"Hiss..." At the same moment Amanda destroyed the diadem, Harry raised his hand to clutch his forehead.
Just now, his forehead felt a sharp, sudden pain as if it had been pricked by a needle. He could feel that this was likely Voldemort sensing the destruction of a Horcrux and becoming enraged because of it.
"Voldemort felt it," Harry said, rubbing his forehead as he looked at Amanda, who had just turned back around. "He knows we've destroyed the cup and the diadem. He's furious."
"He can indeed sense it," Amanda said, not at all surprised. "When he regained his physical body, his connection with the Horcruxes split outside was restored. In other words, he can now sense the status of his Horcruxes."
"That's good," Harry gave a mocking smile. "Letting him personally feel us destroying his Horcruxes one by one." Step by step, they were moving closer to the end of killing him once and for all.
Despite being so terrified of death himself, he took the lives of others so casually. The end that is death would eventually come for Voldemort too.
"Will this affect Harry?" Hermione looked at Harry and said thoughtfully, "I mean, since the connection between Voldemort and the Horcruxes has strengthened, will it lead to Voldemort being able to see what Harry is doing or what he's thinking?"
"He won't do that," Amanda shook her head decisively.
"Why?"
Harry was stunned by Amanda's answer. Wouldn't it be great for Voldemort to see what he was doing and thinking? It would make it much easier for Voldemort to kill him. Why wouldn't he do it?
"Theoretically, Voldemort could indeed see what Harry is thinking and doing."
"But first, Harry's Occlumency is quite good. He can basically block Voldemort's prying. Even if the connection between him and Voldemort has deepened, the Occlumency he learned will still be effective."
"Second," Amanda's gaze fixed on Harry, "Harry's soul is pure and whole. For Voldemort, touching Harry's soul is like touching a red-hot iron with his bare hand; it would be extremely painful."
"Even Harry gets a headache every time he connects with Voldemort. When Voldemort does it, the pain he feels will be dozens or even hundreds of times worse than Harry's."
"So Voldemort won't do it. He doesn't have the determination or willpower to endure that kind of soul pain."
If Voldemort truly had that kind of determination and willpower, he wouldn't have created things like Horcruxes out of a fear of death.
A person with the determination and willpower to endure soul pain would not fear death at all.
This is also why Dark Wizards who create Horcruxes can never make their souls whole again—because they cannot repent, and they cannot endure the agony of a soul being reconstructed.
More importantly, they simply won't repent; they feel no guilt for their actions.
After hearing Amanda's analysis, everyone, including Harry, breathed a sigh of relief. It was good that Voldemort couldn't peer into his mind.
Otherwise, setting aside the risk of seeing secrets, the mere thought of Voldemort peering into his mind made Harry feel nauseous.
Having a thing like that looking into your brain and seeing what you're thinking is just disgusting.
"By the way, Headmaster Dumbledore is giving me a private lesson tonight."
Harry suddenly remembered and spoke directly to Amanda, "What do you think Headmaster Dumbledore will teach me?"
"You're really treating me like an encyclopedia, aren't you? And an over-the-top one at that."
Amanda raised an eyebrow and teased Harry. To think he'd even ask her what Headmaster Dumbledore was going to teach him—Harry really trusted her, believing she'd have an answer for any question.
"First, we can rule out profound magic because, not to be modest, I could teach you that myself."
Pointing a finger at herself, Amanda spoke the blunt truth.
"There's no need for Headmaster Dumbledore to teach you that personally. Second, rule out knowledge about Horcruxes, because you already know most of it."
"So, considering your ultimate opponent is Voldemort," Amanda crossed her arms, "it's very likely Headmaster Dumbledore wants to tell you about Voldemort's past, or the past of his family, the Gaunt family."
"You-Know-Who's past? The Gaunt family's past? Why would Harry need to learn that?"
Ron asked curiously from the side, while Harry began to vaguely understand the reasoning behind it.
"Because I need to be familiar with my enemy," Harry said as he thought. "I need to understand his past to better understand how to defeat him in the present."
"You could say that," Amanda nodded in agreement with Harry's statement. "To put it more concisely in Eastern terms: 'Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated.'"
"You must understand your opponent well enough. Even if Harry isn't necessarily the one to kill Voldemort in the end, just in case, Harry still needs to understand Voldemort sufficiently."
Once the soul fragment in Harry's forehead was dealt with and the locket was destroyed, the task of the final duel with Voldemort wouldn't necessarily fall to him.
Both Amanda and Headmaster Dumbledore could take on Voldemort one-on-one and kill him once he lost his Horcruxes.
Of course, if Harry wanted to do it himself, she and Headmaster Dumbledore could back him up, ensuring Harry could kill Voldemort with ease.
So, from her and Headmaster Dumbledore's perspective, Amanda believed that what Headmaster Dumbledore would do next was let Harry understand Voldemort's past to prepare for the coming battle.
Voldemort's past, huh? Harry took a deep breath. Although he wasn't particularly curious about the past of a person like Voldemort, as Amanda said, one must know their enemy to be victorious. So, he had to cooperate fully with Headmaster Dumbledore.
"Voldemort's past," Hermione mused, looking at Harry. "If Headmaster Dumbledore really tells you about that, maybe you could tell us about it after your lesson? After all, there aren't many chances to learn about Voldemort's past."
Before, no one dared to speak of it, but now Headmaster Dumbledore was about to tell Harry. To be honest, Hermione was quite curious about how Voldemort had become such a twisted, tyrannical person.
"Okay," Harry nodded in agreement. If Headmaster Dumbledore really told him, he would definitely come back and tell Amanda and the others.
After the operation in the Room of Requirement ended and he had finished dinner, Harry went to the Headmasters Office.
"Lemon Sherbet."
After speaking the password and ascending the revolving staircase behind the gargoyle, Harry arrived outside the Headmasters Office. He knocked gently, and the wooden door opened a moment later.
"Good evening, Harry." Headmaster Dumbledore's warm and kind voice rang out. Hearing his voice, Harry felt a sense of relaxation and safety from deep within.
It was as if you knew for certain that you were absolutely safe in front of this old man; in his presence, no matter what happened, you would not be harmed.
Remembering Amanda's instructions, Harry quickly returned the greeting and told Headmaster Dumbledore about how they had found Rowena Ravenclaw's diadem made into a Horcrux in the Room of Requirement that morning and subsequently destroyed it.
"You are all truly excellent, Harry," Headmaster Dumbledore said, a smile appearing on his face beneath his white beard after hearing Harry's words. "Especially Miss Amanda; her ability to think has truly allowed us to take many shortcuts."
"Around her, I am always reminded of the fact that I am old. This is the influence brought by the strength and wisdom of the youth."
"A wonderful influence," Headmaster Dumbledore winked mischievously at Harry, "it makes me hear the sound of my own retirement approaching very soon."
"What? Retirement? Headmaster Dumbledore, you're going to retire?!"
Harry exclaimed in disbelief. He couldn't imagine what Hogwarts would be like without Headmaster Dumbledore.
"Don't be so surprised, Harry," Headmaster Dumbledore laughed like a child and spread his hands. "At my age, once Voldemort is truly gone, it will be time for me to retire."
He stood up, walked to a cabinet, opened it, and brought out a pensieve. "The future belongs to your generation. Let this old man of over a hundred years have a rest."
"I suppose so."
Harry watched Headmaster Dumbledore place the pensieve on the desk and nodded. Because Headmaster Dumbledore was so powerful and reliable, it was very easy to forget that he was over a hundred years old—a true elder.
Even if a Wizard's life is longer than a Muggle's, it was indeed time for him to retire and enjoy life. He had supported the British Wizarding World and even the global Wizarding World for far too long.
So long that people had deified him, forgetting that he was also a man of flesh and blood, an aging elder.
"However, before I retire, I believe my mind and abilities are still quite useful."
Headmaster Dumbledore seemed to see through Harry's thoughts. He spoke lightheartedly as he drew his wand and gave it a gentle flick.
A nearby bottle flew up automatically, the stopper popped out, and the silvery, misty liquid inside flowed slowly into the pensieve.
What Harry saw next was exactly as Amanda had guessed.
It was memories regarding the Gaunt family's past, which even included content explaining Voldemort's parentage.
Within the space of the pensieve, Headmaster Dumbledore stroked his white beard. "Speaking of which, I must thank Miss Amanda and Miss Granger. If it weren't for the iron-fisted methods they've shown since taking charge of the Wizarding World, perhaps I wouldn't have obtained these memories so easily."
When he went to ask for these memories, those people were very obedient, fearing that their lack of cooperation would be reported by Headmaster Dumbledore to Amanda and Hermione.
Headmaster Dumbledore wouldn't do anything to them, but Amanda and Hermione were different. They were truly capable of being ruthless. Who wouldn't cooperate? Who wouldn't be afraid?
"So sometimes, being too kind is indeed not good," Headmaster Dumbledore muttered softly. Harry, who was immersed in the memories, was jolted and turned to look at Headmaster Dumbledore in disbelief. Wait, was that something Headmaster Dumbledore would say?!
Facing Harry's shocked gaze, Headmaster Dumbledore shrugged. "It is the wisdom of an old man, Harry."
"Alright." Harry nodded reluctantly and continued watching the past of the Gaunt family and Voldemort.
It was already past two in the morning by the time they finished watching all the memories. Headmaster Dumbledore took off his glasses and blinked hard.
After putting them back on, a pair of sharp yet gentle blue eyes looked at Harry. "Harry, do you have any thoughts after seeing all this?"
Harry pursed his lips. "I don't know if it's appropriate to say this, Professor."
"What's inappropriate about it?" Headmaster Dumbledore laughed and shook his head. "Just say whatever comes to mind."
"Well, I think Voldemort's mother... what she did was indeed wrong, but she was also a pitiable person. And Voldemort, his childhood was certainly tragic. But of course, that's no excuse for the harm he's caused!"
"Very correct, Harry," Headmaster Dumbledore looked at Harry with pride and gave him a small round of applause. "To be able to pity the suffering of others, yet not overlook their evils because of that suffering."
"I must applaud you, Harry. This is something many people with much more life experience cannot do."
"People often overlook the mistakes someone makes because of the suffering they've endured, and often say the suffering someone once endured was deserved because they committed errors."
"But a truly wise person will use their mind to distinguish clearly."
The old man smiled as he tapped his temple with a finger. "You are a wise person, Harry."
"I don't think I deserve that title yet, Professor." Harry's face turned bright red. It wasn't that he hadn't been praised before, but such high praise was truly a first. "Um, I wanted to ask, can I tell Amanda, Hermione, and the others what I saw today?"
"Of course you can," Headmaster Dumbledore nodded readily. "At this point, there's no need to keep anything from them. On the contrary, it would only make your friends sad."
"Okay, thank you, Headmaster Dumbledore."
After politely bidding Headmaster Dumbledore goodnight, Harry left the Headmasters Office. Then, the following morning in the Room of Requirement, the six of them, including Amanda and Hermione, listened together as Harry told the story of the Gaunt family's past and Voldemort's past.
The Gaunt family was known for their violent tempers and crude behavior over their long lineage, to the point that by the time it reached Voldemort's mother's generation, they were destitute and completely declined.
As Amanda listened to Harry's narration, her mind instinctively followed with analysis. The Gaunt family, a Pure-blood family, with a long history of violent tempers and crude behavior—clear signs of inbreeding. If analyzed this way, it could explain why Voldemort had such a tyrannical and cruel personality.
Ultimately, however, this was still a problem with Voldemort himself; family inheritance could only account for a very small part.
With her mind continuing to race, Amanda kept listening to Harry's story.
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