https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-357-Improving-the-Companion-Ledger/12946249/
Chapter 356: Vold: Mentally Stable
Chapter 356: Vold: Mentally Stable
Vold paused for a moment before speaking, "When I was seven, he dragged me out of school, insisting on taking me to a fun place—which turned out to be the top of a lighthouse, where he urged me to jump."
Dumbledore frowned, his gaze, which had held a hint of regret as he looked at the child inside, now filled with coldness.
"Didn't you tell your parents?" Dumbledore asked, "They seemed to think you two were close."
"I didn't jump," Vold explained.
"Of course, I wouldn't do something so foolish. I turned and left. But as I was going down the spiral staircase, I suddenly heard the sound of an impact—"
Vold paused, then continued, "—he jumped by himself."
Dumbledore was at a loss for words.
He had initially thought the child was inherently bad, but he never expected it to be due to foolishness.
Since there was still time, Vold decided to finish telling the rest of the story.
"I thought he was dead, so I rushed out to check, but he had luckily landed on a pile of straw, only breaking one leg."
"I carried him to a nearby clinic, but from that day on, we were no longer friends."
To this day, Vold still couldn't understand Carrel's thought process, but because of this incident, he had completely drawn a line between them.
Before the age of seven, the two of them could barely be considered friends; after the lighthouse incident, Vold only saw Carrel as a troublesome child of his father's friend that he had to deal with.
On the other hand, Carrel seemed to think they had a life-and-death bond, and he often came to play with Vold before they moved, leading Ferdinand to believe they had a good relationship.
Since it was Carrel who jumped from the lighthouse and broke his leg, the boy was honest and took all the responsibility upon himself, not letting Vold, who was with him, share the blame.
Moreover, their fathers had a good relationship and even had business dealings, trusting and supporting each other.
In the end, Vold also concealed the incident from his parents, not mentioning that Carrel had urged him to do something life-threatening. He only drew a line in his heart.
Two bats flew in from the distance under the cover of night, and both Vold and Dumbledore fell silent.
They watched as the two bats flew into the guest room, and not long after, the four of them left in a hurry.
Shortly after, the Peregrine Falcon also transformed back into human form, turned the golden hourglass, and disappeared from the spot.
Vold couldn't help but feel a sense of relief.
His past self had returned to an even earlier time, and at this moment, there was only one 'Vold' left in this time, no longer needing to hide.
But just as Vold was about to catch up with the vampires, Dumbledore suddenly held his shoulder and forcibly removed Vold's Invisibility Charm.
Vold exclaimed in surprise, "Professor?"
"You should go back and rest, Vold," Dumbledore said, "If I remember correctly, tomorrow... no, this morning at nine o'clock, you have two elective classes."
Vold was incredulous, "But you just taught me a spell!"
"Yes... But I taught you the spell so that you would know how to protect yourself the next time you encounter such enemies, not to have you confront them right now."
Dumbledore removed the Invisibility Charm and appeared before Vold, looking down at him with a gentle gaze, "Fighting vampires is not the same as participating in the Triwizard Tournament, not to mention you haven't truly mastered the Solaris Charm."
"Vold, you're still young, and you don't need to face the cruel side of the world too early."
"Moreover, there's a huge secret hidden behind these people, and I need some time to investigate, but you don't have the time to run around with me.
"Let's go back."
Dumbledore spoke with an air of unquestionable authority.
Voldemort muttered under his breath, his eyes narrowing in anger at Dumbledore.
He couldn't understand why Dumbledore was excluding him from dealing with a few mere vampires when he had already destroyed several of Voldemort's Horcruxes. Voldemort didn't believe that Dumbledore was concerned about his safety...
As for classes, there was no need to mention them—the headmaster was well aware that most of the courses were not challenging for Voldemort, and he could even use the Time-Turner to catch up on sleep without worrying about missing class.
So, what else could it be?
Suddenly, Voldemort's heart stirred, and his eyes flickered.
"I understand," he said sullenly. "I'll return to school."
"Promise me you won't secretly follow me," Dumbledore said.
"I'm not the Weasley twins..." Voldemort reluctantly agreed, seeing the headmaster's seriousness. "I promise."
He was a man of his word and would not break his promises lightly.
Dumbledore finally believed him and quickly took off in the direction the vampires had left, his body rapidly changing color until he completely disappeared from Voldemort's sight.
Voldemort sighed and truly did not follow him. Instead, he transformed into a peregrine falcon and flew back to school.
He had figured it out—Dumbledore didn't think that facing a few vampires would be a challenge for Voldemort, nor did he believe that Voldemort lacked the ability or mental fortitude.
Dumbledore simply didn't want Voldemort to be involved in a potentially bloody battle.
The sight of blood and gore, the desperate struggles of living beings—these were scenes Dumbledore didn't want Voldemort to witness again.
This was different from the remnants of Voldemort's soul or the Inferi. Vampires would bleed, wail, beg for mercy, or curse; they might even go from being full of life to becoming lifeless.
Witnessing this process could have a profound impact on ordinary people, and some might even develop severe psychological issues.
This was what Dumbledore believed Voldemort should not have to face at this point.
Voldemort wondered what Dumbledore and his beard had discussed, as the headmaster should have known about his experience with using spiders to deal with criminals. Yet, he still treated Voldemort like a child.
Voldemort felt helpless, but he couldn't possibly tell Dumbledore, "I'm fine, I've been through this before, more than once. I'm mentally healthy and won't be affected."
Upon returning to school, Voldemort naturally seized the opportunity to catch up on a few hours of rest. The morning classes were packed, and it wasn't until after the Defense Against the Dark Arts class in the afternoon that he had time to practice the new spell.
The Room of Requirement transformed into a gloomy stone chamber, resembling Slytherin's Secret Chamber. Voldemort stood in front of the mirror, practicing several times until he finally grasped the correct way to cast the spell.
He raised his wand—
"Akaya-Tomeo!"
A powerful and blinding white light burst from the tip of his wand, instantly illuminating the entire room.
The beam of light was like a sharp knife, like a scorching heat wave, engulfing the entire room, leaving almost no blind spots after multiple refractions and reflections.
Even Voldemort's back was brightly lit.
This scorching light, however, didn't cause any sensation of being sunburned; instead, it felt incredibly warm, as if it contained a powerful and comforting force.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
