The air in the underground chamber was so thick it could nearly be squeezed into water, and Ian's wand tip shimmered with a deep light, illuminating the pale face opposite him.
Harry Potter.
Or rather, the fragment of Voldemort that occupied Harry's body. The boy's eyes now had serpent-like pupils, cold and devoid of reason or emotion.
There was no denying it.
Faced with such a scene.
Ian's emotions surged violently—it raised questions—if Harry and the Voldemort inside Harry were here, then what was the Harry under Nicolas Flamel's care in the infirmary?
An impostor?
No.
A magical stand-in might deceive other wizards, it might even fool several professors at Hogwarts, but it would absolutely never fool the Alchemy Master, Nicolas Flamel.
"So, that must be Harry too..." Thinking of this, Ian felt a certain clarity, quickly organizing his thoughts and furrowing his brows.
"You used the time machine to deceive Nicolas Flamel?" Ian recalled when he accidentally touched the time machine, needing to remember how Harry Potter was also present in Nicolas Flamel's office.
If Harry Potter had glimpsed the secrets of the time machine, it's apparent that Voldemort, hidden within Harry, would also know what transpired that night in the alchemy office.
Although Nicolas Flamel used tricks to keep Harry away from the information about the time machine, due to Harry's limited knowledge of the magic world, this didn't necessarily mean Voldemort was equally ignorant. From Harry's memories of that night, Voldemort probably already started planning how to use this miraculous creation within Hogwarts.
"You're clever. Much cleverer than I imagined." Voldemort's acknowledgment confirmed Ian's speculation, his gaze fixed intensely on the little wizard before him.
However.
He dared not make the first move.
Perhaps because he shared Harry's memories, and used Harry's body to move within Hogwarts at night, he knew very well the power of the little wizard before him.
Without a complete revival, he feared he might not secure victory.
"Perhaps we can talk, make a deal. I have knowledge that you cannot access at Hogwarts; I am the last soul artifact made."
"At least, until last year, I was the last soul artifact made—you know what that means, don't you? It means nearly all the knowledge Voldemort has amassed in this lifetime is with me."
"You would certainly shine towards a more brilliant life, witnessing sights you could never have imagined. Remember, this is the wealth accumulated by Voldemort over his lifetime." Because he feared the little wizard's strength, the Voldemort occupying Harry's body sought to entice Ian into an agreement.
"Let me live! You will have it all!"
His voice was deeply seductive, perhaps such words could sway many, but clearly, Ian was not among those many.
"It's the same old discourse, always the same, have you no other tactics?" Ian rolled his eyes, his tone dripping with undisguised disdain.
If he remembered correctly, last year's reviving Voldemort also tried to use similar methods to entice him; perhaps all Voldemort's soul artifacts believed it was an irresistible temptation for any wizard.
"I am serious, truly sincere. All of Voldemort's knowledge, I'll exchange for my survival." Voldemort spoke in a hoarse voice from Harry's face, somberly opening his mouth.
"You are Voldemort."
Ian remained unmoved.
"I am certainly part of Voldemort segmented out, but that doesn't mean I must become Voldemort… he was too mad. Since he made that deal with the God of Death for revival, we were doomed to have to betray him. Of course, it could also be said he betrayed all our souls when he made that kind of deal!"
"Harry's" serpent-like pupils glowed with madness and anger, yet more so with fear, fear of the God of Death mentioned, and fear of the transaction he spoke of.
"What transaction?"
Ian thought of Voldemort's brief revival last year, a moment that brought forth full victory, a clear indication Dumbledore's spoken cost might have already manifested.
"The God of Death never makes a loss in transactions; His forgiveness is always accompanied by a deeper price, one more terrifying than death." The fragment occupying Harry's body spoke ambiguously.
Like he was wary, or perhaps taboo against discussing certain information. Yet, even so, "Harry" sought to use this aspect to make a transaction with Ian.
"Let me live, you can acquire that part of knowledge; then you can understand what my insane past ultimately sold out." "Harry" kept his gaze tightly locked on Ian.
The little wizard did not respond, his gaze swept across Voldemort, noting the unconscious Pansy Parkinson lying before him, her hair messily sprawled on the ground as if nearing her end.
"You said it wasn't you who killed my beloved Snake Monster?"
Ian suddenly changed the subject.
This immediately roused "Harry's" vigilance.
"You're stalling for time!"
He glared angrily at Ian, roaring, but in return received Ian's scoff.