The Bard of Hogwarts

Chapter 274 Horcruxes and Tom's Control

The Ministry of Magic's Division of Magical Accidents and Disasters has once again mobilized.

Of course, this was not a major incident, just a warning sign that some young wizards had violated the rules and used magic outside of school.

What should have been a warning letter took seriously after the location of the accident and the young wizard involved were identified, prompting the Department of Accidents and Disasters to send on-duty personnel.

……

No. 4, Ligustrum Road.

When questioned by Ministry of Magic staff, Harry offered no excuses and directly confessed his mistake.

This candor also left the two employees present with bitter expressions.

It's really unexpected that the boy who survived such a close call is so honest. They could easily fool him with any excuse they could come up with, since the accident wasn't serious, it only caused a Muggle to faint.

Besides, they also checked and found that the injured Muggle was not seriously hurt.

"Mr. Potter, are you sure it was a deliberate attack on Mr. Vernon Dursley, and not an accident or a malfunction of magic?"

However, even with this almost explicit question, Harry still nodded silently.

"Yes, I attacked Uncle Vernon on my own initiative!"

Harry understood the hint, but a nagging worry in his heart made him unwilling to stay here.

Rather than causing the worst outcome, being temporarily detained in the Ministry of Magic might be the right choice.

"Alright, Mr. Potter!" The Ministry of Magic clerk sighed, then slowly stood up.

"Given the violation of blowing up a fat Muggle last year, this is the second time. Therefore, I regret to inform you that you need to come with us to the Ministry of Magic."

After the Ministry of Magic staff took Harry away.

After confirming that her husband was alright, Penny went to the garage alone, drove the car, and sped off down the street.

……

In the sky.

With Hedwig flying at full speed, she finally caught sight of the towering castle and the familiar towers before dawn.

The Hogwarts Headmaster's Office.

Unlike other professors, Dumbledore would choose to stay in the castle during both summer and Christmas holidays.

It wasn't that he had nowhere to go; rather, he truly considered Hogwarts his home.

As a series of rapid knocks sounded outside the window, Dumbledore opened his eyes from his sleep.

Hedwig flew into the office, cooing impatiently as if urging something.

Seeing this, Dumbledore didn't hesitate; he recognized it as Harry's owl.

Upon opening the envelope, the hastily written words seemed to testify to Harry's inner turmoil.

After a while.

Dumbledore silently put down the letter in his hand.

The discovery of that notebook confirmed the secret of Tom's immortality, and the appearance of the Slytherin pendant further confirmed that there was more than one Horcrux.

But today's letter has put him in a difficult position; Harry seems to have some kind of connection with Tom.

Two people who should have had no connection have instead formed a connection.

Opening the cabinet, Dumbledore took out the Hogwarts legacy, the precious Pensieve.

As the wand was removed from the temple, a beam of silver light appeared, floating as softly as a feather into the Pensieve.

At the same time.

As Dumbledore was engrossed in his meditation at the Pensieve, a nearly new Aston Martin slowly drove into the dilapidated Spider's End Lane.

This night seemed destined to be sleepless for many.

……

Fate always seems to be fair.

While some people have trouble sleeping, others sleep soundly.

The light of dawn shone into Hogsmeade.

Inside the cabin, Ino sat up from the bed and stretched lazily.

The banquet lasted until midnight, which caused him to fall into a deep sleep the moment he touched the bed.

After a quick wash, I picked up the Daily Prophet from the table.

I had assumed the banquet at Malfoy Estate would make headlines, but the bold headline on the front page reported on something else entirely—

The boy who survived another near-death experience is grabbing attention again, openly attacking his Muggle guardian with a magic wand.

Looking at the exaggerated headlines in the newspaper, Ino couldn't help but narrow his eyes.

He knew Harry's true nature, whether through stories or his interactions in the castle.

Unless someone provokes or encourages him, Harry is essentially a law-abiding student.

The idea of ​​using magic to attack one's guardian is simply impossible for Harry.

"They really will stop at nothing to boost sales; they'll use any headline they want..."

Although it was meant as a joke, he still habitually started reading it, since sometimes even unfounded rumors can be quite amusing.

This probably stems from understanding the public's psychology; news presented in a rigid, formulaic manner never really sparks interest.

With the intention of watching the spectacle, Ino began to read the newspaper.

Soon, the contents made him subconsciously frown. In the interview, Harry not only admitted his mistakes but also mentioned being out of control...

To others, this might seem like a clumsy excuse a boy makes after making a mistake.

But after understanding the whole story, he was certain that it wasn't impossible, especially under the current circumstances.

In the original story, Harry learned Occlumency in his fifth year, which was in 1996.

Coincidentally, apart from the notebook Horcrux being destroyed in the second year, the earliest of the other Horcruxes destroyed, the Gauntlet Ring, was also in 1996.

"It seems that the decrease in the number of Horcruxes has allowed Tom to gradually gain deeper control over them?"

Ino was somewhat unsure, but this speculation made sense within the original story's timeline.

Furthermore, Harry mentioned in the newspaper interview that things were out of control.

In the original story, the destruction of the second Horcrux only caused Harry a headache. But now, it's the destruction of three Horcruxes: the Slytherin pendant and the Ravenclaw tiara.

This seems to confirm the hypothesis that the number of Horcruxes is inversely proportional to the degree of control over them.

Although it was unclear whether the speculation was correct, Ino was somewhat relieved, as he had originally planned to take some time before the World Cup to destroy the remaining Horcruxes.

If the cup and ring were truly destroyed in one fell swoop, Voldemort's remnant soul residing in Harry's scar might actually be able to do something.

The only thing that doesn't make sense in this theory is that Harry was still able to fight Voldemort unharmed after all the Horcruxes were destroyed in the final battle.

……

In the bedroom on the second floor,

Ino sat quietly in the chair, trying to recall the story in her memory as much as possible.

If the hypothesis is correct, and a different result has emerged, then there must be a different cause.

"The first year..."

Although my memory is somewhat hazy, the main stories of each school year flashed by like a slideshow.

"The Goblet of Fire... Father's bones, enemy's blood..."

The image flashed like lightning across the sky, illuminating the misty night.

Ino roughly understood the root of the problem: Voldemort resurrected using Harry's blood, seemingly escaping Lily's protective magic, but in reality, he also lost direct control over Harry.

On the surface, this move is a one-for-one trade, with neither side suffering a loss.

In reality, if Voldemort had discovered Harry's hidden Horcrux beforehand, he most likely wouldn't have used Harry's blood to resurrect himself.

(End of this chapter)