"I never expected the Dark Demon King to be such a cowardly coward." Lily suddenly laughed, her gentle face showing a disdainful contempt, "You're afraid of death, aren't you? Voldemort? Or should I say... Tom Marvolo Riddle?"
"Damn it!" Voldemort cursed upon hearing his real name, "Mudblood, you dare to provoke my dignity!"
"I only know that your mother didn't love you." Lily squinted her green eyes, mocking Voldemort in the exact same words that Harry used, "You want to kill Harry, not because of that prophecy, right? I know Wormtail betrayed us, we knew it from the moment we changed Secret Keeper—but I also know the real reason you want to kill Harry is because he has a mother who loves him, and a father who loves him too, unlike some poor person who was thrown into an orphanage by his mother right after being born..."
"Silence!"
Voldemort growled softly.
Accompanied by his angry roar, all the glass in the room suddenly shattered with a crack.
But as soon as Voldemort yelled, he suddenly calmed down.
"You're deliberately trying to anger me, aren't you?" Voldemort coldly laughed and asked, "Do you want me to kill you to complete some unspeakably evil plan—or are you trying to stall for time, waiting for Dumbledore to come and save you?"
Lily did not speak, but instead took a magic wand from Harry's swaddling clothes.
Voldemort suddenly felt a sharp jolt in his heart.
He didn't know how long it had been since he felt this way; the last time he felt this was when Dumbledore used magic to set his cupboard on fire at the orphanage.
At that time, he first felt his own weakness.
He realized that he, who thought himself powerful, was still like a dough that could be molded at will in front of Dumbledore.
However, since he pursued the power of immortality, he never felt that way again.
Even when facing Dumbledore directly, Voldemort still believed he could hold his own.
But this time, facing this Mudblood witch, Voldemort suddenly felt that dangerous signal.
"What evil preparations have you made?" Voldemort hissed.
A flash of lightning suddenly struck where Voldemort once stood.
"Avada Kedavra!"
Voldemort instinctively countered, this habit of retaliation was already etched into his very being.
The spell hit Lily, but what annoyed Voldemort was that Lily's face showed no resentment or anger, only a kind of comforting smile.
"Mom!"
Harry's hand gripped the doorframe tightly; if the real Voldemort had been standing in front of him, Voldemort would have been struck by his spell hundreds of times already.
There is nothing more painful than seeing your parents die in front of you, and worse, being unable to do anything about it.
At this moment, Voldemort walked to Little Harry's crib.
"Avada Kedavra!"
A ghastly green spell was cast, hitting Little Harry directly.
But what Voldemort didn't expect was a brilliant golden light bouncing off Little Harry's body.
The golden light gathered into the form of a doe, which joyfully leaped and collided with Voldemort's chest.
Voldemort's scarlet eyes widened, he opened his mouth but no sound came out.
In Harry's eyes, Voldemort seemed to implode like in ancient magic, bursting into a cloud of ash with a bang.
Just then, Harry suddenly felt a sharp thump in his heart.
He quickly dodged away as a dark green spell hit where he had been standing.
"As expected of the legendary wizard of the past, Mr. Potter." Voldemort's voice seemed to come from all directions, "Even under these circumstances, you still managed to dodge my spell..."
"But you're still a failure who was defeated by a one-year-old." Harry retorted, secretly preparing himself.
Voldemort wasn't angry at Harry's words; instead, he laughed as if relieved.
"You know, Potter? If you'd said that in the dungeon two years ago, I would've been furious—but I've come to terms now; losing to a legendary wizard from a hundred years ago is not something to be ashamed of."
Harry hadn't expected Voldemort to be so open-minded now.
He thought this would upset Voldemort for a lifetime.
"Don't be so quick to act." Voldemort said, "This time I'm not here to oppose you, Mr. Potter, but to propose a transaction."
"A transaction?" Harry laughed, "What sort of transaction could I make with you? Unless you're willing to appear in person, so I can have a taste of revenge..."
"Revenge is a dish best served cold, Mr. Potter, I hope you understand what that means." Voldemort hissed with laughter, "You needn't rack your brains to find me; I've already hidden in a safe place—who would've thought Regulus Black, whom I regarded as a loyal servant, would betray me... ha ha ha... but that ultimately worked in my favor, and I've hidden in a safe place."
"This time I'm only proposing a transaction, to be accurate, it's not even a transaction—it's offering you some information for free." Voldemort said again, "Help me find and destroy that Diary Soul Artifact."
"Why?" Harry asked in response.
"Isn't he Voldemort?" Voldemort said with a sneer, "Compared to the me struggling in the United Kingdom, that Tom who summoned Lucifer is your real nemesis—let's collaborate, I'll provide you with information until you kill him."
Unraveling Voldemort's words, Harry quickly grasped the key to a problem.
That is, the young Tom definitely betrayed his main soul.
Or, that young Tom must have found a way to replace Voldemort's main soul, posing a serious threat to him.
Otherwise, it wouldn't make sense why Voldemort was so in a hurry to get rid of that soul artifact.
Without even thinking, Harry coldly asked in return, "So you showed me a memory of how you killed my parents, and now you want me to help you get rid of that traitorous soul artifact?"
To Harry's surprise, Voldemort suddenly conjured an apparition in front of him.
Without thinking, Harry unleashed several emerald green spells, which appeared incredibly eco-friendly.
In fact, the spells were as ineffective on the apparition as they were before.
"That was indeed my mistake, I apologize to you, esteemed Mr. Potter."
Voldemort bowed slightly to Harry, appearing sincerely apologetic.
"If apologies were useful, why would we need Azkaban at all?" Harry coldly said.
"I'll await your reply, Mr. Potter." Voldemort's figure vanished, his voice getting farther away, "After you discuss with your friends and that stubborn old Dumbledore, you'll surely accept my proposal."
Foolish!
Harry thought, couldn't I just eliminate both of you?
As he felt the world spinning again, Harry opened his eyes to find himself lying in bed.
Friends and two elders surrounded the bedside, while Vivi sat beside him, looking at him with concern.
"What's wrong with me?" Harry asked, holding his forehead.
"You're not in a good condition." Vivi softly said, "We just found Kreacher in the kitchen's fireplace, lying all black and looking like he's been hit by a Soul-snatching Curse—how are you feeling? Do you feel any discomfort? You suddenly passed out just now, it really scared us..."
(Seeking monthly tickets)