Chapter 88: Sometimes Involving the Parents Is a Good Strategy
Chapter 88: Sometimes Involving the Parents Is a Good Strategy
Voldemort's Horcrux diary didn't look particularly impressive, of course, which was also a form of protection. Its security was no worse than hiding it in a cave or protecting it with powerful magic.
If the diary had simply entered Hogwarts, even Dumbledore, with his immense authority as headmaster, would have been powerless against it.
However, when the diary was placed in front of Dumbledore, all the concealment methods became ineffective. After all, even Liam, who had only been in contact with magic for less than two years, could sense an uncomfortable aura from the diary. How could Dumbledore, who had battled Voldemort for half his life, not feel it?
Dumbledore waved his wand, and a silver ribbon emerged from its tip, tightly binding the diary. The Phoenix, which appeared somewhat listless, also stood up, staring at the diary.
"Child, come behind me", Dumbledore said, holding his wand. "This thing is more dangerous than I imagined. I think you should stay away from it."
Although Liam knew that the diary hadn't absorbed much energy since its creation and had already clashed with Uncle Kiu, it was difficult to explain this. So, he obediently hid behind Dumbledore. After all, he had come to report to the parents, and he needed to act the part.
Once Dumbledore confirmed that Liam was safely hidden, he transformed the ribbon into a silver, semi-transparent protective shield around the diary. He then carefully directed a silver instrument on the table to open the diary. When he saw the name on the first page, Liam noticed Dumbledore's back stiffen.
Of course, this was inevitable. Although Voldemort had erased his past, making his original name known to few, Dumbledore, who had been Voldemort's teacher for seven years and his lifelong enemy, recognized the name immediately.
After all, in the original story, Dumbledore insisted on calling Voldemort "Tom" even after meeting him, so he couldn't possibly be unaware of Voldemort's real name.
Given that Dumbledore had battled Voldemort for half his life and knew exactly what kind of person Voldemort was, he naturally dared not underestimate anything Voldemort left behind.
After a cursory glance through the diary, which revealed no visible text, Dumbledore began to wave his wand more vigorously and recite incantations.
For a wizard of Dumbledore's caliber, most spells could be cast silently. During the battle with Voldemort at the Ministry of Magic, Dumbledore could even cast spells while arguing with Voldemort. The fact that he was now speaking the incantations aloud showed how wary he was of this object.
As Dumbledore recited the incantation, flame-like Runic symbols flew from the tip of his wand and sank into the diary.
Liam, who had gained complete knowledge of Runes during his trip to Iceland, did not recognize the magic Dumbledore was using.
It was like reading a paper where you recognize every word but have no idea what it's about.
As the symbols continued to enter the diary, black smoke began to seep out, eventually forming a blurry, smoky face with barely discernible features above the diary.
As the face took shape, one by one, the burning Runic characters transformed into a fiery red chain, binding the grotesque face. The smoke-formed face writhed in the air, struggling to break free.
Although Voldemort’s power might not be inferior to Dumbledore’s, and perhaps even slightly surpass it, the diary contained only one-seventh of Voldemort, and it was a younger version of him from his teenage years. It was clear that this fragment was no match for the real Dumbledore.
Liam watched as the grotesque face’s struggles grew weaker, and the burning chain tightened its grip. Finally, the face stopped moving. However, Liam noticed that Headmaster Dumbledore’s expression became even more serious.
Is there trouble? Liam had just thought this when he heard a shrill scream emanate from the diary. The entire grotesque face dissolved into a mist, seeping through the Flame chains and forming a black, cone-shaped mass that shot toward Dumbledore’s face.
Liam was forced to cover his ears and crouch down due to the piercing scream. The sound wasn’t just noise; it carried a soul-targeting attack. Although he didn’t know what the black cone was, he could guess it wasn’t anything good.
Dumbledore swiftly summoned a Flame shield in front of him. The cone of black mist struck the shield and was quickly consumed by the Flame. Liam saw the cone rapidly shorten.
Due to the diary’s previous excessive energy consumption, the cone lacked the strength to persist. In less than a minute, the cone was completely extinguished by Professor Dumbledore’s Flame shield.
Seeing the cone disappear, Liam let out a sigh of relief. At that moment, the diary on the table emitted a strange sound. Liam watched as the diary fell from the air onto the table and began to spew black ink.
As the ink spread across the table, it suddenly burst into Flame, as if the ink were gasoline. The Flame followed the ink and ignited the diary. The cover and pages burned quickly, as if they had been soaked in fuel.
In the end, the diary was reduced to a pile of gray-black ashes. Dumbledore waved his wand, making the ashes vanish, then signaled to Liam that everything was fine.
When Liam stood in front of the table, Dumbledore, looking somewhat weary, asked where he had obtained the object. Liam omitted any mention of the Multiverse General Store and his prior knowledge of the plot. He told Dumbledore that he had received this notebook as a gift from Ginny, but he was frightened when he discovered it could respond to his words. After numerous attempts to destroy the notebook with fire and water failed, he sought the headmaster’s help.
Liam also mentioned Lucius Malfoy’s action of placing something in Ginny’s cauldron, expressing his belief that the Weasley family were good people and that this dark object was likely planted by the Malfoys.
After listening to Liam’s account, Dumbledore spoke, “This is a very dangerous object, and your decision to bring it to me was the right one. Therefore, I will award Gryffindor 50 points. However, I hope you will not speak of what you have seen. The evil hidden within is not something a student of your age should be involved in, and I do not want it to cause panic among the students.”
“I will keep the secret, Professor Dumbledore,” Liam said. He then descended the rotating staircase of the headmaster’s office. As his eyes aligned with the floor, he saw Dumbledore leaning back in his chair, gazing at the pile of ashes, lost in thought.
(End of Chapter)
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