The Hogwarts Emerald

Chapter 552 A long-awaited conversation

The trial of the Death Eater Yaxley ended here. When the Aurors took the criminal away, the people in the room began to leave, and soon they were all gone.

Dumbledore did not leave. He still sat there, carefully examining his dry and charred right hand. The eerie and dark courtroom made his injured right hand look even more hideous.

The big iron door of the courtroom was heavily closed, and then Ada walked out from the darkness and slowly walked towards the bench where Dumbledore was. Of course, in Dumbledore's eyes, the person walking towards him was an old man from the Wizengamot.

After sitting down next to Dumbledore, Ada didn't say anything at first, but stared at the injured hand.

Powerful black magic, heart-wrenching injuries, and the injured right hand looked lifeless.

"Even if I tell you that this is just a small accident, I don't think you will believe it." Dumbledore said slowly, "Right, Miss Esmeralda Drizzt from France?"

Ada was not too surprised when her identity was revealed. She said, "Of course, nothing can be hidden from your eyes, Professor Dumbledore. When did you recognize me?"

"Just now when you came over." Dumbledore said without pretending to be profound, "Polyjuice Potion can change a person's appearance, but it cannot change a person's heart. I'm a little embarrassed to say this, but I sensed a deep concern in your eyes. I wonder if Minerva would be offended."

Ada smiled and said, "What if I made a mistake? After all, you are Albus Dumbledore. At a time when the wizarding world is in danger, no one should want you to get into trouble."

Dumbledore sighed, then smiled and said, "I can't rule out the possibility you mentioned. However, the person you are pretending to be will not wait until everyone has left before caring about me. She and I are not that close. The most important thing is that I know you are in the Ministry of Magic, and I know you will definitely attend today's trial."

Dumbledore had his suspicions about Thicknesse's rise to the post of Minister and the recent series of changes in the Ministry of Magic. Not only Dumbledore, but also Voldemort had noticed that the Ministry of Magic's style was changing too fast, and this kind of change was not something Thicknesse could do.

Moreover, Ada's method of setting a trap for Scrimgeour was not sophisticated and could not withstand speculation. The fact that it worked was just a coincidence.

If the Ministry of Magic had not been in a special period, and Scrimgeour had lost an important prisoner at a critical moment when the Ministry urgently needed to boost morale, and his ideas conflicted with Dumbledore's views, the pit dug by Ada would not have been enough to bury a candidate for Minister.

These four reasons combined led to Rufus Scrimgeour missing out on the position of Minister of Magic, allowing Thicknesse, who was supported by a noble person, to get a huge advantage.

The light cast by the torch flickered, and the shadows of the two people sitting side by side also swayed with the light, sometimes very close, sometimes very far apart, just like the relationship between the two people now.

Ida's voice echoed through the courtroom as she said, "It seems I made some bad decisions today, Professor."

First, Ada shouldn't have chosen to disguise herself as a member of the Wizengamot. Dumbledore was familiar with them, and a Ministry of Magic employee might be a better choice. Second, Ada shouldn't have greeted Dumbledore after everyone had left. This behavior seemed a bit intimate and exposed her identity. Third, Ada shouldn't have appeared in the courtroom today. It was also interesting to disappoint Dumbledore, who was confident.

However, if it was just Dumbledore's hand injury, Ada could still suppress her doubts and investigate secretly, but Thicknesse's powerful words forced her to talk to Dumbledore in person, otherwise she would feel uneasy.

"Let me guess, Professor Dumbledore," Ada said, "Your hand - was it caused when you destroyed the Horcrux?" Although she said it as a question, her tone was very certain.

Dumbledore raised his injured hand, turned it over and over in front of him, and said, "Yes, I underestimated... I underestimated Tom's protection of the Horcrux. I was careless."

"Careless? That's not your style." Ada laughed meaninglessly. She didn't believe what Dumbledore said.

Voldemort must have protected the Horcrux very carefully, as can be seen from the remaining magical aura near the Gaunt old house. Considering Dumbledore's character, "carelessness" can be said to be a very low-level mistake.

Dumbledore withdrew his injured hand, seeming a little sad, but also as if he had no emotion at all. He said: "I know you don't believe it, but I did underestimate the influence of external things on me. As you said before, I'm old." Turning his head to look at Dumbledore, his blue eyes were still full of wisdom, but there was a hint of old age in the corners of his eyebrows and eyes, not as wise and brave as before.

In the flickering firelight, Dumbledore looked a little older, which reminded people of the fact that he was over a hundred years old.

"Is there a possibility of recovery?" Ada asked. Whether out of concern for Dumbledore or out of caution against Dumbledore, she should have asked this question.

"I am getting used to the inconvenience it brings me." Dumbledore said in a flat tone, as if he was not talking about himself.

It is easy to tell that the magic Voldemort used to protect the Horcrux must belong to the category of dark magic. Usually, dark magic will bring great pain to people, and the damage caused is often irreversible.

The same should be true for the injury on Dumbledore's hand. Voldemort could not have used a child's magic to protect the Horcrux, which was something of vital importance to him. It was his life.

This right hand will probably stay like this, dry and charred.

In other words, Voldemort used a Horcrux to exchange for Dumbledore's intact right hand, causing Dumbledore's strength to decline. With such severe damage to his dominant hand, it is impossible for Dumbledore to have no impact at all, but the extent of his decline is hard to say for the time being.

"You didn't try the potion that Grover Cecil took, did you?" Ada asked, "I really want to defeat you fairly. That would be a recognition and a proof."

Dumbledore was quite pleased to hear these words which were half caring and half provocative.

He shook his head and said, "I am also looking forward to this day. However, your enemy has always been hiding deep in your heart. When you become weak, she will jump out and tear you apart and devour you."

Ada never mentioned the "self-dialogue" that night in the cemetery to anyone. It was her biggest secret. Although she knew that Dumbledore was not referring to this matter, Ada still felt guilty and her eyes unconsciously turned to another direction.

"Man's greatest enemy is himself. I understood this a long time ago, professor."

"Knowing and doing are two different things, Ada," Dumbledore said earnestly, "I always thought I knew a lot of things until a while ago."

The cold courtroom suddenly became quiet, and the two men fell silent at the same time, each thinking about something else. The light in the room flickered, making it difficult to tell the expressions of the two men.

After a while, Dumbledore slowly stood up and walked down the stone steps, heading outside the courtroom. Dumbledore had already conveyed the message he wanted to convey, and there was no point in staying any longer. It was time to leave.

Ida, who had once again hidden herself in the shadows, also stood up. Looking at Dumbledore's back getting farther and farther away, Ida decided to ask directly.

She had many mysteries to solve and didn't want to spend her limited time on puzzles whose answers were within her reach.

"Professor, Thicknesse... the matter that Thicknesse just mentioned in the courtroom, was it you who pushed for it, right?"

Dumbledore paused and answered the question irrelevantly: "Minerva is fine now, but she is not very happy. It is probably because there was one less person to pick her up on the day she was discharged from the hospital."

(End of this chapter)