The Prisoners of Hogwarts

Chapter 124 Disposal

Chapter 124 Disposal

"Ah," Dumbledore uttered softly.

There was no surprise, no victory in that voice, only a deep, settled sense of certainty, like a suspended stone.

It finally landed steadily.

His azure eyes flickered slightly as his gaze fell upon the locket, as if piercing through time and magic, revealing the brilliant yet descent into darkness many years ago.

"Slytherin's Locket".

He slowly walked back to his desk, the high-backed chair creaking slightly as it supported his weight.

He sat down, his long, slender fingers touching, gently resting on his chin, forming a pensive spire.

The firelight from the fireplace danced on the half-moon lenses of his glasses, casting flickering light.

"Thank you, Professor Lynch." He spoke again, his tone returning to its usual reassuring gentleness. "The information you provided... is extremely valuable. I suspect that the Horcrux you know about is one of the two Founder relics, but I'm also prepared that you won't answer."

He paused, his voice becoming more serious: "For this, I thank you again for your honesty."

"It's nothing." Lynch smiled warmly. "Eliminating Voldemort is our common goal, and I won't hinder you in this matter."

Dumbledore's deep blue eyes narrowed slightly behind his glasses, his gaze becoming sharp and profound, as if it could pierce through people's hearts, as he quietly stared at Lynch: "But you still insist on keeping the location of that Horcrux a secret."

2

Lynch's gaze fell and settled on the dull, lifeless Ravenclaw tiara on the table.

"Unlike the crown, which seems to have been carelessly discarded in some corner of Hogwarts and left to gather dust," his voice was calm, "Slytherin's locket was placed by Voldemort in a specific, foolproof location, and protected by a great deal of sophisticated and sinister magic and mechanisms."

"He has set up a far-reaching and extremely sensitive warning spell around it. Any rash approach would be tantamount to sounding an alarm for him. Going there rashly would only alert him and make all our efforts so far go to waste."

"Unless we have found all the other Horcruxes and everything is ready except for this last one, I refuse to reveal its location."

Dumbledore's gaze remained fixed on Lynch, a subtle yet undeniably intimidating scrutiny in his eyes: "Even if I'm just on the outermost edge, conducting preliminary checks and observations without triggering any alarms... is that not allowed?"

Lynch raised his head, meeting those piercing blue eyes without flinching, his tone unwavering: "The protective magic Voldemort uses has a range far beyond your imagination. You simply cannot confirm the existence of Horcruxes from outside the so-called 'safe distance.'"

Silence filled the office, broken only by the occasional crackling of the fireplace.

After a long while, Dumbledore slowly leaned back in his high-backed chair.

He sighed softly. "Alright... since you insist, and your reasons are sufficient, then let the Slytherin locket be the last target we need to find."

Then his gaze shifted to the ancient crown on the table, his eyes becoming complex and filled with pity: "So, I do have some reservations about what to do with this Horcrux. For Hogwarts, it carries extraordinary historical significance. Do you have any suggestions, Professor Lynch?"

Lynch sat down in the chair at the desk. "Now that it's in your hands, do with it as you see fit. According to my research, a Horcrux is more like a twisted and evil magical vessel. It simply and ruthlessly shuts out 'death' in a way I can't fully comprehend yet. There's no continuous magical connection or perception between it and its creator after separation."

"So, whether to destroy it now or after conducting more in-depth research is not my personal concern." He shrugged. "My only insistence, and my ultimate goal, is to ensure its complete destruction."

Dumbledore fell into deep thought.

His fingers unconsciously traced the fine wood grain on the table, his gaze never leaving the treasure that once belonged to Rowena Ravenclaw.

Finally, he sat up straight and solemnly said, "As the headmaster of Hogwarts, I am, in a sense, the guardian of the legacy of the four founders... It is an extremely difficult thing for me to personally destroy the precious relics they left behind in the world."

"I want to try to find a way to preserve the artifact's form and magic as much as possible while ensuring that Voldemort's soul is completely destroyed. It will undoubtedly be very difficult, but it's worth a try."

Lynch neither confirmed nor denied this: "If anyone is to blame, blame Voldemort. When he chose to twist these relics of the founders, which carried extraordinary significance, into evil vessels for his pursuit of immortality, he had already destined them to be destroyed. His blasphemy is the original sin."

Dumbledore stood up and went back to the seemingly ordinary brass candlestick.

He extended his aged but still steady fingers and gently touched an inconspicuous protrusion on the bottom of the candlestick.

Without a sound, or even a trace of magic, the smooth stone surface on the office wall quietly slid open, revealing three more deep niches.

Dumbledore turned and picked up the Gryffindor sword, inlaid with a ruby, from the table.

The jewels on the scabbard reflected a magnificent light under the firelight.

He carefully placed it back into the niche.

Then, he turned around, took out his wand, tapped it lightly on the Ravenclaw tiara on the table, and whispered a spell.

The crown then floated gracefully up and slowly and precisely landed in a slightly smaller, but clearly custom-designed, empty niche next to it.

It fits perfectly, as if it had never left.

The walls closed silently again, as if they had never been opened.

The Gryffindor sword and the Ravenclaw crown vanished from Lynch's sight, hidden once again by Hogwarts' oldest protective magic.

Dumbledore turned around, his expression returning to its usual calm, but the depths of his azure eyes seemed even more profound and somber than before.

He said, "Now we've found our first Horcrux. Although we don't know exactly how many Horcruxes Voldemort made, this is a successful start."

Lynch tapped his fingers on the armrest of the chair: "As for how many Horcruxes Voldemort actually created, I might be able to tell you the answer."