From Hogwarts to Strixhaven.

Chapter 222 Frankness

When Harry once again transmitted the image of himself and Sirius running on the lawn into Snape's mind through the brain-blocking technique, the Potions Professor's long-accumulated anger finally erupted.

"You just don't know what awe is! Right?" Snape shouted as if he had been seriously insulted, "Do you think this is all I can do? You invite me to visit your brain and take turns showing me how childish you and stupid Black are? Well, Potter! I won't show mercy to you anymore! I will evoke your most painful memories and bring out the deepest fear in your heart!"

Before Harry could utter a word, he heard Snape chanting loudly: "Legitimate!"

This time, Harry no longer felt that the world was shaking and moving away from him. Instead, he felt that he was falling rapidly. There was endless darkness all around him. The images that usually flashed by disappeared, and only waves of chills came from behind.

Harry tried the same trick again, trying to recall his happy memories, but this time, he failed completely. Fear finally stretched out its tentacles and grabbed his ankles, trying to swallow him whole.

After coughing a few times as if drowning, Harry got up from the ground wetly. He was surprised to find himself in Myrtle's bathroom. This was probably the place that impressed him the most, but it was not nice to say it out loud - the women's bathroom.

A shudder ran from his tailbone up his spine and quickly reached Harry's brain.

He turned and looked down, and Professor Snape's ashen face appeared in front of him, his expression was so determined, as if he was going to complete a mission. His greasy black hair floated along the water under him, like a ball of black fog, or like a ball of ink that had not yet dispersed...

Harry didn't dare to look directly into the other person's eyes, fearing that it was an even deeper abyss...

Harry felt dizzy and fell on his back. He was surprised to find himself back in the office with the eerie candlelight, lying on the floor.

For no apparent reason, for the first time, he felt that the candlelight here was indescribably warm.

Harry rubbed the back of his head and stood up from the floor.

Snape was still sitting behind his desk, looking less angry.

No one spoke and the atmosphere in the office was extremely quiet.

"Shall we... continue practicing, Professor?" Harry asked quietly, the pain in the back of his head no longer seeming so bad.

Snape did not answer, but stood up from behind the desk and walked around Harry towards the door.

Harry guessed that he was going to be kicked out.

"Come with me, Potter." Snape opened the office door and walked out first.

Harry moved the stool back to its place and hurried to follow.

At first, Harry thought he was going to be assigned to clean the trophy room or something like that, and he just complained to himself behind Snape's back.

But as he climbed more and more steps, Harry finally knew the end of this journey - the principal's office.

"Sour Pops." Snape read out the password to the principal's office and was the first to step onto the spiral staircase.

There was no change in Dumbledore's circular office. The portraits of past headmasters on the wall were basically all awake, discussing the letter in Dumbledore's hand with him.

Seeing Snape and Harry come in, Dumbledore put down the letter and stared at them.

"Welcome, Severus, and Harry." Dumbledore waved his hand and summoned two chairs, and conjured soft cushions for them. "Sit down and talk."

Snape did not move, but stared at Dumbledore and moved his lips.

"What happened?" Dumbledore asked. "I remember today was Thursday, and you were supposed to be practicing Occlumency?"

"I return him to you, Dumbledore," Snape said dryly, turning and walking towards the door.

"What? What happened? Severus?" Dumbledore demanded, while Snape's movements looked more like running away.

Before he went out, Dumbledore shouted again: "It seems that you have proved that Harry has a smart enough brain in his head, right?"

"Did I make him angry, Professor Dumbledore?" Harry asked in a low voice.

"No, Harry, I think Severus is angry with himself." Dumbledore smiled and said, "Sit down, son. Although I expected a second year to learn Occlumency, I did not expect you to appear in my office so soon."

Harry thought he'd better remind Professor Dumbledore: "I haven't learned Occlumency... Professor Snape must be disappointed in me..."

"Really?" Dumbledore had obviously been paying attention to Harry's progress. "But I heard that you were able to influence Severus through Occlumency a long time ago."

"What does that mean?" Harry didn't quite understand. "I just hope I can give him some happiness."

"Yes, Harry, yes!" Dumbledore's smile grew brighter and brighter. "This is something that many powerful wizards cannot do. Severus has to admit that you have a great talent for Occlumency, just like your talent for Quidditch."

"So, what does this mean? Does Occlumency have competitions like Quidditch?" asked Harry.

"Of course not." Dumbledore's smile disappeared and was replaced by a serious look. "That means we can start training you earlier."

"Train me?" Harry was still confused.

"Does your scar still hurt?" Dumbledore pointed at Harry's forehead. "It only hurt a few times in my first year... Since last year, it has almost never hurt again." Harry recalled and said uncertainly.

"We are training you to prevent you from being hurt again by the person who gave you this scar," said Dumbledore.

"Voldemort is still alive?" Harry was surprised that he was not surprised at all.

"It cannot be said that he is completely alive, but he will definitely come back again." Dumbledore said, "In fact, Quirrell, the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor last year, was Voldemort's servant. The reason he came to Hogwarts was for the Philosopher's Stone that the alchemist Nicolas Flamel placed with me. That stone can allow Voldemort to regain a body. Fortunately, Ivy stopped him, and then the Philosopher's Stone was taken away by Ivy, and finally made into the Philosopher's Stone by him. You have seen its power."

"So Occlumency is what I need to prepare for?" Harry began to understand a little, and he remembered watching Professor Snape resurrect from the dead in this circular office, and the conversation between Ivy and Dumbledore at that time.

"Yes, Harry." Dumbledore sighed. "I thought this day would come later, but your progress in Occlumency is far beyond my imagination. Can you tell me what happened today?"

Harry nodded and explained what had happened in Snape's office.

"It's incredible, Harry." Dumbledore's smile reappeared on his face. "Apart from the death of Severus, your greatest fear is being chased up a tree by a dog."

"No," Harry whispered back, "I'm more afraid of being expelled from Hogwarts..."

"I'm not making fun of you. I think this is a good thing." Dumbledore stopped smiling and said, "One of the things I'm most grateful for is that although you are not happy in the Dursleys, you can still look at the world positively. You have a heart of gold, Harry."

"And you have very few fears, which is probably why you've made such rapid progress in Occlumency."

"Because you have achieved some success with Occlumency, I am going to tell you some secrets," said Dumbledore. "Some secrets about you, Voldemort, and your parents."

Harry unconsciously straightened his back and swallowed again.

"That was about twelve years ago. At that time, I was busy interviewing the professor of Divination at Hogwarts. If you had chosen her class in your third year, you would have met this professor." Dumbledore said slowly, "Because I have never taken a Divination class, and Hogwarts has not offered this course for many years. To be honest, I didn't care much about this matter."

"At that time, Sybil, who is now the Divination professor at Hogwarts, gave me several not-so-accurate predictions. I had already decided in my heart to reject her, but before I said that, Sybil made a true prediction."

"He who has power to defeat the Dark Lord enters the world...born into the family that has thrice resisted him, born at the end of July...the Dark Lord will mark him as his greatest rival, but he will have powers the Dark Lord knows not of...one of them must die at the hand of the other, for both cannot live but one...the one who has power to defeat the Dark Lord will be born at the end of July."

Dumbledore repeated Sybill Trelawney's prophecy and explained, "Voldemort also knew this prophecy at the time, but he only knew the first half of it, that is, he knew that a couple who had fought against him three times would give birth to a child who could defeat him at the end of July."

"But Voldemort actually didn't know the second half of the prophecy. He didn't know that his actions would create a powerful enemy." Dumbledore paused and continued, "In other words, when he tried to eradicate you when you were still in your infancy, he actually facilitated his own demise."

"That night, Voldemort's soul was lost, and some of his powers were transferred to you. Harry, your Parseltongue, and the reason why the Sorting Hat said you were suitable for Slytherin, are all because of this."

"Voldemort... created me?" Harry couldn't believe it, but this statement did explain his confusion.

"No, Harry, Voldemort did not make you," Dumbledore corrected. "He made a powerful enemy for himself, but the people who really made you were your parents, your professors, your past experiences, and yourself."

"Voldemort's archenemy, the boy who lived, these are just your identities, not all of you."

Harry seemed much more relieved. Identity recognition is an event that every child has to go through when growing up. This represents how Harry sees himself.

"So, you want to train me to defeat Voldemort? Professor Dumbledore?" Harry's eyes began to show eagerness.

"No, it's too early for you to fight." Dumbledore said, "I hope you can protect yourself. I have told you that there is a special connection between you and Voldemort. If Voldemort is really resurrected, he is likely to notice this connection and control you in turn. Therefore, I hope you can have the power to protect yourself. Although staying in Hogwarts is very safe, there is no impenetrable wall in the world. If Voldemort and the Death Eaters have been watching you in the dark, they will always find the right time to attack you."

"I hope that if that day comes, you can survive."

"But the prophecy says... that I am destined to defeat Voldemort..." Harry retorted.

"No, Harry, the prophecy says that only one person between you and Voldemort can survive in the end." Dumbledore smiled. "This is the cunning of the prophecy. No matter what the facts are in the end, there is always a way to justify it. I just hope you can protect yourself, that's all."

"As for the task of defeating Voldemort, leave it to us."

"Leave it to 'you'?" Harry asked. "Does that include Ivy?"

"Yes, he may be the only wizard in the world who can defeat Voldemort." Dumbledore sighed.

"You can't do it either, Professor Dumbledore?" Harry was surprised. He always thought that the respected old wizard in front of him was the strongest wizard in the world, because everyone said so.

"Voldemort has many abilities that I do not possess. He has gone too far down the path of dark magic." Dumbledore was very calm.

"Then Ivy..." Harry hesitated.

"Ivy is far superior to Voldemort. He has high attainments in both black and white magic. Unlike Voldemort, his only ambition is to continue on the path of magic. I am very glad that he is not interested in dominating others. Otherwise, I am afraid no one can stop him." Dumbledore shook his head.

"Then why can Voldemort guarantee his immortality?" Harry asked again.

"You've hit the nail on the head, Harry," said Dumbledore. "Because he has divided his soul into many pieces, each of which is stored in a different Horcrux. If his body dies, he will not die, but wait for the opportunity to resurrect. Ivy and I have managed to destroy several of his Horcruxes. If we're lucky enough, perhaps it won't be long before he truly disappears from the world."

"But in order to prevent him from doing something unwise after learning this fact, we still have to start training you, Harry." Dumbledore smiled and handed Harry a piece of chocolate. "Take it, this is what Sirius left when he visited me last time."

(End of this chapter)