Chapter 31 Only Four Great Wizards
Dumbledore didn't force Harry to join the trial, but only on the condition that Harry 'coincidentally' knew all the information and made his own decision.
But everything?
Boy, you've caught my attention.
Dumbledore blinked, said goodbye to Hagrid, and disappeared in a whirlwind of fire.
Basil was unaware of what had happened in the cabin.
After finishing dinner as usual, he climbed the stairs back to the common room.
However, the stairs from the third to the fourth floor malfunctioned, causing them to be led to the forbidden corridor on the fourth floor.
Because the flooring was all the same,
they didn't notice and walked straight to the end.
Only then did they realize they had gone the wrong way, and there was a slightly ajar door in front of them. Before
Basil could stop him,
Ron, with his hands full of curiosity, opened it.
It was a three-headed dog!
So big it filled the entire space from ceiling to floor.
Three pairs of menacing eyes darted around, three noses twitched and trembled in their direction, and three drooling mouths, saliva dripping like sticky ropes from their yellowed dog teeth.
"Run!" X4
roared! The engine ignited, a sound only Basil could hear.
Dragonfire ignited in his heart, his blood turned to magma, and dragon scales surfaced beneath his skin.
Everything slowed down in the golden vertical pupils' view.
Bang! In a flash, his left hand slammed the door shut.
He stomped the ground, retreating while simultaneously spreading his arms to shield the three behind him.
Accompanied by a blackish-red torrent, a strange, menacing wand emerged.
"[Armor Protection]!"
[Spellbook] and [Dragon Knight] activated simultaneously.
A massive, invisible, yet blazing wall of fire enveloped the four.
Boom!
The door flew open.
One of the three-headed dog's heads protruded from the doorframe.
Its mouth was wide open.
Crystalline saliva sprayed everywhere.
With a grunt, the hard, yellowed teeth crushed the door. They slicing
through the solid wall produced a metallic clang.
The force of the Ironclad Charm left the three-headed dog feeling a buzzing in its head.
The other two heads struggled to squeeze through the door.
But they were blocked by the dazed head in the middle.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, they took off running, practically sprinting.
The stench and the gaping, blood-red mouth were now deeply etched into their minds,
spurring them to swing their legs back and forth rapidly.
The scene gradually zoomed out, surrounded by a silvery mist.
The blank space in the middle reflected everything.
A twisted nose, blue eyes, and a half-moon lens appeared to the side.
It was Albus Dumbledore.
He leaned back in a high-backed chair with brass trim and purple velvet upholstery.
His long legs were outstretched, and he watched the young wizards' perilous moment with great ease.
A voice came from the six-inch-long silver mirror on his desk, behind his back.
"Too audacious, Albus. If you were the headmaster of our school, I would certainly impeach you."
Dumbledore slid his finger.
The scene in the silver mist began to shift.
It arrived at the room with the three-headed dog and the trapdoor.
The three-headed dog's other two heads barked incessantly, yet no sound came out.
Its body was being pulled toward the trapdoor by invisible chains.
It struggled in vain, leaving scratches on the stone floor.
The voice sounded again, "You cast a spell. Yes, there's that boy you love here."
Dumbledore shook his head. "Harry is not special. I will not sacrifice any life to protect him, except my own. This test is not for him."
He swiped his finger.
The scene reversed.
It appeared on the boy who had previously been blond and blue-eyed.
Golden vertical pupils were faintly visible. Scale-like
patterns flashed on his fair skin.
And there was that strange wand.
The handle resembled the head of a roaring dragon, the black wooden body gleaming with a metallic sheen, and the fiery red shaft covered with spikes resembling a black dragon's spine.
"Hiss! Don't you think he looks a lot like someone? Except for the eyes." The owner of the voice didn't seem to care about the wand's strangeness, and seemed quite used to Basil's oddities.
"Gellert?" Dumbledore's deep blue eyes glazed over for a moment before clearing. "No, this boy is more handsome. They're just similar in hairstyle. The similarity is only in his youth."
"Too bad, I thought you were going to have a rebirth. After all, I've entrusted that thing to you. This old bone of mine thought I'd see you have a family before I die." The voice mocked.
"Dying? The potion you left behind is enough for you to use for a century. If you regret it, you can always—"
"Alright, let's talk about the boy! Your new target."
Dumbledore stopped there, "Don't you think that boy is special?"
"Special?" A soft laugh came from the mirror. "Just a simple magical transformation. In my long years, I've seen far too many geniuses. Countless are more special than this boy. This wand is nothing more than a modification by skillful alchemy."
"Then what about me? Why are you so special to me? Have you grown tired of Perenel?"
The voice in the mirror became panicked. "No! Don't say that, don't let Perenel hear! You should know yourself. There are many excellent, talented wizards. But in my career, there have only been two true 'great wizards' like you."
Dumbledore shook his head. "No, four."
The voice trembled for the first time. "Who? Besides you and Grindelwald? That laughable Voldemort? Him too? How could that be?"
"Our ancestors are inscribed in the genetic code of magic. The descendants of Slytherin, through excessive inbreeding, have caused their ancestors' madness to increase with each generation. This is also known as the forbidden bloodline. Even those who value noble bloodlines and ancient pure-blood families will not marry those with forbidden bloodlines. Because the superior talents that forbidden bloodlines bring also drive them mad and hysterical. Forget about learning magic, they would struggle to even support themselves. There are only a few exceptions, such as Isolde Thayer, the founder of Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."
"Why are you reciting history to me? I witnessed it all."
"Tom and this great witch have one thing in common. They are both half-bloods."
"I know that. I saw Voldemort with my own eyes. His Slytherin traits were so strong that he almost didn't look like a half-blood. Although he seemed polite, the madness swirling in his heart surprised me. He couldn't bypass them and become a great wizard."
"You might not know. His father got his mother pregnant while under the influence of an aphrodisiac. Born under such circumstances, he was born lacking certain emotions. A little negative emotion can't affect him. And becoming a great wizard might not even require spiritual elevation."
"Not required? You and I both know that magic is an illusion. But the essence of our magic, aside from that bullshit magnetic field, is belief. And a great wizard is someone who transforms the illusory into the real, truly possessing magic. Apart from a breakthrough of the mind, there is no other shortcut!"
"What about magical transformation? The most dangerous, the impossible kind? Prying open one's own skull, removing one's own blood vessels, forging one's entire skeleton, dismembering one's ethereal soul." "
How did he survive? Putting aside the danger, the pain alone from this kind of magical transformation can shatter the soul."
"At least three Horcruxes, remaining immortal. Slaughter, countless slaughters to vent the pain. You think it's just making his nose disappear?"
Upon hearing this, the voice said 'madman' and fell silent.
A mix of emotions welled up inside him.
He had once thought it was just a deception.
Dying repeatedly in front of everyone, only to be resurrected in unexpected ways—
this miracle, akin to the resurrection of Jesus, has likely been displayed multiple times in Voldemort's life.
Is this why the Death Eaters so subservient to him, so convinced that he will surely rule the world?
After a long silence, the voice rang out again, "And one more?"
Dumbledore nodded, his eyes shining with a fervent light as he looked at Basil than at Harry.
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(End of Chapter)