In an instant, many thoughts flashed through Bryan's mind, but he still calmly met Dumbledore's gaze. He could see the deep blue eyes of the headmaster, piercing through his own as if trying to read his secrets.
"I'd like to hear your opinion first, Headmaster Dumbledore." He said in a steady voice, hiding his inner turmoil.
Dumbledore's old face showed a trace of helplessness. He knew that Bryan must have hidden some very important information, but he had no way to force this young man to say what he didn't want to say, whether it was by reason or by force.
"Let me start with my conclusion, Bryan–" Dumbledore said, breaking the silence that had fallen between them.
Compared to the possible problems that Bryan had, the bitterness of not being trusted was completely insignificant. Dumbledore shook his beard, his expression extremely solemn. This expression also made any person or thing in the office with a mind, aware of the seriousness of the matter. The silver instruments on the shelves stopped their whirring and clicking, the books on the desk closed their pages, the pensieve in the corner glowed faintly.
"We all know that a patronus is a magical creature that reflects the mind, or it can also reflect the soul. So, the source of the mutation of your patronus is your soul, Bryan. And my observation results also confirmed this guess." Dumbledore continued, his voice grave and low.
"Your observation results–" Bryan interrupted, his curiosity getting the better of him. Dumbledore's first half of the sentence did not exceed Bryan's understanding, or rather, he had a guess in his heart. But the second half of the sentence made Bryan's eyelids tremble slightly. He stared at the unfathomable greatest wizard of the present age in front of him, his tone faintly suspicious.
"If you mean the observation under the magical perspective–"
"It's not the magic perspective, Bryan," Dumbledore said calmly.
"Yes, you heard me right. I can see through a person's soul. Oh, I used to be able to, but now this ability has degenerated a lot. Of course, this is not the core of the problem we are discussing. If you are interested, I can chat with you later about this knowledge." He continued, waving his hand dismissively.
Without waiting for Bryan to agree, Dumbledore directly said his conclusion based on his guess and observation.
"I think your soul is not purely yours, Bryan. I vaguely 'saw' another kind of power in your soul."
The room was silent. The portraits of the past headmasters all showed stunned expressions. They had witnessed many extraordinary events in their lives, but this was beyond their imagination. The phoenix on the golden branch also stopped its desire to cry and listened carefully.
"There is a power in my soul that does not belong to me. You mean–" Bryan said word by word, almost using all his strength to run the Occlumency to maintain his calm expression.
"There is another person's soul hidden in my soul?" He asked again.
"I'm not sure–" Unexpectedly, Dumbledore shook his head, his silver-white beard swaying with it.
"I only felt a very vague feeling, like an illusion. But if this is not an illusion, then that thing does not belong to you." He said, his eyes narrowing slightly. He was not certain, but he had a strong intuition. And his intuition was rarely wrong.
Dumbledore looked very hesitant. "If. I mean, if, Bryan, if that really is someone's soul, I have seen a similar situation before." He said, his voice dropping to a whisper.
"Where?" Bryan asked, his voice trembling slightly. He was careful with his words, and vaguely, he seemed to feel that the shadow that enveloped him was about to be lifted by a corner.
When Dumbledore said those words, the portraits on the wall also unanimously gasped. These magic portraits with the memories of their original selves were all sharp-minded and outstanding wizards in their lives, and they also knew the most secrets of Dumbledore. Just one sentence was enough to make them think of many things.
The air became solidified, as if even the candlelight flickering on the candlestick on the corner of the desk was frozen. Dumbledore looked at Bryan who was quietly waiting for his answer, looked at this excellent young wizard who completely exceeded his expectations. In his heart, he was making a difficult decision. He was weighing the pros and cons, the risks and benefits, the truth and the lies.
The long silence made Bryan realize that Dumbledore's 'similar situation' was not that simple,
"If it's really that difficult, Dumbledore–" Bryan said, sensing Dumbledore's hesitation.
"It's not an easy secret to say, Bryan," Dumbledore smiled. "But I think you are undoubtedly trustworthy. The previous hesitation was just a stubborn bad habit of an old man–"
'It was indeed a strange habit, never forgetting to win people's hearts,' Bryan pursed his lips and thought.
"I think you must remember what happened in this school last semester. I mean, the Chamber of Secrets was opened again after fifty years and two innocent young wizards were attacked." Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling with a hint of sadness.
"Of course, I came back to Hogwarts because of that." Bryan nodded.
"That's it?–" He said, his voice trailing off. He knew that Dumbledore had more to say.
Dumbledore continued to smile. "Before you came back, there was a rumor in the school that Harry was the heir of Salazar Slytherin. Do you know why, Bryan?" He asked, his tone casual but his eyes sharp.
"Parselmouth?" Bryan answered, his expression calm but his mind alert. He was not fooled by Dumbledore's seemingly harmless question.
Dumbledore nodded. He was not surprised by Bryan's answer.
"But we now know that the person who opened the Chamber of Secrets fifty years ago and last year was Tom Riddle, who is also known as Voldemort. He was also a parselmouth. What do you think is the connection between them, Bryan?" He asked, his voice serious and low.
"I don't think they are related by blood." Bryan narrowed his eyes. He now understood why Dumbledore was so hesitant before.
"–The last person Tom killed before his downfall was Harry's mother. Then he tried to kill Harry, using the killing curse. But his curse only gave Harry a scar and did not take his life. Instead, he himself was destroyed by the curse that rebounded."
Dumbledore's voice became gentle, like a whisper in a dream.
Fawkes cried mournfully in the quiet room. The phoenix on the golden branch sensed the sorrow and the pain in Dumbledore's voice, the sorrow and the pain that he had carried for so long, the sorrow and the pain that he had shared with no one.
Bryan leaned back on the chair and closed his eyes.
The atmosphere in the office was extremely tense, even the wind outside the castle seemed to stop. The portraits on the wall were silent, the books on the desk were still, the pensieve in the corner was dark. The only sound was the crackling of the fire in the fireplace, the only light was the flickering of the candle on the candlestick. The only movement was the breathing of the two wizards, the only emotion was the anticipation of the answers.
"So you mean–" Only the candle being slowly consumed by the flame showed that time was still passing. Bryan sighed deeply. He opened his eyes and looked at the old man who knew too much and said too little.
"You think Harry and I are the same, both turned into horcruxes by someone, right, Headmaster Dumbledore?" He asked, his voice calm but his eyes blazing.
"I don't want to lie to you, Bryan." Dumbledore took off his glasses and rubbed his brow. He looked tired, and old.
"I think this is indeed a possibility, but, from your behavior, you seem to be unaware of everything. This is illogical. I am very certain that no one can secretly put a soul into a wizard like you- Unless, your memory has been altered?" He said, his voice questioning but his eyes certain. He was stating his conclusion, but also his confusion.
For Dumbledore's guess, or rather, test, Bryan had no answer.
Since he was born into this world, he knew If his memory had any issues, but at least, now he realized one thing, that is why he could wield the twin serpent staff that even Gryffindor could not forcefully take.
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