Tremors in Every Direction
Inside Knockturn Alley, a shop with a dilapidated exterior, covered in dust, and seemingly vacant for years.
There is a secret underground Chamber of Secrets directly beneath the shop, the existence of which no one knows about.
The underground Chamber of Secrets is extremely small; if ten people were put inside, it would be as crowded as sardines.
The underground Chamber of Secrets was completely dark, with no lights on.
An old man sat in the center—he really, really looked very old, his skin like withered wood, covered with deep creases and lines.
The old man seemed to be asleep; his eyes were closed, and his breathing was so shallow that it was almost imperceptible.
He suddenly opened his eyes, and the Chamber of Secrets was suddenly illuminated, as if the empty room had been lit up by his astonishing gaze.
His eyes were crimson, gleaming, and somewhat frightening, with pupils bulging straight up, making one think of some cold-blooded reptile.
He seemed to have the idea of moving, and with a slight movement of his body, some kind of power suddenly descended upon him.
If someone were standing in front of him at that moment, they would see that the old man was tightly bound by eight snake-shaped chains of different colors. The chains emanated an invisible power. The old man had only moved slightly when the chains suddenly came to life, turning into living snakes that made eerie hissing sounds and bound him even tighter.
One of the snake heads suddenly spoke, "You old codger, it's been so many years, don't even think about breaking free of my seal and escaping. You know it's impossible..."
The old man gave a cold snort, his voice full of energy, showing no signs of old age, which was completely inconsistent with his aged appearance.
"You traitor, you unfilial son! If I hadn't been careless back then and been injured by Andros's Patronus Charm, how could I have allowed you to be so presumptuous, even daring to imprison your ancestors..."
The old man said bitterly, "In the end, your talent and your bloodline all come from me... You have betrayed your ancestors and your family; you will surely die a horrible death!"
The giant serpent let out a long, anthropomorphic laugh. It flicked its tongue, its eyes gleaming with a blinding, piercing emerald light. "I'm long dead! Do you think everyone is as afraid of death as you? The only reason I left my soul in this world is to activate this 'Eight Serpent Sealing Array,' which requires the sacrifice of life and soul—otherwise, what do you think I would do—"
The serpent's voice suddenly turned cold, "Do you think I enjoy staying here to keep you company?" The serpent swayed its head from side to side, a hint of sorrow appearing in its eyes, "My friends, my companions, they have long since departed, long since gone hand in hand to embark on new adventures in the Afterlife, leaving me alone in this wretched world... and all of this is because of you!"
The old man scoffed disdainfully, "Your worthless companions—they're not worth mentioning. Despite being noble Pure-blood, they've chosen to associate with Muggle. To hang out with them is an insult to your family, a disgrace to your bloodline!"
The old man's voice softened. "Listen to me, Salazar, they were unworthy of you. Your leaving them is their loss—tell me, Godric is a wizard, yet he's obsessed with Muggle swordsmanship; Helga has extraordinary abilities to control gold and fire, yet she uses them to start fires and cook."
"Rowena is a pretty good girl, and I originally thought highly of her. But I never expected her to get involved with the Raven Family of Albania. This is a complete betrayal of her eagle heritage. How can an eagle associate with a raven? It's utterly incomprehensible!"
"Salazar, believe me, you did nothing wrong. If you break this damned seal, the two of us can achieve our dream of Pure-blood Supremacy together! I still have some influence outside, you know, I can even influence some Walpurgis..."
The giant snake laughed loudly, shaking its head even more violently. If snakes didn't lack tear glands, they probably would have laughed until tears streamed down their faces.
"Come on, old man, relying on your worthless Pure-blood families," the giant snake said disdainfully. "I know your stronghold, Black Sin Square, was just raided recently..."
The serpent's voice suddenly turned cold, its eyes flashing with chilling intent. "Old man, you don't need to try to bewitch me anymore—I made a mistake once before. I lost my family, all my friends, all my ties. I have nothing left. This time, I won't repeat the same mistake. You will stay here with me and wait for the end of the world!"
"Ignorant! Don't even mention Black Sin Square; even the Pure-blood families of all Great Britain are just the tip of the iceberg for Walpurgis." The old man's lips curled into a slight, cold smile. "The influence I've cultivated in other countries is far beyond your comprehension. And what do you think caused my movement just now?"
The giant snake's pupils contracted slightly.
The old man said, "That's because a completely new power suddenly surged between heaven and earth—it seems this world has gained another exceptionally talented wizard! The intensity of that sensation is quite extraordinary even by today's standards... Has someone successfully reverted to their ancestral bloodline? Who is it? To what extent has it reverted? I'm very curious..."
The serpent's eyes revealed a complex expression. Although it had transformed into a serpent form from its soul and lost its connection with the world, it knew that the old man would not lie about this matter. After all, the old man had not moved for nearly 50 years. It would be strange if there were no external reasons for today's conversation.
The giant serpent sighed in a human-like manner, as if talking to itself. "I never imagined that there would still be someone in this world who could revert to their ancestral bloodline—the last time was 50 years ago, wasn't it? That person only reverted to less than 10% of their ancestral bloodline power, yet they still caused so much chaos in this world—I don't know whether this time will be good or bad..."
"So be it. There's nothing I can do anyway. Let the living wizards deal with the future of wizards themselves!"
Hogwarts, Slytherin dormitory, in a luxuriously furnished bedroom.
A handsome young man stood there motionless, his gray pupils completely unfocused, like a soulless doll.
Strangely, in this room with walls on all four sides, a slight breeze appeared, causing the boy's light golden, neatly combed short hair to flutter.
The boy's eyes suddenly regained their sparkle, but it wasn't the look a boy should have.
His eyes were filled with a world-weary, indifferent, ruthless, and unyielding determination.
"Has someone else taken that step?" he murmured.
"Interesting, very interesting indeed. This world is always full of surprises..." He carefully examined his hands, turning them over and over, then looked at himself in the mirror. "I look presentable, not bad, just a little too delicate--"
He stared at the ceiling, his gaze deep and unfathomable, as if he were looking not at the roof, but at the endless void beyond it.
"Aquila is flickering... Sirius is dim... Draco is shining—this is interesting..."
"Killed your closest relatives? How true... I'm not alone... Hehehehehe..."
"I'm quite interested in your soul!" He then licked his lips strangely, and his eyes slowly glazed over... slowly glazed over...
Finally, she collapsed onto the bed.
Shafiq Manor, Hambleden Village, West London.
The Shafiq Manor is no longer the dilapidated villa it once was, but has been transformed into a magnificent pure white jade palace. Although it is only two stories high, every wooden pillar and every wall is decorated with exquisite sculptures, exuding an extraordinary style.
A black carriage arrived, and two women entered the villa and went straight to the back garden. In the white marble pavilion in the garden, a girl with shoulder-length black hair was reclining on a mink armchair. At first glance, she looked only about 14 years old, with red lips and white teeth, an elegant demeanor, and a dignified appearance. However, she had a pair of eyes that did not match her appearance, as if she had seen through the vicissitudes of life.
The color of its pupils is very unique; its left eye is emerald green, while its right eye is sea blue.
At each of the four sides of the pavilion stood a masked wizard dressed in tight-fitting black clothes, with red dragons embroidered on the collar and cuffs of his robes. They each gripped their wands tightly, each guarding the pavilion.
The two guests who entered the backyard were no ordinary people. One of them was beautiful, her face veiled, and her wizarding robes were embroidered with the House of Selwyn crest, one of the most powerful families in the wizarding world, and even the Senior Undersecretary of the Ministry of Magic Umbridge, sought to curry favor with. She was none other than the low-profile Lady Selwyn, who rarely appeared in public.
The other woman had a stunning figure; her hips swayed as she walked, her every move naturally alluring, and she exuded a captivating fragrance. If Skylar were here, he would recognize her as none other than Madam Zabini, the most beautiful woman in the wizarding world.
These two men, both high-ranking and wealthy, arrived at the pavilion and stood with surprising humility, saying, "Greetings, Your Excellency."
The girl lay lazily on the chair, gazing at the starry night sky, and smiled, saying, "Look, my hair color has changed from brown to black, and my pupils have become heterochromatic. Isn't it pretty?"
Lady Selwyn and Madam Zabini dared not answer, and the room fell silent for a moment.
"Look at you all," the girl said with a slight smile, "I was able to return thanks to your help, so don't be so formal with me..."
Madam Zabini asked hesitantly, "Sir, you've already 'returned'?"
"Not yet," the girl said calmly. "The body transformation is going smoothly, but the fusion of the soul is progressing very slowly. My descendant's willpower is stronger than I imagined!"
"She's resisting me desperately, though with her fragile soul, it will ultimately be in vain; it's just a matter of how much time I waste..."
Madam Zabini and Lady Selwyn both beamed with joy. "Congratulations, Your Excellency! We wish you a speedy return!"
"Hey!" The girl waved her hand, interrupting their congratulations, "Unfortunately... we don't have time..."
"What you mean by that, sir..." Lady Selwyn said cautiously.
The girl hesitated for a moment, then said, "Lately, I've felt uneasy, with a vague and unpleasant sense of threat rising within me. I think it must be that someone else has taken that step again."
"What?" Even with Lady Selwyn's composure, she couldn't help but exclaim in surprise. She knew very well what kind of realm this man meant by "that step".
"I apologize, sir, for my rudeness," Lady Selwyn straightened her appearance and asked respectfully, "Can you sense who it is, sir?"
The girl shook her head. "I'm not omniscient or omnipotent either, but who this person is isn't important. What's important is that we don't have much time left—I must merge our souls as soon as possible and truly return..."
Madam Zabini spoke up, "Please tell us what we can do for you, sir."
The girl smiled and nodded in satisfaction. "My descendant's tenacity has truly exceeded my expectations. A 14-year-old girl with such a mindset is not something innate. I feel that she seems to have an obsession, and the awareness generated by this obsession gives her the ability to resist me—I guess she has someone she likes?"
"Yes, according to my son's information," Madam Zabini said respectfully, "She is very close to the young master of the Malfoy family at school, and they are quite fond of each other."
"The quickest way to kill off this descendant's rebellious thoughts—" the girl's eyes flashed with a cruelty beyond her years, "Is to eliminate her obsession... You find a way to bring this Malfoy family boy to see me!"
Southeast Asia, Borneo jungle, a hidden cave.
The cave was teeming with all sorts of monsters—species never before seen in the wizarding world: the Gorgon with Gorgon Little Snakes; the Centipede of a Hundred Eyes, a giant centipede with a hundred eyes; Naga, a humanoid female creature with six arms and a snake's body and tail...
A wizard was immersed in a crimson, horrifying pool of blood, in which the corpses of numerous monsters floated and sank.
"Hahaha..." he laughed maniacally, his eyes filled with madness, "Well done... Godelot, you traitor, you stole my wand, you deserved to be killed by your own son... Gryffindor, I've never forgotten the grudge you inflicted... Malfoy, you despicable villain, you actually resorted to sneak attacks... And Cliodna, Morrigan... you all... I remember them all!... I will never forget... the humiliation you inflicted upon me... hundreds of years of hiding..."
He stood up, his burly body covered in shocking scars, clearly indicating that he had survived countless brushes with death!
He exuded an overwhelming aura, and the magic in his every move made the surrounding ugly monsters feel a pressure as if thunder were striking from the sky, causing them to scream and crawl on the ground.
"You— Great Britain — Hogwarts — Greengrass —you just wait! I— the Egbert the Egregious —have returned!"