Upon hearing Veratia's question, Mr. Flamel revealed a mysterious smile.
"Well, what's needed…" he repeated Veratia's question, chuckling. "That's indeed a fine question. Give me a moment."
With that, Mr. Flamel turned and scurried out of the small cottage.
Moments later, he came trotting back, his steps lively.
Harry noticed he was clutching a book in his hands, another one, about the same thickness and size as the one they'd found earlier with the spell to summon Death.
Mr. Flamel flipped through the book and found a particular spell.
"There, this is the one—" Mr. Flamel glanced at Harry, then at Poppy, still chuckling. "This spell… well, it's not exactly proper, but it can help someone regain their body. Let's see, it requires the bone of the father, the flesh of a servant, and the blood of an enemy."
The blood of an enemy?
The first few… well, the bone of the father was straightforward enough—dig up Poppy's ancestral grave, and that's that.
After all, Poppy's father was a notorious poacher, so taking his bones wouldn't be a big deal.
The flesh of a servant… that wasn't too difficult either. The real issue was the blood of an enemy.
With Poppy's personality, who could she possibly have as an enemy at school?
Pondering this, Harry voiced his burning question.
"That doesn't add up, Mr. Flamel," he said. "How could Poppy have enemies at school? You know her personality—she's practically at peace with the world…"
"Not necessarily," Mr. Flamel interrupted suddenly. "As far as I know, Miss Sweeting has two enemies right here in this very cottage—"
Enemies?
Two of them, no less?
Harry's gaze immediately locked onto the Lady of Death, who was casually sipping cola through a straw.
Well, then, the enemy was clearly in this room. Death was one of them…
But who was the other?
Veratia, on the other hand, reached out and grabbed Poppy by the scruff of her neck.
Two enemies, right here in this room…
Sharp as a whip, Veratia instantly understood what was going on.
Poppy, oh Poppy, who would've thought someone as meek as you could…
But then, she considered Poppy's current predicament.
Veratia sighed, loosening her grip on Poppy's neck and gently patting it instead.
Poppy, who had been tense from being grabbed, felt a wave of relief at Veratia's gentle touch.
Phew, I'm alive…
Cassandra, too, caught on to what Mr. Flamel was implying.
"Unbelievable," Cassandra whispered, leaning close to Harry. "My little sidekick is apparently quite the charmer…"
Harry didn't quite follow. What did Poppy's enemies have to do with his charm?
As he mulled it over, a sudden spark of realization hit him.
Wait…
Could it be… her enemies were Veratia and Cassandra?
The pieces clicked together in his mind.
"So, are you still willing to give your blood?" Harry whispered into Cassandra's ear. "As you've guessed, her enemy is you."
Harry swore on the lamp above that he was only teasing Cassandra.
But to her ears, his words carried a different weight.
What?
I'm the enemy?
A flush of cherry red crept across her face.
That Potter, honestly…
Shameless!
"There's another matter, Lady Death," Dumbledore interjected. "As I asked earlier, rumors suggest that Voldemort, or rather Tom Riddle, is summoning you in the New World. Is there any truth to this?"
"Oh, he did try to summon me, but I declined," the Lady of Death said with a smile, her gaze still lingering on the four of them. "You see, someone like him, obsessed with immortality, even going so far as to split his soul to achieve it—I'm not particularly interested in his kind."
Dumbledore exchanged a glance with Newt.
What? The intelligence was false?
But Newt, thinking quickly, pressed further. "Then here's the question, my lady. Our information suggested Voldemort had successfully completed a summoning. If it wasn't you, then who was it?"
"Satan," the Lady of Death replied without hesitation. "You also call him Lucifer, the youngest son of God, and the most powerful of the fallen angels."
"Fallen angels?" Cassandra frowned. "What are those?"
As a pure-blood witch, Cassandra naturally had little knowledge of angels, let alone God.
She only knew of God thanks to Harry, whose go-to exclamation used to be "Oh God."
"The so-called fallen angels are those who defied God's will, doubted Him, and thus stood in opposition to Him. In many religious texts, they're referred to as the 'enemies of the world,'" Mr. Flamel explained with a cheerful smile.
"As the saying goes, the victor writes the tale, and the vanquished become the villains. Satan and his angels failed to triumph in their war against God, were cast into Hell, stripped of their radiant forms and angelic titles, and now, bound in chains, they fight for the last scraps of their dignity and pride against Heaven."
"It's said that God created the world, and all things were to bow to Him. Angels gathered around God in Heaven, receiving and carrying out His will, assisting Him in governing the world and singing His praises. Lucifer was once a six-winged seraph before God's throne, the most beautiful and noble of angels, serving and glorifying Him day after day, year after year, without question, without doubt, without war."
Mr. Flamel continued his lesson for Cassandra. "One day, God, looking upon His orderly creation, decided to craft a new, unique being. In His own image, He created the first human, Adam, placing him in the Garden of Eden to live freely. God then brought Adam to His temple, anointed him as the 'Messiah,' and summoned the angels, commanding them to bow and honor him. Michael and the other angels, with their unwavering faith in God, obeyed without question. But Lucifer hesitated. Angels already lacked freedom; they could not afford to lose their dignity and pride. When Michael gently urged him to comply, Lucifer refused. 'I have served God for millennia, my deeds surpass Adam's. As a six-winged seraph, second only to God, my status surpasses Adam's. I am the fire of fires, my origin surpasses Adam's. I wield unmatched power, my strength surpasses Adam's… Why should I bow to him?'"
"God issued His command several times, but Lucifer repeatedly defied Him, ultimately sparking a rebellion—at least, that's how God saw it."
"The archangel Michael led the angelic host against Lucifer's followers. They could not withstand God's power, and defeat was their only outcome."
"Afterward, God created Hell, casting Lucifer and his followers from Heaven into its depths… From the ninth heaven to the lowest pit of Hell, Lucifer fell for nine days and nights, becoming the demon king Satan, and his followers became demons."
"Hmph," Cassandra sneered. "Well, in that case, I'd vote for Mr. Satan. His side of the story sounds far more reasonable."
"You know how it feels to deal with a father," Veratia said, spreading her hands. "Even when Dad's wrong, he's still your dad. But I imagine Mr. Satan's pressure was far greater—after all, God is always right."
"Just thinking about it makes it hard to breathe," Poppy said, sounding stifled. She even buried her face in Harry's chest, taking a deep breath.
Then Veratia grabbed her by the scruff of her neck again, yanking her up.
This donkey…
"Is that accurate, my lady?" Mr. Flamel turned to ask Death.
The Lady of Death replied leisurely, "The beginning and end are correct. God didn't force Lucifer to bow to Adam; He only asked the angels to care for the newly created humans. But Lucifer refused to let angels become humanity's nursemaids, so he rebelled against God. The rest is more or less as you described."
"But the reasons are complicated, and I'm not one for gossiping about others' affairs, so…"
"Then we won't press," Harry said quickly.
He had no intention of angering Death, and he wasn't particularly curious about how Lucifer betrayed God anyway.
"So, you're saying Voldemort summoned Satan?" Dumbledore asked, seeking confirmation.
"Yes, at this very moment," the Lady of Death said, glancing at her wrist. "Lucifer has tasked him with opening the gates of Hell, reconnecting Hell with the mortal world. After that, he'll work with the fallen angel Asmodeus to break the seal and set Lucifer free."
Hearing this, Harry frowned. "Why is Lucifer so obsessed with opening the gates of Hell?"
"Because of souls, child," the Lady of Death said, raising a finger. "Both Heaven and Hell require souls to fuel their power, and souls can also grant additional strength to angels and demons. Does that make sense?"
"If we let Voldemort complete Lucifer's wicked plan, I'm afraid our world will be plunged into chaos…" Dumbledore shivered.
He felt a bit exhausted. Their original goal was to defeat Voldemort, but now it had escalated to preventing him from opening the gates of Hell.
Or perhaps, one day in the future, it would become defeating Lucifer himself.
Me?
Fighting Lucifer?
Are you serious?
Even a legendary wizard like Dumbledore didn't dare entertain the thought of facing Lucifer in a real-world duel.
"I know what you're worried about, but even if Lucifer breaks free from his seal, he's not your concern," the Lady of Death said. "Once Lucifer escapes, he'll face Michael's relentless pursuit, and the angels call this fated battle 'the Apocalypse.'"
"Then…" Poppy hesitated, her confused eyes turning to Death. "If Michael will face Lucifer in a final battle, what do we have to worry about?"
"I must remind you, child," Death sighed. "What you call the Apocalypse is, in the mouths of Muggles, known as the end of the world."
At her words, a chill ran through the group.
Now they understood.
"Though I am Death, I have no desire to see the Apocalypse unfold," the Lady of Death said softly. "All things have their natural order, and even God cannot interfere. So, I need you to stop Asmodeus and Tom Riddle. If they succeed in freeing Lucifer, the Earth will fall into ruin."
"Your words imply…" Veratia caught the hidden meaning in Death's statement. "Even God cannot interfere with the natural order? But doesn't the Bible say God created the world and humanity?"
"Oh, child," Death shook her head. "Not all humans were created by God—like you, for instance. And the world wasn't created by God either. Do you understand?"
"I understand, my lady," Veratia nodded.
Dumbledore sat in his chair, lost in thought for a moment before looking up. "So, our immediate priority is to find Voldemort and stop him from opening the gates of Hell, correct?"
"No, Dumbledore," Newt interjected. "The Lady of Death just said the gates of Hell have already been opened by Voldemort. He's likely working with this… As… As…"
"Asmodeus," Poppy supplied helpfully.
"Yes," Newt smiled at her. "Asmodeus. Voldemort is working with him to find a way to break Lucifer's seal."
"That's not the most pressing matter," Death reminded them. "In truth, even Lucifer himself doesn't know how to break his seal. Your immediate priority should be to revive this poor girl. Death… if it lingers, she won't last much longer."
Poor girl?
Oh, she must mean Poppy.
Harry reached out to ruffle Poppy's hair, but before he could speak, Cassandra cut in. "If it's needed, I'll provide some of that enemy's blood."
She emphasized the word "enemy," her gaze lingering meaningfully on Poppy.
Poppy instinctively shrank back, unnerved by the weight of Cassandra's stare.
"And the servant's flesh?" Harry asked again.
Mr. Flamel placed a hand on Newt's shoulder and looked at Harry. "For now, we can consider Newt here as the servant. Besides, they're related by blood, so it should work."
"You're an alchemist; you shouldn't use words like 'should,'" Veratia whispered.
"Oh," Mr. Flamel nodded, correcting himself. "Then let's say probably."
--
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