Leaving the Headmaster's office, Ron was frowning, muttering to himself while pondering over what Dumbledore had said to them. The more he thought about it, the more he felt something was off.
"Harry, do you think..."
He suddenly leaned closer to his friend, his face full of suspicion, and said, "Dumbledore said so much just now, but why do I feel like... he said something yet said nothing at all?"
Harry's steps paused a bit; he had the same thought in his heart.
Aside from "don't spread it lightly," everything else... while not exactly wrong, did not provide any definite answers on how to interpret the prophecy they cared about most.
He mumbled a vague "Hmm," and said, "Maybe... maybe Professor Dumbledore isn't too sure either... maybe, like Hermione said, it's not time yet..."
Ron was even more puzzled. He scratched his head, a bit dissatisfied, and said:
"Then why did he leave Vid behind alone? I think Dumbledore is definitely starting a real discussion with Vid; what he said before was just for deceiving us!"
At that moment, it felt as though a veil of self-deception was lifted, and Harry's heart felt like it was being pricked by something.
That familiar, uncontrollable sour feeling appeared again.
—Why is it always Vid who is left behind, trusted, tasked with heavy responsibilities by Dumbledore? Why not Harry Potter?
But immediately, Harry suppressed this thought, feeling disgusted for even having such an idea.
He thought—
Vid's magic spells are stronger than mine, he studies more diligently, his abilities in all areas are much stronger than mine, and even when facing those Dark Wizards... his performance was much better than mine.
If Vid hadn't gone easy on me, during the Magic School Tournament, Harry didn't believe he could have made it to the end.
Being like this, what right does he have to compare himself with Vid over who is the student Dumbledore values most? Should it be relying on the "Boy Who Lived," a title he never wanted?
Vid is his friend, smart, brave, calm, and clearly has gone through more... he should be happy for Vid, he should support him.
Meanwhile, the longing in Harry's heart to become more powerful, to have more weight, enough to be similarly trusted and relied upon, grew wildly like weeds in his heart.
Just as Harry was silent, Ron pondered again on his own, suddenly stopped in his tracks, his face drained of color, his eyes wide with horror as he looked at Harry.
"Wait, Harry!" Ron said in shock, "Did you just say... the prophecy refers to... the Mysterious Man and the Dark Wizard Grindelwald?"
"Hmm?" Harry couldn't react, and said blankly: "Yeah, what's up?"
"But... but..." Ron said with trembling voice, "Doesn't this mean the Mysterious Man might come back to life again? Is he... immortal?"
Harry's heart skipped a beat, only then realizing the problem.
On the night of the Magic School Tournament, when Vid was still comatose in the Medical Wing, Harry once had a long and heavy conversation with Dumbledore.
In that conversation, the Headmaster calmly explained some of the things Harry couldn't understand—
Like why Voldemort insisted on using his blood for resurrection, why the Killing Curse didn't take his life, and the strange resonance occurring when wands connect.
As the conversation was nearing its end, Dumbledore gazed seriously at Harry, gravely warning him:
"Harry, once you return to the common room, do not proactively discuss Voldemort with anyone, including Ron, Hermione, and Neville;"
"If someone tells you—Voldemort is dead, don't rush to refute it."
"Why?" Harry asked, puzzled then.
Dumbledore stood up, walked to the window, moonlight cascading on his silver-white long hair.
He said gravely, "Voldemort once did something very dangerous."
"He borrowed some dark and ancient power, casting an extremely powerful Masking Spell. People, when thinking of him, subconsciously ignore him, forget him, even distort their memory, firmly believing he is dead."
After pausing for a moment, the old man continued, "Of course, due to a certain magical connection, this spell doesn't affect you as significantly as others, allowing you to discern truth from illusion. But don't tell others the truth."
Harry felt a chill creeping up his spine, unable to restrain himself from saying, "If it's like this... shouldn't we tell people the truth even more?"
"No!" the old man said decisively, "Harry, at least not now."
His attitude carried a rare sternness.
"But why?" Harry couldn't help but ask, "Is it a requirement from the Ministry of Magic? Because Minister Fudge doesn't want any accidents to happen..."
Dumbledore shook his head slowly, "No, of course not... Cornelius's thoughts aren't that important."
"Harry, you need to know that the human consciousness is actually a very miraculous existence. The deep connection between thought and magic is something even Merlin couldn't completely understand."
"But we can be certain of this—forgetting breeds deeper 'forgetting,' distorted cognition reinforces distorted reality. When people firmly believe Voldemort can no longer harm the world, this collective belief can trigger a resonance in reality."
"Therefore... when Voldemort uses this spell intending to protect himself, he also invisibly weakens his power and influence."
"It is very contradictory, but Harry, that's often how Dark Magic is—harmful to others and oneself. Sometimes, the harm to the spellcaster themselves is the most severe, most profound."
Harry listened blankly, taking some time to understand what he had heard.
"So," he said, almost incredulous, "if we do nothing and let that Masking Spell... will Voldemort eventually disappear completely from the world?"
Dumbledore's lips curved into a meaningful smile, he said:
"I don't entirely rule out this... theoretical possibility. But the more likely scenario is that he's still alive but his power will never be what it was."
"Voldemort's past strength was not only due to his profound expertise in Dark Magic but also established on people's fear of him—that deep-seated fear made many lose the will to resist him, fight against him."
"Harry, which do you think helps people protect themselves better?"
"—Is it letting everyone know Voldemort is still alive, able to stay vigilant, but constantly living under the shadow of fear, trembling whenever his name is mentioned, losing the courage to pick up a magic wand the instant they see him;"
"—Or is it forgetting the fear of Voldemort, treating him as an ordinary stranger, an obviously dangerous Dark Wizard, just like dealing with any dangerous stranger?"
Harry remained silent for a long time, eventually speaking with a slightly strained voice:
"I don't know which is better, Professor..."
"But I know, when I face him, if I don't keep thinking 'he is Voldemort,' maybe I would act a bit faster."
"If it wasn't for 'Voldemort,' maybe Peter Pettigrew wouldn't make the decision to betray, the Ministry of Magic would take the threat he posed more seriously, rather than making people want to hide themselves within a turtle shell. Many... many wouldn't be killed by him."