"I can't tell the truth," Owen said with an unhappy expression.

"What? Is self-settling education popular in the wizarding world now? ”

"Okay, Owen, you can divide the occasion a little bit!" Harry slammed Owen's arm and whispered.

"So-" Owen rolled his eyes at Harry and said, "You're admitting to change professors and come back to class, aren't you?" ”

"I didn't!" Harry immediately retorted.

"I see it is!" Owen sneered, "White-eyed wolf with no conscience! Hum! ”

“.” Harry's face turned red.

Hermione hurriedly opened her mouth to comfort him and said, "Don't fall for him, he is unbalanced because he has classes and we don't."

As she spoke, the little witch found that her explanation became more and more confusing the more she explained. It's as if they're glad they didn't take a Magical Beasts conservation class.

"Uh-that-Hagrid, what's that!"

Seeing that the faces of both sides were getting worse and worse, Hermione hurriedly changed the topic.

She noticed a large bucket in the corner.

A strange crunching sound came from within.

Looking closely, she saw that the bucket contained maggots, slimy, white, and writhing in the bucket, which was more than a foot long.

Hermione put down the bucket of tea in her hand, forced the tumbling in her stomach, and smiled as much as she could, letting her tone sound like curiosity rather than disgust.

"I rub. It's disgusting! Owen said bluntly with a frown.

"Grub." Hagrid glared at Owen and said coldly

"Will it turn into a fly?" Owen got up and moved his bench to the other side.

Pull Hermione along.

"Mom-yes, why do you want to raise this kind of thing?"

"No!" Hagrid said angrily, "I raised them to feed Aragog. ”

As he spoke, his face suddenly sank.

Tears dripped from her big eyes.

Without warning, he burst into tears.

"Hagrid!" Hermione screamed, jumped to her feet, hurried around the table, and deliberately went around the far end to avoid the bucket of grubs.

She put her arm around Hagrid's trembling shoulders. "What's wrong?"

"Yes...... It's it......" Hagrid sobbed, tears streaming down his little dark eyes, and he wiped his face with his apron, "yes...... Alagog ...... I feel like it's dying...... It was sick for a summer and never got better...... I don't know if it ...... If it ...... What am I going to do...... We've been together for so long......"

Hermione patted Hagrid on the shoulder, completely unsure of what to say.

Harry understood how she felt.

No one would befriend a talking eight-eyed spider.

Hagrid is the only one in the world who can do this.

"What can we do with me?" Hermione ignored Owen, whose eyes suddenly lit up, as she focused on Hagrid.

"I'm afraid I can't help it. Hermione. Hagrid twitched, "You know? In the tribe, in the Aragog family...... They behave strangely when they see it sick...... It's a little hard to control......"

"When will he be able to control his children and grandchildren?" Owen shrugged.

In the past few years, almost all of the eight-eyed giant spiders have fallen to Voldemort, and all that remains in the Forbidden Forest are some old, weak, sick and disabled, and the rest are not obedient beasts, but because of the strength of the fear wizard, they have not emerged in the past two years.

This time, Hagrid did not refute.

Because that's exactly what happened.

It's no secret that the eight-eyed spider fell to Voldemort.

These beasts can be found in many places.

"Aragog isn't dead yet!" Owen suddenly came to his senses, and he said, "When it's completely dead, remember"

"Owen!" Hermione scolded.

"Alright, alright. Let's go! I shut up. The boy spread his hands.

Finally, he muttered in a low voice.

"The old guy's venom can be sold for hundreds of gallons for a gallon."

Although Owen's voice was small, Hagrid's room was not large.

The voice of the person he had just spoken, was completely heard by the others.

Both Harry and Ron looked embarrassed.

Hermione, on the other hand, was a little angry.

As for Hagrid - what did he say?

He was a little discouraged.

Look at the lost soul.

"Well, Hagrid, I think you should cheer up, you're still a professor after all—" The girl frowned, and continued with a certain touch in her heart, "and your friends don't want to see you like this." ”

"And besides—what about Ms. Olim Maxim? How's your progress with her? I haven't heard you say I've been there. ”

All of a sudden, Hagrid's cabin was a little colder again.

Owen quietly gave Hermione a thumbs up, good guy, you have a hand in revealing human scars.

I haven't heard about the progress between the two of them for more than a year, and it still can't be explained?

If they were going hot and they were going to talk about marriage, could Hagrid not tell them happily?

Sure enough, as soon as Hermione finished speaking, Hagrid's big face immediately darkened even more.

"Oh! No! Hermione covered her forehead, instantly realizing that she had said the wrong thing.

The giant, who had already stopped his tears, moistened his eyes again.

"The situation in Europe is so chaotic right now, especially in Paris. Ms. Olim Maxim would have been preoccupied with the war, and now she had no intention of talking about her children's affairs. She hastened to make excuses for Ms. Olim Maxim.

Although it is not clear what exactly happened to the two.

But there's certainly nothing wrong with that.

Because all problems can be pushed to war.

On the other side, Owen whispered to Harry.

"That eight-eyed spider is going to die." He said.

"What's wrong?" Harry looked sideways at him.

"The Venom of the Spider King, that's precious. When the time comes, you mention it in Slughorn's ear, and he'll be interested. Owen said with certainty, "You can use this news to get closer to him." ”

“？” Harry was stunned.

Then he said, "It's a way. But what exactly did Dumbledore want from Slughorn? ”

So far, Dumbledore hadn't told Harry what he needed.

Just ask him to get on good terms with Slughorn.

Owen glanced at Hermione, who was comforting Hagrid, then tilted his head and whispered, "Slughorn used to be Tom's professor and was his proudest student. ”

"Regarding the Horcruxes, Dumbledore guessed that some of the knowledge might have been revealed to Tom by him."

"You don't think Voldemort was born to know! He also learns and grows slowly. ”

"Horcruxes!" Harry's eyes widened, it was the first time he knew the news, "Slughorn single-handedly contributed to the current Voldemort? ”

"No—" Owen shook his head, "impactful but not conclusive." A few decades ago, there were books on Horcruxes in the Hogwarts Library. You also know that there are so many books in the castle, a person is estimated to not even read a tenth of them in his life, and no one knows how many dark magic in them. ”

"Voldemort found information about Horcruxes from those books."

"Of course, I'll have to tell you exactly what Slughorn said to Voldemort, but your burden is a little heavier now." Owen paused and continued, "You still have to find out the truth about Regulus's death. Slughorn must know something, and that may be more important than Voldemort's Horcruxes. ”

"Why me?" Harry whispered blankly.

"You're the best fit! Slughorn doesn't talk to me anymore anyway. Hermione was also affected. Ron- he doesn't have much talent for potions, and even if he has that old textbook, he's so-so. It's the perfect fit for you. Besides, this is the task that Dumbledore gave you. ”

Owen certainly knew Dumbledore's intentions.

The first is about the number of Voldemort Horcruxes.

Although he had speculated that there were seven Horcruxes, there was no evidence for that, and Old Deng needed to verify it from Slughorn.

In addition, Voldemort's seven Horcruxes.

Diary, Locket, Golden Cup, Tiara, Mysterious Statue Gahari, six of which have been found or destroyed.

But the Gaunt ring was missing.

The Riddles' ancestral home was razed to the ground a few years ago.

It is likely that the ring was taken by Voldemort at the time.

Now no one knows exactly where the Gaunt ring is.

Dumbledore needed more memories of Voldemort to speculate on his current location.

This is important.

Even Owen feared that Voldemort might well have discovered the secret of the Resurrection Stone.

The Resurrection Stone, one of the Three Hallows, is set in the Gaunt Ring.

Back then, his grandfather Grindelwald had been looking for the Resurrection Stone.

Use it to create an army of corpses.

And Voldemort, because he has never had love in his heart, and no one has ever loved him, so even if he holds the Resurrection Stone, he will not see anything, and he has not discovered the secret of the Resurrection Stone from beginning to end in the original book.

But after the Battle of Berlin, Owen speculated that he might have learned the secret of the Resurrection Stone.

"—phew." Owen sighed slightly.

Although the Resurrection Stone is a weapon for creating an army of Yin Corpses, it is only Yin Corps - it does not have any effect on wizards except for causing some trouble, and even Muggle armies can easily kill these Yin Corpses, and they will not even suffer any casualties if it were not for a sudden outbreak in a densely populated city like the city.

But trouble is trouble.

Who would want to fight a group of Yin Corpses if they didn't have to?

————

The rest of the day, Hermione had been comforting Hagrid.

Harry, on the other hand, talked about what he had seen and heard in the Headmaster's office.

Among them was a memory of Voldemort that he saw in the meditation basin.

about his mother and father.

What Harry said surprised Owen, he didn't expect that in such a chaotic situation, Dumbledore would still have the mood and time to show Harry what it was.

Perhaps from this point on, Old Deng was already hinting at the connection between him and Voldemort, and the fact that Harry had to face death again.

They talked for about an hour.

The rain outside was a little lighter, and it was only after a few people got up and left Hagrid's hut.

Buckle was captured by Owen.

This dragon must not be left alone.

Coupled with the fact that Hagrid has not been in a good mood lately, he may not have taken good care of it.

Let's take it back to the castle and raise it.

On the ridge, the path that has just rained is muddy.

Every step on it would bring up mud, and no matter how careful they were, their trouser legs would still get dirty.

And just as they were back on the covered bridge, ready to enter the castle.

An abrupt figure, with a 'poof', squeezed out of the air.

"Young Master." A bullfrog-like voice rang out.

The man was a house-elf dressed in a dirty rag and barely sank.

Its head was bare, but it had a lot of white hair growing out of its two bat-like ears, its eyes were bloodshot and gray, and its fleshy nose was large and almost like a pig's nose.

Hearing Owen knew who it was.

Kreacher, the elf of the Black family.

Only it will continue to use the slave's name for its master, calling him young master.

Other elves, such as Dobby or the Hogwarts kitchen, would only call him sir.

"Kreacher?" Harry was surprised that the elf would be here.

"Why are you here?"

"Someone is looking for you." Kreacher replied in a low voice. "Yes, Miss."

Hearing this, Owen frowned slightly.

"Time, place!"

"It's now." Kreacher said, "In the Forbidden Forest. "It pointed in one direction.

"Okay, I got it." Owen nodded.

In the next second, Kreacher disappeared again with a 'poof'.

"She's looking for you?" Hermione was aware of the deal between Bella and Owen.

It was also known that their contact person was none other than Kreacher.

"It seems to be a very important thing." Owen nodded, and quickly turned around and headed in the direction of the Forbidden Forest.

Hermione immediately followed.

Harry and Ron were confused, full of question marks, and they didn't stop too much and followed.

"The war in Europe was fought for several months. It's normal for Voldemort to make new moves. But—"

"But she shouldn't have been looking for you herself!" Hermione helped Owen with his guess, "If it's general information, just let Kreacher pass it on for you." ”

"That's right." Owen nodded, "A month ago, I think she passed on the news, but she said that the Death Eaters have been in a rather messy situation lately, and it is not easy to contact me. Now."

"Could it be another conspiracy?" Hermione immediately said that she had never trusted a dark wizard like Bella.

"Probably not." Owen said, "Protected by the Loyalty Charm, and if it's to lure us out of the castle, she should have arranged for the meeting to be farther away than on the edge of the Forbidden Forest." ”

"There's Professor Dumbledore in the castle, and the Aurors watching, she's not going to be that stupid."

"And—" The corners of the boy's mouth rose slightly, revealing a sneer, "where did she get the confidence that she thought she could beat me?" ”

"Even if our dear Senior Tom comes in person, it will be impossible to defeat us quietly."

"Hmm" Hermione pursed her lips, her face full of worry, but Owen was right, their current strength was not easy for even Voldemort to defeat.

The two fell silent.

Harry and Ron behind him didn't interject either.

Although they were surprised by the name Bella, all the confusion would be revealed immediately, so they were not in a hurry to ask questions at this time.

The four of them walked unhurriedly to the edge of the Forbidden Forest.

In the distance, the sky was cloudy, obscuring the last trace of sunlight, and the forest was shrouded in heavy shadows.

The moist ground reflected a faint light, as if it were a silent lake, with no waves, only bottomless darkness.

The leaves shivered in the cold wind and rustled, as if whispering untold secrets. Raindrops slipped from the leaves and hit the ground, splashing in patches, and the sound echoed in the silence of the forest.

The air was filled with the smell of dampness and earth, mixed with an indescribable dullness, as if suppressing people's breathing.

Suddenly, the four stopped.

Just ahead of what they were witnessing was under a fir tree that required four adults to surround it. Bellatrix Lestrange was leaning against the trunk of a tree, slumped on the ground.

Her black gown-like skirt was stained with mud.

His face was an eerie blue-white, and one of his eyes turned cloudy milky white.

She had one hand around her neck and one hand on her wand.

The exposed part of the chest was covered with acne-like wounds.

Blue, yellow, and blue are intertwined and mixed together, and they are filthy.

His neck throbbed violently.

Even if she covered it with her hands, she could see it clearly.

It seemed that there was some kind of creature under her skin, gulping down her blood.

Owen hurriedly stepped forward.

In Bella's weak, cold, eerie eyes, she removed the hand she was holding around her neck.

"It's . Dead roots? ”

Owen asked, guessingly.

Because what was under her skin was something like some kind of root, and countless cyan threads spread to all sides of her body.

It was as if the tendrils were using her body as a hotbed and growing wildly.

"Hatchlings." Bella said weakly.

Just spit out two words, and there was no strength to speak.

Seeing this, Owen didn't say anything, took out his phoenix wand, pointed the tip of the wand at her neck, and slid it slightly.

The already cracked skin suddenly cracked.

Then he stretched out his left hand and slashed his index finger, sending a drop of blood welling up.

In another vision that ordinary people can't observe, along with that drop of blood is a terrifying overflow of ancient magic.

Almost instantly, as if inspired, the roots of Bella's neck stretched out several tendrils to devour his blood.

Naturally, Owen wouldn't let it get his way.

He slowly pulled his fingers away.

A little bit of seduction stripped from Bella's body.

Of course, he has simpler and crude methods, but although those methods can kill Rootbeard 100%, there is a high probability that they will kill Bella together.

This intelligence woman is still a little useful, and it's a bit of a loss to kill it now.

That's why Owen uses such primitive methods.

The extraction of the roots is extremely painful.

This can be seen from Bella's sudden arching body, her unconscious trembling, and her whole mental dissipation, a stroke-like posture.

And the pain didn't end anytime soon. Rather, it lasted for a long time.

Peeling off the [dead roots] like a cocoon, of course, is not a thing that can be done quickly.

(End of chapter)