Hogwarts: Harry Returns from Azeroth

Chapter 264, Section 263: The Death of the Soul-Returning Stone and the Excellent Situation
“Yes, of course you don’t need to,” Dumbledore suddenly laughed. “Your father, your grandfather, and the Potter family for generations have all used it to wander freely in the castle at night without ever having to worry about being caught—but you never do, or rather, you don’t need to hide yourself in this way at all. If my castle caretaker happens to see you at night, he will immediately lower his head and pretend he didn’t see you. Even Severus can’t stump you.”

As Dumbledore said, given Harry's exceptional circumstances, he hadn't really used the Invisibility Cloak many times; the Disillusionment Charm would have been more useful in unexpected situations.

“I know what you’re thinking, Harry,” Dumbledore shrugged. “The Disillusionment Charm, right? I must say, when I did the math, I suddenly realized you have way too many good things around you, like the Invisibility Cloak and the Philosopher’s Stone, so many that you haven’t even had time to appreciate their value.”

“If you had actually tested that invisibility cloak, you would have found that ordinary spells simply cannot break through its defenses, an effect that no other invisibility cloak can achieve,” Dumbledore said with certainty. “Legends aside, I believe it is actually an excellent alchemical item, and almost impossible to replicate.”

"Like Ravenclaw's tiara?" Harry asked. "Is there any progress on Nick's restoration?"

"It's difficult, and he had originally planned to spend the last moments of his life with his wife... Of course, even he had to admit that studying the Ravenclaw tiara was indeed very tempting."

“If all else fails, let’s take it back,” Harry said, shaking his head. “We have no reason to disturb an old man as he approaches the end of his life. Let him pass away peacefully.”

“Yes, since you’ve inherited everything from Nico, including his Philosopher’s Stone, you can study it at your own pace later,” Dumbledore said with a smile. “Let’s get back to the Resurrection Stone. The stone that Death gave to the second son in the story is called that.”

"When I realized that Voldemort was searching for magical artifacts of great significance to be his Horcruxes, I immediately realized that there was nothing in the wizarding world that could rival the relics of the four founders of Hogwarts."

As he spoke, Dumbledore drew a strange symbol on the ground: a triangle with a circle and a vertical line inside.

“Decades ago, Gellert used this symbol as the organization’s emblem. To most wizards, it simply meant a saint, a follower of Grindelwald. Only a few knew that it was also the symbol of the Deathly Hallows,” Dumbledore continued. “The triangle represents the Invisibility Cloak, the circle represents the Resurrection Stone, and this last vertical line represents—”

Harry, the Elder Wand, continued, "Voldemort successfully obtained the relics of the three founders of Hogwarts as Horcruxes. As a successor, he naturally heard about the story between you and Grindelwald, so he also went to search for the Deathly Hallows—but I have a question: how many pieces did he cut his soul into?"

“Nobody knows the answer to that question, Harry,” Dumbledore said, gazing into Harry’s eyes. “Just as nobody knows how insane Voldemort was in his desperate attempt to escape death, I don’t know either… But I think seven is a very magical number, isn’t it?”

“The diary, the golden cup, the crown, the locket, and the Resurrection Stone,” Harry listed.

“Oh, I’m afraid I have to correct you on one point, Harry. It’s still uncertain whether the Soul Stone is a Horcrux,” Dumbledore corrected. “This is just my guess based on Voldemort’s behavior and personality. Voldemort’s mother used a love potion to seduce his father and eventually gave birth to him. When the effects of the love potion wore off, Voldemort’s father abandoned his wife and the black child. In the end, his mother gave birth to Voldemort at the gate of the orphanage and then died.”

“A tragic background,” Harry commented, “but that’s no excuse for him to do evil.”

“Yes, of course not,” Dumbledore nodded slightly, “but such an experience undoubtedly shaped Voldemort’s cruel and loveless character. He hated his mother, who was a wizard but died a coward, and he also hated his father’s Muggle status.”

"At the same time, he also hated his mixed-race heritage immensely—which is why, while he was still in school, Voldemort always claimed that he had Slytherin blood, the evidence being that he had Parseltongue and could talk to snakes."

"And the others believed it too?" Harry asked.

"Why not?" Dumbledore countered. "Parsley is indeed a Slytherin tradition, and Voldemort did indeed demonstrate this instinct. Most importantly, he was good enough and powerful enough, which is the most convincing proof."

"In short, when he completely abandoned the name Tom and reappeared as Voldemort, he declared himself a pureblood, burying the fact that he was a half-blood—a very strong obsession, wasn't it? That's the clue I followed to hunt him down."

“Voldemort cared more about the concept of bloodline than anyone else, and he was also fanatically pursuing magical artifacts of extraordinary significance, such as the chalice crown, a founder’s relic… and of course, everything left behind by Slytherin,” Dumbledore shrugged and said. “I thought Voldemort would go to Effermoni, after all, that school was founded by Slytherin’s descendants, and it is said that Slytherin’s wand is buried there and has even turned into a tree.”

"Is the wand safe?" Harry asked.

“Yes, not Horcruxes,” Dumbledore nodded slightly. “Then I continued my pursuit along the trail of Voldemort’s mother, whose name was Merop Gaunt. The Gaunt family is also a direct descendant of Slytherin, with generations of inbreeding and many Parseltongues—such an ancient pure-blood noble family would naturally be Voldemort’s target, wouldn’t it?”

"And the Resurrection Stone is with the Gaunt family?" Harry asked. "It sounds like you've already found it."

“Yes, Harry, I have found it,” Dumbledore’s voice suddenly turned somber. “I just—don’t know how to face it.”

"Why? Voldemort used it to set a trap?"

“Oh, traps are bound to exist, you know, Harry. I did have a crazy period when I was young, a time when I considered my family a burden and was on a crazy search for the Deathly Hallows with Gellert… so I recognized it instantly, recognized what was set in that Gaunt family ring.”

“I saw Ariana’s spirit,” Dumbledore took a deep breath. “It was calling me to wear it, I saw her beckoning to me…”

“You are a shaman, Dumbledore,” Harry’s voice rose, “and you have ample magical talent and an active mind. I don’t know where you are on the path of shamanism right now, but you can reunite with your sister and Ariana whenever you want.”

“I know, I know, Harry,” Dumbledore said with a wry smile. “Otherwise, why do you think I’d be sitting here talking to you?”

"It was because I thought of all this the moment I was about to get close to it that I was able to appear here... at least not as a corpse lying in front of you, making you shed tears for me."

“So, where’s the thing?” Harry asked. After a moment of silence, Dumbledore took a small box from his pocket and placed it on the ground between the two of them.

“This is more than just a clue,” Harry said softly, picking up the box and opening it—inside lay a ring with sharp, serpentine gold trim and a dark, translucent gem set at the very top.

However, it is quite obvious that there is a clearly visible crack on this gemstone.

It has been killed.

Voldemort has lost another Horcrux.

"Can I touch it directly?" Harry asked.

“Of course, whatever you want,” Dumbledore’s voice was a little hoarse.

Harry's ring touched the gem... the Resurrection Stone, but nothing happened. Dumbledore destroyed it completely, leaving absolutely no possibility for the fragments of soul within to be resurrected.

“Well, the diary, the diadem, the cup, the locket, the Resurrection Stone… We’ve destroyed four of Voldemort’s Horcruxes, and I’m still searching for the last one, the cup,” Harry said briefly. “I hope he didn’t actually make seven Horcruxes—well, at least Voldemort, now that he’s become a demon, doesn’t need to make any more Horcruxes. As long as he’s not killed by the right method, he’s already immortal.”

“You know what, Harry?” Dumbledore suddenly said, “I once suspected you, suspected that you might also be one of his Horcruxes—thirteen years ago, on that night, a massacre occurred, which was the condition for creating a Horcrux, and given Voldemort’s character, it is very likely that he would create a Horcrux when killing a specific target.”

Harry subconsciously touched the lightning bolt-shaped scar on his forehead.

"But later, I gave up on this conjecture, because even from the time you met Voldemort's main soul directly the year before last until you destroyed him last year, you never showed any abnormal behavior during your meetings with Voldemort—no headaches, no strange sights or unknown memories—there was no connection between you, which means you are not his Horcrux."

"To be honest, this discovery has really made me feel much more at ease. Otherwise, I really wouldn't know how I would face you, let you... well, you should understand what I mean."

To truly kill Voldemort, one must first kill all of his Horcruxes. If Harry is also a Horcrux, it means Harry will also die... and it is often difficult for a person to face their own death.

“I understand,” Harry let out a soft breath, and then suddenly said, “Your guess was actually right. I was indeed a member of Voldemort’s Horcruxes—once.”

"Hmm?" Dumbledore's eyes widened.

“That piece of soul was right there in this scar. The moment I first ascended to become an elemental being during my Ascension Ritual in Azeroth, that piece of soul was exposed and then torn to pieces by the raging elements,” Harry couldn’t help but laugh. “To be honest, I didn’t realize what that thing in my soul was until I saw Voldemort’s main soul two years ago. It really answered a question that had been bothering me for many years.”

"Aha!" After a moment of stunned silence, Dumbledore suddenly laughed. "So, this is fate, Harry—doesn't this mean we've destroyed another Horcrux?"

“Yes, that’s something we should have a good drink about,” Harry patted Dumbledore on the back. “I won’t say much more to comfort you. An elder like you is never short of wisdom. You’ve already succeeded in destroying the Resurrection Stone, haven’t you?”

“Let’s go back to Grimmauld Place,” Harry said, pulling Dumbledore up. “We’ve avenged Regulus, and Sirius will probably want to celebrate. You know he’s not one to wallow in sorrow.”

“Ah, of course he isn’t,” Dumbledore sighed. “But I can also be sure that your purpose is definitely not that simple, is it?”

“That’s right,” Harry said, winking deliberately. “Black’s Old House is undergoing a transformation, and it needs the help of someone with your powerful magic, someone who can use spells with effects beyond the ordinary.”

“Aha, I knew it,” Dumbledore said, a rare look of exasperation on his face. “You’ve got me covered, dear Harry… is that all?”

“I think you’ve heard about my recent activities, Protection from Dangerous Magic and the new Triwizard Tournament,” Harry said with a smile. “I’d like to hear your opinion.”

“My opinion?” Dumbledore laughed too. “My opinion is to do what you think is right, Harry. I’m an old man from over a hundred years ago, and my thoughts and opinions are probably no longer suitable for this changing new era—you’re not Fudge, are you?”

"Yes, I am not."

Only Fudge would ask Dumbledore about everything, because he needed Dumbledore's reputation to bolster the credibility of his orders.

Harry doesn't need that.

When the two returned to Number 12 Grimmauld Place, sure enough, Harry's judgment of his godfather was correct. Sirius seemed to have emerged from his grief. He had even ridden his motorcycle to a Muggle restaurant and bought a lot of food, drinks, and alcohol, saying that he wanted to celebrate the Black family having produced another true hero full of courage—and also to celebrate Regulus's revenge.

(End of this chapter)