Chapter 191: Conversations by the Campfire

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Having a topic to discuss helps ease the awkwardness of a reunion. After eating roasted meat and drinking together, Sirius clearly began to relax. Perhaps it was due to the dragon blood whiskey Harry had brought—stronger than Sirius had expected. As they talked, Sirius's eyes grew red, and he let out a suppressed sob. Gripping Harry's arm tightly, he expressed his pain and regret.

During his ten years in Azkaban, Sirius never stopped repenting. He had always believed it was his fault that his best friend and his wife had lost their lives. This guilt was a crime he could never forgive himself for.

He hadn't chosen to run from it, nor did he beg Harry for forgiveness. He knew it was too late for that now.

"It's all in the past," Sirius said. "Peter Pettigrew has been dealt with. If nothing unexpected happens, the Dementors will have already sucked out his soul. He'll be nothing more than a living corpse, rotting away in Azkaban's filthy cells."

"Oh, by the way," Harry interjected, "I have good news. I killed Voldemort once during my first year, and just two nights ago, I captured another fragment of his soul. Professor Grindelwald recreated his body and even played a few interesting games with him. At this point, Voldemort is probably more eager to die than anyone else in the world."

Harry patted Sirius on the back in a gesture of comfort.

"Is that true?" Sirius looked up in disbelief. He knew Harry had captured Pettigrew, but he hadn't heard anything about Voldemort.

"Of course it's true. Where else would I have gotten the ingredients for Polyjuice Potion? You know it requires a piece of the subject's body—usually hair."

"And where is that bastard now? He's still alive, isn't he?" Sirius's face twisted with a mix of rage and anticipation. If there was anyone who wanted revenge on Voldemort more than Harry, it was Sirius. The sheer intensity of his killing intent surpassed even Harry's.

"If Professor Grindelwald hasn't accidentally killed him by the time we get back, you'll probably get to see him," Harry replied nonchalantly. "But let me warn you—after reconstructing his body, Voldemort split his soul again, so now he's a 20-centimeter-tall little Tom."

"If you really want revenge, I can take you with me next time," Harry added with a smirk.

"Don't look at me like that," he said when he saw Sirius's expression shift. "I'm better than most wizards already. If I had better control over magic, I'd have mastered all the seventh-year spells by now. But beating some mediocre Aurors? That's no problem at all."

"After all, I have my cheats."

The power of the Awakened was Harry's greatest advantage. Especially after mastering Apparition, his superiority over ordinary wizards became evident. In a face-to-face duel, Harry admitted he might not outmatch sixth- or seventh-year students in pure technique. But in real combat, he could easily eliminate ten times his number.

Theory and practice were entirely different arenas. Hagrid was a prime example: hopeless at written exams but phenomenal in hands-on situations. Speaking of Hagrid, the egg from the Arclight Dragon X Thunderbird crossbreed was about to hatch. If it succeeded, Hagrid would undoubtedly cement his reputation in the magical creatures research community, possibly earning a title as a master of hybrid breeding.

"Harry!"

Suddenly, Sirius gripped Harry's arm tightly, his face serious. "At the Ministry, you used the Cruciatus Curse, didn't you?"

"Unforgivable curses are for people like Tom Riddle—Voldemort—not Harry Potter," Harry replied casually. "That guy used the Imperius Curse to control dozens of wizards and wreak havoc in the Ministry. Who cares about one Cruciatus?"

Harry waved his hand dismissively. After spending so much time with Grindelwald, his already low moral threshold had only dropped further. Yes, it was all Grindelwald's fault.

"But that's an Unforgivable Curse! It's dark magic!" Sirius exclaimed, clearly concerned by Harry's nonchalant attitude.

"Dark magic?" Harry paused, then shrugged. "Alright, sure, if you want to call it that. But dark magic is still just magic. As long as it's used properly, there's no problem."

"Listen to me first." Harry glanced at Sirius, cutting off the lecture he saw coming. "Dark magic is simply magic driven by negative emotions. In essence, it's no different from so-called white magic. Professor Grindelwald is an incredible dark wizard—far ahead of most in his understanding of it. During my first year, he taught Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts. I learned a lot of useful things from him."

"I admit the Unforgivable Curses are risky, but when used correctly, they don't harm me. Voldemort and his Death Eaters are lunatics—they twisted dark magic into something grotesque and insane. But I won't follow their path."

"Soul-splitting, mental distortion—those side effects of the Killing Curse and Cruciatus don't affect me. As for the Imperius Curse, it's not even true dark magic. Its terrifying capabilities are what landed it on the list of Unforgivable Curses."

"When we return to Europe, you should go to Durmstrang. They offer adult education courses for wizards, and you'll learn things far more relevant to the modern magical world than what Hogwarts teaches."

"You want revenge on Voldemort, right? What you learned at Hogwarts ten years ago won't cut it. Voldemort is powerful. If he regains his body, I might not be able to defeat him in a straight duel—not without Apparition. Back then, I was just a fool stumbling around."

"Alright," Sirius muttered weakly, nodding. After all, he had been captured by the Ministry, while Harry had stormed in alone and rescued him.

"It's about time," Harry said, checking his watch. "I've dealt with the tracking mark left on you, and here's your wand—I managed to retrieve it. If we delay any longer, the pursuers will catch up, and escaping will be much harder."

Sirius frowned in confusion at Harry's parting words. "What about you, Harry? Don't tell me you're staying here."

"Why else would I disguise myself as Voldemort?" Harry replied, raising an eyebrow. "I didn't come all this way for nothing. I've got some other matters to handle—like stirring up some trouble for him. England's Ministry of Magic can't be relied on, so if Voldemort loves making moves, I'll make sure he gets a proper opponent."

Harry smirked. "The Lance of Longinus is perfect for this. Not only will the International Confederation of Wizards come after him, but every bloodthirsty bounty hunter will also jump at the chance to stab him in the back. After all, Voldemort's bounty is a million Galleons. That's no small payday."

While speaking, Harry uncorked a bottle of Polyjuice Potion and downed it in one gulp, grimacing at the taste. His appearance changed rapidly, and the handsome, elegant Dark Lord emerged once again before Sirius.

Harry picked up the skewer he had been using for roasting meat. It wasn't just a simple stick—it was the fake Lance of Longinus he had seen in Grindelwald's possession, complete with a deliberately placed tracking charm.

Sirius inspected the short, shiny spear and asked hesitantly, "So, this is the Lance of Longinus? The thing that nearly got me killed?"

"It's a fake," Harry said casually. "The real one was swapped out long ago. But that's better. A fake suits my purposes perfectly. It took quite a bit of effort to steal this from the Ministry of Magic."

Without his Invisibility Cloak, sneaking into the heavily guarded vaults would have been nearly impossible, even with Apparition. The magical barriers there were so numerous that not even a mosquito could get through unscathed.

"You shouldn't do such reckless things," Sirius muttered, though he now had a clearer understanding of just how audacious his godson could be. Oddly, it eased some of his previous worries about Harry.

"How did I get it?" Harry smirked. "Oh, I ambushed and knocked out a few Aurors, kidnapped the current president of the Confederation for five minutes—though I was discovered pretty quickly. Still, I got what I wanted."

"We can talk about the rest later. Here's your wand." Harry handed Sirius a bundle. "There are a few bottles of Polyjuice Potion and some Galleons in there, too. Time to go, Sirius."

Without hesitation or complaint, Sirius prepared to leave, knowing he would only be a burden if he stayed. With a soft pop, he disappeared.

Meanwhile, the elegant and dashing Dark Lord Voldemort—Harry in disguise—downed the remaining half bottle of dragon blood whiskey. With a flick of his wand, he extinguished the roaring campfire, leaving behind only ashes.

"Dawn is coming," Harry murmured, glancing at the horizon.

(End of Chapter)