章 212: 0211 Death?
Bryan felt a surge of nostalgia as he listened to Dumbledore's question. He had been lost in his memories of the desolate island of Avalon, where he had explored the ancient Greek temple at the heart of the island and marvelled at the nine splendid murals that adorned its walls. The murals depicted the epic battle between the legendary King Arthur and his faithful wizard Merlin on one side, and the treacherous Queen of Avalon, Morgana le Fay, on the other. It was a battle that had shaken the foundations of the wizarding world but few knew, and had left only one survivor: Merlin himself.
King Arthur and Morgana le Fay, the mortal enemies who also appeared in the Muggle legends, had both perished in the clash, and the fate of Merlin and the dark shadow that had possessed Morgana was shrouded in mystery.
Bryan shuddered as he thought of the dark shadow, a sinister force that had corrupted Morgana.
He glanced at the bottle on the desk in front of him, and wondered silently.
'Morgana le Fay was known as the Witch of Avalon, and was affiliated with the ancient Druid sect that had flourished at that time. This was recorded in both the Muggle and wizarding histories.
But the dark shadow within Morgana was mentioned in those murals only. Where did it come from, and where did it go? Was it imprisoned by Merlin in the Black Stone Tower, the mysterious structure that stood deep in the Knockturn Alley?
And what about the Twin-Serpent Staff, the powerful artifact that the dark shadow had hurled at Merlin in a final act of defiance?'
… Dementors-Azkaban.'
The words flashed in his mind, and he snapped out of his reverie. He looked at Dumbledore, who was waiting patiently for his answer.
"Do you know the exact location of Azkaban, Headmaster Dumbledore?" Bryan asked, his face expressionless, hiding the turmoil in his heart.
Dumbledore was not surprised that Bryan wanted to go to Azkaban to investigate, after all, he had a personal reason to do so. The Dementors, the foul creatures that had altered his patronus, had been first discovered there.
"I'm sorry, Bryan–" Dumbledore shook his head and said, "The location of Azkaban is a top secret in the wizarding world, it is protected by the Unbreakable Vow and the Fidelius Charm by the Unspeakables of the Department of Mysteries, passed down from generation to generation. I'm afraid even Cornelius doesn't know which Unspeakable holds the secret."
"How does the Ministry of Magic manage to imprison the criminals there?" Bryan wondered.
"Portkey–" Dumbledore smiled with a complex expression, "Once the Wizengamot decides that a wizard should be sent to Azkaban, the Hit Wizards will escort him through a two-way Portkey set up in the Ministry of Magic directly to Azkaban. If-"
Dumbledore paused, as he looked at Bryan who was listening intently. He suddenly imagined a possibility: The notorious bounty hunter in the underworld, Golden-Viper, had broken into the Ministry of Magic, incapacitated all the security forces there, and stole the Portkey to Azkaban. At present, the Ministry of Magic had not yet learned what the purpose of Golden-Viper's heinous crime was, but it was not ruled out that Golden-Viper might have accepted a commission to rescue a certain prisoner who was locked up in Azkaban. Thinking of this, Dumbledore felt a shiver in his heart, he knew that Bryan had the courage and the skill to do so.
"If you need to go to Azkaban," Dumbledore looked at the young man who seemed to be contemplating something, and said with a grave tone, "I can apply for you to Cornelius with some pretext like a research project on the Defense Against the Dark Arts, I believe Cornelius will not refuse my request, but I think he will ask me to accompany you, or at least, he will probably let Rufus or Barty go with you."
Bryan frowned, he wanted to investigate these things, each of which could cause a huge commotion if exposed, and he couldn't do anything with so many people watching him.
"Thank you for your kindness, Headmaster Dumbledore," Bryan nodded gratefully, "I'll find a way myself."
"Bryan." Dumbledore leaned forward slightly, his blue eyes shooting a stern look, and his tone also conveying a warning.
"I understand what you are concerned about, Headmaster Dumbledore." Bryan smiled, "Don't worry, I'm not such an impatient wizard, I will wait for the right opportunity, and I won't make it known to the world, and make people panic."
The discussion about how to infiltrate Azkaban came to a halt, as Dumbledore realised that he could not dissuade Bryan from his perilous plan. He tried to impress upon him the grave consequences that would ensue if the wizarding world discovered that the Ministry of Magic had lost its grip on the notorious prison, where the most vile criminals were locked away. then, for the residents of the British wizarding world, it would be a dreadful thing.
"Dementors, these abominable creatures–" Bryan would probably do those things, Dumbledore knew it well, so he said about them directly, "Since they were first encountered more than a few centuries ago, wizards have never ceased to study them. When I was young, I also attempted to unravel their mysteries for a while, of course, only through the documents. As the common wisdom goes, they cannot be killed, the only thing that can repel them is the Patronus Charm–"
"Even you can't kill them?" Bryan interrupted, narrowing his eyes. "I mean, with all your strength?"
Dumbledore noticed that Bryan's cup of tea had gone cold, and he waved his wand to refill it with a flick of his finger. He met Bryan's gaze with a helpless smile, but did not answer his question.
Dumbledore's silence was itself the answer.
But it was indeed a curious thing, wasn't it?
Bryan blew away the tea leaves that floated on the surface of his cup, and took a sip of the hot beverage. He pondered the paradox of the dementor's existence.
'Where There is life, there is death, this was the law of nature, and the law of the universe. Even with the aid of magic, one could not escape this iron-clad law.
If there was a creature that had a very long lifespan, and that had no known way of being killed, then why did so many dark wizards and ambitious people throughout history try to devise various methods to prevent their own death, even at the cost of splitting their souls and creating horcruxes?
Wasn't that a foolish thing to do? Why didn't they rush into Azkaban and study how to transform themselves into dementors?
Unless, dementors were not a kind of life at all.'
"Do dementors have souls?" Bryan asked, after a moment of contemplation. He blinked his light purple eyes, which contrasted with his light grey hair.
"You have grasped the core of the problem–" Dumbledore said, impressed by Bryan's insight.
The dementors that ordinary wizards feared and loathed, for Dumbledore and Bryan, were actually nothing. Besides being unkillable, these things could not pose a threat to them.
With a hint of appreciation in his deep blue eyes, Dumbledore smiled and said, "Like you, Bryan, my main way of studying dementors is to consult literature, and many years ago, a dear friend of mine seemed to have done some real research, and in the letter he gave me, he mentioned an interesting point."
The person who was hailed by Dumbledore as a dear friend, actually went to study the dementors, a creature closely related to dark magic, in person. Bryan raised his eyebrows, and then thought of some unverifiable rumors about Albus Dumbledore, the greatest wizard of the present age, when he was young.
"He believed that the soul of the dementor was its body, a kind of 'spirit-flesh' unity creature, the dementor used 'evil thoughts' as its body, and that there was a mysterious connection between individuals. Perhaps their life force was connected." Dumbledore said, quoting Grindelwald's letter.
"So, dementors are not unkillable, but they can't be killed individually. Mr. Grindelwald is indeed a genius." Bryan said, nodding thoughtfully. He was intrigued by Grindelwald's theory, and wondered if it could be tested and verified.
In Dumbledore's bitter smile, Bryan detected a trace of sadness and nostalgia.
"What else, did Mr. Grindelwald mention anything else? For example, the reason why this creature was created or the method of making it?" Bryan asked, hoping to learn more from Dumbledore.
"Some things happened and later–" Dumbledore said, his old face twitching with a fleeting bitterness.
"We completely cut off our private contact." He said, ending the conversation.
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章 213: 0212 Hocrux
As the old saying goes, the one who knows you best must be your opponent.
Ever since Bryan had entered the magical world of Hogwarts, he had gained a general understanding of the wizarding world through his classes, books, and friends. However, after a fateful night in his fifth year, he realized that his biggest challenge in the future might not be the notorious Dark Lord Voldemort, who was terrorizing the wizarding world with his followers, but the old and wise Albus Dumbledore, who looked at him with a hint of nostalgia and curiosity in his twinkling blue eyes.
To learn more about Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts and one of the most powerful and respected wizards of all time, Bryan had done some extensive research on his life and history. He had found official records, such as newspaper articles, biographies, and awards, as well as unreliable gossip, such as rumors, scandals, and secrets, that all mentioned the friendship between Gellert Grindelwald and Albus Dumbledore in their youth.
Grindelwald was a dark wizard who had once sought to overthrow the International Statute of Secrecy and create a new world order where wizards ruled over Muggles. He was defeated by Dumbledore in a legendary duel that had shaken the wizarding world.
There were even some strange rumors that made Bryan blush. They suggested that there was more than friendship between Grindelwald and Dumbledore. Bryan quickly dismissed them as inappropriate for children, and irrelevant for his purpose.
Bits of information and experiences, like pieces of a puzzle, appeared in front of Bryan. He was able to construct a logical truth, but the most crucial part of it was still shrouded in mystery.
Perhaps the key was in the woman Cliodna, who was like a shooting star, brief and dazzling. She might be able to explain to him the secrets of the chilling Twin-Serpent Staff, and what it had revealed to her, that made her show such a shocked and bewildered expression in the temple on Avalon Island.
Until now, there was still no news from Kakus, who had promised to contact Bryan when he had more information. It seemed that the druids, who had been persecuted by the church for centuries, were very good at hiding their traces.
And as for the 'foreign object' in his soul, after discussing it for so long, Bryan's only conclusion was that the master of the Twin-Serpent Staff was probably the creator of the Dementors, the soul-sucking creatures that guarded the wizarding prison of Azkaban.
"There is something else, I just thought of it–"
Bryan temporarily put aside the root of his own problem, and turned the topic to another issue that he was very concerned about.
"Among the things you just told me, there is one that makes me the most uneasy." Bryan frowned, "Let's not talk about my problem for now, Headmaster Dumbledore. Harry–do you think he is Voldemort's Horcrux, based on a guess, or do you have some evidence?"
"Many years ago–well, I think you should see this first–"
Dumbledore had anticipated this question long ago. He stood up and walked briskly to the silver device that he had placed under a wall of books.
Dumbledore had many titles, but Master in Alchemy might be the least known one. However, the wizards who had visited Dumbledore's office knew that he valued this unpopular discipline very much. His office was full of all kinds of bizarre and incomprehensible gadgets, that made strange noises and emitted colorful sparks.
Under Bryan's curious gaze, Dumbledore placed the device on the table, and after sitting down again, he tapped it lightly with his wand.
"I just told you, Bryan," Dumbledore looked at Bryan, who was examining the shiny silver alchemy device with his magic vision, and said calmly,
"Perhaps the wizards of the wizarding world think that I haven't changed much over the years, but in fact, as I grow older, some of my skills have deteriorated a lot. One of them is being able to see through a person's soul. This device can help me identify some special magic disguises, such as the soul-snatching curse, and the like. I think this is a very useful skill, so when I found that my unique 'perspective' gradually became blurred, I immediately set out to design this device."
"It is indeed interesting, unimaginably complex, but also an exquisite magic design."
Bryan's alchemy skills were not low either. Otherwise, he would not be able to design such an alchemy device as the monitoring mirror, that allowed him to spy on the movements of whole castle. So, after observing it carefully for a while, he had a rough idea of how it worked.
"It passes the connection between magic and soul, and traces it back. Tsk tsk, priceless." Bryan complimented.
"But, the soul is mysterious and unpredictable even to the wizards, so, I guess it can only observe some superficial aspects."
"You are very astute, Bryan." Dumbledore praised him sincerely, as the smoke that came out of the spouts of the silver device formed shapes in the air, like a miniature fireworks display.
"Over the years, you are one of the first wizards who figured out its use by yourself without waiting for me to explain. Indeed, as you said, it can't analyze a wizard's soul deeply, so it can't be used to observe the thing hidden in your soul, but for Harry."
A few strands of light green smoke floated in the air, intertwined with each other, and under Bryan's intense and penetrating gaze, the top turned into a snake head, hissing softly.
"Actually, I lied to you–" Dumbledore suddenly said, while Bryan was observing the snake head with a hint of curiosity, "I told you before, the note you gave me and the crown left by Lady Ravenclaw solved two doubts for me, but in fact, twelve years ago, when Hagrid brought Harry to me after his fall, I already realized that Tom had made Horcruxes–"
"I understand what you mean, Headmaster Dumbledore–" Bryan sighed and looked away, "A soul bound by some kind of dark magic, but still acting as a Horcrux."
The portraits of the former headmasters that hung on the walls of Dumbledore's office were whispering among themselves, wondering why Dumbledore would reveal such vital and dangerous information to this young wizard, who had a reputation of being cunning and ambitious, but the only two living people in this office looked at each other, and the atmosphere was somber and tense.
Dumbledore's ten slender fingers crossed again, resting on his lap, in the still and dimly lit room, his silver-white eyebrows fluttered slightly because of his constantly blinking eyes, that seemed to hide a deep sorrow and a heavy burden.
"About Tom's Horcruxes, Bryan–" Dumbledore opened this topic, "There is one thing that I can be happy about. Although we can't be sure, how many Horcruxes Tom, who was already terrified of death, made, but according to some recent investigations, I was very fortunate to find another clue that might lead us to a Horcrux. Next, I plan to leave the school for a while, to pursue this clue. During this time, the safety of those children can only be entrusted to you, Bryan, I think you-"
He paused, as if he wanted to say something more, but he was interrupted by Bryan, who had no patience for his vague and cryptic words.
"What's the point, Headmaster Dumbledore?" Bryan looked straight into Dumbledore's eyes, sharply pointing to the core of the problem.
"If, the premise of killing Voldemort is, you have to kill Harry first. Is this another grand scheme that is unknown to the world, or, have you found a way to peel off that piece of soul without harming Harry's life?"
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Dear Readers,
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