The Pacifist Necromancer of Hogwarts

Chapter 328 Resurrection Stone

"Ah, Henry." Dumbledore looked up at the door. "Come in, come in. Find a chair." He put the quill in his hand aside, rolled up the parchment, and tapped the table lightly. The silver kettle that Anthony was already very familiar with flew to the table and began to boil water by itself.

"I hope I'm not bothering you too much, sir."

"Why?" said Dumbledore, smiling. "In fact, I have been looking forward to someone visiting me since this morning to bring some healthy fresh air to me and these papers. Fresh air is very important, especially when I have only eaten a cold fried egg - but I guess you came to see me for another reason?"

"Yes, sir." Anthony nodded and put the crumpled newspaper in his hand on the table.

Dumbledore looked at it, then at Anthony, with polite curiosity. He scooped a few teaspoons of tea from a small jar and put them into a ceramic teapot.

"Mr. and Mrs. Flamel have concluded their adventure," Anthony explained. "Before returning to their leisurely daily lives, they decided to leave their troubles behind, and so I received this package."

He unfolded the newspaper to reveal the ring.

"This thing is a bit weird, sir." Anthony turned the ring over and showed Dumbledore the black gem on it. "It doesn't belong to any necromancy that I know of, but it seems to be somewhat related to necromancy. In addition, there is another thing related to the soul, which is very weak - sir?"

Dumbledore stared at the ring, his whole body as still as a statue. The water boiled, the kettle trembled slightly with the gurgling water, and streams of steam came out of the spout.

"Professor Dumbledore?"

Dumbledore blinked slowly a few times, replaced the lid on the ceramic teapot, took off his glasses, lowered his head and wiped the lenses. The kettle was shaking persistently.

"So," said Dumbledore, without looking at Anthony, the kettle, or the ring, "what do you think this is, Henry?"

"I don't know," Anthony said. "It's probably like Mr. Flamel said. Not great, but not bad either. I just think it's... weird."

"strangeness?"

"It's not the part related to necromancy, sir. It's the part related to the soul. It makes me feel..." Anthony hesitated, "not good."

In fact, Anthony quite liked the gem itself. The familiar yet strange magical power vaguely surrounded the stone, quietly seeping out from every crack in it, making him feel an inexplicable, warm, light joy, almost like dizziness. But the faint soul power lingered near the stone, like the smell of rotting garbage heaps brought by the evening breeze, vague and lingering, disturbing the pleasure of walking on the shore.

"As for the part concerning necromancy..." Dumbledore said softly.

"Oh, that part is fine with me. But that's one of the reasons I came to you," Anthony said with a bit of self-mockery, "Considering that I'm a dark wizard, I guess that probably means it's also some kind of dark magic item."

Dumbledore smiled slightly, still gazing down over his half-moon spectacles.

"No, Henry, it's not. It's not a Dark Artifact... Ah, how interesting, treasures often favor those who ignore them, and ignore those who desire them." He finally put his glasses back on his nose and looked at the ring in Anthony's hand. "What's going on?"

Anthony knew he was referring to the crack in the stone.

"Maybe it was broken," Anthony said. "You said it's not a black magic item? But I remember someone told me that anything related to life and death and the soul is black magic."

Dumbledore shook his head, still staring at the ring: "It should be difficult to break."

"what is it?"

The kettle finally gave up and stopped belching steam.

Dumbledore hesitated, then held out his hand. "May I have a closer look at it?"

"It's better not to. Necromancer and its relatives are probably not good for the living." Anthony said, "But if you insist..."

He handed the ring to Dumbledore, but Dumbledore suddenly withdrew his finger before he touched the ring. Anthony looked at the person sitting opposite him, sighed deeply, and leaned back in his chair.

"No, never mind. Better not," Dumbledore muttered. Anthony was surprised to notice how prominent the silver hair and beard and wrinkles on Dumbledore's face were. For the first time in a long time, he looked almost as old as he was.

"What's the matter, sir?"

Dumbledore did not answer him at once, but continued to stare at the ring, as if listening to a fierce internal argument.

Fawkes suddenly flew down from the top of the cabinet, landed on the armrest of Dumbledore's chair, and gently rested his head on his arm. Dumbledore looked away, looked at Fawkes, raised his other hand, and slowly stroked its head.

"Would you call that wise, Fawkes?" he asked quietly, "or cowardly, after all this time?"

Fawkes began to sing softly and melodiously, like some kind of song. Anthony sat in a chair and listened quietly with Dumbledore.

After the last note trembled and dissipated into the air, no one moved. The portraits on the walls were silent, too, no snoring or long breathing could be heard. Fawkes lowered his head and adjusted his feathers.

Dumbledore wiped his eyes quickly.

"Ah, music," he sighed, and then, without warning, "Have you ever heard of the Resurrection Stone, Henry?"

"What?" said Anthony. "Well, no, sir, but I suppose the name is what it means." He turned the ring half a circle, holding the black stone toward him, and looked down. "But it can't be—you don't mean—"

"I suspect it is what we suspect," said Dumbledore quietly. "Yes, I am almost certain of it."

Anthony subconsciously asked: "But isn't resurrection impossible?"

"Our resurrected undead wizard asked," Dumbledore chuckled. "It seems that Hogwarts has provided you with some magical knowledge after all, Henry."

Anthony also laughed. "I mean, if there is a resurrection stone in the world, then why do all the people I meet tell me that resurrection is impossible? And...it's not a black magic item? Really?"

"You have to know that this is a legendary item, Henry," Dumbledore said. "There are many people who do not believe in its existence. Of course, there are also people who have always believed in it... However, even in the legend, it has never successfully resurrected anyone. I remember the story goes like this: the first owner of the Resurrection Stone got it from the God of Death, and wanted to use it to bring his deceased lover back to the world. So, he turned the stone in his hand three times -" He looked at the ring again, but quickly looked away, "- the next moment, his lover appeared in front of him. But he soon discovered that she was not happy, and even resented him for this seemingly resurrected. She was forcibly dragged back to the world from death by him, but she no longer belonged here, so she felt very painful."

Dumbledore paused. Anthony waited for a moment. "Is this the end?"

"No. Eventually, that person realized that the Resurrection Stone couldn't bring him what he wanted, and that they could only be reunited in death, so he threw the Resurrection Stone aside and committed suicide."

“Ah,” Anthony said. “That doesn’t sound like an advertisement for the Resurrection Stone.”

"It's not like that," Dumbledore admitted. "But people still find it attractive. Especially considering that it is a legend. After so many retellings and revisions, it is difficult to be sure what the Resurrection Stone can do. In any case, even if it is just like in the story, to see the relatives and friends who have passed away again, to see them standing in front of you, to hear their voices, to say a few words to them - a few words that you didn't have time to say - and even to live with them for a while..." His voice gradually lowered.

"I understand," Anthony said. Dumbledore nodded. "I understand too. I must be honest. If I had faced it alone and hadn't had so much time to think, I'm afraid it would have been in my hands now. The temptation is too great. I doubt whether I can resist it."

"But you said it was a legendary item? In that case, how can you be sure that it is..."

"I recognise it, Henry, I recognise it. I suppose there is something good about being old. At least, when I was a fool, I was an old fool." Dumbledore leaned forward and examined the ring closely. "Ah, Nico, you know people won't be particularly happy."

"what?"

"These cracks," Dumbledore traced the stone through the air with his long index finger, "should not have been there. I think it was a coat of arms...ah, yes...Niccol broke the stone into pieces, so it is hard to recognize now."

"Maybe he didn't recognize what it was either," Anthony said.

"Unlikely." Dumbledore smiled. "Nico is a legendary alchemist. I find it hard to believe that he couldn't see it. Speaking of which, I discussed this topic with him and Perenelle once. Perenelle believed that it was just a story to warn people not to pursue magic that could bring the dead back to life. Nico didn't believe that the Resurrection Stone was a gift from the God of Death. He insisted that it must be an alchemical product. If they hadn't announced that they would no longer participate in alchemical experiments after making the Philosopher's Stone, he believed that they would definitely be able to make one. I don't care where the Resurrection Stone came from. I only care about its effect."

"Maybe it broke before they found it."

"Then only they know." Dumbledore did not look convinced. He leaned back in his chair and crossed his fingers. "At any rate, it looks like it will work. So, be careful, Henry."

Anthony knew what he meant. Once people knew it really existed, they would chase the Resurrection Stone like the Philosopher's Stone.

He sighed. "Mr. Flamel did send me a troublesome thing. Can we just destroy it, sir? It can't bring about a true resurrection anyway?"

"I suspect that is what Nicol and Perenelle were going to do," said Dumbledore, "and they are already the best alchemists I know of working with the Stone. If that is all they decide to do, I do not recommend that we try any further."

"All right," Anthony whispered, touching the stone again, feeling the intoxicating joy. Then he felt the faint, annoying soul force again.

Dumbledore watched his movements.

"But, sir," said Anthony, puzzled, "why is there anything related to the soul?"

"If you want to bring the dead back to the living, I guess you will inevitably have to deal with spirits," said Dumbledore. "But I must admit that I am not an expert in this area. In the Department of Mysteries..."

Anthony shook his head. "No, sir, that doesn't feel right. It... doesn't fit in with the stone itself."

"Oh, really?" Dumbledore looked a little surprised.

He pondered for a while, then suddenly stood up, walked to a cabinet, opened the drawer, and began to search inside. Fox stood on the armrest, tilting his head to watch his actions.

Dumbledore said, "Tell me you didn't burn them, Fawkes." Fawkes turned his head and began to straighten the feathers behind his back.

"Ah, here!" Dumbledore pulled out a piece of paper from the cupboard. "Let me see... um..."

Anthony asked curiously, "What is that, sir?"

"Not long ago, Nico sent me a letter full of gibberish," Dumbledore said, handing the paper to Anthony. "He does this kind of thing all the time, though - just to make his life more interesting, as he puts it. One time, he told me he sent me the blood of a dragon that lives in a cave, but it turned out to be a mixture of ketchup, grape juice, ginger beer, and elixir of life."

Anthony took the letter.

"Albus, did you know that we can't see the Southern Cross? They're thought to be floating in the brightest part of the Milky Way, but only those of us who live in the Southern Hemisphere can see them. Like penguins.

"But it was still visible from Egypt and places like that, many years ago. I mean, the Southern Cross, not the penguins. Back then, Muggle astronomers observed the stars in a way that the centaurs would have laughed at, and they put the Southern Cross in the constellation Centaurus.

"I wonder why Muggles use the word 'Centaur'. I personally think 'Horsepeople' is a more understandable name, but it might be confused with the nomadic peoples, so it's better to call it 'Homose' - you know, add the people and take away the horse head. The horse head might have other uses, like hanging it on the Southern Cross as a decoration or something.

"That's too offensive. Forget what I just said. It was just some fragmented nonsense.

"You were just kicked by a horse and are lying on the ground, Nico"

Anthony put the letter down.

“I had no idea what I had just read,” he said.

Dumbledore said, "Neither do I. But it might be a hint."

"Why?" Anthony asked, and then noticed Dumbledore's thoughtful expression. "Have you any idea, sir?"

Dumbledore smiled and said, "Yes or no, I'm not sure now. It's more like a guess... a guess that I would rather it be wrong, otherwise it would mean arrogance and taint beyond my imagination, and some trouble that is not easy to deal with. Oh, Henry, you have indeed received a big trouble." His tone told Anthony that the discussion about Nico's letter had come to an end for the time being.

"I think so," said Anthony. "If you would keep it for me--"

Dumbledore interrupted.

"Nico and Perenelle had their reasons for not giving it to me," said Dumbledore. "And they were very good reasons. No, Henry, I beg your pardon."

Anthony hesitated: "Okay, then." He wrapped the ring back in the newspaper, crumpled it up, and put it back in his pocket.

"Oh, dear," Dumbledore whispered suddenly.

"What's the matter, sir?"

"The water is cold." Dumbledore tapped the kettle again, and it began to boil again. "My rudeness. How about a cup of, uh, afternoon tea before you go?"

"sounds good."

"Of course, if there's anything else I can be of assistance with, please feel free to ask."

"Um... it's a question about the Resurrection Stone, sir."

"Go ahead, Henry."

Anthony hesitated, but couldn't help saying, "How can it not be a dark magic item? It's much more evil than me!"

(End of this chapter)