Chapter 131: Dumbledore's Belief (Patreon)

Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.

Vader flew out of the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets. Behind him, Fawkes carried Harry, Ron, Ginny, and the unconscious Gilderoy Lockhart.

"You're all still alive?" Myrtle said in surprise. "And there's an extra person this time? He's pretty handsome, too~. What's your name?"

Vader ignored her and looked at Harry Potter.

"My task ends here. From now on, I'll be undergoing my own training. But I think we'll meet again someday. Hopefully, you'll have made some progress by then. Otherwise, you'll be quite disappointing."

"I-I will," Harry said with an awkward laugh. "Wait, Enzo, are you planning to leave Hogwarts right now?"

Obviously.

If I don't leave now, am I supposed to stay and testify for you in front of Dumbledore?

"My coming here was an accident in the first place. There's no reason for me to stay any longer."

With that, Vader took to the sky.

"Until we meet again."

"Let's go. We should head to Professor McGonagall's office first," Harry said. "Everything has been resolved, so Hogwarts doesn't need to be closed anymore."

"I have no objections, but Ginny..." Ron looked at his still-sobbing sister with concern. "She's innocent. What if..."

"She'll be fine. Ginny is a victim too, isn't she?"

"What about this guy?"

Ron nudged the unconscious Lockhart with his foot.

"Leave him here for now. What happens to him is Professor McGonagall's decision."

The three of them followed Fawkes to the entrance of Professor McGonagall's office.

When they entered, they discovered that, besides Professor McGonagall, Albus Dumbledore and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were also there.

"Ginny!"

Mrs. Weasley cried out and hurried over to embrace her daughter.

"Thank goodness! You're alive! You're not dead!"

"Harry, was it you who rescued Ginny?" Mr. Weasley asked. "How did you manage it?"

Harry hesitated for a moment before placing the Sorting Hat, the Sword of Gryffindor, and the diary soaked through with black ink on the table.

He began by explaining how he had first heard the strange voice. Then he told them about seeking Vader's fortune-telling during the Christmas holidays, entering the Forbidden Forest to find Aragog, the Acromantula, and search for clues, discovering the monster's identity in the book Hermione had been looking for, and finally deducing that Moaning Myrtle's bathroom was the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets.

"Very good, Potter. But why didn't you come to me for help?" Professor McGonagall asked, puzzled.

"Because we were deceived," Ron said irritably. "We went to Gilderoy Lockhart for help, only to discover that he was already preparing to run away."

"Lockhart?"

Mrs. Weasley looked utterly astonished.

She was a fan of Lockhart's books and simply couldn't reconcile him with the phrase preparing to run away.

"Lockhart is a fraud," Ron explained. "All those books he wrote were based on other people's experiences. He stole their accomplishments, and to prevent the truth from being exposed, he erased their memories."

"It's true, Mum. Memory Charms are the only spells he's actually good at."

Ron looked at Lockhart with disdain.

"The basilisk scared him unconscious. He's still lying there in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom."

"I'll inform Madam Pomfrey later, and I'll also write to the Ministry of Magic and ask them to investigate," Professor McGonagall said. "But how exactly were you deceived?"

"That..."

"Professor, it was the diary," Harry said hesitantly. "Riddle's diary told us that Gilderoy Lockhart's magical abilities were second only to Dumbledore's."

Dumbledore's eyes narrowed slightly.

He picked up the diary and carefully examined the place where the Sword of Gryffindor had pierced it.

Several seconds later, he finally confirmed something.

He let out a weary sigh.

"As expected of Voldemort. To think that he was already capable of accomplishing something like this at the age of sixteen."

"V-Voldemort?" Mrs. Weasley asked in shock. "What does this have to do with You-Know-Who?"

"Voldemort's former name was Tom Riddle. I personally brought him into Hogwarts. He was also the most outstanding student Hogwarts had ever seen."

Dumbledore sighed with emotion.

"Some of the teachers at Hogwarts also know what that name means."

"Miss Weasley, did Voldemort deceive you in the same way?"

Ginny nodded through her sobs, looking helpless and miserable.

"I wrote in it, and he answered me. It went on for a very long time."

"Ginny."

Mr. Weasley stared at his daughter in disbelief.

"I believe I've told you more than once never to trust anything that can think independently unless you can see exactly where it keeps its brain."

"It was inside the book Mum gave me. I thought..."

Ginny began crying even harder.

"I'm sorry. It's all my fault."

"It's not your fault, Ginny," Harry said. "Voldemort himself said that you had no idea what he was making you do."

"Miss Weasley, the school will not punish you, much less expel you for Voldemort's actions."

Dumbledore looked at Ginny gently.

"However, I suggest that you go to the hospital wing with Professor McGonagall and have Madam Pomfrey give you a thorough examination."

Harry and Ron exchanged glances, both letting out a quiet sigh of relief.

Since Dumbledore had said so, Ginny clearly wouldn't be expelled.

"Minerva, please escort Miss Weasley."

He paused before adding, "Also, I think we should hold a feast to celebrate. What do you think?"

"Understood. I'll notify the kitchen."

After the others had left, Dumbledore looked at Harry and Ron.

"You two still have quite a lot left to tell me, don't you?"

Harry continued explaining everything that had happened after they entered the Chamber of Secrets.

Enzo had emerged from the flames and joined them in rescuing Ginny.

Tom Riddle had materialized and fought Enzo.

Harry had battled the basilisk.

And Enzo had used the Sword of Gryffindor to destroy the diary...

After listening to the entire story, Dumbledore was completely stunned.

The Kingdom of Lorcan Magic Academy?

He had lived for more than a century, yet he had never even heard of such a place.

As for the existence of a secret magical school, he could barely accept that.

The magical world was enormous. No one could possibly know every secret within it.

But what was truly outrageous was Enzo's age.

He was only fifteen, yet he had actually fought the sixteen-year-old Voldemort to a standstill.

That kind of talent was simply extraordinary.

Even Dumbledore couldn't help feeling inferior.

Moreover, Enzo's analytical ability, insight, and composure when facing dangerous situations were all far beyond those of ordinary people.

It would not be an exaggeration to say that, in almost every aspect, he was even a step above Voldemort.

Once he matured, he would undoubtedly possess the ability to support an entire era.

As Dumbledore thought about this, he suddenly became intrigued by the Headmaster of Griffin, whom he had never met.

It seemed that Griffin had been handed a script very similar to his own.

The difference was that Dumbledore had taught Voldemort...

while Griffin had taught Enzo.

The contrast was somewhat painful.

But what concerned Dumbledore the most was the Fool.

Griffin had not only foreseen the existence of the Fool, but had also predicted that the Fool would be recognized by the Sword of Gryffindor.

He had even accurately determined his location and sent an outstanding student to assist him.

If Dumbledore had previously harbored even the slightest doubt that Harry Potter was the Fool, then now...

he was one hundred percent certain.

Vader: All that painstaking planning was worth it. I've finally made this pot stick for good.