Chapter 226: Sally Forrest
Chapter 226: Sally Forrest
"I had my doubts about his words, and I was well aware that not all prophecies become inevitable truths. If people needed me to step forward, I would do so."
Dumbledore said calmly.
"I sought him out many times. His power was immense, and almost no one in the Wizarding World was as strong as he was. Even I couldn't confidently say I was stronger. But in a true life-or-death battle, I could just about edge out a victory. There were three times when I nearly killed him."
"But perhaps it was fate. Every time I felt I was about to succeed, a strange feeling would suddenly surge up, telling me, 'You can't kill him, Albus, you can't kill him.' Even in his dying moments, Tom never showed any sign of fear. I knew he was terrified of death, yet the look in his eyes was one of mockery, a mocking that filled me with dread."
"His eyes told me that he knew, no matter how strong I was, I couldn't kill him. But every time we clashed, my body grew weaker. He was a master of Dark Magic, and many of his curses had no known cures. Once inflicted, they were a lifelong burden. The longer I fought him, the more I lost my last bit of leverage over him."
Dumbledore's tone held little resentment or frustration, only a faint sense of regret.
"It was then that I began to notice Tom's uniqueness. Even during his time at Hogwarts, he would subtly probe the professors for information on immortality magic. Clearly, he had already made significant progress, or perhaps achieved his goal entirely."
"At the time, I hadn't yet considered the possibility of Horcruxes. In the Wizarding World, magic that could grant immortality, whether good or evil, seemed rare, but in reality, it was just well-hidden. Given Tom's talent, it wouldn't surprise me if he had created such magic himself."
"So I abandoned my plan to kill him personally and instead focused on understanding what magic he had mastered to give him such confidence."
"I didn't tell anyone about these matters, and only a few members of the Order of the Phoenix were aware. Once Tom realized I couldn't do anything to stop him, he became even more reckless. It was around this time that your mother, Selena, approached me privately."
"She was one of the few who knew the truth. She told me she had made groundbreaking progress in soul magic and believed there was a chance to kill him!"
"After all, most immortality magic only affects the body, and there are few that directly impact the soul. Even if there were, any damage to the soul would be irreversible."
"Your mother had the highest talent for soul magic among any wizard I had ever seen. After hearing her detailed plan, I believed it was entirely feasible. The only issue was that if anything went wrong, Selena would have no chance of returning."
"At that time, your family had just started living a normal life. Your father came from a prominent Muggle family and defied his parents to be with Selena. You were only a little over two years old. If anything happened to her, the family would be destroyed."
"I confirmed with her many times and tried to persuade her to let me take her place. I'm just an old man, and even if something went wrong, it wouldn't be a big deal. Dying alongside Tom would be my final contribution to the world."
"But Selena had already made up her mind. The magic was her creation, and she was the most suitable caster. If things went wrong and Tom wasn't killed, I could still serve as the Wizarding World's last hope and find other ways to deal with the situation."
"In the end, I agreed to her request and gave her the opportunity to make this attempt. Her only condition was that she didn't want this to involve your father or you."
Sherlock held his breath, already guessing what had happened next.
"To protect your father, she altered his memories, making him believe she had used magic to bewitch and deceive him, causing him to hate her and despise all wizards", Dumbledore said softly.
"On the day your father left, she cried all night. She never said such things to my face, but I knew she hated herself for not being a good wife or a good mother."
"But some things had to be done by someone. No one's life could be easily sacrificed, and no family could be easily torn apart. She believed that since she had the ability, she should take the responsibility herself rather than hiding behind others, waiting for them to risk their lives."
"Only I knew exactly what she planned to do, but many people knew she was going to do something. Her only request before leaving was that, regardless of the outcome, we should protect you. She said that her only way to fulfill her duty as a mother was to resolve the matter while she was still alive, so it wouldn't affect you as you grew up."
"Then she erased all memories of you and your father from her mind, using the opportunity we created for her to infiltrate the Death Eaters and get close to Tom."
Sherlock took a deep breath.
"So, she failed?"
Dumbledore's face showed a strange expression.
"To others, she did fail. Tom remained unchanged, continuing his reign of terror in the Wizarding World. But I knew the specific effect of her magic. I saw Tom again afterward, and although he seemed the same, I could tell that your mother's plan had worked."
"It was then that I finally realized the magic he relied on for immortality was the Horcrux. His soul was split, and as long as one Horcrux remained, his main soul could always return, even from a soul-level death like the Killing Curse."
"But your mother must have discovered this as well. She had a chance to kill Tom at the soul level, but she knew it would be meaningless; Tom could still come back."
"So she must have chosen a different method. She hid within Tom's main soul!"
(End of Chapter)
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