Ruby entered the Minister's office alongside Ms. Farley. Upon seeing Ruby, Ms. Farley was momentarily stunned.
She quickly composed herself and said to Veratia, "Ms. Grindelwald, the prisoner has been brought."
"Good, I understand," Veratia nodded and said. "Wait a moment for the interrogation—oh, right, have them wait at the door for now. I will call for them shortly. Do not let anyone enter the Ministry of Magic, is that clear?"
"Yes, Ms. Grindelwald," Ms. Farley nodded.
Once Ms. Farley left the office, Veratia spoke gently, "Alright, Ruby, you may go down for now."
"Yes, Mistress." Ruby turned and left the office.
After finishing her dessert, Veratia had Ms. Farley bring in the death row inmates.
"Please rest assured, Ms. Grindelwald," Ms. Farley said. "No one will enter any floor above the fourth level."
"Good," Veratia said with a faint smile. "I am at ease when you handle things."
There were four dark wizards in total, all with their heads covered by hoods, unable to see anything within the room.
"Let's begin," Veratia stood up and walked over to one of the dark wizards, asking Harry, "Are you ready?"
"Of course," Harry nodded.
Veratia said nothing more; she raised her wand and pointed it at the dark wizard.
Instantly, a cloud of black mist rose up, transforming into the shape of a snake in the air. Suddenly, the snake struck like a predator catching prey, biting into the dark wizard's body.
"Argh!"
The dark wizard let out a miserable scream, and then he rapidly withered away.
Before Harry could even react, the dark wizard had lost his life.
"Oh," Veratia shook her head and sighed, seemingly expressing apology. "I am so sorry, it seems I used my curse a bit too fiercely."
"Restrain your intensity!" Cassandra wore an expression of exasperated disbelief. "Good heavens, I really don't know how you manage your strength; it's truly a headache."
Veratia walked to the next dark wizard and continued to cast the spell as she had before. This time, she held back some of her power, tapping the air with the tip of her wand aimed at the dark wizard.
A snake, a size smaller than the previous one, appeared hideously and bit into the dark wizard's shoulder in the same manner.
This time, the dark wizard didn't struggle for long; he passed away just as Harry pulled out his wand.
Harry sighed.
Seriously, girl?
This isn't me having slow reactions, your curse is just a bit too ruthless, isn't it?
"I say..." Harry raised his hand feebly. "I say, Minister, when you use the dark magic curse again, could you control the intensity a little?"
"I..." Veratia looked up with a somewhat aggrieved expression, her eyes turning red. "I already tried my best to control the intensity. Maybe these dark wizards are just too weak, that must be it..."
Upon hearing Veratia's words, the remaining two dark wizards were cursing violently in their hearts.
Seriously, do you have no damn self-awareness?
Who exactly is the dark wizard here?
Huh?
Let me ask you, with a dark magic curse this strong, are you sure you aren't the dark wizard?!
Answer me! Look me in the eyes! Tell me! Friend! Tell me!
"You should still try to control it a bit more, Veratia," Poppy Sweating sighed and said. "I think it was already very difficult for Ms. Farley to find four dark wizards for us. If we need more, she might find it hard to manage..."
"Mhm." Veratia nodded and walked in front of the next dark wizard.
This time, she used only a tiny bit of magic power.
It was acceptable.
In Harry's eyes, the cursed dark wizard instantly withered, looking quite similar to Anne in her later stages.
"Hey! It worked!" Poppy Sweating jumped up and cheered.
The cursed dark wizard had been placed under a Silencing Charm and could not make a single sound.
Seriously!
Is anyone going to speak up for me?!
This room is full of women, and they all sound like young girls!
Are you dark wizards all such sweethearts nowadays?
I've been cursed! I've been cursed! Can you not cheer? I mean, really?
Harry stepped forward and took a deep breath.
"Don't feel pressured, Harry," Veratia comforted him warmly. "After all, Anne is currently still within the seal. As long as we don't break her seal, nothing will happen. We can absolutely wait until we have successfully mastered the method to expel the dark magic curse before we go to save Anne—we can all afford to wait, do you understand?"
"Okay."
Persuaded by Veratia, Harry truly stopped feeling anxious, nervous, or stressed.
He took out his wand and mobilized the Ancient Magic within his body.
"Purusor!"
A miraculous thing happened; the effect was significant. The dark magic curse on the dark wizard's body was slowly receding.
"It worked!" Poppy Sweating shouted excitedly.
"Yes!" Veratia was also very happy; after all, Anne was their mutual friend.
"There is still a bit of the curse left, don't get happy too early," Cassandra threw cold water on them at the appropriate time. "I don't know if you saw it, but actually, the effect of this purification charm wasn't thorough; it didn't root out the dark magic curse completely..."
"Perhaps..." Harry thought for a moment, then looked up and asked, "Should we go ask Mr. Flamel?"
"That might be good," Veratia said after pondering for a moment. "Although he doesn't know how to expel the curse, I believe he will definitely give us some constructive advice. What do you say?"
"I agree," Cassandra nodded.
"Me too," Poppy Sweating added.
"I have no objections," Harry said.
"In that case," Veratia turned to the dark wizard. She waved her wand, clearing all of the final dark wizard's memories, and then placed a small curse on him.
"Ms. Farley?" she called out.
Ms. Farley pushed the door open and walked in.
"Clean up the office," Veratia said concisely. "We have found a way to lift the dark magic curse... handle this matter as you see fit... of course, be sure to mention Mr. Potter's important role in it, understood?"
"Understood." How could Ms. Farley not understand her superior's meaning? "Leave it to me, Ms. Grindelwald."
The four of them took the cursed dark wizard and Apparated back to Hogwarts.
When they knocked on Mr. Flamel's alchemy laboratory, Mr. Flamel was taking a nap on his bed wearing a nightcap.
"You should be more understanding of an old man's schedule," Mr. Flamel said very unhappily. "Is there something urgent?"
"It's like this, Mr. Flamel," Harry lifted the dark wizard and said to Mr. Flamel. "This person was accidentally hit by a dark magic curse. I thought of some ways to help him expel it, but I can only treat the surface of the curse; I can't completely root it out for him..."
Mr. Flamel did not answer but instead asked, "Was it on purpose or accidental?"
"Deliberately accidental," Veratia interjected. "So, Mr. Flamel, may we ask... is it possible?"
"I can only give you some advice; after all, I have no way to completely root out a dark magic curse either."
Speaking to this point, Mr. Flamel looked at Harry.
"In the past, when I had the Sorcerer's Stone, I could have helped you root out the dark magic curse. But now... the Sorcerer's Stone has been devoured by Harry, and I have no better method, unless..."
"Unless what?" An ominous premonition rose simultaneously in the hearts of Veratia, Cassandra, and Poppy Sweating.
Seriously?
No way, right?!
However, Mr. Flamel voiced his suggestion.
"Oh, it's not what you think," Mr. Flamel said with a chuckle. "It doesn't require any contact between Harry and the person under the dark magic curse... It's just that the magic power he mobilized when lifting the curse wasn't quite enough. Come here, Harry. You are already fifteen years old; it is time to unseal the Sorcerer's Stone for you."
"There's a seal?" Harry asked in shock.
He knew better than anyone just how awesome the Sorcerer's Stone was.
That endless magical energy and that unfathomable magical intensity had deeply shaken his heart.
Wait, so...
This was the state with a seal? He didn't dare to imagine what it would be like with the seal lifted.
Mr. Flamel trotted over to him, reached out, and tapped his body twice.
"Alright, mission accomplished," Mr. Flamel chuckled. "Now you can use the spell on him. I have lifted the limit on your magical input for single spells..."
Harry smacked his lips. What he wanted to use most right now was actually not the purification charm, but...
Ahem...
It was Expelliarmus.
Anyone thinking dirty thoughts, report to Azkaban automatically!
He raised his hand again, feeling the magic power that was even more abundant than before.
"I really want to use something..." he murmured. "I feel like something is about to burst out!"
"Purusor!"
A beam of light, more intense than sunlight, shot from the tip of Harry's wand, illuminating the dark wizard's body.
The black curse on the dark wizard's body was like a shadow meeting sunlight; it was instantly expelled without a trace.
"Too strong, Harry..." Poppy Sweating murmured, looking at Harry's expression as if she were gazing up at Merlin.
"It was foreseeable," Mr. Flamel said with a chuckle. "At least Dumbledore doesn't have to worry about having no successor. The wizarding world can welcome at least several thousand years of peace."
"Several thousand years?" The three girls turned to Mr. Flamel in shock.
"Yes, several thousand years," Mr. Flamel continued smiling. "You didn't think there wouldn't be any side effects to devouring the Sorcerer's Stone, did you? Ha... eternal youth is one of the side effects. Truly eternal youth—the body will not age, nor will it die..."
"Huh?" The first thing Harry did was not rejoice, but ask Mr. Flamel, "Then what about the three of them? What will happen to the three of them?"
"Oh, poor Harry," Mr. Flamel shook his head and sighed.
This expression and tone made Harry's heart sink.
Was the price of immortality watching the people around him die one by one?
"You don't need to worry, though, after all..." Mr. Flamel gave a wretched little smile. "After all, anyone who has physical contact with you will replenish their life force. Look..."
Saying this, he reached out and touched Harry's hand.
A miracle appeared; Mr. Flamel's skin began to turn rosy, no longer looking like the zombie-like appearance from before.
However, it was only rosy; he did not truly revert to youth.
"I have maintained this form for too long," Mr. Flamel touched his face helplessly. "Although I cannot revert to a child, my physical constitution is more than a little stronger than before. Look..."
Saying this, he extended his hand and threw a punch into the air very swiftly.
"Ouch..."
He bent over at the waist.
"What's wrong?" Harry asked with concern.
"I haven't done such vigorous exercise in too long; I pulled something," Mr. Flamel said.
Harry: "..."
What should I say?
"However," Mr. Flamel spoke again, "as for the three of you, it's different. From now on, having frequent intimate physical contact with Harry will make your life force and soul strength much more resilient. Trust me, as long as Harry is around, you will not run the risk of aging."
"That is truly wonderful!" Veratia and Cassandra exchanged a glance and spoke in unison.
"If I were to die of old age, I would rather commit suicide the moment before I became old," Cassandra said, shaking her head.
"Heh." Harry gave a dry laugh. Women...
They always had nearly perverted requirements regarding their appearance.
Fortunately, they didn't need any skincare products now, because Harry was their best skincare product.
As long as Harry was there, they would have an inexhaustible, endless supply of life force to use.
This was the best!
"Of course," Mr. Flamel turned his head to look at the dark wizard. "I suggest you'd best turn your attention to this unlucky or perhaps lucky gentleman. He is in very good condition now and seems to want to resist."
"Yes, Avada..."
Before the dark wizard had time to utter any spell, a beam of red light as thick as a bucket slammed into his body.
His upper body vanished.
"This?!"
Veratia looked at Harry in shock, then glanced at the two legs remaining on the ground.
What spell was that?!
"What spell was that?!" Poppy Sweating asked with a look of horror. "Harry, my Merlin, what on earth did you do?"
"I just used an Expelliarmus..." Harry said, scratching his head. "I didn't use any new spell, I didn't even use force, and he just... disappeared?"
"What you need to do most right now is control your magical output," Mr. Flamel said beside him. "If your magical output is too high, some big problems will occur, like just now... You wouldn't want to accidentally do something when sparring with friends, would you?"
Harry swallowed; he was indeed a bit scared now.
Thankfully he used it on this dark wizard. Otherwise, if everyone gathered at the Dueling Club in a few days and he sparred with them...
Harry didn't dare to think about the consequences.
"Work hard, my darling." Veratia stepped forward and kissed Harry lightly on the cheek. "So, where is Anne's location? Do you know?"
"I don't know," Harry shook his head. "But Ominis knows... let's go, let's go find his portrait."
--
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