Chapter 651: Chapter 651: Tom's Philosopher's Stone Factory (Edited)
"We should quickly return to Hogwarts and tell Professor Dumbledore about this..." Hermione thought about sharing the important information that Tom had obtained with Professor Dumbledore.
But Tom didn't share the same idea.
"Foolish, did you forget our most important goal in coming out?" Tom pulled out the rough prototype of the Philosopher's Stone, showing it to Hermione.
"We can leave this here for now; the most important thing is to inform Dumbledore," Hermione tugged at Tom's sleeve.
Tom frowned, looking somewhat annoyed.
"Whether Dumbledore finds out now or later won't make much difference," he said indifferently. "It might take time for him to make a decision, or he might be indecisive in his actions. In my opinion, even if he learns about the collaboration between the Death Eaters and the Scourers, he won't be able to take any effective action. The Order of the Phoenix has limited resources, and the British Ministry of Magic is in a state of decay..."
The frustration in Tom's voice grew with each word, but Hermione quickly stopped him.
"Alright, let's do as you say. First, let's place the Philosopher's Stone."
"As you wish, let's put the Sorcerer's Stone in its place."
Tom closed his mouth, somewhat annoyed.
What he had just said was sincere. In his view, whether Dumbledore found out now or a day later wouldn't make much difference, it was like a four-week experiment, advancing or delaying a few hours would barely have a margin of error. However, Hermione's Philosopher's Stone was different, placing it a day earlier would mean reaping its benefits a day earlier—it was a treasure for extending his life!
Once they agreed, they sought out John and told him they wanted to return to the slaughterhouse one more time. Although it seemed strange to revisit, customers were like gods, and John, the devout follower, wouldn't disappoint his gods. He agreed immediately and drove them back to the slaughterhouse in his truck.
"Is this the facility all the animals have to go through?" Tom looked with interest at a large cylinder the size of a wagon and even touched it.
"Yes, all the animals, cows, sheep, and pigs within a radius of a hundred kilometers, pass through here to ascend to heaven," John nodded. To make it more vivid, he personally restarted the production line so that Tom could see how a cow was automatically sacrificed.
Pressing a button, the production line roared to life, and the gates of the pen not too far away opened. The cows that the breeders had brought walked under the guidance of the workers toward a narrow corridor. Once they entered that corridor, it was the path to certain death.
Because the corridor was very narrow, even if the leader of the group didn't want to move forward, the animals behind it pushed it until it crossed the threshold of death.
Tom watched as a robust cow was led onto a platform, its head trapped, and two electrodes inserted into its forehead, electrocuting it instantly until it was unconscious.
The unconscious cow fell into the massive cylinder, and when it came out, it was already divided in half. Tom felt the prototype of the Philosopher's Stone in his hands warming slightly.
"Very efficient, completely automated operation, hardly requires labor," John was very satisfied with his slaughterhouse.
And most importantly, it wasn't bloody. If it were too bloody, it would attract trouble.
Tom thought the same. In his view, this fully automated slaughterhouse was the most advanced.
"Let me see the biological waste recycling pit," Tom requested with another interest.
"Of course, that's the main attraction," John had mentally prepared for this. A competent slaughterhouse owner would always be concerned about waste management.
"By the way, can I hang a cross here?" Before leaving, Tom made an apparently reasonable request.
The workers here were mostly devout followers, so hanging a cross wouldn't be a problem. If it were the symbol of another religion, it would be a different matter.
After obtaining permission, Tom hung a wooden cross on the wall of this workshop. Apart from Hermione, no one knew that inside that cross was housed the prototype of the Philosopher's Stone. It would absorb the dissipating energy from the animals sacrificed here and eventually become a Philosopher's Stone that would prolong life.
Biological waste was temporarily stored in a large pit.
The enormous pit was filled with blood and animal entrails, emitting a nauseating and unpleasant smell. Occasionally, a mixture of blood and entrails would fall from above through a tube, splashing into the pit and creating a burst of blood splatters.
"It's like a scene from hell. I've been running this factory for decades, but every time I see this, it disgusts me. Now do you understand why I don't want to eat entrails? Many unscrupulous traders get their supplies from these kinds of blood puddles." John shrugged. He didn't want to linger there for too long, so he rarely did, urging, "Can we leave now?"
"You all go first. I want to conduct a small test involving trade secrets," Tom said seriously.
"Okay, okay!" John huffed at Tom's words, but luckily, he didn't have to stay in that blood-scented room for long, so he quickly exited the place.
Once everyone was gone, Tom carefully took out a small glass vial and dropped a drop of Menes' blood into it.
Suddenly, the pit, or rather, the blood puddle, began to boil.
Menes' blood seemed to be breathing, drawing the blood from the pit towards itself. The entire pit seemed to be breathing.
The liquid level decreased rapidly to the naked eye, and the entrails submerged in the pit shrank into completely unusable waste.
When Menes' blood had finally completely absorbed the blood puddle, only withered entrails remained, and the size of the blood drop had multiplied several times.
"See? We've saved the recycling cost!" Tom pointed to the pit that had reduced in size hundreds of times and was very satisfied.
When John re-entered the room, his eyes nearly popped out in surprise. He couldn't imagine what kind of technology could make the blood from a large pit suddenly disappear.
However, he didn't dare to ask, as even a fool knew this must involve extremely valuable formulas.
"Let's go." Tom had no intention of explaining either, and with Hermione, he left the factory.
From now on, he only needed to lower the animal sacrifice price and attract more farmers to bring their animals to the slaughterhouse, then use the money obtained to expand production, and so on...
It wouldn't be long before he could refine the Philosopher's Stone for Hermione. His mission on this trip had already been fulfilled. It was time to return to Hogwarts.
Chapter 652: Chapter 652: Confusion Curse and Dance Partner (Edited)
"Professor..." In Dumbledore's office, Harry seemed to want to say something but stopped.
Dumbledore showed no impatience; he looked at Harry kindly and gave him an encouraging look, hoping he would continue speaking.
Encouraged by Dumbledore's gaze, Harry finally gathered his courage and said, "Some time ago, my scar started hurting again..."
He recounted in detail everything he had seen recently, not leaving out any details, and then closed his mouth, waiting for Dumbledore's response.
Dumbledore interlocked his fingers and seemed to sink into deep thoughts. After a brief moment, he spoke softly, "You mentioned that to heal his wound, several locations passed through his mind, correct?"
"That's right."
"Could you describe to me in detail the characteristics of those locations?"
"Of course!" Harry nodded as he struggled to remember the images he had seen that day. As Harry described the locations, Dumbledore's expression became increasingly serious.
"Harry," once Harry finished speaking, Dumbledore looked at him seriously and said, "There is an inexplicable connection between you and him. Don't worry, the Killing Curse and the magic of love, capable of repelling the Killing Curse, are extremely mysterious powers, and no one fully understands their secrets. Under the influence of such magic, it would be strange if the relationship between you and him were the same as that of anyone else."
Dumbledore was trying to make Harry accept the difference in his situation.
"But this is also a double-edged sword. You can see his memories, but it's also possible that he can see yours. You must find a way to protect your mind. I will speak with Severus about it..."
"What? What does this have to do with Snape... the professor?" Upon hearing Snape's name, Harry couldn't help but interrupt Dumbledore's words. Only out of respect for Dumbledore did he reluctantly add the title "professor."
"Professor Snape is the most skilled Occlumens at Hogwarts, even Voldemort can't read his mind. I believe he is the most suitable person to be your instructor." Dumbledore was aware of the tension between Harry and Snape, so he explained the benefits of having Snape as a teacher.
However, Dumbledore underestimated Harry's aversion to Snape. No matter how valid reasons he presented, Harry would always find an excuse to oppose.
The name Snape was the reason behind his opposition.
Harry felt that he would rather have someone with slightly lesser skills as his teacher than Snape.
"And what about others? Is there anyone else who can perform this magic? Tom should be able to, right?"
"Occlumency is an extremely advanced magic. Allow me to be frank, even though Yodel can master that spell, he has only scratched the surface and is not enough to be your teacher." Dumbledore smiled as he looked at Harry. In his view, Yodel barely had enough skills to use Mind Occlusion for himself and didn't qualify to teach others.
"Alright." Harry accepted with a grimace. He had only agreed because of Dumbledore's presence.
In fact, he wanted to ask, "Professor, how skilled are you in Occlumency?" But considering Dumbledore's busy schedule, he didn't dare to ask.
Seeing this, Dumbledore nodded in satisfaction and allowed Harry to leave. The reason he insisted on Snape being Harry's Occlumency instructor was that Snape was an expert in that field and had a successful track record. In all of Hogwarts, including Dumbledore, no one was more suitable than Snape to be the instructor.
However, the downsides of having Snape as a teacher were evident. Simply put, that person was not cut out to be a professor. Snape, who at the age of sixteen could modify textbooks and optimize experimental processes, was a natural talent. But having someone like that as a teacher often spelled disaster for both himself and the students, and with his personality issue, Harry probably wouldn't be fine for long.
Shortly after Harry left, Dumbledore received another visitor. His office was bustling with people, like a busy food stall, with visitors arriving one after another.
Hearing the news that Tom brought, Dumbledore's mood turned somber once again.
Voldemort's power had increased again!
Now he was grateful that he had sent members of the Order of the Phoenix to inflict severe damage on Voldemort's followers. If they hadn't, the alliance between the Death Eaters, the Japanese wizards, and the Scourers would be extremely difficult to handle.
However, this alliance of the three groups was also very fragile. Moreover, just the fundamental goal of the Scourers, the eradication of wizards, already made the three parties not true allies and merely mutual users.
Upon hearing the news, Dumbledore could only sigh. To stop the merger between Voldemort and the Scourers, he didn't have an effective method. He could only send a letter to the Magical Society of America, warning them to prepare in advance and then silently wait for Voldemort to take action.
After the Death Eaters were severely damaged, Voldemort took measures to disperse his followers and hide them in various places, allowing him to regain the initiative, as only he knew the whereabouts of all the Death Eaters.
This brought more problems to the Order of the Phoenix in their task of eliminating them. After all, most Death Eaters had a respectable position on the surface and couldn't be condemned without conclusive evidence. Those who were captured earlier had already been executed by the Dementors, and as the saying went, "dead" wasn't enough proof.
However, Voldemort's approach also had its advantages, as tranquility appeared to return to the British magical community.
But Tom couldn't sense Dumbledore's concerns. He was discussing whether they should continue traveling with Hermione.
"Of course not! We've already missed several days of classes; if we continue like this, our final grades will be truly 'impressive'!" Hermione rejected his proposal immediately. She still wanted to say something more, but she noticed something interesting.
"Tom, look!" Hermione seemed to have discovered a new world and pointed to a corner of the courtyard.
Tom followed her gaze and saw Harry and the Ravenclaw student, Cho Chang.
"Tsk tsk, what do you think they're doing?" Hermione blinked with gossip enthusiasm.
"Harry is probably inviting her to be his dance partner." Tom knew Harry's purpose well; after all, he had asked him to deliver his message, although he eventually dismissed the idea because it was too absurd.
This is as unreliable as asking your best friend to confess their love for you. How could a girl consider whether you are truly trustworthy if you can't even express your feelings for yourself? In that case, the end of a relationship is not far off.
Fortunately, Harry finally clarified his thoughts. But unfortunately, having clear thoughts didn't help because a good girl never lacks suitors. Hesitating and wavering will only lead to unsatisfactory results.
After leaving Dumbledore's office, Harry planned to return to his common room and talk to Ron about Occlumency. But by chance, he ran into Cho Chang coming out of the Transfiguration classroom.
At the moment of the encounter, Harry's breath almost stopped, and a wave of heat rushed to his brain, causing his vocal cords to involuntarily emit a sound: "Cho Chang, can I talk to you?"
Once the words left his mouth, Harry regretted it, as he heard the loud laughter of Cho Chang's friends. To make matters worse, he saw Professor McGonagall in the next classroom, watching him with a curious and gossiping look.
McGonagall raised her eyebrows, clearly determined to see how the drama would unfold before withdrawing.
This couldn't be! Harry screamed in his mind. He felt that no one should be allowed to laugh like this at Hogwarts, and the teachers should not be allowed to stay in the classrooms after class.
Now that the excitement had subsided, Harry felt like his heart was being crushed. Fortunately, Cho Chang didn't laugh and responded affirmatively.
With his hands and feet cold and his stomach churning, Harry struggled to keep calm. Together, they walked to the castle courtyard, away from the laughter of Cho Chang's friends and the gaze of Professor McGonagall.
Cho Chang's friends were considerate and gave them enough space, while Professor McGonagall, due to her position, couldn't hear the students' conversation and finally left somewhat reluctantly.
"Um..." As Harry looked at Cho Chang's face, his heart filled with confusion, but as the saying goes, "a launched arrow cannot be retrieved." At this moment, Harry had no way out.
He couldn't say he had come to challenge the Ravenclaw Quidditch team. There wouldn't be any Quidditch matches this year!
"Do you want to come with me?" In the chaos, Harry uttered a poorly constructed sentence.
However, in this context, even if Cho Chang wasn't a native English speaker, she could easily understand what Harry meant, and furthermore, Harry quickly corrected his error in his speech.
"I mean, would you... um... like to attend the Halloween dance with me?" Harry made an unintentional joke, but even that didn't affect Cho Chang's understanding.
Her face turned red, and then she showed an apologetic expression. "I'm sorry, I've already agreed to go with someone else. Really sorry... Of course, if there's a Halloween dance next year, I'll seriously consider it."
The latter part of her sentence was a playful tease to lighten the mood. Hearing what Cho Chang said, Harry felt his guts churning like a bucket of eels slipping away. Upon hearing Cho Chang's words, he felt a little regret: what if he had asked her earlier? Would she have accepted?
When I asked her, she blushed too!
Harry was infatuated; of course, given his state, maybe it wasn't infatuation, but who knew? The fact was he had lost, and lost big.
The two of them stood in the courtyard in a somewhat awkward atmosphere.
"By the way, are you still looking for a partner? I know some really nice girls who are also worried about finding a date. Would you like to meet them?" Cho Chang tried to ease the tension, but her words only made the situation between them worse.
When a girl decides to introduce you to someone, the possibility of her being your girlfriend tends to be close to zero. Hearing what Cho Chang said, Harry knew he had already lost.
"It's not necessary," Harry said.
"Well," Cho Chang seemed a bit embarrassed, "that's that, then."
"Yes," Harry immediately replied.
"Alright, goodbye then." Cho Chang's face blushed, and just as she was about to turn to leave, Harry stopped her.
"May I know who your partner is?" Harry regretted asking that question.
"Cedric, Cedric Diggory," Cho Chang replied.
"Oh." Harry knew his facial expression must have been stiff. He no longer regretted asking; now he regretted asking that question.
"What happened between them?" Upstairs, Hermione's mind was being heated by gossip.
"Of course, it failed; I can smell the tension between them from here." Tom only had to look at their reactions to understand that Harry had utterly failed.
"Your nose is incredibly sharp," Hermione mumbled. "I really didn't expect Harry to invite Cho Chang as his date, but I also didn't expect her to reject him."
There are many things you don't expect! Tom thought to himself.
"Do you think Harry will invite someone else as his date?" Hermione didn't want to let go of that topic. When it came to dance partners, her heart fluttered a bit: had anyone invited her to be their date?
"Who knows?" Tom replied. "What I can assure you is that Harry will definitely invite a beautiful girl as his date." He knew Harry's personality well; he was a beauty enthusiast and liked girls who were worthy of being considered the most attractive in the school.
While Tom and Hermione chatted, they were walking towards the Great Hall. Near mealtime, the area near Hogwarts' Great Hall was always crowded with people. If anything happened here, word would spread throughout the castle within half a day.
As they passed through the vestibule, Fleur suddenly appeared.
"Yodel, why haven't I seen you in these days?" She smiled sweetly, with her hands behind her back.
"It's a personal matter." The crowd around him suddenly became denser. Several Beauxbatons girls hurriedly passed by him, separating him from Hermione and pushing him towards Fleur.
"Oh, I understand..." It seemed like Fleur wanted to say more, but her purpose wasn't just to talk; her wand appeared in her palm.
"Would you be willing to accompany me to the Christmas Ball? Confundus!" At the end of her speech, Fleur cast a Confundus charm towards Tom.
In theory, Tom wasn't prepared at all, Fleur could have reached him with a single strike, but when the spell flew towards him, a transparent barrier appeared in front of him and easily deflected the charm.
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