https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-512-The-Meaning-of-the-Order-of-Merlin/13461399/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-514-The-Dilemma-of-the-Ancient-Runes-Association-and-the-Prophecy/13461406/
Chapter 513: An Increasingly Urgent Future
Chapter 513: An Increasingly Urgent Future
"Children, it's very late. Go to bed early", Mrs. Weasley commanded from the center of the living room.
"Aunt Molly", Neville whispered, "When will my dad and mom be back?"
"Don't worry, they're on night duty. If it's too late, they might stay in the Safe Room to rest", Mrs. Weasley's tone softened immediately.
Neville nodded silently and followed Harry and the others upstairs.
...
The bright, clear moon cast a silver glow on the dense, towering trees and shrubs, casting eerie shadows that stretched to the tall, neatly trimmed hedges. A very respectable manor was faintly visible in the darkness—it was Malfoy Manor.
A rustling sound filled the air—
"It's Malfoy's peacock", a steady voice said. He glanced sharply from the shadows and immediately spotted the source of the sound—a white peacock was walking gracefully on top of the hedge.
The wizard watched the peacock for a moment, lowered his guard, and spoke softly to his wife.
"We've been watching for days. I think today will be fruitful."
Alice gazed at a narrow, inward-curving corridor in the center of the hedge. At the end of the corridor were two magnificent wrought-iron gates. Mist wafted through the forest, but combined with the cool night breeze, it was not particularly pleasant.
"I wonder what Nar is doing right now", she murmured.
"At this time, he should already be asleep", Frank said gently, holding Alice's slightly cold hand.
Suddenly, the air distorted. With a soft sound, two figures appeared. One was wrapped in a long black cloak, hood pulled up, carefully concealing his face; the other was quite the opposite—this slender wizard, though also wearing a hood, immediately removed it upon appearing, casually shaking his curly hair and surveying the surroundings.
"Put your hood back on", the man growled at his companion.
Bellatrix snorted, "When did you become so timid, Lucius? This is your front door."
"Of course, I'm fine on my own. It's not a problem if someone sees me", Lucius suppressed his anger, "But if someone discovers me with an Azkaban fugitive—"
He suddenly fell silent.
Bellatrix held her wand, a cold smile on her face as she pointed it at him.
"You should let Narcissa see you cowering at this party", she sneered, "Don't worry, I'll only stay here for a few days, then I'll go deal with those stinking giants, or—do you want the Dark Lord to choose someone else?"
"Your orders are to support the Carrows, while I am tasked with infiltrating the Ministry of Magic", Lucius said impatiently, "So don't order me around. I won't accompany you in your madness—"
Bellatrix strode confidently toward the wrought-iron gates, her cloak rustling on the ground. A flash of green light, and the white peacock that had been strutting on the hedge fell lifeless.
"Noisy thing", she said disdainfully.
"Bellatrix!" Lucius shrieked.
But her figure had already passed through the gates as if they weren't there. Lucius remained rooted to the spot, breathing heavily. After a moment, he strode inside, and the surroundings returned to silence.
Frank looked at his wife with concern. Her fists were clenched tightly, her teeth grinding. "That demon... She took twelve years from us..." Alice leaned on her husband's shoulder, sobbing softly.
"Alice, let her have her moment. I promise you, she will pay", Frank embraced his wife, his gaze fixed on the dark wrought-iron gates, his voice cold.
...
The next morning, Harry watched Sirius Black hurriedly eat breakfast, preparing to go to work with Mr. Weasley, Bill Weasley, Percy, and Penelope. He had something to say, but held it back.
As if his luck had turned, the scar on his forehead, which had tormented him for years, had suddenly become more bearable—though even with his knee, Harry knew Voldemort wouldn't be kind enough to use the scar to transmit knowledge.
The most plausible reason was that Voldemort didn't know about this, and everything was happening passively.
But why hadn't this happened before? Or when did it start?
Harry thought back to the sudden kiss. He shook his head vigorously, dispelling the chaotic thoughts. Tracing back further, it was when he 'saw' Voldemort's illusion in the Ministry of Magic.
"Molly, Alastor might stop by later. He was on night duty last night", Mr. Weasley reminded.
"I know, I'll save some food for him", Mrs. Weasley said.
Soon, they left in a line, even Fred and George Weasley.
"Uh—Professor, aren't you going to work?" Harry asked Felix.
"I'll go later", Felix said, "The company is focusing on the Anti-Thief Falls. I just finished sorting out its principles. What's up?"
Harry hesitated and nodded.
He actually wanted to consult Sirius Black, but now he thought Professor was also a good choice. Professor knew about his scar troubles and had taught him Occlumency. The change in the scar's symptoms might be within Professor's expectations? Besides, he could ask about the Killing Curse, which Professor used with great fluency...
Felix set up a simple bed in the study on the third floor. When Harry entered, Felix had already shrunk the cot to the size of a matchbox and slipped it into his ring.
The Black Family's study served both as a place for study and for entertaining esteemed guests. Therefore, in addition to a long desk and bookshelves lining three walls, there was a small sofa and a wooden coffee table in one corner. The corners of the solid wood coffee table were uneven, as if it had been crafted from a massive tree knot.
"These are magical creatures?" Harry looked at the dynamic sketches on the coffee table with great interest. The animals were outlined in dark green ink, and he could name many of them.
"Yes", Felix replied, not elaborating. He gathered the sketches and tucked them into his ring.
Harry guessed that the professor might be preparing a comic strip about magical creatures, but he thought it was unlikely. Little did he know that Felix was actually trying to develop a magical talent combination scheme for magical creatures.
This was one of Felix's reflections after the battle with Voldemort.
During that battle, Felix did not transform into an avian serpent himself, mainly because he considered it too dangerous. Magical creatures had no advantage against Voldemort's Killing Curse, but he keenly realized that this situation held a vast treasure trove of potential.
Felix suddenly noticed that Voldemort seemed unfamiliar with the transformed states of himself and Dumbledore. At least, the words Voldemort used to describe this realm were "body modification" — clearly the path of Salazar Slytherin.
From this, Felix deduced that despite Voldemort's body undergoing multiple modifications to adapt to dark magic, which might have led to his unique Killing Curse, Voldemort likely could not transform into magical creatures.
If designed cleverly, this cognitive gap could become Voldemort's undoing.
...
"Professor, when did you learn the Killing Curse?" Harry decided to start with a small question, but Professor Hup was too perceptive. With just a glance, he half-joked, "What, you want to learn this spell too? You're quite brave."
"I don't want to learn it, I—uh—I suddenly knew it", Harry stammered, finally confessing.
Felix looked at him with a strange expression. Could Harry have really learned the Killing Curse just by watching him use it a few times? He felt uneasy, wondering if he had inadvertently taught a child something harmful. However, when Harry described his experiences over the past two days, Felix's expression turned serious.
This was more serious than he had anticipated. Harry's desire for revenge had driven him to secretly study the Unforgivable Curses.
"Follow me", he said in a grave tone.
He led Harry to a small training area on the fifth floor.
"Try the Killing Curse."
Harry complied, and a green light shot from the tip of his wand. Both of them frowned.
Harry felt that the spell's power was much weaker today. Felix, on the other hand, detected a familiar shadow in Harry's casting technique, confirming that Harry's story was true.
Moreover, he knew more about Harry's situation, such as the piece of Voldemort's soul hidden in Harry's body. Where did Harry's knowledge come from? Was it from Voldemort himself, or from that soul fragment?
"Did you hear some noise in your head when you woke up the night before last?" Felix asked, confirming.
"Yes, but it quickly disappeared", Harry replied nervously.
Felix remained silent, observing Harry through a magical perspective. Even he could only detect a faint trace of dark magic when Harry's mental defenses were weakest, which had happened the previous school year. Now, he was hesitant to probe further.
If his guess was correct—Harry had inadvertently awakened the dormant soul fragment—stirring it now could have severe consequences.
"Let's try this", Felix said after a moment's thought. "Try the other two spells—the Cruciatus Curse and the Imperius Curse—on me." Seeing Harry's shocked expression, he smiled, "I can withstand these spells, so don't worry about hurting me."
Harry hesitated, both hoping for and dreading the spell's success. Under this conflicting emotion, he naturally failed. He turned to look at the professor—
"Keep trying", Felix said calmly.
Harry stiffly recited the spell. After an hour, he had not succeeded once.
"You need to be more determined."
"Cast Unforgivable Curses on your face, Professor? I can't do it—" Harry muttered.
Then, he 'saw' Voldemort standing before him, red eyes staring intently, which made him shiver.
"Keep going", 'Voldemort' said.
This time, Harry quickly found his rhythm. Despite knowing only the spell and having no one to teach him, he succeeded. Harry looked both bewildered and shocked, as if he had suddenly mastered the three Unforgivable Curses.
How did this happen?
Felix fell into deep thought on the side.
"Professor?" Harry asked anxiously. "Can Voldemort really influence me through the scar? Or even pass on knowledge?"
"It's possible", Felix said. "But don't worry. From your description, Occlumency is still effective, so you must continue this training. I will inform Dumbledore about your situation; perhaps he can shed some light on it."
Dumbledore's response was quicker than expected. Almost as soon as the notification was sent, he appeared immediately.
He thoroughly inquired about Harry's well-being and eventually took two of Harry's memories—the scene in the Ministry of Magic's hall where Harry 'saw' Voldemort, and the memory of the first time Harry cast the Killing Curse.
Harry was then dismissed, leaving only the two of them in the small training ground on the fifth floor.
"Albus, do you think—" Felix hesitated.
"I'm not sure", Dumbledore shook his head. "It might just be a coincidence. I can come up with more than one plausible explanation. For instance, the Potter family has a long lineage, and Harry might have inherited this talent. Or perhaps Voldemort did transfer a part of his power to Harry, leading to his current changes..."
"However", he said with a grave expression, "it could also be the influence of the Horcrux itself. We've overlooked one crucial question: which Horcrux did Voldemort use to resurrect himself?"
Which Horcrux? Naturally... huh?
Felix pondered over the meaning of these words.
Theoretically, a wizard only needs one Horcrux. This single Horcrux can serve as an anchor in the real world, allowing the wizard's residual soul to remain on earth. However, Voldemort, in his madness, created multiple Horcruxes, which raises the question: which Horcrux truly played a role after his death?
After all, Harry himself is a Horcrux, and he also has the ability to maintain Voldemort's residual soul.
Of course, Harry is not a proper Horcrux, or rather, not one that Voldemort intentionally created. The possibility that Harry would need to maintain Voldemort's residual soul is not zero, but it is minimal, with other Horcruxes taking precedence.
However, before Voldemort's resurrection, his Horcruxes were destroyed one by one.
The diary was the first;
The diadem was the second, followed by the locket and the snake that was always with Voldemort. In total, four Horcruxes. Wait—
"Was the locket destroyed?" Felix confirmed.
When he handed over Slytherin's locket to Dumbledore, it was still intact.
"I kept it, originally intending to analyze the Horcrux—" Dumbledore gently shook his head, "but I found another Horcrux, the Gaunt Family Ring. Voldemort had placed a malicious curse on it, and I nearly fell victim to it. Fortunately, your talisman gave me a warning..."
"I see", Felix nodded. So, there were still four, but the destruction order was now diary, diadem, snake, and ring. And Dumbledore still had the intact locket Horcrux.
That makes five, and with Harry, it's six...
"If Voldemort had any sanity left, he would have split his soul into at most nine pieces—"
"I personally favor the number 'seven,'" Dumbledore nodded slightly, "though we don't have concrete evidence yet, I have a hunch."
"Do you need help?" Felix asked.
"I can manage for now, with Harry's assistance... If the team becomes too large, it might scare away my old friend", Dumbledore said with a gentle smile.
Felix continued to think.
If the first Horcrux to take effect was the diary, then after the diary was destroyed, a new Horcrux, such as the diadem, would have taken over. After the diadem was destroyed, the snake and the ring would have taken over, and now it might have shifted to the locket or another unknown Horcrux.
But that's the ideal scenario.
What if, at some point, Harry, the 'half-Horcrux,' also became involved? There must be a connection between the soul fragments and the main soul. When would this connection be the strongest?
When the Horcrux is maintaining the main soul from dissipating.
This also explains why Harry's scar began to hurt more frequently before he learned Occlumency. His Horcrux was beginning to take effect!
"Albus, do you think—the soul fragment in Harry's body will 'awaken'?" This was Felix's greatest concern.
"The likelihood is low", Dumbledore shook his head. "The purpose of a Horcrux is not to awaken, and a single fragment wouldn't have much effect... However, no one knows the consequences of making a living person into a Horcrux, not even Voldemort himself."
"Horcruxes are inherently extremely durable, but this characteristic is not evident in Harry. This suggests that a living Horcrux is unique", Dumbledore paused for a moment. "I fear Harry is 'digesting' the Horcrux, or rather, fusing with Voldemort's soul fragment."
Felix looked up in shock but had to admit that this was a possibility. He began to think of countermeasures.
"Occlumency can alleviate this symptom."
"Yes", Dumbledore nodded lightly.
"Also", Felix's blue eyes began to sparkle, "we can't afford to wait another decade—Harry can't afford it. We must resolve the Voldemort problem within one or two years. The sooner, the better!"
"That is the most challenging part", Dumbledore said softly.
(End of Chapter)
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