A ruined Hogwarts

Watching Owen's figure disappear behind the door, Dumbledore leaned back in his chair and slowly closed his eyes.

Fox tilted his head and looked at him, letting out a sweet groan of worry. Dumbledore raised his hand and gently stroked its feathers.

The portraits of the principals on the wall opened their eyes from their deep sleep and started to make a noise.

"Oh, this kid is really good! He is humble and courteous, smart, full of curiosity, and very handsome. He reminds me of that student back then..." The thin old principal in the picture frame sighed, and his voice suddenly became low. He continued, "Who would have thought of that?"

"Armando, I don't think this kid is handsome, he is very beautiful." The witch Delise Devante with long silver curly hair giggled in another frame.

"Look, this is our outstanding student in Slytherin! If I remember correctly, he is number one in his grade!" The former principal of the Black family glanced at everyone triumphantly, "Also, ha. Leigh Potter also belongs to Slytherin..."

"Shut up, Phineas." Before he could finish his words, he was covered by several former principals who couldn't bear to look at him. Dai Lisi said casually: "We have known this for a long time, you don't need to say it every day..."

"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuancynezuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu,let me..." Phineas finally broke open Dai Lisi's hand, but was pressed down by more people on his head.

"What are your plans, Dumbledore? Do you want that child to support Harry Potter?" Delis asked softly. The old principals in the portrait also stopped making noise and listened attentively.

Dumbledore slowly opened his eyes, his light blue eyes filled with fatigue and vicissitudes of life. He said softly: "I don't know. In fact, I'm not sure what to do..."

His expression hesitated for the first time, his brows furrowed tightly, and his eyes became guilty and complicated: "That black phoenix identifies with that child... But what I didn't say is that the phoenix will not easily identify with someone. , even if that person is the person who helped it break out of its shell, they will repay the favor, but they will not follow. If it is the Dark Phoenix, they may not even be grateful..."

"Phoenix's free and straightforward nature makes them always act according to their hearts. In other words, they will only fall in love with people who are in tune with their hearts, just like unicorns will only get close to people with pure hearts. And the Dark Phoenix, It will only identify with people who are similar to it...people who are also trapped in darkness and malice." Dumbledore said very slowly, "After all...I still did something wrong..."

Dai Lisi in the picture frame sighed softly and said: "Then what do you want to do?"

"I don't know, I can't make up my mind." Dumbledore looked at his right hand, "If things continue to develop, it may get better or worse. If I still have time, I have the responsibility to become a Guide, but..."

He took off his glasses, rubbed his eyebrows, and his expression suddenly relaxed: "But what is gratifying is that the child is not alone. He has parents who love him, a group of sincere friends, and haha Someone like Li...maybe he won't completely go astray."

"But what I don't know is whether he still cares..."

He sighed deeply, his voice dissipating in the air like the wind.

…

In a blink of an eye, it was Dumbledore's private teaching time again. Harry, who was deeply troubled by Peter Pettigrew's problem, came to the principal's office full of worries.

Dumbledore was wearing a purple robe with gold on it. He was sitting on a high-backed chair as usual, waiting for him. On the table in front of him was a shallow stone basin with strange runes carved on the mouth.

He didn't know if it was an illusion, but Harry always felt that Dumbledore was getting older and tired, which made him feel worried and uneasy.

"Good evening, sir. You must remember to have a good rest." He said with concern.

Dumbledore smiled at him, his eyes vicissitudes of life but also wise. He crossed his hands on the table and said slowly: "Today's lecture will be very special. You know, Harry, Voldemort is not dead. He is always plotting to make a comeback, and you who escape from him are destined to be His enemies..."

At the mention of Voldemort, Harry straightened his back even more and his heart became heavier. If Voldemort was resurrected, would he really have the power to resist? Looking at Dumbledore in front of him, he suddenly felt at ease.

"I think you have seen that the lessons I am teaching you are actually trying to find ways to increase your survivability and give you more confidence when facing Voldemort." Dumbledore said softly.

Looking at the young wizard with a childish face in front of him, his eyes flickered, showing a trace of sadness and intolerance. He suddenly closed his eyes tightly, and his somewhat cloudy blue eyes became bright and sharp again: "Now, I should tell you something. Although I had thought about it for a few years before telling you..."

Harry's eyes were filled with anxiety and expectation, and such innocent and pure eyes hurt Dumbledore's heart. Dumbledore looked at him helplessly and with pity. If he still had time, why would he put a burden that even adults could not bear on the shoulders of such a young child at this time?

"Harry, remember you once asked me why Voldemort wanted to kill you when you were very young?"

Harry nodded.

"I have been avoiding letting you know about this because I don't want you to bear such a heavy burden prematurely. I hope you can enjoy more peaceful and peaceful time. You have suffered so much in the first ten years of your life. After that..." Dumbledore smiled bitterly, "But now I have to tell you."

Harry twisted his body uneasily, his eyes firmly fixed on Dumbledore.

"Voldemort wanted to kill you when you were a baby because of a prophecy made shortly before you were born, Harry." Dumbledore looked into Harry's eyes and said slowly.

"Prophecy?" Harry looked at him confused.

Dumbledore pushed the shallow-bottomed stone basin next to the table in front of the two of them, pointed his wand at his temple, pulled out strands of silver spider silk-like substance, and put them into the basin.

Harry watched curiously as these silver substances swirled and floated like clouds at the bottom of the basin, and there seemed to be vague figures flashing through them.

"This is the pensieve. It can show us those unknown memories." Dumbledore poked the silver substance with the tip of his staff, and a figure wrapped in a shawl emerged from the basin.

Harry knew this person, she was the Divination professor at Hogwarts, Sybill Trelawney.

A low and hoarse voice came out of the figure's mouth: "The person who has the ability to defeat the Dark Lord is approaching... Born into a family that has resisted him three times, born at the end of July... The Dark Lord will mark him as his powerful enemy. , he will have power that the Dark Lord does not know... Both people cannot live, only one can survive... The one who has the ability to defeat the Dark Lord will be born at the end of July..."

After saying this prophecy, the shadow slowly rotated and sank into the pensieve and disappeared.

Harry turned his eyes to Dumbledore in surprise. He didn't feel panic at all, he just felt ridiculous and surprised, as if he had heard a joke that was not very funny.

"Professor Dumbledore?" He was stunned for a while before saying, "Is it because of this? A prophecy? Voldemort thinks I might defeat him?" He thought this was too absurd, like an old witch in Africa who suddenly pointed at The sky said the end of the world was coming, and then the world began to grow mushrooms.

"Prophecy is a very strange ability, Harry. Voldemort obviously heard an incomplete prophecy, and when he followed the prophecy and chose to attack you as an infant, he marked you as his powerful enemy." Dumbledore Lido said with some difficulty.

Harry raised his hand to wipe the lightning-shaped scar on his forehead, feeling a little confused.

There was silence in the office for a long time. Fox, the phoenix standing on the branch, stopped eating, and even the snoring sound coming from the portrait of the old principal disappeared.

Harry finally cleared his thoughts, but found that he was surprisingly accepting of this incident, perhaps because it was too far away and unreal. He also understood why Dumbledore taught him magic and self-defense skills, because he would have to duel with Voldemort in the future? One of them must die at the hands of the other?

He blinked in confusion, his mood unexpectedly calm. Voldemort was the enemy he had to fight. He was just worried that he couldn't bear such a heavy responsibility.

Dumbledore looked at him deeply and smiled helplessly. The little wizard in front of him is still too young, and his simple mind cannot understand what kind of painful struggle this means. But fortunately, the other party can slowly adapt to all this without being overwhelmed.

"I'm sorry for leaving you with your aunt and uncle for so many years and causing you so much pain, Harry," he said.

Harry was silent for a moment and said, "It's all over, sir. I'm fine now, and there's no need to go back there." He felt that during the next vacation, he could just rent a house outside like he did during the last summer vacation. Stay, like go to the Leaky Cauldron.

"No, Harry, what I want to tell you is that you cannot leave that home yet." Dumbledore said heavily but seriously.

"Why?" Harry's voice rose, and his reaction was even more intense than after hearing the prophecy just now, "That's not my home!"

"Harry, your mother's love for you saved you from being killed by Voldemort and gave you a lasting protection that still flows in your veins. Therefore, I rely on your mother's blood , and handed you over to her only remaining relative - her sister." Dumbledore stared into Harry's eyes and said seriously, "As long as you are still with your mother's blood relatives, you can still give that The place you call home is your sanctuary, where Voldemort and his supporters can never harm you."

"So, I still have to go back?" Harry said stiffly, his cheeks stern.

"Yes, even if you only go back once a year, you must go back. Voldemort will always come back, and his supporters have not completely disappeared. What we have to admit is that your situation is never so safe, Harry. "Dumbledore's serious expression softened a little, "This protection will last until the day you come of age. Before that, I hope you will go back."

Facing Harry's repulsive gaze, he softened his expression and his eyes seemed to sparkle with tears: "This is the most sincere blessing your mother has left for you. Harry, you have to live well..."

"I understand, sir..." Harry nodded with a wooden face. Don’t you just go back once a year for summer vacation before you become an adult? He endured it!

"Okay, then, we have to talk about how to defeat Voldemort." Dumbledore narrowed his eyes and smiled.

"How do we do this?"

"We know that Voldemort took some measures to ensure that he would not die." Dumbledore blinked at him, "Fortunately, I have some clues about this."

"That is a very evil black magic, a Horcrux." He said softly, his expression becoming solemn, "Split a part of the soul and hide it in an object. As long as this part of the soul remains in the world, Voldemort will always have the chance to make a comeback. ."

"Only by destroying the Horcrux can Voldemort be truly killed." Dumbledore stared deeply at Harry, with indescribable emotions hidden in his eyes. Harry was a Parseltongue...he had to guess...

"That crown, sir!" Harry said excitedly as he had an idea.

"Yes, Ravenclaw's diadem, I think it's Voldemort's Horcrux..." Dumbledore glanced at the young wizard who was so excited that he couldn't sit still, "One of them."

Harry's excitement was suddenly extinguished. He asked quietly: "You mean, he made more than just one Horcrux?"

"It turns out that it is indeed the case." Dumbledore said softly, "Voldemort was too afraid of death, so he destroyed his own soul unscrupulously, created multiple Horcruxes, and then hid them everywhere..."

"How many?" Harry said with difficulty.

"I'm afraid...seven."

"Seven..." Harry felt a little desperate for a moment. How to find this? The crown is one, so is the diary? But if there are only two, it won’t help.

"Fortunately, it's not traceless." Dumbledore actually laughed. "Voldemort always tends to use those important or precious items to hide his soul fragments, and he likes to hide them in places that are meaningful to him. Place. As long as we understand his life, we can find many traces..."

As he spoke, he took out an ugly black gemstone ring with burn marks from the drawer and placed it on the table: "For example, this..."

"Sir, you haven't been at school these days. Have you been searching for Voldemort's Horcrux?" Harry suddenly realized.

"Yeah, who would have thought that I would have to run around and be busy at such an old age? Fortunately, I found some clues..." Dumbledore paused, "I have made arrangements. At the right time, I will Someone gave you those clues...and then it's up to you, Harry."

"Isn't there you, sir?" Harry was stunned, feeling even more weird and uneasy.

"I won't be here forever, Harry." Dumbledore said with a bitter smile, "I'm already old..."

"Professor, you can live for a long time..." Harry opened his mouth.

"Okay, let's get back to the topic." Dumbledore smiled easily, his long white beard trembling slightly, "During this time, I happened to find a location where a Horcrux might be hidden. Having said that, More, why not go and experience it for yourself... Would you like to go and see it with me tonight?"

"Yes." Harry replied quickly.

"On one condition: You must obey any of my orders immediately and without question."

"Of course, sir."

Dumbledore stood up, walked out from behind the desk with steady and powerful steps, stretched out his left hand to hold Harry's arm, and then looked at the phoenix standing on the gilded perch: "Fawkes, please."

The phoenix fluttered its wings and circled gracefully in mid-air. It stretched out its golden claws and grabbed Dumbledore's shoulders. A burst of orange fire covered their figures. After the flames dissipated, the principal's room became empty.

Harry broke free from the suffocation and heat, gasping for air. It was dark all around and you could smell the sea. When Dumbledore raised his wand to illuminate the surroundings, he discovered that they were standing on a huge rock under a towering cliff. There was a crack in the dark rock wall, and a deep cave was hidden inside.

"Only the two of us can go in, Harry. Fawkes will be waiting for us outside," Dumbledore said.

Harry glanced at the phoenix hovering in the sky, swallowed nervously, followed Dumbledore and jumped into the cold sea water, swimming towards the disturbing dark cave.

…

In the dazzling firelight, Phoenix led the two of them back to the principal's office. Harry supported the weak Dumbledore and stood at the spot before they left with a pale face, looking at the trembling old man worriedly.

With red eyes, he helped Dumbledore onto the chair and said in a crying voice: "Sir, we are back, we have succeeded..." He held an oval shape tightly in his hand. locket, and a long wound on one arm.

He didn't dare to recall everything that happened in the cave: the stone wall opened with blood, the inferi at the bottom of the lake, and the potion in the stone basin... He ignored Dumbledore's painful pleas and poured him a cup with his own hands. A magic potion that causes the other person extreme pain...

Dumbledore slumped on the chair with a pale face, his eyes tightly closed, his mouth opened weakly, and his whole person looked lifeless. Harry was horrified to see that under the right glove he had taken off was a dry, charred hand, and that ominous and terrifying blackness was even spreading toward his arm.

Fawkes stood on the table and leaned his head towards Dumbledore's arm. Big tears fell on it, but it didn't seem to be of much use.

"Sir, your hands!" Harry said helplessly, tears starting to well up in his eyes. He dropped the locket in his hand on the table. The lid of the locket fell off and a note slipped out.

Dumbledore's spirits improved a little. He glanced at the opened locket and said very calmly: "It seems that we missed the point... Someone got there first..."

"Sir, are you okay?" Harry said quickly.

"It's not as good as before, that's not a healthy drink..." Dumbledore said weakly, the corners of his mouth twitching, "I need...Professor Snape..."

"But, your hands..." Harry said anxiously.

"Severus, I need Severus..." Dumbledore muttered, seemingly confused, "In the future...you can completely trust Professor Snape, Harry..."

"I know. Stop talking, I'm going to find Professor Snape." Harry ran out, followed Owen's example of taking a shortcut, and reached the Potions Office underground as quickly as possible, "Bang bang Bang" banging on the door.

The door opened with a swipe, and he almost fell inside. Snape stared at him condescendingly with a sullen face, as if he was about to cast a death curse on him.

"Professor Snape, Dumbledore..." Harry gasped and said intermittently, "Go and save Dumbledore!"

Snape's expression changed, and he slammed the door shut, shutting Harry out and almost breaking his nose. Harry touched his nose which was red from being hit, and continued to bang on the door with a look of disbelief on his face, with physiological tears in his eyes.

Before he could wait long, Snape hurried out with several bottles of potions and flew away like a big bat flapping its wings. Harry followed him with tears in his eyes, but was ruthlessly sent out after entering the headmaster's office.

Snape muttered a curse to Dumbledore's right hand, and drank bottle after bottle of potion into him with a solemn expression, frowning so hard that he could kill a fly. After a while, Dumbledore, who was already in a daze, regained consciousness and weakly thanked him.

"If you think you can't die quickly enough, you can tell me directly. I have no shortage of poison here." Snape said in an extremely sarcastic tone, with angry fire flashing in his black eyes.

"How's it going?" Dumbledore's expression was very calm.

"The curse has begun to spread." Snape said coldly, "I barely controlled it, but how long can I suppress it this time... I don't know. If you want to die quickly, you can continue to wander around..."

"I can't help it, Severus." Dumbledore smiled bitterly, "Ravenclaw's diadem, Hufflepuff's golden cup, Slytherin's locket, Marvolo's ring, and... He paused and then continued, "I only destroyed one of the seven Horcruxes. I have arranged for the crown in the school, but the whereabouts of the rest are unknown. There are even two that I don't know about at all." …”

"What was that you omitted?" Snape looked at him keenly.

"Ah, I want to rest, Severus," Dumbledore said softly.

Harry lingered outside the headmaster's room for a long time, waiting until Professor Snape came out. After he eagerly asked about Dumbledore's situation, he relaxed slightly.

But thinking of Dumbledore's blackened palm, he couldn't help but feel even heavier. Thinking back to tonight's conversation, he always had the feeling that Dumbledore was explaining the aftermath.

"How could that be?" He shook his head and returned to the common room worried.

Thanks to guojun1998 for the 200 starting coins~