Chapter 1226: Close to Death
Chapter 1226: Close to Death
Ever since the last broadcast, the number of students wanting to join the 'Defense Association' had mysteriously increased.
Perhaps, for most students, it was necessary to learn some useful skills during these turbulent times. No one knew how long the Second Wizarding War would last.
As for which side to support in this war? Aside from the students of Slytherin, no one really needed to consider this question.
They only had two choices: to stand against Voldemort or to remain neutral.
As for siding with Voldemort, only those with a death wish or those already under the control of the Imperius Curse would willingly choose that path.
Just look at the number of Dark Wizards that the Aurors from the Ministry of Magic had taken down. It was obvious, even without thinking too hard, that joining Voldemort's camp was a dead end.
Moreover, due to Albert's interference, the Ministry had become more proactive in cracking down on Dark Wizards, causing Wizarding families who might have previously stayed neutral to lean towards opposing the Dark Lord.
It wasn't that they didn't want to remain neutral, but Scrimgeour's construction of the refuge had instilled a sense of crisis in many Wizards.
Since they were cracking down on Dark Wizards and opposing the Dark Lord, it was only natural to choose a good side.
The best choice was the Order of the Phoenix, founded by Dumbledore. After all, Dumbledore's reputation preceded him, and everyone wanted to gather under his wing. However, it wasn't easy to join the Order, and there were very few ways to get in.
As for joining the Crisis Response Team of the Ministry of Magic, there was also a certain threshold. After all, there was a high risk of directly facing Dark Wizards while on duty.
The "Defense Association," which focused more on protecting everyone's safety, naturally became the first choice for many.
No matter how one looked at it, Albert was an extremely competent leader. After joining the Defense Association, he not only taught everyone how to protect themselves but also didn't require them to stand against the Dark Lord directly. He only hoped that they would secretly support Harry Potter.
As a result, more people secretly expressed to Harry their desire to join the Defense Association.
This made Harry feel inexplicably irritable, and it was Hermione who finally helped to record the names.
"I really don't understand why they all want to join the Defense Association. If it were me, I would definitely join the Order of the Phoenix."
Ron stared at the long list and couldn't help but voice his confusion.
"They only know the way to join the Defense Association," Hermione replied as she put away the list and looked at Harry with some concern. "And most of them just want to be peripheral members; they don't want to be truly involved in this war."
"It's fine, I'm just a bit frustrated," Harry said.
"What are you frustrated about?" Ron asked, perplexed. "Is it because everyone is rushing to join the Defense Association? Maybe you can ask Dumbledore if the Order of the Phoenix is recruiting newcomers."
"I used to think that my Dark Arts defense skills were pretty good," Harry said, "but after listening to that broadcast the other day, I suddenly realized that I'm no different from the others." Harry was indeed frustrated. He had suddenly realized that he was just a novice, perhaps with a bit more experience and knowledge of magic than the others.
This made him seem more skilled in comparison, but in reality, the others were just that inept.
Ron and Hermione exchanged glances, unsure of how to comfort Harry.
"Well, it's about time. I have to go to class," Harry said, checking his pocket watch before heading directly to the Headmaster's office.
Dumbledore looked at Harry, who had remained silent after entering the office, and asked, "You seem rather glum."
"I don't think I can convince Professor Slughorn to give up that memory," Harry said, lacking confidence.
"You should believe in yourself and have confidence. That's important, Harry," Dumbledore said, motioning for Harry to sit down. He then waved his wand, and a cup of butterbeer appeared in front of Harry.
"I plan to try and get him drunk on April 28th, his birthday, to make him give up that memory," Harry said in a low voice as he shared his plan. "Although I've never mentioned Horcruxes to Professor Slughorn before, and I will be taking Felix Felicis, I still can't be sure if the plan will succeed. I always feel like Professor Slughorn sees through my intentions."
Dumbledore looked at the gloomy expression on Harry's face and fell silent. He realized that the boy in front of him was bearing a lot of pressure.
"You should have confidence in your plan," he said comfortingly. "Even if you fail, it doesn't matter. You still have time, so don't put too much pressure on yourself. Just do what you think is best."
However, these words didn't provide much solace. Ultimately, this task rested on Harry's shoulders, and it was the kind that couldn't afford to fail. It was obvious that he would feel pressured.
Harry didn't have the same confidence as Dumbledore in himself, and the weight of this pressure was suffocating.
"Sir, what are we learning today?"
Harry took a deep breath and changed the subject.
"Let's chat about something you're definitely interested in," Dumbledore said, seemingly having no intention of letting Harry view someone's memory. Instead, he smiled and picked up his tea, appearing ready to have a casual conversation with Harry.
"What topic?" Harry asked, raising an eyebrow slightly. "It's definitely related to Horcruxes, isn't it?"
"Yes," Dumbledore replied.
He opened the drawer of the headmaster's desk and took out several Horcrux remnants that Harry had seen in his memory.
"So far, how many Horcruxes have you destroyed?" Harry asked, examining the remnants on the table. "Riddle's diary, Marvolo Gaunt's ring, and Slytherin's locket."
"Is this the Horcrux that Albert helped to find?" Harry's gaze fell on the locket.
"Yes, it's a bit complicated," Dumbledore said, picking up the locket remnant and falling into a brief recollection. "The Slytherin locket was originally hidden at 12 Grimmauld Place. Later, it was taken out by Mundungus and he intended to sell it secretly. I was fortunate to find it before he could do so."
"How did a Slytherin heirloom end up at Sirius's house?" Harry asked, perplexed.
"I think this may have something to do with Kreacher, but Sirius killed him, so everything became a mystery. Nonetheless, we were lucky to find it and even more fortunate to be able to destroy it completely," Dumbledore said.
"If Voldemort made seven Horcruxes, that means there are still four left," Harry murmured, looking at the remnants on the table.
"No, Harry," Dumbledore corrected. "If Voldemort split his soul into seven parts, one of them must be his main soul, so he would have only made six Horcruxes."
"That's really good news," Harry said, his mood brightening. "That means there are only three Horcruxes left." This meant they were one step closer to completing the destruction of all the Horcruxes.
"One of them is definitely Hufflepuff's cup, and the remaining two are most likely the relics of the other Hogwarts founders. I suspect the legendary Ravenclaw Diadem. Do you know where the Diadem is, or perhaps we can ask Albert to help us divine its location. Maybe he can really help us find it."
As he spoke, Harry suddenly looked up at Dumbledore, remembering that he had mentioned taking him to search for Horcruxes. He wondered if Dumbledore had already used Albert to predict the location of the Ravenclaw Diadem.
This meant that the whereabouts of the final Horcrux were still unknown.
"Perhaps we can seek help from the ghosts at school, like...Professor Binns, I remember he's the Gryffindor ghost from that era, maybe he's heard some rumors."
"That's a good idea." Dumbledore said comfortingly, "But as for the sixth Horcrux, I've already found it. It's the snake, Nagini, that's always by Voldemort's side."
"A snake? A living creature can be made into a Horcrux?" Harry was astonished.
"It is quite unexpected." Dumbledore smiled, "Luckily, I happened to kill that snake, Nagini, the last time I visited the Crouch family."
"So, we only need to find the remaining two Horcruxes?" Harry was so delighted that he almost jumped up, meaning that as long as they destroyed the last two Horcruxes, Voldemort would be close to death.
Moreover, since Dumbledore had promised to take him to search for Horcruxes, it also meant that there was actually only one Horcrux left whose location was unknown.
"Aside from the cup, there's one more Horcrux that is suspected to be the Ravenclaw Diadem, but its location hasn't been confirmed yet." Harry suddenly thought of something and looked up at Dumbledore, asking, "Since you're certain that Voldemort split his soul into seven parts, why are you still so insistent on obtaining that memory from Professor Slughorn?"
"I need it to confirm my speculation. It's unreliable to rely solely on speculation." Dumbledore took a sip of his milk tea and said calmly, "Our enemy is Voldemort, and if we're wrong about the number of Horcruxes, all our efforts may be in vain."
"But why are you so sure that Voldemort only split his soul into seven parts?" Harry asked again, feeling that Dumbledore had not told him everything, but he could be certain that it wasn't just because of Albert's prophecy.
"But what if Voldemort split his soul into eight parts? I mean, what if he didn't just split it into seven, then wouldn't all our efforts be wasted?" Harry asked hypothetically.
Dumbledore's gaze swept over the lightning-shaped scar on Harry's forehead as he explained softly, "Seven is the most unique and magical number among all the numbers, and I believe Voldemort must be aware of this."
Harry remained silent and continued to listen to Dumbledore.
"In the entire history of the wizarding world, no wizard has ever split their soul into more than one piece." Dumbledore said calmly, "I believe Voldemort is probably the first, and he must have realized that splitting the soul would lead to instability, even if only creating one Horcrux."
"So, Voldemort split his soul into seven parts to maintain the stability of his soul?" Harry found it incredible.
"Perhaps, he also wanted to use it to enhance his power." Dumbledore said softly, "But undeniably, his idea was not wrong, as seven is indeed a magical number."
"But...Voldemort's Horcruxes have already been destroyed by us four times, and there shouldn't be any signs of his power waning." Harry asked again, offering his unique insight.
"As you know, Voldemort fears death."
"I mean, if Voldemort realizes that all his Horcruxes have been destroyed by us, wouldn't he take the risk of trying to split his soul again and create a new Horcrux?"
"You're neglecting the function of a complete soul, Harry." Dumbledore shook his head, "Maintaining a complete soul has its value."
"I don't think Voldemort would care about such things, otherwise he wouldn't have split his soul in the first place." Harry expressed his worry, "Maybe there's an upper limit to the number of times a person can split their soul, but I don't think this line of thinking applies to Voldemort, he doesn't seem human."
"I believe that as long as Voldemort's magic remains intact, once he realizes that his Horcruxes are being destroyed one by one, he will definitely split off a small fragment of his soul to create another Horcrux and hide it secretly, ensuring that he won't be easily killed."
"If I were Voldemort, I would definitely do that. Once all the Horcruxes are destroyed, Albert will surely strike him down with overwhelming force."
Yes, Harry felt that Albert was biding his time, waiting for them to destroy all the Horcruxes before dealing a decisive blow to Voldemort.
"The situation you described is not entirely impossible." Dumbledore did not deny the possibility.
Would Voldemort create a seventh Horcrux?
In fact, Voldemort had inadvertently done so, and although Harry could not be considered a Horcrux in a strict sense, he did serve a similar function.
As long as the fragment of Voldemort's soul on Harry's forehead was not destroyed, Voldemort would not truly die, but Dumbledore did not intend to tell Harry about this, at least not yet.
"To split one's soul as many times as Voldemort has is unheard of." Dumbledore said calmly, "The soul cannot be split infinitely. Voldemort must have realized the potential drawbacks of splitting his soul too many times, which is why he chose to split it into seven parts, as I mentioned earlier, not just for greater power but also to ensure the stability of his soul."
"But...the number seven has been broken, hasn't it? The Horcruxes didn't provide the kind of magical protection Voldemort expected, and I think he must have realized that." Harry persisted in his viewpoint.
In his opinion, whether it was losing his humanity or having an unstable soul, Voldemort didn't seem to care as long as it didn't affect his strength, and Harry believed that Voldemort would not mind splitting his soul again if it ensured he wouldn't die once all the Horcruxes were destroyed.
"If that were to happen, I think Voldemort wouldn't be much of a threat." Dumbledore noticed the confused look on Harry's face and explained calmly, "When his soul becomes increasingly fragmented, he will be closer to his end."
"Harry, you think Voldemort's soul hasn't changed because you don't truly understand him." Dumbledore extracted a memory from his temple and placed it into the Pensieve, "I taught Tom Riddle for seven years, and I know what he was like as a young man. He was a clever and cunning boy, perhaps not as dazzling as Mr. Anderson, but not far behind. But look at Voldemort now, you can hardly imagine that they are the same person."
"Splitting his soul multiple times has caused Voldemort to lose his humanity and his mental state has become somewhat abnormal." Dumbledore continued, "Splitting the soul does have its side effects."
"The instability of the soul has severed the connection between Voldemort's main soul and his Horcruxes, and he is no longer able to sense the state of his Horcruxes. It is only because of this that we have been able to destroy his Horcruxes one by one without him noticing."
"The best proof is that Voldemort had no reaction when I destroyed the ring and the locket. If the destruction of the diary happened when he was in his spirit form, then he might not have sensed it. But now that he has been resurrected, he still cannot perceive the destruction of his Horcruxes. This is one of the consequences of splitting his soul too many times." Dumbledore picked up the remnants of the two Horcruxes and looked at Harry, "Now that his soul has become so fragmented, he is one step closer to his end."
(End of Chapter)
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