Dumbledore's thoughts burned fiercely, like the torches floating before them.
Perhaps this was the last time he would contribute his wisdom to the future of the wizarding world.
"Yes, exactly—"
Dumbledore paced with his head lowered, muttering,
"Whether it was Herpo, the Four Founders, or Merlin, they all wanted Amosta to go into the stars, albeit for different reasons—"
Voldemort was the enemy of them all, the one they had no choice but to eliminate.
Herpo had foreseen this and exploited it.
Voldemort feared death. He feared the unknown.
That was why, when Voldemort had been driven into a corner, the Twin Serpent Wand had communicated with him and lured him into turning it into a Horcrux.
Under those circumstances, Amosta had no choice but to go into the stars to meet Herpo.
The Four Founders had also hoped Amosta would go into the stars. Otherwise, they would not have left behind revelations telling him how to get there.
The two sides of the conflict had maintained a tacit understanding on this point.
The difference was that the Four Founders had merely left information behind. The final choice still rested with Amosta.
But Herpo was different. He forced Amosta into action.
"Amosta clearly anticipated something, which is why he allowed you to reveal these secrets. But what he hopes is that we—"
A trace of sorrow appeared on Dumbledore's face. His gaze swept across the faces in the bar, each bearing a different expression, before inadvertently landing on Ariana on the wall.
His sister was looking at him gently.
"Ariana."
The wrinkles between his brows eased, and Dumbledore muttered something no one heard.
"Has Amosta already made his choice? Has he already gone into the stars?" Remus asked.
Dumbledore's fragmented muttering was difficult to understand. Remus could only half-guess at