Hogwarts Raven's Claw

Chapter 424 Storytelling

Half an hour later, Snape helped Dumbledore out of the basement again.

At this time, Mike was sitting on the sofa, holding a plate full of various foods and eating voraciously.

Although he had eaten a lot at Lupin's wedding, Mike was already hungry after following Dumbledore all night!
Snape, who had just helped Dumbledore into the living room, suddenly turned dark when he saw this scene.

Mike also noticed their arrival. He swallowed the food in his mouth with great effort, then held the plate and said to Dumbledore and Snape:
"Principal Dumbledore, would you like some too? Professor Snape's cooking skills are really great!"

"Oh? Really? Then I really want to try it!"

Dumbledore said with a smile.

His complexion looked much better than before he went to the basement. At least there was some color on his face. His right hand, which was the most seriously injured, was now covered with white bandages, and he looked no different from a mummy.

Dumbledore struggled to break free from Snape's support and slowly sat down next to Mike.

At this moment, he looked like a real centenarian. Such a simple movement made him breathless and a layer of sweat appeared on his forehead.

Mike carefully wiped the sweat off Dumbledore's face, then picked up a soft-boiled egg from the plate and fed it into Dumbledore's mouth.

"Hmm! Not bad!" Dumbledore said with his eyes wide open, "It's sprinkled with pepper, right? Severus, I didn't expect you to have this trick up your sleeve."

A rare blush appeared on Snape's face. He stared at Mike fiercely with his fists clenched. Mike dared to guarantee that if Dumbledore had not been by his side at this moment, Snape would definitely fight him to the death.

Mike also stopped while he was ahead and quickly changed the subject:

"By the way, Professor Snape, how is Headmaster Dumbledore doing?"

As Mike expected, Snape's expression immediately became solemn when he heard this.

However, he did not answer Mike immediately. Instead, he turned and looked at Dumbledore, who was eating in the examination room, with an inquiring look.

"The situation is very bad." Dumbledore put down the sausage in his hand and did not respond to Snape. Instead, he looked at Mike with a smile, "This is a very powerful curse. Even your Potions Professor can only suppress it temporarily. If nothing unexpected happens, I may not live for too long."

Hearing this, Mike's expression instantly became extremely surprised.

But what surprised him was not the news that Dumbledore would not live long, but the fact that Dumbledore actually told him the news!
As elders, aren’t we supposed to report good news to younger generations, not bad news?
Why is it the other way around when it comes to Dumbledore?

However, Dumbledore and Snape obviously didn't know the real reason why Mike was shocked. They thought that Mike was just shocked by the news.

Then, the smile on Dumbledore's face became softer. He patted Mike's shoulder and said softly:
"Don't worry, I won't die in ten years, but the magic power in my body will continue to weaken."

Mike's mouth slightly opened, unsure how to respond.

Snape, who was standing by, sneered:

"You could have lived for at least another fifty years! Just because you did something stupid last night!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the smile on Dumbledore's face disappeared instantly. He lowered his head, looking very lost.

Mike frowned and looked at Snape. He originally thought that Snape should understand Dumbledore. After all, Snape had lost the love of his life forever.

Mike believed that if it was Snape who saw the ring at that time, he would wear the Resurrection Stone without hesitation just like Dumbledore!

But now that Snape said that, Dumbledore must not have told Snape the truth.

Thinking of this, Mike looked at Dumbledore again, and sure enough, he saw that the old man who had lowered his head just now was now blinking at him frantically.

Mike understood instantly and said nothing more.

"I think it's time for us to go."

Dumbledore said this somewhat awkwardly, while Snape on the side waved his hand and said in a voice raised by eight tones:

"Oh! That's great! I don't want to see you guys anymore today! Especially you, Mike, put my breakfast down right away!"

Mike put down his almost empty plate with an embarrassed look on his face, then helped Dumbledore up and walked towards the small fireplace.

Just as they were about to step into the fireplace, Snape's voice came from behind them.

"Wait! Dumbledore!" Snape shouted with a dark face, "The medicine I gave you is only enough for you for half a month. You must come to me for a refill before the medicine runs out! Also, you must take the medicine on time, otherwise you won't be able to last even ten days, let alone ten years! Do you understand?"

Hearing this, Mike and Dumbledore looked at each other and both smiled.

Snape, this guy with a cold appearance but a warm heart!

"Thank you, Severus."

Dumbledore sincerely thanked Snape, who waved his hand irritably, signaling them to leave.

Dumbledore smiled and nodded, and then he let Mike lead him into the fireplace.

After a flash of light, the small living room in the brick house at 19 Spinner's End finally became quiet. Snape, who was alone, stared at the small fireplace and sighed deeply after a long time.

……

Ten minutes later, in a bedroom in the forest villa of the Order of the Phoenix, Dumbledore was lying on the bed with a peaceful look on his face, while Mike was sitting beside the bed, looking at Dumbledore silently.

"Principal Dumbledore, the only Horcrux left out there is the Slytherin locket." After a long while, Mike said seriously, "Given the current situation, I think we must speed up our actions."

Dumbledore on the bed slowly opened his eyes, looked at the ceiling and said softly:
"That's what I meant, but my current physical condition can't support a long battle, so I'm afraid you'll have to take on greater responsibilities next." "You can rest assured about this. I've been preparing since the moment I saw Voldemort resurrect."

"That's good." Dumbledore's eyes flashed with relief. "I have already sent Kingsley to investigate Slytherin's locket. After so much time, I believe he must have achieved something. Tomorrow, I will let Kingsley find you and ask him to cooperate with you fully."

Hearing this, Mike finally had a smile on his face. He had wanted to get rid of the traditional pure-blood nobles represented by Chris for a long time, but he had been hesitant to take action because he was concerned about the possible legendary combat power in their family.

But now that I have Dumbledore's support, everything is different.

Although Dumbledore is injured now, Mike believes that he can still deal with those possible antiques without any problem. After all, Dumbledore still has the elder wand, which is known as the most powerful wand!

Thinking of this, Mike stood up and prepared to leave.

As for the Resurrection Stone Ring, Mike was not going to take it away from Dumbledore, although that was the best decision. After all, Dumbledore would most likely become obsessed with the ghost summoned by the Resurrection Stone again, and eventually be bewitched by the girl named Ariana.

But Mike felt that it was no longer necessary.

Because Dumbledore no longer wants to live. If Voldemort had not been destroyed, he would have committed suicide long ago.

This is also why Dumbledore acted so indifferent after learning that he didn't have much time left. Others might think that he was pretending to be calm, but Mike felt that he really didn't care.

But even though Mike was not interested in the Resurrection Stone at all, Dumbledore didn't think much of it.

He stared at Mike's departing back, and after a while, when Mike was about to reach out and push open the door, he whispered:

"Mike, wait a minute."

"Are you okay?"

"I know you have a lot of doubts about the ring last night." Dumbledore said, "Come on, let's talk frankly. This will be beneficial to our future cooperation."

Hearing this, Mike could only sit back next to Dumbledore with a strange expression.

He really didn't expect that Dumbledore would take the initiative to tell him about the Resurrection Stone.

Seeing Mike coming back, Dumbledore tried to sit up from the bed. Mike hurried to help him and put two tall pillows behind his back.

"Oh! Thank you." Dumbledore exhaled, "Mike, have you ever read a fairy tale book called The Tales of Beedle the Bard?"

As a time traveler, Mike naturally knew the fame of "The Tales of Beedle the Bard", but he still shook his head decisively.

In fact, he was not lying, because he really had not read the book!

"That's not surprising. You were already eleven years old when you entered the wizarding world. You were no longer at the age of liking fairy tales." Dumbledore nodded and said, "Then let me tell you. There is a story in The Tales of Beedle the Bard. There were three brothers named Peverell who encountered a river during their travels... (The original story is too long, so I have included it in the remarks.) In this way, the third brother took the initiative to find the god of death, and happily left the world with him as an equal."

Although this was not the first time he had heard this story, Mike still felt his heartbeat quickening when he heard Dumbledore telling this fable again.

After taking a deep breath to calm himself down, Mike pretended to have just learned about it and said:
"You mean, that ring is actually the Resurrection Stone?"

"Yes, the black gem inlaid in the ring is the Resurrection Stone." Dumbledore said, "In fact, this fable is widely circulated in the wizarding world. Many people believe that as long as the three Deathly Hallows are collected, death can be controlled! But that is just nonsense. The three Peverell brothers are just three powerful wizards who created the three powerful Deathly Hallows. The fable and various legends are just the imagination of later generations."

"How do you know that's nonsense? Could it be that..."

Mike looked at Dumbledore in pretended surprise.

Dumbledore was obviously bewildered by Mike's acting skills and blinked at him mysteriously.

"Let me continue. The Resurrection Stone Ring and the Slytherin Pendant are both heirlooms of the Gaunt family. The Gaunt family is a very famous pure-blood family. They are the only surviving descendants of Salazar Slytherin and a branch of the Peverell family." Dumbledore said, "Of course, the Gaunt family is now in decline. There is only one member of their family still alive, and that is Voldemort."

"Voldemort's childhood was a tragedy. His mother was a Squib, and the Gaunt family was a very extreme pure-blood family, so his mother's life in the Gaunt family was not easy. No, it should be said that his mother's life in the Gaunt family was almost worse than death."

Hearing this, Mike nodded silently.

He knew that everything Dumbledore said was true because Filch was living proof of it.

These Squibs from pure-blood families are usually abandoned by their families because they cannot master magical powers. Only a very small number of them are kept by their families as servants, but that is not easy either.

As for the children who were kicked out of the family, they were even more miserable. Their long-term life in the wizarding world made it impossible for them to integrate into the Muggle world, so they usually could only make a living by begging on the roadside.

Voldemort's mother was probably kept in the Gaunt family as a maid.

"It has to be said that this is a tragedy, but Voldemort's mother did not just accept her fate. By chance, she fell in love with Voldemort's father, a handsome Muggle. Unfortunately, the Muggle did not like her. So, she used a love potion on the Muggle."

"As we all know, love gained through love potions will never last long, and Voldemort's parents are no exception. Soon Voldemort's father abandoned him and his mother. His mother had no choice but to take him back to the Gaunt family. Uh... Alas, what happened next was a complete tragedy. As I said before, the Gaunt family is a very extreme pure-blood family. So they were also very extreme in dealing with Voldemort and his mother."

"This is a tragedy! Voldemort lost his mother forever, and then appeared in an orphanage in London." Dumbledore repeated again, "And the story that followed is very similar to the plot described in your Muggle novel "The Count of Monte Cristo". The oppressed prince gained power, and he went back to find his former enemies and took back everything that should have belonged to him from them."

Having said this, Dumbledore finally stopped.

Dragging his sick body to speak such a long paragraph obviously put a lot of pressure on his body. Seeing him panting, Mike instinctively fed him a sip of water.

"Oh, thank you. I feel much better now." Dumbledore said with a smile, "I'm sorry, Mike. In fact, I still have a lot of memory fragments about these things hidden in my office, but my current body is really not suitable for showing them to you, so I can only let you understand this history through oral narration. I hope these can give you some help."

"Thank you very much, Headmaster Dumbledore, that is all I have to say."

"That's good." Dumbledore nodded in satisfaction. "Leave the Resurrection Stone with me. I have always known that using the Resurrection Stone to summon the dead is just a temporary solution. I will seal it up and never use it again."

……

(End of this chapter)