Days at Hogwarts

Chapter 717 This encouragement sounds really encouraging.

Harry took a sip of orange juice, trying to calm his unease, but only felt a chill run down his spine. The refreshing sweetness offered no solace. He opened his mouth and asked in a weak, low voice:

"Before you start guessing who Voldemort might have turned into Horcruxes, may I ask if it's possible that it could be that snake tree, Evamori?"

"That snake tree is indeed very special..."

Loren pondered and recalled, "According to 'Evermony: A History of the School,' the Snake Tree was originally a wand made by Slytherin himself. It was stolen by Aesop Thale, a collateral relative of the Gaunt family and the later founder of Evermony, and taken to America. Gormley Gaunt went to retrieve it, and during the struggle, she used Parsley's voice to give the Snake Tree wand a dormant command."

"Although they defeated Gormley Gaunt afterward, Iso Thale was unable to awaken the wand because he did not understand Parseltongue, so he buried the wand in the back of the mountain, and soon after, a snake tree grew from the place where the wand was buried."

Harry glanced at Loren and thought that couples really do influence each other after being together for a long time. He nodded: "It's very historically significant, right? Voldemort worshipped Slytherin so much. If he had chosen the Gaunt family ring and Slytherin's locket before, there would be no reason for him to let go of such a snake tree that is related to Slytherin and has special significance. Moreover, it fits the definition of a living thing."

“But the snake tree is too conspicuous.” Loren shook his head slightly. “Voldemort’s soul has reached its limit. The living Horcrux is his last hope for his soul. Out of a deep fear of death, he would not place his last hope on the conspicuous snake tree, not to mention that Professor Ilvermorny and experts from the Magical Congress of the United States have examined it several times.”

At this point, Loren paused, searching through distant memories deep within his mind, and added thoughtfully, "All the Horcruxes that he had previously hidden or entrusted to others for safekeeping were destroyed. Given Voldemort's extremely arrogant and death-fearing nature, he certainly wouldn't feel comfortable placing his last hope in someone else or somewhere else. I suspect he would definitely try to keep living Horcruxes under his watchful eye."

"That sounds reasonable."

Harry chimed in, then began to recall some of the small magical creatures Hagrid had mentioned. For some reason, he thought of the fluffy creatures that Ginny had once kept. After witnessing those adorable creatures preying on spiders and cruelly devouring them, Ginny could no longer look at them or pet them affectionately, and had no choice but to hand them over to Hagrid.

"This living being carrying the fragment of the soul must obey Voldemort's orders, will not run away on its own, and has a certain ability to protect itself. It may be one of the Death Eaters..." Loren changed the subject, "It could also be some unsuspecting wizard, such as any witch in a cloak in the Elegant Clothing Store, or a spectator at a Quidditch match. Considering Voldemort's emphasis on ritual, perhaps the headmaster of Evamony and an official of the Magical Congress of the United States are more likely."

"If they were made into Horcruxes like you, without knowing anything about Voldemort's soul, and continued to work and live normal lives, they might even have unknowingly provided relevant information..."

Harry felt the icy orange juice draining his heat, and a fine layer of cold sweat broke out on his back: "If Voldemort really did that, how are we supposed to find the Horcruxes?"

Loren took a sip of orange juice and shrugged. "I don't know. Dumbledore might have a way. The only thing I can think of right now is getting Professor Trelawney drunk and making her make a prophecy."

Harry felt that Loren's sorting into Gryffindor made sense; at least in this situation, he couldn't joke around in such a relaxed tone: "What do you think about Veritaserum or Legilimency? We have no other leads right now, perhaps we can find out the truth directly from Voldemort's mind?"

"Veritable serum and Legilimency, the most powerful dark wizard in history..."

Loren was about to praise his humor when he suddenly paused, looking at Harry thoughtfully: "In fact, if it were you, you might actually have a chance."

"I originally intended for Dumbledore to cast the spell, but I think I understand what you mean."

Harry's eyes widened slightly, a faint light shining within them: "You mean, my soul is intertwined with Voldemort's, and this connection has created some kind of channel through which we've seen each other's memories... Perhaps I can use this connection to peer into Voldemort's memories of creating and hiding Horcruxes."

"That's not what I meant..." Loren sighed. "Strictly speaking, you only saw some incomprehensible images when his emotions were running high, and Voldemort, as a master of Legilimency, even controlled you to give a lecture from hundreds of kilometers away. I'm pessimistic about your plan."

"Hey, I've mastered Occlumency now! I can completely block his spying and break free from his control!" Harry retorted defiantly. "Actually, even now I'm not sure if you've truly mastered Occlumency. According to Dumbledore's theory, Voldemort no longer invades your mind simply because it's filled with love. Voldemort is...you know, 'allergic' to that sticky emotion."

Loren paused for a moment, then added, "However, Voldemort did indeed use Occlumency to prevent you from being spied on; he mastered it completely in his third year."

Harry's eyebrows drooped. Although he didn't want to admit it, the fact was that he was indeed not good at Occlumency and Legilimency.

"However, I encourage you to give it a try. Your fate and Voldemort's are intertwined and influence each other. Over the past decade or so, you have thwarted his plans many times. From a dimension that no magic has ever touched, you are his nemesis. Fate is such a strange thing. Perhaps you really can break through his defenses and enter his mind to find the memories about the living Horcruxes."

Loren drank the last sip of orange juice, put down his teacup, and prepared to wash up and go to sleep. He got up and walked towards the bathroom.

"..."

That sounds really encouraging.

Harry stuck his tongue out at his retreating figure.

Just then, Loren suddenly turned to Harry, who had a serious expression on his face: "By the way, if you have any questions about Legilimency, feel free to ask me anytime."

"I will, Professor Morgan."

……

Principal's Office.

After writing his replies to Fontana and Severus, Dumbledore looked at the remaining stack of letters, rubbed the thickness between his fingers, and silently noted down the date for tomorrow's schedule: to reply to the International Federation of Wizarding Societies.

I spent five minutes cleaning up the loose hairs on my Ford Focus, and the remaining two hours trimming the slightly split ends of the beard and doing some minor grooming...

The night outside the window grew deeper and deeper.

After a busy day, the headmaster of Hogwarts was finally ready to rest. Dumbledore brewed a cup of hot cocoa, sat down in his chair and sipped it slowly. Just as he was getting sleepy, there was a knock on the door.

"Knock knock knock".

"Please come in."

"Draco, what's up so late?"

(End of this chapter)