Chapter 39
"This time, what path will you decide to take Lucian?" Faced with Dumbledore's soul-searching question, Lucian couldn't help but let a wry smile appear on his face.
"Do I have any other choice? Professor, has anyone ever told you that you're actually very skilled at manipulating people's hearts?" As he spoke, he showed no hesitation and extended his hand toward Dumbledore "This time, I will choose Hogwarts—are you satisfied with that answer?"
Dumbledore hadn't felt tired before, but at this moment, a surge of abundant energy poured into his heart, making him realize that his previous state hadn't been as good as he thought.
He firmly grasped Lucian's hand and when their hands separated, Dumbledore stood up directly "Lucian, this first Horcrux was discovered thanks to the information you provided. I'd like to invite you to witness it with me."
He raised his wand and transfigured a brazier in the center of the office, then placed the diary from the middle of the desk into it.
Boom.
Red flames erupted from the tip of his wand, taking the shape of a long sharp object that stabbed straight into the notebook in the center of the desk.
"Whoosh!"
The sharp objec pierced through the center of the diary with the force of a prairie blaze, spreading outward in all directions. Jets of ink began to gush violently from the diary! It nearly overflowed the edges of the brazier.
Accompanying it was a terrifying scream piercing enough to rupture eardrums!
When the screaming finally died down, ink continued to drip from the diary, accompanied by the sizzling sound of flames burning.
Lucian and Dumbledore solemnly witnessed it all together.
He began to feel that his earlier ideas had been somewhat insufficiently cautious—if the day ever came when he truly had to use something so sinister, he might need far more preparation.
"Well, the most important matters are more or less taken care of." After the Horcrux had been completely reduced to ashes by the flames, Dumbledore once again invited Lucian to sit as for the extraordinarily masterful Fiendfyre curse the other had just used, both tacitly ignoring it.
"All that remains now is the matter of the basilisk."
"Yes, that was supposed to be the original reason I'm sitting here today."
After sitting down, Lucian let out a weary breath—the conversation today had been far too intense, and now that they were reaching the conclusion, exhaustion surged up uncontrollably.
"So, what are your plans for keeping the basilisk?"
"This involves many things, but the main reason is that I hope to train Harry a little."
"Harry? Harry Potter?"
"Yes, you've already met him. What do you think?"
Lucian recalled for a moment; he had almost no impression and shook his head "His talent for charms is quite good, but I don't know if it's because he lacks direction—he's far too lazy. He often doesn't even complete the assignments I give him. Honestly, I can't connect him at all with the term 'Savior.'"
"Lazy… I didn't expect you to see the boy that way." Dumbledore's expression showed some surprise.
"My opinion of him isn't important. So, what does keeping the basilisk have to do with him? You're not planning to have him challenge it, are you?"
"That is indeed my intention."
"…A very reckless decision, but since it's your plan, I have no objections. But keeping the basilisk is one thing—why did you also orchestrate today's attack?"
"…"
Seeing Lucian immediately accept the idea of putting Harry in danger, Dumbledore's mood became slightly complicated. If Snape or Minerva ever learned of this plan, they would surely explode at him in rage. Yet with Lucian…
He suppressed the strange feeling rising in his heart and explained "Filch's cat is fine. It was only temporarily controlled by my spell—after our conversation ends, I will personally visit Filch to offer a formal apology."
In response to Lucian's inquiring gaze, he continued "Tom is about to return. I want to give a warning to certain ambitious individuals and make them behave—for that, the basilisk is an excellent bait."
"So you're using the basilisk to fish, waiting for others to attack you?"
"Exactly. Of course, there are other reasons as well." Dumbledore nodded. "I want to bring this matter into the open, preferably so that everyone knows. Now both you and I are aware that the Heir of Slytherin's Chamber is Tom. He probably tried to open the Chamber even back in his student days—that incident permanently caused the death of one student, and her ghost still cries endlessly on the grounds of Hogwarts to this day."
"Moaning Myrtles"
"Yes. In that incident, Hagrid was forcibly identified as the culprit and had his wand snapped. I believe there was something suspicious about it. I pleaded repeatedly to protect him, but I couldn't do more. Now, it's time to clear his name."
Lucian nodded, showing no particular interest in these old scandals on his face. He had already read the complete "Harry Potter" series, so these events felt more like story background to him than real occurrences. Perhaps that was why he always maintained a sense of distance from others?
Not good. He needed to change that moving forward—if he wanted to find the path to becoming a legendary wizard, he had to try to integrate into this life.
Lucian reflected inwardly, then asked Dumbledore again "So next, do you plan to stage more basilisk attacks? How many, and have you decided on the victims?"
"Hmm—I think at least two more." Dumbledore hadn't fully decided yet. "I don't want to use students as the targets for this plan, so—"
"Then can I be one of them?"
"What?" Even Dumbledore was momentarily stunned.
"The earlier petrification didn't matter because it was only Filch's cat, so you could disguise it with magic. But the next two victims will actually have to face the basilisk and be petrified for a while, right? Let me be one of them—either the first or the second, doesn't matter. Though in that case, you might need to temporarily find another Defense Against the Dark Arts professor to replace me. Or you could have Jeffery stand in for me. I believe he can handle it well."
"You're serious? Why?" Dumbledore's brows furrowed slightly, not quite understanding; from what he knew of Lucian, the man shouldn't be the type to sacrifice himself for others.
"I want to experience what it feels like to be petrified by a basilisk."
"…"
Dumbledore's eyes behind his spectacles lifted slightly as he looked at Lucian in surprise.
"Aren't you curious too? Why can the basilisk's eyes kill directly, yet when viewed through a mirror, the effect becomes petrification? Is this some rule set by some unknown god-like entity, or simply a form of magic we haven't yet understood? Perhaps the so-called petrification is merely one manifestation of a curse within the branch of dark magic? I'm very curious."
He had no intention of trying to convince Dumbledore—Lucian was genuinely curious and with Dumbledore watching over him, he felt completely at ease.
Dumbledore and his two assistants were the only people in this world to whom Lucian could safely entrust his life.
Dumbledore watched Lucian speak so eloquently; the astonishment on his face lingered for several seconds, suddenly, accompanied by a short, sharp whistle like gas escaping from a boiler, Dumbledore burst into happy laughter.
"Lucian, I must once again solemnly apologise to you." His voice trembled with laughter, yet he persisted in speaking.
In the next moment, he abruptly stopped laughing and looked at Lucian with utmost seriousness. "Depriving a wizard like you of the freedom to explore magic is without doubt one of the few atrocities I have committed in my life."
Thank you Ben McMahon for support.
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