Chapter 580 The Last Horcrux

Theodore is extremely familiar with the Forbidden Forest, comparable to Ranger Hagrid. The moonlight falls on the forest like a veil, covering the forest with a hazy halo.

"Look there..." He lowered his voice and pointed to a shadowy valley not far away, his eyes flashing with excitement: "Unicorns used to appear there. If you are lucky, you can pick up their hair. Each hair can be sold for 1 Galleon on the black market."

Draco secretly kicked him, avenging the previous arrow, and then urged, "Don't forget, we are here to catch skeletons."

"Don't be anxious." Theodore motioned everyone to squat down and move forward quietly, "Do you see the open space in front? That is the territory of the Night Thestrals. I ran into them there this afternoon."

Just as Theodore was about to continue explaining, Roger suddenly reached out, gently put his index finger on his lips, and made an almost inaudible "hush".

His eyes scanned the surroundings vigilantly, as if listening to every sound in the forest.

The silence in the Forbidden Forest was broken, and a faint whisper floated into the ears of several people. The voice was full of hesitation and uneasiness: "Do you really want to do this?"

In the moonlight, pairs of eyes stared at the source of the sound.

In the clearing in the woods not far away, a figure loomed. He was not tall, wearing the iconic round lenses on his face, which glowed faintly under the moonlight.

Draco was shocked and immediately recognized that it was Harry Potter.

Theodore's eyes were attracted by something else, and he reminded in a breath: "Look there, does it look like lime?"

Before the voice fell, the scene in front of them made everyone gasp. The lime that seemed ordinary at first, as if it was cast by magic, grew, twisted, and reorganized rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye.

In a blink of an eye, the strange image of a white-skinned skeleton appeared in front of Harry, like an ominous thing crawling out of hell.

"It's him!" Roger secretly clenched his wand, and was very sure in his heart: "Voldemort actually escaped from the hands of the god of death. Could it be that there is a deal between them?"

"Avada eats big melon!"

A dazzling green light cut through the night sky like a sharp sword, piercing directly into Voldemort's skeleton-like body. The power of the spell seemed to shake the entire Forbidden Forest, and the leaves rustled.

Voldemort's figure shook for a moment, and then fell heavily, turning into a pile of lifeless white ash. This scene stunned everyone hiding in the dark, and they couldn't believe what they saw.

Harry stood there, clenching his teeth, his eyes red with anger and pain. On his forehead, the iconic lightning-shaped scar was burning violently, as if it was going to tear his head apart.

Just before the lights went out, he felt a mysterious force coming from the depths of the Forbidden Forest, as if something was calling him. This force was so strong that he couldn't resist it.

As if possessed by some mysterious force, he quietly slipped out of the Gryffindor common room, passed through the portrait of the Fat Lady, and came to this dangerous forbidden area alone.

When he first saw the white-skinned skeleton, fear overwhelmed him like a tide. The familiar and terrifying outline of the skeleton made him instantly think that Voldemort had returned.

In horror, he slowly realized that this mummy-like Voldemort seemed to have lost the ability to cast spells. He could easily knock him down with offensive spells.

However, no matter the fragmentation, the Cruciatus Curse, or the Unforgivable Curse, they could not completely kill him.

The white ash turned into a skeleton again, and he stood in front of Harry dumbly, motionless.

"My head!" The sudden severe pain made Harry half squat down, holding his head with both hands, groaning in pain: "It hurts so much!"

Staring at the skeleton close at hand, Harry's eyes revealed fear. Suddenly, as if he had made up his mind, he turned and ran towards the direction of Hogwarts Castle, leaving behind a series of hurried footsteps echoing in the silent Forbidden Forest.

Everyone looked at Rogge at the same time, asking with their eyes what to do. Rogge shook his head gently and gestured to everyone not to move.

Five minutes later, the panting sound broke the silence of the Forbidden Forest again. Harry ran back panting, holding the traceless expansion pack in his hand.

He looked around, his eyes full of vigilance. After confirming that there was no one around, he walked towards the skeleton carefully. He tried several times and found that there was indeed no danger, so he put the skeleton into the bag.

"Merlin's beard! Is he crazy?" Draco looked at his back and exclaimed in disbelief: "That's an undead monster, how can he bring it back to school?"

"What if..." At this point, Draco shuddered involuntarily, and his face became even paler.

Roger thought for a moment and said to the students around him: "Let's go back to the dean. This matter must not be concealed. The professors must know."

"Is it really that serious?" Theodore was a little unconcerned, "It's just a silly skeleton, maybe a failed work of a wizard. If the principal knew that we were wandering in the Forbidden Forest at night, we would definitely be deducted points..."

"It's just the college cup. If we didn't get it this year, we can try again next year." Roger interrupted him firmly and walked towards Snape's office with a group of people.

When the group of young wizards left, two figures appeared in the Forbidden Forest. The tall Hagrid and Principal Dumbledore, they arrived at the scene at some point.

Hagrid asked Dumbledore puzzledly: "Principal, why didn't we stop Harry? That skeleton man looks very dangerous."

"I've dealt with it." Dumbledore responded softly, with a deep light in his eyes: "Sometimes, Hagrid, we have to let things develop naturally. Harry needs to face this challenge, and he has to learn to face it alone."

"In fact, when he arrived in the Scottish Highlands, I had already extracted Tom's chaotic soul."

"Tom?" Hagrid was shocked, "Professor, do you mean Voldemort has become a fool?"

"That's probably it. I'm curious about what Harry will do." He sighed, with a trace of worry in his eyes, "I just hope Harry will never be affected by Voldemort's soul fragments."

"If Tom's soul fragments can leave Harry, there will be no more problems in the wizarding world."

At the same time, in Snape's office, the atmosphere became tense. Snape's sharp eyes first stared at Roger, the leader, for a long time, and then slowly swept over every student present.

"Are you too idle recently, running to the Forbidden Forest to make trouble in the middle of the night?" He criticized coldly.

"But the dean..."

"No buts! If you do it again, I will severely deduct points! Go back, now!" His eyes were so sharp that the students present were terrified, "Rogge, follow me."

The two walked in the dark corridor, and Snape whispered: "Don't worry about this matter. Tell them when you go back that they are not allowed to spread what happened tonight."

"Ah?" Although Rogge still had doubts in his eyes, he nodded.

Snape seemed to see his thoughts and added: "There are some things that you should not know now. Believe me, this is for your own good."

"But Voldemort..." Rogge stared at Snape's serious face under the fluorescent spell through the darkness, "Teacher, did the headmaster know it a long time ago..."

Snape nodded slightly, and a hint of approval flashed in his eyes. He always liked Rogge's sharpness, whether in potions or other aspects.

"More than that. He personally checked the skeleton, and the soul inside was incomplete and chaotic."

His tone was a little brisk: "It's like a potion that was disturbed by a magic wand. Although all the ingredients are there, they are all messed up. As for the mysterious body, it seems to have undergone some kind of transformation."

Rogge was secretly shocked. He didn't expect Dumbledore to be so active. Suddenly, an idea flashed through his mind: Voldemort who appeared in the Forbidden Forest was a bait for fishing.

Harry is one, and he and other Slytherins are another. There are even other fish that have not surfaced.

Thinking of this, Rogge was glad that he did not touch Voldemort's body out of caution.

"The soul of Voldemort..."

"Immortal in the Department of Mysteries." Snape answered briefly, and then waved his hand, indicating that the conversation was over. "Go back and rest." He wrapped his black cloak tightly and walked into the darkness.

"Department of Mysteries... Tsk tsk, sitting on the bench for ten years, immersed in research. Well, being studied." He couldn't help but wonder if Dumbledore and Snape did this to test the soul fragment in Harry's forehead.

The hall was decorated with Ravenclaw's blue, and the long banner hung was an eagle with spread wings.

"Another year has passed." Dumbledore stood on the podium, his tone was very light: "On the days when the sky is covered with dark clouds, I would like to trouble everyone to listen to the old man's speech..."

He intentionally or unintentionally glanced at the Gryffindor table, paying special attention to Harry Potter.

"This year's college points... The first place is Slytherin, 477 points! The college cup belongs to you!" Dumbledore announced bluntly, and the decoration of the hall changed instantly. The silver-green flag replaced the blue, and the winding silver snake shone on it.

The Slytherin table burst into warm cheers, and even other colleges, even Gryffindor, gave polite applause.

From beginning to end, Harry was very quiet. It seems that it was not him who took the skeleton away last night.

Dumbledore's mouth corners slightly raised, and a look of satisfaction flashed in his eyes. Although he was worried that Harry did not communicate with him last night, he was relieved that Harry could keep himself.

However, as the Hogwarts Express started, Harry immediately became withdrawn and gloomy. Heavy rain knocked on the window, and he walked out with the traceless expansion pack.

"Harry?" Ron shouted, but only got silence.

Neville shrank back and whispered: "Ron, Harry won't become as humble as last night..."

"Impossible! I must have seen it wrong last night!" He shook his head firmly and chased out, "Harry?"

Harry stood at the end of the carriage and retracted his arm from the window.

"I'm fine, I just feel a little uncomfortable thinking of Aunt Petunia." He answered calmly, but there was a flash of complex emotions in his eyes that Ron could not understand.

And the traceless expansion pack disappeared at some point.

In the Slytherin carriage, Draco was boasting about his heroic performance on the court. Pansy sat next to him, looking at him with admiration.

Suddenly, her face turned pale and she screamed loudly: "There is something outside the window."

Everyone turned to the window and saw a terrifying mummified face hanging upside down outside, with empty eye sockets staring straight at them.

Roger heard the noise and immediately rushed over from the next carriage: "What's wrong?"

"That thing last night..."

Crack! The window shattered. Voldemort's body broke into the carriage like a black shadow, and his shriveled claws grabbed Draco directly.

Obstacles, fragmentation, petrification... They cast spells quickly, but the opponent was almost intact.

Control spells had no effect, and damage spells could not destroy it. Seeing the white ash on the ground gather into a human shape again, Draco shouted in horror: "Damn Harry Potter! It must be you! I will kill you!"

Rogue was about to turn his head and call him, but the skeleton's index finger had already shot out a green light - the killing curse.

"No, he is not..." Before Rogue finished speaking, the killing curse had already whistled in. The narrow carriage had neither reaction time nor room to move.

Only then did he realize that from the beginning, the opponent's target was him, not Draco.

Clang!

At the critical moment, Maria made a loud and clear sound. She waved her wings and blocked in front of Rogue. She swallowed the killing curse without hesitation and fell to the ground with a whine.

"You deserve to die!" Rogue gritted his teeth, and the veins on the back of his hand bulged.

Although Maria, as a phoenix, will return from the ashes. But seeing Maria sacrifice for himself, the anger in his heart instantly ignited.

The cross sword whistled towards the skeleton like a whirlwind. In a blink of an eye, it was chopped into a human pig.

However, the opponent seemed to feel no pain, but opened his mouth, as if silently laughing at Rogge's futility.

Rogge, who was burning with anger, did not stop, and swung the sword again, this time directly smashing the skeleton's skull. Bone fragments flew everywhere and eventually turned into white ash.

The white ash gathered again, and the skeleton stood up intact. Rogge clenched the cross sword in his hand, and he knew that the conventional attack method had failed.

Every time he "killed" the skeleton, it would return intact, as if death had no meaning to it.

The Hogwarts Express was speeding on the rails, and a huge ghost face emerged in the dark clouds outside the window, making a thunderous laugh.

Roger felt a chill coming over him, and he realized that the battle had just begun.

The Skeleton Man could not be controlled by a spell, let alone be completely destroyed.

He dared not slack off and could not give the other party time to cast a spell. After all, Maria could only help him once in a short period of time.

Daphne quickly picked up the newborn chick, her eyes full of tears, looking at the battlefield with worry, hating that she could not help.

Roger tried to find traces of the soul in the Skeleton Man's body, hoping to find a weakness. However, the body was empty and there was no sign of life.

"Harry Potter!" He gritted his teeth, hating it in his heart.

He had already understood that this was a trick of the God of Death against him.

Voldemort must have made some kind of deal to let the God of Death transform him into a "lich"-like existence. Although the body has gained the ability to be immortal, the original soul has been shattered.

And the other Horcruxes have been destroyed, and now the only thing that can control this body is the soul fragment on Harry Potter's forehead.

That's why the Skeleton Man has to go all the way north.

Roger suddenly thought of Dumbledore's plan. The headmaster thought he had taken away Voldemort's soul and that the remaining body was harmless. He wanted to use this body as bait to lure out Voldemort's last soul fragment and completely eliminate the threat.

However, Dumbledore was wrong. He underestimated Voldemort's persistence and cunning. His actions just made the final Horcrux: the soul was inside, hidden in the scar, and the body was outside, immortal.

At this moment, Roger couldn't free his hands to kill Harry; he couldn't pull out his wand and throw it far away.

The tunnel in the distance rolled in, and it would swallow the front of the train in the next second. It was like the open mouth of the god of death, waiting to welcome Roger's delicious soul.

Sizzle~~

Suddenly, the train stopped in front of the tunnel! Dumbledore strode into the carriage, his face full of seriousness and disappointment.

This time, the professor accompanying the train was Albus Dumbledore.

"Harry, you disappoint me so much." He said, waving his wand. In an instant, several heavy wooden boards appeared out of thin air, like a huge coffin that tightly sealed the skeleton man.

Harry, Ron, Neville and others have been captured by Draco and others. They heard the headmaster's voice and untied the binding spell angrily.

On the other side, Roger could finally breathe a sigh of relief. However, just when he was about to relax, a dry claw surrounded by green light broke through the wooden board.

Roger reacted quickly and swung up with both hands holding the sword, cutting off the claw. He then drew out his wand and threw the temporary coffin into the distance with the flying spell.

"Headmaster, get out of the way!" He rushed forward with both hands holding the sword, "Kill Harry, there will be no Voldemort!"

Dumbledore's wand lightly touched Roger's throat, and his voice instantly became weak, like the low buzzing of mosquitoes and flies.

"Rog, don't forget that Harry, like you, is an innocent victim."

"But he wanted to kill me! If it weren't for Maria, I would have died!" Rog opened his mouth wide, not caring whether he could hear or not, "The skeleton just flew away temporarily, it will catch up soon. Do you want me to be chased by it for the rest of my life?"

His shoulder was strong and powerful, and he slammed Dumbledore away. The cross sword in his hand chopped at Harry's head without hesitation.

Dumbledore immediately Apparated in front of Harry, his wand shining, and an invisible force froze Rog in place. "Petrification." He ordered.

The cross sword flew out of his hand under the action of inertia, drew an arc in the air, and almost cut off Dumbledore's earlobe. Finally, it nailed to Neville's feet.

"Harry, cancel the skeleton's actions." Dumbledore ordered, his eyes flashing with unprecedented severity.

"Professor... Professor." Harry swallowed his saliva, looked into Dumbledore's eyes, and stammered: "He... I can't control him."

"Of course I can't control him." Harry's voice suddenly became cold, revealing an extremely firm determination, "Because if I want to live, he needs to die. This is an irreversible deal, and I have no right to cancel it."

"You... Tom!"

"Professor, I'm not Tom, I'm Harry Potter." Harry's voice was crying, and there was sarcasm in his tone: "I told him that as long as he brought the skeleton on the car, I would leave."

"The condition is that Rogue must die. Professor, who will you save? I am the poor, helpless, and kind Harry Potter."

"Dumbledore, did you hear it? Its footsteps! I heard it coming here. It will kill Rogue and welcome my return."

Dumbledore turned his head quickly, staring sharply at the distant horizon. There, a human-shaped black shadow was approaching them unwaveringly.

He immediately tied Harry tightly and flew over to deal with the skeleton.

Harry looked at Dumbledore's back and laughed wildly: "I will become immortal, cast immortality! Who of you can kill me, who can kill me..."

Before he could finish his wild words, a cold light cut through the air. Neville held the cross sword tightly and chopped Harry's neck with all his strength. This blow was heavy and decisive.

The head with round lenses fell heavily, making a dull clang. His head rolled twice on the floor, and there was still a playful aftertaste in his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Potter." Neville's voice trembled, and his hands were shaking: "But Ron and I found out last night that you turned into Voldemort."

Ron shouted, and rushed up angrily to beat Neville: "He just talked to himself, Harry is not Voldemort..."

Roger widened his eyes in disbelief. At the moment of Harry's death, the panel appeared with a picture album. After clicking, the first page is the colorful Hogwarts Castle, and the second page is the black and white world waiting to be activated.

In the distance, the white-skinned skeleton gradually dissipated from the feet, and the dark clouds in the sky slowly dissipated. The last thunder roared in the sky, as if it was the unwilling roar of the god of death.

Looking at the broken body and head of Harry Potter, Dumbledore's eyes were filled with pain, relief, and regret... They were intertwined and difficult to express.

He silently grabbed Neville, carefully collected Harry's body, and disappeared in the carriage together.

Harry's death can only tell a cruel truth: the earth does not rotate for anyone, nor does it stop for anyone.

Sirius went to Longbottom's house and made a big fuss, and was finally knocked down by old lady Longbottom. And Neville's parents also withdrew from the Order of the Phoenix.

On the first day of July, the goblins finally stopped the eruption of the volcano temporarily. Although the crater burst again half an hour later, it at least proved that their measures were effective.

Roger stood on the airship, looking at the newly decorated cabins with satisfaction.

There are carefully arranged potion greenhouses, breeding spaces full of magical creatures, and even a library with rich books and a well-equipped potion laboratory.

Everything is available, all reflecting the brilliance of careful design.

He can even use the Room of Requirement on the panel to put the entire airship in it.

Sometimes, he would interact with Fleur and Nagini in a lively manner. Or run to Daphne's bedroom and make love with her. But Hermione is more troublesome, Ariana always pesters him to see Maria.

"The pursuit of truth by wizards is endless." He kissed gently, becoming more indulgent.

On the bookshelf not far away, 9 heavy OWLs certificates were neatly placed. Without exception, all were [Excellent].

At the end of July, the violent Yellowstone volcano was finally under control. The ecological crisis caused by Voldemort was cleverly resolved by magic. Barty Jr. and other Death Eaters were sent to the desolate scorched earth continent to start the reconstruction work of atonement.

At the same time, pure-blood families also lent a hand. They used Galleons and resources to reshape this land covered by volcanic ash into a paradise for wizards and animals.

In Godric's Hollow, a funeral was being held in a rebuilt church.

Roger took a break from his busy schedule, dressed in a black suit, holding a bunch of pure white chrysanthemums, to attend the farewell ceremony.

Everyone had a lot to say about the tragedy on the express train, but they didn't know what to say for a while.

Blame Roger? He was a victim from beginning to end, and Harry's death was not his hand.

Blame Dumbledore? He has been trying his best to protect Harry, even though he knew that Harry was Voldemort's last Horcrux.

As for Neville... Although his behavior caused some controversy, he did the right thing.

The Wizengamot referred to the previous elk case and finally ruled that Neville was not guilty and not responsible.

If it weren't for the feelings of the victims' families, they even considered awarding Neville the Order of Merlin to recognize his bravery and justice.

The headlines on the front pages were overwhelming: "Voldemort is dead", "The savior and Voldemort died together", "Dumbledore and the secret he hid", "The last Horcrux: Harry Potter", "Innocent Travis", "The right Neville Longbottom"... Each report narrated the relevant parties from different angles.

Rogge walked slowly to Harry's tombstone and gently put down the bouquet in his hand. He sighed deeply and thought silently in his heart: "Even if Neville didn't do it, I would kill you."

"Rogge, it's not your fault." Snape misunderstood his sigh, patted Rogge's shoulder gently, his eyes slightly red, "We shouldn't have put Harry under such a test."

Mrs. Pince gently pulled Snape's sleeve, indicating that he should not say too much on this occasion.

At this funeral, if anyone seemed unusually happy, it was undoubtedly Harry's aunt, Mrs. Petunia. Her husband, son, and even sister died because of Harry. Now, this freak who brought misfortune is finally dead.

"Dumbledore, I curse you!" She was emotional and spat hard in Dumbledore's face.

Mrs. Molly grabbed Ron's arm tightly, indicating that he should not be impulsive at this time. The Weasleys regarded Harry as their own relatives, and the pain in their hearts was even worse than that of Sirius.

Draco, Goyle, Crabbe... People put down flowers one by one to commemorate this departed friend.

"For people with a clear mind, death is just another great adventure. Isn't it?" Roger seemed to mock the fickleness of fate.

In mid-July, the owl, whose legs were shaking with exhaustion, finally arrived at Travis Manor. The house elf brought delicious freeze-dried food and handed the letter to his master.

"Rog, when you receive this letter, Bella and I are already in the South Pacific. Don't worry, don't miss us. The wealth we have collected is enough to establish a pure pure-blood wizard society. In addition, Newt has returned to England.

Love your uncle, Buck Travis."

After reading the letter, Roger shook his head helplessly and whispered to himself: "So, you are that honest man."

With the end of July, the famine caused by the snake virus began to gradually affect the wizarding world. The streets of Diagon Alley looked more and more desolate, and many shops closed down.

The wizards returned to their homes and used magic to build planting spaces in the basement to cope with the shortage of food.

The Travis family, relying on the large amount of supplies they had stored in advance, began a bargain hunting operation, gradually acquiring many precious magic props that wizards had to sell due to difficulties.

"Elena, our cooperation is so perfect..."

Miss Smaug doubted Rogge's glib tongue and verified it herself.

In this turbulent era, the wealth and influence of the Travis family grew quietly.

Food is more precious than magic and gold.

"Ginny, we are classmates. If you need food and potions, just ask. But can we have a meal together?" Rogge's red hair fluttered on the airship.

After learning Apparition and Apparition in advance at the Ministry of Magic, he made a bold decision a week before school started: to apply for leave of absence. The reason was simple and far-reaching: "The world is so big, I want to see it."

As soon as the airship left the British magic world, it received a message for help from Professor Bathsheda. Dear Professor Runewen, I got lost in the North Sea.

Bathsheda stood on the deck of the airship on the vast sea. Endless waves were reflected in her eyes, and waves were also surging in Roger's palms.

Below, Azkaban had been blown into pieces and sank into the bottomless ocean. Those Dementors who once fed on fear, after losing their habitat, turned into smoke in fear and dissipated into the air.

Roger's fingers gently opened the second picture, and the world seemed to be cast with magic in an instant, and the speed of time flow slowed down a hundred times. The airship entered the Room of Requirement, and his figure became blurred at this moment.

Hogwarts Castle was still shining, and he could come back at any time. But before crushing the god of death into pieces, he needed to continue his magical journey.

(The end of the book)