After Sharon finished explaining the function and creation of a Horcrux, the portraits throughout the Headmaster's Office fell into complete silence.
"I was wrong. I misjudged him. How could he..."
The speaker was Armando Dippet, Dumbledore's predecessor and the Headmaster who had witnessed Tom Riddle's years as a student.
Armando appeared extremely old. He had already been over three hundred years old during his tenure as Headmaster of Hogwarts.
Now his face was pale, and his eyes seemed vacant.
Back then, he had not only failed to see Tom's true nature, but had greatly admired him.
To Armando, that was an unforgivable mistake.
If Dumbledore had not firmly opposed it at the time, Armando might never have rejected Tom's application for a teaching position after graduation.
Had that happened, the resulting disaster might have been even greater.
Seeing Armando's self-reproach, Dumbledore spoke to comfort him.
"Armando, that is all in the past. We now possess Tom's Horcrux, and we can prevent him from committing further evil."
"Further evil... Albus, fifty years ago, Tom stopped the Chamber of Secrets crisis. But was that incident actually orchestrated by him from the very beginning? Did I wrongly accuse that boy, Rubeus Hagrid?"
Lucien was slightly surprised that Headmaster Armando immediately remembered Rubeus Hagrid, considering how many years had passed since then.
Lucien recalled reading in A History of Hogwarts that Armando was described as a decisive and responsible Headmaster who handled countless incidents with diligence and resolve.
"Rest assured, Armando. I will handle Rubeus Hagrid's case properly."
Dumbledore once again offered words of reassurance to Armando.
Lucien listened quietly.
Rubeus Hagrid could finally have his name cleared and use Magic openly once more, no longer needing to hide his wand inside that pink umbrella.
"The Horcrux is still the priority. We need to find a way to destroy it! Sharon, do you know how a Horcrux can be destroyed?"
It was Morgan who spoke. Having retreated back into his portrait, his tone was grave.
Sharon rubbed her temple and thought for a moment before replying:
"Horcruxes are protected by powerful Dark Arts. Ordinary methods cannot destroy them completely. To destroy a Horcrux, the destructive force must be extremely powerful, powerful enough that the Horcrux cannot repair itself through Dark Magic..."
"The essence of a Horcrux is the soul fragment within it. When it comes to methods that target the soul, the most effective is probably the Killing Curse. Alternatively, a spell with special properties such as Fiendfyre might also work..."
Only after Sharon had finished speaking did Lucien add:
"During the battle, I accidentally dripped Basilisk venom onto the diary. At that moment, Tom's soul entity became extremely unstable and appeared to be in great pain."
As he spoke, Lucien took a small vial from his pocket containing Basilisk venom.
He then drew the Sword of Gryffindor and placed it on the table alongside the Sorting Hat.
"The Sword of Gryffindor!"
Morgan instantly recognised the silver longsword. His eyes lit up with excitement.
This was a treasure left behind by Gryffindor himself.
Legend held that only those who truly possessed Gryffindor's qualities could summon it in their moment of need.
"Young man, you really should have been sorted into Gryffindor..."
Before Morgan could finish, a sarcastic voice interrupted him.
"Stupid lion. We're discussing the Horcrux, and you're bringing that up? Is this really the time?"
Phineas, who had only recently regained consciousness after being choked out by Morgan, rubbed his neck and mocked him without the slightest fear that Morgan might charge over and throttle him again.
Suppressing the urge to settle matters with his fists, Morgan fixed his gaze on the Sword of Gryffindor.
He had only ever read about this legendary treasure in ancient texts. Seeing it in person was truly eye-opening.
Dumbledore did not pick up the vial of Basilisk venom.
Instead, he took hold of the Sword of Gryffindor first.
"Lucien, did this sword come into contact with Basilisk venom during the battle?"
Lucien nodded.
He guessed that Dumbledore had realised the Sword of Gryffindor's special properties.
Sure enough, Dumbledore lightly slashed the diary with the blade.
A flash of white light appeared.
A deep gash instantly opened across the diary's surface, and wisps of black smoke began to emerge from within.
If one listened carefully, faint wails and shrieks could be heard mixed within the smoke.
"The Sword of Gryffindor absorbed the Basilisk venom!"
Morgan excitedly explained from within his portrait:
"This sword was forged by goblins. Goblin-forged swords can absorb anything that strengthens them!"
"Quick, Albus! Use the sword to cut apart the soul inside the diary! Kill him immediately!"
Many of the former Headmasters shared Morgan's opinion. They all believed the Horcrux should be destroyed without delay.
However, Dumbledore did not act immediately.
After a moment of thought, he said:
"With this Horcrux still intact, I may be able to use it to locate Voldemort's main body. There must be some connection between the soul fragment and the original soul."
Dumbledore knew that Voldemort was still hiding somewhere in the world.
But the world was vast.
Searching for a person was difficult enough. Searching for a disembodied soul was like looking for a needle in a haystack.
Now that they possessed a Horcrux, things became much easier.
Dumbledore believed this was the greatest surprise Lucien had brought him tonight.
The Horcrux was undoubtedly Voldemort's ultimate safeguard against death. The sooner Dumbledore understood his opponent's hidden cards, the sooner he could formulate a strategy to counter them.
"Headmaster, I have a question. Can a wizard create only one Horcrux?"
Hearing Lucien's question, the joy in Dumbledore's eyes at discovering a lead on Voldemort gradually faded, replaced by contemplation and solemnity.
The portraits that had been whispering among themselves instantly fell silent as well.
They found Lucien's question difficult to believe, yet they could not help becoming suspicious.
According to Sharon, the process of creating a Horcrux was unimaginably painful. It required tearing apart one's own soul.
Furthermore, such damage could drastically alter a person's personality, potentially leaving them completely unrecognisable even to themselves.
The thought was horrifying.
Could anyone truly be driven to such madness?
To survive? To achieve immortality?
Could someone really go that far?
But what if they could?
Tom had dared to create a Horcrux while still a student.
He could no longer be judged by the standards of a normal person.
Lucien felt his reminder had come at exactly the right time.
This would allow Dumbledore to realise much earlier that Voldemort possessed multiple Horcruxes and begin searching for them in advance.
The sooner the threat of Voldemort was eliminated, the more tragedies could be prevented, and the less likely the magical world would descend into chaos.
Lucien preferred a quiet life devoted to study.
He had no desire to be disturbed by so-called Dark Forces.
The Death Eaters could spend the rest of their miserable lives in Azkaban, and Voldemort could generously proceed to death once all of his Horcruxes had been destroyed.
________
(^///^) Please support this fic and also read 12 chapters ahead at Patreon.com/DrakDevil1