Chapter 1137: The Gaunt Shack
Chapter 1137: The Gaunt Shack
Dumbledore found it somewhat amusing that Horace had disguised himself as an armchair, attempting to deceive him.
If Death Eaters had come, Horace's strategy might have fooled them.
Unfortunately, the probability of Death Eaters visiting Horace at this late hour was exceedingly low, a fact that even he himself was aware of.
Dumbledore was not surprised that Harry had successfully convinced Slughorn to return to Hogwarts. His old friend would not pass up the opportunity to add the boy who had cheated death to his collection.
Moreover, for an old man seeking a quiet life, constantly moving from place to place was exhausting.
With Horace's agreement to teach at Hogwarts, his plan was halfway to success. The next step was simply a matter of time—getting Horace to reveal the number of Horcruxes Voldemort had created.
As for Albert's prophecy about the number of Horcruxes, Dumbledore was inclined to believe it, but he couldn't take the risk. He still needed to retrieve Horace's memory and reconfirm the information.
He was confident that Harry would excel in this task.
With the destruction of the crown, the diary, and the snake, there were likely only three Horcruxes left, along with Voldemort's main soul.
As for the fragment on Harry's forehead, Dumbledore had made arrangements.
Once the ring was destroyed and the Horcrux from Albert's prophecy was found, they would be just one step away from completely eradicating Voldemort.
Dumbledore had never been this optimistic about the future.
Once again, he used the Pensieve to relive Bob Ogden's memory. This wasn't the first time Dumbledore had done this, and he had lost count of how many times he had viewed it since obtaining the memory. His gaze fell once more on the ugly black stone ring on Marvolo Gaunt's middle finger.
Marvolo Gaunt claimed that there was a Peverell coat of arms on the stone, but Dumbledore disagreed. Despite the scratches from the passage of time, he instantly recognized the Deathly Hallows symbol etched on the stone.
The black stone on that ring was likely the legendary Resurrection Stone.
The hint of desire that flashed in the old man's eyes was quickly suppressed by reason, and he recalled Albert's words to him at the wedding: This adventure would be dangerous, and he might be injured or even suffer a severe setback.
Dumbledore was actually reluctant to believe in prophecies because they were too easily influenced by various uncontrollable factors.
However, Albert Anderson's prophecies were eerily accurate. The other man had probably told him those things in the hope that he could avoid the dangers and the death that might befall him, while also repaying a debt of gratitude.
Perhaps he should ask Albert to join him in searching for the Horcruxes.
That man was incredibly talented.
It was truly hard to imagine that in just seven years, he had reached such an astonishing level of magic.
Unfortunately, Albert didn't seem interested in searching for Horcruxes, or he would have offered to join him by now.
"He's a cunning and mysterious fellow," Dumbledore said, pointing his wand at his temple and extracting a memory to place in the Pensieve.
Ever since he learned of Albert's strong prophetic ability, Dumbledore had a strange feeling. He wondered if Albert had known that the Ravenclaw diadem was a Horcrux when he took him to Borgin and Burkes all those years ago.
Back then, Albert's explanation had been flawless—so perfect that Dumbledore hadn't doubted it for a moment. Even now, he couldn't find any flaws in it. But that was Albert, and a little suspicion was never a bad thing, nor did it require any evidence.
Albert was the kind of person who disliked lying and rarely did so, but he was adept at it because genuine lies were harder to uncover than false ones.
Every word Albert had spoken to him back then was true, but he might have already glimpsed the near future through his awakened prophetic ability, foreseeing the Horcrux and what would transpire, just as he had foreseen Harry's return to Hogwarts.
However, regardless, he still had to thank Albert. It was because of the appearance of the crown that he could confirm Voldemort had indeed created Horcruxes.
This was also the main reason why Voldemort hadn't been directly killed by the Avada Kedavra curse.
Unfortunately, Albert had just gotten married, and he was probably hiding again. Even if Dumbledore wanted to find him, with Albert's penchant for using the Fidelius Charm, it was unlikely he would be found.
As for asking Harry to help search for the Horcruxes?
Now was not the time.
What about finding someone else?
That was clearly inappropriate; the fewer people who knew about the Horcruxes, the better.
Just give up then?
That was even more out of the question.
Although Albert's danger prediction made Dumbledore cautious, it couldn't make him give up on his summer plans or his trip to the Gaunt shack to search for the Horcrux. Some things still needed to be done and risked, and Dumbledore was confident in his own strength.
Most importantly, what was hidden in the Gaunt shack was likely the Deathly Hallow that Dumbledore had yearned for the most in the past century: the Resurrection Stone.
Although these were still speculations, Dumbledore wouldn't give up easily; he yearned for the Resurrection Stone.
"Fawkes, I'm afraid I need to trouble you again," Dumbledore murmured, stroking the phoenix's head with his withered palm.
In the end, he decided to bring Fawkes along and prepare for the worst, even though Fawkes always seemed to appear when he needed him the most.
Fawkes gave a soft cry, as if in response to Dumbledore's words.
"Let's go, we're off," said Dumbledore.
The phoenix took to the air, swirling into a golden vortex that carried Dumbledore away from the office.
At this moment, when Dumbledore appeared again, he was already in the suburbs of Little Hangleton, and the darkness of night concealed his movements.
This wasn't the first time he had come here, and his destination this time wasn't Little Hangleton village, but the old shack of the Gaunt family, who used to live nearby.
Dumbledore strode forward with youthful vigor, not at all like a centenarian. He plunged into the rugged mountain path, heading straight into the depths of the forest.
As Dumbledore approached the vicinity of the Gaunt shack, he had to stop. Perhaps to prevent people from approaching, Voldemort had cast a spell so that the shack was surrounded by lush bushes, blocking off intruders.
"It seems that Tom's Horcrux is indeed hidden here," Dumbledore said, raising his wand to illuminate the area ahead and murmuring, "A very secretive protective enchantment. If one isn't careful, they might miss the entrance altogether."
But magic always left traces.
Only, those who could detect residual magical traces were usually exceptionally skilled in magic.
Dumbledore became more vigilant. What means would Voldemort leave here to severely injure intruders? Otherwise, Albert wouldn't have specifically warned him.
Dumbledore raised his wand and gently pushed aside the bushes that hung in front of him, as if casually dispersing a cloud of mist. The spell meant to deter intruders was effortlessly broken.
As soon as Dumbledore stepped inside, he immediately felt the atmosphere around him turn icy, as if something was watching him.
Several shadows flitted through the bushes, and soon, Dumbledore saw their true forms.
Inferi.
A giant Inferius, No, not just one.
The intrusion had awakened all the Inferi in the area.
If someone had stumbled in by accident, they would have been in deep trouble, as the way in had been sealed again.
Dumbledore nimbly waved his wand, easily dispelling the group of dark creatures. He didn't annihilate the Inferi, so as not to alert Voldemort.
Now, he couldn't let Voldemort know that someone was eyeing his Horcruxes; otherwise, the plan to destroy them might be ruined.
After driving away the Inferi, the old wizard quickened his pace.
At the end of his vision, there was a small hut covered in roots and moss, obviously abandoned for a long time. As Dumbledore prepared to push open the door, he suddenly stopped.
(End of Chapter)
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