Snape, the Sunshine of Hogwarts.

Chapter 224 Harry is a Horcrux

The principal's office was quiet.

Although Severus did not explicitly state who "he" was, Dumbledore could clearly understand from the context what he had grasped.

However, based on what Severus had given him before, Dumbledore had now completely figured out that Voldemort had created multiple Horcruxes.

Therefore, Dumbledore immediately guessed that the "he" Severus was referring to was Voldemort, but he only thought that he had obtained one of Voldemort's Horcruxes.

"I found him in the forests of Albania. He was extremely weak. Even with the Horcruxes, which kept him alive and prevented him from dying outright, he could only linger on in a state that was neither human nor ghost."

It wasn't until this moment that Dumbledore's expression froze, and he truly realized what Severus had actually caught.

His expression turned unusually serious and surprised. His usually deep blue eyes, which were usually unfathomable, now made no attempt to conceal his inner turmoil.

"You said you caught him."

“It’s not his anything, it’s him.” Severus corrected Dumbledore’s statement, then opened his suitcase and took out the teacup that looked tattered, old and worn out.

“I got this cup from Nicolas Flamel; its main function is to bind spirits.”

Severus explained.

"I tricked Voldemort's remnant soul into coming out. As long as the lid isn't opened, he won't be able to get out."

Dumbledore crossed his arms and looked at Severus with a complicated expression.

"So, before you went to Albania to find him, you already knew what state he was in at the time?"

Severus did not deny this. He knew very well that Dumbledore would make all sorts of guesses about his origins. The fact that he occasionally revealed his own special characteristics would only make it more and more difficult for Dumbledore to figure out who he really was.

"More or less," Severus said ambiguously, but he quickly shifted the topic back to Voldemort. "However, although Voldemort himself has been captured, the Horcruxes he created have not been fully retrieved yet."

Dumbledore had originally wanted to wait for Severus to return before discussing with him how many Horcruxes Voldemort had created, but now he knew he didn't need to say anything more and asked directly.

"Besides the notebook and the crown you gave me, how many other items are left?"

Severus didn't keep anyone in suspense; he revealed all of Voldemort's existing Horcruxes.

"There's also a Resurrection Stone ring, a Hufflepuff cup, a Slytherin locket, and..."

He paused for a few seconds before finally uttering the name.

"Harry Potter."

When he heard the first few words, Dumbledore didn't react at all, but when he heard Harry's name at the end, his whole body stiffened.

Not only him, but even the portraits of past principals on the wall, who had been listening intently, couldn't help but exclaim in surprise at this moment!

Not only them, but even Snape, the ghost who had been inside Severus's body, was completely dumbfounded at this moment.

The first person to react was Snape the Ghost, who couldn't help but roar.

"You've been hiding this from me all along! Why didn't you tell me something so important from the beginning?!"

Severus ignored him and kept staring at Dumbledore.

Compared to Snape the Ghost, Dumbledore's reaction was not as intense, but his furrowed brows were enough to show his inner turmoil.

“I have carefully examined the two things you sent me: Riddle’s diary from his student days and Ravenclaw’s crown of wisdom. He has turned both of them into Horcruxes, and they exhibit the most essential characteristics of dark magic.”

"They themselves possess a curse that could be deadly."

Dumbledore's expression was serious. The fact that Harry was also a Horcrux was extremely shocking but equally crucial. Even though the information revealed by Severus had always been absolutely accurate, Dumbledore still needed to confirm the truth of this matter with him.

Severus began by explaining to Dumbledore what had recently happened.

"After I brought Harry to the Albanian forest, we found a fluffy creature. Voldemort, who was unable to maintain his normal form, was hiding in this fluffy creature. Then one night, Harry came to me in the middle of the night and said that he had a very real dream."

"In that dream, he turned into a snake and roamed the forest, and summoned a basilisk in Parseltongue. The night after I encountered Voldemort and tricked him into the Teacup, I asked him how he found the basilisk and summoned it, and the scene he described to me was exactly the same as Harry's dream."

"I suspect that on that night, when Voldemort was resting on that fluffy creature, he dreamed of the day he possessed the snake and found the Basilisk, and on that day, Harry, through the remaining fragments of Voldemort's soul within himself, made a weak connection with Voldemort and had the same dream as him!"

This alone is certainly not enough to prove that Harry's connection to Voldemort is due to him being a Horcrux.

Therefore, Severus put it more bluntly.

"On the night Harry's parents were killed by Voldemort, Lily's protective magic saved Harry, causing Voldemort's Killing Curse to rebound and kill him."

"In the process, without his knowledge, the Horcrux was passively created, his soul was split in two, one half remained in Harry's body, turning him into a humanoid Horcrux, while the other half escaped to Albania under the protection of the Horcrux's immortality magic."

“Harry became a Horcrux, but he was completely different from other Horcruxes. He did not have a powerful curse, but he had some of the same traits as Voldemort.”

"For example, he became a Parseltongue speaker and had a sensory connection with Voldemort himself, etc."

"However, the most fundamental characteristics of Horcruxes are also reflected in Harry."

Severus paused at this point and did not continue.

Both Dumbledore and Ghost Snape understood what he was about to say.

Only by destroying the Horcrux can its owner be truly killed.

Now that Harry is a Horcrux, if he wants to kill Voldemort, then he must...
The entire principal's office was silent. The portraits were also silent, staring at each other with wide eyes.

After a long silence, Dumbledore seemed to have calmed down and spoke softly, "Do you have a way?"

Severus looked at him and gave the only answer he knew.

“I only know one method that was originally feasible, but extremely risky. You might even think it’s a way to send Harry to his death.”

Ghost Snape appeared very agitated, yet he tried his best to control his emotions, knowing that he shouldn't interrupt the conversation between Severus and Dumbledore.

Dumbledore looked at Severus calmly.

"I want to hear it."

“You know Professor Dumbledore, the protective spell Lily cast on Harry has always been effective. Even if Voldemort were to be resurrected now, he wouldn’t be able to do anything to Harry, or even touch him.”

Severus said calmly.

"If Voldemort, who is now neither human nor ghost, were to use Harry's blood to resurrect himself with that ancient resurrection magic and return to human form, Lily's protective spell would also enter Voldemort's body. At that time, if Voldemort were to attack Harry and use the Killing Curse, he would most likely not be able to kill Harry, but only the part of his soul that was hidden within Harry's body."

After he finished speaking, the entire headmaster's office remained quiet. Ghost Snape was almost stunned. He had never thought that this could actually be a solution!

"Of course, I'm not sure if this will be the final result, because there are many other variables, such as Harry's own courage and compassion, or whether the wand in your hand is also a variable. I can't be sure about any of them."

Severus shrugged, then added one last sentence.

His uncertainty made Dumbledore frown even more; if Ghost Snape wasn't a spirit, his body would have already been teetering on the brink of collapse.

After a long while, Dumbledore finally let out a long sigh, his brows relaxed, and he looked at Severus again.

"Our best news right now is that Voldemort himself has been brought under control. Whether he is dead or alive, he can no longer do anything to harm the world. This gives us almost unlimited time, right?"

Severus leaned back in his chair and nodded in agreement with Dumbledore's words.

"That is indeed the biggest advantage. If there is really no way to deal with the soul fragments in Harry's body in the end, you can also try to deal with that teacup and seal it completely, so that Voldemort will remain in this state of being neither dead nor alive until Harry's life comes to an end on its own."

"But based on the countless adventure stories I know, this method of sealing things up always leaves hidden dangers. If it can be resolved in one go, then we should try to resolve it in one go."

At this point, Severus had already stood up from his chair.

"Let you handle this. I can't do everything myself, or it would make the greatest white wizard of the 20th century seem unworthy of the title, right?"

Upon hearing Severus's words, Dumbledore smiled.

“I have never received such praise before. You are the first person to say this to me, so it doesn’t matter if it’s undeserved.”

Severus raised an eyebrow.

"Really? Maybe I misremembered. You know, sometimes when you're exposed to too much information, it's hard to verify the truth of each piece of information."

Then he took the teacup back from his desk.

"I'll take Voldemort for now. There's a group of swing voters waiting for me. I need him to help me solidify their confidence in standing on my side and capturing Barty and his gang."

“He definitely can’t escape now. The teacup itself has been modified by Nico. Unless he uses specific alchemical inscriptions, no matter where he runs, the teacup can catch him again.”

Severus captured the man, and Dumbledore naturally had no objection to how Severus intended to use him afterward.

He simply looked at Severus, curious about the lack of fear or timidity he felt towards Voldemort in his tone, and the nonchalant attitude he displayed as if Voldemort were an object.

"Next, are you going to find the remaining three Horcruxes?"

Severus waved his hand.

"No, we have plans tonight. We're going to have dinner at the Burrow and take care of the remaining issues with that brainless dog. Once those issues are resolved, we'll be able to get the real Slytherin locket."

After saying that, Severus turned and walked toward the door of the principal's office.

Watching his retreating figure, Dumbledore suddenly asked a question just before he was about to leave.

Will I ever truly know who you are?

Severus did not stop walking; he clearly heard Dumbledore's question but did not give any answer.

The humble abode was busy all afternoon.

After receiving Severus's letter in Diagon Alley, Molly took Arthur and Ron to buy some ingredients that they usually only ate at Christmas or Easter.

Back home, the two remaining children, Ron and Ginny, were both mobilized.

Molly instructed the two to thoroughly clean the garden, as their dinner would be held there.

Arthur wasn't idle either. Under Molly's strict orders, he went to tidy up all the messy Muggle machines he usually tinkered with in the backyard, in order to avoid leaving a bad impression on the guests that he was breaking the law.

Molly started preparing a sumptuous dinner at three o'clock, while Ginny and Ron were half-lazy and half-working in the garden, dealing with weeds and goblins until four o'clock, when they finally finished the task Molly had given them and returned to the sofa to rest.

However, before they could even sit down, a green fire suddenly broke out in their fireplace, and then a series of people came out of it.

At the same time, there was the sound of two boys arguing.

"This fireplace is so cramped! You're crowding me, get out!"

"You're the one who pushed me! And now we're both stuck in there. If you don't step back, neither of us can get out!"

(End of this chapter)