Dumbledore's stubborn decision left Fish scratching his head.
He couldn't understand why Dumbledore was in such a hurry, even if Voldemort had taken the Horcruxes, it didn't seem like a big deal to Fish...
Fish continued with his plan to capture Voldemort and give him a potion to disable his Occlumency and administer Veritaserum.
But judging by Dumbledore's demeanor, he was completely determined to obtain the Horcrux, and if Fish didn't agree, the foolish old man would probably go on his own...
"What if we bring someone else with us?" After pondering for a moment, Fish proposed again, "Anyway, we just have to drink the magical potion, right? We could take a bad guy there and force him to drink the potion!"
"It's a dangerous idea!"
However, Dumbledore's expression changed, becoming even more severe than before, and he told Fish in a heavier tone, with a hint of reprimand, "Even if he's a bad guy, we can't torture him and use him in that way!"
"What are you, an idiot? Why do you care about a bad guy when you're dying?!"
(`Д´)
Fish couldn't help but curse.
Fish couldn't understand Dumbledore's thoughts; after all, it was hard for a cat to comprehend human rights and morality. Not to mention the fact that Dumbledore's moral standards were much higher than those of most people.
"There's no need to say more, I can't agree with this method." Dumbledore shook his head firmly, and then softened his tone, "Thank you for caring about me, Fish, but there are things that should not be done."
Fish looked at him wide-eyed but ultimately lost the battle and had to turn his head to the side, exasperated.
"Fish doesn't care about you anymore!"
(`н´)
A helpless yet relieved smile appeared on Dumbledore's face as he saw Fish sulking because he was concerned about himself.
Although what Fish had just suggested seemed inhumane to him, he knew what Fish was like, and it wasn't easy for Fish to behave this way now, so he wasn't worried about Fish turning into another Voldemort in the future.
"Don't be angry," Dumbledore tried to reach out and caress Fish's head again, only to be forced to retract his hand due to Fish's teeth and claws, who was still angry but still smiled and coaxed Fish, "You should have faith in your own magic, and after seeing that potion, you might awaken new spells and also heal my wounds."
Fish's mood improved slightly, but he still murmured unhappily, "So why does it have to be you, Albus? Fish can drink it too, and we can bring Horace and Severus with us, they might also have a solution for that magical potion..."
(〃`ε〃)
"I will prepare the antidote, but the fewer people who know about it, the better, and there's no way too many people can go through there..." Dumbledore explained the situation in the cave in general, "That boat is a bit small even with two people on board, and it would be better if you came with me in your cat form."
He then dismissed Fish's proposal of drinking the potion for him.
"And as for the potion, of course you can't drink it, if its effect is to limit the ability to cast spells, wouldn't that be bad?" Dumbledore justified.
Fish couldn't say anything more, grumbling as he grabbed a sandwich from the table, then stuffed it into his mouth and bit into it... Fish could only vent his frustration this way.
"Hmph!"
After finishing the last bite of the sandwich, Fish stood up from his seat.
"Fish is going home!" he said stiffly, and then turned around to leave the office.
"You haven't told me what you've decided," Dumbledore reminded him slowly.
"Hmph!" Fish growled again, turning back and answering in an annoyed tone, "Fish will do as told! Is that good enough for you, nya?!"
(`ω´)
"Very well," Dumbledore smiled satisfactorily, "Also, let Harry know that I'll be waiting for you here tomorrow morning, and remember to avoid the others."
"Harry? Why involve him? He's so weak... Do you want him to take medicine?"
(?ω?)
"Of course not," explained Dumbledore with tears in his eyes. "Have you forgotten that Harry is actually Voldemort's Horcrux? Apart from that diary, he hasn't touched any other Horcrux, and I wanted to see if he reacted differently when he was near other Horcruxes... especially now after Voldemort's resurrection."
Of course, this was just one of Dumbledore's reasons for bringing Harry, and one of the less important ones. His true purpose was to make Harry aware of what he was facing in the future and lay the groundwork for telling him the truth.
But there was no need to tell that to Fish.
And after a moment of contemplation, Fish said, "Actually, Fish believes that Harry could afford to drink the medicine... He may be weak, but he has a lot of courage."
"Of course, I wouldn't doubt the courage of a Gryffindor," Dumbledore said, shaking his head. "But I couldn't bear to see my own students taking risks. My frail, dying life is worth nothing compared to the lives of your young ones."
Fish pouted, still unsure of what to say.
"Oh! Fish is too lazy to worry about you, nya! If you die tomorrow, Fish won't be sad, nya! And then Fawkes and the Sorting Hat will belong to Fish! Stupid old man!"
Fish furiously scratched his hair and, after shouting at Dumbledore in a fit of anger, stormed out of the Headmaster's office with a loud, angry "thump, thump, thump."
"You have a much better eye than I do, Albus."
Amando Dippet, who had so appreciated Voldemort, opened his eyes and exclaimed.
"Hmph! I still think Fish would be better off in Slytherin!" Although he had already accepted that Fish was qualified to succeed him as Headmaster, Phineas still had his final stubborn words about Fish's House placement...
Dumbledore smiled and silently observed as successive Headmasters engaged in conversation about Fish, and some time passed before he called for Dobby, the house-elf.
"Could you summon Professor Snape and let him know I have something important to discuss with him?"
"Dobby will be happy to help, Mr. Dumbledore!" The sock-wearing elf bowed and then disappeared with a pop.
Soon, a cold-faced Snape appeared in the Headmaster's office, saying nothing upon entering, simply looking at Dumbledore.
"Sit down," Dumbledore pointed to the chair in front of him. "Can I offer you something to drink?"
"No," Snape sat as instructed and then casually said, "Tell me what you want, I have work to do."
Dumbledore wasn't bothered and poured himself and Snape a cup of black tea. After taking a sip and setting down the cup, he said, "I believe we can move on to the next step of our plan, Severus."