"Snap!"
A familiar popping sound echoed in the room, like soone had fired a gun.
But the room’s soundproofing was excellent, so the noise didn’t disturb anyone else.
The bell on the wardrobe jangled dingly-ding, and the next second, Cube and Lock erged from inside it.
Having just Apparated ho, Vid placed the book he brought back on the table, took off his cloak, and Cube reached out to take it while Lock bent over to pour a cup of hot tea.
"When did you get back, Lock?" Vid asked.
"An hour ago," Lock said. "I need Cube’s help to deal with Voldemort."
Vid was montarily stunned, recalling that he had neglected matters related to Voldemort, leaving Lock without clear instructions.
However, when Lock was first created, they had a long conversation about his purpose, the mission he needed to accomplish, and Vid’s knowledge of the "future."
He was a bit curious about how Lock would act without explicit commands.
From the previous rescue operation, it was clear that these poppets weren’t mindless robots blindly following orders; they were skilled at adapting.
"Tell what you did," Vid asked.
Lock sat across from him, hands on his knees, and said, "While tracking Gilderoy Lockhart and Gall Trocar, I found that Sirius Black was also tailing them."
"To avoid exposing the plan, I chose not to reveal myself for now, occasionally sending out a rat to distract Sirius Black and leading all three of them toward Riddle Manor..."
The guiding process in the middle, Lock sumd up in one or two sentences, focusing instead on everything encountered after arriving at Riddle Manor.
Lock didn’t actually have a very complex plan; his mind wasn’t adept at creating strategies that span thousands of miles. He just prepared two plans.
If Voldemort wasn’t yet at the manor, he planned to dig up Voldemort’s father’s bones, impeding his resurrection, and incidentally leak the "Dark Lord Resurrection Plan" to Sirius and possibly to Lockhart and Trocar as well.
If Voldemort was already inside, he could still leak the resurrection plan. Once Sirius discovered that the Muggle Manor was Voldemort’s hideout, Lock believed he would lead Dumbledore and the Ministry’s Aurors there.
In this way, Voldemort could be captured or killed, and the Death Eaters aiding him would also face inevitable doom. Lock could then resurface as Peter Pettigrew, finally achieving the feat of "Wormtail’s Death."
The poppet summarized a simple rule — each ti Voldemort was destroyed, he needed to lie low for a long ti before returning.
If this resurrecting Voldemort could also be killed, Vid wouldn’t have to worry about this for at least one or two years and would undoubtedly be very pleased.
"Although Voldemort didn’t show up, it’s virtually certain he’s in the manor because Gilderoy Lockhart seems to be under the Imperio curse."
Lock said, "So I ca to find Cube. It can quickly steal Tom Riddle’s bones without alarming the wizard."
Vid was taken aback: "Steal them?"
Lock nodded: "Steal, or replace them with the bones of another Muggle. Without magic power and no bloodline, maybe the resurrection magic will fail, or even if he revives, he won’t have great power."
Vid stroked his chin, contemplating the feasibility of this approach.
If magic were as precise as potions, Lock’s plan would undoubtedly be feasible, but sotis magic allows for a great margin of error.
"Father’s bone" might emphasize just the bloodline. Without the father, there are still the mother, uncles, grandparents, or even other relatives from Riddle and Gaunt families.
Or perhaps replace it with unrelated bones; if Voldemort internally believes these are his father’s bones, the magic might still work... But indeed, his magical power could be affected after revival.
Without "father’s bone," this resurrection magic would indeed fail, but that doesn’t an Voldemort couldn’t be resurrected.
Vid had read a lot of dark magic books recently and discovered that as long as a Soul Artifact keeps the creator’s soul in this world, there is more than one way for resurrection magic.
For example, the diary Soul Artifact in the original could achieve incomplete resurrection by absorbing the life and magic of others.
Or in ancient Egyptian magic, a series of rituals and curse charms could revive the soul.
Even when the cloned sheep Dolly appeared, if Voldemort used Muggle cloning technology to create an appropriate body for himself, he might also be able to revive.
The Dark Lord’s use of this ancient black magic isn’t due to a lack of options but as a ans to exploit the protective magic left by Harry’s mother, to break the prophecy and prevent Harry from being his "nesis."
But his understanding of magic isn’t as profound as he believes.
He broke one protection only to throw himself into a new trap, where the resurrection magic would establish an even more mysterious connection between him and Harry Potter, ultimately leading to his downfall.
What if the resurrection is altered here... What if Lock really swapped Voldemort’s father’s bones... What would the future beco? Would Voldemort beco weak, or would he find another way to return?
Vid pondered for a long ti, hesitant.
It’s much easier to defeat the boss with a strategy guide in hand, and far more reassuring because he’ll know which direction will certainly lead to victory.
But Voldemort, unlike Grindelwald, seeks power in a more extre, unscrupulous way, even resorting to senseless mass killings to spread fear and showcase his power.
Vid rembered so of the high-profile actions Voldemort took in the original after making a grand coback—
The bridge collapse, the hurricane, releasing Dentors, recruiting werewolves and giants, killing at will.
In the book, these rely served as atmospheric backdrops for the story, but if translated to reality, it would be countless people’s tragedies.
Vid looked out the window.
There weren’t many people on the street, a mother pushing a stroller, a middle-aged man eating a hamburger on the go, students with backpacks joking and laughing, and an elderly man pushing a lawnmower to trim the grass.
A taxi stopped at the door, and Fiona got out with shopping bags. Perhaps sensing the gaze above, she looked up, then flashed a bright smile and waved at Vid by the window.
Then ca Ferdinand, helping an old man out of the car, pointing to the front yard while talking, seemingly introducing his ho.
Vid told himself in his heart: [You can’t wait until the people who matter get hurt to regret not taking action sooner.]
"Go ahead,"
He said to the poppets, "Create so trouble for Voldemort, weaken him as much as possible."
"If given the chance, can we kill him?" Cube asked cautiously.
Vid paused, then said, "Yes."
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