The Crown, the Purification Potion, and the Trial by Fire
Adrian had prepared everything and took a deep breath.
It was now time to begin.
'Oh, right.'
Adrian suddenly remembered something and took out the Felix Felicis that Dumbledore had just given him.
'Should I use it?'
After a moment's hesitation, Adrian put the Felix Felicis away.
A vague feeling told him that now was not the time to use the lucky potion.
He unscrewed the cap, and the golden liquid swirled inside the bottle.
Just as Adrian was about to pour the purification potion directly onto the crown, the diadem suddenly emitted a slight tremor, as if it were afraid of something.
Adrian's hand paused, his brow slightly furrowed. At that moment, the surface of the diadem began to exude a thin layer of black mist, as if resisting something.
This gave Adrian some confidence. It seemed that the purification potion was effective against Voldemort's soul fragment within Ravenclaw's diadem.
"Now then..." Adrian said softly, before unhesitatingly pouring the purification potion onto the diadem.
However, what happened next far exceeded his expectations.
The moment the golden potion touched the diadem, it immediately emitted a piercing "hiss" sound.
Black smoke rose from the diadem, merging into a distorted human face in the air.
'It was Voldemort's soul fragment!'
Voldemort's crimson eyes flickered in the smoke, staring intently at Adrian.
"!?"
Adrian's heartbeat suddenly accelerated, and cold sweat seeped from his palms. This was something he had never anticipated.
The purification potion hadn't destroyed Voldemort's soul fragment but instead had forced it out of Ravenclaw's diadem!
Now, a fragment of Voldemort's soul, detached from its vessel, had transformed into black mist and was floating before him, emitting an eerie aura that made it hard to breathe.
What was even worse was that Voldemort's soul fragment seemed to be conscious.
The face formed from black mist twisted, its crimson eyes fixed on Adrian, emitting a sound somewhere between a whisper and a hiss: "What have you done..."
Seeing this, Adrian immediately raised his wand.
'What spell could work on a soul without a physical form? The Unforgivable Curses? Fiendfyre?'
None seemed appropriate. However, Voldemort didn't give Adrian much time to think.
The black mist rapidly shot toward the window.
Adrian's pupils contracted sharply—if Voldemort's soul fragment escaped, the consequences would be unthinkable!
"Expecto Patronum!"
In the emergency, Adrian cast a Patronus Charm.
A silvery hedgehog leaped from the tip of Adrian's wand, drawing a bright arc in the air before nimbly jumping onto the windowsill, blocking the black mist's path.
Voldemort's face contorted violently upon contact with the Patronus, emitting a piercing scream before retreating hastily.
'It worked!' Adrian's eyes lit up.
He waved his wand, and a silver barrier sealed the entire window. Then, Adrian's Patronus raised all its spines and, like a shining meteor, chased after the black mist.
The black mist was driven back steadily, frantically fleeing to various corners of the room, emitting angry hisses. But Adrian quickly realized a new problem: he could only trap Voldemort, but couldn't completely destroy it.
Just then, the suitcase in the corner of the room opened, and a vine extended from inside.
It was Devil's Snare!
It must have sensed the eerie aura outside and emerged to see what was happening.
"Oh no!"
Adrian's heart sank, with a bad premonition.
Sure enough, the black mist seemed to sense something and, as if discovering a lifeline, lunged toward the open suitcase.
The Devil's Snare's tendrils tried to retract in fear, but it was already too late.
The black mist completely sank into the suitcase, and the lid slammed shut with a loud "bang," trapping one of the Devil's Snare's tendrils.
"Merlin's beard..."
Adrian muttered, unhesitatingly rushing through the portal after it.
Inside Adrian's plantation.
Remus had finished his morning's work and was sitting on a patch of grass, leisurely drinking tea.
"!"
Suddenly, Remus's teacup shook violently, spilling the red tea.
He looked up alertly, his keen senses detecting an ominous presence in the air.
When he turned his head, a black mist suddenly appeared in the air, condensing into a twisted face.
Remus started, his wand instantly sliding into his palm as he stood up from the grass.
"What... is that thing..." he muttered.
Right after, Adrian's figure also appeared on the grass.
The black mist, as if waiting for Adrian, floated to his eyes after he appeared.
"I will remember this..."
A chilling voice resonated from within the black mist, echoing in Adrian's ears.
Before Adrian could react, the black mist hastily flew toward the sky.
It wanted to escape!
Adrian thought, "This is bad."
At that moment, something strange happened.
Just as the black mist was about to escape, the distant Tree of Wisdom suddenly stirred.
Sensing the energy, Adrian quickly looked toward the Tree of Wisdom.
All the branches and leaves of the Tree of Wisdom moved without wind, emitting a rustling sound.
"That is..."
Adrian had never seen such a reaction from the Tree of Wisdom before and was momentarily stunned.
Next, a beam of green light shot up from the trunk of the Tree of Wisdom, precisely piercing the black mist in the sky.
Voldemort's soul fragment let out a heart-wrenching scream, twisting and deforming in the green light.
Adrian and Remus had to shield their eyes with their hands; the light was just too dazzling.
When the light finally dissipated, the black mist had vanished from the sky.
[Soul Absorption Complete...]
Only when a message was transmitted to Adrian's mind did he come to his senses.
"Eldra!"
Adrian quickly asked the Tree of Wisdom to tell him its status.
[Name: Eldra (Tree of Wisdom)]
[Type: Oak] [Level: 3]
[Properties: Object Analysis, Soul Connection]
[Status: Growing (99.9%)]
'99.9%?'
Adrian had never encountered a growth progress with a decimal point before.
However, by now, he had clarified the current situation: it was the Tree of Wisdom that had resolved the problem at hand.
Fortunately, Voldemort's soul fragment hadn't escaped. Otherwise, it would have become a huge hidden danger.
Remus rushed to Adrian's side, his wand still gripped tightly, as if he hadn't yet recovered from the sudden situation.
"What just happened, Adrian?" he asked nervously. "What was that black mist? And this tree—"
"Don't worry about it," Adrian shrugged, trying to appear casual, saying, "A small problem, but it's been resolved now."
Although Adrian called it a "small problem," Remus didn't think so. The dark magic aura that had leaked from that black mist was definitely not simple.
The tree was even more extraordinary.
"Really?" He asked suspiciously.
"Relax," Adrian smiled and walked toward the exit. "I have some business to attend to, so I'll be going now—ah, don't forget to feed Torch."
Although Remus felt something was strange, he didn't ask any more questions.
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