Unable to obtain a magic stone, the only place to get an elixir of immortality now is Nicodemus'. Half a year ago, he had arranged for Racim to start searching for Nicodemus' hidden location.
"Master, we've found him," Racim said. "We discovered that several owls always fly towards an empty mailbox in Devonshire. We had someone watch it and finally discovered that it's Nicodemus' hideout."
"His original residence was invaded by unknown persons a year ago, so he moved to another village."
"Give me his address," Murphy said.
"Please wait, I'll make a phone call to confirm."
As wizards lack remote communication methods, even when carrying out such secret missions, the most convenient tool for them is still the Muggle telephone.
Soon, Racim returned to the crow's field of vision, looking very urgent, "Bad news, master. Just now, Nicodemus' residence was invaded, someone broke in!"
...
Devonshire.
When Murphy descended like lightning, an Auror was already waiting with a wand-like directional antenna, capable of emitting high-frequency magical broadcasts. Murphy located his position and landed through this device.
"Where's Nicodemus' house?" Murphy asked as soon as he landed.
"It's that one ahead," the Auror pointed to a modest house with a small garden.
"To keep watch, I stayed opposite Nicodemus. Just now, Captain Racim called to check on Nicodemus. When I looked out the window, I saw a wizard apparate, breaking through the defensive magic outside Nicodemus' house and entering. He must be a dark wizard; I immediately reported to the captain..."
Murphy didn't wait for him to finish and apparated to the front door of the house.
Sure enough, the door was open.
He drew his wand and entered.
It looked like a normal house, albeit with very old decoration and furnishings.
It was very quiet inside. Murphy initially expected signs of magical combat, but there were none: no explosions, no broken clutter, no blood. It didn't even look like an invasion had occurred.
That was until he turned a corner and saw an old man with white hair kneeling on the ground, beside another elderly woman with white hair.
"Nicodemus?" Murphy asked.
There was no response. If it weren't for the magical energy Murphy sensed, he would have thought the man dead.
"Mr. Nicodemus," Murphy called again.
The kneeling old man seemed to finally react, turning his head to look at Murphy, "Who are you?"
"Murphy Darkholme," Murphy replied, looking at him. "Has your place been invaded? Where's the intruder?"
"He's gone," Nicodemus said.
"Gone?" Murphy frowned. "As far as I know, he must have come for the elixir of immortality. Did he succeed?"
Murphy could only think of Voldemort.
Having lost the magic stone, and in the same situation as Murphy, wanting to be revived, he would need to get the elixir from Nicodemus.
But Murphy was puzzled about how he got Nicodemus' address.
Nicodemus' expression changed slightly, "Yes, that person took the remaining elixir of immortality I had with Perenelle."
Murphy looked at him, "You must know who he is. Did you just hand over the potion to him?"
"I think I can guess... Only he would need the elixir so desperately and be so indifferent to life."
Murphy glanced at the old woman lying on the ground. In his magical vision, she was like an object, constantly radiating magical energy but without any fluctuations.
It was a corpse.
Voldemort had killed Perenelle.
"Where did he go?" Murphy asked.
"I don't know."
"Do you have any more elixirs of immortality?" Murphy asked again.
"No, that was the last of it, and he took it all."
Nicodemus showed no sign of sadness, speaking very calmly as if Perenelle's death didn't affect him.
"You seem neither sad nor angry. Don't you care that Voldemort killed your wife?" Murphy asked.
"Perenelle and I were ready to embrace death; we just didn't expect it to come in this form," Nicodemus said, emotionless. "But, now that death has come, nothing else matters."
"Don't you want revenge?"
Nicodemus shook his head.
"What if I were to ransack your house? Would you not be angry?"
Nicodemus glanced at him, "I've decided to follow Perenelle in departure. Once I've arranged the affairs here, you can use whatever is here as you please."
Okay.
This one probably has indeed lived enough.
Suddenly, Murphy noticed a bloodstain on Nicodemus' arm, "Are you injured?"
Nicodemus looked at the wound, "Before he left, he cut my arm and took some of my blood."
Understanding, Murphy no longer wasted words, immediately apparating into the sky and vanishing like lightning.
...
Little Hangleton.
A lightning bolt split the night sky, unnoticed.
The graveyard.
Here again, a cauldron was set up. A figure in a black robe continuously threw various ingredients into it, chanting. He took a thigh bone from a grave, threw it into the cauldron, then, in determination, chopped off his own left hand and threw it in, finally dripping a few drops of blood from a vial.
The cauldron boiled. A ghostly entity emerged from behind the figure, coalescing into a dark shadow in the air, then screaming terribly.
The ghost dived into the cauldron, while the robed figure lay on the ground, gasping for a while, before standing up again and adding a potion to the cauldron.
"So that's it," suddenly, someone stepped out from behind a tombstone, "First use a resurrection potion, then add the elixir of immortality, right?"
"Who?" Quirrell panicked, looking behind him, but Murphy quickly cast a petrification spell, immobilizing him.
"The resurrection potion should be enough to rebuild the body. So the elixir of immortality is for extra attributes, to extend life further, or to restore more magical power?"
He approached the cauldron, "What if, at this moment, other potions are added? Like..."
He began pouring various potions into it: Polyjuice Potion, Wolfsbane Potion, Skele-Gro, Blood-Replenishing Potion, Magical Cleaning Solution, Swelling Solution...
Before he could finish, the contents of the cauldron boiled violently, the cauldron itself trembling as if ready to explode.
Murphy quickly retreated, and the cauldron exploded with a loud bang.
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