'Stubborn Phelps' Goblin Potion

Replacing one's former self with one's future self to erase certain indelible wounds and curses was a proposition long rejected in Goblin memory.

Because it would create a powerful time paradox, one that could not be explained even in three days and three nights.

But the subtle point was that after this day, Nagini would spend the next thirty-eight years living by nothing but a snake's instincts.

The Goblins' secret 'Sealed Prison' potion likewise sealed away a person's soul, leaving them with only instinct.

That left room for manipulation.

The original Nagini had been struck hard by Rosier and killed once, her human will completely devoured by her snake body. So long as she was given the 'Sealed Prison' potion before being killed, the result would be the same.

Getting her to drink this potion was the crucial point!

Of course, no one knew whether this would work. Anton could only do his utmost and leave the rest to fate.

"Protego!"

Anton first cast a Shield Charm on himself, then charged out without hesitation.

The great snake noticed him at once. It flicked its tongue, its vertical pupils full of madness, and lunged at him.

It was so fast that it left only a blurred shadow on the retina.

Anton did not dodge. Raising his wand, he softly chanted, "Soul Displacement Reversal!"

The spell's light flashed and instantly sank into the great snake's head.

At that moment, the snake's mouth was less than a few centimeters from him.

Anton felt as though he had been hollowed out. Such an advanced Dark Magic spell was not something he could use easily at his current level, and tearing pain spread from the depths of his soul.

But it was worth it.

The powerful Dark Magic instantly sent the great snake crashing to the ground.

Rigid and unable to move.

The Displacement Soul Curse flipped a person's soul over, misaligning it with the body. Its effect was like Sleeping Beauty's. It was like flipping a turtle onto its back—no matter how it struggled, it could not turn itself over again.

This was a life-saving spell Anton had carefully selected from among the countless Dark Magic spells in the Old Wizard's notes, and its effect was remarkable.

"Wingardium Leviosa!"

Casting it again, Anton made the great snake's enormous body float like a feather, then swiftly poured in the spare vial of 'Sealed Prison' potion he held.

This potion would imprison a person's intelligence, knowledge, and will, leaving them with only instinct.

By then, the footsteps and calls of someone searching the garden for her mother had drawn closer.

"What are you standing around for?" Anton stared coldly at Pedro. "Get over here and carry her away. Release the other Nagini."

Pedro swallowed and rushed out from the pile of rubble. The golem behind him grabbed the great snake.

"Hold on tight!"

Anton swung his wand again. "Soul Displacement!"

This was the counterspell to the displacement curse, capable of undoing the effects of the Displacement Soul Curse.

The great snake woke again and struggled in the golem's grasp.

Anton, however, collapsed to the ground, gasping. After casting two advanced spells, he could no longer hold on.

"Release the future Nagini quickly, then get far away. Rosier will attack this place soon. If the blast wind lifts the large cloth and Rosier sees you, we'll be in trouble!"

Pedro hesitated. He could see that Anton was forcing himself to endure. "But you..."

Anton gave him a cold look. "Follow the plan. Release the great snake, go to Anna's side, cover yourselves, and hide. Understand?"

This several-hundred-year-old Goblin was clearly a little slow-witted. When Anna had failed just now, he should not have stood there dazed; he should have rushed over and restrained Nagini.

Pedro shook his head. "Such a will is truly admirable."

Anton had no time to deal with him. He hurried toward his original hiding place. He still had to protect six-year-old Anna.

If the great snake attacked Anna before Rosier arrived in time, he would have no choice but to cast a Shield Charm to protect her.

As the backup plan, Pedro not only had to restrain the great snake that no one else could catch, but also had to be ready at all times to protect six-year-old Anna.

But that would expose him. It was the final option.

After all, before a powerful wizard like Rosier, Pedro could easily give himself away. Anton, on the other hand, could transform into a magical invisible bird without being noticed.

Next came protecting little six-year-old Anna.

The plan could fail, but if Anna ended up getting killed instead, then it would really be Barbecue.

Once Anton was hidden, Pedro quickly released the great snake. With a soft pop, he appeared beside Anna and covered the two of them with a large cloth.

Anna anxiously grabbed his suit jacket. "Anton will be alright, won't he?"

Pedro sighed. "I don't know."

Anna became even more anxious. "Then what do we do?"

Pedro looked at the great snake in the Purple Goblin Golem's hand. "Though it has been affected by time correction, at least for now, everything is still within the plan."

Anna could only stare tightly at Anton in the distance. She wished she could cast such a powerful Shield Charm too, so he would not have to fight alone.

The Old Wizard clicked his tongue and slipped back into the large tree.

Gulp, gulp.

Anton drained a large bottle of potion.

He had told Pedro to leave quickly precisely so that he could drink this thing in secret.

The 'Stubborn Phelps' Goblin potion, a secret never passed beyond the Goblins, was one of the two secret potion formulas Anton had dug out of Pedro's memories.

Its effects were unusual. It could not change anything, but it could grant a person boundless will, stubbornly maintaining an ongoing state.

Put simply, it was a long-lasting passive version of gritting one's teeth and enduring.

Even among the Goblins, this was an advanced potion known only to a few, because it had already touched upon the domain of death.

It could keep a person alive in an agonizing but steadfast state. This was Pedro's secret to living for hundreds of years!

Grit your teeth and endure. Endure for hundreds of years. Flee death.

If Pedro knew, he would definitely come after Anton's life.

Of course, this thing's effect was only to make one grit one's teeth.

Anton gasped as he endured the dizziness in his head.

Magic in the Harry Potter Wizarding World was not internal energy or battle aura flowing through meridians. It was probably a kind of spiritual power.

It was born from a person's will, memories, and soul—a power without physical form.

There was no potion to restore magic.

The simplest way was to sleep. It would recover naturally. If the depletion was too severe, then sleep for a few more days.

After casting the Displacement Soul Curse twice beyond his limits, his whole body felt as though it were about to split apart.

That was not even counting a Shield Charm and a Levitation Charm.

He no longer had any magic left to cast another spell.

But interestingly, the extreme determination brought by the 'Stubborn Phelps' potion perfectly matched what the Old Wizard had taught him: Wizard is God; will commands all.

In Anton's eyes, this potion was equivalent to a second spell system.

"Mother? Mother, are you there? I heard you!"

Six-year-old Anna rubbed her eyes groggily, hugging a stuffed rabbit as she searched everywhere through the garden.

That stuffed rabbit was the Animagus form of the mother in Anna's memories, because her mother had told Anna that she had transformed into it and would use it to stay with Anna forever.

An adult's lie had become a misunderstanding that young Anna believed to be true.

Memories were sometimes untrustworthy too.

"Ah!"

An enormous Viper slithered forward, its upright pupils fixed on her. It flicked its tongue and licked Anna's face.

"Hehehe." Young Anna was frightened and ticklish at the same time, and she could not help letting out a crisp laugh.

In the distance, everyone watched with complicated expressions.

Anton pressed his lips together.

The Old Wizard let out a lifelong sigh.

Under the large cloth, Anna covered her mouth, but choked sobs still escaped. She looked sadly at Pedro. "I feel like I'm killing my future mother to save my former mother. I don't know whether this is right or wrong."

"I'm killing her!"

Pedro smiled and stroked her head. "Though this is a paradox even the Goblins have argued over endlessly, believe me, this is right. She is still herself. No matter which point in time she is in, she is still herself."

"No matter how her memories change, no matter what she experiences, no matter how she may seem no longer like her former self, she is still herself."

"This is our effort, and also her self-redemption."

Anna stared blankly at Pedro. Though she was clever, she was only ten years old after all. She could not understand his words.

Pedro smiled. "Child, you have already mastered all the secrets of my Time-Turner. In the future, you will walk the same path as I did, becoming a Time and Memory Collector and explorer. Sooner or later, you will understand these things."

The great snake affectionately rubbed its huge head against six-year-old Anna's face, then reluctantly turned and slithered away.

Under the large cloth, Anna watched this strangely. "If that's the case, then although Mother left too, everything has changed. Doesn't that mean history has been altered?"

Pedro sighed and shook his head. "Time will correct everything. Just watch. Changes will definitely come next, forcibly pulling everything back onto the original path guided by fate."

Pop.

A soft sound rang out.

The House-elf appeared beside six-year-old Anna and warily watched the great snake as it turned back toward Anna. "Little mistress, be careful!"

The great snake suddenly hissed, flicking its tongue. Its vertical pupils were filled with coldness, leaving only the ferocity of The Beast.

"Run!" The House-elf's expression changed as it grabbed Anna, about to Apparate.

Anton, hiding nearby, also gripped his wand tightly.

But the great snake was simply too fast. With a whoosh, it instantly coiled around the House-elf's body, its body as thick as a truck tire rapidly tightening.

Pop.

The House-elf burst apart like a watermelon beneath the wheels of a heavy truck.

The great snake swiftly lunged at Anna.

At that moment, Anton saw the Old Wizard's fingers rapidly extend from the large tree. He finally breathed a sigh of relief and began preparing to transform into a Chameleon Windbird.

The Biomimetic Spell he had invented was indeed powerful, but it had one drawback: it was still only in its early stages and required a long buildup, so it was not quick to cast.

A panicked cry rang out at the garden entrance. "Nana, no, that's our daughter!"

Yes, Rosier had returned just in time.

But the great snake paid him no heed. It was so fast that Rosier felt his daughter was about to be killed.

"No!"

Countless streams of black mist swept out.

Boom.

A heavy downpour poured from the sky. Rosier found Nagini's corpse amid the pile of rubble and was overcome with grief.

At the same time, Anton transformed into a little bird and flew into the sky.