Chapter 865: The Charlatan
Chapter 865: The Charlatan
Albert felt that he should seize this opportunity to have a good chat with Dumbledore and take the chance to ask the headmaster to clarify some of his doubts.
In the past, he had avoided excessive contact with Dumbledore due to his mediocre Occlumency skills and his reluctance to prematurely reveal his magical prowess. But now things were different. He was an adult and had won numerous international awards, so Dumbledore likely already had an understanding of who he was and wouldn't harbor any ill intentions. Albert believed they could have a productive conversation.
Of course, the most important reason was that in a few years, Dumbledore would likely be dead.
To be honest, Albert had always felt that it was an extremely wasteful luxury for legendary figures like Nicolas Flamel and Dumbledore to take all the knowledge and techniques they possessed to their graves. Much of what they knew had not been passed down, and with their deaths, the overall level of magic in the wizarding world had taken a direct hit.
Before heading to the headmaster's office, Albert took out his notebook from his pocket and flipped through the records he had made over the past few days. He intended to take advantage of this meeting to get answers to his questions from Dumbledore.
The thought of using the headmaster as a tool brought a pleasant smile to Albert's face, and he quickened his steps, making his way along the eighth-floor corridor to the stone gargoyle.
"Cockroach Cluster," Albert said the password.
The stone gargoyle immediately jumped aside, and the wall behind it split in two, revealing a spiral staircase hidden behind it.
Albert stepped onto the staircase, riding the magical elevator up to the headmaster's office door, where he raised his hand and knocked lightly three times.
"Come in," Dumbledore's voice sounded from inside the room.
Albert pushed open the door and entered the headmaster's office. He greeted the elderly man sitting behind the desk, "Good evening, Professor Dumbledore. What brings you to seek me out?"
"Good evening, Mr. Anderson. Please, take a seat, and let's chat over some tea?" Dumbledore smiled and gestured to the chair in front of his desk, "What would you like to drink?"
"Some tea would be lovely," Albert said as he sat down across from Dumbledore, feeling completely at ease, as if he were chatting with an old friend.
"Someone asked me to pass these on to you," Dumbledore said, handing Albert two letters and a package after pouring him a cup of tea.
"I'm curious, what is it that requires the headmaster to deliver it to me personally?" Albert didn't touch the tea on the table, and the smile on his face grew more gentle.
"A letter from the Ministry of Magic, and another from the Wizengamot, along with a package," Dumbledore gestured for Albert to open the letters and examine their contents.
"That is quite peculiar," Albert said, a slight smile playing at the corners of his mouth, "They didn't send the package and letters directly to me via owl."
Dumbledore pretended not to hear the boy's sarcasm and waited for Albert to open the letters and read their contents.
Albert didn't mind. He tore open the letter from the Ministry of Magic and quickly scanned its contents.
It was an insincere apology.
The letter was short, stating that since he had come of age, and the title of British Youth Representative of the Wizengamot was awarded to underage wizards, the title was now revoked, and they expressed their apologies for the same.
Albert calmly placed the letter on the table, his face devoid of any emotion, as if the letter contained nothing of consequence.
Indeed, the matters mentioned in the letter were of little importance to Albert.
He opened the other letter from the Wizengamot and found that it conveyed the idea that he had become an alternate member of the Wizengamot, and the package contained a set of Wizengamot robes, though Albert didn't bother to open it.
"Are those people asking you to explain this to me?" Albert placed the other letter on the table, his tone indifferent as he asked.
"Yes, they are," Dumbledore smiled and asked, "What are your thoughts after reading the letters?"
Just now, Dumbledore had clearly seen a flash of disdain in Albert's calm eyes, indicating his disinterest in becoming an alternate member of the Wizengamot.
"To be honest, I find the Ministry's affairs rather uninteresting, and I believe these trivial matters are not worth troubling yourself over," Albert said, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth, "Perhaps, we can discuss other topics instead!"
"What topics did you have in mind?" Dumbledore gladly set aside the bothersome matters, as Albert's reaction was somewhat unexpected. He hadn't shown any anger over the Ministry's deliberate revocation of his title as British Youth Representative of the Wizengamot and instead seemed indifferent to it all.
"Do you know how to break the control of the Imperius Curse?" Albert asked, "Professor Moody used the Imperius Curse on the entire class during his lesson."
"I believe it is not a bad thing to approach and understand these terrible curses in a more gentle manner," Dumbledore said, his fingers intertwined on the table as he gazed calmly at the most outstanding student Hogwarts had ever seen.
"I agree with your viewpoint, but I'd like to know if there are any ways to break free from the control of the Imperius Curse?" Albert lowered his eyes, avoiding Dumbledore's gaze as he continued, "I mean, aside from resisting with one's will, are there any other methods to break the curse's control?"
"Unfortunately, there aren't any. The Imperius Curse usually relies on one's own willpower to resist," Dumbledore seemed to recall something and sighed, "Otherwise, during the First Wizarding War, Lord Voldemort wouldn't have caused such chaos in the Ministry by using the Imperius Curse."
"As far as I know, after Professor Moody used the Imperius Curse on the students, he quickly lifted it," Albert continued his inquiry, "Does this mean that if necessary, the caster can actually release the curse from the controlled target?"
"Yes, a skilled wizard can do that," Dumbledore was evidently surprised by Albert's keen interest in this matter, and he explained, "When an ordinary wizard uses the Imperius Curse, they can only command the controlled person to perform certain actions, and the control is usually broken quickly. But when a skilled Dark wizard uses the Imperius Curse to control someone, it is often difficult to detect and even harder to resist. Lord Voldemort gained support during the First Wizarding War by using this method."
"Can a second casting of the Imperius Curse cancel out the first one?" Albert voiced his doubt once more.
"Unfortunately, no. Repeated castings of the Imperius Curse will only strengthen its effects, increasing the control over the caster, and the person affected by the Imperius Curse will prioritize the last command given," Dumbledore said gently, "That is why this curse is so feared."
"Can it be washed away?" Albert felt fortunate that he had been able to acquire a skill to resist the Imperius Curse; his luck had truly been excellent.
"I recall that Gringotts has a defense mechanism called the Thief's Downfall, which is said to wash away all curses and magical disguises," Dumbledore replied.
"Yes, the Thief's Downfall is indeed a very practical thing. As you said, it can wash away all curses and magical disguises." Dumbledore explained, "However, the effect of the Thief's Downfall is actually limited. Undeniably, it can wash away some ordinary magic, but it is relatively powerless against more powerful dark magic."
"It's truly an insidious thing." Albert frowned and changed his line of thought, "What if a group of people use the Breaking Curse on a wizard controlled by the Imperius Curse? Or, if they drink a strong restorative made from Mandrake root, is it possible to break the curse?"
"I think the methods you mentioned should have some effect and could weaken the power of the Imperius Curse. But to break free from it, one often has to rely on their own will or wait for the death of the wizard who cast the curse." Dumbledore seemed to realize that Albert was there to discuss academic issues with him, and his expression became somewhat subtle as he steered the topic back.
"Sirius came to see me a while ago. He said you made a prophecy about Peter for him."
"To be precise, Black hired me to help with fortune-telling about Peter Pettigrew. This happened when we were going to watch the Quidditch World Cup." Albert had already guessed what Dumbledore wanted to ask and decided to be straightforward: "If you want me to make a prophecy, that's fine, but there's no such thing as a free lunch."
"Harry said you think he will be a Triwizard champion." Dumbledore asked.
"Yes." Albert nodded.
"Why do you think so?" Dumbledore asked curiously, "Did you predict the Triwizard champions quite early on?"
"Harry Potter is a student who likes to stir up trouble." Albert said calmly, "Even without divination, I could guess some things. You can consider this a premonition that comes from mastering both Arithmancy and Divination."
"It's incredible. I remember Nicolas saying something similar." Dumbledore asked, "Do you have any other amazing premonitions?"
"Your new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher is problematic." Albert replied without hesitation, "Or rather, during Harry Potter's time at Hogwarts School, all his Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers have been problematic."
Dumbledore opened his mouth as if to refute, but then he thought of the previous three Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers, and Albert's words seemed... well, kind of true.
"I know you don't believe me, but don't worry, just wait and see." Albert said mysteriously, "Time will prove me right."
"I look forward to your prophecies." Dumbledore suddenly said, "Now, can you also make a prophecy for me?"
"Of course, you are my third customer." Albert smiled, "However, I can make a prophecy for you for free, but I would like to invite you to my wedding and borrow your house-elves for the occasion."
"You're getting married?" Dumbledore was very surprised.
Not only Dumbledore, but the portraits that had been eavesdropping on their conversation were also wide-eyed, staring at Albert.
"Yes, after I graduate from school, I will marry Isabelle. We are already engaged." Albert was not embarrassed. He knew that if he wanted his wedding to go smoothly, he must invite Dumbledore to attend and act as a stabilizing force to deter those annoying Death Eaters.
"Do you need me to be your witness?" Dumbledore asked with a smile.
This was his way of agreeing.
"No, Mr. Lemaire will be our witness, and I think he wouldn't want anyone to take his place." Albert smiled.
"It seems that Nicolas really likes you." Dumbledore said gently, "Now, let's talk about the prophecy."
"What do you want to know?" Albert asked.
"Do you know about Horcruxes?"
"I know a bit. I think it's a kind of crazy dark magic invented by the ancient Greek dark wizard, Herpo the Foul, which can split a person's soul. It's said that this thing was used to ensure the immortality of its owner." Albert felt that he was at a huge disadvantage, and he wondered if Dumbledore, this old matchmaker, wanted to drag him into this matter! "It seems that you are not completely ignorant."
"Mr. Lemaire once mentioned this to me. He said that two hundred years ago, he was once troubled by someone named Herpo." Albert recalled.
"Actually, there are materials about Horcruxes in the Hogwarts library." Dumbledore stood up and took a book about Horcruxes from the bookshelf behind him, "There was once a student who read those books and created Horcruxes. I think you can guess who it was."
Albert remained silent.
"It was thanks to you that I discovered Voldemort had split his soul." Dumbledore didn't mind Albert's silence and smiled, "The diadem of Ravenclaw, and later, Riddle's diary."
"Do you want me to predict the location of the Dark Lord's Horcruxes?" Albert asked with a strange expression. "You want to drag me into this, but I think defeating the Dark Lord should be Harry's job, after all, he is the chosen one, and I'm just a relatively smart muggle-born."
"You knew this all along, didn't you?"
"That diary, which taught people how to reopen the Chamber of Secrets, made me realize this. After all, it was a bit sinister, and the name itself implies escaping death." Albert didn't deny that he knew about Voldemort creating Horcruxes.
"I hope you can predict the whereabouts of the Horcruxes for me." Dumbledore waved his wand, and an old crystal ball appeared in front of Albert.
"Very well, as you wish."
Albert focused his attention on the crystal ball, and as soon as his hands touched it, the mist inside began to churn, eventually revealing a scene with a snake.
Of course, Albert was not predicting Voldemort's Horcruxes but the Dark Lord's pet snake, Nagini.
"A snake?"
Dumbledore stared at the crystal ball, which had returned to normal, and frowned deeply.
"Very Slytherin, isn't it?"
"To entrust a part of your soul to a creature that can move and think is a very risky act." Dumbledore shifted his gaze from the crystal ball and said gently, not avoiding Albert's implication.
"Although the prediction of the future may change, there should be no mistakes in predicting the past. I am quite confident about this." Albert said confidently.
"But this is good news. We have found another Horcrux, and we are one step closer to defeating him." Dumbledore seemed to be in a good mood, "I hope you can keep this matter confidential."
"Of course, I don't want the Dark Lord to know that I discovered his secret of immortality." Albert immediately indicated that he would definitely keep the secret and then pointed to the surrounding portraits, "You don't have to worry about me, but you should worry about them."
"They will keep the secret."
(End of Chapter)
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