In the original timeline, the only Horcrux personally destroyed by Dumbledore was Marvolo Gaunt's ring.
Although he successfully destroyed the Horcrux within it, he also recognized the stone set in the ring for what it truly was—the Resurrection Stone.
Dumbledore missed his sister and parents too deeply.
Even knowing Voldemort had almost certainly placed a curse upon it, he could not resist the temptation.
He put on the ring.
The result was immediate.
Voldemort's curse ravaged his right hand.
When Dumbledore returned to Hogwarts, Snape was only able to contain the curse in his hand, buying him roughly one year to live.
"Looks like I'd better make sure Dumbledore never gets his hands on Gaunt's ring," Sean thought.
What Sean did not know was that Voldemort and Barty Crouch Jr. had already removed the ring from the Gaunt shack, and Voldemort had absorbed the soul fragment within it.
Fiendfyre was one of the most dangerous forms of Dark Magic.
Though Dumbledore was considered a white wizard, he knew plenty of dark spells.
And this particular spell had been one of Grindelwald's specialties.
"I'll be gone for a few hours," Dumbledore said. "I should return tonight."
Then he beckoned to Dobby.
"You're coming with me."
Dobby drooped his ears and shuffled forward.
At Dumbledore's instruction, he grasped the Headmaster's sleeve.
A moment later, space twisted, and with a crack, Dumbledore vanished with Dobby and Tom Riddle's diary.
"If everything goes smoothly," Sean thought, "the diadem should be destroyed before Christmas."
His own task was simple in theory.
He needed to avoid Snape and McGonagall, return Ravenclaw's diadem from Merlin's Chamber to the Room of Requirement, and then "discover" it during the search.
The only complication was that Dumbledore still did not know how many Horcruxes Voldemort had created.
Professor Slughorn, who had once answered Tom Riddle's questions about Horcruxes, suspected that Voldemort intended to split his soul into seven pieces.
Getting Slughorn involved would make Sean's future "discoveries" far less suspicious.
Everything needed a plausible reason.
And thanks to Dobby's confession, Dumbledore now believed the diadem was likely another Horcrux.
That gave Sean the perfect excuse to help search for it.
"The sooner Voldemort is dealt with," Sean thought, "the sooner I can focus on the far more dangerous and unpredictable Herpo."
Sean knew nearly all of Voldemort's secrets.
Against an enemy you understood completely, victory was achievable.
Herpo was another matter entirely.
There was a saying: an old man in the family is a treasure.
Unfortunately, this ancient old monster belonged to the enemy camp.
Herpo was so ancient that Sean had no idea what tricks he might still possess.
After leaving the Headmaster's office, Sean went to visit Draco in the hospital wing.
Draco was already sitting up and eating by himself, though awkwardly.
Using his left hand to manipulate a spoon clearly offended his sense of dignity.
"How are you feeling, Draco?" Sean asked.
The moment Draco saw him, he dramatically dropped his spoon, leaned back, and put on a pitiful expression.
"I'm in terrible pain. So weak…"
Sean was merciless.
"Stop pretending. Madam Pomfrey said you'll be back in class tomorrow."
Draco's expression instantly returned to normal.
"Did you come here to mock me?"
Sean had replaced him as Seeker and caught the Golden Snitch to secure Slytherin's victory.
Draco was happy the team had won.
But the fact that Sean had done it still irritated him.
"Actually," Sean said, "I came to compliment you. You flew very well."
Draco kept his face expressionless, but inwardly he was pleased.
Sean usually criticized him far more often than he praised him.
"There's something else," Sean added. "I won't be playing in any more matches. I'll be telling Flint later that I'm leaving the team."
Draco stared at him in surprise.
Sean had just helped Slytherin win its first match. By all logic, he should be taking over as the starting Seeker.
"Why?" Draco asked.
"Personal reasons," Sean said. "That's all."
He turned to leave.
"Just make sure you perform well in the remaining matches."
With that, he exited the hospital wing.
Slytherin still had two remaining matches in the regular season: against Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw.
Hufflepuff would be a challenge.
Ravenclaw, however, had spent so many years at the bottom of the standings that they were practically used to it.
At lunch, Sean informed Marcus Flint of his decision.
Flint barely reacted.
The Slytherin captain was not just physically massive—his ego was equally oversized.
He did not believe losing Sean would affect the team at all.
"Think it through," Flint said. "Once you quit, you're not getting back on this team until after I graduate."
Sean smiled.
"Don't worry. I won't be coming back."
Far away, along a desolate coastal gorge somewhere in England, an agonized scream echoed through the night.
Blue and yellow flames roared in the darkness.
Dobby crouched behind Dumbledore, clutching his head in terror.
The fragment of Tom Riddle's soul within the diary was being consumed by Fiendfyre.
Voldemort's shriek pierced directly into the soul.
Even Dobby trembled.
When the diary finally crumbled into ash, Dumbledore let out a long breath.
One burden had been lifted.
Then he looked down at the house-elf.
"It is time to visit your master."
Malfoy Manor was protected by anti-Apparition wards, preventing Dumbledore from arriving directly inside.
Dobby could bypass such wards, but Lucius had forbidden him from Apparating within the grounds, much less bringing others along.
So Dumbledore and Dobby Apparated to the front gates.
Dumbledore rang the magical bell with all the courtesy of an invited guest.
Malfoy Manor was nothing like the Burrow.
Located in the Wiltshire countryside, it was a stately ancestral home surrounded by immaculate gardens, elegant fountains, and freely roaming white peacocks.
The ornate wrought-iron gates created a mist-like effect whenever visitors passed through them.
Inside the manor, Lucius Malfoy sat upright the moment he saw Dumbledore's image appear in the scrying crystal.
"Dumbledore!"
Barty Crouch Jr. was even more alarmed.
He glared at Lucius with open hostility.
"Lucius."
Lucius sneered.
"If I intended to betray you, would I leave Dumbledore standing at the front gate?"
Barty's eyes narrowed.
"Remember. Your son's life is still in the Dark Lord's hands."
With that warning, he left the drawing room.
No matter where he went, Albus Dumbledore was treated as a distinguished guest.
Lucius summoned Narcissa to greet him.
As he took his wife's hand, he felt it trembling.
He squeezed gently.
"Act naturally," he whispered. "As though this were any ordinary visit."
By half past nine that evening, Dumbledore still had not returned to Hogwarts.
He had been treated to an exquisite dinner at Malfoy Manor.
Afterward, the three adults spent hours discussing one topic.
Draco.
Meanwhile, back at Hogwarts, Professor McGonagall was scheduled to accompany Sean and Snape to the Room of Requirement.
She left the Weasley twins in Hagrid's care, instructing him to keep them occupied until midnight before returning them to Gryffindor Tower.
The Gryffindor students had not seen Fred or George for nearly twenty-four hours.
This time, it seemed Dumbledore was genuinely angry.
The twins had actually been assigned an entire day of detention.
"See?" Hermione said to Harry and Ron. "Caught wandering after curfew, losing points, and getting punished. Maybe now you'll both learn."
The Weasley twins had indeed become an effective cautionary tale.
But Harry and Ron were hardly the type to be frightened into obedience.
Ron was worried about his brothers.
He had heard they were being held in McGonagall's office.
So he proposed borrowing Harry's Invisibility Cloak after curfew to check on them.
And Harry, being Harry, immediately volunteered to go with him.
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