Hogwarts Study Panel.

Chapter 449, Section 447: Casual Chat

"Want to take a walk with me?"

Dumbledore said with a smile.

Sheen nodded. The house in front of him was now just a dark, scorching frame, radiating intense heat.

With a tiny flick of his wand, Professor Quirrell inadvertently buried a ring that hadn't been completely burned.

He glanced at Sheen subtly, and with a flick of his finger, the tattered ring was quietly stored in the Wizard's Book.

Next, Sheen will have to find a way to break Voldemort's curse.

"Professor, thank you."

Sheehan said to Quirrell.

"Ah, ah... no, Mr. Green, I wasn't of any help..."

Quirrell stumbled along.

"You faced Voldemort head-on, and you defeated him."

Sheen said.

"No, no... yes... yes, I destroyed a part of him, just a part..."

Quirrell's knuckles turned white as he gripped the wand.

"The fact is, you did it, Professor."

Someone told me that the important thing is to keep fighting, fighting, and fighting again, because only in that way can evil be controlled, although it can never be completely eliminated...

Sheen spoke slowly, his gaze fixed on the tranquil night and on the ground where the ring had just been buried.

A blood-like, black, viscous substance seeped out from the ground.

That was a piece of the ring that had been broken into pieces.

When it cracked open, all three of them heard that terrible, painful scream. It turned out that it came not only from the black mist, but also from the thing that had just shattered.

Quirrell stood there, stunned, staring at the eerie patch of ground.

"Your will is Quirrell's will."

Finally, he said.

Not far away, Dumbledore watched the two talking with a smile.

He remained calm and composed, and even seemed quite interested.

Only after Quirrell Apparated away and Pukchi entered the Wizarding Book did Dumbledore tap his knuckles and light his wand.

"Let's go, dear Mr. Green."

Dumbledore raised his wand, and his tall figure was bathed in a soft glow.

For two days, a northwest wind blew through Little Hangton, and even the barking of dogs could hardly be heard in this small village.

The sky was an endless expanse of leaden color, with only a yellowish patch on the far eastern horizon, seemingly powerless yet stubborn, as if trying to slowly melt away the leaden canopy.

There were seven or eight low houses scattered on the ground, lying like beetles.

The stacks of new straw resembled withered wild mushrooms; near them and a little further away along the riverbank, the scent of earth carried the promise of spring.

"You must know the story of the three brothers. Beethoven made it very clear that the second brother's lost lover did not truly come back to life."

She was sent by Death to lure the second son into Death's clutches; therefore, she was cold, distant, and aloof, making him anxious.

Sheen spoke slowly in the dim light of night, just before dawn.

"Do you think I should want that?"

Dumbledore said.

"I have no idea."

Sheen thought for a moment.

"I don't know either, child. People without hope can only endure life... You've done very well."

I know some people's promises of the future are sweet lies, but look, I'm willing to fall for it again.

Dumbledore's gaze was deep, his robes fluttering in the pre-dawn breeze.

"The Elder Wand, the Resurrection Stone, the Invisibility Cloak."

They may be useful, but I seized them at the wrong time and for the wrong reasons.

I don't even know how much I've improved now.

However, I've come to understand something. I can never be a true conqueror of death, because a true conqueror never tries to escape death.

He would gladly accept his inevitable death, knowing that there are things in the world of the living that are far worse than death.

Humans always seem to have a penchant for choosing what is most detrimental to them.

Even I, Albus Dumbledore, find the Invisibility Cloak the easiest thing to refuse. This only shows that someone as intelligent as me is, in fact, just like everyone else, a complete fool.

Dumbledore and Sheehan stepped over the haystack together.

They also found a snake that had been frozen solid before spring.

"You're not a fool."

Sheen said.

"I'm glad you agree. But today, my dear student treated me like a fool and kept me on guard."

It disappoints me that a young voice is unwilling to speak to an old ear.

Dumbledore raised his eyebrows, feigning surprise.

Sheen fell silent. Dumbledore looked over with a bright smile, and you could see that his ears were slightly red.

A gentle breeze was blowing; dawn was approaching.

The yellowish hue on the horizon eventually dissolved the leaden sky.

"I used to think this was the suffering of life, but you see, this is the content of life."

Even if life is hard, that's okay...

Dumbledore spoke slowly, as if chatting casually.

Why?

Sheen asked softly.

He couldn't imagine how Headmaster Dumbledore could resist the temptation of the Resurrection Stone.

The Resurrection Stone, no matter how heartbreaking its outcome may be, can ultimately summon souls.

For Headmaster Dumbledore, this meant he would see Ariana, his mother, and his father, and tell them how much remorse he felt...

"Because... I set off again, rowing my broken oar."

Dumbledore smiled.

……

The first rooster crowed at Hogwarts Castle.

The young wizards here rarely wake up at this time.

In other words, only young wizards who are out at night and haven't slept, or those who haven't slept all night, can hear this cry.

Sheehan heard it, for he had just returned to Hogwarts Castle.

It uses the Phoenix Fox's Phantom Shift ability.

This was quite an interesting thing; Sheen felt himself turn into a ball of fire, spreading with the wind all the way to Hogwarts Castle.

What was even more interesting and pleasing to Sheen was that Headmaster Dumbledore had let go of his obsession with the Resurrection Stone.

This means that Sheen has enough time to break the curse and verify its effectiveness in the realm of the soul.

The Ravenclaw Tower was silent. Sheen read a book about the Resurrection Stone while observing for a while a "little phoenix" that had appeared on his desk.

A few seconds later, "Little Phoenix" popped into a special photo.

Dumbledore there was smiling and winking, and this was the first time he had shown color.

A short while later, the "phoenix" flew out from his position again and played with the squirrel that ran out from Quirrell's position.

Sheen looked out the window, his deep green eyes like a calm lake.

Meanwhile, in the principal's office.

An owl flew out here, carrying letters that hadn't been sent for many years in its talons.

[...I am writing to you this Easter...maybe I met a lucky black cat.]

To our surprise, it did not promise us glory and happiness, but it protected our hope...

(End of this chapter)