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Chapter 681: The Resurrection Stone
Chapter 681: The Resurrection Stone
"Severus, I assume you've forgotten what just happened, haven't you?"
Albus Dumbledore, the Headmaster of Hogwarts and the most powerful wizard of his time, nonchalantly picked himself up from the floor, brushing off the dust from his robes as he asked casually.
Who would have thought that the esteemed Headmaster would be kicked to the ground by his own professor, face-planting in the process? If word of this got out, his reputation would surely take a hit.
While others might not know Dumbledore, he was certain that Maugrey would be thrilled to the point of trembling with excitement, and if Maugrey knew, it was as good as the entire wizarding world knowing.
To prevent such an outcome, Dumbledore even had a fleeting thought about silencing Maugrey.
Hmm... This place was peaceful, secluded, and well-equipped with furniture, making it an ideal long-term residence for Severus, who felt guilty. He was certain no one would be able to find him here.
On the other side, Severus was still feeling the lingering sensation on the sole of his shoe... He hadn't paid attention earlier, but now, seeing Dumbledore's appearance clearly, he couldn't help but feel a sense of relief.
It was as if he had stepped into a stream composed of Felix Felicis and phoenix tears, and a delightful and satisfying sensation flowed from his feet to every corner of his body.
Severus wished he knew a spell that could preserve this feeling forever.
"Severus..."
Dumbledore called out again, and only then did Severus finally snap out of his trance. He felt a chill breeze brush past him.
How odd, he had clearly closed the door, yet there was still a draft.
"Sorry, it was an emergency, and I had to resort to this."
Severus spoke solemnly, "The ring carries a terrible curse. Even a powerful wizard like yourself might not be able to prevent the harm it can cause."
"I understand, Severus. You were trying to save me, and for that, I must thank you." Dumbledore brushed off the dust from his robes and approached.
Both of them tacitly avoided mentioning what had just transpired.
At this moment, Dumbledore's gaze once again fell upon the ring, and a flicker of pain and struggle flashed through his clear blue eyes.
"So, what exactly is this?" Severus couldn't help but ask.
"The Peverell family ring," Dumbledore replied.
"The Peverell family... The family of the three brothers in the story who obtained the Deathly Hallows?" Severus said subconsciously, "Just an ancient family's ring, no matter how famous, shouldn't cause you to lose your composure like this..."
Suddenly, he seemed to realize something and stared at the ring in disbelief.
"It seems you've guessed it," Dumbledore said calmly, "This should be the legendary Deathly Hallow, the Resurrection Stone that can bring the dead back to life."
In an instant, Severus's breathing became heavy as well, and his hand involuntarily reached out, as if wanting to grasp the ring.
Dumbledore's leg moved slightly beneath his robes, but in the end, he didn't reach out.
He merely waved his wand, and the ring on the table vanished instantly.
Severus's hand froze in mid-air, and he almost roared, "Where did you put it!"
"Do you remember what you said earlier?" Dumbledore said calmly, "There's a curse on it, placed by Tom to protect his Horcrux."
"I don't care," Severus growled, "The curse can only be triggered once. Let me take it, and you won't have to worry anymore."
"I understand your intentions, but Lily is already gone, and the Resurrection Stone can't truly bring her back."
"Also, have you thought about Conna?" Dumbledore looked at him calmly, "I recall that child is about to take the Extraordinary Potion Master Association's assessment, isn't she?"
After a moment, Severus's voice gradually calmed down.
"Maybe she doesn't need me and can still live a good life."
"I believe so," Dumbledore smiled, "Kyle is a good child, and they are well-suited for each other..."
"Shut up!" Severus roared again, cutting off Dumbledore's words.
For some reason, he suddenly lost the desire to touch the cursed stone.
"You should try to accept this, Severus," Dumbledore advised earnestly, "They are truly a good match, and I must remind you that even if you object, it won't change anything. You should be aware of that."
"If you bring that up again, I'll publish what just happened to you in the Daily Prophet," Severus said coldly.
At this, Dumbledore fell silent, and an eerie quietness enveloped the Gant Manor.
After some time, Severus finally broke the silence, "You should have tried to accept this, Severus," Dumbledore advised earnestly, "They are truly a good match, and I must remind you that even if you object, it won't change anything. You should be aware of that."
"If you bring that up again, I'll publish what just happened to you in the Daily Prophet," Severus said coldly.
At this, Dumbledore fell silent, and an eerie quietness enveloped the Gant Manor.
After some time, Severus finally broke the silence, "Why did you stop your hand at that critical moment? If you hadn't, I wouldn't have made it in time."
"That's the most amazing part," Dumbledore extended his arm, examining the bloodstains that hadn't yet faded, his eyes reflecting a mix of emotions.
"I never imagined that the Unbreakable Vow we made back then would save me."
"What is this?" Severus couldn't help but ask, as he had always assumed the injuries were caused by the curse.
"A Magical Contract," Dumbledore explained, "It restricts me from having any thoughts about the Horcruxes, and because of this restriction, I'm unable to touch the Resurrection Stone, which is also one of Tom's Horcruxes."
"Did you know that the Dark Lord intended to turn the Resurrection Stone into a Horcrux?" Severus Snape furrowed his brow. "That must have been your backup plan before coming here."
"No, I didn't," Albus Dumbledore shook his head. "And this Magical Contract has existed for over a year. If not for today's events, I would have almost forgotten about it."
"A year ago?" Snape's confusion deepened.
Who would create a Magical Contract for no reason? Dumbledore didn't seem like the type to make such a careless mistake.
"It was Kyle..." Dumbledore suddenly said. "The other half of the contract is with him, and he was the one who initially suggested it."
"Wait, what does he have to do with this?" Snape was surprised to hear that name here. "But you just said the contract was related to the Horcrux?"
"Kyle has the Horcrux," Dumbledore said calmly. "The legendary Slytherin Locket is in his possession."
Snape blinked, taking ten seconds to process Dumbledore's words.
Ten seconds later...
"How dare you entrust a Horcrux, something so dangerous, to a student!" Snape's neck veins popped, his voice loud enough to shake dust from the ceiling. "What if it's cursed? What if someone accidentally touches it? What were you thinking!"
Snape's expression suggested he wanted to kick Dumbledore again.
"Relax, Severus," Dumbledore hurriedly said. "I've checked it, and there are no curses or harmful magic on that Horcrux. I assure you it won't harm Conna."
Dumbledore keenly grasped the key point.
"That's good to hear." Upon learning that Conna was not involved, Snape finally calmed down. As for what Kyle would do with the Horcrux... who cared?
"So, you initially intended to use this Magical Contract as a backup?" Snape scoffed. "How interesting. I never expected it to save your life."
"It is quite interesting," Dumbledore agreed. "But I must clarify that it was Kyle's idea. I never considered using magic to control him."
"You mean he knew the Resurrection Stone would be made into a Horcrux?" Snape's voice rose slightly.
"I believe he didn't know..." Dumbledore glanced at his arm and spoke softly, but no one knew what he was truly thinking.
...
After obtaining the ring, the two left Gant Manor. Dumbledore waved his wand, and the vines that had separated earlier crawled back onto the house.
The bushes closed, concealing Gant Manor once more, looking no different than before.
"What do you plan to do with the Resurrection Stone?" Snape asked.
"It must be destroyed," Dumbledore replied.
There was no question that the Horcrux had to be eliminated, but he didn't specify how or when.
A Blasting Curse would be the simplest method, but both Dumbledore and Snape seemed to have forgotten this spell, and neither mentioned it.
"I have some other matters to attend to," Dumbledore looked up at the heavy clouds in the sky. "Are you going to follow me or return to Hogwarts?"
"Where are you going?"
"Perhaps to Devon first," Dumbledore said.
"I have classes in the afternoon," Snape glanced at him, seeming to want to say something, but he stopped himself. "Don't touch that curse, or you'll be in trouble."
Snape remained silent.
A gust of wind blew, rustling the hedges on both sides and dropping a few leaves onto the dirt road. The two figures disappeared from the path.
...
Snape apparated to Hogsmeade, not pausing as he quickly made his way back to the school. He then dragged Kyle out of the greenhouse.
"Professor, what are you doing..." Kyle muttered. "The exams are coming up, and Venomous Tentacula is an important subject."
Snape didn't care about any of that. He walked to a spot far from the greenhouse and coldly asked, "Where is the Slytherin Locket? Hand it over!"
"What?" Kyle blinked.
"Don't play dumb." Snape narrowed his eyes. "I know you have it, so give it to me now."
"As the Head of Slytherin House, I have the right to keep the artifacts left by Mr. Salazar."
Kyle turned his head away and spoke softly. "Then you should talk to Professor Dumbledore..."
"Are you suggesting that you gave it to the Headmaster?" Snape scoffed. "As it happens, he's the one who told me you have the locket."
Kyle fell silent. He hadn't expected Dumbledore to be so talkative, especially about the Slytherin Locket. How could he reveal such a secret? It was like carrying a steak to a dog.
Action: Severus Snape extended his hand and demanded, "Hand it over quickly."
"I'm sorry, Professor..." Kyle said calmly, "It's not that I'm reluctant to part with it, but the locket is truly not with me. I gave it away."
"You gave it away?" Snape seemed to realize something, and his voice turned sharp, "Damn it, don't you know how dangerous that thing is!"
"I gave it away precisely because I knew that," Kyle said, "After all, in the magical world, only Nicholas LeMire could solve the locket's problem without destroying it.
"Nicholas LeMire?" Snape paused, then asked subconsciously, "So you didn't give the locket to..."
At this point, he suddenly closed his mouth.
"Well, who did you give it to?" Kyle asked.
"Shut up, Hufflepuff, and you'll lose five points," Snape said.
However, after learning that the Horcrux was not currently in the school, he also breathed a sigh of relief and returned to the castle on his own, leaving only Kyle in place.
He couldn't help but glance at a certain window at the top of the castle... Had Dumbledore returned? Or did Snape go to find him?
Moreover, from Snape's tone just now, it seemed that he had already seen the Horcrux.
Thinking carefully, the only Horcrux that had not been found yet seemed to be the Resurrection Stone.
The main reason was that he really didn't know where it was. Whether it was in the Hogwarts Library or in Sirius Black's private collection, there was no record of the Gaunt Manor.
He had also indirectly asked Dumbledore, but the latter seemed unclear as well.
Kyle frowned.
This time, when Dumbledore left the school, could it be that he went to find that stone?
And that Bob Ogden... He seemed to be a key figure as well.
Kyle looked at his arm... He didn't know if the magical contract he had set up would be useful or not... Hopefully, it could help a little.
Unfortunately, Dumbledore had not yet returned.
Kyle shook his head, not thinking about these things anymore, and prepared to return to the greenhouse to continue class.
However, when Snape suddenly mentioned Slytherin's locket earlier, he subconsciously thought of Ravenclaw's Diadem.
Since he returned to Hogwarts from Nicholas LeMire, this currently unique Horcrux that had been restored, along with the Ravenclaw Diadem, which contained a part of Helena Ravenclaw's consciousness, had also disappeared.
Also missing was the ghost, Grey Lady, who was Helena Ravenclaw herself.
They seemed to have hidden themselves in a corner of the castle, enjoying a long-awaited mother-daughter reunion, as they hadn't seen each other for over a thousand years and naturally had a lot to talk about.
Kyle tried to find them, but to no avail.
Previously, Grey Lady, like other ghosts, would appear on the Marauder's Map, but now she was nowhere to be found.
Kyle also wondered if they were hiding in the Room of Requirement, but when Harry and the others held D.A. meetings, the Room of Requirement was still usable.
Of course, it was also possible that there were even more hidden rooms within the Room of Requirement, as even the Room of Requirement itself was created by Ravenclaw, and it would be too easy for her to leave a backdoor for herself.
If this were the case, Kyle naturally wouldn't be able to find them.
When Kyle returned to the greenhouse, Professor Sprout was instructing everyone to put on their dragon hide gloves.
"Venomous Tentacula is an extremely dangerous plant. Although what we see is just a seedling, getting stung by it won't be fatal, but it's enough to keep you in the hospital wing for a month... Don't blame me if you miss your exams later."
This is also why Venomous Tentacula is taught in the sixth year, as there are no particularly important exams in the sixth year, and even if they are missed, it won't be a big problem.
Kyle opened the door, received Professor Sprout's permission, and returned to his original position.
Conna, sitting next to him, asked curiously, "What did Professor Snape want with you?"
Mikael and Ryan also turned to look.
Earlier, when Snape barged in with an imposing manner, he startled them, and some even speculated that Kyle had blown up his private storage room, and Snape was there to settle the score after discovering it.
"Nothing much," Kyle shook his head, "He wanted the Slytherin locket from me."
"Slytherin's locket?" Mikael blinked, "What's that?"
"Idiot, it's a locket!" Ryan corrected him, "It's one of the artifacts left behind by the four founders, and each house has one. Gryffindor's is an indestructible sword, Ravenclaw's is a diadem that bestows wisdom, and for us Hufflepuffs, it's a golden cup."
"But these artifacts have been lost for centuries, and no one has actually seen them."
"That's so cool..." Mikael's eyes lit up, and then he looked at Kyle with curiosity, "But if that's the case, why would he come to you for it?"
"Who knows..." Kyle put on the dragon hide gloves and shrugged, "Maybe someone told him about it."
"That person must be trying to frame you." Mikael said angrily, "What a jerk."
"Exactly, I think so too." Kyle nodded in agreement.
(End of Chapter)
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