Hogwarts: My name is the Unforgivable Curse...

Chapter 349 Unexpected Variables

"Variables? What variables?"

Moody immediately became alert: "Has our plan been exposed? Or is there a third party planning to get involved?"

He knew that Dumbledore had gone out to see Grindelwald, knew about their past relationship, and also knew that Grindelwald possessed formidable prophetic abilities. Therefore, something that Dumbledore called a "variable" and even forced him to risk exposure by returning early to inform him of the change in plans was something Moody absolutely needed to be extremely careful about.

"...None of them."

Dumbledore paused for a moment before replying, "He provided some information that was beyond my expectations—as I mentioned to you before, based on the information I obtained through my own channels, the pure-blood families plan to kill me this year. I have never understood what gave them the confidence to set this goal, or what they intend to do... until that person just told me the specific details."

Avada's pupils contracted—under his magical senses, Dumbledore's mental power was in a barely perceptible state of "concealment" when he spoke those words to Moody.

Considering the questions Moody asked earlier... it seems Grindelwald has already told, or at least hinted at, the existence of Dumbledore's University?

However, Dumbledore's attitude towards him hadn't changed before, so he probably didn't know that he was actually a professor at Noblyridge University, or even that the university planned to admit him ahead of schedule... Fortunately, it seems that Grindelwald hasn't revealed much yet.

"Specific information?"

Moody frowned: "It seems his prophetic skills have improved considerably over the past fifty years? Ordinary prophecies can't possibly depict the entire process of an event in such detail..."

"Mr. Ken, could you please leave for a moment?"

Dumbledore didn't respond to Moody's words, but instead suddenly turned to Avada and said, "I have some things to discuss with this Professor Moody..."

"I thought he was the key figure in this plan."

Moody said with some surprise, and even Avada himself was a little surprised - he had even revealed the Resurrection Stone, so what was there for Dumbledore and Grindelwald to hide from him about their affair?

Or was it Grindelwald's suggestion to "send himself away" that he had seen something else?

"Okay, Professor."

He nodded calmly, then casually asked, "How's the person who played me doing now? Do I still need to attend the ball tonight?"

"He probably won't be back before midnight."

This time it was Moody who answered, since Dumbledore hadn't been around during the Avada Kedavra stand-in operation: "You can wait for him in your room. He should hand you over the situation after the ball. Just remember to cast an Illusion Charm beforehand to avoid being seen by others."

"Understood."

Avada nodded, then turned and left Dumbledore's office, walking down the long corridor back to his room. Sitting in his chair, quietly gazing out the window at Durmstrang Castle bathed in sunlight, he suddenly felt a strange emptiness.

Voldemort—the one who took seven years to finally be killed in the original books, during which time he was resurrected and turned the entire wizarding world upside down, taking countless lives, and even Dumbledore was killed by the curse he left behind...

This terrifying Dark Lord had silently destroyed all his trump cards; the power to shatter a single glass bottle would have been enough to kill him. And now, the bottle containing his soul was in Dumbledore's hands, with no possibility of it being taken away…

Even if it were taken away, it wouldn't matter. In the original stories, Voldemort's ghost was able to resurrect because his Horcruxes sustained his soul in the world, allowing him to exist independently of a body, thus making it possible for it to be infused into a new one. But this time, once freed from the bottle's constraints, Voldemort's soul would be sucked away by the power of Death the moment it came into contact with the outside air, completely dissipating from the world. So even if the Death Eaters managed to get the bottle, they wouldn't gain any value beyond its aesthetic appeal—after all, the face of Tom Riddle that appeared inside was quite handsome.

So in a sense, Voldemort can actually be considered dead now. Like a porcelain bowl that has fallen from a cupboard and gotten stuck in the door, it may not be broken yet, but it can no longer be taken out and used.

Although he had already devised a plan to seal Voldemort's main soul back in his second year of Avada Kedavra, the moment he realized Voldemort was "actually dead," he still felt a sense of disorientation, as if he had completely completed some mission and could finally relax forever...

"Ha... what are you thinking about?"

In the end, he shook his head, banishing these chaotic thoughts from his mind: 'The stubborn pure-bloods are the real problem. Once the existence of the university is fully publicized, they will definitely be among the most vocal, and I'll be even busier then... There's also the issue of coexisting with Muggles after magical society stabilizes. Although that's still a long way off, I'm sure I'll live to see that time...'

Oh, by the way, speaking of university...

Avada suddenly jolted awake, a memory she had long since forgotten surfacing: "Do I still need to send myself an acceptance letter, as the university requires?"

"Oh no, I was planning to send that invitation by owl while I was back at school, but I forgot because I was so busy..."

"Looks like I'll have to figure out a way to break through Durmstrang's blockade myself and sneak out to receive the mail—well, I was just thinking I had nothing to do, and suddenly I'm got work to do."

He pulled out a pen and paper and slumped onto the table, using his magical senses to analyze the Durmstrang enchantment permeating the space while rapidly calculating—simply breaking the enchantment and leaving silently wasn't difficult for him, but the key was figuring out Durmstrang's true location after leaving and then returning precisely. Dumbledore had managed this thanks to a special Portkey he'd left behind, but he didn't want to go through that trouble…

(End of this chapter)