Chapter 549: A Clear Conscience
Chapter 549: A Clear Conscience
Harry woke up after a short sleep in the temporary tent. The noise outside had disturbed him. He fumbled for his glasses beside the pillow, put them on, and sat up from the bed. The tent was empty except for Professor Hep, who was sitting by the entrance, looking somewhat distracted.
“You’re awake, Harry,” Felix said.
“Professor? How long have I been sleeping?” Harry asked, still groggy.
“About an hour or so.”
“What about the others?”
“They’re all busy. Today feels like a lifetime for some of them…” Felix said, still gazing outside. He had the Book of Runic Scripts on his lap but wasn’t reading it. “Don’t worry, Ron and the others have been sent back to the school.”
Harry felt a bit relieved but then thought of another question. “Headmaster Dumbledore? What about him, me, and Bellatrix—”
“Oh, I know what you’re going to say. Dumbledore left for that very reason.”
“Did he go to find a Horcrux?” Harry asked, hopeful.
“Exactly. He got some leads and rushed off to verify them.” Felix glanced at Harry, who couldn’t hide the joy on his face. Felix couldn’t help but pour cold water on his enthusiasm. “Don’t get too optimistic. The chances of Dumbledore finding anything are slim.”
“Why do you say that?” Harry asked, holding his breath.
He knew something, or rather, he, Ron, and Hermione had privately speculated based on information from Sirius and Neville.
Sirius had told him that the Ministry of Magic and the Phoenix Order had been secretly monitoring known Death Eaters who lacked concrete evidence against them. Neville had mentioned in passing that the Longbottoms had once tracked the Malfoys and discovered Bellatrix’s trail.
“They almost foiled the Dark Lord’s plans and nearly caught her!”
Harry silently repeated the name Bellatrix.
He knew this woman, having seen her in various contexts—wanted posters, newspapers, and in Headmaster Dumbledore’s Pensieve near the end of the previous school year, as well as in old photographs at the Black Family Manor.
Harry found it hard to connect the young woman in the photos with the deranged figure he had seen during her trial in the Pensieve.
“Even if Voldemort entrusted a Horcrux to Bellatrix, he wouldn’t trust anyone else with it after today. He will take it back. That’s one of Dumbledore’s goals—to flush out the snake.”
“Did Headmaster put on the ring to deliberately expose his knowledge of the Horcrux?” Harry asked, though he already knew about all the Horcruxes. “Why not quietly gather and destroy them one by one?” he said, unwilling to accept it.
“It’s not that simple at this stage,” Felix said. “Try looking at it from both Dumbledore’s and Voldemort’s perspectives. It will make it easier to understand. For Dumbledore, there are two main objectives. First, he wants to keep Voldemort in check, preventing a full-scale war and keeping the conflict at a low intensity. There have been skirmishes before, but they pale in comparison to a full war.”
“Second, he wants to quickly confirm the final Horcrux. Yes, our expectations were low, and we’ve managed to achieve that, thanks to you.” Felix tilted his head in Harry’s direction. “But Dumbledore didn’t account for you as a variable.”
Or perhaps he did, Felix thought.
Dumbledore’s thoughts must have been extremely conflicted. Both he and Felix knew the simplest way to destroy the piece of Voldemort’s soul inside Harry, but neither had mentioned it, each searching for an alternative solution.
But with Dumbledore’s wisdom, he couldn’t have failed to consider the worst-case scenario. He had been intentionally or unintentionally grooming Harry, including leaving him behind to observe the battle today, which might be a reflection of this internal conflict.
“These two objectives are now challenged,” Harry mused, lowering his head. “Voldemort has the Elder Wand, making him more powerful. Even if he didn’t act today, he would have another scheme. And the Horcrux… the search for the Horcrux has hit a dead end?”
"Before? Yes." Felix said.
"Could Voldemort have left the last Horcrux somewhere randomly?" Harry, thinking of the flaw in their plan, said urgently, "What if he threw it into the sea or buried it in the ground..."
"No." Felix said succinctly.
"Why—"
"Because of you." Felix gave Harry a deep look. "In the past, Voldemort didn't know about the connection between you, but you can't think that he didn't notice anything after possessing you, can you?"
Harry's expression was somewhat blank.
"He knew? That I can see through his thoughts?"
It was inevitable, Felix thought. It wasn't clear how much Voldemort knew, but there was a chance that Voldemort had even discovered Harry's Horcrux identity. However, he would definitely have noticed the connection between them.
Some things couldn't be hidden if thoroughly investigated, such as Harry's scar and his ability to speak Parseltongue, which weren't exactly secrets at school.
As the only one, no, the only two people who survived the Killing Curse, the connection between them was unclear, especially considering the protective magic cast by Harry's mother. The situation was even more complex.
Voldemort might not have connected it to the Horcrux, as he had never passively split his soul.
But without knowing the exact extent of this connection, it would be extremely unwise for Voldemort to let the Horcrux out of his sight. What if Harry could track the Horcrux? The possibility was small, but it would be a significant threat to Voldemort.
For Voldemort, who had only one Horcrux left, was living in constant fear, and had just suffered a major defeat... would he dare to take that risk?
So, it wasn't an exaggeration to say that Harry was Voldemort's nemesis.
The tent fell silent.
After a while, Dumbledore's figure appeared in the tent, and Harry and Felix looked up at the same time. Dumbledore looked weary, and Harry noticed that the wrinkles on his face had returned, and there seemed to be a few more than before.
Dumbledore shook his head silently, and Harry's heart sank.
"Harry, I'm taking you back to the school." Dumbledore said.
"What about Professor Hep?" Harry stood up and asked.
"He has his own things to do." Dumbledore said briefly. Harry was puzzled; did 'this' mean sitting in the chair at the tent entrance, staring blankly? But he didn't ask, and Dumbledore put an arm around Harry's shoulders. Harry struggled a bit and stammered.
"I'm sorry... I caused you trouble."
"It's not your fault." Dumbledore said calmly.
"But I didn't listen to you, and I drew Voldemort's attention." Harry said, feeling guilty. "I should have known you could handle it... but I couldn't help myself."
He only knew that his impulsive actions had made Voldemort aware of their connection. It would likely be difficult to extract information from Voldemort's mind in the future, as Voldemort would surely guard against him using Occlumency...
To Harry's surprise, Dumbledore smiled for the first time since appearing, and Professor Hep at the entrance also smiled.
"Harry", Dumbledore said patiently, "I certainly hope you grow mature and steady, but I don't want your growth to come at the cost of losing your bright spots—kindness, bravery, and integrity... These are things many people never achieve in their lifetimes. You have a clear conscience, Harry, and I envy you more than you know."
He sighed softly and stroked the black gemstone ring on his hand.
For a long time, neither of them spoke. Finally, Fawkes flew in from outside, circled the tent twice, and landed on Dumbledore's shoulder. In a flash of fire, they disappeared from the tent.
Felix was lost in thought. Kindness, integrity, bravery, a clear conscience... how many of these did he possess?
(End of Chapter)
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