My partner at Hogwarts is Tom

"Even the most powerful wizard can only split a limited number of souls. Whether in the West or the East, there are common understandings about the soul."

"In the East, the soul is divided into three souls and seven spirits, while in the West, it is mostly believed that the soul is divided into soul and spirit. However, both sides believe that the soul is the core of the soul and cannot be shaken."

"But the soul, or spirit, which carries human reason and emotion, can be separated. Whether it's a mummy or a voodoo doll, this part is used in its creation."

"This separation has its limits. Whether from an Eastern or Western perspective, the most common guess is seven, and judging from Voldemort's past madness and ruthlessness, it seems that his division of the soul has reached a certain limit."

Victor's analysis was like a precise scalpel, cutting into the core and most evil essence of Horcrux magic.

Dumbledore listened intently, his deep blue eyes gleaming with a sharp, heavy light behind his half-moon spectacles.

Viktor's words seemed to confirm many long-held suspicions.

"Your deduction about the limits of soul splitting is very accurate, Victor," Dumbledore said slowly, his voice deep and serious.

"Indeed, whether it is the ancient Eastern metaphysics of 'three souls and seven spirits' or the division of the soul's 'core' and 'spirituality' or 'mind' in our Western magic system, they all point to a consensus."

"The core imprint of the soul is the most fundamental, resilient, and unshakable part of life. It may carry a certain essential 'you,' but it is not the emotions, memories, and reason we usually understand."

He took a step, his gaze seemingly piercing through the chaos before him, looking into the depths of magical theory.

"And those parts that constitute our personality, memories, magical talents, and emotional responses—called 'Po' in the East—can perhaps be broadly understood here as 'spiritual carriers'."

"Compared to the core, they are more 'active,' more susceptible to magical influences, and... more likely to be separated, distorted, or even solidified by certain extreme and blasphemous rituals."

Victor replied, his tone carrying the calm of a researcher and a deep apprehension about dark magic.

"Yes. Ancient Egyptian mummification rituals aimed to 'retain' or 'guide' these 'spiritual vessels' by preserving the body and internal organs, accompanied by complex incantations, in the hope that the pharaoh could maintain his authority and existence in the afterlife."

"African voodoo dolls, through bloody rituals and intense resentment, forcibly tear off a part of the victim's 'spirituality,' often pain, fear, and anger, and seal it into a vessel for curses or control. In essence, these are all brutal interferences and exploitations of the 'non-core' parts of the soul."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the dark crown in the crystal coffin before settling on the empty cat body on the ground, abandoned by Tom's soul.

"And Horcruxes... are undoubtedly the 'pinnacle' of this evil art. They push this separation to the extreme, not only to curse or prolong some vague existence, but also to create an independent 'soul backup' that can exist for a long time and even has considerable autonomy."

"What is needed to create Horcruxes is not only superb black magic skills, but more importantly... an extremely cold will and an extreme act capable of tearing the soul apart - brutal murder."

"This separation is by no means without cost, nor can it be carried out indefinitely," Victor's voice grew increasingly firm.

"The integrity of the soul is protected by its own natural and mysterious laws. Every tear is a permanent damage to its integrity. The more 'fragments' are split off, the more unstable the remaining part of the main soul becomes, and the more it tends to become...inhuman."

"Emotions become thin, reason slides into paranoia, and appearance and magic undergo irreversible distortion—we have seen clear signs of these in Voldemort."

He looked at Dumbledore, their eyes met, and they both saw the same conclusion in each other's eyes.

"And the number 'seven'," Victor continued.

"It is considered a number with special magical power and symbolic meaning in many magical cultures, especially in the realm of soul, cycle, and limit. It often represents a complete cycle in 'completeness', or the upper limit of some naturally existing 'unit'."

"In the realm of the soul, whether it's the 'Seven Souls' of the East or the 'Seven Veils of the Spirit' theory vaguely mentioned in some extremely ancient and nearly lost European soul magic books, they all point to this point."

"These all suggest that there may be a natural quantitative limit or significant threshold, similar to the number seven, for the 'separable' or 'significantly influential' parts that constitute our spiritual nature."

"Voldemort," Victor said with a cold, certain tone.

"Given his fanatical pursuit of black magic and his extreme desire for immortality, he is likely to touch upon or even attempt to break through this limit."

"His madness, emotional deprivation, indifference to pain, and increasingly inhuman appearance... all point to his soul structure being riddled with holes due to excessive fragmentation, teetering on the brink of collapse."

"I boldly speculate that the number of Horcruxes he created is very likely... seven. Or at least, very close to that dangerous number."

"Seven..." Dumbledore repeated in a low voice, the word seeming to carry a cold weight as it fell into the dusty air of the storage room.

He remained silent for a long time, his long, silvery eyebrows furrowed, as if he were digesting all the terrifying implications of this speculation.

seven.

This means that, apart from the Ravenclaw crown in front of us...

There may even be six other equally evil objects, each carrying a part of Voldemort's soul and will, hidden somewhere in the world.

This means that to completely defeat Voldemort, it is no longer enough to simply defeat his possible return.

Instead, it's like a grueling treasure hunt and destruction quest to find and destroy all seven "anchor points."

Just thinking about this task is suffocatingly heavy.

"Seven..." Dumbledore spoke again, his voice carrying a deep weariness, but even more so a resolute determination.

"If this speculation is true, then our path will be much longer and more perilous than we imagined. But at the same time... it also gives us a clear goal and a clue."

His gaze sharpened again as he looked at Victor.

Hearing Dumbledore acknowledge his analysis, Victor perked up and continued to follow his line of thought.

"In that case, let's assume he has already split into 'seven' parts that are close to or have reached their limit. Then, the search for other Horcruxes can revolve around the 'containers' he might choose."

He waved his wand, and illusions of magical items appeared one after another.

"First of all, given his obsessive belief in his own 'noble' bloodline and powerful strength, ordinary items would never catch his eye."

"Ravenclaw's tiara—a relic of the founder of Hogwarts—undoubtedly meets his criteria. What about the relics of the other founders? That's likely a key area to consider."

"Secondly," Victor looked at Dumbledore, his tone seeking confirmation.

"I've heard my grandfather mention that the Three Holy Relics of Death are not just legends, but real and powerful magical artifacts, whose power and symbolism are unparalleled."

"Grindelwald once wielded the Elder Wand. For Voldemort, who sought power and immortality, such a thing was probably no less alluring than the relics of the founder."

"Furthermore," Victor's thoughts wandered further, "besides the famous magical artifacts native to Europe, given Voldemort's travels throughout Europe and perhaps even further afield, could he have collected or coveted powerful magical artifacts or symbols from other civilizations?"

"For example, the golden scarab amulet from Egypt, Buddhist relics from India, and totemistic sacred objects passed down by certain ancient tribes in Africa..."

"These things carry the beliefs and power of different systems, and perhaps they can also satisfy the complex and evil ritual requirements for him to create Horcruxes."

He concluded, "Regarding clues about the founder's relics, we can focus on searching in the historical records of Hogwarts and the wizarding world."

"As for information about the Deathly Hallows and other famous foreign items, I can try to contact my grandfather and his friends all over the world."

"Many of these predecessors are magizoologists, explorers, or antiquities researchers—we asked them to help us keep an eye out for relevant clues or unusual movements."

After speaking, Victor looked at Dumbledore with expectant and inquisitive eyes, awaiting his response.

Dumbledore fell silent, his head slightly lowered, his blue eyes hidden behind the reflection of his half-moon spectacles, his fingers unconsciously tapping lightly on the shaft of the Elder Wand.

He seemed to be weighing his options, reminiscing, and hesitating whether to reveal some deeper secrets. A subtle heaviness filled the air.

A moment later, Dumbledore looked up, his expression a mixture of approval, determination, and a hint of... helplessness?

"Victor," he began, his voice steady yet weighty.

"Your analysis is excellent, logically clear, and insightful. In particular, your approach of combining Eastern and Western magical concepts is impressive. Your deductions about the limits of soul splitting and Voldemort's criteria for choosing a vessel are very likely correct."

He took a deep breath, as if he had made up his mind.

"Regarding those possible 'container' directions you mentioned... there are some situations I might be able to tell you about now."

Dumbledore's gaze swept over the crown in the crystal coffin, then seemed to drift toward a certain direction of the castle.

"The relic of the founder of Hogwarts that you mentioned... the sword of Gryffindor, has always been kept at Hogwarts and guarded by successive headmasters."

"I can confirm that it is currently safe and sound and has not been made into a Horcrux." His tone was very certain.

Viktor nodded; this was good news, eliminating one possibility.

Then, Dumbledore's words caused Victor's pupils to dilate slightly.

"As for the Deathly Hallows... the Elder Wand, as you said, was indeed once wielded by Gellert Grindelwald, but later... it is now also at Hogwarts, in my custody."

Dumbledore spoke in a flat tone, as if he were talking about something trivial.

"And the Invisibility Cloak... it's also at Hogwarts, currently being properly used by a trustworthy student. I can assure you that Voldemort has not obtained these two Deathly Hallows and turned them into Horcruxes."

Victor: "!!!"

He took a deep breath, his eyes widening involuntarily, and looked at Dumbledore with disbelief and astonishment.

Good heavens! He had just finished analyzing several key suspects when Dumbledore casually eliminated nearly half of them with just a few words!

The Gryffindor sword, the Elder Wand, the Invisibility Cloak...

These three top-tier treasures are all at Hogwarts! And judging from the headmaster's words, they're all confirmed to be safe?!

How many hidden treasures and secrets does Hogwarts Castle hold? You can't tell at all normally!

Students spend all day playing around in the hallways and complaining about homework in the common room.

Who would have thought that the Deathly Hallows might be kept in the headmaster's office, or that the Gryffindor sword might be hidden in some secret room?

Or perhaps this House of Response contains a relic of the founder, which has been turned into a Horcrux.

Does that mean the Chamber of Secrets, the one that purifies everything that the Slytherin guy he beat up was yelling about, also exists? No way.

No, we need to search carefully. After all, even the Deathly Hallows from fairy tales exist, so it's normal for Hogwarts to have a secret chamber that can purify everything.

Seeing the shocked expression on Viktor's face, as if to say, "I know Hogwarts is not simple, but this is too outrageous,"...

Dumbledore's lips seemed to curve upwards very slightly, but he quickly regained his serious expression.

"So, following your line of thought, we can temporarily remove the Gryffindor Sword, the Elder Wand, and the Invisibility Cloak from our list of primary suspects. This undoubtedly narrows our search significantly, which is a good thing," Dumbledore said. "But many possibilities remain, and the outlook is not optimistic."

His gaze sharpened and became heavy once again.

"The Ravenclaw crown is here, confirming Voldemort's interest in the founder's relics. So, are the Slytherin and Hufflepuff relics truly lost, or... have they fallen into his hands?"

"In addition, as you said, we also need to be wary of items around the world that contain powerful magic or symbolic meaning."

"Victor, contact your grandfather and his friends and ask them to help with the investigation and keep an eye out. This is a very valuable and important channel."

"I will also use some of my... connections and resources to investigate from the Ministry of Magic's confidential files, records of ancient families, and some hidden channels."

He took two steps forward, closer to Viktor, and lowered his voice, conveying a sense of entrusting him with a heavy responsibility.

"The existence of Horcruxes is the key to Voldemort's immortality. Finding and destroying them is the only way to completely defeat him. This path is destined to be long, difficult, and dangerous. But tonight's discovery has torn open a corner of his greatest secret. We have a direction."

Dumbledore looked at the cat's body on the ground, which had been suppressed by various props and now appeared empty due to Tom's soul leaving his body.

He glanced at Tom's anxious yet slightly smug soul beside him, then finally his gaze returned to Victor's face.

"The most urgent task is to thoroughly deal with this Horcrux and ensure Tom's safety. Then... we need to develop a more comprehensive and long-term plan. Not just to deal with Voldemort's possible return, but also to completely eliminate these... 'cancers' he left behind."

Viktor recovered from his initial shock and nodded heavily.

Dumbledore revealed a wealth of information, but at the same time made the objective much clearer.

After eliminating several "severely affected areas," the remaining targets, though still vague, are better than aimless wandering.

“I understand, Headmaster,” Victor said in a deep voice. “I will contact my grandfather as soon as possible. As for this crown…” He looked at the crystal coffin.

"I think we should first figure out how to deal with Voldemort's remnant soul before conducting further research. After all, he has now voluntarily broken free from the protection of the Horcruxes, making him easy to deal with."

"Yes." Dumbledore nodded in agreement, then glanced around the messy storeroom. "As for the Weasley brothers..."

He recalled the twins who had stayed in Victor's office after delivering the message, and a look of helplessness mixed with amusement crossed his face.

"They did a great job tonight, but they were also quite frightened... and agitated. Perhaps we should think about how to 'properly' thank and comfort them, while..."

A sly glint flashed in Dumbledore's blue eyes.

"Make sure they don't get too excited and exaggerate some of the things they saw tonight that aren't really suitable for widespread dissemination."

Viktor felt a headache coming on when he thought of the twins' fanatical eyes when they saw him transformed into the Golden Flying Man, and the various "inquiries" they might make, but he was mostly grateful for their timely news.

"Leave it to me, Principal. I know how to 'talk' to them."