Chapter 106: The Informant's Pustules, the Principal's Phoenix, and the Castle Without Shackles
On the eve of the Easter holidays.
The breath of spring had just attempted to scale the walls of Hogwarts before being frozen to death outside by Umbridge's high-pressure policies. The atmosphere inside the Castle was even more desolate than in winter.
Slytherin dungeons, Morrin's private office.
Morrin White was currently fine-tuning a complex alchemical instrument. It was a golden circlet, inlaid with something from Ravenc—
"[Wisdom Amplifier - Mass Production Type] test report."
While recording data, Morrin said to several senior Slytherin students in front of him, whose eyes were somewhat dull.
"How do you feel?"
They were volunteers testing the drug in order to pass their O.W.L.s exams.
"My mind... is very clear," one student murmured to himself. "I feel like I could memorize the entire History of Magic, but I'm a bit... dizzy."
"The side effect is magical exhaustion," Morrin wrote down the conclusion on the parchment. "It can only be used as a prohibited drug for pre-exam cramming and cannot be used long-term. Price is 50 Galleons per dose."
Just then, there was a knock on the office door.
Malfoy rushed in, his face wearing a mix of twisted excitement and tension.
"Morrin! We caught them! We found a lead!"
"Speak slowly," Morrin put down his quill.
"That D.A. Army! Umbridge found an informant!" Malfoypanted. "It's a Ravenclaw girl! She's in the Principal's office right now! Umbridge sent me to get you, saying that as a representative of the Board of Governors, you should witness Dumbledore's downfall!"
"A Ravenclaw girl?"
Morrin narrowed his eyes.
Marietta Edgecombe.
That poor soul who was forced to betray her friends because her mother worked at the Ministry of Magic.
"Very interesting."
Morrin stood up, took off his white lab coat, and put on his black formal trench coat.
"Let's go, Draco. Let's see how that usually smiling old Principal handles this 'palace coup'."
...Eighth floor, Principal's office.
It was crowded with people.
Cornelius Fudge, Kingsley Shacklebolt disguised as the Minister's bodyguard, Auror Dawlish, Umbridge, as well as Harry Potter, who had been caught red-handed, and that Marietta girl who was covering her face and weeping.
When Morrin pushed the door open and entered, Fudgelooked as if he had seen a savior.
"Ah! Mr. White! You've come at just the right time!" Fudgerubbed his hands excitedly. "We've finally caught the evidence! Dumbledore is organizing a secret army in the school! Intending to subvert the Ministry of Magic!"
Morrin ignored Fudge's fanaticism.
He walked up to Marietta.
The girl was tightly covering her face, and a few purple pustules were visible between her fingers.
Morrin lightly waved his wand, and an invisible force forcibly moved Marietta's hands away.
On that otherwise fairly pretty face, a row of horrific large letters formed by pustules was sprawled across:
SNEAK, Informant.
"Tsk tsk."
Morrin let out an ambiguous sigh, his gaze sweeping over the pale-faced Harry in the corner.
"Miss Granger's level of Dark Arts is improving. This kind of curse... is very difficult to remove. It seems this young lady will have to live with this word for the rest of her life."
Marietta let out a desperate sob.
"Enough! That's not important!" Umbridge shrieked, pointing at Dumbledore. "The important thing is the list! We found the list in the Room of Requirement! The header says 'Dumbledore's Army'!"
Fudge held the parchment, looking triumphantly at Dumbledore:
"I suppose you have nothing to say, Dumbledore? 'Dumbledore's Army'—did you recruit them yourself?"
Dumbledore sat in the high-backed chair, his fingertips pressed together, his expression as calm as if they were discussing what to have for dinner.
His bright blue eyes looked at Harry through his half-moon spectacles—that was to protect Harry—and then he looked at Morrin.
Morrin stood to the side, leaning on his wand, with that habitual cold smile on his face.
The two exchanged a look.
"Are you leaving, Professor?" Morrin's eyes seemed to be—
"I'll leave this place to you, Mr. White," Dumbledore's gaze remained gentle.
"Very well, Cornelius."
Dumbledore finally spoke, his voice steady:
"Since the evidence is conclusive, I admit it. This is the army I intended to build. Harry Potter was only acting on my instructions."
He still chose to take the blame for Harry.
"Ha!" Fudge shouted. "I knew it! Arrest him! Dawlish! Kingsley! Grab him!"
The two Aurors stepped forward.
"Even for you, Professor Dumbledore," Umbridge revealed a sinister smile, "it's impossible to take on the entire Ministry of Magic alone—"
"I think you've misunderstood, Dolores."
Dumbledore stood up.
In that instant, the air in the office seemed to freeze.
A magic power so massive it was suffocating erupted from that seemingly aged body.
Morrin opened the Gate of Truth.
In his vision, Dumbledore was no longer an old man, but a dazzling, white radiance as hot as the sun.
"I have no intention of being sent to Azkaban."
Dumbledore said softly.
Fudge hadn't reacted yet: "What?"
"I said—I intend to make a run for it."
Before the words had even faded.
Fawkes, behind Dumbledore, suddenly let out a loud cry and swooped down.
Dumbledore raised his hand and grabbed the Phoenix's tail feathers.
Boom!
A flash of silver light.
The four Aurors who tried to rush forward, along with Fudge and Umbridge, were instantly sent flying as if hit by a heavy hammer, crashing into the walls and losing consciousness.
Only Morrin remained.
Just a moment before the light erupted, the black ironwood wand in his hand slammed into the floor.
[Alchemy Shield: Omni-directional Deployment].
The golden light shield blocked the shockwave.
He still stood steadily in place, not a single hair out of order.
The light dissipated.
Dumbledore and the Phoenix had disappeared.
The office was in shambles.
Fudge was groaning on the floor, and Umbridge was buried under a pile of books.
Harry watched all this, dumbfounded.
"Quite the style."
Morrin retracted the shield, looked at the empty Principal's seat, and lightly clapped his hands.
"As expected of the greatest white Wizard of the century. Even his escape is so... magnificent."
Fudge scrambled up and roared in a fit of rage: "Where did he go?! Pursue him! Issue a warrant!"
"Save your breath, Minister."
Morrin walked over to Fudge and helped him brush the dust off his clothes.
"You won't catch him. Besides, you have more important things to do now."
"What?"
"You've won." Morrin pointed at the empty seat. "Dumbledore is gone. Hogwarts is now leaderless."
The corners of Morrin's mouth curled into a dangerous arc:
"Don't you intend to... let your capable assistant, Madam Umbridge, take over this Castle?"
Umbridge crawled out from the pile of books. Hearing this, her eyes instantly lit up.
"Principal? Me?"
"Yes." Morrin looked at her, his eyes flashing with a cold light known as 'killing with praise', "The new Principal of Hogwarts. Isn't this what you've dreamed of?"
...That night, the notice board.
[Educational Decree Number Twenty-Eight]
[Dolores Umbridge takes over as Hogwarts Principal.]
This news was like a heavy bomb, shattering the students' last hopes.
Dumbledore was gone.
Now, the Castle had completely fallen into the hands of that pink devil.
But for Morrin White, this was the beginning of the revelry.
Slytherin dungeons.
"Young master, Dumbledore is gone. Does that mean we have no more constraints?" Alfred asked.
"No."
Morrin stood by the window, looking at the pitch-black night outside.
"The disappearance of constraints means that chaos has begun."
"Umbridge can't suppress this school at all. Fred and George will turn the school upside down, Peeves will go crazy, and the teachers will be passive and slack off."
"And in this unprecedented chaos..."
Morrin took out the box containing the [Invisibility Cloak Analysis Diagrams] and the [marauders map replica].
"...I can finally, without any qualms, take those things I have coveted for so long."
[Current Draw Count: 40]
"Harry's nightmare is about to reach its climax."
Morrin glanced at the alchemical compass, the needle of which was pointing towards distant London.
"Lord Voldemort has already implanted the illusion of 'Sirius being tortured' into Harry. the savior will soon break down."
"Get ready, Alfred."
Morrin gripped his wand tightly:
"The moment Harry rushes out of the school... will be the time we march into the Ministry of Magic."
Chapter 107: The Twins' Curtain Call and the Scream in the O.W.L.s Exam Hall
May, O.W.L.s exam week.
With Dumbledore's departure, Dolores Umbridge finally got her wish and took the position of Headmistress.
Although she couldn't enter the Headmaster's office—the Gargoyle refused to open the door for her—it didn't stop her from turning Hogwarts into a high-pressure prison.
But this was only on the surface.
Just as Morrin White had predicted, beneath the high pressure was a volcano about to erupt.
The fifth-floor corridor.
It had turned into a massive, foul-smelling, bubbling Magical Swamp.
This was the Weasley Twins' public declaration of war against Umbridge's new regime.
Filch was struggling to clean the swamp with a mop, but with every stroke, the swamp expanded a bit more.
Umbridge stood to the side, screaming in exasperation and waving her wand in an attempt to cast the Vanishing Spell.
"Evanesco!"
Splat.
Not only did the swamp not disappear, but it also spewed a jet of mud, coating Umbridge's face.
"It seems the Ministry's cleaning spells aren't very effective."
Morrin White passed by with his "Disciplinary Committee."
He wore a crisp school uniform and held an evaluation report on "Swamp Ecological Development," completely ignoring Umbridge's pathetic state.
"White!" Umbridge screamed, wiping the mud off her face. "Have your Inquisitorial Squad clean this up! And go arrest those two Weasley bastards!"
"My apologies, Headmistress."
Morrin stopped and gave an elegant shrug.
"My 'Inquisitorial Squad' is only responsible for maintaining order among students, not for handling... alchemical accidents."
Morrin pointed at the swamp.
"This contains a high concentration of 'Self-replicating Alchemical Medium.' If you try to force a cleanup, it might submerge the entire Castle. My suggestion is to cordon it off and use it as a new practical terrain for 'Defense Against the Dark Arts.' It fits your teaching philosophy perfectly, doesn't it?"
The surrounding students burst into laughter.
Umbridge trembled with rage but could do nothing to Morrin.
Just then, a loud explosion echoed from the end of the corridor.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Fred and George sped through the corridor on their broomsticks.
They trailed long plumes of colored smoke behind them, as countless fireworks made of Dragon Fire (sponsored by Morrin) darted around the Castle, exploding into fire Dragons, wheels of fire, and screaming pig heads.
"Goodbye, Hogwarts!" Fred shouted. "We've had enough!"
"If you want to buy a Portable Swamp, go to Number 93, Diagon Alley!" George added. "Mention Harry Potter's name for a twenty percent discount!"
The two burst through the front doors and flew into the sky of freedom.
Morrin stood by the window, watching the twins' departing figures with a satisfied smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
"That's some good advertising," Morrin commented softly. "It looks like the grand opening of 'Weasleys Wizard Wheezes' will be very lively. My Angel Investment will be paying off soon."
The chaos continued.
But for the fifth-year students, the true hell was the O.W.L.s... A few days later, the History of Magic exam hall.
The Great Hall was as hot as a steamer.
All the fifth-years were scribbling furiously, answering questions about 'Uric the Oddball.'
Morrin White sat in the back row.
He had finished long ago.
With his Photographic Memory and Mind Palace, this kind of rote-memorization exam was effortless for him.
He was now drawing a map of the Department of Mysteries on the back of his parchment, calculating the optimal intrusion route.
[Current Draw Count: 42]
The chaos during this period had earned him quite a few rewards from sign-ins.
Suddenly.
A dull thud of something heavy hitting the floor came from ahead.
Harry Potter had fallen off his chair and collapsed heavily onto the floor.
He clutched his face with both hands, rolling in pain on the ground and letting out suppressed screams.
"Potter!" Professor Tofty cried out in alarm, running over.
Morrin stopped writing.
He activated True Sight.
He saw the black mist belonging to Lord Voldemortchurning violently around Harry's brain, constructing an incredibly realistic illusion:
The dark Department of Mysteries, shelves full of crystal balls, and... Sirius Black being tortured by Crucio.
"Finally connected."
Morrin watched the agonizing Harry with cold eyes.
"This is the script Voldemort prepared for you, Harry. A trap that doesn't exist, yet is enough to drive you mad."
Harry was sent to the Hospital Wing.
Morrin handed in his paper and didn't follow.
He knew what Harry would do next; he would find a way to confirm if Sirius was at home... Umbridge's office.
Harry and Hermione were trying to use the Floo powder in Umbridge's fireplace to contact Grimmauld Place.
However, they were caught.
This time, they were truly caught. Umbridge burst in, bringing Goyle and Crabbe with her.
"I wanted to contact Dumbledore!" Harry was pinned to a chair, still lying.
"Liar!" Umbridge slapped Harry hard across the face. "Who were you trying to contact? Sirius Black?"
Harry was shocked. How did she know?
"Crucio..." Umbridge raised her wand, actually intending to use an Unforgivable Curse on a student.
"Ahem."
The office door was pushed open again.
Morrin White walked in. He didn't even knock.
"White!" Umbridge's hand jerked in fright, nearly dropping her wand. "You... how did you get in?"
"The door was unlocked."
Morrin walked into the room, glanced at Harry tied to the chair, and then at Umbridge holding her wand.
"Madam Headmistress, using an Unforgivable Curse in school... that's a one-way ticket to Azkaban. Are you sure you want to ruin your future for the sake of a few children?"
"They're plotting a rebellion! They're contacting Dumbledore!" Umbridge shrieked.
"No."
Hermione suddenly spoke up, a flash of desperate wisdom in her eyes as she looked at Morrin:
"We weren't contacting Dumbledore. We wanted to... to go see that Secret Weapon."
"Secret Weapon?" Umbridge froze.
"Yes," Hermione began to weave the lie. "The weapon Dumbledore left behind. It's in the Forbidden Forest."
Umbridge's greedy eyes lit up. If she could get that weapon... "Take me there," Umbridge ordered. "Potter, Granger, lead the way! White, you too..."
"I'll pass."
Morrin interrupted her, sitting down on the sofa with a relaxed posture.
"I'm not interested in this 'wilderness survival.' Besides, I should stay here and watch over this office for you. After all..."
Morrin pointed to the fireplace.
"...what if one of Dumbledore's people really does pop out?"
Umbridge hesitated for a moment, but her greed for the weapon overcame her suspicion.
"Fine! You stay here! The rest of you, follow me!"
Umbridge marched Harry and Hermione into the Forbidden Forest.
She didn't know that Hagrid's Giant brother, Grawp, and a herd of angry Centaurs were waiting for her there.
Morrin was left alone in the office.
He stood up and walked to the fireplace.
He didn't use Floo powder.
He took out the Alchemy Compass that had been vibrating.
"Sirius is at Grimmauld Place, perfectly safe."
Morrin looked at the display on the compass, then out the window toward the Forbidden Forest.
"But Harry doesn't know that. He's convinced Sirius is being tortured at the Ministry."
"Once he gets rid of Umbridge in the Forbidden Forest, he'll take the elites of the D.A. and fly straight to Londonon Thestrals."
Morrin straightened his trench coat and pulled a black mask from his pocket.
It wasn't a Death Eater's mask.
It was a half-face mask inscribed with Golden Alchemical Runes.
"It's time for me to head out too."
Morrin's figure twisted and vanished into thin air.
"Voldemort, Dumbledore, and... those ancient laws."
"Tonight, we're going to redistribute ownership of this world."
Chapter 108: The Masked Director and Lucius's "Liquidated Damages"
Late at night.
The London night sky was clear and cold.
Six figures riding Thestrals streaked across the sky above the Thames, landing beside a deserted visitor entrance telephone booth.
Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Neville, and Luna.
This fledgling D.A. squad, fueled by sheer courage, rushed into the black door that represented the highest secrets of the wizarding world.
"This way!" Harry led the way with practiced ease, guided by the connection from his dreams through the empty hall and into the golden lift, straight down to the ninth basement level.
Department of Mysteries.
This black door had appeared in his dreams countless times.
When they pushed open the door, passed through the circular hall full of spinning rooms, and traversed the creepy Brain Room, they finally reached their destination.
The Hall of Prophecy.
It was a room as grand as a cathedral, yet eerie and ice-cold.
Thousands of dust-covered glass spheres sat on shelves that stretched beyond sight, with faint candlelight reflecting off the glass in a ghostly blue glow.
"Row 97..." Harry counted the numbers on the shelves, his heart thumping like a drum, "Over there."
They found it.
However, Sirius was not there.
The floor was empty—no blood, no torture devices, only a thick layer of dust.
"Harry..." Hermione's voice trembled slightly, "This isn't right. No one is here."
"But I saw it!" Harry looked around anxiously, "He was being tortured right here! Voldemort is torturing him!"
"Harry!" Ron suddenly pointed to a small glass sphere on the shelf, "This one... has your name on it."
Harry leaned in to look. The yellowed label read:
To: The Dark Lord and Harry Potter. S.P.T. Written by: Sybill Trelawney.
Harry reached out and, as if possessed, gripped the glass sphere.
The moment he took it down.
"Well done, Potter."
A drawling voice, filled with malice and triumph, came from the shadows behind them.
"Now, turn around. Give it to me."
Twelve dark figures emerged from behind the surrounding shelves.
They wore masks with only their eyes exposed, wands pointed at the six surrounded students.
The leader removed his mask.
Lucius Malfoy.
A victor's smile hung on that pale, pointed face.
And beside him was a Witch with disheveled hair and a crazed look in her eyes: Bellatrix Lestrange.
"Give it to me, Potter," Lucius said, reaching out his hand, "if you don't want your friends to die here."
"Where is Sirius?" Harry gripped the prophecy sphere tightly.
"That traitor?" Bellatrix let out a shrill, hysterical laugh. "He's at home sleeping! It seems our savior is not only a baby but a dreaming fool! The Dark Lord merely implanted a few images in your mind, and you came running like a good little boy!"
Harry felt the blood in his veins freeze.
Morrin was right.
It was a trap. Like a fool, he had led his friends straight into a trap.
"Stop wasting time, Lucius!" Bellatrix raised her wand. "Avada—"
"Wait!" Lucius stopped her. "We need that sphere! That's what the Dark Lord wants!"
Just as the two sides were at a standoff and Harry was preparing to shout the signal to smash the shelves.
Tap, tap, tap.
The crisp, rhythmic sound of a cane tapping against the floor rang out abruptly in the deathly silent hall.
The sound wasn't loud, but it felt as if it were tapping directly on everyone's hearts.
All the Death Eaters turned their heads in shock and suspicion.
At the end of row 96, a tall, slender figure stepped out from the dark shadows.
He wore a pitch-black, slim-fit trench coat with silver patterns and black leather gloves.
On his face was a golden alchemical mask that only covered the upper half, revealing a cold jawline and that signature, unsettling smile.
"The way these prophecy spheres are displayed is truly unscientific."
The masked Morrin lightly tapped a nearby shelf of glass spheres with his cane, creating a tinkling sound.
"If one is accidentally knocked over, these tens of thousands of spheres will all shatter like dominoes. As a taxpayer, I am concerned about the Ministry of Magic's warehouse management."
"Who are you?!" Bellatrix shrieked. "Kill that meddling brat!"
Two Death Eaters immediately turned, firing two streaks of green light toward Morrin.
"Reflect."
Morrin didn't even draw his wand. He simply raised his cane casually and drew a circle in the air.
A golden mirror-like shield appeared out of thin air.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
The two Killing Curses were precisely deflected, shooting toward the ceiling and shattering a chandelier.
"That voice..."
Lucius Malfoy stared intently at the masked man.
That build, that cane, and that aura of a 'creditor' that made his very soul tremble.
"Whi... White?" Lucius stammered.
"Good evening, Mr. Malfoy."
Morrin did not remove his mask, but his voice was full of mockery:
"What a coincidence. Are you here for the night shift as a security guard too? However, I recall that according to our 'Commercial VAM Agreement,' if the House of Malfoybecomes involved in 'terrorist activities' leading to asset depreciation, you are to pay triple the liquidated damages."
Morrin approached step by step. The pressure from the mixture of [Dragon's Awe] and [Half-Giant Bloodline] forced the surrounding Death Eaters to retreat involuntarily.
"Triple liquidated damages, Lucius."
Morrin stopped five meters away from the Death Eaters, gesturing to the surroundings with his cane:
"If you don't want to go bankrupt tomorrow morning, you'd better tell your friends to... put their wands down."
The room fell into an uproar.
Harry and the members of the D.A. were stunned.
At this life-and-death moment, Morrin was actually discussing liquidated damages with Death Eaters?
"You again, you little half-breed!" Although Bellatrix had just been released from prison, she had heard of Morrin's exploits. She was a lunatic; she didn't care about money.
"Who do you think you are? Do you want to die too?" Bellatrix waved her wand frantically, "Crucio!"
This time, Morrin didn't block.
— [Time 0.5 Seconds] activated.
His figure flickered slightly, and the red curse passed through his afterimage.
In the next second, he had already appeared in front of Bellatrix, less than half a meter away.
Slap!
Morrin's dragon-hide gloved left hand struck Bellatrix's face hard.
This slap utilized [Half-Giant Strength].
Bellatrix was sent flying, crashing into a shelf as hundreds of glass spheres shattered over her.
"This is the so-called pure-blood elite?"
Morrin shook his hand, looking at his glove with disgust.
"Can't even manage proper magic control, only capable of barking like a mad dog."
Morrin turned around, his back to the terrified Death Eaters, and looked at the dumbstruck Harry.
"Harry."
Morrin's voice sounded slightly distorted through the mask:
"Did you get what you wanted?"
Harry held up the prophecy sphere in his hand and nodded.
"Good."
Morrin pointed toward the exit behind him:
"Take your people and get out. Don't get in the way here."
"What about you?" Harry asked.
"I have my own business to discuss."
Morrin tilted his head, glancing at the Death Eaters who were closing in again and at Lucius's venomous gaze.
"Besides, I need to go to the room next door to... pick up some stock."
Next door were the Death Chamber and the Time Room.
"Get the boy! Don't let him escape!" Lucius roared. He didn't dare touch Morrin, but he had to get the prophecy sphere.
"Confringo!" Harry shouted.
The D.A. began to fight back. Shelves collapsed, glass spheres shattered, and the white mist of prophecies filled the air.
Chaos erupted.
Amidst the chaos, Morrin did not join the battle.
Like a ghost, he moved through the battlefield toward the black archway leading to the Death Chamber.
There was a veil there.
The boundary between life and death.
And his true objective for tonight.
"Lucius."
Before stepping through the archway, Morrin took one last look back at Malfoy, who was directing the battle.
"Remember to protect your face. Tomorrow's headline in The Daily Prophet will need a clear photograph."
With that, Morrin vanished into the darkness.
Leaving behind a group of Wizards in a chaotic brawl and a Ministry of Magic on the brink of complete collapse.
Chapter 109: The Whispers Behind the Veil, The Creditor Who Refuses Default
Death Chamber.
This was a vast, circular room resembling an ancient Roman coliseum.
In the center of the room was a huge stone pit, and at the bottom of the pit stood an ancient stone archway.
A tattered Black veil hung from the archway, and although there was no wind, the veil swayed gently.
Faint, indistinct whispers emanated from behind the veil.
They were the voices of the dead.
Morrin White stood alone at the edge of the stone pit, ignoring the roar of battle coming from the distance behind him. He removed one corner of his alchemical mask, revealing his lips, and exhaled a breath of stale air.
"Is this the end?"
He stared at the veil.
The [Gate of Truth (Gold)] spun wildly in his pupils, attempting to parse the structure of this gateway, but all that fed back was a garble of data representing "nothingness."
This thing did not belong to magic; it belonged to the laws of the universe.
[System Prompt]
[Detected underlying logic node of the world: Gate of Death]
[Danger Level]: Immeasurable (Instant Death Determination)
[Extract?]
"All inventory," Morrin commanded in his mind, "plus the rewards I just got from beating up Bellatrix. Invest it all."
[Consuming extraction attempts x 45]
[Probability stacking... Breaking the limit!]
[Extracting safety fragments from the concept of 'Death'...]
Hum—
A chill that made Morrin's soul tremble drilled into his brain along his line of sight.
He felt as if he were walking on the edge of a cliff, with one foot already stepping into the void.
Countless faces of the dead flashed before his eyes, trying to pull him in.
"Get back."
The [Pure Blood (Curse)] and [Magic Power Furnace] within Morrin erupted simultaneously, forcibly stabilizing his soul anchor.
[Extraction successful!]
[Congratulations, you have obtained the trait]: Netherwalker (Gold · Law Class)
[Effect 1 - Spirit Touch]: You can touch souls, ghosts, and Dementors as if they were physical entities.
[Effect 2 - Death Immunity (One-time / Extremely long cooldown)]: When you suffer an instant-death law attack (such as the Killing Curse or being sucked into the veil), you can force an immunity once and enter an "ethereal" state.
[Side Effect]: Your body temperature will be permanently lower than normal, and you will easily attract the undead.
Morrin took a deep breath, feeling a heavy coldness added to his body.
But he had no time to ponder it carefully.
Boom!
The doors of the Death Chamber were burst open.
Harry and Neville, carrying an injured Hermione, stumbled in.
Following closely behind were Lucius and Bellatrix.
"Run, Potter! You have nowhere left to run!" Lucius roared in frustration, his handsome face scorched Black by something.
Harry was forced to the edge of the stone pit.
"Give me the prophecy orb!" Lucius extended his hand.
Just then, a door on the ceiling opened.
Five figures descended from the sky.
"Get away from my godson!"
Sirius Black roared as he landed, a red beam of light knocking Lucius back.
Immediately following, Lupin, Moody, Tonks, and Kingsleyjoined the battle.
The Order of the Phoenix had arrived.
The Death Chamber instantly turned into a battlefield.
The light of spells flew wildly across the stone steps, and the sound of explosions was deafening.
Morrin did not reveal himself.
He put his mask back on and retreated into the shadows behind the archway, like a patient Grim Reaper, waiting for that crucial moment.
The battle intensified.
Sirius was dueling his cousin, Bellatrix.
The two leaped and dodged on the stone steps, beams of light intersecting.
"Come on! Is that all you can do?" Sirius laughed mockingly, with his usual arrogance, "You couldn't even beat that kid named White!"
These words stung Bellatrix.
The slap she had received from the masked mysterious person just moments ago made her feel deeply humiliated.
"Avada Kedavra!"
Bellatrix shrieked, not using Stupefy, but going straight for the Killing Curse.
Sirius dodged to the side.
But he made a mistake—he was too careless.
Bellatrix's second spell followed close behind, a powerful red stunning spell.
Bang!
It hit him square in the chest.
The smile on Sirius's face froze. He lost his balance and fell backward.
And behind him was the archway hung with the Black veil.
"No—!!!" Harry let out a heart-wrenching scream, wanting to rush over.
But it was too late.
Sirius's body traced an arc in the air, slowly and irreversibly falling toward that curtain of death.
Once passed through, it was eternal death.
Lupin closed his eyes in despair. Bellatrix wore a look of ecstatic joy.
However.
Just at the moment Sirius's back was about to touch the veil.
A foot in a Black leather shoe suddenly extended from the shadows behind the veil.
Bang!
That foot kicked Sirius's butt fiercely and mercilessly.
This kick was extremely forceful, carrying the [Half-Giant Strength].
Sirius, who had been falling backward into the world of death, was forcibly kicked back!
He flew over the archway like a sandbag, landed heavily on the stone steps, rolled several times, and finally collapsed at Harry's feet, coughing up blood.
"Who?!"
Bellatrix's smile froze on her face.
Everyone in the room was stunned.
The figure wearing half a golden mask and a Black trench coat walked slowly out from the shadows behind the archway.
He leaned on a cane, standing on the edge of life and death, radiating an aura even colder than a Dementor.
"Mr. Black."
From beneath the mask came Morrin White's cold, slightly displeased voice:
"I checked the ledgers. You still have three outstanding loans for the renovation of Grimmauld Place, as well as fifty years of asset management fees that haven't been paid."
Morrin pointed his cane at Sirius, who was lying on the ground looking bewildered:
"You want to die just like that?"
"White Investment Company does not accept—bad debts."
"Mo... Morrin?" Harry looked at the figure, tears still hanging on his face, completely dumbfounded.
Sirius scrambled up, clutching his aching butt, feeling as though his bones were cracked. He looked at the teenager who had saved his life but also kicked him half to death, not knowing whether to cry or laugh.
"You damn... capitalist." Sirius cursed, but his tone was full of the relief of having survived a disaster.
"Enough nonsense."
Morrin looked up at Bellatrix, who was standing opposite.
"Since you don't want to die, then get to work."
Morrin raised his cane, and the tip of the cane lit up with a dazzling golden light.
"That crazy woman, and Lucius..."
"...Take them all down. As debt repayment."
Bellatrix looked at Morrin, the madness in her eyes turning into a deep wariness. She recognized that figure, the person who had knocked her flying in the Department of Mysteries.
"Retreat!" Bellatrix shrieked, "The Master is coming! He is coming!"
Yes.
The temperature in the air plummeted.
Harry's scar began to ache violently.
A tall, thin figure materialized at the top of the stone steps.
Lord Voldemort had arrived.
But this time, no one died. Sirius was still alive, and the D.A. army, though injured, were all safe.
Morrin stood before the archway, looking at Lord Voldemort high above.
The [Netherwalker] trait made him seem even more like a master of death than Lord Voldemort at this moment.
"It seems I have to fight that battle I didn't want to fight."
Morrin sighed, took out the Black Ironwood Wand from his pocket, and combined it with his cane, turning it into a long-handled warhammer-like weapon.
"Hasn't Dumbledore arrived yet? This old man always likes to make a grand finale."
Morrin shouted to Sirius and Lupin:
"Take the children and get out! This is no place for you!"
"What about you?" Harry shouted.
"I'm waiting for my 'opponent'."
Morrin looked at Lord Voldemort, golden vertical pupils flashing behind his mask.
"Since he wants a show, I'll give him a Ragnarok."
Chapter 110: The Golden Ratio of Death
Department of Mysteries, Death Chamber.
The air was torn apart.
Lord Voldemort stood at the top of the stone steps, his black robes swirling like smoke. He was in no hurry to make a move, his red snake-like eyes fixed intently on the man wearing half a golden mask below.
Behind him, Bellatrix and the other Death Eaters were trembling as they retreated; they knew that the battle to come was not one they could interfere in.
"You are interesting."
Lord Voldemort's voice was soft, as if caressing a poisonous snake, echoing through the empty Death Chamber.
"You smell of my Horcrux... you smell of the blood of ancient creatures... you even smell of death itself. What are you?"
"I am your creditor, Tom."
Morrin stood at the bottom of the stone pit, right next to the veil of the Death Chamber. He held his black ironwood wand horizontally in front of him with one hand. The mechanical parts of the wand body sprang open, revealing the dark red Alchemy core inside, looking like a spear poised for action.
"And, my interest rate is very high."
"Insolent!"
Lord Voldemort swung his yew wand violently.
There was no incantation warm-up.
"Avada Kedavra!"
A thick, destructive green light erupted instantly, moving more than twice as fast as it had against Harry just moments ago.
Harry screamed in the distance: "Dodge!"
Morrin did not dodge.
In his pupils, a golden Alchemy array spun crazily.
[Gate of Truth (Gold)] — Material Reconstruction · Absolute Defense.
"Rise!"
Morrin stomped his left foot heavily on the ground.
The black stone floor in front of him seemed to turn into liquid, instantly shooting upward, restructuring its molecular structure within a thousandth of a second to become a half-meter thick wall of ultra-high-density diamond with a mirror-smooth surface.
Boom!
Clang—!!!
The Killing Curse struck this "physical shield."
The green light exploded, shattering the diamond wall, and countless crystalline fragments scattered like shrapnel.
But amidst the rain of fragments, Morrin remained unscathed.
"Physical laws are still effective," Morrin commented flatly.
"Dead things cannot stop me!"
Lord Voldemort was enraged. He raised his wand with both hands, and black magic condensed around him into a huge, burning fire snake.
Fiendfyre.
The fire snake roared as it charged toward Morrin, burning the rocks along the way into lava.
"Playing with fire?"
Morrin sneered. His internal [Primary Fire Immunity] made him unafraid of high temperatures, but he wasn't foolish enough to physically resist Fiendfyre.
He raised his wand, pointing the tip at the incoming fire snake.
[System Extraction · Reverse Application]
[Characteristic Loading]: Hellfire (from Hungarian Horntail).
[Alchemy Enhancement]: Oxygen Stripping.
"Extinguish."
Morrin swung his wand sharply, drawing a vacuum circle.
There was no water, nor was there ice.
The moment that giant Fiendfyre snake rushed within five meters of Morrin, the air around it was instantly sucked dry.
Without oxygen, the flames, even Fiendfyre, became water without a source.
Whoosh...
The arrogant fire snake, before it could even touch the corner of Morrin's clothes, just abruptly, almost comically... fizzled out.
Only a few wisps of black smoke drifted awkwardly in the air.
The whole place was deathly silent.
Harry and Sirius, hiding behind the rocks, looked as if their eyes were about to pop out.
What kind of magic was this?
They had never seen any Wizard "snuff out" Fiendfyredirectly!
Lord Voldemort's expression finally changed.
He realized that the opponent in front of him was not using conventional magic at all.
"You... are desecrating magic!" Lord Voldemort roared.
"I am parsing magic."
Morrin moved.
[Half-Giant Speed] erupted.
He became like a black cannonball, crushing the rocks beneath his feet as he charged directly at Lord Voldemorton the high ground.
Since trading ranged blows was too time-consuming, he would go for melee.
Lord Voldemort clearly did not expect any Wizard to dare to close the distance. He fired three Crucio spells in succession.
Morrin's figure flickered strangely in the air.
[Sand of Time] — Time of 0.5 seconds.
All three red lights hit his afterimage.
In the blink of an eye, Morrin had already charged in front of Lord Voldemort.
He gripped the heavy black ironwood wand with both hands, leaped high, and using the potential energy of the fall, smashed it fiercely toward Lord Voldemort's head!
This blow, carrying the monstrous strength of a Half-Giantand the weight of the wand itself, was enough to smash a rhinoceros into pulp.
"Protego!"
Lord Voldemort was forced to defend. A silver shield appeared above his head.
Boom—!!!
The wand slammed into the shield.
A massive shockwave swept across the entire Death Chamber.
The surrounding glass bulbs shattered, and even the edge of the stone pit cracked.
The stone steps beneath Lord Voldemort collapsed instantly.
The Dark Lord was hammered half-deep into the ground by that single blow!
"Not bad strength."
Lord Voldemort raised his head, his red eyes no longer filled with contempt, but with intense murderous intent.
He seized this close-quarters opportunity, and the tip of his wand suddenly turned into a green light sword, stabbing toward Morrin's heart.
Morrin flipped his wrist, blocking with his wand.
Sizzle—
The wand and the staff rubbed against each other, sparking deadly friction.
Their faces were less than ten centimeters apart.
"I see you, White..."
Lord Voldemort launched [Legilimency] at this moment.
His powerful mental energy pierced into Morrin's brain like a drill.
"Let me see who you really are... your fears... your secrets..."
Morrin did not avert his gaze.
Instead, he opened his eyes wide, and the [Gate of Truth] constructed a complex maze made of countless numbers and formulas deep within his pupils.
"Want to see my brain?"
A crazy smile curled the corners of Morrin's mouth:
"Then pay up, Tom!"
[Multiple Mind Core (Purple · Extreme)] — Mental Data Torrent.
Morrin did not defend, but outputted in reverse.
He took the millions of business reports, Gringottsexchange rate fluctuation charts, and Alchemy molecular structure diagrams he had processed over the years, and shoved them all into Lord Voldemort's brain along the mental connection like spam email!
"Ah—!!!"
Lord Voldemort screamed, violently pushing Morrin away and staggering backward.
He felt like his brain was about to explode.
Those dry, meaningless data streams, such as "Q3 1994 Dragon Skin Market Fluctuation Analysis," were assaulting his soul, making him feel nauseous and dizzy.
This was a dimensional strike against the Dark Lord; using big data to overstuff him.
"What's wrong, Tom?"
Morrin landed, elegantly flicking his wand.
"Don't understand? This is the essence of modern business."
"I will kill you!!!"
Lord Voldemort was completely insane.
He no longer held back his strength.
He spread his arms, his whole body floating in mid-air.
The surrounding darkness began to surge, and the shadows in the Death Chamber seemed to come alive, turning into countless black blades that shot toward Morrin, covering the sky.