Sean Wallop!

Voldemort trembled; for so long, he had been an extremely proud man.

He naturally assumed that a wizard like himself, with his ancient and noble bloodline, remarkable Magic Talent, and even extraordinary wisdom, should be proud.

No, it's arrogance.

Voldemort believed he had every right to be arrogant.

Even though he had failed several times in a row, Voldemort believed deep down that it was nothing shameful to be defeated by the combined forces of Grindelwald and Dumbledore.

Even the arrogant Voldemort had to admit that these two old men possessed the greatest strength in the world; otherwise, he wouldn't have chosen to cooperate with the Returners.

But so what? Their strength stems from their century-long age. He is younger, more talented, and more ambitious. Besides, they are working together to deal with him.

Moreover, his upbringing was incomparable to those from the Wizarding Family. His orphanage experience gave Voldemort a vague and strange sense of superiority—"My childhood environment was so harsh, I had no one to teach me magic, but I did it better than you!"

But now, the scenes from his memory made it impossible for Voldemort to maintain the peace of mind he thought he had.

It's understandable that he was defeated by Dumbledore and Grindelwald. This kid had only studied magic for a few years, and he wasn't even a Half-blood. He came from a lowly Muggle Family.

A Mudblood who should have been at the very bottom dared to impersonate him and deceive his most capable subordinate.

Even!

Under the other party's persuasive words, Barty Jr. became even more loyal!

This stark contrast was completely unacceptable to Voldemort.

He stared fiercely at Sean in his memory, wishing he could tear him to pieces.

The memory wasn't interrupted by Voldemort's emotional fluctuations; these were all things that had already happened, and Sean was still brainwashing Barty Jr..

"Barty, how much do you know about the soul?"

Barty Jr. said respectfully, "Very few. I probably only know a rudimentary Imperius Curse, which is nothing in front of you."

Sean smiled smugly, "Of course... Barty, I've been studying souls, and this time, that filthy Soul Fragment that I separated is both a good thing and a troublesome thing."

"Why do you say that, great master?" Barty Jr. asked cooperatively.

Sean waved his wand lightly, the tip of which glowed green. "Wallerup's body is excellent, so excellent that I can hardly believe he's a Mudblood... Ha, but this body is mine now. I have completely taken over it and merged my soul into it."

"However, even I dare not say that I have fully comprehended the mysteries of the soul, and unexpected things still happened..." Sean's gaze darkened.

"Master?" Barty Jr. looked at Sean eagerly.

"When I took over the body, the boy's soul resisted fiercely. Dumbledore and Grindelwald had taught him some spells about the soul, and he was still able to barely hold on to my attacks—" Sean lied without batting an eye, but Barty Jr.'s expression clearly showed that he completely believed him.

He even felt immense trust from his master's complete openness towards him.

"Of course I could slowly deal with this kid's soul, but unfortunately, he was in Newmontgard at the time, and that old geezer Grindelwald would be watching him closely..." Sean snorted loudly, his face filled with resentment, "I've managed to fool everyone else, so of course I can't fail at the most crucial moment."

"But I, Voldemort, am still the greatest Dark Wizard," Sean said arrogantly, raising his chin under Barty's fanatical gaze. "I have found a better solution—over the years, I have encountered great troubles in my research on souls, and although I have resolved them all, some hidden dangers have always remained deep within the soul..."

Barty Jr. was horrified; the importance of the soul to a wizard was self-evident.

He was about to speak anxiously when his eyes suddenly widened, and then the tense expression on his face immediately turned into surprise.

"Master, you said you separated a pile of trash?"

Sean laughed triumphantly, "Barty, you're as sharp as ever—yes, I used this opportunity to separate the hidden danger deep within my soul. Now I possess the most promising body and the most resilient soul, inseparable, and I will become even stronger."

"Master, your wisdom and strength move me deeply." Barty Jr. knelt down on one knee again.

"Get up, my friend," Sean chuckled softly. "Do you know why I'm telling you all this?"

"First, of course, is your trust in me; second, it should be that little trouble you just mentioned?"

Sean smiled with satisfaction, "It's a pleasure to talk to someone as smart as you."

"It's all thanks to your excellent teaching, Master," Barty Jr. said respectfully.

Even in his memory, Voldemort almost coughed up blood.

The mutual flattery between master and servant made him feel terrible.

Sean patted the other man on the shoulder. "Barty, the consciousness belonging to Sean Wallerup on that Soul Fragment has been completely killed by me. However, his resentment and unwillingness before his death attached to the fragment I separated, forming a strange thing."

"Like a ghost?"

"There are some similarities, but you won't understand the underlying principles. All you need to know is that the Soul Fragment has now escaped to some corner of the world and is slowly regaining its power."

"Then, Master? Should I go find that fragment and destroy it?" Barty asked hurriedly.

Sean waved his hand. "It's not that simple. It's still essentially a part of my soul. Although it's trash, it has taken away some of my power and knowledge. For me, it's not a big problem, but for you, it may pose a hidden danger."

He glanced coldly at the manor, where the Death Eaters were being lectured by Bella.

"I don't have much energy for the next period of time. I need to regain my power and move towards a higher level. During this time, my main attention will not be on you..." Sean turned his gaze back, which was filled with appreciation and trust. "Barty, you are different from those scheming fools, so I'm telling you this."

"Master!" This immense trust almost brought tears to Barty Jr.'s eyes.

"When I go into seclusion, that Soul Fragment might slowly become active. It might try to take advantage of my vulnerability and seize what belongs to me. But I am not someone it can afford to offend, so..." Sean looked at Barty with an expression that said, "You know what I mean."

Barty Jr. pondered for a moment, then looked up in shock. "You mean, it will impersonate you and come looking for us when you're not around?"

"That's right," Sean nodded slightly, "Although it's trash, it carries my scent, so even you can't tell the difference. And while I'm in seclusion, I won't be able to receive any messages from you. At that time, you'll have to face it alone..."

Barty Jr. immediately raised his head and instinctively puffed out his chest.

"Master, my loyalty to you is unshakeable! I am willing to swear Unbreakable Vow for this!"

Sean clapped his hands with satisfaction. "Very good, I am pleased with your determination. No need for oaths, my most trusted friend."

Memories slowly dissipated like bubbles and mist, and the two voices grew softer and softer.

"Remember, don't let that trash blind you."

"Yes, Master!"

Inside the gloomy manor room, the ugly baby suddenly raised its head from the Pensieve.

Voldemort was breathing heavily, and even his snake-like face had taken on an unhealthy flush.

"Master, Master?" Wormtail saw this scene and cautiously approached, boldly asking a question.

Voldemort's breathing gradually subsided, and his voice returned to its usual coldness.

"Get out, Wormtail."

"Huh? Master?" Wormtail didn't react for a moment.

Voldemort's narrow eyes swept over the crowd, and the chill in his voice sent shivers down one's spine.

"I said, get out."

Yes! Yes!

The Wormtail fled the room as if its life depended on it, and closed the door behind it with trembling hands.

The room fell silent again.

After a while, the blinding green light slammed into the opposite wall, sending stones flying and turning expensive antique vases and famous paintings to ashes in an instant.

Voldemort's voice uttered each word through clenched teeth, his chilling killing intent and boundless resentment almost tangible.

"Sean Wallerup!"

"Sean Wallerup!" the girl's clear voice rang out, though it carried a hint of anger and dissatisfaction.

Sean, who was lying on the cushion in a daze, turned his head and saw Hermione, who was furious. The Little White Flower behind her was secretly making hand gestures to him.

"Hey, good evening, ladies—what's up, Hermione?" Sean didn't understand.

Hermione glared at him, annoyed. "You're asking me? You skipped class?! Good heavens, I can't believe it—and it was Snape's class! Didn't you see Snape's expression?! Harry even got three extra points deducted because of it!"

Sean was stunned for a moment, then turned pale with shock.

Oh no, he was so engrossed in thinking that he forgot about Potions...

He couldn't even find an excuse, after all, Snape was there too...

However, I'm not sure how to comment on Harry, that unlucky guy.

Sean gave a wry smile, "Would you believe me if I said I forgot?"

Hermione's expression gradually shifted from displeasure to worry. She stepped forward and asked, "Is it still about that matter?"

"Hmm." Sean nodded.

After considering it for a while, he recounted the general details of the matter to the two of them.

Hermione's eyes widened in disbelief. "Lockhart? He's the last Lurker?"

Sean shrugged helplessly. "I didn't expect it at first either. I found something was wrong in the library this afternoon, and then it was what I told you guys—ah, I forgot about Potions. Oh no, I don't know how Snape is going to mess with me next class."

Hermione frowned as well. "He's been really annoyed with you lately..."

Daisy, who had been listening attentively, raised her hand like a primary school student eager to answer a question.

"Sean, I can plead with Professor Snape on your behalf!"

"No!" Sean exclaimed, quickly stopping the Little White Flower.

If Daisy were to plead for her...

Haha, even if you turn your own Pumpkin Juice upside down the next day, you might not get any orange liquid flowing out.

The poison would probably have to be poured directly into the entire cup...

"Sigh... I guess I'll just have to wait to die. I'll just have to get scolded in the next Potions..." Sean said helplessly.

He didn't really intend to skip class; he was just so engrossed in thinking about something that he genuinely forgot.

The main focus of this event is Trelawney's Prophecy. The Returners's plan was not successful, since an incomplete Prophecy could have killed him.

Meanwhile, at Hogwarts, through everyone's concerted efforts, they managed to thwart the enemy's plan, although they still don't know what Prophecy the Returners want.

However, catching two lurkers was still a decent achievement. The dead Dawson was alright, but Lockhart, this incompetent professor whose popularity was waning, might cause unimaginable problems in the future if he were allowed to stay peacefully at Hogwarts.

Besides pondering the Returners ' purpose, Sean also thought about Lockhart's problem.

Given Lockhart's personality, the fact that he would go to such lengths as an undercover agent to betray himself was something Sean hadn't expected. He found it hard to imagine what the Returners had done to Lockhart.

As for when the two sides made contact, Sean tends to think it was during the Academic Exchange program in Newmontgard. At that time, he was unaware of the Returners ' identities and naturally did not guard against the possibility that the people around Returners might be interacting with them.

Furthermore, there was one thing that Sean was very concerned about. In this incident, many people had their memories continuously extracted and modified. Sean himself had done in-depth research on Memory Charm, so it wasn't impossible for him to do it, but it wasn't as quick or convenient.

The Returners ' research into Memory Charm may have exceeded their own imagination, and coincidentally, Lockhart, an expert in Memory Charm, is also their undercover agent...

Lockhart's mastery of Memory Charm and his becoming an undercover agent may not be entirely unrelated.

These inhuman creatures may be researching new spells related to memory or other uses, but their purpose remains unknown.

Another point is the Black Rhombus Crystal left behind by the deceased Dawson; this thing is very strange. It is known that the black crystal can control Dementor to a certain extent, and that after Dawson used the self-mutilation method of stabbing himself in the abdomen, his control over the Silent Mouth would also increase significantly.

Most importantly, the Returners seem to value this Black Rhombus Crystal highly, even going so far as to expose Lockhart in an attempt to reclaim it.

Sean spent the whole afternoon thinking about these things, but didn't come to many useful conclusions.

With Dumbledore absent, Old Grindelwald counting ants under his Invisibility Cloak, and Young Grindelwald still absorbing the magic of the Qilin's blood, Sean realized that he could no longer find someone he could trust enough and who possessed enough knowledge to discuss matters with.

distressed--