Harry: I really deserve to die

Ezio needed to calm down; the Mirror of Erised had brought him far too many surprises.

In truth, aside from the masked figure in the black robes, Ezio had seen another silhouette in the mirror. As for why he was certain this individual was an ancient wizard rather than someone from the present day, it was because Ezio recognized him.

If you asked any student in Slytherin House, they would almost certainly be able to identify who he was.

Salazar Slytherin.

A statue of the man stood in the Slytherin common room; there wasn't a single Slytherin snake who hadn't studied it.

Although the reflection of Slytherin in the Mirror of Erised didn't look as aged as the statue in the common room, the identical attire and highly similar facial features made it impossible to mistake his identity.

A wizard from over a thousand years ago, a founder of Hogwarts...

This was information that required deep contemplation, but because so much time had passed, trying to pursue this lead was no easier than spotting a whale on Saturn or finding a geoduck on Mercury.

However, if this matter was connected to him, then Giovanni's death didn't seem so surprising. Although Slytherin was not a dark wizard, it could not be denied that he had studied the Dark Arts—and studied them deeply. The predecessor to the Slytherin common room had been the dungeon area of Hogwarts Castle; the Slytherin of old had imprisoned many test subjects there, and his infamous reputation stemmed primarily from his research in this field.

In that dark era when wizards and Muggles were hostile toward one another, Slytherin, who possessed power far beyond that of an ordinary wizard, had not a shred of affection for Muggles, which further influenced his advocacy for pure-blood ideology.

Ezio could be fairly certain that the place where Giovanni died must have been some laboratory or similar location established by Slytherin, because only two wizards had ever been there. On this point, the Mirror of Erised should not have provided a false answer.

But the identity of the second wizard was far too mysterious. Just by looking at the small portion of his face that was visible, it was impossible to guess who he was. Black hair was not a particularly distinct feature, nor were dark gray eyes. If the man had red hair, Ezio would have immediately known whom to go to for information, but unfortunately, he did not.

"But I will find you, no matter who you are."

Ezio stood up and shook the snow from his body. Neil, who had been staying by his side, let out a piercing eagle cry in response as he took to the sky.

"Enough time has been wasted. Before Christmas arrives, it's time to make them useful."

Opening his arms, Ezio leaned forward. He fell with a suicidal lack of protection, without even a hint of magic, landing lightly in a snowdrift. He brushed off the snowflakes and pushed open the door to enter the castle.

There was only one day left until the Christmas holidays. After lunch, students would leave in groups of three or five. There were no classes today, so if one needed to find people, the common room was the best choice.

After arriving at the common room, Ezio found Labas, spoke a few words to him, and then returned to his dormitory to wait for Labas to gather the people.

"Not going to take a nap?"

After pushing the door open, Ezio saw Harry sitting on his bed, lost in thought.

"Maybe I ate too much." Harry rubbed his stomach; he had stuffed himself with a breakfast that nearly choked him in the Great Hall.

"But Ezio, are you alright?" he asked with some concern. He always felt that there was a lot hidden in the conversation between Ezio and Dumbledore that morning, but he couldn't understand it.

"For now, yes. At least until I figure out who that person is, I will focus on my studies and make myself stronger."

"Oh, alright." Harry nodded. He wanted to say something, but the words stuck in his throat, and he didn't know how to phrase them. "They're going home for the holidays this afternoon." After hesitating for a moment, Harry started the conversation.

"I mean, those people are going back today. Won't you have some... trouble later on, Ezio?"

"Those plebeians?" Ezio raised an eyebrow slightly. "I suppose so. After all, some of those hopeless idiots have wizarding families backing them. I don't expect them to say anything good about me once they get home."

"Then if things blow up, won't you be..."

"It doesn't matter. Since I've already done what I've done, I'm prepared to bear the consequences. Nothing in this world is perfect."

"But why do you do this? It can't just be for Slytherin." Harry considered himself to have some understanding of Ezio; he was the type of person who wouldn't touch anything that didn't benefit him. All his actions were very realistic, and he strove for clean, decisive results without any lingering complications.

"Of course, it's for myself."

Ezio looked at Harry and replied calmly: "Isn't now the time to put them to use?"

"Perhaps you noticed before that I always seem to be showing how excellent I am, that I have something I must do, that this matter is very important to me, and that no one should stand in my way. This performance is even a bit exaggerated, isn't it?"

Harry hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Actually, I've heard others betting on you... uh..."

"But that is the result I wanted. First, I displayed my value, my methods, and my abilities. I packaged myself as a commodity, placed it in the most conspicuous window, and then attracted attention—even hatred. Good or bad, I got enough visibility."

"I achieved this goal. After they go back for the Christmas holidays, the name Ezio Auditore will be known by a great many wizards, especially those from wizarding families."

"Then what I want will come. Whether it's out of well-intentioned investment or malicious targeting, they cannot bypass a key point: what is it that I truly need? What is it that I truly care about?"

"To an investor, the most valuable and expensive investment is to satisfy my needs. Adding flowers to a brocade is not memorable, but providing charcoal in snowy weather is. And for those who want to target me maliciously, seizing my weakness and hitting my fatal spot is their best revenge."

"In the eyes of some, being able to hold something over me, using what I care about most to manipulate me, or even driving me to do things for them—that is what would give them the most satisfaction."

"Who is Ezio? He is the most gifted person at Hogwarts, a genius who will surely shine brightly in the future. He influenced his Head of House as soon as he arrived at Hogwarts, making Snape's name resound throughout the international wizarding community. Such a person will surely achieve even more dazzling things in the future."

"If one can control him, the benefits gained would definitely be worth the effort."

"You know what I'm looking for, Harry."

"I'm looking for the place where my father died, looking for information on the Twelve Moons. But on my own, I simply cannot find enough clues. This world is too big."

"I need more eyes to help me look, to help me investigate. And as long as they get the clues, or even find the target, then I can obtain it. Even if someone uses this to threaten me, since it's a threat, the difficulty of finding them, catching them, and interrogating them for all the information is certainly much simpler than me searching for clues myself."

"So, hasn't my goal been achieved? Compared to me begging and asking, isn't it more efficient for them to take the initiative to help me solve the mystery?"

"Furthermore, what I want isn't some treasure. It wouldn't work to destroy it just to keep me from getting it. Even destroying it would be beneficial to me. Perhaps it is precisely because of its destruction that I could see things in the Mirror of Erised that I couldn't see before, right?"

"We are Slytherins. The process doesn't matter; as long as the result is correct, then everything is good."

"Now I have to go talk to them. They need to take this information back with them during Christmas."

"And then strive to satisfy me, and offer everything to me."

Not until Ezio pushed the door open and left did Harry finally come back to his senses. He finally understood why Ezio did all of this; he was utilizing his own value to the greatest extent to complete his goals. He also finally realized what kind of price Ezio dared to pay to accomplish this—he had gambled his own life to face the dangers this might lead to.

Even though he might also be a link in the chain being utilized, Harry couldn't bring himself to feel any disgust.

"You want to personally lay a bouquet of flowers for him in front of your father's grave, don't you..."

"I... shouldn't I also go visit my mom and dad?" Thinking of this, Harry suddenly felt a sense of guilt. Although his parents were gone, they weren't left without a resting place. Yet, ever since he learned this information, he hadn't once gone to their graves to offer them a bouquet of flowers. He clearly possessed more than Ezio, but he didn't know how to cherish it.

"I'm such a wretch..."