Who let this Dementor into Hogwarts!

Chapter 499 Pay attention, this boy only said one sentence to the principal's sister, and he was killed alive—

Dumbledore's statement didn't actually imply that finding the Horcrux would be difficult for him and Cohen—quite the opposite, Cohen could find it simply by following the scent.

The main reason for saying this was to shift my focus from continuing to explore magical philosophy to serious matters.

The Gaunt family's old house was covered in cobwebs, and the leaky roof and walls allowed the spiders to scavenge for insects that flew out of the grass.

Most of the furniture was rotten, but there was one exception.

Cohen stopped in front of a mahogany cabinet that was so intact it seemed abnormal.

"He seemed afraid that people wouldn't be able to find him," Cohen said, covering his nose.

The closer he got to the nauseating odor, the stronger it became. Cohen was already thinking about smearing his own blood on it instead of turning into a basilisk and getting bitten.

Covering his nose was not very effective; Cohen could still smell the odor even if he stopped breathing.

Dumbledore opened the cabinet door, and a ring set with a large, jet-black gemstone lay quietly in the middle of the cabinet, surrounded by nothing else.

The gemstone is engraved with a pattern consisting of triangles, circles, and a line.

[Soul Strength: 15]

This is one of Voldemort's early works. He created this Horcrux while he was in school, after the diary and before the diadem.

Dumbledore stared at it, stunned, then reached his hand inside—

Snapped!
Cohen patted the old man's hand—opportunities to openly hit Dumbledore like this don't come often.

"You're planning to wear it right away?" Cohen stared into Dumbledore's eyes and said, "It's a Horcrux, and it's cursed."

“It’s not just a Horcrux…” Dumbledore’s voice sounded a little hoarse, “Cohen, it’s also—”

“Until all the filth on it is removed, it’s a Horcrux,” Cohen said firmly, then cut his finger and quickly stuck the wound to the ring.

The moment the liquid curse touched the ring, it spread first to the entire cabinet, then to the entire wooden shed—the screams of the souls instantly filled every place that sound could reach.

Fortunately, there were no other houses inhabited nearby, otherwise a bunch of Muggle police officers would have come running over soon.

Cohen withdrew his hand. The liquid cursed blood found souls and magical curses to devour. This time, instead of evaporating into the air as usual, it spread across the ring like a living fungal carpet.

The screams continued, and the souls above howled and cursed incessantly from their pain, while Cohen counted down the time after withdrawing his fingers.

"...7, 6, 5—wait, it hasn't been ten seconds yet."

Cohen discovered that the liquid curse he had left on the ring had now completely evaporated, indicating that it had completely corrupted the soul and magic on it.

The truth behind cutting-edge black magic is undeniable—Voldemort's soul left here is simply too weak.

That curse was quite powerful; it seemed to last a second longer than the soul curse, as if Voldemort added it when he returned later.

"Alright, you can—" Before Cohen could finish speaking, Dumbledore swiftly snatched the ring away.

Cohen had never seen Dumbledore so impatient before. He didn't look like an old man at all, but more like a child who couldn't wait to open his Christmas presents.

Dumbledore closed his eyes, trembling as he turned the ring three times in his palm, but dared not open his eyes to see what would happen next.

Cohen had originally planned to go out for a bit to give Dumbledore some private space—but what happened next made Cohen not want to leave.

A pale figure floated out from Dumbledore's body. They didn't look like the pearly ghosts, nor like living, breathing people.

More illusory than a living person, but more real than a ghost.

This was a girl with shoulder-length hair. She stood in front of Dumbledore, looking sadly at the old man.

Cohen was surprised to see Ariana, summoned by Dumbledore—Cohen had originally thought the Resurrection Stone was just an alchemical artifact that allowed people to see hallucinations of the dead. Dumbledore began to sob.

Cohen had an urge to "run away quickly or he'll be silenced."

“Ariana…” Dumbledore’s voice was like that of a dying old man, broken and barely audible.

“Brother.” Ariana reached out her hand to Dumbledore, but her expression remained sorrowful.

Dumbledore tried to grab her, but missed.

Cohen had already slipped outside the shed—though it seemed Dumbledore no longer cared about his image.

However, the scene was so captivating that Cohen secretly slipped inside to take a look.

"I'm sorry... Ariana... I'm so sorry..."

Dumbledore had collapsed, sitting on the ground, his voice trembling with sobs, two streams of tears running down his aged face and disappearing into his beard.

"It's all my fault...it's all my fault..."

“I don’t blame you, brother,” Ariana’s voice seemed to come from another world. “It’s not your fault.”

She stroked Dumbledore's face with a non-existent hand.

“I didn’t want this to happen…” Dumbledore cried, “I…I…”

"Have you found what you were looking for?" Ariana asked, her brows furrowed. "That 'greater good'?"

Dumbledore buried his face in his arms, unable to face Ariana, and began to sob even more uncontrollably.

Suddenly, Ariana looked toward the location where Cohen's soul was.

"?"

Cohen and she made eye contact.

What? This phantom can see itself?
“Thank you for saving him,” Ariana said.

"Um...you're welcome?" Cohen didn't know what to say, so he scratched his head.

It was the first time I'd spoken to someone who was completely dead, and I was a little nervous.

Dumbledore couldn't see Cohen, but he could see Ariana say something towards the door.

He looked up where Ariana was looking, but couldn't see anything. Only then did he realize that Cohen was gone.

Ariana turned back to Dumbledore, who had by then gotten up from the ground—

“Brother, you still have things to do…” Ariana said, “Please tell Aberforth I love you, and I’m sorry.”
-
"You're not going to kill me to silence me, are you?" Cohen looked at Dumbledore, who was now back to normal.

“Only cowards get angry at showing weakness in front of others,” Dumbledore said. “That’s why I invited you here—I was afraid I would get carried away by seeing her and abandon the responsibilities I should be taking on. Thank you, Cohen.”

“About your sister…” Cohen said.

"This is a long story, I think—"

“No, I mean, do you want her to come back to life?” Cohen said.

Cohen was not lying.

Because the instant Ariana disappeared, Cohen was certain he saw a fleeting glimpse of her soul strength.

(End of this chapter)