Harry Potter and the Obscurus

Chapter 130 Reshaping the Human Form

"Uh... I suddenly remembered that I forgot to feed my bird, Minister. Please excuse me for a moment."

Where are you going?

"Back to my office, oh dear... that's quite a distance. If you don't mind, could you sit in the referee's box for a while?"

"Etc., etc!"

Fudge hurriedly called out to Dumbledore, who had already stepped down from the judges' platform.

"The competition has only just begun. Aren't you afraid that judges from other schools will resort to dirty tricks and blow the whistle unfairly?"

"Oh, dear Minister, I think you're overthinking it."

Dumbledore said with utmost ease:

"I believe that Karkaroff and Maxim would not do anything to tarnish the reputation of Durmstrang and Beauxbatons. Besides, with you here, everything will remain fair and just, won't it?"

Fudge always cherished opportunities to be in the public eye, and now that he heard Dumbledore was actually offering to give him the judges' seat, he couldn't wait for the white-bearded old man in front of him to leave as soon as possible.

"Okay, okay..."

He pretended to be embarrassed and said:

"Anyway, the last event is just about who gets the trophy first, so there's no need for scoring or anything. Go and come back quickly. Kingsley, go and see Principal Dumbledore off."

......

On Mount Everest, about 5925 miles from London, Liu Tao, the former Minister of Magic of China, was watching a group of Chinese wizards prepare for some kind of exquisite and complicated magical ritual.

It was 4 a.m.

The sky, eight hours ahead of the UK, was still a deep, inky black. Standing atop the highest point on Earth, the stars seemed like dazzling jewels set against the celestial canvas.

"How long has it been, Albus?"

"I can't remember, it probably hasn't been a century yet."

"63 years. The last time we met was in 1932."

"Oh yes, yes, your math is still as good as ever."

Liu Tao, who was about the same age as Dumbledore, understood the dry humor that Mo Ran couldn't comprehend. He smiled and pointed at Dumbledore with his finger, then drew his wand and pointed to a stone floating in the center of the magic circle.

"Everything is ready, and you can start anytime you want."

"Amazing..."

Dumbledore smacked his lips and said:

"Such a magic stone is truly remarkable."

"We call it the Sky-Mending Stone."

After being corrected by Liu Tao, Dumbledore blinked a few times, then tried his best to read in slightly broken Chinese:

“Bow Tin Sheet.”

“What Bow Tin Sheet? You’re pronouncing it as ‘弓锡床单’ (bow tin bed sheet).”

Liu Tao waved his hand dismissively at Dumbledore; clearly, this wasn't the first time he'd heard Dumbledore speak Chinese.

The scene shifts back to ten hours earlier in Britain.

Inside the Hogwarts Headmaster's office, Harry, Moran, and Dumbledore were discussing how to deal with any unexpected events that might occur that night.

“I’ve cut off the Floo nets to all the fireplaces in the castle. If you’re teleported outside the school when you touch the Triwizard Cup, Hogwarts will temporarily become a reverse fortress that you can only enter but not leave.”

"Do you already know where Voldemort's mole is?"

"Um......"

"Then why...?"

"Because I still want to save as many people as possible."

Harry looked at Mo Ran, who was in the form of black mist beside him, and then at Dumbledore's unquestionable gaze. He hesitated, then closed his slightly open mouth.

Neither he nor Mo Ran knew about Dumbledore's secret activities throughout the past school year. Strangely, when Dumbledore came to their door saying he had something important to discuss, Mo Ran, who had been with him day and night, didn't seem surprised at all.

This made him wonder if there was some secret between the principal and Mo Ran that no one else knew.

......

"I might have to face Voldemort alone off-campus, is that true?"

"If the door key magic on that trophy was indeed tampered with, I think it's highly likely."

"Uh... please forgive my bluntness, Professor, but I'm not so confident that I can't see my own strength. To take on Voldemort single-handedly is something only you in the entire wizarding world could do."

"It's right to have worries, Harry, it's right to have worries..."

As Dumbledore spoke, he tried to pick out something of little sentimental value from his office. A moment later, he held a tray used to hold swarms of cockroaches, and muttered:

“Portus…” (Mentos)

call out!

Under the influence of the Portkey spell, the metal tray suddenly flipped over from the inside out, and while Dumbledore was examining the tray with his wand, he spoke again to Harry, giving him instructions:

"Having weaknesses doesn't necessarily put you at a disadvantage. It's only when you're in deep danger without realizing it that you're more likely to bring about your own destruction. You haven't seen your blood relatives even once since last summer. If you confront Voldemort alone like this, he'll definitely treat you like a fish on a chopping board. Once Voldemort starts toying with you, trying to avenge his defeat in front of his servants, that will be your best chance to defeat him."

"But......"

"Remember not to let Voldemort realize you're aware of him. If you feel flustered, it's a good idea to show it. Alright, Harry, you should prepare for tonight's match. For both personal and professional reasons, you need to find the trophy before the other two champions. Remember to use the things in the maze to get into the right mindset beforehand; they'll help you a bit."

......

"It is so fragile that even a gentle breeze can move it; yet it is as solid as a rock that even a sharp blade cannot leave a mark; what is it?"

"water."

"Ahem! You can use me sparingly, you can exploit me, you can even see me, but you absolutely cannot stop me..."

"time."

What is...?

"Hehehe! Stop, stop, stop!"

Harry interrupted Sphinx, somewhat annoyed:

"This is already six riddles. If you keep going on like this, I don't mind putting in some extra effort to beat you down."

Upon hearing this, the sphinx, which had been in a daze due to the riddle being solved so easily, regained some of its senses. It looked at the boy standing in front of it with a magic wand, then at the road behind it, and returned to its elegant and wise appearance.

"I apologize for my rudeness."

As the Sphinx spoke, he bowed to Harry.

"You have already solved six riddles, proving that you possess extraordinary wisdom. If you are willing to prove your patience further, I will bestow upon you the blessing of the Sphinx."

"You just said that, and your original words were—solve one more, and I'll give you my reward."

The Sphinx secretly flicked its tail and leaned down to reply:

“I’m not lying to you. Even if you leave now, you’ll still receive the reward of completing six riddles. I just want to know if you’d like to go a step further.”

"Eh..."

Harry sighed, somewhat speechless, but in the end, he put his wand away.

"Give me a question."

"Excellent!"

......

Five minutes later, Harry successfully found the Triwizard Cup, which was placed in the very center of the maze.

Looking at the blue trophy with the letters WIZ engraved on the front, he couldn't help but recall the words the Sphinx had spoken to him.

"Sleep in darkness, hide in the depths of winter, lie in ashes, in an endless cycle. There is an end before there is a beginning, and there is a beginning before there is an end."

For wizards, the answer to this riddle wasn't difficult; whether or not they had ever seen a phoenix in person, most people could associate it with the word "rebirth." The problem was, he was now unsure whether he had been tricked by Sphinx or had simply misunderstood the answer.

"Tsk... The blessing of the Sphinx... Can doing nothing and just turning around and leaving really be considered a blessing?"

After muttering to himself for a moment, Harry shook his head.

The next second, a whooshing sound like a tornado came from the wrist where he was holding the Three Strong Cup.

The world seemed to be tugged at by something, and in a swirling, blurry blackness, Harry gripped his wand tightly, afraid to let go.

Pfft!

As the ground came under his feet, the barrier formed by the illusionary vines disappeared. Harry surveyed his surroundings while pulling a bottle of Felix Felicis from his pocket and gulping it down.

"I can't see the mountains surrounding Hogwarts Castle; I've probably been teleported hundreds of miles away."

“Lumos Maxima!” (Ultimate fluorescent flash)

call out!

The white light illuminated the overgrown cemetery, and following a tall yew tree on his right, Harry saw the outline of a small chapel and some kind of strange sculpture.

"Who's there!"

He raised his wand and asked.

In the open space in front of the church, a man who was held immobile by the scythe of the statue of Death made indistinct gurgling sounds from his throat.

"Puerky! Puerky! Is that you! Hmm... Hurry... Hurry and find Dumbledore, go with your father to find Dumbledore!"

"Crouch? You're Crouch? Barty Crouch!"

Harry recognized the pale-faced man ahead, whose hair was balding in patches, and shouted.

Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through his forehead. The pain was so intense that he knew who was coming out of the church without even looking.

"Is this kid the only one?"

"Yes, my master, he is all alone."

"Protego Gubraithian!"

"Ah! He's here!"

The four people's voices broke the silence of the night in a chaotic jumble.

Protected by the ancient flames, Harry rolled sideways and hid behind a nearby stone coffin. Then, without hesitation, he grabbed two more test tubes containing painkillers and soothing agents.

tons tons tons...

In the darkness, a figure emerged from the church and approached Barty Crouch step by step.

Harry had just suppressed the burning sensation on his forehead and couldn't see the other person's face clearly, but judging from his gait, the guy seemed to be carrying something in his arms.

"Don't even think about running away! Kid! This place is protected by magic that prevents apparition; you can't escape!"

The man shouted, then roughly shoved a dark, gooey thing into Barty Crouch's mouth.

"Um...uh..."

Crouch's voice trailed off. Harry glanced at him through the gap between the tombstones, then quietly placed the two-way mirror—a fourteenth birthday present from Sirius Black—at the back of the coffin behind him.

Should I praise you for becoming more rational, or should I feel sorry for the courage you've lost?

Voldemort's sudden voice startled Harry. He instinctively stood in front of the two-way mirror, glancing left and right, and tentatively said:

“We’ve clashed twice before. They say once is enough, twice is too much, but not a third time. Even if you’re stupid, you can’t just let me ruin your resurrection plan without any precautions.”