Chapter 79: Forbidden Forest Attacked
"Chu He, you won't. You want to find Slytherin's secret room."
.
Looking at the silent Chu He, Hagrid suddenly asked worriedly.
He just remembered that Chu He was a student of the Slytherin branch.
Before Chu He exposed Voldemort's conspiracy and rescued Neville and Cassandra in broomstick class, he had gradually forgotten that Chu He was a student of the Slytherin branch, and now he remembered this.
If Chu He went to kill a student to open the secret room because of a conversation with him, then...then he would be so sorry to Dumbledore.
"No, I'm just curious, this won't help Slytherin's successor at all, even if his plan is successful, and only pure-blood wizards remain in the academy, a large number of professors will leave Hogwar because of this evil slaughter.
Ci, from the point of view of the strength of teachers, pure-blood wizards will also be greatly affected."
"Slytherin's tradition is shrewdness, would he really do such a lose-lose stupid thing? It's not shrewd at all.
"Listening to you... this thing does seem stupid.
Hagrid froze for a moment, then praised Chu He's idea.
673
The sound of a dead branch being broken came into Chu He's ears, and then a gust of wind rushed towards Chu He along with a vigorous black shadow.
"Broken to pieces.
With a loud bang, the shadow was blown into pieces in mid-air, and the other two shadows that rushed towards Hagrid were knocked to the ground by Hagrid's strong fists.
Those were two strange wolves with horns on their heads.
"Unfortunately, I actually encountered the Motratel giant wolf. This kind of creature should usually be in the depths of the forbidden forest. Chu He, be careful yourself, don't get too far away from me, I will kill them."
Hagrid raised his hunting crossbow while shouting loudly, and with a puff, the crossbow bolt pierced the head of a Mortlatre wolf, while the other Mortlatl wolf had just come off the ground. Climbing up, a magical ray of shattering spell sent it to hell.
"Nice job Chu He.
As Hagrid said this, he put a bolt on his hunting crossbow, then walked to the Mortlatl giant wolf and pulled out the bolt from its head.
He didn't expect Chu He's skills to be so good. If he encounters these three Motratel giant wolves (bdbd), he will definitely get into a hard fight. He didn't expect that Chu He would solve it so easily.
"It's okay, Hagrid, you didn't tell me there's going to be another attack here."
Chu He said jokingly.
"Sorry, sorry, but these giant wolves usually live in the depths of the forbidden forest.
They have a strong sense of territory and won't easily step out of their territory.
I think there should be some changes in the wolves.
Caused them to run here, if I knew I would run into these guys, I would definitely not dare to bring you in."
Hagrid bowed his head and apologized to Chu He, then walked over to the wind lantern that he had just thrown away and picked up the wind lantern that had fallen on the ground.
The wind lamp flickered a few times, and finally went out.
"Unfortunately, the wind lantern also broke for me, and I haven't brought my umbrella. It looks like we have to go back tonight, it's too dangerous to go in the dark.
Hagrid said with a sigh.
"Repaired as before."
Chu He's wand pointed at Hagrid's wind lantern, and the broken glass of the wind lantern returned to its original position. Hagrid twisted the ignition device, and the wind lantern rekindled a faint light.
"Ha, I forgot Chu He, you're a genius, that's great. 99
Hagrid happily patted Chu He's shoulder with his hand. If Chu He hadn't exercised before, he felt that Hagrid's two slaps would have knocked him out on the spot.
"It's better not to use the wind lamp, the fluorescent light is flickering.""
A sphere of light like a small sun rose from the tip of Chu He's staff, and immediately illuminated the surrounding ten-meter area as if it were daylight.
"Huh, the power of your magic spell is really strong, but is there any problem with the consumption of magic power? You have encountered the Motratel giant wolf, and there may be danger ahead.
Hagrid said worriedly.
"No problem, can I take this wolf's body? There may be materials I need to use. 55
Chu He pointed to the Motratel giant wolf and asked, this is a magical creature he has never seen before, and he may not know what the material on the body will be. Now that he has seen it this time, he naturally wants to collect some material for emergencies.
After all, when you want to refine some potions or magic items, it is still very troublesome to suddenly lack some special materials that are priceless.
"Okay, anyway, it will be eaten by other magical creatures if you put it here, how about I help you move it back and clean the internal organs and skins?"
Hagrid opened his mouth to suggest.
"It won't bother you anymore."
Chu He took out an airtight bag from his pocket, and with a flick of his wand, the Morratel giant wolf killed by Hagrid with a crossbow bolt floated into the airtight bag.
"Hey, your Traceless Stretching Charm is also very powerful, but don't let the Ministry of Magic know about it, they will definitely convict you.
Hagrid said kindly.
"Okay, by the way, Hagrid, can you tell me about the ecological habits of the Motratel wolf?
Chu He put the sealed bag in his pocket and asked.
"Of course, this giant Motratel wolf is cunning by nature, very patient, and knows how to hide in the dark to hunt prey. Its teeth have a paralyzing poison. If they are bitten, if they don't take the antidote quickly, they will quickly lose consciousness. eaten by them."
"Also, um, it seems like they have some kind of potion for their claws and blood, but I don't know what that potion is called, if you ask Professor Snape he should know.
"Generally speaking, because these wolves usually live in their own territory, few wizards can hunt them, so it is difficult to see their materials on the market, ah, don't sneak into them just to make money. It would be very dangerous if it was besieged by many birds together." 5
Hagrid said with a serious face.
"Don't worry, I won't die.
Chu He smiled and assured.
In fact, since the Motratel giant wolf material has so many uses, and the outside world is very scarce, he has already begun to pay their attention.
It's better to wait two days to come in and kill a few while Hagrid is not paying attention to fill up your material library.
The two walked towards the depths of the forbidden forest for another ten minutes, when a dense hoof sound came, and then a tall and handsome centaur ran from the forest and finally stopped in front of Chu He and Hagrid.
However, his body was covered with a lot of hoof print wounds, and it seemed that he had a conflict with other horses before he came.
Chapter 80 The Dragon of Destiny
"My God, Firenze, why are you all covered in wounds?"
asked Hagrid with concern.
"My clan exiled me, they refused to accept the destiny, it doesn't matter, what matters is that I succeeded in meeting Chu He."5
Firenze lowered his tall body and bowed solemnly in front of Chu He.
"Hello."
Chu He politely greeted Firenze, and if others are polite to him, he will naturally respect them.
"Hagrid, could you please avoid it? I want to talk to Chu He alone. 99
"Okay, I'll go around.
Hagrid agreed, then ~ turned and walked away.
"Chu He, I used astrology to predict that you are the incarnation of destiny. I hope you will think twice about every decision you make in the future. I beg you, have mercy, and don't kill you just because others disobeyed you. Absolutely.""
Firenze said it seriously.
"Wait, wait, wait, I'm a little overwhelmed, first of all, what is destiny?"
Chu He interrupted Firenze, he felt a little inexplicable, the centaur was very respectful to himself, but there was something he said. . . Mysterious.
"You are the destiny. In the future, there will be huge differences due to the difference of your thoughts, and even the population may become extinct because of this."9
Firenze explained patiently.
"Even if you say that, I'm just a wizard, maybe because I like to study the principles of magic, I can be called excellent among humans, but destiny... This is a bit exaggerated, I'm not that great. .
Chu He said modestly.
"Please look up at the starry sky.
Firenze pleaded, Chu He raised his head and looked at the starry night sky, he seemed to vaguely see... a dragon? A little bit like his own Ah f*ck Gus.
"Astrology is a great subject, and you see yourself incarnate, right?"
Firenze spoke up.
"Then tell me what my incarnation is. 35
Chu He asked suspiciously.
To be honest, he doesn't really believe in things like astrology or divination that are related to predicting the future, and he doesn't want his destiny to be predetermined.
He prefers to use his own power to decide his own destiny.
"A dragon, right? This dragon is not a dragon of ordinary magical creatures, but a mythical beast, which you may not understand right now, but over time you will become the center of disputes in the magical world, and with it comes opportunity With danger, I hope you are not blinded by that power and glory.
"Also, there are powerful and dangerous creatures in the Chamber of Secrets, they are called Basilisks, and only Parselton, who is the true heir of Slytherin, can control it, not any Parseltongue.
If you plan to tame this If you are a terrifying beast, you must ensure that your line of sight cannot intersect with it, nor can it intersect with it through mirror reflection.
"But if you plan to kill it, just transform into a dragon, the basilisk's vision can't be compared to his more advanced life.
"Of course, you can also fight as a phoenix, but considering the size of both sides, I think you'd better transform into a dragon to fight.
Firenze opened his mouth to remind.
"This is what you saw from the divination?
Chu He was a little surprised.
He did want to investigate the Slytherin Chamber of Secrets. The idea came to him while chatting with Hagrid. He didn't tell anyone that Firenze could bring it up here, he had already proven a lot of things.
"Yes, but our centaur's divination is not close to subtle accidents like human divination. My divination is to produce a certain judgment on the general direction of things, but I can't fully believe it. The future is changeable. Do you understand what I mean?"5
"That's what's called a reference.
"That's understandable."
"Then talk about whether I can tame the basilisk."
Chu He asked straight to the point.
"I can't tell you the exact answer, you may change your mentality because of my divination results, which itself will have a certain impact on the divination results.
Firenze shook his head.
"Then, if I tame a dangerous animal like the basilisk, will my future life be on the path of being regarded as an evil wizard by you?"
Chu He continued to ask.
"That's not the case.
Even if the attack method of the basilisk is very sinister and vicious, the good and evil of this power depends on you as the master.
Except for some magic that will affect the user's mind, it is all determined by your own heart.
Determines the good and evil of power, even if you conquer the basilisk, don't worry too much that you will become an evil person.
...for flowers....
"Just like Salazar Slytherin, who created the Basilisk, he is not a notorious evil wizard himself, but he is more strict about blood."
Firenze explained.
"Um...then change the subject, Voldemort, can you predict where he is now by divination? I want to get rid of him."
Chu He asked.
"Unfortunately, astrology can't achieve such a subtle level. I can only see that his stars are very dim, but there is a possibility of shining stars. You can't relax your vigilance, but you just need to be careful. Be cautious, and one day you will be able to defeat him.""
Firenze looked up at the starry sky for a while and slowly gave the answer.
"Well, anyway, thank you for telling me this. If there is nothing else, I plan to go back."
Chu He said politely, no matter how he met Firenze this time, he knew that there was a basilisk hidden in the secret room of Salazar Slytherin, and he knew the killing method of the basilisk, plus the rare Motratle The material of the giant wolf, this trip to the Forbidden Forest was quite fruitful, and he was very satisfied tonight.
"Please come back. If you have any doubts in the future, you can come to the Forbidden Forest to discuss with me at any time. If you are interested, by the way, if you meet my kin, if they are rude to you, can you please let me go. Have you been to them?
"They are not evil people, it's just that our centaurs have been persecuted by many wizards.
They are unwilling to admit the fact that you are destiny, and may even attack you because they do not want to appear in the human race.
A being too powerful to resist, but I implore you to at least save their lives.""
Firenze seriously please.
"Okay, for your sake, even if the centaurs shoot me, I won't kill them, I promise you.
Chu He opened his mouth and agreed to Firenze's request.
It's just a few centaurs, and it doesn't really matter to him whether to kill them or not.
Chapter 81 Chu He: This is a professional counterpart
"I have a question."9
"Just ask."
Firenze waited patiently for Chu He to ask questions.
"Your clan exiled you and betrayed you, don't you feel angry and resentful about it?
"I can understand their feelings, what's more, the leader of my centaur group is not like a leader among humans who can control the freedom of other individuals. The meaning of the leader is to assume the future of the entire group.
"When I disagreed with them, it was only natural that they would banish my new leader as leader."
Firenze replied calmly.
"With your mentality, I feel that you are the leader of the centaurs. 95
Chu He said admiringly.
"It's my honor to get your approval. Then I hope you can keep your original intention in the future, and I will retire first."
Firenze turned to leave.
"Before that, let me help you heal the wound.
Chu He's wand point, the wound is gone, and the wound on Firenze's body is quickly healed.
"Thank you very much for your concern and look forward to our next meeting."
Firenze thanked him politely, then turned and disappeared into the jungle.
Later, Chu He found Hagrid, and the two left the Forbidden Forest together.
In the following period of time, Chu He first returned the additionally refined silver hairpin to Hermione, and then perfected the improvement of the undead magic of rebirth from ashes, so that he would not return to his childhood form after rebirth from ashes.
With this undead hole card, Chu He began to search for the secret room built by Salazar Slytherin.
Since he is also a very famous person at Hogwarts, if he walks around during the day, there will always be students behind him, which is not conducive to his own investigation.
Therefore, Chu He chose to go back to the dormitory to rest immediately after class in the daytime. After all the students fell asleep in the middle of the night, he sneaked out of the common room with a phantom charm and searched around Hogwarts Castle.
Chu He's investigation is based on how magic works.
As a sorcerer, Salazar Slytherin used to hide the secret room he made apparently through some kind of stealth magic.
And at this point, without special research, even a legendary great wizard like Dumbledore could not find Salazar Slytherin's Chamber of Secrets.
After all, a person's life is limited, and it is impossible to learn all magic.
But for Chu He, things are not so difficult, because he only needs to find a special magic that he does not know, and to crack it.
After all, he has always used the phenomenon and knowledge of magic spells to deduce the working principle of magic. It can be said that he is a professional counterpart when it comes to finding hidden magic.
Salazar Slytherin, on the other hand, could not have stayed at Hogwarts for long to cast magic, presumably by inscribing magic on an object or building.
This is not difficult for Chu He, because he is also a magic tool maker himself, and often enchants some magic items.
However, this investigation method is not good, that is, there are many places in Hogwarts Castle where some magic is left, and he has to decipher the magic that he has never seen before he knows what it is.
This made the search progress not fast, but Chu He also gained more relevant magic knowledge in this cracking behavior, which was not a disadvantage.
On this day, Chu He, who was wearing the phantom body spell, came to the women's bathroom on the fifth floor.
Although he felt that Salazar Slytherin should not have built the entrance to the secret room in the women's toilet, he decided to investigate the place carefully with the idea of a carpet search.
This was also one of the reasons why he chose to investigate in the dead of night. After all, it was a bit perverted to enter the women's bathroom during the day. Even if he was confident that others wouldn't be able to discover his illusion, he didn't bother to peep.
However, this investigation left Chu He speechless.
"Hey...no, this old man...what the hell is thinking...
Next to the sink in the women's bathroom on the fifth floor, there was a very esoteric hidden magic and space folding magic attached to it. In addition, he also saw an inconspicuous snake statue next to a water faucet.
This is basically the clue to the entrance to the secret room.
First of all, this hidden magic and space folding magic cannot be constructed by ordinary wizards, which proves that the magic power of the caster is very profound. Secondly, the snake statue represents Slytherin, which is the personal label of Salazar Slytherin...
After confirming that it was the entrance to the secret room, Chu He began to crack the hidden magic left by Salazar Slytherin.
After four hours of hard work, he basically understood this hidden magic.
But counting the time, it was almost dawn, Chu He decided to go to class first, and then enter the secret room this evening.
After all, entering the secret room has to deal with the basilisk. God knows how long it will take. As a famous person at Hogwarts, if he suddenly disappears, maybe Snape, Professor McGonagall and Cassandra will mobilize all students to look for them everywhere. his.
"Hey, Chu He, you got up so early?
After coming to the Potions Classroom, Chu He found that someone had arrived before him, and it was Hermione.
"Aren't you... it's not even dawn today."
Seeing that it was still early, Chu He simply sat down beside Hermione and chatted with her.
"Hey, I don't have a good relationship with the girls in the dormitory. They don't talk to me anyway, so I usually come out of the classroom very early."5
Hermione replied with a sigh.
"Well, sorry, I can't help you much in getting along with your classmates. 35
"It's okay, it's enough for my friends to have you, I don't care about those girls at all, it doesn't matter if they don't like me, because I don't like them either, as long as you always be my good friend. 39
Hermione waved her hand in relief. She has gradually become accustomed to the cold violence of other students towards her. Throughout Hogwarts, it is enough for her to have Chu He as a friend!
"As long as you don't hate me, I will always be your friend.
Chu He speaks and promises.
"I will never hate you! No matter what you do! I will not hate you, by the way... As for the origin of that dragon scale, I searched all over Hogwarts about dragons. I haven't found any dragon scales with the same properties, sorry, but I couldn't help.""
Hermione took out the dragon scale from her pocket and handed it to Chu He.
Chapter 82 The Soul of Salazar Slytherin!
"Really, isn't it even recorded in the Hogwarts library... It's been really hard for you during this time."
Chu He took the dragon scale and put it in his pocket.
Thinking about it carefully, probably this is because no one has ever obtained the dragon scale of the Dragon of Destiny, so there is no relevant book record.
Thinking about it carefully, it is true that with his current strength, even using the cutting spell with all his strength cannot completely destroy this dragon scale. It is even more difficult for other wizards to break the defense and obtain a dragon scale.
It is estimated that only a ceiling-level wizard like Dumbledore can peel off a dragon scale by attacking magic.
However, apart from its powerful strength, the existence of divine beasts is still hard to come by, so maybe even Dumbledore had never seen such a four-clawed dragon before meeting him.
"Where, where, I obviously didn't help... It's not hard at all.
Hermione blushed and looked away. For some reason, she felt very happy after being thanked by Chu He, and she couldn't help but want 13 to keep Chu He.
But you have to be restrained, restrained... If you hold it now, it might make Chu He feel that she is a frivolous girl, so you have to restrain yourself from this impulse!
"Why didn't you help, you've read all the books about dragons in the Hogwarts library, it's absolutely impossible for me to read it.
Chu He said with a smile.
"By the way, where did your dragon scales come from?
Hermione asked curiously.
"Secretly tell you, in fact, this is the product of my f*ck Gus' transformation. Before the hand injury, it was also because I peeled off the dragon scales in this part, so I lost that part of the skin."
Chu He said.
"what!!!!
Hermione looked at Chu He regretfully.
If only I had known that the dragon scale was Chu He's skin!!!! She, she is!!! Damn it, why didn't I ask this question earlier!
If she had known earlier, then she could stick the dragon scales on her face, rounding it up would be equivalent to Chu He stroking her cheeks with her hands! Wouldn't it be equivalent to kissing if she put it in her mouth!
"What, what's wrong?"
Looking at Hermione who suddenly fell into remorse, Chu He was a little confused, he didn't know where he made Hermione unhappy.
"No, it's fine, it's just that I think that dragon scale is very beautiful, can you, can you give me one?
Hermione blushed and pleaded.
"Okay, this dragon scale has good properties in all aspects, so I will take off a few pieces of the skin every once in a while after it heals itself.
As Chu He spoke, he took out a dragon scale and handed it to Hermione.
Hermione helped herself so much, if she couldn't bear to give her even a dragon scale, she would be too stingy.
"No wonder I see the bandages on your hands all the time... It turns out that you have been healed all the time and immediately take them off.
Hermione said unexpectedly.
"No way, the current production method of this dragon scale is only me, and I can only use this method to obtain it.
Chu He shrugged, he had never heard of the Dragon of Destiny before he met Firenze, and it was obviously impossible to meet a wild Dragon of Destiny.
Moreover, even if you encounter it, it is estimated that it is not a good role to deal with. It is better to peel it from yourself, there is no danger, it is just a little pain.
"Does it hurt?"
Hermione held up Chu He's bandaged hand with some distress.
"Actually, it's okay? I'll get used to it after a long time. I have a high tolerance for pain now, and it seems that because of the constant injuries, my self-healing ability has become much stronger. It took five days for the first time to recover. The trauma will now heal in about three days."
Hearing Chu He's answer, Hermione was completely stupid. This person is using self-mutilation to exercise his body? This is too strong. . . For her, she would definitely not be able to do it.
"Well, it's almost time for the teacher to come, so I'll go back to Slytherin first?
After counting the time, Chu He proposed.
"Okay, okay.
Hermione put down Chu He's bandaged hand, and then Chu He sat back to his seat in the Slytherin branch. After a while, other students also entered the potions classroom one after another.
At two o'clock in the morning, Chu He came to the women's bathroom on the fifth floor with the phantom body spell, and then triggered the concealment magic and space folding magic through his own magic, and then the sink in the bathroom floated upwards, revealing a black lacquer. Painted entrance.
Chu He transformed into Ah f*ck Gus in the form of a phoenix, then flapped his wings and flew into the black entrance.
After flying through the narrow and curved tunnel, Chu He came to a square with a large number of snake-like stone sculptures on both sides of the road, and there was a huge statue of a human head in the center of the square.
Incarnated as a phoenix, Chu He was alert to the basilisks that might come around, but the square was silent, and there was no sign of the basilisks attacking at all.
"My heir, you have finally come to this place.
I am surprised that your magical talent and strong observation ability did not use Parseltongue, but entered this place by deciphering the magic I used to hide this secret room, and You are actually a rare phoenix in the world, f*ck Gus, you are qualified to be my true successor.
Suddenly, an old voice came, and then Chu He in the form of a phoenix saw an old man like a monkey appearing in the center of the square, but his body was translucent, obviously a long dead soul.
"Don't worry, my heir, I will not hurt you, you are the most talented wizard I have ever seen, and I will teach you powerful magic here. 35
Salazar said kindly.
Chu He hesitated for a moment, then withdrew from the phoenix form and returned to the human form. After all, in the phoenix form, he couldn't speak human language.
But in order to prevent Salazar from summoning the basilisk to plot against himself, Chu He closed his eyes.
"Lord Slytherin, I have a few questions, I hope you can answer me first.
Chu He asked politely.
"You have the right to ask questions, just ask.
"Question one, where is the basilisk, and why did you leave the basilisk in the secret room."
"The basilisk is dormant in the back at this time, I leave it here because it is a pet I bred, and I hope it can be a help for my descendants. 35
"You are not my descendant, and you are born to master Parseltongue, so if you want to gain control of the Basilisk, you must first learn Parseltongue from me, and then you can master the Basilisk.
Slytherin answered.
Chapter 83 Slytherin: Voldemort is a fool!
"Then question two, is it true that the basilisks are rumored to purge the Muggle-born wizards in Hogwarts who are not worthy of learning magic?"
"Of course not, that only means that my pet is better than those wizards among Muggles, and it can't convince those three idiots."
"I built this secret room to cultivate my true successor, a ruler who is good enough to dominate other wizards, so as to prove my theory is correct, you are a student of my Slytherin branch, I believe you can Prove it.
Slytherin replied arrogantly.
"So Tom Riddle is also your descendant?"
"Half, he is just my descendant, although he inherited my Parseltonian accent and understands the supremacy of victory, but he gave up the three advantages of being shrewd, judging the situation, and protecting himself for a stupid black magic, and in the end he ended.
It also ended up half-dead, which is a shame for me."
Salazar Slytherin said with disgust.
"Then can you tell me what magic caused him to give up his shrewdness and his ability to judge the situation. Can you tell me the three virtues of being wise and protecting yourself?
Chu He asked politely.
"If you intend to become my heir, I can tell you."
Slytherin bargained with Chu He.
He really likes Chu He's magical talent, after all, at this age, he can crack the hidden magic established in his old age.
It can be said that Chu He will definitely be better than him in the future as long as he does not go down the wrong road.
As long as Chu He is cultivated, he can ridicule them in front of the founders of the remaining three branches.
There is nothing to pursue in the world of the dead. What he pursues is glory and face. What's more, Voldemort is nothing more than an idiot junior in front of him, so he can use Voldemort's secret as a bargaining chip with Chu He without hesitation.
"Is it enough to just call yourself a successor? You won't wait until you accept me as your successor and then say what you need me to do for you. 々?"
Chu He opened his mouth to confirm.
As far as the negotiating conditions are concerned, this condition is still very cost-effective.
He has obtained the knowledge reserve of an ancient wizard, and also learned about the mystery of Voldemort's immortality.
If he just claimed to be the heir, it would be too cost-effective, so he had to confirm the negotiating conditions.
Just do it.
If Salazar Slytherin wants to do this and that for him after accepting himself as his heir, then he is not willing, he prefers to make an appointment in advance.
"As you can see, what I have here is just a remnant of my soul, I'm already dead, what more can I ask you to do? My only last wish is for those three idiots to confess to me in front of me They were wrong."
"Okay, then please give me more advice from now on, Mr. Salazar.
Chu He bowed his head slightly and bowed.
Salazar Slytherin, as an ancient great wizard, and having taught Voldemort once, obviously would not fool himself on the mystery of Voldemort's immortality, so he readily became a teacher.
"Okay, then let's go to the first lesson. First of all, what kind of black magic did that idiot Tom Riddle turn into. Chu He, you have to remember, you must not be contaminated. This stupid black magic.""
Slytherin said happily.
"Teacher, please speak.
Chu He nodded in anticipation. He didn't come to look for the secret room, but instead got the mystery of Voldemort's immortality. Tonight was really rewarding.
"Horcrux, that idiot Tom chose the magic of Horcrux because he was afraid of death. This magic will split his soul out of his body and attach it to other objects or life."
"When one's own body is destroyed, the part of the soul hidden in external objects or other living beings will not die, and may be resurrected in the future through the soul fragments attached to these objects."5
Salazar Slytherin talked about it eloquently.
"Just from what you've described so far, this isn't stupid black magic, is it? 35
Chu He asked.
"Of course, I'm just talking about the positive effects of the Horcrux magic, and the shortcomings of this black magic are too great.
"First of all, when a person splits his soul, the soul in his body is not a complete soul, and the magic power a broken soul can carry is naturally limited. My own magic power limit was slashed.""
"And the splitting of the soul into the body is not only a bad thing, because the split soul retains consciousness and reason, so in the process of splitting, wisdom and faith will also be lost randomly. After seven splits, Tom will be like a full Brain-killing cerebral palsy is as stupid.""
Salazar Slytherin became more and more angry.
Voldemort gave him the hope of cultivating a good successor.
When Voldemort planned to use the magic of Horcrux, he also persuaded Voldemort not to use the black magic of Horcrux, but Voldemort did not listen to him If so, the two eventually parted ways.
In his opinion, a wizard who has lost his clever mind is just a stupid pig even if he has strong magical power.
And after Voldemort completed the Horcrux, he thought that he could sit back and relax forever, and he ended up being a ghost, which was like a slap in the face.
How can his descendant be such an idiot? Near!
".々Secondly, the creation of Horcrux is based on the fear of death.
If a strong man cannot overcome his inner cowardice, he will eventually fail.
He lost the heart of a strong man, but because of the division of his soul, he will fail.
Wisdom Lost mistakenly believes that he has become the strongest wizard in the world.
"(Wang Zhaohao) when he has reached this point, he no longer learns.
Instead, he acts self-righteously and sets up enemies.
He will eventually be overtaken by others, and he will end up learning, becoming stronger, and maintaining a humble and strong character.
Only with the heart of the man can he become the strongest wizard without fear of hardships.
Salazar Slytherin looked at Chu He and said.
He could feel the qualities he expected from Chu He.
"Teacher, you don't need to give me chicken soup for the soul, I know what I should do, and I know that complacency can kill people, you might as well tell me which Horcruxes Voldemort made for me to destroy these souls. After all, your precious heir, I am now in a state of immortality with him."5
"If he uses the Horcrux to resurrect the first one, he will kill me, and you don't want to see this scene.
Chu He said.
Chapter 84 The Upcoming Quidditch Match
"I really don't want to see this, but he is the last bloodline of my Salazar Slytherin after all, even if he is a fool, I also hope that he will have a child of mine with some pure-blood woman, I can't tell you about the Horcrux whereabouts, but I can teach you and make you stronger than him."
"In this way, even without destroying the Horcrux, he is no match for you. 35
Salazar Slytherin answered.
"Well, what shall we learn first?'""
Chu He asked, since Salazar Slytherin didn't want to tell him the whereabouts of those Horcruxes, it was a big deal for him to investigate the clues himself.
"Parseltongue, if you want to control my pet basilisk, you must first learn Parseltongue. It's always good to master one more language. When you master Parseltongue, you will be the master of snakes. Snakes can be driven to do all kinds of things for you."
"And Parseltongue is also proof of the successor of my Salazar Slytherin.35
Salazar Slytherin said.
"Well, let's learn Parseltongue first. 39
Chu He spread his hands and could dominate the basilisk, and he had nothing to complain about.
Anyway, it is very difficult for 690 to recover the soul, and he has enough time to find the Horcrux made by Voldemort.
Not to mention the possibility of mastering the dark magic that Voldemort once learned from Salazar after learning Parseltongue.
The so-called "knowing one's own enemy and knowing one's enemy in a hundred battles will win a hundred battles."
After he figured out all the principles of black magic that Voldemort had mastered and developed an anti-curse, even if Voldemort in his heyday stood in front of him, he would be able to arrange it clearly for him.
Rather than destroying the Horcrux, this path is more secure, after all, Salazar Slytherin is now in front of him.
For the next period of time, Chu He came to the Chamber of Secrets every night to learn Parseltongue and various ancient black magic with Salazar Slytherin, and during the day in other classes, he read books borrowed from the forbidden area of the Hogwarts Library.
The Forbidden Magic Book that arrived.
Under this kind of devoured study, his magic level has grown rapidly.
Soon, November came, and the weather turned cold, the peaks surrounding Hogwarts Castle turned grey, the lake was frozen like cold steel, and the ground was covered with snow.
Today is the first day of the Quidditch season.
The audience booed in surprise when Chu He appeared on a broom and a bat in his green and silver Slytherin House Quidditch robe.
After all, no one knew that Chu He had joined the Slytherin branch Quidditch team.
This is also normal. Chu He joined the Quidditch team and was directly invited by Cassandra as the captain. Even after Chu He agreed to join, he never participated in a Quidditch training.
Coupled with rumors that he had a holiday with Slytherin Academy captain Marcus Flint, no student could have guessed that Chu He joined the Slytherin Academy team.
This year, the Slytherin branch team directly replaced two senior players, Kassandra and Chu He, who were replaced by freshmen, and from the order of flight, Marcus seems to have given up the position of captain.
It was handed over to Cassandra, which made the audience less optimistic about Slytherin's performance in this Quidditch match.
After all, Quidditch is different from magic. Quidditch is a sport that tests the physical strength and skills of wizards. Chu He is very talented in magic, which does not mean that he is physically strong.
What's more, his hands were still bandaged, as if his old wounds had not healed.
In addition, the first-year freshmen have suffered physical losses because of their young age, and Chu He, who entered the school by exception, is only nine years old this year.
Not to mention the experience of playing Quidditch, it must be that the other three branches have rich veteran players, so all the audience are not very optimistic about the appearance of Chu (bdbd) River.
Only Severus Snape, the dean of the Slytherin branch, who was sitting on the professor's chair, was very relieved about Chu He.
If he was asked to choose the most reassuring student in the Slytherin branch, that person would undoubtedly be Chu He.
Hermione, who was sitting in the Gryffindor auditorium, looked at Chu He sitting on the broom with some worry. She didn't care about the outcome of the Quidditch team, she was concerned about Chu He's safety.
After all, Quidditch is a relatively rough sport, and once the Bludgers flying around hit the head, it will bring great danger to the participating wizards.
But she didn't know that Chu He joined the Slytherin Quidditch team, otherwise she would definitely persuade Chu He to think about it again.
"Hello everyone, welcome to the first Hogwarts Quidditch match of the term, I'm your commentator, Lee Jordan of Gryffindor!"
"Today's match, Slytherin vs Gryffindor!
The Gryffindor student with the magic megaphone spoke enthusiastically.
The audience in the Slytherin and Gryffindor auditoriums burst into cheers.
"In this game, we can see that both sides quoted the first-year freshman to join the team, Gryffindor is the legendary boy Harry Potter who once ended the rule of the mysterious man!"
"Slytherin's side is Kassandra, known as the queen of the school! And our famous Chu He, this game can be said to be the first show of the three! Let's wait and see to see which side can get the best Score!""
Li said in a very expressive voice.
"Now Mrs Hooch is stepping on the field and the game is about to begin!
Mrs. Hooch walked to the center of the field.
"Marcus, are you sure it's okay to have a freshman as captain and batter? Chu He seems to have an injury to his hand, you guys are just kidding."
Oliver Wood, Gryffindor's Quidditch captain, spoke up.
"Wood, pay attention to your words, I'm the captain of the Slytherin Academy now, it's not very polite to talk to a Chaser directly over the captain.
Cassandra said proudly.
...I'm doing this for your own good, Quidditch is a very dangerous game and it's easy to get injured.
Wood looked at the domineering Cassandra and sighed, he really didn't want to bully a little girl like Cassandra.
Even Harry Potter, the freshman on his team, was merely a Seeker against the lighter Seekers.
But Cassandra and Chu He have one captain and one batter, which is a bit...too despise a Quidditch match.
Even though the two were famous in their first year, they shouldn't have asked for a Quidditch match.
Chapter 85 Chu He: I am invincible, the two of you are free
"I think you should take good care of your team members first. If you get hit by a Bludger later, don't cry and complain to the professor in your branch."
Cassandra responded tit for tat to Wood, the batter in her team was Chu He, other people didn't have confidence in Chu He, but she was full of confidence in Chu He, because Chu He was like a ghost in magical duels.
Even more terrifying, not only is the movement agile, but sometimes it will directly use the localized dragon claws to shoot back the magic path that he had beaten.
She felt that Chu He was totally a humanoid tyrannosaurus at some point.
In terms of cruelty, she felt that there was no one in Hogwarts who could beat Chu He.
"Hohoho, Chu He, Fred and I have wanted to fight with you for a long time, but don't think that you are famous and the two of us will - show mercy to you.
Ronald's two older brothers, Gryffindor hitters George and Fred, spoke to Chu He in unison.
"I am invincible, the two of you are free, welcome to target me. 35
Chu He replied with a smile, he has killed a lot of people, and playing a ball game is nothing to him.
George and Fred didn't even have murderous intent, such provocative words really had nothing to say to him.
"Invincible, hahaha, as expected of someone from the Slytherin branch, you're really arrogant, you wouldn't bring your own wand, would you? Quidditch is not allowed to bring a wand?"
George and Fred laughed out loud, they like to beat up arrogant people like Chu He, but if Chu He bet them on magic, it would be a bit hard to laugh, after all, Chu He's smashing spell is very powerful .
"Don't worry, I don't need a wand yet for you guys.
Chu He smiled slightly, returning the provocation of George and Fred.
Immediately, the smiles on George and Fred disappeared a little, after all, the contempt of Chi Guoguo made people uncomfortable.
"Then the two sides are in their places and when I throw the Quaffle into the sky, the game will officially start.
Mrs. Hooch, who walked to the center of the venue, reminded her.
The members of the two teams stopped talking, but fell into a tense atmosphere.
Mrs Hooch gently kicked open the box containing the three Quidditch balls.
"The Bludger is in the air, followed by the Snitch, remember! The Snitch is worth one hundred and fifty cents, and when the Seeker catches it, the game is over!
Li, who was in charge of the commentary, entered the commentary state, and then Mrs. Hooch picked up the Quaffle and threw it into the sky.
"Game start!"
As soon as the Quaffle took off, the Chasers of the two teams rushed forward and scrambled for each other. Chu He quickly appeared near a Bludger on a broom, and then swung the ball fiercely. Stick, the Bludger that was hit immediately flew towards George at a very fast speed.
"Ha, this is a layman. Generally speaking, the Bludgers are to hit other players. After all, other players have no bat and can only dodge the attack of the Bludgers, and our batsmen's duty is to hit hard. Bludgers, Chu He, you have a lot to learn. 99
George laughed and took the initiative to meet the Bludger from Chu He, and then swung his club to hit the Bludger.
As soon as the bat touched the Bludger, George Weasley felt a force coming from the bat, and he was almost thrown off the broom by the force.
Just after receiving Chu He's blow, he felt that his hand holding the club was numb.
"Fred, this guy has a lot of strength! Use double strikes!
George shouted loudly.
Double batter is a series of moves of Quidditch batsmen. It means that two batters hit a Bludger at the same time, making the Bludgers attack more lethal. This is allowed by the rules. , will not be considered a foul.
As soon as George finished speaking, he saw that another Bludger was hit by Chu He to their team's Chaser Angelina, while the other Bludger flew to Fred.
In desperation, George had no choice but to give up his plan to play the Bludgers together with Fred, and rushed to Angelina's side on a broomstick and tried his best to use the club to draw the Bludgers away.
However, at this time, a huge wind pressure rushed from the opposite side, and George saw Chu He quickly appear in front of the Bludger, and once again swung the club to the Bludger in front of him.
"Damn, why is this brat so strong?
Judging that another blow to the Bludger's own arm would completely paralyze his own arm, George had no choice but to give up blocking the Bludger and flicked his broom to the side.
・・・・Seeking flowers・・
The Bludger, which had lost the batter's obstruction, flew into the half of the pitch in Gryffindor and attacked Harry Potter, who was looking for the Snitch.
Chu He didn't even look at George. He sat on his broom and rushed in front of the Bludger that Fred hit, and then swiped the Bludger towards Harry Potter.
Since Neng Af*ck Gus was transformed into a silver dragon, he found that often partial dragon claw transformation made his arm strength increase rapidly, and now his arm strength has far exceeded the arm strength of ordinary humans, so George and Fred The next Bludger he hits would be so hard.
Chu He's tactics are also very simple.
First, he abolished the arms of George and Fred, who were the defense of the Gryffindor team, so that they could not intercept the Bludgers, and then used the Bludgers to knock out other players one by one.
If there are no players, the opponent will naturally gain No victory, which is why he chose the batsman.
...0
At this time, Harry Potter, who was attacked by two Bludgers, naturally didn't have the time to find the Golden Snitch. It was already very difficult for him to dodge only from the attacks of the two Bludgers.
Fortunately, George and Fred had come to him at this time, and then they both swung their sticks at the same time to hit a Bludger into Slytherin's court.
Chu He reappeared in the Bludger's flight path and swung the Bludger towards the Gryffindor Chaser, putting George and Fred in a predicament.
To protect the Chasers and let their team's Seeker Harry Potter get locked up with a Bludger, or to give up the Chasers and completely free Harry for Harry to catch the Snitch.
They have to make a choice, otherwise Chu He can completely control the Bludger's position at will, and keep pulling and pulling with the two of them to contain them.
To be fair, George and Fred have been playing Quidditch for two years, but he has never met a batter who knows how to control the rhythm like Chu He.
This rhythm made them both very uncomfortable.
In such a moment of hesitation, Slytherin's Chasers Cassandra has launched a fourth attack on the goal defended by Oliver Wood.
Chapter 86 Violent Aesthetics!
Although Oliver Wood, as Gryffindor's strongest goalkeeper, has defended three consecutive Slytherin attacks, this time, due to Cassandra's very tricky serve angle, Oliver Wood failed to defend the flying Quaffle, Slytherin won the first time. very.
And because of Chu He's interference, their Gryffindor Chasers didn't even get in the fight for the Quaffle.
"My God! I didn't expect Slytherin's new batsman Chu He's attacking style to be so sturdy, what the hell are George and Fred doing, and he was suppressed by him alone? Could it be that Chu He will be Ben The dark horse of the season?"
As a student of Gryffindor, Lee Jordan reminded George and Fred with slightly reproachful words.
But at this time, George and Fred also felt bitter in their hearts.
How could the two of them think that although the age difference is "sixty-nine" five years, Chu He's arm strength is almost the same as the two of them combined.
But if it continues like this, the whole court will be dominated by Chu He. In desperation, the two batsmen have to continue to face the Bludgers constantly hit by Chu He.
Ten minutes later, when George swung the club to hit the Bludgers, his right arm completely lost consciousness. The club and the Bludgers flew out of his hand and hit his teammate Angelina directly.
Fortunately, George's previous blow somewhat reduced the Bludger's power. Angelina who took this blow just swayed her body on the broom and stabilized her balance.
"George?"
Angelina glared at George unhappily, only to see that George could only use his non-dominant left hand to make an apology gesture to himself, while his right hand was weakly hammered beside him.
Angelina immediately understood that it was not because of a mistake that George dropped the bat, but that his right hand was temporarily unavailable.
At this time, the students in the Slytherin auditorium had already started shouting Chu He's name frantically for Chu He's wonderful performance. Snape's face also showed a slightly stiff smile of relief. Chu He did not disappoint him. .
On the other hand, Slytherin's other hitter, Jan Deen, was a little embarrassed, because Chu He's flying skills were too high. Nothing to do.
As a batsman with two years of experience, he can also see that the two Bludgers have completely become Chu He's weapons. Several other Slytherin players were flying in troubled waters, defending against the almost impossible to slip through the net.
A few minutes later, Fred, who had switched his stick to his left hand, was also knocked out by Chu He with a Bludger knocked off his broom because he was not using his dominant hand. Both batsmen were incapacitated.
Next, Harry rode 2,000 on the nun and was smashed by Chu He with a Bludger, and then helplessly fell to the ground, and then the rest of the Gryffindor team were also called out by the Bludgers.
In the end, except for Wood, who has no attacking ability as a goalkeeper, has not been knocked out, and all the other players have either lost consciousness or their brooms have been destroyed and retired.
At this time, Chu He was sitting sideways on his broom and no longer hitting the Bludgers.
Jandern, who had the opportunity to perform, immediately filled Chu He's position and smashed the Bludgers flying all over the court.
The isolated Wood still did not give up, constantly defending the attack of Cassandra and the other two Slytherin Chasers, his dignity made him unable to give up the game.
In the end, Slytherin scored 240 points in the game when Slytherin Seeker Terence Higgs caught the Snitch.
Among them, scoring 90 points and capturing the Golden Snitch 150 points.
When Huo Qi announced the end of the game, the students in the audience of Slytherin Branch went crazy, they had never seen a game that displayed such an extreme aesthetic of violence.
And some Chu He fans in Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw branches cheered for Chu He one after another, while the boys began to contemplate how their own branch team should play against Chu He.
Minerva McGonagall, the dean of Gryffindor, sighed, even though she had a good relationship with Chu He, she couldn't blame Chu He at this time, because Chu He won this Quidditch match entirely by his own strength, No cheating fouls at all.
And this kind of behavior that goes all out can be regarded as a kind of respect, and she can only accept this fact.
Oliver Wood after the game flew to Chu He....
Cassandra immediately maneuvered the broom and rushed from the side, protecting Chu He behind her.
"What do you want, Oliver?
"I wanted to give him a handshake and salute, even though you beat our division badly, I have to admit, you are the best batsman I have ever seen."
Oliver looked at Chu He and said.
"You are also a very good goalkeeper. You have prevented most of the fierce attacks by Cassandra and the other two Chasers, and you have not given up resistance even when you are alone. Stick to this character, you Big things in the future.
Chu He stretched out his hand and took Oliver Wood's outstretched hand.
"Your hand...does it matter?
Oliver Wood asked concernedly looking at the blood oozing from the back of Chu He's hand.
I have to say that being admitted by Chu He made him feel another sense of honor.
And Chu He... actually controlled the court in such an injured state, which was enough for him to pay his respects.
"It's okay, it's just a little blood, just take a little rest.
Chu He shrugged.
"Don't push yourself too hard, your Slytherin branch has already scored a lot of points in this game. Quidditch does not look at the outcome of a single game. In the end, the score is used to determine who is the champion. leaving irreversible disability.
Oliver Wood opened his mouth to remind.
"That's not 1.3, I don't want to see Cassandra get hit by a Bludger.
Chu He declined Oliver Wood's offer with a smile.
"Then take a good rest."
Oliver Wood turned on his broomstick and flew away.
"Hey, Chu He, next game, why don't you participate, I'm not as delicate as you think."5
Cassander stretched out his hand and gently held up Chu He's right hand, which was slightly oozing blood, and said with some distress.
"I came to this Quidditch match of my own accord, Cassandra, and even you, please don't interfere with my own will. 99
Chu He said.
"Really, that's how I love to be able to...
Cassandra sighed and flew to the ground with Chu He.
Chapter 87 Voldemort: Dumbledore old dog, you are plotting against me!!!
Dining room.
Cassandra, who was sitting opposite Chu He, was bringing the spaghetti wrapped in a fork to Chu He's mouth.
"Ahem, Cassandra, my hand isn't hurt enough to ask someone to feed? 39
Chu He reminded embarrassedly.
After all, it was the first time for someone to feed him a meal under the watchful eyes of a restaurant.
"It has nothing to do with that, do I want to feed you, or do you want them to feed you?"
Cassandra glanced at Pansy waiting for the girls in the Slytherin branch, but Pansy looked back not to be outdone.
She is also from a pure-blood noble family, and the Cassandra family is usually relatively low-key, so she is not afraid of Cassandra.
In fact, if it wasn't for the failure to invite Chu He to teach herself magic last time, she was a little unconfident, otherwise she would come here to feed Chu He.
"Okay, don't talk about it, you are the ace of our Slytherin Academy team, you have to rest your hands well, I will not interfere with your will to participate in the competition, and you should not interfere with my will to feed you, open your mouth quickly, Ah~
Cassandra said forcefully.
"All right."
Chu He, who was blocked by Cassandra, had no choice but to honestly bite the pasta wrapped around the fork and eat it.
"Very good, what's next? Steak? Or grilled sausage?"
Cassandra asked while poking some green salad into her mouth.
"Grill sausages...
"By the way, why hasn't your hand been good all the time, you are stealing the dragon scales again, right?"
Cassandra said angrily while poking the sausage to Chu He's mouth.
"Well, there are things I want to do, but the dragon scales I have collected are not enough.
Chu He answered.
"I really don't know what it is that makes you want to do this.
Cassandra said sadly.
"I'll show it to you the day it's done, don't worry, I won't hide it from you."
"Okay. 35
Seeing that Chu He was willing to share the secret with herself, Cassandra's mood suddenly improved.
While Chu He was enjoying Kassandra's feeding service, Voldemort finally realized something was wrong.
In the past few months, Wilkes and Anthony Dolohov have collected three more materials for him to refine his body, but all three times, without exception, failed at the most critical moment.
"Dolohov, bring me the Philosopher's Stone. 35
When the last material was burned, Voldemort demanded in an extremely calm tone.
"Yes, yes... I, my master. 35
Dolohov shivered and presented the magician (a fake) into the skull of the evil spirit that Voldemort was staying in.
The evil spirit's skull flashed green light, and then Voldemort spent a lot of soul power wrapping the magic stone and inspecting it carefully.
After half an hour.
"Dumbledore!!!!!!95
Voldemort's soul let out a bitter growl.
"Lord, Lord?"
The shivering Dolohov looked at the evil spirit skull uneasily, he didn't know why Voldemort suddenly shouted Dumbledore's name.
"You damn old dog!!!!! You're still using such despicable means to play tricks on me!"
"Master, please, please calm down. Your emotional fluctuations will greatly consume the soul stored in the evil spirit's skull. Your body is important."5
Wilkes said worriedly.
Voldemort's soul fluctuated violently for a few times, and then gradually calmed down.
"You don't need to collect the materials for refining, Dumbledore, the old ghost, the magic stone he hid in the Mirror of Erised is actually a fake, go find the wizard who foresaw the magic stone in the Mirror of Erised for me, kill him he.
Voldemort said grimly.
"I'm going to kill him for you."
Anthony Dolohov drew his wand with a livid face.
"Master, is it possible that the blogger of the black magic shop betrayed our information? Our fake Philosopher's Stone was ordered from him... This fake Philosopher's Stone is exactly the same as the fake we ordered, will Wasn't he the one who made the two-handed deal?"5
Wilkes asked.
"It makes sense, you two go to kill that trash fortune-teller first, and then go to the Bojinbok store to kill Bojin."
Voldemort gave a sinister command.
"As ordered. 35
Wilkes and Dolohov then disappeared into the gray vortex.
Somewhere in a fortune-telling shop, a fortune-teller is doing tea fortune-telling for another wizard.
"Your Majesty, Minnesola, you have a great disaster that will come recently, and this is a sign of death."
The fortune-teller said with a serious face.
Then Wilkes and Dolohov suddenly broke into his fortune-telling shop.
"You two please wait..."
"Avada eats a big melon!"
Two green lights flashed, and the fortune-teller and the wizard who had been fortune-telling both died. In the end, neither of them understood why Wilkes and Dolohov, who suddenly broke in, would directly cast a life-threatening spell on them.
"This damn fortune-teller, the fortune-telling is not accurate at all, and he has charged us so much gold Galleon.
Dolohov kicked the fortune-teller hard, then took out of his arms the dragonskin bag where Jin Galleon was kept, and followed Wilkes to Boginbok's shop.
In fact, this time he misunderstood the fortune-teller. The fortune-teller's 690 fortune-telling is actually very accurate, but because Chu He is the destiny, the astrological divination cannot be observed at all, so he did not predict Chu He's. action.
He couldn't really blame him for his poor fortune-telling skills, but Wilkes and Dolohov would have killed him even if they knew the fortune-teller was innocent, because it was an order from their master, the Dark Lord Voldemort.
When the Dark Lord orders something, no matter who it is, the Death Eaters under his command will stick to his orders, because if they don't, they will be killed by Voldemort in their place.
When Anthony Dolohov and Wilkes arrived at the Borgin Bock store, the Borgin Bock store was already empty, and there was not even a single black magic item left in the Norda store.
Boginbok, who received Chu He's advice, ran away early.
"This damn soul, he really betrayed us!
Anthony Dolohov said with a twisted face.
"Go back and report the matter to the master first, and kill him when you meet Bo Jin in the future.
Wilkes said with a cold face.
"Okay, I will definitely put a few more torture spells to torture him."
Dolohov gave a cruel smile, and the two returned to Voldemort's hideout.