Hogwarts: Harry Returns from Water Margin

Chapter 66 Scarface Reveals the Truth

Continuing from the previous episode.

Helena was willing to tell Harry a few ways to infiltrate, but she wanted him to tell her how she died.

Ron and Hermione both frowned upon hearing this. How could they possibly let outsiders know about such a secret?

Seeing their worried expressions, Helena relented, "Alright, I can tell you in more detail. The murderer is inside Hogwarts."

"What?! The person who killed you was at Hogwarts?"

Ron and Hermione stared wide-eyed, feeling their hair stand on end. After a long while, Hermione clapped her hands and exclaimed, "Oh, wait! Lady Helena died nine hundred years ago, which means the killer can only be a ghost!"

Ron hesitated, "But how do we know which ghosts lived nine hundred years ago?"

These two, unable to find a way out, were like headless flies.

Harry remained silent, his eyes lingering on Helena's chest and waist for a moment before he suddenly spoke, "Sister, is what you say true? I have now figured it out."

Ron and Hermione were both stunned, and Helena's eyes widened. "You already knew?"

She lingered at Hogwarts for hundreds of years, yet very few people knew the cause of her death. When the TV series asked Dumbledore, he knew nothing about it either.

Helena was suspicious, but she looked Harry up and down and said, "Alright, Harry, if you can tell me the method of infiltration, I'll tell you what it is."

"I can even teach you little by little."

Harry cried out, "Sister, don't go back on your word! Was the one who killed you that Bloody Barrow?"

Ron and Hermione were completely baffled, feeling that the two were worlds apart.

Helena, upon hearing this, exclaimed in surprise, "You really guessed it?"

"Wait, is it because I told you I hate Slytherins that you deduced that?"

Seeing that Harry had hit the nail on the head, and that she herself had racked her brains but still couldn't figure it out, Hermione was quite discouraged. She shook her head. "No, there are so many ghosts in Slytherin, how did Harry determine it was the Bloody Barrow?"

Seeing that the two women were talking about increasingly distant topics, Harry shook his head and said, "My two sisters are mistaken. I can tell just by looking at Helena's scars all over her body."

Helena and Hermione both looked bewildered. Harry explained, "My sister has five cuts, three on her chest and two on her waist and abdomen. They are all non-fatal, non-vital wounds."

"He must have stabbed her out of anger."

"Look at the cuts again. The one on the chest is deep, while the one on the waist and abdomen is shallow. Both cuts are slanted from top to bottom, indicating that the knife was held upside down when it was used to stab."

"I am also skilled with a knife, and I know how bloodstains appear when a knife stabs someone. You should know that the blood spurting from the knife wounds on your body, sister, is a perfect match for the filth on that blood-soaked Barrow."

After Harry finished explaining, Helena and the others were stunned.

"What...what exactly do you do?" Helena asked blankly. "Are there so many things to know about the knife wounds on my body?"

Harry chuckled, "Practice makes perfect."

Ron and Hermione exchanged glances, both feeling uneasy.

What does "practice makes perfect" mean?

Harry killed anyone other than Quirrell behind our backs?

Hermione was surprised and asked Ron in surprise, "When did Harry learn so much?"

Ron hesitated, then said, "Perhaps it's... the experience gained from slaughtering pigs? You've seen it, Harry's pig-slaughtering skills are amazing..."

The two discussed amongst themselves, but neither grasped the point. Helena also said:

"Okay, Harry, I'm going to move you up in the rankings. You're the first man in my life to really impress me."

Helena sighed, "I never thought I'd be seen through like this."

Hermione couldn't help but ask, "Ms. Helena, what exactly is it—why did the Blood Man Barrow want to kill you?"

"Ha, because he's a disgusting megalomaniac."

It turns out that Helena had gone to Albania for a trip, and Rowena had sent the blood-man Barrow to find her.

However, she was very playful and unwilling to return with him, and she also rejected the love of the blood-soaked Barrow. The man, out of love turned to hate and unable to win her heart, took a knife and killed her.

When he came to his senses, he was filled with remorse and quickly slit his own throat to commit suicide for love. His iron shackles were a form of self-punishment, binding himself within himself.

Harry heard it clearly and roared, "Damn it! I knew this guy was no good! And now I know it's true!"

"What nonsense about dying for love and self-punishment! He's just a despicable, vile scoundrel! If I could harm a ghost, I'd chop this bastard to pieces to avenge my sister!"

Helena nodded repeatedly, her eyes crinkling with laughter. "Harry, I must say, it's been a long time since I've seen a young wizard whom I like so much from the bottom of my heart."

Harry, furious, sat down with his legs spread wide, staring intently at the bloodied Barrow, and said, "I can't stand bastards like this! They're truly deserving of a beating!"

Seeing Harry grasp the knife hilt, Ron and Hermione both tried to dissuade him, and Helena added, "Thank you for your kindness, Harry, but you don't need to help with this."

"Oh, what you want is called Compound Elixir, a magic potion for disguise."

Harry and the others were startled upon hearing this. They had been so focused on finding magic that they had completely forgotten about the potion.

Hermione frowned and said, "No, I looked for potions, but I don't remember this name at all."

"Of course, the formula for the compound decoction is in the restricted section. But you don't need to go to the library, I'll tell you."

Helena explained the ingredients of the compound potion one by one, saying, "You only need to throw in one more hair to transform into each other's appearance."

Upon learning the mystery, the group was overjoyed and hurriedly bid farewell to Helena, heading back to their dormitory to prepare the prescription.

Harry bowed and took his leave, saying, "Thank you for informing me, sister!"

"It's alright, it's part of our bet." Helena waved her hand and said, "Take care, you can come find me again if you have any problems."

The three of them left the underground classroom, and Hermione was overjoyed as she looked at the parchment containing the information about the potion.

"How come I never thought that what allowed us to infiltrate wasn't necessarily magic, but also a potion!"

"But this stuff is so hard to get—dried African tree snakeskin? Where are we going to find something so rare?"

As they were talking to themselves, Harry suddenly heard a hoarse whisper in his ear.

"Kill... I smell blood..."

The sound seemed to come from beyond the heavens, its origin unknown.

Harry was startled and looked down to see his gauntlets glowing. He drew his knife, pulled out his wand, and shouted.

"Big sister and brothers, watch out!"

Some say that Halloween is a time of ghosts, and whispers echo in the corridors at night. A glowing armband foretells impending doom; Harry angrily draws his sword, vowing to slay the evil. A rustling, hissing voice echoes from who-knows-where. But who is speaking these words? We'll find out in the next chapter.