The door to another compartment opened, and a guilt-ridden Dumbledore stepped inside.
"I am so sorry, Victor... I..."
"There is no need for that, Professor. Since ancient times, every attempt to resurrect the dead has involved dark experimentation. If I were in your shoes, I would have harbored the same suspicions." Victor waved a hand, cutting off Dumbledore's attempt to apologize.
He truly did not blame Dumbledore, nor did he feel disheartened as Aberforth had suggested he might.
Dumbledore's mindset was exactly what a qualified leader should possess.
In his view, if Victor had failed to maintain his moral compass, it would only lead to disaster for the greater good.
Therefore, for the sake of the big picture, he had to put even his most cherished familial desires second until he could be certain whether Victor had been corrupted.
He did not want to see a second Voldemort...
In fact, this very reaction was precisely why Dumbledore was hailed as the greatest wizard of the century.
Not everyone earned the right to be called great.
"I assume you've already received some answers from Ariana. If you have any further questions, I can elaborate now. I will tell you everything." Victor sat back, his expression completely open.
Victor understood clearly that for Dumbledore to truly evolve, the return of Ariana was not enough.
If Dumbledore continued to believe that Victor's methods of resurrection were tainted, a thorn would remain in his heart forever.
Without resolving that internal conflict, Dumbledore would never achieve a true metamorphosis, even if his debt to his sister was repaid.
Thus, Victor had to provide an explanation that would completely clear Dumbledore's conscience.
Seeing Victor's lack of guilt and his transparent demeanor, Dumbledore felt even more ashamed, though he couldn't help but feel a wave of relief wash over him.
Victor's openness served as circumstantial evidence for Ariana's words.
"Why didn't you tell me about this from the start?" Dumbledore asked as he sat down, posing the question that troubled him most.
"There is a saying: 'The greater the hope, the harder the fall.' After all these years, do you think I don't know you? If I had told you from the start, you would have been filled with hope. Then, if the experiment had failed, it would have been like reopening your wounds only to rub salt in them... Since that's the case, it was better to wait until it succeeded before telling you. Even if it hadn't worked out, you wouldn't have been disappointed because you were none the wiser. You're getting on in years; wouldn't telling you beforehand just be putting you through unnecessary turmoil?" Dumbledore was deeply moved by these words.
Victor was the same as ever, always putting others' well-being before his own.
"I know what you were most worried about, but rest assured, Professor, I haven't done anything to cross the line," Victor continued.
'At least, I haven't crossed my own lines,' Victor thought privately.
"Then... how did you discover the method to resurrect the dead?" Dumbledore couldn't help but ask.
"As you know, I have been researching soul power..."
Victor began to recount the explanation he had prepared long ago.
However, he had no intention of mentioning Aziraphale or Crowley.
Dumbledore nodded. He knew that Victor had provided Voldemort with tampered soul power.
"While I was studying those soul powers, I accidentally stumbled into Limbo," Victor said with a light chuckle. "It was a fascinating experience. I was observing a cluster of newly collected soul power, and in the blink of an eye, I was suddenly in a place of pure white."
"I have heard of Limbo. It is an environment that shifts according to the will of the deceased." Dumbledore was indeed quite knowledgeable; he even knew the properties of Limbo.
"Indeed. However, when I arrived there by accident, the surroundings didn't change much; it was just white. Then, I met the Archmage Merlin. I had the same questions back then, and he told me that since I wasn't dead, only a wisp of my consciousness was there, not my actual soul. Therefore, I couldn't resonate with Limbo," Victor smiled.
When he met Ariana, she had seen him with Merlin, so she must have mentioned the legendary wizard to Dumbledore.
Thus, Victor did not hide Merlin's existence. As long as he didn't reveal Merlin's role as his 'instruction manual,' he wasn't breaking his promise.
"The Archmage Merlin..." Dumbledore mused. "In that case, death is perhaps not as terrifying as we imagined."
Victor agreed, "Yes. People fear death because it is the unknown. And the root of human fear is precisely that—the unknown! Once the veil of mystery is lifted, there is nothing left to fear."
Dumbledore nodded. "I imagine you must have spoken at length with the Archmage."
"We did. We talked for quite a while. From him, I learned that the world of the dead and the world of the living maintain a delicate balance. Souls that cross over can never return... unless there is an equivalent amount of soul power to serve as an exchange!"
Dumbledore's heart skipped a beat. "An exchange... soul power..."
"Yes, soul power. Originally, Merlin told me it was 'a life for a life'—that one soul must be traded for the return of another. I found that method a bit extreme. But then Merlin told me that I happened to possess something that could substitute for a soul to bring a spirit back from the world of the dead."
"I see! Soul power of equal weight to a spirit can keep the balance between the two worlds." Dumbledore understood completely now.
Furthermore, if it was only soul power being used for the exchange, then Victor truly hadn't needed to do anything immoral.
Dumbledore felt entirely at peace!
"If you were in my shoes, hearing such a theory and happening to possess my ability to collect soul power, what would you think?" Victor asked with a smile.
"I would certainly have considered the possibility of resurrection as well," Dumbledore said with a wry smile. "I truly misunderstood you... Victor."
"After that... I petitioned the Archmage Merlin to take me to see the world of the dead," Victor continued.
"To the world of the dead? That was a very risky decision..."
Even though he had already heard this part from Ariana, Dumbledore still broke into a cold sweat for the Victor of that time.
What if he couldn't have come back?
"It wasn't risky at all. What went to Limbo was only a part of my consciousness, not my soul. Therefore, my presence wouldn't disrupt the balance of the two worlds, and I didn't need soul power to bring me back. Since there was no risk of being trapped, why not take a look? Merlin granted my request."
"Then how did you find Ariana?" Dumbledore asked.
"The world of the dead is a manifestation of the spirits within it. Everyone sees it differently, and every soul they encounter reflects something within their own heart. I asked Merlin where he was taking me, and he said it wasn't about where he took me, but where I would lead him. He told me to follow my feelings. So, I went to Godric's Hollow and found Ariana." "At that time, Ariana was sitting in front of a house. She told me she was waiting for her brothers... She wanted to see them, and yet she didn't"
"want them to join her so soon..."
Hearing this, Dumbledore stared blankly at Victor.
His heart ached for Ariana, but he felt an even greater surge of gratitude toward Victor.
According to Merlin's logic, a person only sees the one they intend to resurrect in the world of the dead. Which meant...
"You... the moment you knew resurrection was possible, you intended to help me bring back Ariana? Otherwise... according to the rules of that world, you wouldn't have found her directly..." Dumbledore's voice began to tremble.
Victor gave a bright, cheerful smile. "I have no family of my own in this world, and I knew about your greatest regret. Since the opportunity presented itself, why wouldn't I help you?"
Victor's words were a blend of truth and lies, but Dumbledore's eyes were already welling with tears.
In Dumbledore's eyes, Victor's first thought had been to help him resolve his heart's pain and fulfill his deepest wish.
"Victor... I don't even know what to say anymore..." Dumbledore's voice was choked with emotion.
Victor continued, "Resurrecting the dead isn't just about bringing the soul back; I had to reshape a body for them. That required expertise in Potions... so, I went to Severus."
Dumbledore realized then—knowing resurrection was possible, Snape would never have refused!
"So that's why you and Severus were so secretive during that period... wait... if the experiment was a success, then..."
"You guessed correctly, Professor. The reason Severus was willing to help me was that he wanted to resurrect Mrs. Potter... In fact, as a reward for Severus's help, we had already successfully resurrected Mrs. Potter before we brought back Ariana," Victor smiled.
Dumbledore looked at Victor in shock.
Victor and Severus hadn't been up to no good; they had achieved a literal miracle!
They had brought back two of the deceased!
"Where is Lily? Does Harry know?" Dumbledore asked urgently.
"Harry knows, of course," Victor chuckled. "And that's the other matter I wanted to report to you."
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