"I have to say, Draco is really lucky. But you've misunderstood, Pency." Allen lowered his head and chuckled. "I'm asking you this because of the urgency of the situation and because I'm thinking about how to save him."
"Huh? Allen, you're saying that you have other ways? " Pency could not believe her ears. She did not know that there were other ways to solve the Sword of Damocles hanging above her head.
"Pency, I told you, you should've told my brother earlier …" Emily sounded like she was bragging. "My brother knows everything since he was young. He can answer all my questions that no one else in the family can answer!"
Allen realized that his smart sister did not realize that it was only the other family members who did not answer her questions when she was young. He rubbed his nose awkwardly and turned to Pency. "If your father decides to surrender, it's the best way to solve the problem. Let him set a time for me to pick him up. You know that I have many ways to avoid the restriction of the Anti-Apparition Zone. But if your father's attitude is like this, maybe you should have more confidence in your professor. I don't need Aura's help to break into Tom's lair and bring your father back. However, this is not a very safe and reliable method for your father. So, I plan to use a more Ravenclaw style first … I'll kidnap him directly as a last resort. You can report the Disappearance Cabinet to the Dark Lord in detail and use this to buy some time for you and your father …"
Pency and Emily looked a little confused.
Allen continued to explain, "You can tell him about the argument between me and Dumbledore at the opening party. You can also tell him about the discord between me and Dumbledore. You can also tell him about the cooperation between Harris and the Ravenclaw Temple and how the pureblood families are planning to join forces with Dumbledore to resist Family Harris. Tell Tom everything in detail. If the Dark Lord still has a shred of rationality left in him, he won't simply reveal the Vanishing Cabinet as a means of punishing you. Instead, he will continue to lay low and wait for a more intense conflict between me and Dumbledore. The loser of the Vanishing Cabinet will inevitably have to leave Hogwarts. By then, the Vanishing Cabinet will be much more useful than a doomed assassination attempt. Naturally, he will come up with another plan."
After hearing Allen's solution, Pency's stubbornness and dignity that she had been maintaining since the summer break crumbled instantly. She sat on the ground with her head tilted back and her eyes closed. Two large drops of tears seeped out from under her eyelids. She opened her mouth wide and gasped for breath, like a fish that was about to die and was about to be drained of oxygen.
"Of course, all of this depends on Tom's rationality. You have to know that his recent state of mind is probably worse than before …" Allen reminded them. "But don't worry, if he still wants you to continue the assassination attempt, I'll go and bring your father back."
When Pency calmed down a little, Emily reached out to help Pency up. However, Pency hugged her back and mumbled some inarticulate words of gratitude.
"Pency, I'm very happy that you've made the right choice. Although you can't come to my class before your father is rescued, as your professor, I can't let you fall behind in class. I'll give you a textbook first, and I'll give you Draco's during the course. If there's anything you don't understand, just ask him. Also, you've been using Brain Occlusion a lot better than when you first started school. But remember, don't slack off at all times … You'll know these things in the future. After your strength increases, these things that were originally very important to you won't be a big deal anymore, "Allen said with a sanctimonious look." Oh, okay, you're strangling my sweet bear. She's going to die soon. Tell Emily your measurements. I'll give you and Emily the ancient magic robe in advance as a gift for your Quidditch Academy's victory. You can wear it when there's no one around … Hmm? Why are you looking at me like that? Do you think I knew about your assassination plan but didn't know that you girls like this robe? "
At the same time, in the principal's office.
Dumbledore tilted the small transparent glass bottle containing Slughorn's memories, and the memories in it fell into the meditation basin. Specks of light appeared in the meditation basin, and the black memories hovered in it. They plunged into Slughorn's memories again.
Harry realized that the first part of the memories was the same as the memories Slughorn provided him last time, until the soul vessel was mentioned.
"One night, I was in the forbidden section of the library … I read about some rare magic materials. I thought you might be able to give me some pointers." Liddell approached Slughorn. "If I remember correctly, that thing is called … a soul vessel."
"Soul Aura is a container that hides a person's soul." Unlike the last memory where Slughorn interrupted Tom in a fit of rage, Slughorn answered the question from the mysterious person who was still Tom Liddell.
"But I can't figure out how to do it, Professor." Tom Liddell approached Slughorn.
"Split a part of the soul and hide it in a container. This way, even if the body is attacked or destroyed, the soul will still be protected. In other words, a person with a soul vessel can't really be killed." Slughorn's tone was serious, and the wrinkles on his face were squeezed together.
Liddell's thirst was obvious now. His greedy expression could no longer hide his desire. He turned around and walked to the fireplace next to him, so that Slughorn wouldn't notice the change in his expression. He carefully controlled his voice, but Harry could feel his excitement. "Then how do I split a soul, Professor?"
"I think you already know the answer, Tom." Slughorn's expression was a little uneasy.
Tom Liddell's voice sounded especially calm. "Kill."
"Yes, killing is one of the ways to separate a soul. It's against the laws of nature." Slughorn shook his head like an elephant bitten by a mosquito. "But you have to know how to make a soul vessel. Otherwise, killing is just killing. It has nothing to do with your soul."
"Can the soul only be separated once? Like, can it be divided into seven times? "Liddell's voice sounded as if he was just curious.
"Seven times?" Slughorn was very uneasy. He stared at Liddell as if he couldn't see him clearly before. "Seven times! Merlin's beard. Isn't killing a person scary enough? If the soul is divided into seven parts … This is just a hypothesis, right, Tom? It's purely an academic discussion. "
Tom Liddell took two steps forward. When he turned back again, his expression was very polite and gentlemanly. He said placatingly, "Of course, Professor. Just treat it as a little secret between us. "
The memory stopped there. It seemed to collapse into black fog again.
"Professor." As soon as Harry landed on the floor of the office, Harry couldn't wait to ask the question in his heart. "Do you think Lord Voldemort succeeded?"
"Yes, he succeeded. You should remember that he didn't just make one …" Dumbledore's tone was very serious. He staggered back a little. "Horace might have been frightened by Tom's question. Or he might have thought that Tom would only know the disadvantages of splitting the soul too many times based on his knowledge, so he didn't warn about this behavior. In fact, Tom didn't know about this. He might have known later, but he didn't care."
Dumbledore took off the ring on his finger. It rolled a few times on the table. He took out a charred diary from the drawer and put it on the table. "This confirms my thoughts."
"Tom Liddell's diary." Harry didn't continue. He looked down at the ring on the table. "Including this, two soul vessels have been destroyed."
"That's right. This is one of his soul vessels. Four years ago, this soul vessel was destroyed by Allen using the basilisk's teeth. " Dumbledore held the charred diary. "At that time, I knew that this kind of magic was not ordinary. It was very evil and very powerful. But I didn't know how powerful it was until later. And tonight, Horace's memory confirmed my and Allen's thoughts."
"Allen also knew that there were more than one soul vessel? Did he know that two of them were destroyed? " Harry was a little puzzled. He originally planned to run and tell Allen about this matter so that he could be prepared.
"Many people think that I seem to know everything, but in fact, I don't." Dumbledore responded to Harry, but his expression seemed to be lost in his own thoughts. "For example, Allen knows a lot of things that I don't know. But there are more than two. As far as I know, Allen Harris also destroyed some of them."
"But if someone can find all of those soul vessels and destroy them …" Harry said impatiently.
"Someone can destroy the Lord Voldemort." Dumbledore raised his charred hand and said, "Marvolo's ring has a terrible curse. His soul vessels are very difficult to find, and they are all set with various traps."
"Professor, why don't you go to the Ravenclaw Shrine to try your hand?" Harry looked at Dumbledore's hand and was very worried. "I mean, that shrine seems to be very good at curses, and Allen seems to have a close relationship with them. Ms. Gray has always been on good terms with them."
"Don't worry, Harry. Professor Snape and I should be able to cure it. And at my age, it's hard for me to accept some new things. No matter what method we use, it will waste a lot of time …" Dumbledore gave Harry a reassuring smile. "We have to spend time and energy on the main goal first, not on this old man."
"But how do we find it? He could have hidden it anywhere. " Harry didn't try to persuade him again. He was a little annoyed that it took so long to find the memories. He thought that if he had been faster, Dumbledore could have solved the problem faster and treated his injuries with ease.
"Yes, but black magic, especially black magic like soul vessels …" Before Dumbledore could finish his words, Harry's finger touched the ring on the table.
As soon as he touched it, the ring evoked the terrifying memories in Harry's heart, triggering his lightning scar and causing pain. The image of Lord Voldemort screaming at the sky when he was young, Tom Liddell in the orphanage staring at the postcard behind the pipe on the wall, and the pale face of the Lord Voldemort after his rebirth … These images quickly flashed through Harry's mind.
The ring spun rapidly on the table like a top, then slowly slowed down and landed on the table. Dumbledore's eyes followed the movement of the ring.
Harry closed his eyes and shook his head uneasily. When he opened his eyes, he was in a daze for a moment. When he met Dumbledore's blue eyes behind the crescent-shaped glasses, he finally got used to it.
"… It will leave a trace." Dumbledore spat out the unfinished words. He walked out from behind the dean's desk and faced Harry. "And, I think I may have found another one. But this time, I can't destroy it alone. "
Dumbledore's hair and beard were white. His chin was tied into a strand of beard that swayed slightly as he walked. Dumbledore's face looked pale and haggard. He smiled apologetically at Harry. "Harry, I'm asking too much of you this time."
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