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Chapter 1099: Only One Can Live
Chapter 1099: Only One Can Live
"He's furious!"
Harry suddenly opened his eyes, jolting himself back to the present. He was currently sitting in an armchair in Dumbledore's office, with the latter leaning over him.
"Voldemort has had quite an infuriating night."
Dumbledore waved his wand casually, conjuring a cup of butterbeer which he offered to Harry. With a smile, he explained, "After all, the plan he's been concocting for half a year was ruined by you. I imagine he's quite upset about that. However, Harry, I still wish for you to close off your mind."
"That's not an easy thing to do. Albert wasn't wrong when he said I have no talent for Occlumency." Harry didn't think that being able to sense Voldemort's emotions was such a bad thing; at the very least, he could gain a lot of useful information from it.
"That's just an excuse he made up because he was too lazy to teach you properly." Dumbledore consoled, "If you put your heart into it, you'll definitely be able to learn. It all depends on your attitude."
"Maybe, but that guy rarely lies."
Harry had long realized that he had no talent for Occlumency.
"Perhaps it's time." Dumbledore said suddenly, "Perhaps, it's time I told you what you need to know."
"The prophecy?"
Harry took a sip of his butterbeer and asked curiously.
He had guessed correctly; Dumbledore indeed knew what was inside the prophecy orb.
"Yes, it's related to that prophecy." Dumbledore nodded, "Just as you thought, I do know the entire content of the prophecy."
"Is that really a good idea?" Harry voiced his doubt, "If Voldemort continues to probe my mind, who knows, he might actually be able to dig out this memory."
"Maybe, but he won't do that."
"Why not?"
"Remember Quirinus?" Dumbledore explained, "Your soul is too fiery for Voldemort, like placing his hand on a red-hot iron."
"But he was still able to spy on you through my eyes before." Harry reminded him.
"Yes, he was hoping that I would give up and sacrifice you, but you've overcome the influence Voldemort had on you." Dumbledore said calmly, "Now I can feel that sense of being watched fade away. Voldemort has apparently given up."
"That's the effect of the Felix Felicis."
"But Voldemort doesn't know that. He trusts his own judgment more." Dumbledore said softly, "It's the arrogance of a genius."
"Is Albert the same way?"
Harry recalled the Albert he knew, and found that this statement was indeed true. Albert had always been very confident.
Dumbledore stood up and walked to the black cabinet next to the phoenix perch. He took out a shallow meditation basin from the cabinet and placed it in front of Harry. Then, he extracted a few silvery strands of thought fibers from his own mind and dropped them into the basin.
The liquid in the basin began to swirl, and a figure appeared on the surface—Harry recognized her as Sybill Trelawney.
The Divination professor in the basin was in a bizarre state, one that Harry had seen before. She was in the middle of giving a prophecy.
"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches... Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies... and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not... and either must destroy all but one, for neither can live while the other survives... the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies..."
The office fell silent.
"So, I have to kill Voldemort?"
Harry was the first to break the silence, looking up at Dumbledore.
"That's not an easy task. Voldemort is far more powerful than I am. Maybe I should pass this 'savior' title to Albert; he might have a way to kill Voldemort."
Noticing the look Dumbledore was giving him, Harry shrugged, "Alright, I was just joking. Does Voldemort know this prophecy?"
"No, Voldemort definitely knows that there is such a prophecy and has a rough idea of its content, otherwise he wouldn't have come to kill me. But he shouldn't know the entire content, which is why he wanted to get his hands on that prophecy orb, though I've already destroyed it."
"Yes, he knows the first part."
"Back then, I went to meet an applicant for the position of Divination professor. As you know, there are very few wizards who are truly skilled in Divination, and the applicant happened to be the great-granddaughter of that well-known, highly talented seer. Even though, in my opinion, she didn't inherit any of that talent for Divination, I still went to meet her out of courtesy."
Dumbledore gazed at the meditation basin, lost in brief reminiscence.
"But I never expected that I would hear a prophecy of such value. Unfortunately, in a place like the Leaky Cauldron, you can't expect conversations to remain confidential. There was someone eavesdropping from outside, and though he was discovered and thrown out soon after, the damage was already done.
"Who was eavesdropping on the prophecy?" Harry suddenly asked, "That guy must be a Death Eater, Peter Pettigrew?"
"I thought you would pay more attention to the content of the prophecy." Dumbledore raised an eyebrow.
Upon realizing that Dumbledore didn't intend to tell him who the eavesdropper was, Harry narrowed his eyes slightly and didn't press the issue further. He knew that Dumbledore probably wouldn't tell him, and if it was really necessary, he could always spend a few galleons to get Albert's help in finding out who it was.
"So, Voldemort came to kill me after hearing the prophecy." Harry couldn't help but quip.
"Yes, but he failed because he didn't hear the latter part of the prophecy. Voldemort never knew that attacking you would be a dangerous endeavor; otherwise, he wouldn't have risked transferring his energy to you. He would have been more patient and waited until he had gathered more intelligence."
"Maybe he was just afraid that it would be too late if he didn't act soon. Killing the person right away would prevent any future troubles." Harry could understand Voldemort's line of thinking—to nip the danger in the bud was usually much safer than facing the danger directly.
"I think the power that the prophecy mentioned, the power that Voldemort doesn't know about, made him feel threatened." Dumbledore explained, "Voldemort has dabbled in many areas, and while he may not be able to make prophecies himself, he definitely has knowledge about them. When someone told him about that prophecy, perhaps he didn't take it seriously at first, but once part of the prophecy came true, Voldemort couldn't hold himself back any longer... He absolutely wouldn't allow the prophecy to be fulfilled, so he took action."
"Do I have that kind of power?" Harry asked curiously.
"Of course, you do, Harry."
"Courage?"
"No, it's love, Harry." Dumbledore said gently.
"Love?
"That's hard to understand," Harry muttered.
"Your mother sacrificed herself to save you. That is the power of love," Dumbledore said softly. "And Voldemort knows nothing of love, not a shred."
"What a pathetic guy," Harry grumbled.
"Yes, he is pitiful, but not worthy of sympathy."
"But I still think the prophecy is unreliable. Neville was also born at the end of July. His family is part of the Order of the Phoenix, although I don't know if they've defied Voldemort three times. I doubt my father could have, so maybe it refers to thwarting Voldemort's schemes."
"And for Voldemort to believe such an unreliable prophecy, is he an idiot? Any sane person knows that Sybill Trelawney is a fraud. Otherwise, how could a talented seer be so poor, ending up in a dump like the Leaky Cauldron? You know, Albert charges hundreds of galleons for a single prophecy."
Dumbledore fell silent again at Harry's rant.
"He doesn't know that prophecy was made by Sybill, and perhaps the person who told him about it didn't know either." Dumbledore said quietly, "This matter may be related to me, because in Voldemort's perception, this prophecy was made at my behest. Perhaps he misinterpreted it as me trying to find someone to deal with him. But you're right about one thing, there were two children who fit that prophecy."
"Me and Neville?" Harry was surprised, but even more perplexed, "And Voldemort chose me? Or did he actually want to get rid of both of us, and I was just the unlucky one he chose first?"
"Voldemort chose you, most likely because you are a half-blood, just like him." Dumbledore explained, "According to his ideology, only pure-blood wizards are worthy of existence."
"He's a half-blood himself, does he pretend to be pure-blood?" Harry wanted to scoff at Voldemort's values. "If only pure-blood wizards are worthy, why doesn't he just die himself?"
Ignoring Harry's comment, Dumbledore continued, "Unfortunately, Voldemort chose you first and paid a heavy price for it. So, he concluded that you were the one in the prophecy, and after his attack on you failed, the official record was altered."
"A few hours after Voldemort was defeated, his supporters were still at large. They are violent fugitives, and I believe it won't take them long to figure out that Voldemort went missing after visiting the Potter residence. Your situation is more dangerous than others," Dumbledore continued, "My first priority was to ensure your survival because I didn't believe Voldemort was truly gone. With his extensive magical knowledge, he surely had some means of preserving his life. In fact, he didn't die, and he will return one day."
"Your mother's sacrifice made the blood bond my best option," Dumbledore said calmly, looking at Harry, "So, I chose your aunt and uncle to raise you, instead of another wizarding family. I assume you've had similar doubts."
"Yes." Harry replied without hesitation, "They hated me, and I hated them. Before coming to Hogwarts, my life was miserable. I dreamed of leaving that place."
"I'm sorry. I know many wizarding families would have gladly taken you in and raised you as their own, but I needed you far from the wizarding world, far from all of this, so you could grow up safely." Dumbledore said with a hint of guilt, "Although your childhood may not have been pleasant, at least you're alive and well, like an ordinary child. Not like James, who was spoiled like a little prince. In fact, you've probably seen similar cases."
"Draco Malfoy and Dudley," Harry replied with a twist of his lips. From Snape's memories, he knew what kind of person his father was, and to be honest, he didn't like the James from those memories.
"When I saw you again at the start-of-term feast, you were at least healthy and vibrant. And your subsequent performance made me proud. You stopped Voldemort from stealing the Philosopher's Stone and delayed his recovery."
"At that time, I told myself you were too young to know all this. Such knowledge would be unacceptable for a child your age."
Harry fell silent again. He could sense that Dumbledore had been quietly guiding his growth all along, especially during the incident with the Philosopher's Stone.
A simple experiment, no doubt a success.
But Harry didn't feel angry because of it, perhaps due to his past experiences or the lingering effects of Felix Felicis.
"Perhaps you've wondered why I didn't choose you as a prefect. I must admit that you already have too many responsibilities to bear. I told myself, again and again, that you were too young, making excuses." Dumbledore's eyes shone with relief, "Perhaps I should thank Anderson. He helped you grow up completely. Just now, I realized that you are ready, and I must tell you these secrets as soon as possible, so you can shoulder this burden, instead of waiting until you graduate from Hogwarts. Because Voldemort has already returned, and we are running out of time."
"But how can I defeat Voldemort? How can I kill him when even the Avada Kedavra curse didn't work?" Harry asked, confused.
"Don't worry, next semester I will give you private lessons and teach you some things."
"Private lessons?" Harry breathed a sigh of relief and asked curiously, "What will you teach me, sir? Some powerful magic to kill Voldemort?"
"Oh, that's a secret for now. I suggest you focus on your upcoming O.W.L.S. exams." Dumbledore said casually, "I hear you want to become an Auror."
"That won't be easy." Harry muttered.
"You should have confidence in yourself." Dumbledore said suddenly, "Oh, and one more thing, I think you need friends, Harry. You should open up to Mr. Ron Weasley and Miss Hermione Granger. Hiding something this important from them will hurt their feelings."
"Can I tell Sirius?" Harry asked eagerly.
"Sirius has a right to know." Dumbledore said, "I will tell him myself."
Harry breathed a sigh of relief and said to Dumbledore, "Well, I'll be going now."
As he left the headmaster's office, Harry saw Hermione and Ron waving at him, and Sirius standing behind them with a smile.
(End of Chapter)
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