Chapter 360: Chapter 360: Twin Souls
"Harry?!"
Not only was Murphy shocked, but Lucas beside him was even more horrified.
How had Harry changed like this after a few years? She naturally wouldn't fail to notice that aura belonging to Voldemort, but how could this be?
The "self" is a singularity in the world of idealism, impervious to any external mental intrusion, whether through "possession" or other means of mental manipulation. As long as the individual has a strong will, it's nearly impossible to succeed.
And Harry was one of the individuals with the strongest will Murphy had ever seen, aside from his teacher.
For Voldemort to possess Harry, the only possibility was that Harry had fundamentally agreed with something about Voldemort — something had prompted this change.
Lucas frowned, having thought of the reason.
In an instant, Lucas felt an immense anger, both for causing her friend's pain and for Voldemort exploiting his vulnerability to take over his body. At that moment, she felt an unprecedented contempt for her own past deeds.
"Voldemort! Let him go!" Lucas drew her wand without hesitation. "Or I'll kill you!"
Harry's head hung low, his eyes gleaming with a sinister red light as he looked at her, "Ah, a failure. You actually felt sympathy for him? You considered him a friend? How laughable."
With that, Harry twisted into a mocking smile, "You want me to let him go? Don't you know that it was you who caused his soul to crack?"
Lucas paled, hit where it hurt.
"I have been waiting for this opportunity for a long time."
Voldemort continued, "Four years ago, I came close to death again."
He glared at Murphy with hatred, "All because of you, Professor Murphy. You poisoned my resurrection potion, preventing my body from forming..."
"But you didn't die," Murphy also frowned, not expecting this turn of events.
"I will not die!" Voldemort boasted. "I have transcended death! The poison merely made me lose my physical form again, turning me back into a wisp of a soul."
"I was extremely weak, barely able to maintain consciousness, but at that moment, I sensed a warm place, felt the presence of a kindred spirit. I rushed there instinctively, then devoured that thing..."
"Later I realized that it was a piece of my own soul, residing within Harry Potter's mind!"
"Infiltrating a living soul should have been extremely difficult, but at that time, he must have been unconscious, unable to mount effective resistance. But more importantly, my own soul was in his mind!"
"Ha, it's incredible!" Voldemort said. "If not for that accidental moment, I could never have imagined this! A piece of my soul resided in Harry Potter's mind!"
"I think that must have been the legacy I left him the last time I was close to death..."
"Harry Potter is a Parselmouth. He has extraordinary magical talent, ha! Of course! That's because he possesses a fragment of my soul! He was created by me!"
"When I realized this, I understood that Harry Potter was the perfect Horcrux. He was the best potion for resurrection I had unwittingly created for myself. He was the body I had prepared for myself!"
"My soul fragment was very weak, but it grew with Harry Potter. Have you heard of parasitic twins? That soul fragment was like Harry's twin brother, residing within his soul, having its own place within his spirit. I dwelled there, waiting for the right moment."
"Before long, I realized I could influence him, just as my soul fragment had given him Parseltongue!"
"At that time, Harry was very sad. His soul had a breach."
"Because of you, Tom... no, Lucas? Is that the ridiculous name you go by now?"
"He thought he had lost his best friend, believed the soul most similar to his own died to save him, he felt guilt and shame..."
Lucas felt as if punched in the stomach, unable to look directly into Harry's eyes, even knowing someone else was behind them.
"That pain tormented him; he was very confused, so I told him it was all because of his lack of power, his inability to protect his friends."
"He believed it." Harry laughed loudly. "Why not? He thought it was his own idea; he never doubted it!"
"So, he began focusing on studying magic, I guided him towards an obsession with dark arts and knowledge about death. He discovered he was very adept at these things, learned quickly, of course, I just needed to share a bit of my knowledge."
"I nurtured him as I would nurture myself, had him walk the path I had trodden. He acquired enough knowledge, enough power as I wished, but strangely, something always held him back, kept him from being blinded by power..."
"Harry Potter, I must admit, is extraordinary. Unlike fools like Quirrell, his will is beyond imagination. Even faced with the greatest temptations, he remained sane."
"Numerous times, I nudged him to take that final step. He had learned to make Horcruxes, witnessed the horror of death, he just needed to kill an inconsequential, even a disliked Muggle, and he would possess the power to transcend death!"
"But he controlled himself."
Harry's face showed a mix of hatred, impatience, yet also confusion and fear, "For a while, I thought I had completely failed, that I would never rise again. Harry Potter would always act on those damn consciences, and I would never have a chance to take over this body, and I was even trapped in it, unable to escape forever."
"Even worse, over four years, I shared my power too many times, our souls intertwined tighter and tighter. If I couldn't take over his soul, then one day, he would devour me, completely erasing my existence."
"Just when I was about to despair..." Harry's face suddenly showed ecstasy, "I got it! That opportunity! Sirius died!"
"Ha!"
"Harry Potter's soul was nearly destroyed, the thing that supported him shattered." Harry laughed wildly, "So that's what they call love! It's just a false illusion, a cowardly attempt to find comfort in others. Once that fragile individual supporting them dies, they suffer greatly."
"I can hardly understand such behavior of creating weaknesses for oneself." Harry sneered, "But it doesn't matter, Harry no longer has support, his soul is defenseless, he needs everything that can save him."
"I was thrilled, but forced myself to calm down. I knew Harry Potter was an unreasonable fellow like Dumbledore. Such people wouldn't do anything against their principles, but once they found that so-called 'love' excuse, they would be unrestrained."
"So, I told him we could resurrect Sirius."
"It was a goal 'out of love'," Harry smiled, seemingly proud of his cunning plan, "He couldn't refuse such an excuse."
"So, he believed me. He opened everything to me, and I completely took over this body."
"I, Voldemort, have been resurrected, and moreover, will be more powerful than ever before."
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