Chapter 91: “Surrender”
“Why are you here?” Harry Evans asked coldly.
“It’s mainly because of the frequency of your unexplained appearances around here, such as on Halloween,” Matthew answered casually.
“And I happened to receive an important message from a ghost who usually resides in this bathroom, indicating that it lost track of you last semester… I believe it was you, right?”
“After all, in order to continue taking the Polyjuice Potion, you would need fresh hair from the actual Harry Evans. “
“So, you must have hidden poor Mr. Evans in a safe place where he wouldn’t be in any danger. And this bathroom seems to meet those conditions.”
As Matthew spoke, he glanced around and remarked, “I believe you have concealed Mr. Evans here. I didn’t see him because he was probably under an invisibility cloak or the effects of a phantasm spell. And you must have hidden Finch-Fletchley here as well… and Neville and Hermione must be here now too!”
“Correct!” Evans sneered and nodded. “Soon, you will join them.”
“No, please calm down for a moment,” Matthew quickly interjected. “Or, allow me to guess your true identity.”
“Do you even know that?” Evans was taken aback.
“I’ve made some educated guesses, and it’s not that difficult,” Matthew responded casually. “By using the process of elimination, a dark witch from Britain… a female… and someone already ancient.”
“Considering the need for unicorn blood and the magic stone for life extension… There are not many individuals who meet all these criteria, right?”
“Indeed… there is only one person in the history of English magic who perfectly fits these conditions,” Matthew calmly stated. “Morgana… or rather, Morgan Le Fey!”
“Succubus and incubus, although they are named differently, many wizards believe they are the same creature,” Matthew explained.
“The only distinction is that the former is female, and the latter is male. They both appear in human form in dreams, extracting the essence of the opposite sex.”
“And succubus, the ancient Muggles sometimes mistakenly referred to them as ‘little fairies’… which coincidentally aligns with the name Morgan Le Fey, which means ‘fay’ in Muggle legends for the dark witch Morgana,” Matthew paused.
“The Great Sorcerer Merlin and the Dark Witch Morgana both possess the bloodline of Dream Demons/Succubi. During their era, the magical creature of Dream Demons/Succubi became extinct in the wizarding world…”
“So, I deduce that in the 6th century AD, Merlin defeated Morgana after the fateful duel that shaped the destiny of British magic. Believing they were of the same kind, he killed her, sealing her in some way!”
“Until the 18th-century goblin rebellion, Merlin unexpectedly passed away, and his inheritance vanished without a trace for centuries… I speculate that with Merlin’s death, the seal on Morgana lost its effect, and she stole Merlin’s inheritance and went into hiding!”
“Let’s not forget, Merlin’s inheritance includes the ‘magic stone’… So for centuries, Morgana has relied on that magic stone to sustain her life and regain her strength.”
“However, the Philosopher’s Stone is a consumable that only lasts for a day… Without the Philosopher’s Stone, Morgana lost the means to prolong her life. This is why she focused her attention on Hogwarts, where both living unicorns and the only magic stone in the world exist…”
“And so, all these events unfolded at Hogwarts.”
“Indeed, esteemed Ms. Morgana,” Matthew respectfully acknowledged, bowing towards her.
“Harry Evans” did not deny Matthew’s claims; she simply gazed at the young boy before her, a smile creeping onto the corner of her mouth.
“I didn’t expect a Muggle-born first-year boy to uncover my true nature with such clarity,” she softly remarked. “I’m starting to feel a little remorse. It would truly be a pity to kill you here…”
“I must admit, Ms. Morgana, it makes me quite uncomfortable,” Matthew replied with a tinge of regret. “I’ve been honest and open with you, yet you’re still considering killing me.”
“Oh?” Morgana, disguised as “Harry Evans,” looked at Matthew in astonishment.
“Actually… I’m here to negotiate,” Matthew revealed. “Or rather, to surrender conditionally.”
Matthew raised his hands as he spoke and gave a French military salute.
“How intriguing,” Morgana responded with interest, a smile on her lips. “What are your conditions?”
“Firstly, release Neville and Hermione… if possible, also release Harry… and, of course, spare my life,” Matthew quickly proposed.
“Your appetite seems quite large, Mr. Wickfield,” Morgana shook her head, a sense of regret in her tone. “I can release Longbottom and consider sparing your life… but Miss Granger must die, and others will discover her body…”
“…Before I can find the hidden Philosopher’s Stone on the Hogwarts campus, I must create greater chaos!” Morgana said with a little smile.
Matthew kept his hands raised, continuing his negotiation. “But I haven’t finished stating my conditions yet, Ms. Morgana. As a price for all of this, I can assist you in finding the magic stone!”
“What?” The face of the Dark Witch Morgana suddenly changed.