Hogwarts Raven

Chapter 298 Chapter 297: The Fall of Dumbledore
The sun shines on this quiet and peaceful village.

The little girl with freckles on her face originally had a happy smile on her face.

however.

"Albus!"

As she walked towards the young Dumbledore holding a dandelion covered in dirt.

"Look what I found!"

It was obvious that she wanted to share her joy with the young Dumbledore, but the young Dumbledore directly knocked the dandelion out of Ariana's hand.

"do not bother me."

He even raised his wand in a threat.

The young Dumbledore had a gloomy face and pursed lips. Opposite him stood his sister, Ariana, a girl who could not control magic due to childhood trauma.

She was trembling, her eyes full of fear and terror, as if she felt unfamiliar with her brother's attitude. Seeing this scene, the old Dumbledore's heart could not help but tighten.

"No, this isn't me."

Old Dumbledore muttered to himself.

at the same time.

The shivering little girl Ariana was surrounded by black magical energy.

It seemed like it would explode at any moment.

The old Dumbledore's heartbeat quickened, and he tried to raise the old wand in his hand, but the magic could not reach the distant memory. He could only watch the scene he had expected happen.

"You've lost control again!" roared the young Dumbledore. "You know this will destroy us! You monster!"

"I... I didn't mean it..." Ariana sobbed softly. The magical energy in her body began to become restless. The erosion from Obscurus made her very painful.

only.

Young Dumbledore showed no mercy.

"Shut up!" The young Dumbledore raised his wand, his eyes burning with anger and smoke. Ariana's little hands tightly grasped the corner of Dumbledore's robe, her knuckles turned white, and her eyes were filled with tears. "Albus, don't do this." Her voice was as thin as a mosquito's whisper, but like a blunt knife.

Slowly tearing apart the old Dumbledore's heart.

The expression of the young Dumbledore was completely different, his reddish-brown curly hair shone coldly in the sunlight, and his face was filled with the impatience that Dumbledore was all too familiar with—the arrogance of a genius being disturbed by a mediocre person.

"Shut up!"

His younger self snapped, his wand already pointed at his sister's chest.

"You just cry all day long!"

His wand was beginning to glow.

"No!"

The old Dumbledore raised the old wand violently, but the spell dissipated into the air like a drop in the ocean. He watched helplessly as a dazzling red light burst out from the tip of the young wand and pierced Ariana's thin chest accurately. The girl fell down like a puppet with her strings cut, and the wild daisies she had just picked fell to the ground.

The sound of Aberforth slamming the door open was very similar.

This disturbed the birds nesting nearby.

"Ariana!"

"How dare you? She is our sister!" Aberforth had an expression of disbelief and horror on his face, and his strong arms waved the wand that didn't look very powerful.

Young Albus didn't even turn around, he just waved back casually.

"Avada Kedavra!"

He used the big melon.

A green light flashed, and Aberforth's burly body fell to the ground with a bang. His blue eyes, which were exactly the same as Ariana's, were forever frozen in a moment of shock and anger.

"It's quiet now."

Young Albus absentmindedly dusted off his robes.

He bent down to pick up the fallen "Magic Theory" and continued to read leaning against the apple tree, as if nothing had happened. The sunlight cast mottled shadows on his face through the leaves.

It was as if the killing just now was just a brushing away of fallen leaves.

This scene.

It's extremely horrifying.

But what happened seemed very real.

All of this fell into the eyes of the old Dumbledore. The young man's words were like a knife that pierced the old Dumbledore's heart. He fell to his knees, his chest heaving violently, and tears almost burst out of his eyes.

"What on earth is this place! Damn it! Where am I!" The old Dumbledore dug his fingers deep into his palms, and blood dripped through his fingers onto the faded pebbles.

His breathing became heavy.

Blue eyes rippled behind half-moon glasses.

The surrounding scene began to distort, Ariana's body dissipated like sand, the wreckage of the house sank into the ground, and in its place, the dome of the Hogwarts Great Hall emerged from the mist.

This scene.

Let the old Dumbledore begin to force himself to calm down. He forced himself to calm down.

"My soul failed the test," the old man whispered to himself, his voice hoarse and unrecognizable to him, "so you want me to sink into eternal regret? Or is it..." He looked up at the dome mural that was taking shape, which depicted the glorious deeds of the four founders, "this is the test itself?"

Thinking like this.

The elderly Dumbledore began to feel that something was affecting his thinking.

It made him a little confused.

"Don't even think about it." The elderly Dumbledore tried to use magic to protect himself, but even though he was at the legendary level, he still couldn't cast a spell on himself in time.

"I'm……"

The old principal's eyes began to become cloudy.

It was as if an unknown force had completely invaded his mind.

The scene around me began to distort.

The sky turned into chaos.

Everything is changing.

The only scent left in the air was Dumbledore's own sadness.

When everything becomes clear again.

Dumbledore found himself in a spacious, bright office, with medals of honor and photos hanging on the walls. A golden nameplate read.

[Albus Dumbledore, President of the United Federation of Wizards]

He stood up, walked to the window, and saw a peaceful and prosperous scene outside - Muggles and wizards lived in harmony, and children were running and playing in the streets.

Owls and brooms were flying in the sky.

All this was what he had been expecting to see.

"Professor, are you ready?"

A familiar voice came from the other side of the door, and Kingsley Shacklebolt pushed the door open with a solemn expression.

"Grindelwald has invaded Eastern Europe. We must act."

The visitor spoke.

"where is he?"

Dumbledore asked, his tone calm but firm.

"Nurmengard. He has gathered a large number of followers and declared that he will establish a new order of wizard rule." Kingsley Shacklebolt said with some worry.

"Take me to him."

Dumbledore spoke again.

He felt that some force was influencing him.

It made him unable to distinguish between reality and illusion - but it didn't matter anymore. This might be the truth. Dumbledore turned around and left the room with the memory of not being familiar with Grindelwald.

Scene changes.

A blizzard swept through the ruins of Nurmengard. Dumbledore set foot on this dark land alone. He was wearing a silver-gray robe, holding the Elder Wand, and his eyes were sharp.

Grindelwald stood on a stone tower, his cloak fluttering and a mad light flashing in his eyes.

"Albus, you are finally here." He sneered, "I thought you would not come to die. The greatest wizard in the world is just a joke to me."

"I am not here to die, but to end your ambition - soon, you will know whether I am great or not." Dumbledore said slowly.

The two faced each other for a long time, then waved their wands at the same time.

Magic sparks collided in the air, illuminating the entire ruins. Finally, Dumbledore hit Grindelwald with a precise "Avada Kedavra", and the man who made him feel familiar in his subconscious but actually looked very strange fell down completely.

“This is not the end, this is the beginning.”

Dumbledore looked at the trapped Grindelwald.

Said softly.

The fog began to spread.

When it dissipates again.

Dumbledore found himself standing in the center of a magnificent hall.

He grew old again.

Why use the word again?

Haven't had time to think.

Dumbledore's attention was diverted elsewhere.

The walls were covered with portraits he had never seen before.

It's all his own.

There is also the young Albus Dumbledore, wearing a gorgeous purple and gold robe, with the Order of Merlin, First Class, pinned on his chest, and being awarded an honor by the Minister of Magic.

"Let us thank Mr. Dumbledore again!" Fudge's voice exploded in his ears, ten times louder than in his vague memory. "It was his decisive action that stopped the conspiracy of that madman Grindelwald!"

There was thunderous applause.

In the portrait, Dumbledore bows gracefully, his red hair is still bright, and there is not a single wrinkle on his face. He looks so vigorous and energetic that he is enviable.

There is no trace of decadence.

"Is this me?"

The old Dumbledore began to feel confused.

suddenly.

Someone called him.

He turned his head.

The scene changes again.

The lights in the Hogwarts Great Hall were on, and the students cheered and celebrated Dumbledore's inclusion in the "Century Great List". Dumbledore sat in the headmaster's seat, and next to him sat a gentle witch, Alison Blake. Together they raised two children, one of whom was a magic genius.

One is a Muggle scientist.

"Dad, you're the best hero in the world!"

The daughter hugged him excitedly.

"I just did what I had to do."

Dumbledore replied with a smile.

Professor McGonagall came over with a cup of Honeydukes' special hot cocoa.

"Albus, are you not going to run for the next Minister of Magic?"

"I have handed the stage over to the young people." He looked out the window, the setting sun shining on his face, reflecting the traces of time, "but I know that some things are more important than power."

"Like what?"

"Like family, responsibility, and... love."

……

perfect.

Just live your life without any burden or encumbrance.

It is so fascinating and intoxicating.

As life comes to an end, it seems like I have not embarked on a new journey after closing my eyes.

It was just a time to gain clarity.

The old Dumbledore found himself still standing on the grass.

In front.

He is still the young Dumbledore who killed his family and is still learning that he can do anything to achieve his goals and live a fulfilling life.

Everything I just experienced.

They all seem to be the future that will happen after making this choice.

"But they are not the future after all, nor are they the choices I want to make." The dusty real memories returned to Dumbledore's mind again.

He became the miserable Dumbledore again.

Those muddled false memories still lingered in Dumbledore's mind - the newspaper headlines "Genius Wizard Single-Handedly Defeats Dark Lord" and the photos of himself looking so proud.

In the Hogwarts Great Hall, students stood up and applauded to welcome the "greatest headmaster in history"; on the podium of the International Confederation of Wizards, he waved the Elder Wand and brilliant fireworks bloomed in the sky.

Every scene is bright and beautiful, every life is perfect. There is no tragedy of Godric's Hollow, no fetters of blood oath, no sleepless nights.

"What a glorious life." A voice whispered in my ear, as sweet as honey, "no weaknesses, no stains, only endless glory"

Dumbledore's memory was frozen in a certain scene of the false memory. The gray-haired self sat at the head of the Wizengamot, surrounded by admiring eyes.

Wizards and Muggles all live in harmony thanks to his efforts.

He is already the true king.

Rule over everything.

The temptation is strong—at least for most people.

but.

"There are no ifs in life." The elderly Dumbledore suddenly spoke in a decisive voice. He raised the Elder Wand, and the tip of the wand burst into dazzling silver light.

"This is not a test at all, it's just a crude instigation!" He didn't yearn for such a future in his heart. He knew that this was not the future he wanted.

So eager.

Only for another Dumbledore.

One of those Dumbledores abandoned by fate - wherever the silver light goes, the brilliant illusion shatters like glass, and Dumbledore once again examines the false memory.

Everything looks different from this perspective. The "glorious" version of myself has empty eyes, and the handshake during the award ceremony is mechanical and rigid.

Extremely hypocritical.

In the dead of night, "he" would talk to himself facing the blank wall, as if there was someone standing there. It was the inner torture that made him more and more depraved in anger. The most terrifying thing was that in the most confidential files of the Ministry of Magic, there was a series of suspicious suppression actions recorded, and all the opposing voices disappeared mysteriously.

This is not the king.

A tyrant.

"A soul covered by a perfect appearance is more tragic than a broken soul." Dumbledore said softly. As he spoke, the whole illusion began to collapse.

Before his eyes, the bronze door appeared again—with countless silver chains wrapped around the inside of the door, and on each chain hung a fate bottle, which contained the future that would have happened if he had made other choices.

"I know, this is just another trick." Dumbledore had a clear judgment in his heart, but he still couldn't help but move forward to see if there was the destiny he hoped for.

And it is this kind of decision.

Let him sink again.

The scene around me began to change.

New scene.

It was conceived in Dumbledore's weak heart.

He saw another life.

"Here, this book records how to deal with Obscurus' problems. I finally found a useful method, Ariana. You can finally live like a normal person."

It's another new young Dumbledore, but he looks like a good brother.

"So what's the price, brother?"

Ariana asked.

"It only takes a million human souls."

Young Dumbledore was still delighted.

"Death is merciful!"

His tone was somewhat fanatical.

(End of this chapter)