Chapter 452: Reunited at the Castle
Chapter 452: Reunited at the Castle
Liam and Hermione hurried back to Hogwarts on the Knight Bus from London. The first person they encountered upon entering Hogwarts Castle was Harry.
"What's wrong with him?" Liam felt a bit uneasy as Harry stammered a few words and then stared at his face, almost on the verge of tears. Thinking about certain British customs and some fanfiction from his past life, Liam felt a chill run down his spine, unsure of what to do. In the end, he could only stand there, staring back at Harry.
"Harry, Liam, snap out of it!" Hermione, seeing the two men locked in a staring contest, quickly stepped between them and snapped her fingers. Liam and Harry both snapped back to reality at the same time.
"You're alive, this is wonderful." Harry lunged forward and embraced them. "I thought, I thought— I never expected you to really come back. This is really great."
"It's okay, it's okay." Liam patted Harry's shoulder. "We're back, aren't we?" After a while, Harry finally calmed down.
About seven or eight minutes later, they appeared in the Headmaster's office. Dumbledore, upon seeing Liam and Hermione follow Harry in, immediately stood up from behind his desk. Liam could see the surprise in Dumbledore's sky-blue eyes behind his glasses.
"You've truly surpassed my expectations." After they sat down, Dumbledore waved his wand, and a cup of tea and a plate of pastries appeared in front of each of them. "Would you mind telling me what you encountered over these past few days?"
"Of course not." Liam lifted his cup of hot tea and took a sip. After spending nearly a year in a world filled with nothing but the aura of death, this cup of hot tea was a welcome and invigorating change.
After setting down his cup, Liam began recounting the experiences he and Hermione had after passing through the Stone Arches. He omitted the use of Life Magic and the source of certain knowledge, but otherwise, he recounted his story in detail.
"This is a miracle." After over an hour, Liam finished recounting their experiences, and Dumbledore let out a gasp of amazement. In his youth, due to his sister's tragic death, Dumbledore had studied a great deal about death, including the death worlds beyond the Ministry of Magic's archway. "I believe you are among the few wizards to have returned from that place."
"Yes, before us, only the Peverell Brothers entered that world and returned unscathed. Unfortunately, it was so long ago that their great adventure is now only a faint memory in fairy tales." Liam sighed, reflecting on the power of time to erase all traces of past events.
"Harry, I think you should tell your friends that Liam and Hermione have returned. They must be very worried about them." Dumbledore said to Harry, "However, I suggest you keep the details of their return a secret. If word gets out that they returned through that door, it could cause unnecessary trouble for your friends. Just tell the Weasleys that Liam and Hermione vanished from the Department of Mysteries that night and reappeared on the streets of London today."
"Headmaster Dumbledore, I understand." Harry said and left the office via the spiral staircase, knowing that the Headmaster probably had something important to discuss with Liam and Hermione.
"Liam, do you have any ideas about the piece of Voldemort's soul in Harry's scar?" Dumbledore asked Liam seriously after Harry left.
"The priority is to ensure Harry's safety." Liam furrowed his brow. "Both Hermione and I gained some insights during this incident, especially Hermione, who learned a lot about souls and the nature of life and death. The problem is that the Dark Lord's Horcruxes are not entirely spirits. Even if Hermione and I work together at full capacity, the chances of not harming Harry are at best fifty-fifty."
"You were clearly able to come out from that place", Headmaster Deng said, a bit puzzled. "If you can reverse life and death, surely you can deal with a small fragment of a soul, right?"
"Harry’s situation is quite unique", Liam said, looking at Dumbledore. He knew that even though the Headmaster had studied this field extensively in his youth, without practical experience, his understanding still had some gaps. So, he carefully explained:
"A Horcrux is typically a piece of a soul that has been split and placed into an object. Harry is the first living Horcrux in history. This means that as a Horcrux vessel, Harry still possesses his own soul. As a result, the two souls inevitably intertwine and merge to some degree. I believe Harry’s ability to speak Parseltongue is a result of this."
Seeing Dumbledore nod in agreement, Liam continued, "However, this intertwining has led to a significant issue. The two souls are increasingly merging within Harry. Especially since Harry was exposed to Voldemort’s Horcrux at a very young age, that soul fragment has essentially grown alongside him. From a higher perspective, this soul fragment is like the Orb of Prophecy in the Department of Mysteries—it is a problem specific to Harry and the Dark Lord. Only they can resolve it simply, while for others, the difficulty and the cost would be much greater."
"I see", Dumbledore said, leaning back in his chair, looking a bit weary.
"However, it’s not entirely without hope", Liam said, noticing how much older Dumbledore suddenly looked. "If I could enhance my power a bit more, I might be able to solve the problem. The main issue now is that my strength is not sufficient to maintain such a complex and draining operation. Even with Hermione’s help to share some of the pressure, I can’t guarantee I’ll be in top form throughout. This naturally means I can’t ensure Harry’s survival."
"Oh, well, that’s good to know", Dumbledore sat up straighter and looked at Liam intently. "We still have enough time to make this happen. Don’t rush into this. Pursuing power too hastily can easily lead you astray. Just focus on developing normally."
"Yes, I understand", Liam nodded seriously. At that moment, Dumbledore stood up, signaling the end of the conversation. However, just as Liam and Hermione were about to stand as well, Dumbledore called them back.
"Um, because you fell through the archway, I informed your parents", Dumbledore said, looking a bit embarrassed. "I think they are preparing to return to Britain."
"You didn’t tell them we were in trouble, did you?" Hermione asked, her face tense as she looked at the Headmaster.
"No", Dumbledore shook his head. "I only said that something important had happened to you and that they needed to return to Britain to handle it. Given the situation in China, they might not receive the letter until the end of this term. It seems I’ve caused you some trouble."
"It’s fine, as long as we’re safe. A bit of trouble is nothing", Liam sighed in relief.
"Besides, I think we might need their help with something important. Their arrival could be timely", Hermione added. Liam looked at her in surprise, feeling a bit confused about what they might need their parents for, but after a few seconds of thought, his eyes widened as he remembered something crucial.
"That’s good", Dumbledore, who hadn’t noticed Liam’s change in expression, smiled. "Actually, I was writing your eulogies for the end-of-term speech. I’m glad things turned out differently this morning. As Liam said, as long as you’re safe, that’s what matters."
(End of Chapter)
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