Inside the training institution.
Dozens of young people struggled to pick themselves up from the floor, but the gaze they directed toward Victor Wick was one of intense fervor.
This was simply because Victor had just single-handedly neutralized all of them. The entire process hadn't even lasted ten seconds.
Initially, these young wizards only knew of Victor's power through Fleur's descriptions, but they hadn't possessed a clear concept of what that actually meant.
Now that they had experienced it firsthand, they realized that Fleur's description had been rather conservative.
After establishing his authority and making a few grand promises about their future, Victor left the training institution.
Knowing they followed such a powerful wizard, receiving massive financial support, and being stirred by his passionate speeches, the energy of these young people was completely ignited.
Victor left Knockturn Alley without lingering and arrived at a newly opened antique bookstore in Diagon Alley.
Indeed, as he gradually familiarized himself with the wizarding world, Aziraphale had moved his bookstore to Diagon Alley.
Diagon Alley was filled with wizards, so he and Crowley no longer needed to hide much of anything here.
Victor had actually wanted to visit Aziraphale for some time; he needed to speak with the angel about methods for resurrecting the dead.
It was just that other matters had delayed him until now.
"Tea, please!" Aziraphale said, waving a wand to direct a teacup to float gently in front of Victor, a slightly showy smile on his face.
Victor high-mindedly offered a few compliments, which ensured the angel's smile wouldn't fade for the rest of the day.
Just as Victor was calculating how to bring up the subject, Aziraphale addressed his purpose directly.
"I know why you've come this time, Victor. Crowley spoke to me about it beforehand."
Victor paused for a moment before realizing why.
Crowley must have been worried that if Victor approached the angel himself, he might embellish the details and get Crowley in trouble, so he had simply come ahead to explain everything first.
Though Victor didn't know if Crowley had been scolded by Aziraphale, it saved him a lot of trouble and beating around the bush.
"Then do you think it's possible? Was Crowley telling the truth?" Victor asked directly.
Aziraphale sighed, turned to the drawer of a nearby desk, and pulled out a stack of documents, handing them over.
"I've considered it carefully, Victor... While I personally don't approve of doing this... you are our friend. Given your unique nature, we will likely spend more time together than anyone else. Therefore, I will give you the method and tell you all the drawbacks. As for what you choose in the end, that is up to you. Regarding whether Crowley told the truth, I've written it all in the notes."
Aziraphale had originally been opposed to the idea of resurrecting the dead, but as he learned more about the brutality of the wizarding wars, his resolve had wavered.
Because he was an angel, he possessed a brand of mercy that ordinary people could hardly grasp. After putting himself in Victor's shoes, he found he couldn't refuse the request.
It was easy for him to understand Victor's feelings... If Crowley died before him and he had a way to bring him back, could he honestly stop himself from doing it?
Without a doubt, he wouldn't be able to. Thus, he decided to stop opposing Victor.
Looking at the manuscript in his hands, Victor was somewhat surprised.
He had expected to spend a great deal of effort to achieve his goal, but he hadn't expected it to be this easy.
"As Crowley said, this world is different from ours. My original methods no longer work completely. So, Crowley and I have synthesized a method suitable for this world from our respective techniques," Aziraphale explained.
"You mean... resurrecting the dead is truly feasible!" Victor couldn't help but stand up.
If Crowley had said it, he would have only half-believed it, but if Aziraphale said it, it had to be true.
"Yes, it is a viable method, but... just as Crowley said, a soul for a soul..." Aziraphale's expression was very uneasy as he spoke.
Even though he had compromised, the idea of an eye for an eye, a life for a life, was still very difficult for him to accept.
Since compiling these notes, he had been repenting and praying for over a week straight.
Victor suddenly looked up and said to Aziraphale, "You really are a good man, Azir..."
"Oh... I... I wouldn't say..."
"Can you repeat that sentence for me?"
"What?"
"'I am a good person; I dislike lying and only enjoy doing good deeds,'" Victor said.
Aziraphale looked at Victor in bewilderment, but seeing the firm look in his eyes, he repeated the words even though he didn't understand the point.
"Good. You're definitely Aziraphale and not Crowley... If it were him, he wouldn't be able to get those words out no matter what," Victor nodded.
"Oh..." Aziraphale realized. Victor had been worried that he wasn't real and that Crowley had transformed into him!
"Sorry, Azir. Please forgive my caution."
"No, it's only right, Victor." A gratified smile appeared on Aziraphale's face. "I'm glad you have such vigilance. Crowley is indeed a rascal. No matter what he says to you, coming to ask me first is the most correct choice! In fact, that truly was an excellent way to tell us apart!"
Just as Victor prepared to leave, Aziraphale handed him a small vial. Inside was a small swirl of white light, emitting a soft, warm glow.
"What is this?"
"The Power of Faith, a necessary material for resurrecting the deceased... Although we are cut off from our old world, I still have some residual Power of Faith on me. Furthermore, when the believers of this world pray, a small amount of faith falls upon me as well. It's enough to give you some... The methods for subsequent collection are also in the manuscript."
"I see... Thank you very much." Victor didn't refuse and tucked the vial away.
"Make sure you think it through, Victor..." Aziraphale said with a serious face. "You should know... what you will have to face when the dead reappear before the living."
"I understand... I will make full preparations." Victor nodded slightly.
Once people knew he held the method to resurrect the dead, he would once again become a target for everyone.
Therefore, even if Victor could bring someone back, he would definitely try his best to keep the secret.
Returning to Hogwarts, Victor didn't go to his office but headed straight for the dungeons.
The method for resurrection required some testing, and it also needed specific potions as supplements.
Such experiments weren't exactly savory, so if Victor wanted someone with deep expertise in Potions who wasn't averse to Dark Arts-adjacent experimentation, his choices were limited.
However, just as he approached the Potions classroom, he heard a series of dog barks and angry shouting from behind the door!
Victor paused. This was Hogwarts... Had the Death Eaters attacked?
Without hesitation, he stepped forward and pushed the door open.
Victor drew in a sharp breath.
Inside, Snape was on the floor, and pinned on top of him was a sleek, large black dog!
The black dog was biting Snape's leg with a death grip, while Snape was swinging a cauldron with all his might, trying to bash the dog's head.
Upon seeing Victor, both the man and the dog stopped and looked at him.
"Sorry, my mistake." Victor slowly backed out and began to close the door.
"Get back here!" Snape's roar came from behind the door. "Help me pull this mad dog off!"
Because of the intense pain, Snape's voice had shifted into a different pitch.
"Ahem..." Victor had no choice but to open the door again. With a wave of his hand, the black dog was pulled away by an invisible force.
However, since the dog had been clamped onto Snape's leg, being jerked away so suddenly made Snape's face turn green with agony.
Blood began to flow freely from the wound on his thigh.
With a whoosh, the black dog transformed back into Sirius. He didn't look much better than Snape.
His head was battered and bleeding, with blood nearly covering his entire face.
"So, what on earth are you two doing?" Victor said helplessly.
Trembling, Snape grabbed a bottle of potion from the scattered supplies on the floor and poured it onto his wound.
A sizzling sound erupted from the injury.
Snape's face went white, and he was momentarily unable to speak.
Sirius simply clutched his head and stared at Snape with a grin. Combined with the blood on his face, he looked quite unsettling.
"It's nothing... from now on, every time he makes things difficult for Harry, I'm going to bite him," Sirius grinned.
Victor frowned. "Is it possible that by doing this, Mr. Potter's future treatment will only get worse?"
"Then you'll have to ask Snivellus here if he still dares," Sirius said cheerfully.
"Lunatic!" Snape glared at Sirius with fury.
Victor rubbed his nose awkwardly. After all, he was the one who had "occasionally" mentioned Snape's treatment of Harry to Sirius.
"Alright... Sirius, you've been out for a while now. Have you gone to see Mr. Potter?" Victor quickly changed the subject.
"I have. Every time he trains, I hide nearby and watch. He flies just as brilliantly as James!" Sirius said happily.
Snape gave a cold sneer but said nothing.
It wasn't that he didn't want to continue mocking James, but after the fight, he truly didn't have the energy to speak.
"Are you mental?" Victor frowned at Sirius. "You're out in the open now! You're not a fugitive! Why are you lurking? Do you know how long Mr. Potter has been waiting to see you?"
"I... I just wasn't quite ready..." Sirius said, looking a bit embarrassed.
"Get out of here! Go find Potter now!"
"Hmph..." Snape sneered again.
"What are you laughing at? I'm talking to him, but that doesn't excuse you. You're supposed to be a capable wizard, and you let a dog bite you? Where's your wand?" Victor said, exasperated.
Snape had been a major figure among the Death Eaters once; how had he been so easily taken down by a dog?
"Haha, I ambushed him while he was busy mocking me! The first thing I did was kick his wand away!" Sirius started laughing again.
He knew Snape too well; the man's trash talk was always long-winded.
"You'd better leave now and prepare a very sincere letter of apology. Otherwise, if Severus files a complaint, you might find yourself back in Azkaban for assault!" Victor said with a sigh.
Snape was indeed annoying at times, but Sirius's actions were far too extreme. Perhaps it was a side effect of being locked up for so many years; his mind wasn't entirely sound.
"It's fine. Let him complain," Sirius laughed. "Don't forget, I'm very rich too! You know how the Ministry works..."
With enough money, even Death Eaters could become upstanding citizens. Biting someone would just result in a fine at most.
"You're rich? Are you sure? You should go check your family vault. Who knows how much is left after all these years?" Victor remarked.
Sirius blinked, suddenly remembering that his brother was still alive and he had no idea how much money had been spent over the years.
"Go on, go find Madam Pomfrey to get yourself patched up. Severus and I have things to discuss." Victor ushered Sirius out.
"No need, this is just a scratch, I can fix it myself... Ha, that was satisfying!"
The door was slammed shut by Victor, who even added several charms to lock it and prevent eavesdropping.
"What do you want?" Snape stood up with a pale face and limped to the only chair that hadn't been knocked over.
Victor only ever came to him for two reasons: to pick up potions or for serious business concerning Voldemort.
Victor pulled out his wand and began cleaning Snape's wound for him.
"I recently found a method to resurrect the dead."
The chair made a loud screech as Snape stood up on his injured leg immediately.
"Are... are you telling the truth?"
If anyone else had told Snape this, he would have treated it like garbage.
But Victor... Snape had seen the power of Victor's bizarre theories! He even suspected that the real Philosopher's Stone was in Victor's possession.
So, when Victor said it, he believed him almost instantly.
"Yes, it's true. I've found a way... but I need your help. This method isn't exactly honorable. To bring back the dead, you must trade the soul of a living person..."
"Use my soul! Use it to bring her back!" Snape interrupted Victor with iron resolve, his usually hollow eyes erupting with a fierce, burning light.
Victor frowned. "Severus, has your mind gone as soft as Sirius's? There are plenty of Dark Wizards out there we can kill; why would you use your own soul?"
"I... I just..."
Snape's heart was in complete disarray.
On one hand, he feared Victor was mocking him; on the other, he was terrified that the experiment would fail.
For a moment, he was so overwhelmed he couldn't speak.
"Severus, remember, only you and I know of this. Until we succeed, you must not tell a third person! Otherwise, there will be complications!" Victor warned solemnly.
Snape grabbed the hand Victor was using to treat his wound, ignoring the blood still soaking his trouser leg.
His lips trembled slightly. "I only beg you... bring her back... bring her back... I will do anything you ask... anything..."
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