"Well, let's leave it at that--" Bryan pushed those thoughts back into his mind and regained his focus.
"Headmaster Dumbledore, what do you plan to do with this soul fragment in the Locket? Destroy it or temporarily keep it?"
"In my opinion, there is no need to keep it."
When it came to Horcruxes, Dumbledore's tone became solemn again.
"Alright--"
Bryan shrugged his shoulders, the wand falling into his palm.
"The soul fragment is hidden in the Locket, and it can only be destroyed along with the Locket. But after that, I'll need you to repair it. I have a feeling that these things will play an important role someday in the future. Please step back, Headmaster Dumbledore, unless you wish to lose your beard as well."
"Not just my beard, Bryan--" Dumbledore quickly waved his hand.
"If possible, I also hope to preserve many items in this office that belong to Hogwarts rather than myself. Don't worry, we can choose a gentler way--"
The mention of a 'gentler way' to deal with the Horcrux piqued Bryan's interest, his mind racing with the possibilities. Horcruxes, the darkest of dark magics, demanded extreme measures for their destruction. The spells at Bryan's disposal were potent, capable of annihilating the Horcrux, but at the risk of devastating the surrounding environment. Fiendfyre, a spell of controlled chaos, seemed the most viable option, yet Dumbledore's alternative intrigued him.
Dumbledore went to the shelf where he used to hide wine and tapped on the innermost partition with his wand. Immediately, the dark wooden board twisted like liquid and quickly lost its color until it became as clear as water.
Dumbledore reached in and searched for a while, then under Bryan's gaze, he took out a box. He then quickly walked back to his desk, holding the box.
"What is this--"
When Dumbledore opened the box and exposed its contents to the air, a foul smell made Bryan squint his eyes.
"Hehe, you recognize it--"
Dumbledore's silver-white beard fluttered as he controlled the venomous fangs floating in the box.
"It is the venomous fang of the Basilisk that you subdued."
"Fudge told me that the Ministry entrusted Mr. Scamander to take care of the Basilisk--" Bryan remarked, recalling the conversation.
"Yes, Newt is a good friend of mine; it's no secret," Dumbledore replied, his smile broadening. "I am not as skilled as you in controlling spells like Fiendfyre, but I must ensure that I can destroy the Horcruxes at any moment when found. So, I asked Newt to check the remnants in the Basilisk's teeth and also see if this aged snake creature has any cavities."
Bryan nodded. "He has a good reputation as a Magizoologist, and it seems that Mr. Scamander is indeed very good at dealing with magical creatures."
"Newt is a wizard with a pure soul--"
Dumbledore nodded.
"A person with a pure soul is always more likely to gain the trust of those magical creatures. To be honest, I am quite grateful to Salazar Slytherin. If it weren't for him leaving behind this Basilisk, it would have been very difficult to find a safe way to destroy Tom's Horcrux--"
Bryan blinked his eyes and his thoughts wandered for a moment.
Salazar Slytherin left the Basilisk behind and accidentally provided significant help in destroying the Horcruxes created by his own bloodline after a thousand years. Was this a coincidence, or was there another possibility?
Slytherin was the one among the four founders who valued Blood purity and heritage the most. If he had truly glimpsed certain truths from a thousand years in the future, then he would certainly not stand idly by. The door in Slytherin's secret chamber was evidence of that.
At the same time, Slytherin would not tolerate anyone tarnishing the honor of his family, and Tom Marvolo Riddle's actions in the wizarding world would certainly not earn the approval of his great ancestor.
"Now, we face another problem--"
The items on Dumbledore's desk disappeared, leaving only the pendant that had not been destroyed. Bryan, who had already destroyed two Horcruxes himself, felt nothing special about what was about to happen. He calmly said,
"If we want to use the Basilisk's fang, we may have to open the Locket. The fang cannot penetrate the defensive dark magic of the Horcrux itself--"
"Indeed, fortunately, I have made some preparations regarding this--" Dumbledore calmly replied, "I have taught Tom, I know his way of doing things. When I first met him, he showed me his unusual talent--Parseltongue inherited from Salazar Slytherin. I believe he would not miss any opportunity to prove his extraordinary talent derived from his bloodline."
Bryan did not speak, he just watched Dumbledore show off.
At some point, the atmosphere in the office became tense. The air grew thick with anticipation, the tension palpable as if charged with an unseen current. The portraits of former headmasters, suspended in time, collectively held their breath, their gazes fixated eagerly on the Locket resting upon the table.
An ancient headmaster, hailing from an era long forgotten, retrieved a pair of antiquated spectacles from his robes, polishing them fervently before perching them upon his nose. Under different circumstances, these venerable figures might have leaped from their frames to bear witness.
"So--"
Dumbledore, acknowledging the gravity of the moment, nodded solemnly at Bryan and extended his right hand.
With a crisp snap of his fingers, an old hissing voice appeared in the office. Then, with a click, under the gaze of everyone, the Locket popped open!
Phew!
A gust of evil wind suddenly swept through the closed room, and the bright candlesticks hanging from the ceiling dimmed instantly.
It was as if the River Styx had invaded the mortal world!
At the moment the box lid popped open, a thick and bottomless darkness surged out of the box like a flood breaking through a dam. Those tangible, clawing dark magic occupied the dome of the office, displaying their corruption and evil in the air!
In the void, there were tearing and seductive low growls. In the boiling mist, a ferocious face gradually took shape and looked down upon the world like a dark king.
Dumbledore and Bryan stood side by side, their actions surprisingly synchronized--their hands crossed and placed on their abdomen, their heads raised, their faces solemnly staring at the soul fragment in the air. Their pairs of different-colored pupils flickered with strange light.
"I see your heart."
The cruel voice sounded like the wailing of thousands of souls gathered together after being tortured and tormented, and its gaze met Dumbledore's unfathomable eyes in the air. Then, that face with its cruel smile froze.
"Is that so, Tom?" Dumbledore smiled and said, "I always thought no one could understand me--"
As Dumbledore's words fell, his blue eyes suddenly became sharp. In a trance, his suddenly heightened figure seemed like a golden moon rising from the junction of the sea and the sky, emitting an imposing aura that forced the soul fragment, which had little sense left, to instinctively avert its gaze.
"I see all your desires."
Invisibly, A force seemed to interfere with the stability of Voldemort's soul fragment. The ferocious face formed by the black cloud trembled violently, and it urgently absorbed the darkness of human nature to strengthen itself. Then, it turned its evil gaze towards Bryan and whispered.
"A weakling dominated by the fear of death--" Bryan sneered, "How dare you presume to know of my heart's desires?"
In the next moment, Bryan's eyes shone brightly, and a powerful magic, not inferior to Dumbledore's, burst forth from his frail body. The world shifted, and Dumbledore, Bryan, and the escaping soul fragment in the Locket all appeared in an illusory space!
This space was boundless, similar to the high-dimensional space where wizards briefly stayed during apparition. Chaotic spatial turbulence filled the surroundings, and Bryan and Dumbledore stood on opposite sides, one with a cold expression and the other with a solemn expression.
Boom!
Just as Voldemort's soul fragment became anxious and uneasy, Dumbledore and Bryan's aura surged at the same time. The golden and purple colors, like flames, manifested as magical power bursting out of their bodies. In the void, they formed a sky-covering net, firmly imprisoning the raging soul fragment in a closed space.
The surrounding space currents, ebbing and flowing like the sea, seemed to encounter three massive celestial bodies, striking the magical net that imprisoned the Horcrux with even more chaotic trajectories. The soul fragment, trapped within the spherical net, thrashed in every direction, distorting the net with each furious attempt to break free, but it could never escape.
Under the magical oppression of Dumbledore and Bryan, two powerful wizards, the soul fragment of Voldemort, relying on the special properties of the Horcrux, never dissipated.
"Bryan--"
Dumbledore's aged voice precisely reached Bryan's ears amidst the chaos. Signaled by Dumbledore, Bryan nodded slightly and raised his right hand toward the empty space beyond the turbulent currents. A miniature tornado, carrying the serpent's fang, suddenly appeared.
Sensing the arrival of something that could destroy it, the imprisoned soul fragment descended into madness. The large face abruptly disintegrated into hundreds of black streams, like shooting stars, frantically striking the purple-golden magical net from all directions.
Bryan squinted his eyes, and the erratic trajectories of the black flowing clouds were clearly reflected in his eyes. After a brief analysis, he locked onto one of them.
With a flick of his index finger, the Basilisk fang trembled and emitted a deep buzzing sound. Then, accompanied by an earth-shattering brightness, it collided with the black flowing cloud like a comet hitting the earth!
Ding!
In an instant, a crisp and pleasant sound echoed through the illusory space. Following that, a light that seemed to create the world rolled in, melting everything in the field of vision and erasing the unwillingness and fear of the soul fragment's furious roar!
...
Bryan had already left. Before leaving, he requested to take Ravenclaw's diadem and Slytherin's pendant that he had found. After a brief thought, Dumbledore agreed to Bryan's request, with one condition--not to sell these two items for money.
"Albus--"
The headmaster's office, shrouded in an inexplicable atmosphere, fell silent for a long time. Finally, Armando Dippet, the Ex-headmaster of Hogwarts, spoke. He gazed at Dumbledore, who sat in his chair, removed his glasses, and gently rubbed his eyebrows, asking solemnly,
"You have made up your mind to change your original plan, haven't you? I mean, to let Bryan Watson--" Dippet's query hung in the air, a question of profound implications.
"For a long time, I have been searching for a safe way to deal with Tom's problem."
Dumbledore leaned back in his chair, looked up at the ceiling, and said expressionlessly,
"We all know that maybe I can overpower Tom in a duel, but that won't solve the problem. The Horcruxes are just one part of it. As long as I am alive, Tom will not let his guard down. He will continue to hide in the shadows and use his expertise in conspiracy to plunge the wizarding world into long-lasting chaos. Plus, there's the connection between Harry and Tom's soul. In short, I am growing weaker day by day, and time is on Tom's side."
"But Bryan Watson--" Headmaster Dippet spoke bluntly, "I don't deny that this young man is powerful, Albus. Given time, he may truly reach the heights you once did. But you know very well that if we let him take over, the Wizarding world, our world will be plunged into a war as fierce and as devastating as any we have ever known."
A heavy silence descended once more, a shroud that seemed to weigh upon the very air they breathed.
After a long pause, Dumbledore sighed inexplicably.
"It's inevitable."
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