A Professor of Magic at Hogwarts

Behind the lenses, Dumbledore's blue eyes blinked.

"A very intriguing question, Felix. Few have asked me so directly," he said.

"I mean... Voldemort showed no inclination to attack Hogwarts during the war. He seemed... well... quite wary of someone within the school. Yet, in the eyes of the public, these two individuals have no record of ever facing each other," Felix carefully articulated.

"Perhaps that's the truth," Dumbledore smiled.

"Or it could be only part of the truth," Felix interjected. "Some people perceive only fragments of the truth—they see results or a few moments in the process but can't grasp the whole picture."

Dumbledore furrowed his brow slightly, his mouth slightly ajar, seemingly selecting the right words.

Felix knew he had to do or say something. Otherwise, he'd have to await the old man's decision. So, clearing his throat, he spoke, "Albus, we're aware that Voldemort and Barty Crouch Jr. were hiding while the Ministry dispatched many Aurors and hit wizards but found nothing. We might need to consider the possibility of his successful return, and I need to understand his strength."

After a moment of silence, Dumbledore seemed convinced.

"I can assure you, Felix, although I've never seen him perish in my presence, I have indeed vanquished and damaged his body on more than one occasion, leaving wounds that normal means couldn't heal," Dumbledore calmly revealed, unearthing a long-held secret.

"I remember telling you... I once interviewed him?" Dumbledore spoke softly, leaning back, gazing at the ceiling.

"...Yes," Felix slowly, suppressing his excitement, responded.

"That was his appearance at the time," Dumbledore declared, and with a swift wand movement, a somewhat ethereal figure began taking shape. His face seemed scorched, features blurred, with almost no recognizable contours, the skin resembling hardened white wax, grotesquely twisted. Eyes permanently bloodshot, black pupils flickering with an indifferent gleam.

Felix scrutinized Dumbledore's memory of Voldemort. He wasn't unfamiliar with this image—having glimpsed it once when discovering the locket box, but Voldemort now seemed even less human than before.

"This suggests Voldemort had already created the locket Horcrux before that interview," Felix thought. Considering Dumbledore's earlier words, he cautiously inquired, "Was it the effect of Dark Magic or the impact of the Horcrux?"

Dumbledore looked at him approvingly, dispelling the phantom from the air.

"Both possibilities exist. Personally, I lean towards the former... though we can't disregard the impact on his body due to multiple Horcruxes causing a fragmentation of the soul, affecting his physical form. After all, no one in history has done what he has."

"So, Voldemort's body differs from that of a regular person? His merging of Salazar Slytherin's blood magic and his own Dark Magic makes fatal injuries less effective on him?" Felix analyzed based on Dumbledore's words.

Frowning, he couldn't help but think, how would they fight this?

Suddenly, a possibility struck him. Felix looked at Dumbledore in astonishment, unable to contain his surprise, and exclaimed, "An Animagus? Has Voldemort reached the level of Rowena Ravenclaw, Lady?"

Meanwhile, he recalled Dumbledore's previous opinion upon hearing the term 'Animagus':

"Felix, I cannot offer you much insight. In my younger days, I did believe I was invincible for a not-insignificant period... An Animagus? That term is too humble, and I was too arrogant at that time."

It was the same occasion when Dumbledore demonstrated the 'flicking curse' trick with his finger...

Dumbledore sat upright in his chair, hands resting on the desk, and firmly shook his head. "I don't think it's that. At least, I have never possessed such an ability. Even... the other founders of the school had no records similar to that. On the contrary, Salazar Slytherin—there were suspicions he possessed a magic capable of drawing life force to heal himself."

"The diary?" Felix alerted. Two years ago, the diary Horcrux had confused Ginny Weasley, absorbing some of her life force, fortunately not much and was promptly discovered and healed by Madame Pomfrey's expertise.

"Most likely," Dumbledore nodded lightly. "A magic that depletes life force, though rare, exists. But transferring life force from one person (Ginny) to a fragment of a soul, I've never heard of."

"Is it the influence of the Horcrux?" Felix speculated on another possibility. "Perhaps the Horcrux has a feature of absorbing life force." But he quickly realized it didn't align; he had read about Horcruxes in the chapter of an antique book titled 'Secrets of Advanced Dark Magic'—his understanding of Horcruxes wasn't lacking.

Dumbledore also dismissed this conjecture.

"A Horcrux is a detached piece of a soul, left in some corner of the world to ensure the creator's immortality. In essence, it's undying," Dumbledore explained. "To achieve this, the separated soul should be dormant, or at least extremely inactive—unless there's a mortal threat around the Horcrux, prompting a defense—only then is it secure."

Felix nodded slightly, agreeing with Dumbledore. A normal person wouldn't want their soul fragment within a Horcrux to be active or possess independent consciousness, fearing potential trouble if discovered and destroyed.

"Yet... the diary should be special?" he pondered aloud.

"Indeed," Dumbledore nodded. "When Ginny Weasley first wrote in the diary, she received a response, falling into Voldemort's meticulously crafted trap... I can almost affirm Voldemort didn't regard it as a life-saving Horcrux but rather as a key to open the Chamber, hence granting many privileges to the diary, including his memories up to the age of 16, sufficient activity... and naturally, the knowledge he inherited from Slytherin's ancestor within the Chamber."

"But all of this is conjecture," Felix wrinkled his brow, feeling a bit frustrated. Dumbledore sounded so certain, how was he so sure?

He roughly outlined the information. Dumbledore had clandestinely faced Voldemort several times during the war, inflicting severe damage, yet Voldemort quickly bounced back. Dumbledore seemed to be investigating the reason behind this. He attributed it to Dark Magic and Blood Magic, citing evidence from Salazar Slytherin's ability to draw life force for healing and Ginny's experience. But there was another possibility that Felix couldn't help but consider—why not?

So, he voiced it out, "Why couldn't it be that he resurrected using a Horcrux?"

Dumbledore's sharp gaze darted towards him, appearing highly vigilant. "Why do you think so?"

"Just a guess," Felix shrugged. "Maybe he indeed altered his body using Dark Magic, but there should be limits, right? For instance, he might have delayed death, found a loyal servant afterward, and performed a resurrection ritual... then used a Memory Charm or a Forgetfulness Charm to erase the aftermath? Or perhaps discarded it outright..."

Dumbledore lowered his head, silent.

"It's indeed a possibility, Felix," he said. "But no matter what, the information we have is quite limited." He looked at the desk leg thoughtfully, speaking almost inaudibly, "

And whatever his method, it must have been unorthodox, for he managed to return stronger than before."

Felix mulled over Dumbledore's words. Perhaps they weren't close to uncovering Voldemort's secrets, but they were taking significant steps in the right direction. It was like finding pieces of a puzzle and trying to fit them together, though there was still no clear picture.

As he pondered, Dumbledore raised his gaze. "Felix, remember, knowledge is not always a straightforward path. Sometimes, it's a labyrinth, twisting and turning. And occasionally, you have to backtrack to find the right way forward."

>

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