The Return to Hogwarts

"What happened? Did you break it?"

No, not at all.

Hermione said hesitantly,

"So, when you fell, it was blown away by the wind. Everyone was scared by Professor Blaine's Patronus, so, um... you know that Whomping Willow is right by the playground."

Principal's Office

Fox held his head high, his ruby-like eyes reflecting a slithering 'silver dragon,' while a row of portraits on the wall whispered among themselves, their focus also on the black-and-white-winged serpent that roamed the office.

Dumbledore's expression was more serious than ever before, and his azure eyes were brighter than ever before, as if they were truly radiating light. His state did indeed put some pressure on Amosta, who was standing beside him.

"That's enough, Amosta--"

After a long pause, Dumbledore sighed and said wearily.

The rustling sounds in the office seemed to disappear after Dumbledore finished speaking, and even the portraits paused for a moment, waiting for him to give everyone an answer.

"Any discoveries, Principal?"

Amostah waved away the guardian spirit, his expression calm and undisturbed.

"Sit down and let's talk."

Dumbledore returned to his desk and gestured for Amosta to sit down. Their eyes met as they worked together, but neither of them noticed anything in the other's gaze, because both of them were using Occlumency.

"Before we unleash our fascinating imaginations and make those wild guesses, Amosta, I must ask you one question first."

Dumbledore rested his chin on his hands and said solemnly,

"Is there anything you want to say to me? I mean, some of your experiences could help us get closer to the truth in our subsequent speculations."

Some experiences.

A prophecy from an early Druidic priest who inexplicably dragged me into this mess?

The island of Avalon, already destroyed?

Gryffindor, who has transcended a thousand years of time, appears before me?

It was still that serpent staff that was prophesied to be wielded only by him, yet inexplicably slipped from his control and vanished without a trace along with that woman, Cleopatra.

Amosta sighed inwardly.

Why is there so much hostility towards time travelers in this world?

Chapter 214 You Might Be a Horcrux

In an instant, many thoughts flashed through Amostella's mind, but he remained calm and composed as he met Dumbledore's gaze.

“I’d like to hear your opinion first, Headmaster Dumbledore.”

A hint of helplessness flashed across Dumbledore's aged face. He knew that Amostella was definitely hiding some extremely important information, but he had no way to force the young man to say what he didn't want to say, whether by reasoning with him or by resorting to force.

"Let me state my conclusion first, Amosta—"

Compared to the potential problems with Amos Tower, the bitterness of being distrusted was utterly insignificant. Dumbledore twitched his beard, his expression incredibly solemn, an expression that made everyone and everything in the office with a mind realize the seriousness of the matter.

“We all know that a guardian spirit is a magical creature that reflects the mind, or even the soul. Therefore, the root cause of the mutation of your guardian spirit is your soul, Amosta, and my observations have also confirmed this conjecture.”

"Your observations--"

Amosta didn't find Dumbledore's first half of his statement beyond his comprehension, or rather, he already had a guess in his mind. However, Amosta's eyelids twitched slightly at the second half. He stared at the unfathomable greatest wizard of his time, his tone tinged with suspicion.

"If you mean observation from a magical perspective..."

"It's not from a magical perspective, Amosta,"

Dumbledore said calmly,

"Yes, you heard me right, I can see into a person's soul. Oh, I used to be able to, but this ability has deteriorated considerably now. Of course, this is not the core of our discussion. If you are interested, I can talk to you about this later."

Before Amosta could respond, Dumbledore stated his conclusion based on his conjecture and observations.

“I believe your soul is not entirely yours, Amosta. I vaguely ‘see’ another power within your soul.”

The room fell silent. The portraits of the past principals all stared in astonishment, and even the Fox on the golden branch seemed to suppress its urge to sing, listening intently.

"There is a power in my soul that does not belong to me. You mean,"

Amosta spoke slowly and deliberately, almost using his full power of Occlusive Technique to maintain his impassive expression.

"Does my soul harbor the souls of others?"

I'm not sure--

Unexpectedly, Dumbledore shook his head, his silver beard fluttering in the breeze.

"I just felt a very, very vague sensation, like an illusion. But if it wasn't an illusion, then that thing doesn't belong to you."

Dumbledore looked very hesitant.

“If… I mean if, Amosta, if it really is someone’s soul, I have seen similar cases before.”

"where is it?"

Amosta was a man of few words, and vaguely, he seemed to sense that the shadow hanging over him was about to be lifted a little more.

When Dumbledore uttered those words, the portraits on the wall all gasped in unison. These magical portraits, which contained the memories of their original owners, were all sharp-minded and outstanding wizards in life. Moreover, they were the ones who knew the most about Dumbledore's secrets. Just one sentence was enough for them to make many connections.

The air seemed to freeze, even the flickering candlelight on the candlestick on the corner of the desk seemed to be frozen. Dumbledore looked at Amostella, who was quietly waiting for his reply, at this young wizard who was far more outstanding than he had expected, and was making a difficult decision in his mind.

"If this is truly difficult, Dumbledore—"

The long silence made Amosta realize that the 'similar situation' Dumbledore mentioned was not so simple.

“It’s certainly not an easy secret to say, Amosta,”

Dumbledore smiled.

"But I believe you are undoubtedly trustworthy; your previous hesitation was merely a stubborn, bad habit of an elderly person—"

It's certainly a strange habit; they never forget to win people's hearts.

Amosta pursed his lips, thinking.

"I'm sure you remember what happened at this school last semester. I mean, the Chamber of Secrets in Slytherin was opened again after fifty years and attacked two innocent young wizards."

"Of course, that's why I returned to Hogwarts."

Amosta nodded.

"That's how it is—"

Dumbledore continued to smile. "Before you came back, there were rumors in the school that Harry was Salazar Slytherin's successor. Do you know why, Amosta?"

"Snake language?"

Dumbledore nodded.

“But we now know that fifty years ago, including last year, the person who opened the secret room was Tom, who was known as the Mysterious Man. He also spoke Parsley. What do you think is the connection between the two, Amosta?”

"I think it's definitely not a blood relationship."

Amostall's eyes narrowed; he now understood why Dumbledore had seemed so hesitant before.

"--The last person Tom killed before his defeat was Harry's mother. Afterward, he tried to kill Harry with the Killing Curse, but his curse did not take Harry's life except for leaving a scar. Instead, he himself was killed by the rebounding curse."

Dumbledore's voice softened, like a dreamlike murmur.

Fox's mournful cry echoed through the quiet room as Amosta leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.

The atmosphere in the office was incredibly oppressive; even the wind outside the castle seemed to grow heavy. Dumbledore remained silent, staring sadly at the pair of aged, powerless hands resting on the desk.

"so--"

Only the candle, gradually consumed by the candlelight, proved that time still flowed on. Amosta sighed deeply.

"You think I, like Potter, have been turned into a Horcrux, is that right, Headmaster Dumbledore?"

"I don't want to deceive you, Amosta."

Dumbledore took off his glasses and rubbed his temples.

“I do think that is a possibility, but judging from your behavior, you seem to know nothing about it, which is unreasonable. I am quite certain that no one could silently implant a soul into a wizard like you, unless your memories have been tampered with?”

Amosta did not respond to Dumbledore's speculation, or rather, his probing.

He knew whether his memories were intact after he was born into this world, but at least now he understood one thing: why he could touch the Staff of the Serpents, which even Gryffindors couldn't forcibly lift.

Chapter 215, Part 213: The Origin of the Dementors

Dumbledore misjudged Amosta's reaction.

He thought that Amosta would be anxious, furious, and overwhelmed with fear after he voiced his guess. But in fact, Amosta was surprisingly calm. Dumbledore, who had lived for over a hundred years, believed he could tell whether this calmness was a disguise of Occlumency.

What has he been through, what has he been hiding, and why has he been able to remain so calm?

Dumbledore was eager to figure these things out.