The Silent Witch of Hogwarts

Chapter 650 Dumbledore and the Resurrection Stone

In the headmaster's office at Hogwarts, Dumbledore sat quietly in his chair.

He showed no expression, simply staring silently at the destroyed Horcrux before him.

He has just destroyed one of Voldemort's Horcruxes, the Gaunt family ring.

However—although the ring engraved with the Resurrection Stone was destroyed, the Resurrection Stone itself remained intact.

Looking at the Resurrection Stone before him, Dumbledore instinctively reached out and pinched it.

He certainly knew what the Resurrection Stone was—it was one of the Deathly Hallows, something he and Grindelwald had once pursued together.

It is an artifact with the same name as the Invisibility Cloak and the Elder Wand—and for this reason, it contains terrifying power.

That is, the ability to resurrect others—but in the story, the so-called resurrection of the Resurrection Stone is only the restoration of a physical body; it cannot bring back a person's soul.

Even so—looking at the stone before him, Dumbledore still couldn't bring himself to destroy it.

Because he was thinking about the past—as is always the case for people his age.

I will reflect on what happened in the past, and I will think about whether the future would be different if we could change this.

In Dumbledore's heart, the thing he regretted most was probably what happened when he was young.

Whether it was with Grindelwald or with his own family, Dumbledore was filled with regret.

He pursed his lips, reached out and picked up the Resurrection Stone. The crystal-clear stone rested quietly in his palm.

With just a slight touch of its power, he could see Ariana—his sister who died because of his negligence.

Dumbledore knew, of course, that the Restoration Stone wasn't the real Restoration Stone, he was well aware of that—but—if it was just to see her, wouldn't it be worth it?

Dumbledore slightly raised his head and looked at the mirror in the room, the Mirror of Erised, which he had kept there for a long time.

But it wasn't until recently that Dumbledore lifted the veil covering the mirror and was able to see the person in it.

It was a young girl standing next to him, with his younger brother and a spirited young man beside them.

Dumbledore looked at the scene and fell silent again.

Although his beard was already gray, he was still trapped in the cage of the past, and in that sense, he was quite like Miss Hamilton.

No—or rather, I'm not as good as Miss Hamilton—she's already broken free from the shackles of the past, hasn't she?

Parents — Friends — Relatives — Dumbledore chuckled softly at this thought.

However, it was a bitter smile.

Then—he slowly picked up his wand, pointed it at the resurrection stone, and gently tapped it.

"Dumbledore—" In the headmaster's office at Hogwarts, Snape frowned as he looked at the old man before him and his charred hands.

"Are you insane?" Snape's tone was somewhat angry as he glared at Dumbledore and said, "Don't you know how important your own life is right now?"

"Of course I know, Severus," Dumbledore said with a wry smile, "but—"

He didn't finish his sentence, but just sighed softly.

I should have realized it sooner: why would Voldemort willingly give me a Horcrux—and what purpose did the Resurrection Stone on the ring serve?

He is such a ruthless and cunning person, how could he just throw away a Horcrux to control Fudge?

The resurrection stone is a bait from beginning to end, a bait that tempts you to use it.

-

Seeing Dumbledore remain silent, Snape's somber expression grew even more pronounced: "My potion can only slightly slow it down."

"As for truly lifting this curse—there's only one way," he said with a sigh, "and that is to kill the one who bears the curse."

"Dumbledore—don't you know what's on your shoulders now?" Snape couldn't help but say again, "You're not a Niffler or a Puffy—"

Because of his anger, he spoke some harshly for a moment.

But Dumbledore understood why he was so angry, so he said nothing to Snape, but simply said quietly, "Severus—even so, we can still win."

"Defeating darkness has never relied on so-called power."

"I know—" Snape couldn't help but say, "but that's not the reason we're powerless."

"You let Hamilton leave Hogwarts—and now you've made yourself into this mess." Snape was at a loss for words.

"Do you want us to rely on the great savior Harry Potter to fight Voldemort?" Snape couldn't help but ask. "He's just a student."

"No—" Dumbledore shook his head slightly upon hearing this: "Harry was never just a student."

"What do you mean by that?" Snape paused, a look of surprise on his face.

"Severus—" Dumbledore gently took out the Soul Lamp and said, "If Miss Hamilton's research is correct—"

Dumbledore then said a series of things that made Snape frown.

"You—you mean—"

"Do you treat Potter like an animal?" Snape couldn't help but retort. "So you just let him die when it's time to die?"

"Severus—in this matter, you're the only one I can trust, aren't you?"

"Why?" Snape asked coldly, "What if I'm still the same as before?"

"No—no way." Dumbledore looked quietly at the necklace hanging on Snape's chest, which was faintly emitting a green light.

"—" Snape fell silent, glancing down at the necklace around his neck before looking up at Dumbledore and asking, "Why don't we include Miss Hamilton in your plans?"

Snape's words carried a hint of sarcasm: "After all—she's so highly regarded by you."

"Ah—Severus." Dumbledore paused, his wise eyes slowly closing. When he opened them again, they were cold and unfamiliar to Snape.

"Miss Hamilton is too kind—Severus," Dumbledore said quietly. "If she knew about this..."

"You know that."

"She would never agree," Dumbledore paused, then added, "She would fight to the death for every one of her students."

"And what about you?" Snape suddenly spoke, his voice much louder. "Would you risk your life for each and every one of your students?"

"Don't get agitated, Severus. You've seen far too many men and women die," Dumbledore said slowly. "As you know."

"Tom is also my student."

"Lucius Malfoy was also my student," Dumbledore said, slowly rising to his feet. "I won't risk my life for every one of my students."

Under Snape's gaze, he quietly rose and picked up a box of chocolate frogs from the table: "But I will fight for the entire wizarding world."

"Or maybe I just wish I could stay inside the Chocolate Frog card forever," he said, shrugging as he pulled a card out of the Chocolate Frog.

"Ah—Albus Dumbledore." Dumbledore smiled at Snape: "If Tom wins, perhaps he will become Voldemort."

As he spoke, he gripped the card tightly, and flames erupted from his fingertips, burning it to ashes.

(End of this volume)