Chapter 678: Lion and Phoenix
Chapter 678: Lion and Phoenix
"Just a projection of Godric's Hollow?" Harry asked. Dumbledore nodded cheerfully.
"So... Voldemort's last Horcrux is gone?" Harry felt a weight lift off his chest.
"It's over there", Dumbledore pointed in a direction. Harry was startled to see a crimson, infant-like creature curled up in the grass, its appearance terrifying. "Voldemort's Killing Curse brought it here with you. I arrived before you and took a walk around. You came shortly after. To be honest, it was quite noisy. Let’s go somewhere else."
Dumbledore led the way, and Harry followed immediately.
They walked down a country dirt path lined with wild green shrubs and flowers, untended but lush. As they descended, the village's buildings came into full view. Harry was increasingly certain this was a fabricated scene—modern houses he had seen with Sirius during their visit to the cemetery were now completely gone.
Dumbledore pointed in a direction, and Harry was surprised to see an area covered in white light.
"What is that?" he asked.
"You know", Dumbledore said with a smile, "you've seen it many times."
Harry couldn't see what was inside the white light, but he could guess its location. He widened his eyes. "Your home?"
"Exactly, we will part ways there", Dumbledore said solemnly.
"Part ways?"
"Ah—sorry, Harry, only you can return. My life has reached its end, and I think I will continue on." Dumbledore gazed thoughtfully at the distant white light. Harry wondered if he saw something he couldn't.
"Life's end? You, Professor Dumbledore, you—"
"I'm glad you finally realized it. I am dying, or perhaps I already have." Dumbledore said, looking at Harry's wide-eyed expression with a gentle smile. "Don't be sad for me, Harry. I chose this ending and took the steps to achieve it. My life has been long and eventful, especially the last year, which made up for many regrets."
They walked a bit further, and Harry's mind was in turmoil. He mustered the courage to ask, "Is it—because of me? To resolve the soul fragment within me?"
Dumbledore stopped and looked at Harry. "Of course, that's part of it."
"I would rather it be me", Harry murmured.
Dumbledore showed immense understanding and compassion. "I feel the same way. And—Harry, you are one of the reasons I made this decision. Even without you, I would have made the same choice, but solving your problem at the same time makes it more worthwhile for me."
"But what about the school?" Harry said glumly.
"Have you forgotten? I've already submitted my resignation", Dumbledore winked. "Minerva and Felix will take care of the school. I believe they will do a great job."
"Speaking of Professor Hep—" Harry suddenly thought of another reason. "He believes the magical world's exposure is inevitable, and Sirius and Ms. Bones agree. Everyone is preparing for it."
"You're right", Dumbledore agreed.
"Only you can calm everyone down—when the news goes public", Harry said bluntly.
"I wouldn't dare take such praise", Dumbledore shook his head. "In fact, I feel as helpless as you do about the future. Felix, Amelia, and even you would do better than me."
"Me?" Harry exclaimed.
"Yes, would you tolerate wizards abusing Muggles?" Dumbledore asked.
Harry shook his head.
"And what about Muggles enslaving wizards?"
Harry shook his head again.
"See, isn’t that great?" Dumbledore said contentedly. "Remember your choice now. Even if the path is difficult, you will never regret it, because you are doing the right thing."
Harry was a bit confused as he followed Dumbledore into the familiar village. Then he noticed something 'unusual.'
"Albus." A middle-aged Muggle woman, short and plump, with an apron, greeted them warmly. Harry thought her features resembled Mrs. Weasley.
"Mrs. Brenda", Dumbledore stopped and smiled.
"Little Bart wants to eat at your place. He loves magic so much", the woman said.
"Welcome!" Dumbledore said joyfully, his forehead wrinkles smoothing out. "Ariana loves children and has prepared many activities for the bonfire night."
"Ah, I know, she is always so kind, but I feel like I’m troubling you..." Mrs. Brenda said, a bit embarrassed. She pulled out two apples from under her apron and handed them to Dumbledore and Harry. "I baked some honey cookies. Little Bart will bring them over tonight."
"Thank you, Mrs. Brenda", Dumbledore said politely as they parted ways, and he and Harry continued on their journey.
Harry felt puzzled, but Dumbledore was clearly in high spirits, exuding a sense of overflowing joy. He took a bite of the apple and hummed a rather whimsical country tune. Along the way, many people greeted him, both wizards and Muggles. The common thread was that they all knew about magic, yet showed no surprise.
A wizard dressed like a hippie leaned against a wall, performing magic tricks for a group of children.
"Professor Dumbledore?" Harry asked after finishing the tune, putting down his half-eaten apple, eager to inquire, "Are these people also souls of the departed?" He remembered Dumbledore mentioning that this place was a liminal space between life and death, and theoretically, only wizards should be able to reach it.
"I don't think so", Dumbledore replied.
"Then—", Harry paused, wondering if these figures were a product of Dumbledore's imagination.
"When I first arrived here, the surroundings were shrouded in mist. An environment like that clearly wasn't suitable for conversation. The moment I had that thought, it changed on its own", Dumbledore explained. "It might indeed be related to me."
They chatted like old friends, with Dumbledore discussing the prophecy he had seen from Grindelwald, "Rita Skeeter played a significant role."
He then spoke about Felix:
"I have high hopes for him—young, capable, and not power-hungry. He has a clear mind. Of course, he has always been very independent, sometimes I think he's too mature. I can't educate him the way I did you—I can only use others to guide him, like you, Severus, Hermione Granger, that Niffler, Sirius, Remus, Neville... Before I knew it, there were already many people."
Dumbledore then mentioned the prophecy he had heard at the Ministry of Magic's Department of Mysteries.
"I believe I am the lion in the prophecy—once glorious, but now aged. I am a Gryffindor."
"Why can't it be the phoenix?" Harry asked, holding his breath. "The phoenix is immortal, isn't it? And you have Fawkes. Maybe the prophecy suggests that you will be reborn like a phoenix, rejuvenated..."
Dumbledore smiled.
"Oh, Harry, you can't expect an old man on the brink of death to love the world more than the young people of his time. I did dream of changing it; I left all my passion, aspirations, fervor, and desires in that summer, in my time. You have a greater desire to make the world a better place, and I—look, they are waiting for me!"
Harry looked up, and they had unknowingly reached the place where the white light emanated. He had seen nothing before, but now his eyes caught sight of some figures. They were Dumbledore's father, mother, and sister, holding hands, their gazes gentle.
"Is this real? Are they real?" Harry said hurriedly, wanting to remind Dumbledore. Perhaps his family and the previous illusions were all because of Dumbledore.
"I know I must go on alone, but I won't refuse a bit of sustenance before embarking on a new adventure", Dumbledore said softly. Harry knew that Dumbledore was clear-headed and had made his decision. He watched as Dumbledore walked toward the white light, toward his family.
"Good health to you, Harry."
Dumbledore said, and then the white light engulfed him.
...
In the Headmaster's Office, Felix saw Harry open his eyes in the mirror. His face had returned to its usual self. Felix exhaled softly, knowing Dumbledore had succeeded. Fawkes let out a short, mournful cry, and Felix stood up, dragging his 'crippled' arm to Dumbledore's side. It seemed Dumbledore was asleep, the Resurrection Stone ring on his hand glinting as if it were breathing.
"Crack!"
A clear cracking sound. A crack appeared on the surface of the Resurrection Stone, which looked like a black gem. More cracks followed, spreading like a spider web. In an instant, the Resurrection Stone shattered into pieces.
Countless firefly-like light points gathered in the air, dancing gracefully. Felix thought he saw a vague figure, but it vanished in a moment. Dumbledore's hand fell, and Felix grabbed the cold hand, placing it on Dumbledore's knee.
A wand fell from his sleeve.
It was the Elder Wand.
Felix hesitated for a moment, then slipped the wand back into Dumbledore's hand.
"Harry", he said clearly, turning to face the mirror.
At the same time, Fawkes spread its wings, glanced back at the quietly seated Dumbledore, and flew into the mirror. The mournful phoenix cry echoed in both Felix and Harry's ears. Harry struggled to sit up, every part of his body aching, but upon hearing the professor's call and Fawkes' cry, he grabbed his askew glasses, put them on, and looked up at the phoenix circling above.
Professor Hep's voice seemed to echo from the entire sky:
"Harry, Dumbledore left Voldemort to you. Can you handle it?"
Harry looked toward the nearby figure, where Voldemort's fingers twitched, about to wake up. He muttered, "Leave it to me." He stayed where he was, watching Voldemort rise from the ground, his expression shifting from shock to realization, hatred, and finally panic.
"You disguised yourself as Snape to destroy my last Horcrux?" Voldemort shrieked, clutching his wand and frantically looking around, shouting into the air, "Dumbledore! Hep! Where are you? Come out!"
Harry looked at the hysterical Voldemort, lowering his eyes.
"Stop shouting. It's just me."
"Just me?" Voldemort stared at him in shock, then suddenly understood, "They sent you to kill me? How dare they—how dare they—" He stopped abruptly, a hint of pity in Harry's eyes piercing through.
"Voldemort, you stand alone, while I have the support of everyone who loves me", Harry said, but his words only made Voldemort more furious.
"Harry Potter!" Voldemort spat the name with the utmost venom.
"Tom Riddle", Harry replied calmly.
There was nothing left to say. At this moment, everything became clear. The same thought flashed through both their minds: only one of them would leave this place alive. Red and green light clashed, the spells intersecting and emitting a golden fire, both exerting all their strength.
Fawkes let out a high-pitched cry, like a war drum, boosting Harry's confidence. The red light overwhelmed the green, casting Voldemort's face in a sickly green hue, fear shining in his eyes as the green light was forced back into his wand. Voldemort's body stiffened, his fear coalescing.
His wand flew into the air, spinning toward Harry, but Harry did not reach out to catch it. Instead, he let it fall to the ground. He stared at Voldemort, knowing it was over.
Felix closed his eyes. After a moment, he opened his light blue eyes and said, "You're exhausted, Harry. Fawkes will take you to the Hospital Wing for Madam Pomfrey to check you over. And—" he hesitated, "don't reveal Dumbledore's death to anyone yet. Keep it strictly confidential. I'll explain more tomorrow."
The image before him faded, leaving Felix in the darkness. For him, the night was far from over. He continued to dismantle the magic residing in his arms, the spells resisting passively, but under Felix's suppression, they could only tremble.
...
A gray-green hue appeared on the horizon, signaling that dawn was just a few hours away.
Nurmengard.
A stiff body was thrown into a cell.
Grindelwald hit the ground like a rag doll, his body showing no signs of movement.
"Is he dead?" one of the Aurors asked.
Then, Grindelwald heard the rustling of shoes on the ground, a pair of feet stopping beside him, and a finger probing his nose. Grindelwald emitted a shallow, steady breath.
"He's just unconscious."
The footsteps faded away, and Grindelwald waited silently. The door was locked, and the cell's defensive magic activated with a hiss. The footsteps and voices grew faint, but he continued to listen, holding his breath, not missing a single echo. Finally, the sound of a distant door closing reached him.
Grindelwald raised his head, his eyes vacant. The cell was empty.
He grinned, the sound growing louder, echoing in the narrow cell, until he began to choke and cough, tears streaming down his face. Finally—
A blood-stained Scrying Mirror was vomited out, spinning on the ground.
"Thanks for your kindness, Longbottom, for not destroying that hair", Grindelwald rasped, pulling out the book, The Tales of Beedle the Bard, and placing it in the corner. Now was not the time to read it. He returned to the ground, picked up the Scrying Mirror, and watched as magic flowed from it, transforming into a blazing blue fire, engulfing him like a burning torch.
A muffled, pained groan echoed from the cell.
After an indeterminate amount of time, a low incantation emerged from the blue fire, and a blue phoenix rose into the air.
...
Tonight was destined to be a long night.
(End of Chapter)
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