thefictionvixens Chapter 136 The Triumvirate's Battle for the Championship and the Prophecy of the End
Chapter 136 The Triumvirate's Battle for the Championship and the Prophecy of the End
When Harry woke up, his nostrils were filled with the smell of books, ink, and old furniture.
His back and buttocks were resting on a wooden deckchair covered with many blankets, but because his body had just experienced a battle that pushed him beyond his physical limits, Harry felt that every bone and muscle in his body was sore.
Where is Voldemort?
He instinctively asked a question, only to find that he couldn't open his eyes at all.
The side effects of overdosing on the potion threw his brain and central nervous system into chaos. The moment he stood up, he felt as if he were on the deck of a sailboat, rocking violently.
Voldemort is dead.
An old but firm voice pierced through Harry's fading hearing, delivering the good news to him precisely.
That was Dumbledore.
"All the Horcruxes were destroyed. You delivered the final blow with the Sword of Gryffindor. It's all over."
"what!"
Harry chuckled, then began to cough uncontrollably.
"Cough! Cough! Cough!"
"Don't rush, take a breath."
Dumbledore said gently, his calm voice carrying a hint of excitement he didn't usually display.
"Your magic is almost used up, and your body urgently needs to replenish sugar. Keep your eyes closed and rest. Once your head is less dizzy, you can eat some toffee or chocolate."
Click, click!
The sound of a porcelain plate scraping against wood came from the desktop.
Harry felt swaying and as if a hammer was pounding in his head, but even so, he managed to ask another equally important question.
"Where is Mo Ran? Is he alright?"
"He's with Mrs. Pomfrey."
Dumbledore replied softly:
“His situation is a bit special. Before he came to see you, he had spent most of his energy on something else. But he's fine, so you don't need to worry.”
"That little Barty?"
"He was also caught, but instead of handing him over to the Ministry of Magic, I locked him up in the Astronomy Tower. Severus and Moody are guarding him there."
"call......"
Hearing this, Harry finally breathed a sigh of relief.
The series of good news brought him unprecedented relaxation. Suddenly, the blanket behind him seemed to become much softer, and the whole world seemed to be filled with velvet.
And so, Harry gave up all thought, lay back, and let sleepiness carry him back to dreamland.
The headmaster's office at Hogwarts was quiet.
Dumbledore had absolutely no intention of waking Harry.
Like all the former Hogwarts headmasters whose names are displayed on the wall, he quietly admired the remarkable student before him, his mind involuntarily recalling his own glorious youth.
......
About an hour and a half later, Harry, who had regained some of his energy, finally opened his eyes again.
The headmaster's office was dimly lit and cozy. When Harry woke up for the second time, he found that the desk, which had once been piled high with books, was now devoid of parchment and quills.
Piles of cockroaches, chocolate, cream toffee, and lemon sorbet... everywhere you look, there are desserts.
How did I...?
"Don't rush, Harry."
Dumbledore interrupted Harry quietly.
“I understand you still have a lot of questions you want answered, which is why I snatched you away from Mrs. Pomfrey. Have something to eat first, and if you still have questions after I’ve finished speaking, you can ask them then.”
Looking at the dazzling array of telecommunications products before him, Harry did indeed feel his body craving sugar. He picked up a box of coconut vanilla ice cream from Honeydukes Candy Store, along with some ladyfingers he had never seen before, and began to eat them.
Dumbledore seemed to approve of Harry's way of eating, and he smiled and nodded, saying:
"Hmm, cookies can enhance the texture of ice cream... Would you like some cream? Or we also have chocolate cookies here, you can try different flavors."
"professor......"
"Ahem... Okay..."
In a slow, deliberate narration, Harry learned most of the secrets that Moran and Dumbledore had kept from him.
From destroying Horcruxes during time travel to gradually rebuilding his physical body with the help of Dementors and Chinese wizards, Mo Ran's story is undeniably captivating. However, throughout it all, Dumbledore neither knew nor discussed with Harry where Mo Ran came from or why he became his companion soul.
The last story he told was about how he separated the fragments of Voldemort's soul and destroyed them.
"The connection between Voldemort and you is stronger than I thought. Even though we helped Moran complete the final step of the Creation Magic, those fragments of Tom's soul still haven't dissipated. I thought I could return to Hogwarts with Moran and put an end to everything, but given the circumstances, I had to stay behind to deal with what remained outside the Obscurus mist."
"what?"
Harry put down the half-eaten ice cream mouse in his hand and said in surprise:
"But Mo Ran and I saw Voldemort in Godric's Hollow! Doesn't that mean my connection with him was completely severed?"
"Godric Valley?"
"Yes, it's the house where my parents and I used to live, after I first connected with Voldemort using my wand and then disconnected."
Dumbledore's expression underwent a subtle change. He hesitated for a moment, then spoke again:
"Your wands are connected... um... Harry, I might need you to recount what happened before..."
......
As Harry began to describe what had happened hours earlier, the expressions of the many headmasters on the walls turned grave. No matter how much they didn't want to admit it, the events that unfolded from the moment Voldemort rose from the dead and summoned his Death Eater followers were beyond their comprehension.
Dolohoff's escape, Barty Crouch Jr.'s elaborate deception, the battle of wits between Voldemort and Harry, and the aftermath of the flashback spell triggered by the twin wands...
On one or two occasions, Armando Dippet made a sound as if he wanted to say something; but Dumbledore raised his hand to stop him.
Once Harry started talking, he went on and on, explaining that his motivation for studying hard and going through countless dangers over the past four years all stemmed from his obsession with defeating Voldemort.
Now that Voldemort is dead, he feels an unprecedented sense of relief.
Harry was enveloped in the feeling of a stubborn ailment being cured, and the toxins and pain being gradually expelled from his body.
It's no exaggeration to say that he derives immense satisfaction simply from verbally recounting everything that happened last night.
About fifteen minutes later, Harry said everything that came to mind.
Unlike in the original story, Dumbledore's focus wasn't on the Flashback Charm triggered by the two's wands. He was more interested in the mental realm Harry and Morgen entered, and their subsequent reunion to defeat Voldemort.
"You said that Voldemort transformed into the appearance of an injured baby and lay under your bed."
That's right.
"Um......"
Dumbledore paused for a moment, then continued:
"In Godric's Hollow... um... if I'm not mistaken, the time you saw that scene coincided with when Mo Ran completed the Creation Magic. But there's something I don't understand. According to you, your connection with Voldemort should have been severed at that time, so why did that guy's soul fragments remain coalescing after losing their host? Strange... strange..."
Dumbledore's soliloquy gradually turned into a muttering that no one could hear.
Harry didn't say much; he just ate while waiting for his headmaster to come up with an answer. However, even after all the documents in the office had been reviewed, Dumbledore still couldn't explain the strange events that had happened to the Dark Lord and the Savior.
Whoosh whoosh!
All the books, scrolls, and parchments flew back to the bookshelves and cabinets under Dumbledore's precise control. The greatest wizard, who had been studying and exploring the magical world for nearly 100 years, sighed and admitted his "lack of ability and talent" with a hint of annoyance.
He said:
"To tell you the truth, Harry... I have a hard time fully understanding or explaining what happened between you and Voldemort, but the only fortunate thing is that Voldemort probably did a worse job in this regard than I did."
"I see..."
Harry nodded, not intending to dwell on the matter, and comforted him, saying:
"Isn't that all right, Professor? At least everything is perfectly resolved now."
Dumbledore's mood showed no signs of improving; he waved his hand, his tone tinged with distress.
"Logically speaking, as the human Horcrux that carries Voldemort's soul fragments, you're essentially bound to his life... Can you forgive me, Harry? Forgive me for not revealing the whole plan and for using your life as a gamble."
"What do you mean? Didn't you just say that you and Mo Ran had already discussed how to deal with the Voldemort soul fragments?"
“I haven’t gone as far down the path of exploring the Dark Arts as Voldemort. However, in order to completely defeat him, I’m prepared to sacrifice many things, such as your and Mo Ran’s lives…”
The atmosphere in the room gradually became somewhat somber as Dumbledore continued his narration.
It turns out that during the home visit after the Obscurus went berserk inside Harry, Dumbledore used Legilimency to steal some of Obscurus's memories.
At first, he was somewhat skeptical, but as the story of the first year and the plot of "The Philosopher's Stone" became more and more compatible, a bold and forward-thinking idea began to grow in Dumbledore's mind.
Since Harry and Morgen both possess exceptional talent and a strong thirst for power, they can be guided at the most opportune moment to become a savior who can stand against the Dark Lord without needing protection and through his own abilities.
In this way, the wizarding world might actually be able to end Voldemort with minimal cost.
Perhaps, Moody, Snape, Lupin, Sirius, Dobby, Tonks, Fred, and Cedric, who were originally supposed to sacrifice themselves in the future, would not have had to lose their lives?
Compared to the destruction of countless families and the upheaval in the wizarding world, even sending Harry and Morales to their deaths alongside Voldemort seems acceptable. Moreover, it's not like they are truly doomed to die.
To the politicians at the Ministry of Magic, this decision was a sure-fire way to make money.
If all goes well, all they need to do is erect a monument to Harry Potter, feign tears a few times, and then they can carefree dream of the fruits of victory and a peaceful world.
Fortunately...
Dumbledore, who once believed in the "greater good" and was capable of making the choice to kill fewer to save more, died along with his sister after parting ways with Grindelwald when he was young.
Perhaps a touch of madness always lingered deep within him, but the kindness and sense of responsibility born of guilt and love also reminded him not to go too far down the path of extremism.