Cure the Illness with Medicine, Tom's Plan

Hospital Wing.

A group of people sat around the hospital bed: Dumbledore, Snape, Flitwick, and Lucien.

Madame Madam Pomfrey would never have allowed so many people in, because the patient needed rest!

However, this incident still has a significant impact. Penelope Clearwater has just awakened from her petrified coma. As the first person to face the monster attack, her experience may provide valuable clues. Knowing this sooner will help to avert the crisis sooner.

The onlookers had their own reasons: Dumbledore, as the headmaster, needed firsthand information, so he had to be there; Snape, as the one who concocted the antidote, needed feedback, so he had to be there; Flitwick, as Penelope Clearwater's headmaster, needed to care about his student, so he had to be there; Lucien, as...

Well, Lucien was summoned here because he provided crucial materials from the Mandrake, but that reason was actually quite lame.

"Lucien, thank you, thank you for your help, without your Mandrake..."

Penelope Clearwater, still pale as if recovering from a serious illness, spoke in a weak voice.

Lucien: "No need to be so polite, senior, we're all classmates."

"Senior, are you still feeling unwell?"

Penelope Clearwater shook her head.

"No, except for being a little hungry?"

Upon hearing this, Lucien relaxed considerably; wanting to eat meant that he was alright.

Dumbledore said softly:

"This time, thanks to Lucien providing the materials, Professor Snape also improving the prescription, making the medicine even more..."

"I didn't change it; Lucien changed it himself."

Suddenly, Snape interrupted Dumbledore.

Snape's gaze towards Lucien still held some confusion and bewilderment. When he was making the Petrification Antidote earlier, he had Lucien try it himself, intending to see how well the student had improved his potion-making skills.

As a result, Lucien not only perfectly refined the antidote, but also suggested some improvements. After discussing it with Snape, they began to put it into practice, reducing some of the side effects of the antidote. Otherwise, Penelope Clearwater should have stayed in bed for another day or two.

What puzzled Snape was not Lucien's proposed improvements, but rather the talent Lucien displayed in the process, particularly his aptitude for potions.

Having been taught by Snape for the previous academic year, Snape had a fairly good understanding of Lucien's potion-making talent; he was at the pinnacle of talent, but just a step away from being a genius.

Snape had initially thought that Lucien was a diligent and humble student, and that if he persisted, he could achieve something in potions, but...

The preparation of that antidote made Snape feel that Lucien's potion-making talent seemed to have improved?

But isn't this too absurd?

This made Snape find it hard to believe for a moment, and even doubt his previous judgment, but he never expected Lucien to have any reason to hide his abilities.

This is Hogwarts. Besides the Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts, what other professor would harm their students?

Upon hearing Snape's words, Dumbledore immediately changed his tune:

"Heh, Lucien's contribution is truly significant. I recall the Special Contribution Award..."

Upon hearing this, Lucien's expression changed slightly. Wasn't that award Tom received fifty years ago? That's a bit ominous...

"Principal, that kind of thing isn't urgent. Let's figure out this crisis first."

"Senior, do you remember what happened before you fainted?"

Penelope Clearwater rubbed her forehead, a look of confusion and pain in her eyes:

"Hmm, I think I was looking in the mirror at the time, and I think I saw a light in the mirror, yes, a light, a yellow light?"

Upon hearing Penelope Clearwater's words, the headmaster and professors pondered, searching their memories for similar things. What kind of magic could it be...?

The Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts's office.

Lockhart dipped his Peacock Quill into the ink, and a rich fragrance mixed with a faint fishy smell wafted from the bottle of ink and the nib of the pen.

The ink wasn't the usual black, but a deep, dark red.

The words were written in a quick, swift motion:

"Friend, is this 'ink' made by mixing dragon blood and purple horned beast blood effective?"

As soon as Lockhart finished writing, the line of text vanished as quickly as if a thirsty person had drunk down a cup of fine wine.

In just two or three seconds, new writing appeared:

"Thank you for your help, my friend. Now I can stay in this world a little longer."

Upon seeing this message, Lockhart couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. At least it was useful.

Tom's memory won't fade away for now, and it can still offer him advice.

As for the cost of buying these rare materials, Lockhart didn't care much. Although he couldn't compare to the noble wizards who had accumulated wealth over many years, as a bestselling author, he had already made a fortune from his royalties.

All of this was brought to him by fame; fame and fortune—once you have fame, fortune will follow.

Lockhart continued writing in his old diary:

"Phew, one of the young wizards was indeed petrified. Tom, you were right. As long as we control the monsters properly, there won't be any real killing. And now we have an antidote, so our plan can definitely proceed..."

Inside the diary.

As the words appeared on the brand-new diary spread out on the table, wisps of white light were drawn away from the dark red ink and slowly inhaled by Tom.

The boy's blurry features became much clearer, and his dark eyes grew even deeper.

"Fortunately, it was a wealthy adult wizard who obtained the diary; otherwise, we wouldn't have been able to acquire so many vital materials."

If it falls into the hands of a young wizard, then it will be a long and arduous journey, as young wizards are too young and their vitality is not yet strong enough.

If you're still a poor student, you don't have much money at all, so how could you afford such an expensive item as dragon's blood?

"One month, at most one more month, and the energy absorbed will be enough to reshape the physical body!"

Tom assessed his condition and estimated the approximate time.

Compared to the powerful Magical Creatures, human life force is ultimately limited. Moreover, Tom can only slowly steal the life force of the diary user. This is not because he is kind-hearted, but simply because absorbing too much life force could easily kill the user, and even the most foolish others would easily notice the problem.

With a high-quality and abundant supply of life force, Tom can recover his condition without restraint until he is fully recovered!

Tom picked up his pen and began to write:

"Perhaps we can speed up our plan a bit. With too few victims and an antidote available, the sense of crisis isn't enough. The students' fear and panic aren't strong enough to highlight the impact and redemption you'll deliver when you step onto the scene..."

A few seconds later, Lockhart also inquired about the specific measures.

Tom continued writing:

"We definitely need to add more victims; at the moment, they're just petrified, so it doesn't matter. Also, we need to petrify those 'influential' students..."

Tom tapped his long, slender fingers lightly, a cold glint flashing in his dark eyes.

"For example, Harry Potter is a good example. The Boy Who Lived, which is quite impressive, isn't it?"

Lockhart didn't reply immediately this time; it was only after a while that Tom saw Lockhart's response:

"But Harry Potter, from what I've gotten to know him, is just a boy with a strong personality; he's not as exaggerated as the rumors say..."

Seeing the words appearing one after another, Tom immediately understood Lockhart's thoughts, and his gaze gradually turned cold.

"Ha, a coward's soft heart? Kindness? Foolishness."

But Tom still tried to "persuade":

"But the world only knows the Boy Who Lived; they only know Harry Potter, not Harry. I believe you understand what I mean."

"Imagine it, my friend, when the Basilisk is about to devour the Chosen One, you will appear in grand style, using your profound magic to repel the monster. Oh, then the entire Wizarding World will sing your praises, Gilderoy Lockhart, who saved the future of the Wizarding World and protected the hopes of wizards!"

"Besides, you're just controlling the Basilisk to petrify Harry first, there's no risk involved, is there?"

Tom put down his quill and waited patiently for Lockhart's reply.

Indeed, Harry Potter is the best target.

However, Tom had no intention of using the Basilisk to petrify Harry.

Instead, he simply let the Basilisk kill him!

Tom has calmed down and thought things through again these past few days. Is he really determined to see Harry Potter?

It doesn't seem very necessary.

Logically speaking, decades later, Tom Riddle —no, Voldemort— would possess immense magical power and unparalleled Dark Magic. How could he possibly be defeated by a mere infant?

"Guardian magic? Oath magic? Contract magic?"

"Heh, it doesn't matter what kind of magic it is, since I don't need to do it myself anyway."

After overcoming his initial anger and resentment, young Tom quickly realized that Harry Potter, who was still an infant at the time, had most likely been protected by a protective spell cast by someone else, which allowed them to defeat the future Voldemort.

So Tom quickly realized, could that self, originating from the same soul, really kill Harry Potter?

Won't he end up like that foolish Voldemort decades later, getting killed in a counterattack?

In that case, why not just use the Basilisk to kill Harry Potter in one fell swoop?

Moreover, Dumbledore to blame for the death of the Chosen One at Hogwarts!

At that point, simply stepping down might not be enough to resolve the situation.

"That hypocritical old man, the world will surely find a reason to condemn you!"

So Tom wasn't so fixated on seeing Harry, and simply killed him.

He couldn't understand it at all. Why would his future self insist on killing an infant with his own hands? Did he find it fulfilling?

After a while, Tom also noticed Lockhart's handwriting in the diary:

"If it's just petrification, the risk isn't too bad; I can control Basilisk, it's just that it requires advanced magic..."

"I'm afraid that if I use magic that's too profound, others won't be able to understand its mysteries and power. Perhaps some flashy and dazzling magic would be better?"

Lockhart's words left Tom speechless. After thinking for a moment, he picked up his pen and wrote:

"I've read about some spells in books before; these should meet your requirements, for example..."

"There are also some practical combat tips that will definitely make you look exceptionally brave and heroic..."

Tom taught Lockhart some fancy but impractical things, since he wouldn't need them anyway.

Outside of the diary.

As Lockhart followed the instructions in the diary, he waved his wand, sparks of all sizes bursting forth, and ribbons of light of various colors swirling around him, making him appear radiant.

"What a useful spell! Hmm, perhaps I can reveal a part of it beforehand to pave the way for my final, dazzling entrance—yes, just like a technique used in novel writing."

"It would be best if more people saw it; what reason could there be to gather the students together...?"

Quidditch Pitch.

At this moment, dark clouds covered the sky, and muffled thunder rumbled through the clouds.

The lack of rain brought a sigh of relief to both the spectators and Quidditch players, but the muggy heat and humidity remained unbearable.

Although there are Water-Repelling Bracelet invented by Lucien that prevent getting wet, rain still affects visibility, limiting both watching and playing the game.

The Gryffindor Quidditch Team's locker room at this moment.

Wood was making his final pep talk:

"Undeniably, Slytherin's brooms are better than ours, but our people are stronger!"

Believe me, money can never compare to hard work and sweat...

Hearing Wood's impassioned words, Harry simply gripped his broom tighter.

That wasn't Nimbus 2000, but a uniquely designed Flying Broomstick.

The broom core was spun with arcs of electricity and air currents like breathing, and the handle, made of dark Walnut Wood and Mithril, was engraved with lightning patterns.

The Flying Broomstick Harry is holding was designed by Lucien, and its maximum speed and explosiveness surpass even the most advanced Nimbus 2001.

After trying it out, Harry immediately fell in love with it.

The original Nimbus 2000 was great, but compared to this broom, it's really quite inferior.

When there are differences in speed, explosiveness, agility, and consistency, the overall skill gap will be even greater!

Harry looked at the engraving on the handle:

East Wind.

Lucien said "East Wind" is the series name for this broom.

Harry had a feeling that "East Wind" would crush brands like Nimbus, Comet, and Cleansweep, becoming the sole top choice for Quidditch.

He's currently using East Wind Broom, while his original Nimbus 2000 has been lent to one of the team's Chaser, in an effort to minimize the limitations on his equipment.

"Phew, at least as Chaser, I can't really pull ahead of Slytherin in terms of speed."

Harry whispered softly.

Actually, the East Wind Broom is definitely better than the Nimbus 2001, but...

Malfoy also had East Wind.

This broom was only lent to them by Lucien, who also made it clear that it was not the final version and needed to be observed during their actual combat before adjustments and improvements could be made.

Of course, there are no safety issues; it won't explode or fall to the ground and kill you while you're riding it.

Harry wouldn't even think of telling Lucien not to give Malfoy the East Wind Broom, even though he and Malfoy didn't get along, Lucien didn't have that conflict.

As a friend, Harry also had to consider Lucien's feelings. Using his own friendship to "kidnap" a friend is something Gryffindor shouldn't do.

As Harry stepped onto the Quidditch Pitch with his teammates, he let out a sigh of relief. Since they all had the same brooms, it was time to see who had the better ball-finding skills!