So that was it.
The secret of Voldemort's survival…
A split soul.
Dumbledore slowly closed his eyes, absorbing the heavy revelation.
The truth was horrifying.
But at least it explained everything.
If the Horcrux could be found and destroyed—
Then Voldemort would once again become mortal.
For the first time in years, hope flickered in his heart.
But Lucian's next sentence crushed that hope completely.
The Final Bombshell
Lucian looked calmly at Dumbledore.
His voice remained emotionless.
"According to the memories I extracted from the soul fragment in the diary…"
He paused slightly.
"Voldemort didn't create just one Horcrux."
"…He made more than one."
Dumbledore's Shock
The words struck Dumbledore like an explosion.
For the first time in decades—
The greatest white wizard in the world lost control.
He shot up from his chair so suddenly that the heavy carved seat toppled backward with a loud crash.
His calm blue eyes shrank in shock.
Even his half-moon glasses could not hide the storm in them.
"What did you say?"
His voice trembled sharply.
"More than… one?"
A single Horcrux was already an unspeakable violation of life itself.
But multiple Horcruxes?
That meant tearing one's soul apart again and again.
It was madness.
It was cruelty beyond imagination.
In that moment, Dumbledore finally glimpsed the true darkness hidden beneath Tom Riddle's handsome face.
A soul far more monstrous than he had ever feared.
Lucius Malfoy Arrives
Just then—
A loud, arrogant knock interrupted the silence.
Before anyone could respond, the office door swung open.
Lucius Malfoy entered.
He wore elegant black velvet robes and carried his silver snake-headed cane.
Behind him stood a trembling house-elf—
Dobby.
Lucius had come expecting victory.
He believed Dumbledore had been dismissed.
He expected a defeated headmaster packing his belongings.
Instead—
He walked into a room full of professors staring at him coldly.
And through the window behind them…
He glimpsed something enormous.
Something monstrous.
His confident smile froze.
"M–Mr. Dumbledore…"
His voice faltered.
"What exactly is happening here?"
Dumbledore's Accusation
Dumbledore ignored the question.
His piercing gaze locked onto Lucius.
Then slowly shifted to Dobby.
Finally, it settled on Lucius's gloved hand gripping the cane.
"Lucius," Dumbledore said coldly.
"You gave Tom Riddle's diary to Ginny Weasley."
It wasn't a question.
It was a statement.
Now that he knew about Horcruxes, the entire chain of events suddenly made sense.
Lucius Malfoy had slipped the diary into Ginny's cauldron at Flourish and Blotts.
He had started the whole disaster.
Lucius's face turned pale.
"I—I have no idea what you're talking about!" he snapped.
"What diary? This is slander! An insult to the Malfoy family!"
But his denial sounded weak.
Everyone in the room could see it.
Lucian's Spell: Causal Rewind
Lucian didn't bother arguing.
He simply raised his hand.
Golden symbols ignited deep within his eyes.
Heaven-Defying Comprehension — Activated
Research Topic:
Reveal a person's past actions without invading their mind.
Solution:
All actions leave traces in the river of causality.
Extract the relevant causal line and project it as visible memory.
Spell Created:
Causal Rewind
A mysterious force enveloped Lucius.
His voice stopped abruptly.
He couldn't move.
Then—
A glowing projection emerged from his body.
Like a film playing backward.
The image stabilized.
The Truth Revealed
Everyone saw the scene clearly.
Flourish and Blotts bookstore.
The crowd surrounding Gilderoy Lockhart.
Lucius picking up Ginny's battered book.
Mocking the Weasleys.
Then—
In one swift motion—
He slipped the black diary into her cauldron.
The vision faded.
Silence filled the room.
The truth had been exposed beyond denial.
Lucius's face turned completely white.
Fear flooded his eyes.
"What… what kind of magic is this…?"
To him, it felt less like magic—
And more like divine judgment.
His wealth.
His noble blood.
His status.
All meaningless before this power.
His legs gave out.
Lucius Malfoy collapsed to his knees.
"Mercy… please…"
His proud voice broke into desperate pleading.
"I didn't know it belonged to the Dark Lord… I only wanted to embarrass the Weasleys… please forgive me…"
Dobby's Freedom
Lucian ignored him.
Instead, he looked at Dobby.
His gaze lingered on the trembling elf.
Then he spoke calmly to Lucius.
"Remove one of your gloves."
Lucius obeyed instantly.
Lucian nodded toward Harry.
"Give it to him."
Harry suddenly understood.
He took the glove and walked to Dobby.
"Dobby," he said.
"This is yours."
"You're free."
Dobby's huge eyes widened.
Freedom.
The word he had dreamed of his entire life.
He took the glove with shaking hands.
At that moment—
The invisible bond binding his soul shattered.
But instead of running away, Dobby turned toward Lucian.
Slowly—
He knelt.
Tears streamed down his face.
"Dobby… is free…"
"But Dobby does not want to leave."
His voice trembled with devotion.
"You freed not only Dobby's body…"
"You freed Dobby's soul."
"Dobby will serve you forever."
The Victims Awaken
Later, under Madam Pomfrey's supervision, the Mandrake Draught was finally administered.
Drop by drop, the potion reversed petrification.
Justin Finch-Fletchley.
Colin Creevey.
Nearly Headless Nick.
One after another, the victims awakened from their stone-like sleep.
The nightmare at Hogwarts had finally come to an end.
But everyone in the castle knew something else as well.
The boy who had ended it all—
Lucian Thornwick—
Was no ordinary wizard.
~~--------------------------
Visit my patreon for advance chapters:patreon.com/DevilWarden