Chapter 452: Voldemort's Power
Chapter 452: Voldemort's Power
Dumbledore's blue eyes twinkled behind his glasses.
"An intriguing question, Felix. Few people have ever been so direct with me."
"What I mean is... Voldemort left Hogwarts unharmed during the war. He seemed... well... to be very wary of someone in the school... yet, to the public, there is no record of any confrontation between the two of you." Felix carefully chose his words.
"Perhaps that is the truth", Dumbledore said with a smile.
"Or perhaps it's only part of the truth", Felix quickly added. "Some people see only the results or a few moments in the process, but they can't see the whole picture."
Dumbledore's brows furrowed slightly, and his mouth opened as if he were searching for the right words.
Felix knew he had to do something, say something... otherwise, he would have to wait for the old man's decision. So he cleared his throat and said, "Albus, we all know that Voldemort and Barty Crouch Jr. are hiding somewhere. The Ministry of Magic has dispatched a large number of Aurors and Hit Wizards, but they have found nothing. We may have to consider the possibility that he has successfully resurrected, and I need to know his strength."
After a moment of silence, Dumbledore seemed convinced—
"I can assure you, Felix, although I have never seen him die before me, I have indeed defeated and destroyed his body multiple times, inflicting wounds that would be incurable for anyone else."
Dumbledore calmly revealed a long-buried secret.
"Incurable for anyone else?" Felix asked sharply.
"I remember I mentioned to you... that I once interviewed him?" Dumbledore said softly, leaning back and gazing at the ceiling.
"Indeed", Felix said slowly, suppressing his excitement.
"This was his appearance at the time—"
Dumbledore waved his wand, and a somewhat ethereal figure gradually became clearer. His face appeared burned, with features blurred into a mass, almost devoid of any contours. The skin on his face resembled solidified white wax, twisted in a strange way. His whites were permanently bloodshot, and his black pupils glinted with a cold light.
Felix carefully examined the Voldemort in Dumbledore's memory. He was not entirely unfamiliar with this image—having seen it once when they discovered the locket. However, it was clear that Voldemort looked even less human now.
'This suggests that Voldemort had already created the locket Horcrux before the interview,' Felix thought. Recalling Dumbledore's words, he tentatively asked, "Is it the effect of dark magic, or the influence of the Horcrux?"
Dumbledore gave him an approving look and waved his hand to dissipate the ethereal image.
"Both possibilities exist, but I lean towards the former... of course, we cannot rule out the possibility that the multiple Horcruxes caused a deficiency in his soul, which in turn affected his body. After all, no one has ever done what he did."
"So Voldemort's body is different from a normal person's? He combined Salazar Slytherin's blood magic with his own dark magic, making what would be fatal injuries to others much less effective on him?" Felix analyzed, combining Dumbledore's words.
He couldn't help but frown. How could they possibly fight him?
A possibility suddenly occurred to him. Felix looked at Dumbledore with surprise, almost shouting, "A magical creature? Has Voldemort reached the level of Rowena Ravenclaw?"
At the same time, he recalled Dumbledore's opinion on the term 'magical creature' from their previous conversation—
"Felix, I can't offer you much useful insight. In my youth, I once believed myself to be invincible... a magical creature? That term is too modest, and I was too arrogant back then."
It was during the same occasion that Dumbledore demonstrated the "little trick" of deflecting spells with a flick of the fingers...
Dumbledore straightened up from his chair, resting his hands on the desk and shaking his head slowly and firmly. "I don't think that's the reason. At least, I have never possessed such an ability. Even the other founders of the school have no similar records. However, Salazar Slytherin—according to my knowledge—was once suspected of possessing a magic that could draw life force to heal himself."
"Diary?" Felix said alertly. Two years ago, the diary Horcrux had misled Ginny Weasley and absorbed part of her life force. Fortunately, it was not much, and the issue was discovered in time. Madam Pomfrey had treated her with her skilled medical arts.
"Very likely", Dumbledore nodded gently. "While magic that drains life force is rare, it is not unheard of. However, transferring life force from one person—Ginny—to another fragment of a soul is something I have never encountered."
"Is it the influence of the Horcrux?" Felix speculated, considering another possibility. "Perhaps the Horcrux has the ability to absorb life force." But he quickly realized this was incorrect. He had read about Horcruxes in the Black Family Manor—specifically in an antique book titled Revealing Advanced Dark Magic—and his knowledge was not lacking.
Dumbledore also dismissed this speculation.
"A Horcrux is a fragment of the soul, separated and left in some hidden place to ensure the creator's immortality. In short, it ensures the creator's undying state", Dumbledore explained. "To achieve this, the separated soul fragment should be dormant, or at least extremely inactive—unless a fatal threat appears near the Horcrux, which would then trigger a defensive response—this is what makes it safe."
Felix nodded slightly, agreeing with Dumbledore. No one would want the soul fragment in their Horcrux to be active and have independent consciousness, as it could lead to trouble and potential discovery and destruction.
Moreover, cutting a soul only requires a small fragment, which is not sufficient to achieve much.
"…But the diary must be special?" he pondered aloud.
"Exactly", Dumbledore nodded. "When Ginny Weasley first wrote in the diary, she received a response and fell into Voldemort's carefully crafted trap… I can almost be certain that Voldemort did not create it as a life-preserving Horcrux, but rather as a key to open the Chamber. Therefore, he endowed his diary with various privileges, such as his memories up to the age of 16, sufficient activity… and naturally, the knowledge inherited from Slytherin's lineage in the Chamber."
"But all of this is just speculation", Felix said, frowning. A sense of frustration rose within him. Dumbledore's tone was so confident, but how could he be so sure?
He quickly organized the information. Dumbledore had engaged in multiple secret battles with Voldemort during the war and had dealt significant blows to him more than once. However, Voldemort always seemed to bounce back quickly, leading Dumbledore to investigate the underlying reasons. Dumbledore believed it was the result of dark magic and blood magic, citing the recorded ability of Salazar Slytherin to draw life force for healing and the fact that Ginny had been drained of life force… but there was another possibility, Felix couldn't help but think, why not?
So, he asked, "Why couldn't he have used a Horcrux to revive himself?"
Dumbledore's sharp gaze pierced him, sharp and penetrating. "Why do you think so?"
"Just a guess", Felix shrugged. "Perhaps he did use dark magic to enhance his body, but there must be limits, right? For example, he might have only delayed death, then found a loyal servant to perform a resurrection ritual after escaping… He could use a Confundus Charm or a forgetfulness charm to eliminate any risks afterward, or perhaps he simply abandoned the body…"
Dumbledore lowered his head and remained silent.
"There is indeed a situation as you described, Felix", he said. "However, the information we have is quite limited." He looked thoughtfully at the table leg and said in a barely audible voice, "Perhaps I should be more proactive."
"What?" Felix didn't catch what he said.
"Thank you for reminding me, Felix", Dumbledore smiled. "I almost overlooked that. My intuition tells me this information is particularly useful."
Felix knew this meant the conversation was over. Perhaps he should go see Professor Mcgonagall, or maybe tease Creevey's grandfather a bit... but he was a bit reluctant. He still hadn't asked about Voldemort's strength.
He stood up from the sofa and said, "One last question, Albus. Can I take it that your strength far surpasses Voldemort's?"
Another silence followed—
"I am old", Dumbledore said seriously, "and even twenty years ago, I could only barely gain the upper hand. If he were to rise again, the outcome would be hard to predict."
"Barely gain the upper hand?" Felix asked, puzzled. Dumbledore had mentioned more than once that he had "defeated and destroyed Voldemort's body", and this "more than once" was worth considering.
"I used a special method", Dumbledore said, his bright blue eyes twinkling. "I made Voldemort believe I had been hiding my true strength, setting a trap... but in reality, the gap between our powers wasn't that significant."
"A special method..." Felix repeated slowly.
"A small trick that temporarily restored me to my peak condition", Dumbledore answered with a childlike tone, smiling warmly.
...
By the time Felix left the Headmaster's Office, it was completely dark outside. His mind was a bit muddled, and he needed to organize the information he had gained today. He hurried back to his office and closed the door. As for Professor Mcgonagall, he would deal with her tomorrow. After all, Dumbledore had mentioned she would be staying for a while.
On the other side, Dumbledore was still sitting in the circular office chair. After a while, he opened the left drawer, where a locket and a wand were placed.
Fawkes, perched on his stand, flew to Dumbledore's shoulder and let out a soft cry.
---
There has been much discussion about the strength comparison between Dumbledore and Voldemort and whether they have ever faced each other. Here are my thoughts based on the original work:
1. When Voldemort came to interview for the Defense Against the Dark Arts position, Dumbledore mentioned that Voldemort made a small move to attack but left without doing anything. This could be because he knew he couldn't win or because he wasn't confident enough.
2. Over the next few decades, Voldemort formed the Death Eaters and began public activities, leading to a war. During this time, Hogwarts remained untouched.
3. When Voldemort returned and fought at the Ministry of Magic, ignoring the elaborate magical descriptions, consider what he said to Dumbledore:
"What—Dumbledore?"
"When will you die, Dumbledore? When will you die!"
"You must be joking, Dumbledore. Is there anything worse than this?"
"There is nothing worse, Dumbledore!"
"Now kill me, Dumbledore? If death is nothing, Dumbledore, then kill this boy?" (When Harry was possessed by Voldemort)
Given the limited space, I won't quote everything, but you can check the original text.
In my opinion, the change in Voldemort's attitude is quite noticeable, so in this book, they have indeed faced each other, and Voldemort was at a disadvantage.
(End of Chapter)
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