Hogwarts: My name is the Unforgivable Curse...

Chapter 383 Returning the Soul Weapon

"..."

That's very much in Grindelwald's style.

Avada kept these words to himself—it was best not to let Dumbledore know about his connection with Grindelwald now; it wasn't an easy thing to explain unless he was willing to reveal that he was actually a professor at Nobiridge University…

"Of course, I haven't let my guard down completely because of this intelligence."

Seeing that Avada didn't respond, Dumbledore continued, his voice becoming somewhat low: "Of course I wouldn't so easily trust an organization that's associated with Grindelwald. Besides, gaining support through grand but empty promises is one of his specialties. I was fooled once before and paid the price—from the time I went to Nurmengard at Christmas until I officially began impersonating Grindelwald, I spent a full two months investigating Noblyridge University to determine if they were really as Grindelwald boasted..."

"And what was the result?"

Avada showed a hint of nervousness at the opportune moment—he was now officially a prospective student at Nobiridge University and had already signed an enrollment contract, so he should be worried about whether he had fallen into a den of thieves.

"Didn't you already have your own judgment in your heart?"

Dumbledore smiled. "To willingly sign a contract with someone who infiltrated Durmstrang without my knowledge at least shows you have some trust in Noblyridge University, right? And I suspect you had connections with the university even earlier, didn't you? Now I know that Professor Benjamin Baker, who once taught you, is also from the university..."

"..."

However, Dumbledore didn't seem to intend to interfere with how Avada contacted Nobiridge University out of his sight, nor did he plan to meddle in his future. It was unclear whether this was due to trust in Avada's abilities and judgment, or other factors. Seeing Avada fall silent for a moment, he continued, "And rest assured, even in my judgment, Nobiridge University is indeed trustworthy, and those who founded it are all respectable and trustworthy people... perhaps except for Gellert Grindelwald himself."

"Miranda Goshak, Damocles Belby, Professor Baker, and even their founder Nobi Ritchie himself... I know all of these people, and I understand their personalities and character. Actually, after learning that they were the ones who founded the university, I didn't have much doubt left. The rest of the time was spent confirming whether they had been misled and whether their methods had been influenced by Grindelwald... To be honest, after confirming all of this, I even regretted that they hadn't dragged me into it."

"...And then you'd enjoy watching your interactions with Grindelwald every day, right?"

Avada's lips moved, but he quickly swallowed the words that were about to slip out.

"And... what about Karkaroff?"

He finally decided to ask something to make himself seem a little more natural: "How did he become a university student?"

"Kakalov..."

After saying the name, Dumbledore paused, then frowned slightly, as if unsure how to describe it: "He's a lucky fellow, isn't he?"

"Because the operating model of Durmstrang that he took over is exactly what Nobirridge University needs most—hundreds of years of secrecy to the outside world; a high degree of freedom in the internal transmission of knowledge without being controlled by the Ministry of Magic and the Board of Governors; and diplomatic means that graduates are still internationally recognized even if they have a bad reputation internationally... These are all experiences that are extremely valuable to Nobirridge University."

"And coincidentally, Grindelwald, who once studied there and later occupied half of Europe, also knew about Durmstrang's position. Thus, they were able to influence Durmstrang's internal affairs and choose Karkaroff, who had just inherited the position of principal and had not yet settled into it."

"Kakaloff himself was a very pragmatic fellow. He knew he carried a shameful history and, as an Englishman in Durmstrang, was essentially a rootless duckweed. Naturally, he wouldn't refuse a powerful patron who offered himself up. In this way, they established a long-term cooperation based on mutual benefit, which proved to be extremely effective in this three-way competition..."

Avada couldn't help but shudder—could this be another decision Grindelwald made through prophecy?

His arrival shattered destiny, which would be a fatal blow to an ordinary prophet, but for a master like Grindelwald, whose mental strength was strong enough to quickly process the subtle fragments of possibilities and whose prophetic talent was second to none, it was simply an epic enhancement...

"You know what happened next—so, is there anything else you want to ask?"

Dumbledore picked up the teacup on the table, took a sip, and finally explained in a general sense the infighting among the various groups over the past year or two.

"What are your plans to do with Voldemort?"

Avada then asked, "You haven't publicly disposed of Voldemort's main soul yet—what use is it to keep it?"

"After this semester ends, I will make it disappear in front of all the reporters, so that everyone can see this scene."

Dumbledore touched the front of his robe, where Voldemort's soul was probably kept: "Voldemort's complete death will undoubtedly have a huge impact, and I hope to make the most of that impact—and the most suitable scenario for it to occur is, without a doubt, as the final blow to the Purebloods, to completely destroy their confidence and morale."

"...That's true."

Avada pondered for a moment and then nodded, before remembering something else: "By the way, Professor, now that everything is over..."

He reached into his pocket and placed several former Horcruxes, including the Resurrection Stone, on the table: "You can take these back now, right? Especially these relics from the founder of Hogwarts..."

"...Thank you so much for returning them, Mr. Ken."

Dumbledore stood up solemnly, seemingly using great willpower to prevent his gaze from immediately falling on the Resurrection Stone. Instead, he first put away the three founder's relics—the golden cup, the locket, and the diadem—and then moved the diary to another location before looking at the Resurrection Stone again. However, his expression was much better than when he first saw it—it seemed that he had regained his memories.

"……really,"

After staring blankly at the Resurrection Stone for an unknown amount of time, Dumbledore gave a bitter laugh and slowly extended his somewhat pale hand: "No matter how many times I remind myself that it's not a true resurrection, I still want to see them again, even just once..."

As he spoke, he slowly slipped the ring onto his index finger, then reached out with his other hand...

Click.

As Dumbledore flicked the dusty stone on the ring with his finger, three beams of light appeared out of thin air before him, gradually transforming into three figures—two tall and one short—staring at Dumbledore expressionlessly, without even blinking.

"..."

Avada silently watched as a tear slowly slid down Dumbledore's cheek. He moved his feet as quietly as possible, carefully opened the door, and silently left his room.

(End of this chapter)