章 209: 0208 Hostility
No one could have imagined that the Quidditch preliminaries they had been eagerly anticipating for half a year would end in such a shocking and unexpected way. Hufflepuff won the victory, but there was not much joy or celebration on their faces. Gryffindor lost their first match, but they had no energy or spirit to be sad or disappointed. Even Slytherin forgot to mock and ridicule the Gryffindor team that suffered a humiliating defeat. The young wizards of the four houses mostly gathered in their own common rooms, discussing the astonishing scene that appeared on the playground with curiosity and fear.
The young wizards learned from the senior students who were about to graduate that the magic Professor Watson performed was called 'Patronus Charm', which was a very profound and advanced white magic, specially used to deal with the terrifying Dementors that could suck out one's happiness and soul.
"Deal with?" In the cozy and earthy Hufflepuff common room, Justin Finch-Fletchley chattered to the students around him, his voice full of disbelief,
"I thought that monster snake was the master of the Dementors!"
"Don't say that, Justin–"
Hannah said with a reproachful and gentle tone, "We can't make the same mistake, can we? Last year, in the dueling class of that charlatan Lockhart, Potter used his Parsel-tongue to stop the snake that Malfoy conjured from attacking you. Today's situation is similar to that. The professors have already said that Professor Watson just used a modified Patronus Charm to deal with the Dementors, but the spell was not tested in battle, so it looked a bit weird and different."
"I feel like this is just a way of fobbing us off, Hannah." Justin said stubbornly, his eyes narrowing suspiciously.
"But at least–" Ernie shrugged his shoulders to express his opinion, "At least after Professor Watson conjured the Patronus, I didn't feel cold and hopeless anymore. After this, I would rather die than go to Azkaban, the prison guarded by those horrible creatures."
There were many similar discussions in the other houses.
"Profound white magic, do you believe this kind of nonsense? In my opinion, that is a very profound and powerful dark magic!"
In the green-lit and gloomy basement of Slytherin, Draco said excitedly, his face glowing with admiration, "I knew he had this ability, I dare say, even the Dark Lord may not be able to do this!"
At present, in the Slytherin house, there were many young wizards whose parents were loyal followers of Voldemort. Among these young wizards, most of them still believed that the Dark Lord was the savior who could bring unprecedented glory and supremacy to the pure-blood families.
Therefore, Draco's evaluation did not get the flattery and agreement he expected, even his two loyal cronies, Crabbe and Goyle, seemed hesitant and doubtful to speak.
In the hospital wing, Madam Pomfrey sent away the Gryffindor team captain who came to visit Harry, and was cleaning the mud and blood on the floor with a displeased and annoyed face.
After a period of reflection and Professor Watson's explanation, Hermione and Ron finally stood together again, although the matter of Scabbers, Ron's pet rat, was still an unresolved knot in their hearts, but they tacitly ignored this matter for now.
"You can't imagine how big that thing is, Harry!"
Ron opened his arms and tried his best to gesture to Harry, he looked fascinated and awestruck, and said with an awe-inspiring and breathless tone,
"That big snake is as tall as the Gryffindor tower, with a pair of wings on its back. They were silver-white at first, but later one of them turned black for some reason, and those Dementors. They flew around the black wing like affectionately."
Ron seemed to want to find a metaphor to describe the appearance of the Dementors around the wing, but he racked his brains and couldn't find any appropriate adjective. In the end, he could only throw out the word 'affectionate', which sounded very absurd and ridiculous.
"This is not normal, is it?"
Unlike the excited and amazed Ron, Hermione looked worried and concerned, "Professor Watson's magic looks like the same as Professor Lupin's on the train to deal with the Dementor that came to search. They are both silvery creatures, and they can spray silver mist, but their effects are completely different and opposite."
"Maybe Professor Watson has a higher level of mastery and skill in this spell."
Ron shrugged his shoulders and said with a matter-of-fact and casual tone,
"It's obvious, isn't it? Just look at the difference in the size of the things they conjured."
Harry felt a rare flicker of happiness after today's encounter, seeing that Ron and Hermione had stopped quarreling and were able to talk normally again. He lay on his bed, wrapped in a thick blanket, and listened quietly to his friend's animated discussion about Professor Watson's Patronus.
"Those Dementors-"
Ron's vivid description gave Harry a rough idea of what a spectacular sight Professor Watson had created, but Harry had no interest in being amazed by it. He was still haunted by his failure in front of the Dementors, which had cost Gryffindor the crucial match, and by the faint voice he had heard in his head.
"What happened to those Dementors?" Harry asked in a low voice, interrupting Ron's enthusiastic praise.
"They were all locked up. Professor Watson was furious, I've never seen him so angry before–"
Hermione said with a trembling voice, "He probably felt that he had let everyone down. When he flew down from the hoops, Professor McGonagall asked him how he was going to handle the Dementors. He said he wouldn't do anything until Fudge came personally and explained why those Dementors had gone rogue."
Harry pursed his lips and nodded, his mind once again filled with that pitiful voice.
A fierce gust of wind broke into the room through the gap of the window sash, making the curtains flutter.
Ron hurried over to close the window, shivering from the cold, and when he came back, Harry finally raised his head again and asked, "What about my broom, did you guys manage to get it for me?"
Ron's face fell, and Harry's heart sank with it. He asked anxiously, "What's wrong, did it break?"
"It's not that–" Hermione said hesitantly, biting her lip, "It's just that, when you fell, it was blown away by the wind. Everyone was too scared by Professor Watson's Patronus to notice, so, well. You know the Whomping Willow is right on the edge of the pitch."
(Headmaster's office)
Fawkes held his head high, and his ruby-like eyes reflected a swaying 'silver dragon'. The portraits on the wall whispered among themselves, and their main topic of conversation was also the winged snake with black and white wings that roamed around the office, occasionally hissing softly.
Dumbledore's expression was more serious than ever, his blue eyes were brighter than any previous moment, as if they were emitting light, and his aura also brought some pressure to Bryan who stood beside him.
"That's enough, Bryan–" After a while, Dumbledore sighed and said wearily. The whispers in the office seemed to die down after Dumbledore finished this sentence, even the portraits fell silent for a while, waiting for him to give them an answer.
"Did you find anything, Headmaster?" Bryan waved his hand to dismiss the Patronus, and his expression was calm and composed.
"Sit down and talk–" Dumbledore returned to his desk and gestured for Bryan to sit down. The eyes of the two different colors met in the office, but neither of them could read anything from the other's eyes, because both of them used Occlumency.
"Before we let our imagination run wild and make those fanciful guesses, Bryan, I have to ask you a question first."
Dumbledore put his hands on his chin and said gravely, "Is there anything you want to tell me? I mean, some of your experiences may help our speculations get closer to the truth."
'Some experiences….?
The prophecy of the ancient Druid religion that had somehow involved him?
The collapsed Avalon Island?
The legendary Godric Gryffindor who had appeared in front of him across a thousand years of time?
Or the twin serpent staff that had been prophesied to be picked up by him, but somehow voluntarily slipped out of his control, and vanished with that mysterious woman named Cliodna?'
Bryan sighed in his heart 'Why is this world so hostile to the transmigrators?'
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章 210: 0209 Answers
In an instant, many thoughts flashed through Bryan's mind, but he still calmly met Dumbledore's gaze. He could see the deep blue eyes of the headmaster, piercing through his own as if trying to read his secrets.
"I'd like to hear your opinion first, Headmaster Dumbledore." He said in a steady voice, hiding his inner turmoil.
Dumbledore's old face showed a trace of helplessness. He knew that Bryan must have hidden some very important information, but he had no way to force this young man to say what he didn't want to say, whether it was by reason or by force.
"Let me start with my conclusion, Bryan–" Dumbledore said, breaking the silence that had fallen between them.
Compared to the possible problems that Bryan had, the bitterness of not being trusted was completely insignificant. Dumbledore shook his beard, his expression extremely solemn. This expression also made any person or thing in the office with a mind, aware of the seriousness of the matter. The silver instruments on the shelves stopped their whirring and clicking, the books on the desk closed their pages, the pensieve in the corner glowed faintly.
"We all know that a patronus is a magical creature that reflects the mind, or it can also reflect the soul. So, the source of the mutation of your patronus is your soul, Bryan. And my observation results also confirmed this guess." Dumbledore continued, his voice grave and low.
"Your observation results–" Bryan interrupted, his curiosity getting the better of him. Dumbledore's first half of the sentence did not exceed Bryan's understanding, or rather, he had a guess in his heart. But the second half of the sentence made Bryan's eyelids tremble slightly. He stared at the unfathomable greatest wizard of the present age in front of him, his tone faintly suspicious.
"If you mean the observation under the magical perspective–"
"It's not the magic perspective, Bryan," Dumbledore said calmly.
"Yes, you heard me right. I can see through a person's soul. Oh, I used to be able to, but now this ability has degenerated a lot. Of course, this is not the core of the problem we are discussing. If you are interested, I can chat with you later about this knowledge." He continued, waving his hand dismissively.
Without waiting for Bryan to agree, Dumbledore directly said his conclusion based on his guess and observation.
"I think your soul is not purely yours, Bryan. I vaguely 'saw' another kind of power in your soul."
The room was silent. The portraits of the past headmasters all showed stunned expressions. They had witnessed many extraordinary events in their lives, but this was beyond their imagination. The phoenix on the golden branch also stopped its desire to cry and listened carefully.
"There is a power in my soul that does not belong to me. You mean–" Bryan said word by word, almost using all his strength to run the Occlumency to maintain his calm expression.
"There is another person's soul hidden in my soul?" He asked again.
"I'm not sure–" Unexpectedly, Dumbledore shook his head, his silver-white beard swaying with it.
"I only felt a very vague feeling, like an illusion. But if this is not an illusion, then that thing does not belong to you." He said, his eyes narrowing slightly. He was not certain, but he had a strong intuition. And his intuition was rarely wrong.
Dumbledore looked very hesitant. "If. I mean, if, Bryan, if that really is someone's soul, I have seen a similar situation before." He said, his voice dropping to a whisper.
"Where?" Bryan asked, his voice trembling slightly. He was careful with his words, and vaguely, he seemed to feel that the shadow that enveloped him was about to be lifted by a corner.
When Dumbledore said those words, the portraits on the wall also unanimously gasped. These magic portraits with the memories of their original selves were all sharp-minded and outstanding wizards in their lives, and they also knew the most secrets of Dumbledore. Just one sentence was enough to make them think of many things.
The air became solidified, as if even the candlelight flickering on the candlestick on the corner of the desk was frozen. Dumbledore looked at Bryan who was quietly waiting for his answer, looked at this excellent young wizard who completely exceeded his expectations. In his heart, he was making a difficult decision. He was weighing the pros and cons, the risks and benefits, the truth and the lies.
The long silence made Bryan realize that Dumbledore's 'similar situation' was not that simple,
"If it's really that difficult, Dumbledore–" Bryan said, sensing Dumbledore's hesitation.
"It's not an easy secret to say, Bryan," Dumbledore smiled. "But I think you are undoubtedly trustworthy. The previous hesitation was just a stubborn bad habit of an old man–"
'It was indeed a strange habit, never forgetting to win people's hearts,' Bryan pursed his lips and thought.
"I think you must remember what happened in this school last semester. I mean, the Chamber of Secrets was opened again after fifty years and two innocent young wizards were attacked." Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling with a hint of sadness.
"Of course, I came back to Hogwarts because of that." Bryan nodded.
"That's it?–" He said, his voice trailing off. He knew that Dumbledore had more to say.
Dumbledore continued to smile. "Before you came back, there was a rumor in the school that Harry was the heir of Salazar Slytherin. Do you know why, Bryan?" He asked, his tone casual but his eyes sharp.
"Parselmouth?" Bryan answered, his expression calm but his mind alert. He was not fooled by Dumbledore's seemingly harmless question.
Dumbledore nodded. He was not surprised by Bryan's answer.
"But we now know that the person who opened the Chamber of Secrets fifty years ago and last year was Tom Riddle, who is also known as Voldemort. He was also a parselmouth. What do you think is the connection between them, Bryan?" He asked, his voice serious and low.
"I don't think they are related by blood." Bryan narrowed his eyes. He now understood why Dumbledore was so hesitant before.
"–The last person Tom killed before his downfall was Harry's mother. Then he tried to kill Harry, using the killing curse. But his curse only gave Harry a scar and did not take his life. Instead, he himself was destroyed by the curse that rebounded."
Dumbledore's voice became gentle, like a whisper in a dream.
Fawkes cried mournfully in the quiet room. The phoenix on the golden branch sensed the sorrow and the pain in Dumbledore's voice, the sorrow and the pain that he had carried for so long, the sorrow and the pain that he had shared with no one.
Bryan leaned back on the chair and closed his eyes.
The atmosphere in the office was extremely tense, even the wind outside the castle seemed to stop. The portraits on the wall were silent, the books on the desk were still, the pensieve in the corner was dark. The only sound was the crackling of the fire in the fireplace, the only light was the flickering of the candle on the candlestick. The only movement was the breathing of the two wizards, the only emotion was the anticipation of the answers.
"So you mean–" Only the candle being slowly consumed by the flame showed that time was still passing. Bryan sighed deeply. He opened his eyes and looked at the old man who knew too much and said too little.
"You think Harry and I are the same, both turned into horcruxes by someone, right, Headmaster Dumbledore?" He asked, his voice calm but his eyes blazing.
"I don't want to lie to you, Bryan." Dumbledore took off his glasses and rubbed his brow. He looked tired, and old.
"I think this is indeed a possibility, but, from your behavior, you seem to be unaware of everything. This is illogical. I am very certain that no one can secretly put a soul into a wizard like you- Unless, your memory has been altered?" He said, his voice questioning but his eyes certain. He was stating his conclusion, but also his confusion.
For Dumbledore's guess, or rather, test, Bryan had no answer.
Since he was born into this world, he knew If his memory had any issues, but at least, now he realized one thing, that is why he could wield the twin serpent staff that even Gryffindor could not forcefully take.
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