yes, true. He even declined our offer to help buy a new wand."

"Little Ron, who used to be cute, is starting to be a little annoying now."

Disgusted expressions appeared on George and Fred's faces.

As a result, under everyone's persuasion, Harry gave up his plan to visit his friends, and returned to the Gryffindor common room with the others after dinner.

From his point of view, Ron was simply throwing a tantrum.

After accepting the punishment, it will naturally return to the way it was before.

A few hours passed in a flash, and when the curfew was approaching midnight, the dirty Ron slowly walked in from the outside with his exhausted body.

Just when he was going to go near the kitchen to see if he could get some leftovers to fill his stomach, he suddenly smelled the aroma of food in the air.

Without any hesitation!

He immediately ran towards the smelling direction, and a few seconds later, he saw a familiar figure sitting in front of one of the tables filled with delicious meals.

"Soth?! You... why are you here?" Ron asked in shock.

"Of course I'm waiting for you. Sit down, I believe your stomach is going to be hungry now, let's eat first." Zuo Si took the initiative to make a gesture of invitation.

Although Ron was somewhat puzzled, where did the other party get these delicious foods, and why did he sit here and wait for him.

But the strong sense of hunger made him give up thinking decisively, and directly reached for the plate closest to him.

The moment the black hand was about to touch the white porcelain plate, a cleansing spell suddenly fell from the sky, cleaning all the dirt and sweat on his body.

Ron froze for a moment, then murmured a thank you, and quickly switched to frantic eating mode.

Since teenagers are originally growing their bodies, and what they do these days is heavy physical labor, so it took a while for them to kill food with a total weight of several catties like a storm.

He didn't stop to wipe his mouth until there was no more room in his stomach, and looked Zuo Si up and down with slightly curious eyes.

"I think you must be very strange, why am I waiting for you here, right?" Zuo Si asked with a smile.

"It's kind of weird. After all, our relationship isn't good enough for you to stay up most of the night and wait for me with a table full of dinner." There was a hint of self-mockery in Ron's tone.

"So...you feel innocent, have been unfairly targeted, and are full of dissatisfaction and resentment?" Zuo Si continued to ask with great interest.

To be honest, he kind of likes Ron's current cynical look, at least it's much better than the original low self-esteem and cowardice.

(end of this chapter)