After reading the letter that Umbridge sent to him privately, Zuo Si, who was secretly studying the mystery of death under the guise of "academic exchange", quickly had a thoughtful expression on his face.

Obviously, the reason why he was reluctant to return to Hogwarts was to avoid Dumbledore's eyes.

Because studying the afterlife is so sensitive, so sensitive that it is far more crazy than the ability of the Philosopher's Stone to bring back the dead.

After all, a vast afterlife is in an ownerless state, and any spellcaster and scholar on the continent of Faerun understands what this means.

No matter who it is, as long as they can first pass through the "veil" as a living person and reach that huge abyss, they can rely on the soul power that has accumulated for countless tens of thousands of years to become the unique god of death in this world, and possibly even the only true God.

Moreover, he is the kind of primitive god who does not require faith and directly controls the rules of death.

Of course, as a planeswalker, Zuo Si does not want to become a god.

But that doesn't mean there's no way to use this power to strengthen yourself.

He was especially curious about what secrets were hidden under the abyss, and he had to figure it out no matter what to feel at ease.

"Sir Soth, do you need me to prepare an owl messenger for you?"

A woman who looked to be in her fifties, wearing a gorgeous, somewhat exaggerated crimson dress from the 18th century, asked in standard "Parisian accent" French.

"No need, Mrs. Caroline. This is just a notification, there is no need to write a reply. Besides... I have always been skeptical about the safety of owl messengers." Zuo Si declined with a smile.

"Well, since you said so, I won't bother you any more. If you need anything, please let me know. Don't hesitate to ask. After all, we are allies who have signed a magic contract."

After saying this, the woman called Lady Caroline bowed gracefully, then turned around and walked out of the room, picking up her skirt and closing the door behind her.

When the crisp sound of high heels stepping on the marble floor gradually faded away, Zuo Si asked the diary meaningfully: "Do you think Mrs. Caroline knows what I am doing?"

“I probably don’t know.

Because the wizards in this world's exploration of death is too superficial, even Dumbledore only knows the basics.

However, as one of the oldest families in the French magic world that has never been cut off, they must have guessed the importance of your research, so they took the initiative to come to you and propose cooperation."

The diary replied with interest.

"In other words, some families in the French magical world took the initiative to change their attitudes after seeing the massacre in Berlin?" Zuo Si touched his chin, looking thoughtful.

"Perhaps it was the three portions of magic mercury that made them feel that cooperation was more cost-effective than confrontation." The diary added.

Obviously, Lady Caroline, who came from a distinguished family and background, was most likely a pawn put forward for testing.

Most likely, there is not just one family behind this, but several families working together to instigate it.

Maybe those dark wizards who gathered in Berlin and caused such a big fuss were secretly instigated and participated by them.

In line with the principle of playing the long game to catch the big fish, Zuo Si gladly accepted the other party's kindness, which is why he moved into this luxurious manor on the outskirts of Paris, which is said to have hundreds of years of history, and enjoyed the service of a group of servants including house-elves.

In return, he also took out three parts of magic mercury and gave it to the other party to deal with.

In the end, both parties were happy and even made an unbreakable vow to ensure that the alliance would continue forever.

Of course, this "unbreakable" only applies to Lady Caroline.

Zuo Si had many ways to make the spell ineffective, or even if it worked, it would not pose any threat to him at all.

Not only that, he can also use this opportunity to find out who is the real person in power behind the French magic world, and which families are involved in secretly issuing a bounty on him.

You should know that in the circle of dark wizards, his "worth" is as high as five million gold Galleons.

Although the corpse statue scared away many people, there were still some guys who were confident in their own strength and wanted to take a risk.

There is no doubt that compared to the British wizarding world under the pressure of Dumbledore, the wizarding families on the European continent are not only more unscrupulous in their style of work, but also extremely powerful, with considerable influence in both the black and white worlds.

Just when Zuo Si burned the letter and immersed himself in the study of death again, Lady Caroline had left the manor and came to an ancient castle less than 70 kilometers away from the famous Fontainebleau Palace.

It is not difficult to see from the exterior decoration style and the overall structure that this is almost a small replica of the Palace of Fontainebleau. Both the building and the courtyard seem to be designed by the same designer.

The only difference is that what are raised here are not ordinary animals and hounds, but all kinds of magical creatures.

In particular, there are several magical plants that can be used to make magic wands, each of which is worth more than 100,000 gold galleons. Some Bowtruckles can be clearly seen on the treetops.

In addition, a huge fire dragon was crawling in the middle of the lawn in a very submissive posture, allowing the house-elf to wipe and maintain its scales, without any sign of violent and unruly wildness.

Obviously, this is a dragon that has been fully domesticated and kept as a pet, rather than one of those semi-wild fire dragons that are merely used as materials.

As the owner of the castle, an old man with wrinkles all over his face and sagging skin was sitting on a recliner, enjoying the warm feeling of the sun shining on his body. After a full minute, he asked, "How is it, have you figured out what that young man has been researching recently?"

"I'm sorry, Grandfather, I have no idea what he's researching and I can't even understand it at all," Lady Caroline replied somewhat frustratedly.

"Oh? Didn't he ask for a lot of materials and magic items some time ago?" The old man slowly opened his eyes, with a hint of curiosity in his tone.

Lady Caroline smiled bitterly and explained, “Many of the things that Soth wants are raw materials with various uses. They can be used to mix potions and make some magic props.

The only thing they have in common is that they all involve some mysterious areas related to soul and death to a greater or lesser extent.

The most reliable speculation at present is that he may have developed a great interest in life and death after successfully creating the second Philosopher's Stone.

In addition, I also discovered that he has very close connections with the British Ministry of Magic.

Fortunately, you insisted on not participating in the conspiracy, otherwise the consequences would be very serious."

After hearing this, the old man quickly sat up from his recliner and asked, "Do you mean that he has discovered the real mastermind behind those dark wizards?"

"That's right. He even hinted to me that if I could provide a list, he would pay me an extra amount of magic mercury as a reward." Lady Caroline gave an affirmative answer without hesitation.

"You didn't agree?" The old man's face changed slightly.

Lady Caroline shook her head quickly. "Of course not. How can I easily make a promise about something this sensitive and risky without your permission?"

“Just know the severity.

Remember, the secret of our family's continuation to this day is that we never become villains who forget our principles for the sake of profit.

Especially when it comes to despicable acts like this that involve informing on others, no matter what price the other party offers, you must never agree to it.

Rather than offending one party and pleasing the other, we prefer to serve as a bridge in the middle.

Take this incident as an example. We will not collude with dark wizards and offend a genius with great potential just for the magical mercury that can bring the dead back to life.

Nor would they offend those ancient families that had been rooted in Europe for thousands of years in order to please this genius.

Because only by ensuring one's own continuation can fame, wealth, and magical power have any meaning."

The old man warned solemnly.

"Understood."

Lady Caroline immediately bent down and knelt to show her obedience and respect to her grandfather.

Because she understood that the family had been able to survive intact and grow stronger from the turmoil that swept across Europe decades ago, and had not been exterminated due to extinction like some ancient families, all thanks to the wisdom of the old man in front of her.

First ensure survival and continuation, then consider other things, never take risks and never be radical.

This is the code of conduct that my family follows.

Seeing that his most outstanding descendant had fully understood this, the old man praised him with satisfaction: "You have done a good job so far. Hold an auction in my name and sell the remaining two pieces of magic mercury."

"All? Aren't you going to keep a backup copy or continue researching?" Lady Caroline widened her eyes in surprise.

The old man quickly waved his hand: “That’s not necessary.

Since the alchemist wasted a bottle and couldn't find anything from it, it means that this thing is not easy to copy.

Otherwise it wouldn't require the power of the Philosopher's Stone to create it.

So instead of keeping them and attracting attention, or even causing unnecessary losses, it is better to sell them all and exchange them for more practical things.

What's more, didn't we reach a cooperation agreement with this young genius?

As long as I can maintain and manage this relationship well, I will naturally have the opportunity to obtain magic mercury from him in the future.

My child, you must learn to restrain your greed and desires, and never try to get anything beyond your ability.

Otherwise, this thing will become a huge disaster, or even the cause of the family's collapse and destruction."

"As you wish, Grandfather."

Caroline bowed deeply, then turned around with graceful steps and disappeared at the end of the dark corridor of the castle.

About a few hours later, dozens of owl messengers delivered the invitation to the most powerful family rooted in continental Europe. It was like a depth bomb that instantly made the already weird atmosphere in the magic world even more turbulent.

Especially when the senior officials of the German Ministry of Magic learned the news, they almost overturned the desks in their offices.

You have to know that the previous crazy act of the black wizard bombing the streets and the horrific sculptures made by Zuo Si using corpses have made them completely lose face, and they are now facing the crisis of being impeached and removed from office.

The culprit behind all this is, of course, the magic mercury that can bring the dead back to life.

But now, this thing actually appeared at the auction openly.

If you have any extra, you should take them out as soon as possible!

Why has it come to this?

If money can buy it, who would take the huge risk to surround a super genius who has the blood of Dumbledore family and has surpassed Nicolas Flamel in the field of alchemy?

The most important thing is that with other channels for obtaining information, those wealthy and powerful ancient families would naturally not offer rewards for hiring dark wizards, and the scene in Berlin would not have happened. The German Ministry of Magic would not have to endure the insults from the people and such huge public pressure.

In less than half a day, many people who were eager to get a piece of magic mercury appeared on the streets of Paris, France, carrying huge sums of money.

Their appearance made the French Ministry of Magic nervous, and they quickly dispatched a large number of people to ensure their personal and property safety.

After all, with the precedent of the German Ministry of Magic, the French Ministry of Magic dare not take it lightly.

For a while, this city known as the European capital of art, culture and romance was completely monitored by wizards.

Fortunately, this group of people carrying a huge amount of money did not run around, but first visited Mrs. Caroline's grandfather, and then stayed inside waiting for the auction to begin.

This left many dark wizards who wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to make a fortune with no room to maneuver. They could only hide nearby and wait for the auction to end to see if there were any suitable targets to hunt.

In short, the emergence of magic mercury has put the magic world in countries all over the world in a state of unrest.

Whether there are people who want to be resurrected, or those who intend to figure out the secret and then copy it, they will do whatever it takes to get it.

As the creator of the second philosopher's stone, Zuo Si inevitably became the center of this vortex.

But he himself didn't care about it and was fully immersed in studying how to enter the afterlife.

The maids and house-elves who were responsible for taking care of his daily life could often hear creepy screams coming from the cellar where the experiments were conducted, and there was also a cold aura that could be felt even through several walls.

But what puzzled them was that there was no living thing in the cellar except Zuo Si, so where did the noises come from? Under the control of strong fear, no one dared to approach without permission.

…

On the other side, on a small island far across the channel, two dark lords had just joined forces to capture Azkaban, the most notorious prison in the British wizarding world.

Those Dementors, which were portrayed as extremely terrifying, were easily driven away like timid rabbits in front of them, and they had no power to resist at all.

A group of Death Eaters imprisoned here, including August, Trevor, Antonin, Bellacritus, Rodolphus, Bastan and others, finally regained their freedom and returned to their long-awaited master.

"It seems that the plan is going better than expected, isn't it?"

The young Voldemort stood next to the giant basilisk, with his lips curled up in a smug smile.

Needless to say, this raid was planned and carried out by him.

"Don't be too happy yet. This is just the first step. The key is how to invade the Ministry of Magic and leave before Dumbledore arrives."

As the elder Voldemort spoke, he slightly moved the body he had occupied for only a short time.

Since he had consumed a lot of magic power to drive away the Dementors just now, his movements looked a little stiff, not as natural as when he had enough magic power.

"Master! I have some very useful information about the Philosopher's Stone." August came closer and said in a very excited tone.

"What information?" asked the older Voldemort with interest.

August quickly replied, "I was once taken to the Ministry of Magic to participate in an experiment to resurrect the dead. I know which room of the Department of Mysteries the Philosopher's Stone is stored in. I also know that it is not the Philosopher's Stone itself that has the power to resurrect the dead, but the magic mercury created inside it."

"Oh? You were killed and then resurrected?"

There was a strange gleam in the older Voldemort's eyes.

As a person who is extremely resistant to the arrival of death and is willing to tear his own soul apart many times for this, his interest in death is actually no less than Zuo Si's.

It’s just that the cost of exploring death is too high, so I had to give up.

But now, a person who had died and been resurrected appeared in front of me, so naturally I had to ask him clearly.

Thinking of this, Voldemort immediately asked: "What did you see after you died?"

August was obviously startled by the burning gaze of his master, and responded subconsciously: "It is... it is a curtain. After passing through it, there is only endless coldness, darkness and nothingness, and the senses begin to become numb."

"No judgment? No death? No underworld?" Voldemort continued to ask with interest.

"No! There was nothing there except souls wandering aimlessly. But my death was very brief. I was forcibly dragged back to my body before I could get too far."

August didn't dare to hide anything and told everything he knew.

After hearing this, the two Voldemorts looked at each other and saw excitement and ecstasy in each other's eyes.

Because if all this is true, after they seize the Philosopher's Stone, they can use the means of resurrection to find out the secrets of the afterlife and ultimately master the ultimate power called "death."

By then, whether it is Dumbledore or Zuo Si, they will fall at his feet.

Of course, as a Dark Lord who "cherishes talents", Voldemort decided that as long as Zuo Si was willing to surrender, he would mercifully forgive the other party for his previous offenses against him and allow him to join the Death Eaters to contribute to the great cause.

"Let everyone get ready! We will launch a surprise attack on the Ministry of Magic in half an hour. We must get the Philosopher's Stone at all costs."

After a brief silence, the older Voldemort gave orders to the Death Eaters who had just escaped.

Although he knew that these people had been severely damaged both physically and mentally due to long-term imprisonment and the Dementors draining their happy memories, it would be best to give them some time to recover their physical strength and magic so that they could maximize their strength.

But the problem is that Azkaban is a place that receives special attention from the British Ministry of Magic.

At most after forty minutes, the other party will realize that something is wrong.

So Voldemort could only give his men half an hour to rest, otherwise the attack would lose its suddenness.

In addition, his nature is cold, ruthless and cruel, and he never takes other people's lives seriously.

In his eyes, Death Eaters were mere servants, cannon fodders who were willing to die for him at critical moments. How could he possibly care about the lives of these guys?

Half an hour passed in a flash.

After eating a small amount of food, the Death Eaters took the wands they had taken from the guards, followed Voldemort closely, and then they Apparated and disappeared from the spot.

They did not notice at all that a big black dog hiding in the dark jumped out from a cell deep in the prison after they left. It not only successfully avoided the massacre of other prisoners just now, but also boarded a small boat and headed towards the distant land.

Needless to say, this big black dog is Harry Potter's godfather, the last male heir of the Black family, Sirius Black.

Even though this guy was imprisoned in Azkaban on charges of being a Death Eater.

But he knew very well that he was not a Death Eater, but an enemy of Voldemort and the Death Eaters, and he personally killed the traitor who betrayed the Potters - Peter Pettigrew.

So when he discovered that the two Voldemorts were starting to attack the prison, he immediately activated his Animagus ability and turned into a black dog.

不然的话，布莱克那位对伏地魔忠心耿耿且疯狂的姐姐——贝拉特里克斯，肯定不会介意对其施展一通钻心咒，然后再补上一发索命咒。

……

与此同时，远在英国伦敦地下的魔法部内，福吉丝毫没有意识到危险的到来，正满心欢喜坐在自己的办公室内，看着刚刚由乌姆里奇送来的财务报表，满是皱纹的老脸笑得如同一朵盛开的菊花。

“不错！你的工作越来越出色了，亲爱的多洛雷斯。真想不到，光靠那块魔法石，每个月就能给部里带来如此丰厚的收益。”

“这都是多亏了您领导有方。自从涨薪过后，目前整个魔法部从上到下都对您在任期内取得的成绩交口称赞。相信用不了多久，您就会被评选为英国有史以来最伟大的魔法部长。”

乌姆里奇一如既往上来就是一通彩虹屁，把拥有极强虚荣心的福吉夸得心花怒放，嘴角都快要咧到耳朵根子上了。

虽然后者也知道，这根本不是自己的功劳，而是魔法石与其创造者左思的功劳。

但问题是，这个世界上有几个人能够真正认清自己，又有几个人能在无数吹捧中保持理智跟冷静。

就在福吉打算按照惯例谦虚两句，然后再把功劳给最得力下属分一分时，一阵猛烈的爆炸突然从外面传来。

轰！！！！！！！！

伴随着震耳欲聋的巨响和震动，那些挂在办公室里的画像、书籍和装饰品瞬间掉落一地。

还没等他反应过来发生了什么，又一声巨响直接把紧闭的大门轰开。

只见一个满身是血的男巫连带着门一起，狠狠的撞上后方墙壁，随后哇的一声从嘴里喷出一口暗红色的鲜血。

“该死！怎么回事？发生了什么？”

短暂的失神过后，福吉立马拔出魔杖冲到伤者旁边，语气急促的大声询问。

后者强忍着剧痛用奄奄一息的语气回应道：“是……是食死徒！我们遭到了食死徒的攻击！他们当中有奥古斯特、崔佛、安东宁、贝拉克里特斯、罗道夫斯、巴斯坦……”

话还没有说完，这名巫师便失去意识陷入了昏迷。

“什么？食死徒？这些家伙不是都被关在阿兹卡班吗？”

在得知真相之后，福吉当场陷入了恐慌之中。

因为如果这是真的，那么无论是阿兹卡班被劫狱，还是魔法部遭到攻击，都意味着自己政治生涯的终结。

“部长阁下！我认为应该马上启动防御机制，并且召集所有能拿的起魔杖的人将这些狂妄之徒拿下。”

乌姆里奇眼睛里闪过一丝喜色，赶忙装模作样给出了建议。

很显然，这个野心勃勃的女人把这次袭击当成了一次机会。

如果福吉现在被赶下台的话，那么她完全可以凭借与各个家族之间就如何分配魔法水银达成的协议获得对方支持，然后顺理成章登上魔法部长的宝座。

可怜的福吉还不知道自己已经被卖了，连想都没想便拎着魔杖走出办公室，把那些同样惊慌失措乱跑的工作人员集结起来。

没过一会儿功夫，他身边就聚集了三十多名巫师。

尽管这些人的实力参差不齐，但好在数量够多，总算是把胆子壮了起来，浩浩荡荡朝事发地点走去。

大概十分钟之后，通过被唤醒和得到救治的伤员口中得知，这些食死徒在奥古斯特的带领下直接冲进了神秘事物司，福吉好不容易装出来的镇定瞬间现出原形，惊恐不已的尖叫道：“不好！他们的目标是魔法石！”

瞬间！

在场所有人都像是被一盆冰水从头浇到脚。

还有些更是忍不住剧烈抖动，眼神中透露出无边的恐惧。

但凡不是傻子都明白，这群食死徒抢夺魔法石肯定是为了复活那个曾经像乌云一样笼罩在英国魔法界上空的黑魔王。

“绝对不能让这些混蛋得手！不然我们就完了！”另外一名官员猛地站起身高呼。

“没错！绝对不能让他们得手！还能动的人跟我来！”

“你！你！还有你！在这里守住入口。”

“快！快！快！动作都快一点！”

一时之间，魔法部内慌作一团。

福吉则鼓起勇气，亲自带队走进了通往神秘事物司内部的唯一入口。

大概几分钟之后，他终于在存放魔法石的房间里，看到了已经拿到魔法石的两个伏地魔，以及一众忠心耿耿的食死徒。

“哈哈哈哈！抱歉，你们来的太晚了，我已经拿到了自己想要的东西。”

年长的伏地魔举起手中那个装有魔法石的盒子，脸上露出了狰狞的笑容。

此时此刻，他已经能够感受到魔法水银所蕴含的惊人生命力和魔力，绝对能让自己以最完美的姿态复活。

不仅如此！

剩余的部分还能用来强化自身，让自己的魔力变得比以前更加强大、更加不可战胜。

“你是谁？还有洛哈特，你怎么会在这里？难道你也成了食死徒？”

福吉瞪大眼睛完全被眼前看到的景象搞蒙了。

由于两个伏地魔眼下用的都不是自己的身体，所以除了那些最了解他们的铁杆食死徒之外，根本没人能从外表将其分辨出来。

“看！多么可悲！我们可怜的魔法部长居然还没有搞清楚状况。”年长的伏地魔冷笑着嘲讽道。

“哼！像这种蠢货也配成为魔法部长？英国魔法界还真是越来越不像样子了呢。主人，请允许我为您扫除这些不自量力的垃圾。”

贝拉克里特斯举起从其他巫师手中抢来的魔杖，眼睛里释放出无尽的疯狂与杀意。

作为极少数真正混乱邪恶的代表，她早已将生命乃至灵魂献祭给黑魔王，根本不把人命当成一回事。

“主人？！”

福吉听到这个词瞳孔骤然放大、收缩、再放大，感觉就像是有人用拳头狠狠敲击了一下胸口，连呼吸都变得困难起来。

足足过了一分钟，他才用颤抖的声音问：“你……你是伏地魔？”

“呵呵，你很吃惊不是吗？因为在魔法部的叙事中，我应该已经彻底死掉了才对。但是很遗憾，想要杀死我并不是一件容易的事情，至少那个被你们吹捧成为救世主的男孩——哈利·波特还做不到。而且这一次，你们将面对的是两个我。”

说着，年长的伏地魔朝学生时代的自己做了个请的动作。

顶着洛哈特相貌的年轻伏地魔翘起嘴角，以一种十分优雅的姿态行了一礼：“很高兴认识你，康奈利·福吉部长。重新认识一下，我并不是您认为的吉德罗·洛哈特，而是汤姆·里德尔。当然，也许你可以称呼我的另外一个名字——伏地魔。”

伴随着最后一个字脱口而出，他当着所有人的面展示了一下两个名字之间字母排列顺序的变化。

这一举动立刻让不少在魔法部工作量了五十年以上的人，终于意识到汤姆·里德尔和伏地魔之间的关系。

毕竟前者当年可是霍格沃茨最优秀的毕业生，很多人甚至觉得他毕业之后会进入魔法部，然后一路高升直至成为魔法部长。

“两……两个黑魔王？”

乌姆里奇下意识的吞了吞口水。

要知道她可是经历过十年前那场大战的人，明白伏地魔的力量有多么强大。

一个都让英国魔法界鸡犬不宁，现在两个凑在一起那还不是要闹个天翻地覆。

“没错！现在你们要同时对付两个我。不过别担心，今天我只是来取走魔法石，并不打算大开杀戒。但是下一次我来的时候，希望你们每个人都能考虑清楚自己应该站在哪一边。”

说完这句充满威胁意味的话之后，年长的伏地魔便举起魔杖准备施展幻影移形离开。

从拿到魔法石的那一刻起，他就已经急不可耐的想要举行复活仪式，赶紧抛弃掉这具脆弱的身体。

但就在魔法咒语即将生效的刹那，一道白光突然凭空出现。

还没等其他人反应过来，一名身穿蓝色长袍、头发和胡须都已经发白的老人便挡住了两个伏地魔和一众食死徒的退路。

“邓布利多！”

“邓布利多！”

两个伏地魔异口同声喊出了老人的名字。

不用问也知道，在得知了阿兹卡班遭到劫狱、食死徒突袭魔法部的消息，这位霍格沃茨的校长第一时间赶了过来。

“同时唤醒两个魂器？汤姆，你的疯狂与邪恶还真是远远超出了我的想象。”邓布利多表情阴沉的说道。

“哼！多亏了你把洛哈特这个白痴招募进学校成为教授，借助他的身份我可是干了不少事情呢。”年轻的伏地魔冷笑着嘲讽道。

“之前袭击学生的事情是你干的？”邓布利多眼睛里闪烁着骇人的寒光。

伏地魔故意用一种满不在乎的语气回应道：“你觉得这个问题还有回答的必要吗？如果不是当时碰巧有人经过，那个小可怜现在应该已经变成一堆骸骨了。”

"Stop talking nonsense! We have already got the Philosopher's Stone. There is no need to waste time here with him."

The older Voldemort gave his younger self a look.

The latter understood instantly! The next second...

boom!!!!!!

The huge basilisk rushed in directly from the entrance, staring at everyone present with its two pale yellow petrified eyes.

Many people, including Fudge, were petrified in an instant before they realized what was happening.

Even Dumbledore himself, his feet below the knees quickly turned into grayish-white stone.

There is no doubt that this is the last trump card that the two Voldemorts prepared for critical moments.

You must know that the basilisk in the secret room is not an ordinary basilisk, but a thousand-year-old basilisk. The power of its petrifying eyes is simply not something that ordinary wizards can resist.

In the original plot, the young Voldemort did not make good use of it, nor did he use various powerful spells to cooperate with it.

That's why he was killed in a nearly trifling manner by the savior Harry.

But now, the two Voldemorts teamed up to set a trap, first hiding the Basilisk outside the room, and then letting it suddenly break in and stare at everyone in the room, instantly petrifying more than a dozen people on the spot.

But Dumbledore is indeed the greatest wizard of our time.

After discovering that he was affected by petrification, he immediately used the technique he had just learned from Zuo Si to remove the petrification, and successfully avoided being turned into a statue.

When he was about to launch a counterattack, he found that the two Voldemorts and the Death Eaters had disappeared.

Even the basilisk was taken away, leaving only a group of petrified Ministry of Magic staff.

"Alas—this is a big trouble."

Looking at the empty stage, Dumbledore sighed helplessly and began to remove the petrification of everyone present.

When Fudge recovered, he immediately grabbed the hand of the old man who had helped him become the Minister of Magic, and said in an almost pleading tone: "Albus! Help me!"

"I'm sorry, but I can't help you this time. Two Voldemorts are resurrected at the same time. Do you know what this means? Get ready! The storm is coming soon!"

After saying this, Dumbledore left the scene without looking back.

As for Fudge, he stood there as if he had lost his soul. No matter what the people around him said, he didn't react at all.

Just when the entire Ministry of Magic was in chaos, Voldemort, who had successfully seized the Philosopher's Stone, had arrived at an old house that had been prepared in advance.

Without any hesitation!

He simply set up a big pot and began to throw the materials needed for resurrection into it one by one.

When the water in the pot began to boil and turned blood red, he signaled his Death Eaters to take out the magic mercury from the inside of the Philosopher's Stone.

Since he himself could not touch the Philosopher's Stone directly, the Philosopher's Stone was always kept in the original box along the way.

As the most loyal servant, Bellacritus received this honor.

She opened the lid of the box carefully, and then she stood there for a long time without moving, as if she was under a spell.

"Bellacritus! What's the matter with you? Hurry up and take out a portion of magic mercury!"

Voldemort, who had already taken off all his clothes and was about to stew himself in an iron pot, frowned and urged impatiently.

"Master... Master! The Philosopher's Stone is gone!"

There was a tremor in Bellacritus' voice, and he turned around with an expression that was uglier than crying.

"What? Gone! How is this possible?!"

Upon hearing that the treasure he had fought so hard to get was lost, the older Voldemort immediately flew into a rage and pushed the crazy woman away.

But he saw that the box was really empty. Not only was there the Philosopher's Stone, there wasn't even a drop of magic mercury.

Realizing that he might have been tricked, he immediately kicked Bellacritus to the ground and stomped his head into the dirt, roaring angrily, "Who? Who stole my Philosopher's Stone!"

"Master, the Philosopher's Stone has been in your custody since the beginning. We haven't even touched it." August knelt on the ground and explained in fear.

Not only him, but several other Death Eaters had similar reactions.

These people knew very well what kind of crazy actions the Dark Lord would do when he was furious.

Regardless of anything else, everyone will definitely be subjected to a feast of the Cruciatus Curse.

"Then explain to me why the Philosopher's Stone that was clearly placed inside was lost? Explain it to me!"

The older Voldemort raised his wand and pointed it at August. The tip of his wand flashed a terrifying green light, as if it would shoot out a death curse in the next second.

At this critical moment, the Philosopher's Stone suddenly appeared out of thin air in front of everyone from the originally empty box.

Seeing this scene, Voldemort didn't care about anything else and immediately signaled August to take it out.

But what’s interesting is that when August’s hand was about to touch the box, the Philosopher’s Stone disappeared again.

When he retracts his hand, the Philosopher's Stone will reappear out of thin air.

At first, the two Voldemorts thought it was some kind of sleight of hand or an invisibility spell, but after several attempts they found that it was not the case at all. They were just instantly teleported away by some force.

No matter what method is used, there is no way to prevent this from happening.

In other words, they succeeded in getting the Philosopher's Stone, but did not get it completely. They could only stare at the box without being able to do anything.

Even the Stop Spell, which is said to be able to end all magical effects, cannot have the slightest effect on it.

Zuo Si, who was studying the mystery of death in Paris, France, would see the Philosopher's Stone appear beside him every few minutes with a playful smile on his face.

You don't need to ask to know that all this was his doing.

Because the box was tampered with during its production.

Unless authorized, anyone else will be instantly transported to its true owner if they touch the Philosopher's Stone directly or indirectly, or use a magic spell.

It will be sent back only after permission is obtained.

In other words, everything Voldemort saw was done intentionally by Zuo Si.

Not for anything else, I just think it's fun to see him get so angry...

(End of this chapter)