Hogwarts: My name is the Unforgivable Curse...

Chapter 337, could it be Grindelwald?

"Mr. Ken,"

After catching up with Dumbledore and entering the temporary headmaster's office with him, Dumbledore first sat down and poured two cups of tea, pushing one towards Avada before leisurely asking, "How's the matter of completely separating the soul fragments from the vessel, which we discussed last time, going?"

"It's done, Professor."

At the mention of this, Avada immediately perked up: "Our original plan was to completely resolve the Horcrux issue during Christmas, so I haven't been able to put this matter aside for a while."

"Have you done the experiment?"

"Not yet. The process of separating the soul could cause quite a stir, so I didn't dare to carry it out on Durmstrang's territory."

Avada replied that he had indeed conducted simulations on equipment at Nobiridge University, but since his clone there did not carry Horcruxes, he could not guarantee the results would be completely accurate.

Although he was confident that he could succeed in this magic on his first try, given his current skill level and ability to see into souls, the plan directly involved Harry Potter's soul, so he still had to do his best to eliminate any risks. And don't forget, in addition to the fragments of Voldemort's soul, Harry also had a protective charm that involved soul magic, which made his situation many times more complicated than that of ordinary people.

If it weren't for Avada Kedavra's direct access to soul knowledge, Harry Potter would practically be the world's most valuable source of soul research material, the kind of person top dark wizards would fight tooth and nail to dissect...

Well, except for Voldemort.

"My plan is to conduct an experiment with a few Horcruxes after returning to Hogwarts."

He told Dumbledore, "After the first experiment is successful, we will gradually access the soul fragments in Harry's body. We will only begin the surgery after all risks have been completely eliminated... I will still ensure the basic safety measures."

"That's good."

Dumbledore nodded. "How long will the whole process take?"

"About one to two days," Avada replied.

"One or two days, huh...?"

Upon hearing this reply, Dumbledore habitually stroked his beard and pondered for a moment: "That should be enough."

Is that enough?

Avada was puzzled—what would happen during his time back at Hogwarts?

"Mr. Ken, what are your thoughts on the upcoming Christmas ball?"

Before he could even ask a question, Dumbledore finished thinking and turned to ask him a question that had nothing to do with what had just happened.

"?"

Avada tensed up instinctively upon hearing this, before recovering—if he hadn't seen that Dumbledore's mental state was generally calm, he would have thought that Dumbledore had received some definite information that the pure-blood family was planning to make a move at the Christmas Ball... It seems that he was just asking his dance partner a normal question?

"...To be honest, I don't have much of an opinion."

After thinking for a while, he answered truthfully: "I know nothing about dancing yet, and I've never been to a ball before. I don't know what to pay attention to... Besides, Durmstrang is unfamiliar with the place, so I'm not too sure about inviting or accepting invitations... I'm a little worried that I'll embarrass myself on stage and make Hogwarts look bad."

"No one believes that a dance can represent the face of a school."

Dumbledore smiled faintly: "So, you're not particularly enthusiastic about attending this ball, are you?"

"...You could say that."

Avada hesitated for a moment, then said, "Professor, from what you're saying... do you mean you want to take me back to Hogwarts on the day of the Christmas Ball?"

"I thought we'd start making plans after the Christmas ball—I personally don't mind missing the ball, but isn't that when the warriors are under the most scrutiny? If we're absent without a reason then, it'll definitely arouse suspicion. Don't forget, that 'Ludo Bagman' who looks like Barty Crouch Jr. is still watching us..."

"I understand everything you're saying, Mr. Ken."

Dumbledore maintained his calm smile, even appearing happier, seemingly pleased to see Avada thinking so much: "Yes, I do hope you can return to Hogwarts on the day of the Christmas Ball, and if you wish, don't worry about being exposed. I'll contact someone to impersonate you—of course, this is just a suggestion. What you said makes sense, and it's safer... Both options are similar; the choice is entirely up to you."

"Then why do you want to leave on the day of the ball, Professor?"

Avada asked with some curiosity—under his observation, Dumbledore's mental state was also showing signs of "confusion and difficulty"...

"I had an invitation that day that I couldn't refuse."

His smile did fade slightly, but he still appeared quite relaxed: "An old friend wants to talk to me about something very important, and coincidentally, he's set the date for Christmas Day. But the invitation is one-sided, and I can't contact him to ask if we can change the date... so I have no choice but to go along with it."

"Anyway, I'll definitely be going out that day, so I thought I'd ask you while I'm at it."

"I see."

Avada tried to suppress the complex thoughts swirling in his mind, and casually asked Dumbledore, "I'm fine with that, but I remember the headmasters of the three schools are supposed to be at the Christmas Ball, aren't they? Or are you planning to send two people to Durmstrang to impersonate the two of us?"

"I don't have that kind of ability."

Dumbledore shook his head and chuckled, "But don't worry, there won't be any problems on site, I can guarantee that."

"That's good... But how was the acting of the person impersonating me? Should I inform my friends beforehand?"

"You can tell Mr. Shafik."

Dumbledore replied as if he had expected this: "He probably knows part of the truth, so telling him is fine. But make sure he keeps it a secret and doesn't have too much contact with the person impersonating you."

"I understand... Is there anything else, Professor?"

"That's all... Oh, by the way, would you like some pickled shark-flavored cockroaches? It's a unique flavor here in Northern Europe, it's quite novel..."

……

After escaping Dumbledore's disastrous cooking, Avada finally returned safely to his room, then completely lost control of his facial expressions, his entire face quickly contorting into a grimace—

"That person looking for Dumbledore...could it be Grindelwald?"

"He prepared for months, just to see Dumbledore once?"

(End of this chapter)