The Silent Witch of Hogwarts

Chapter 567 I Am Guilty (Part 1)

"That—that—"

"That—Dumbledore?"

Don't get me wrong, Loila isn't crazy. She's just sitting in her office looking at Dumbledore, who has no expression in front of her, feeling a little awkward.

"Um—um—" What should she say? Looking at Dumbledore's less-than-pleasant expression, Royla, who was not good at speaking to begin with, was even more at a loss for words.

Should I congratulate him? After all, he's back, right? But... but wouldn't that be a bit inappropriate? After all, Dumbledore didn't seem particularly happy.

Loila was surprised that Dumbledore returned so quickly. Not long after she disconnected from the clone, Dumbledore's messenger Bibi came to her office and invited her to the headmaster's office immediately.

Since Loila arrived in the headmaster's office, Dumbledore has been sitting there, silently watching Loila with a blank expression.

What's even more terrifying is that Royla didn't see Ravenclaw's tiara next to Dumbledore.

Could he have really failed to catch it?

Loila instinctively wanted to tilt her head to look inside the drawer, but when she met Dumbledore's expression, she quickly lowered her head again.

It's understandable that Dumbledore was angry—after all, he had specifically told him not to go to the Department of Mysteries at the Ministry of Magic—but he went anyway, and not only that, he dragged Voldemort into it—he even caused a huge scene at the Department of Mysteries—and in the end, Dumbledore had to come to his rescue.

Well, actually, he didn't need to save her, because strictly speaking, she was already "dead".

But no matter how much she tried to reassure herself, Royla still felt extremely guilty in front of Dumbledore.

"You—say something, Dumbledore—don't be so silent—it's so—so scary—"

"Miss Hamilton—"

"Hmm!"

Maybe you should just shut up!

As soon as Dumbledore spoke, Royla's heart jumped into her throat.

"You're alright, aren't you?" Dumbledore's words startled Royla.

She pursed her lips and looked up at Dumbledore.

"You're alright, right?"

"No—nothing's wrong." After Dumbledore asked again, Royla whispered, "I'm fine—"

"The one Voldemort struck was—a clone I controlled—"

"—" Dumbledore didn't speak but remained silent for a few seconds before slowly saying, "Then can you tell me—why did you go to the Department of Mysteries?"

"Is it because of what's in that box?"

"Yes—yes." Loila nodded obediently.

Upon hearing this, Dumbledore gently shook his head and slowly said, "Miss Hamilton—could you tell me—what's in that box?"

"It's—it's Ravenclaw's crown." Loila whispered, glancing at Dumbledore's expression. His expression remained unchanged, still calm as a lake.

"Ravenclaw's crown," Dumbledore repeated Royla's words, "and what else?"

What else?

Besides being Ravenclaw's crown, it is also... or...

"Is it still a Horcrux?" Loila answered uncertainly. Her uncertainty stemmed from the fact that after opening the box, she didn't sense the aura a Horcrux should possess.

It was that feeling of faint deathly aura—after having been in contact with the diary for a while, Loila was very familiar with that feeling. At first, she thought it was because the diary was an old object, and it had a certain old-fashioned smell.

But later she realized that the feeling was that of a Horcrux—but she didn’t sense any Horcrux-like aura on Ravenclaw’s crown.

"Yes—it is a Horcrux." Dumbledore paused, "or rather—it was originally a Horcrux."

"Hmm."

Sure enough, Dumbledore also realized that the thing wasn't a Horcrux—wait—did he open the box too?

While Loila was stunned for a moment, Dumbledore slowly took the box out from the bottom of the drawer and placed it on the table.

The box was gently opened, revealing its contents.

That's the Ravenclaw crown, and it's lying there quietly.

You actually brought it back! Dumbledore, you did a wonderful job! Royla wanted nothing more than to give Dumbledore a hug!

"After Voldemort killed the clone, I took the crown and retreated," Dumbledore said slowly. "I wasn't confident I could defeat him."

Dumbledore's honest answer made Loila purse her lips.

"I knew you would go to the Department of Mysteries," Dumbledore said slowly, "because Miss Hamilton, you've never been one to listen to advice."

"Especially my advice."

"Haha ...

I certainly didn't heed Dumbledore's advice.

Dumbledore really came to criticize me—would he just fire me outright?

Or perhaps she'd be kicked out of the Order of the Phoenix—Loila couldn't help but feel a little worried.

However, Dumbledore didn't say that. He shrugged slightly, seemingly a little helpless, and said, "But to be honest—"

"Miss Hamilton, you have done very well—and very cleverly," Dumbledore said, shaking his head. "It was I who was a little presumptuous."

"Um?"

Why did I suddenly start reflecting on myself?

Loila stared at Dumbledore for a moment, stunned.

"I thought it would be you, having taken Polyjuice Potion—and your arrival would inevitably draw Voldemort." Dumbledore paused, then continued, "If you join forces with me then—"

"Even Voldemort might not be able to escape."

Dumbledore's words made Loila blink.

According to Dumbledore, he originally intended to use himself as bait to lure out Voldemort, and then join forces with him to kill Voldemort.

But—since the person going there wasn't the one himself, he couldn't use the wand—which caused Dumbledore to miscalculate.

Dumbledore looked quietly at Loila and said softly, "I'm sorry for using you as bait."

Well? !

Dumbledore actually apologized?!

Loila stared wide-eyed at Dumbledore; this was something she had never expected—

"Ah—that—it's nothing—it's alright." Loila quickly shook her head and said, "It's my fault for—not listening to you—"

Although she felt good seeing Dumbledore apologize, Royla still knew that the problem lay with her.

Even if Dumbledore had said Voldemort was there—he might still have tried to go.

Besides, Dumbledore brought the crown back—how could I blame Dumbledore?

Loila's words made Dumbledore smile slightly.

He looked at Loila with a smile and remained silent for a few seconds before changing the subject, saying, "The crown is no longer a Horcrux."

"Miss Hamilton, do you know what this means?"

"mean?"

"That means Voldemort is also collecting Horcruxes—but he's not collecting them to protect them," Dumbledore said, pausing for a moment. "He's collecting them to destroy them."

"But—" Royla looked at Dumbledore with some confusion: "Since he created the Horcruxes—why did he destroy them?"

"It's very simple," Dumbledore said calmly. "The creation of Horcruxes splits the soul—turning a person into a monster—a madman—"

"And Voldemort—realized that," Dumbledore said, shaking his head. "He retrieved the Horcruxes not just to destroy them."

"It was to retrieve the fragments of his soul that he had hidden inside."