"Master soul, let's just call him Tom. As for me, I should forget the past and choose a new name."
The soul's voice was as clear and gentle as a spring.
"The past is over. Now we must fulfill Tom's last wish and live for ourselves."
Nagini nodded in approval.
Her action made the soul's mood even worse. How could Tom allow such a dull and disloyal fool to be his confidant? Did he have no backup plan before his death?
Of course he did.
If Damon hadn't destroyed the diadem, affecting Voldemort's soul, his control over Nagini wouldn't have been so drastically flawed before his death, allowing Nagini to develop her own mind.
The split soul's voice was steady and low, with a hint of sadness, "Now in this world, we are the only ones connected to each other. We should support each other and go on together.
So, I have a different opinion on the main soul's plan you mentioned earlier."
".What do you mean?"
"The main soul's idea is very simple, which is to ask you to awaken the split souls hidden in all the Horcruxes, gather these split souls together, and condense them into a force - so that maybe one day, one of us will become truly powerful, powerful enough to even resurrect him.
But such an idea is obviously stupid."
"How can an existence like me, who is so great that no one dares to call my name, tolerate sharing a body with other people?
Let alone seven of me, even if there are two of me here, we may not always agree on the opinions - once that time comes, who will we listen to?"
Nagini became even more uneasy.
"You mean, I won't awaken the remaining souls?"
"No—of course I will, but later." The soul's voice softened. "You don't have to awaken all of them at once—we should create a body for me. After that, I will be free from you. You can live the life you want, and I will be reborn as the Dark Lord.
If, if I fail again—" At this point, the soul's voice trembled faintly, a hint of oppression permeating it, making Nagini's heart beat faster.
"Then, you can quietly find the next Horcrux, awaken a new soul, and continue this work.
That way, we'll have seven chances. Isn't that wonderful?"
Nagini thought the idea was a good one.
More importantly, she didn't want more souls like these existing in her mind—she felt it would drive her mad.
"You're right. So our next plan is to find you a body?"
Nagini thought of the soul's words about 'living your own life', and she felt motivated, even taking the initiative to push the issue forward.
"Yes, but it's a very difficult undertaking. It requires 'father's bones,' 'servant's flesh,' 'enemy's blood,' plus a full crucible of resurrection potion—for this, we'll need even more power."
"You want my flesh?" Nagini's voice was a little panicked.
"No, of course not."
If the soul had a body, it would surely be furious.
"Don't worry, I don't need your body. As the Dark Lord, I once had a vast army of servants—believe it or not, I only need to spread the word, and those loyal servants will return to my side immediately?"
"Isn't that too dangerous? What about Master White and Dumbledore? Will they come to kill us?"
Nagini seemed worried, not as confident as the soul.
"Of course, we need to take a long-term approach to this—and I also need to adapt to your body, just in case a crucial moment of battle arises."
The soul fragment had already tried this before.
He couldn't occupy Nagini's body for long—which was why he'd patiently coaxed this fool into submission.
He had to create a brand new body for himself.
Furthermore, he had to find a way to claim all the fragments of the original soul left within Nagini!
Awaken the other soul fragments? Resurrect the original?
Ridiculous!!!
Whoever was stronger was the original.
Since he had awakened first, he was destined to be the Dark Lord. How could he awaken the other soul fragments to cause him trouble?
Expect them to aid him?
Voldemort had no such naive notion. Although he had said he would take a new name, Tom Riddle was a name he considered shameful, and he certainly didn't want anything to do with it.
Voldemort was the name he truly recognized.
The former Voldemort was dead, and he would return as the most powerful Voldemort.
Moreover, with the enemy in the open and him in the shadows, he had plenty of time to plan everything.
First—he had to find a suitable wand!
Although some unknown changes had clearly occurred on Voldemort's side, Damon wasn't overly concerned—he could roughly guess what had happened.
Voldemort's soul was already barely alive. If Wormtail hadn't rescued him in third term, it would have dissipated soon.
Even in this weakened state, he'd forced a curse to link up with Lockhart. After being defeated by Lockhart and Dumbledore, he'd surely be even more vulnerable—honestly, Damon was a little afraid he'd die.
After all, if Voldemort died, the fragments of Harry's soul would be difficult to dissolve.
But isn't it the nature of Horcruxes, such evil artifacts, that as long as one remains, a wizard can never die? Doesn't that involve the soul?
Or has Voldemort's soul been split so many times that it's become unbearable?
"I envy you! Final exams are coming up soon, and you still look so relaxed,"
said Hermione, sitting to Damon's left, clutching a collection of reference books.
"Oh, if only I could be as smart as Damon."
Harry lay on the table next to Ron like a lost soul - he had to study Occlumency with Dumbledore once a week. Although the learning process was interesting, the fatigue that came with the brain after the study was no joke.
Harry felt heartfelt admiration when he thought of Damon practicing spells with them in the Room of Requirement every weekend after studying Occlumency with Snape.
"Dude, you're daydreaming in broad daylight?"
Ron teased him, supporting his homework on the table with one hand - he was becoming more and more mature now, and even Ron himself enjoyed this change - and unknowingly, he no longer had to worry about homework and exams?
Hermione and Damon turned their heads and looked at them with a smile.
In a dazzling sunlight, the summer semester ended.
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(End of this chapter)