I became Voldemort

Being killed by someone else, or dying by his own hand, or—he looked up at Cyrus and sighed—being killed by someone he trusted...

"Thinking about Horcruxes?"

"How do you know?" Harry asked in surprise.

"It's written all over your face," Cyrus replied with a smile. "Just like Voldemort said, you're terrible at shielding your mind. I don't even need to look into your eyes to see your thoughts clearly."

"Ehm..." Harry scratched his head awkwardly.

"Over a decade ago, Voldemort tied your fate to his by acting on that prophecy. If you want to break that bond, only you can do it," Cyrus said. As he spoke, a plan began forming in his mind.

—Since Voldemort was defeated by Harry in the original timeline, why not use the same method to destroy him this time?

Cyrus then looked intently into Harry's eyes and asked seriously, "Are you afraid of death, Harry?"

Harry froze, clearly misunderstanding Cyrus's intention.

He felt a lump in his throat and answered uncomfortably, "I've never thought about that before, but... if it could really kill Voldemort, I'd be willing to die!"

He likely thought that Cyrus and Dumbledore were genuinely planning to sacrifice him to completely eliminate Voldemort.

Still, he believed that no matter what, Cyrus probably wouldn't kill him right away.

'Maybe they'd be willing to give me a few more years, at least let me finish my days at Hogwarts,' he thought to himself.

During his years at Hogwarts, Harry had experienced the most dangerous yet also the happiest times of his life.

If he truly had to die, Harry hoped he could at least complete his school days in full.

He still wanted to play Quidditch, to embark on risky adventures with Ron and Hermione...

At moments like these, he even thought that being caught by a professor and punished would become a cherished memory. 

Of course, being caught by Snape didn't count! 

Cyrus was fully aware of what was running through Harry's mind, but there was no way he would let Harry die. Just the fact that this kid unhesitatingly handed over the cloak to him was enough for Cyrus to decide he would protect Harry's life at all costs! 

However, Cyrus mischievously chose not to explain his plan to Harry. Instead, he gave him instructions for some preparation. 

"Harry, tonight, go find Severus. I'll have him teach you Occlumency," Cyrus said softly. 

"What?" Harry's eyes widened, and he shouted in protest. 

To be honest, he hadn't even been this resistant when he thought he was about to die.

"Why Snape?" Harry asked. "You know the relationship between us, don't you? Can't you teach me yourself?"

"Of course I know, and I understand it even better than you do," Cyrus replied with a smile.

Cyrus teaching Harry himself might yield better results than Snape's rough methods.

However, if he did that, how would Harry ever change his perspective on Snape's past? 

The kid who had been a member of the Death Eater "prep school" from an early age wasn't exactly a saint, but James Potter had also been a bit of a jerk. 

The difference was that James eventually changed, while Snape had nearly gone down a dark path, one he might not have escaped had it not been for Lily's death. 

"Severus is a master of Occlumency," Cyrus explained. "He once worked as a spy for Dumbledore right under Voldemort's nose, and Voldemort never discovered a flaw. You should humbly seek his guidance."

Cyrus stood up, signaling the end of their conversation. 

Of course, it might also be because another guest was approaching. 

"The Resurrection Stone…" Harry offered the stone back, but Cyrus didn't take it. 

"You keep it for now," Cyrus said. Then he leaned in and added with a hint of mystery, "Let me tell you a secret, Harry. If you rotate it three times, you'll see something you've always longed for."

"Something I've always longed for?" Harry muttered, seemingly realizing something. After bidding Cyrus farewell, he left. 

After a while, a shadowy figure resembling a bat approached.

Severus Snape's face was as rigid as ever, like that of a lifeless corpse.

Even Voldemort's half-dead body seemed to exhibit more expression than Snape's.

As soon as he approached, the two fire dragons growled lowly. However, restrained by Cyrus, the dragons didn't attack this unfamiliar visitor.

"Let's go inside the carriage first," Cyrus said, turning to walk into the carriage with Snape.

"I took a risk coming to see you, Master," Snape said in a voice that sounded like a rotting swamp. "The Dark Lord ordered me to brew a potion to counteract basilisk venom."

"Is that what he told you?" Cyrus asked in return.

That was strange.

He knew that when Godric Gryffindor's sword had struck Voldemort, it had indeed been imbued with basilisk venom. However, as far as Cyrus understood, basilisk venom shouldn't be lethal to Voldemort in his current state. 

"That stuff is highly corrosive; his body will become unstable," Snape said.

Cyrus lowered his head in thought. That possibility wasn't out of the question.

"What should I do?" Snape asked.

Now that he was working for Cyrus, such an important matter naturally required Cyrus's approval. Should he prepare the antidote for Voldemort or simply poison him?

"Treat him wholeheartedly," Cyrus decided almost without hesitation.

"Voldemort himself is a master of potions. In many fields, he is a genius. Otherwise, Horace Slughorn wouldn't have favored him so much back in the day. Even if you tampered with the potion, he'd notice."

"But," Snape paused, "what if I say I can't brew the antidote?"

If poisoning wasn't an option, why not just refuse to heal Voldemort altogether?

"If his injuries aren't healed, how would he dare to show his face in public?" Cyrus sneered.

So far, Voldemort had already suffered several defeats at Cyrus's hands. Even if Voldemort himself wasn't tired of his repeated resurrections, Cyrus was more than sick of dealing with him again and again.

For the third task, Cyrus was determined to make sure Voldemort was gone for good!

With that thought in mind, Cyrus turned his gaze to Snape.

"Severus, there's something I need your assistance with..."

"What is it?"

"Teach Harry how to master Occlumency. Ensure that he learns it thoroughly!"

Hearing this, Snape's face contorted with disgust and disdain, as if Cyrus had just asked him to handle something revolting.

"There are others who could teach him besides me..."

"Yes, but I believe you're the most suitable choice," Cyrus said, employing a bit of psychological manipulation. As he spoke, he felt eerily like Dumbledore himself.

And so, he added one more thing.

"Think about those eyes... Lily's eyes."

__________

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