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Chapter 97: Aftermath
Chapter 97: Aftermath
Dumbledore clasped his hands and placed them on his desk.
He didn't seem particularly surprised by Sherlock's words, but rather contemplative, as if hesitating over something.
Sherlock didn't interrupt him. He knew that this old man harbored many secrets.
Whenever Dumbledore was deep in thought, it usually meant that his next words would involve something extremely confidential.
After a moment, Dumbledore's gaze returned to Sherlock.
"I didn't expect that you would discover so much from these experiences, Sherlock."
He said solemnly.
"Regarding Riddle, this is something he has pursued his entire life. If I tell you, there will be no turning back. He will stop at nothing to eliminate every informant."
Sherlock naturally knew that the real Tom Riddle, Voldemort, was still alive.
He had asked Dumbledore about the diary for a very simple reason.
The diary contained a fragment of Voldemort's soul, and Sherlock needed such a fragment for Soul Stitching.
When he woke up in the Hospital Wing, he realized that his soul had split to a considerable extent. The fragment of soul from the diary had only managed to mend about one-fifth to one-sixth of the damage.
But even this small amount of soul had significantly enhanced the power of all his Spells and Transfiguration Spells.
It felt like he had taken a powerful restorative.
Most importantly, he still retained the feeling of unprecedented strength he had experienced in the common room, where a mere thought could kill the Basilisk.
It was as if he had instinctively learned a form of magic.
A magic that required no wand, no incantation, just a thought to directly interfere with reality.
Although the power of this magic was far from the invincible state he had experienced right after completing the Soul Stitching, it was still incredibly potent.
During the Soul Stitching process, Sherlock also discovered that his soul hadn't actually been torn.
What was truly being stitched together were two complete souls!
One was the soul of Xia Luo, who had the dominant consciousness and had traveled through time.
The other was the soul of the original owner, which had already lost all thought and was gradually fading away.
When Sherlock had traveled to this world, the original owner's soul was effectively dead and vanishing.
But the magic of Soul Stitching was like a forced fusion of the original owner's soul with Sherlock's, enhancing Sherlock's soul with each fusion. When the two souls were fully integrated, the result was greater than the sum of its parts, achieving a 1+1>2 effect!
In the Harry Potter world, magic exists through the bloodline and is powered by the Wizard's soul.
The stronger the soul, the more powerful the Spells it can cast.
So, Sherlock had designs on Voldemort's soul fragments.
He believed that Voldemort must have more than one such item like the diary, and the fragments necessary for Soul Stitching seemed to be exclusively in Voldemort's possession.
This realization led Sherlock to change his original plan. He had intended to serve as the Dark Magic Defense Professor at Hogwarts for a year and, if he managed to survive without losing a limb, resign and leave.
While being outside might be safer, it would also mean less contact with Voldemort.
By staying at Hogwarts, he could follow in the footsteps of Dumbledore and Harry Potter, who were the most active in combating Voldemort, and still have a share in the fight.
So, when faced with Dumbledore's words, Sherlock had no hesitation. He waved his hand and said,
"Professor, do you think he would let me go after I've already destroyed one of his fragments?"
Dumbledore was speechless.
Sherlock was right. Whether he knew about the Horcruxes or not, he had already destroyed one. Voldemort would certainly not forgive him once he found out.
The threat of being informed seemed less significant now.
"Riddle's lifelong pursuit was immortality", Dumbledore said softly.
"Sounds pretty low", Sherlock shrugged.
Dumbledore chuckled.
"Compared to other great ideals, Tom's pursuit of immortality is indeed less admirable. But he had a goal to strive for."
"During his time at Hogwarts, he discovered a way to achieve immortality—the Horcrux."
Sherlock was taken aback, repeating the word.
"Horcrux."
He was clearly familiar with the term. He had seen it in the Restricted Section of the library, in the book Advanced Dark Magic Analysis, which described this extremely evil magic.
"Yes, the Horcrux", Dumbledore continued. "It is a magic that can split a wizard's soul and anchor it in different objects. As long as the Horcrux is not destroyed, the wizard who created it will never die."
"Voldemort mastered this magic."
Sherlock blinked and asked,
"Can multiple Horcruxes be created?"
"Theoretically, there is no limit to the number of splits."
"How many Horcruxes did Voldemort create for himself?"
Dumbledore shook his head.
"That's what I want to know. To kill Voldemort, we must not only defeat him but also destroy all his Horcruxes. Since I learned about this, I have been searching for Horcruxes, but so far, I haven't found any. The diary you destroyed is the only known Horcrux at the moment."
He turned to look at the portraits of the former headmasters on the wall, the moon-shaped glasses reflecting a white light. Dumbledore said softly,
"But we still have time, Sherlock. By studying Riddle's past, we can discover what objects he turned into Horcruxes and how many he created."
After talking with Dumbledore, Sherlock left his office.
The headmaster still had many guests to receive: Neville's grandmother, Harry, Ron, and Lucius Malfoy.
He did not blame Neville. Riddle's smooth talk had deceived many adult wizards, and it was very brave of Neville to break free from his control.
In the office, Harry learned that the diary was intentionally planted in Hogwarts by Lucius. Dobby, the house-elf, knew everything and had been trying to prevent Harry from returning to Hogwarts.
When Lucius left, Harry set a small trap, inadvertently giving Dobby a sock, thereby freeing the house-elf and liberating him from the Malfoys.
That evening, Hogwarts held a celebratory banquet, and the students were overjoyed. The professors were also in high spirits.
Flitwick and Professor Mcgonagall frequently raised their glasses to Sherlock, and even the usually stern Snape found an excuse to approach Sherlock and inquire about the transfiguration he used to kill the Basilisk.
Who exactly was the Heir of Slytherin, Dumbledore did not reveal to the public. He also did not disclose that Neville had been controlled and had opened the Chamber of Secrets to release the Basilisk.
However, he did not hide the fact that the Chamber of Secrets had been opened and that the monster inside was a Basilisk. He also made it known that Sherlock, Harry, and their two companions had worked together to defeat it.
Even the Daily Prophet sent a reporter to take a photograph of Sherlock, Harry, Ron, and Neville, which was used as the front-page headline the next day.
Sherlock did not take all the credit for defeating the Basilisk. It was clear that Harry, Ron, and Hermione had played crucial roles in unraveling the mystery of the Chamber of Secrets and supporting him in the common room.
Snape bought the Basilisk's corpse and the snake skin found in the Chamber of Secrets for five thousand Galleons. This money was then split equally among Sherlock, Harry, Ron, and Neville.
After receiving his share, Ron dutifully handed most of the money to his family and used the remainder to buy a new wand and some new clothes.
Harry did not keep his share to himself. Given his considerable wealth, a thousand Galleons was not a significant amount to him. He split his share with Hermione, who had just woken up, recognizing that it was her information that ultimately led them to the entrance of the Chamber of Secrets.
Neville not only escaped punishment but also received an unexpected windfall, which kept him in high spirits.
His grandmother, upon hearing that Neville had earned the approval of Gryffindor and had pulled the Sword of Gryffindor from the Sorting Hat, felt extremely proud of him.
The five thousand Galleons was the result of Sherlock's negotiation with Snape. The value of the Basilisk, especially one that had lived for over a thousand years in the Chamber of Secrets, was immeasurable.
Snape, the notorious miser, had initially offered only a thousand Galleons, arguing that the Basilisk's skin was riddled with holes and most of its internal organs were damaged, reducing its medicinal value.
If it had been Harry and the others, they might have accepted the price out of respect for Snape's authority and position as a professor. But Sherlock was not one to be taken advantage of. He argued with Snape for a long time, leaving the old bat thoroughly irritated, and finally managed to raise the price to five thousand Galleons.
Even at five thousand Galleons, Sherlock felt he had undersold it. If he had sold it on the open market, the value of a thousand-year-old Basilisk would likely have been even higher.
But in the end, the Basilisk was just an unexpected bonus. The real prize from this ordeal was the fragment of Voldemort's soul.
After the events in the Chamber of Secrets were resolved, Hagrid was released from the Ministry of Magic and returned to Hogwarts. However, his joy was short-lived. He received a devastating message from the Centaurs: on the night he was taken away, a fire had broken out in the deepest part of the Forbidden Forest, and his spider friend Aragog and its entire colony of Acromantula had been incinerated.
(End of Chapter)
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