A Gift for Dumbledore

In the solemn, quiet Headmaster's Office, Dumbledore and Wes sat facing each other, a subtle tension hanging in the air.

"You've finished the book already?" Dumbledore raised an eyebrow slightly, his gaze falling on Wes through his half-moon spectacles.

"No." Wes shook his head, his answer brief and direct.

"Then is there something you don't understand?" Dumbledore pressed.

"No." Wes gently shook his head again, a faint smile curling his lips as though he were in no hurry to explain.

Dumbledore frowned, a trace of reproach in his voice. "Then what are you here for?" He sighed softly and continued, "As Headmaster, I'm very busy."

Wes's gaze fell upon the plate piled with sweets before Dumbledore, and he teased, "Busy with what? Enjoying your afternoon tea?"

The corners of his lips lifted as he looked at Dumbledore mockingly. "Aren't you afraid of getting diabetes?"

"What is that?" Dumbledore asked curiously.

"A disease discovered by Muggle doctors..." Wes began explaining, but halfway through, he realized Dumbledore had led him astray. He promptly stopped and steered the conversation back on track.

"I came to give you a gift."

Wes took an ordinary-looking diary from his pocket and gently placed it on the table between them.

"A gift? A diary?"

Dumbledore's gaze settled on the diary. He knew that Wes's gift could not possibly be ordinary; there had to be something special about it.

Rather than touching the diary directly, Dumbledore carefully drew a uniquely shaped, fifteen-inch wand from the inner pocket of his robes.

It was the Elder Wand, one of the Deathly Hallows—the most powerful wand in legend.

He lightly touched the diary with the Elder Wand, murmuring an incantation as he cast some mysterious magic.

The diary slowly floated into the air. With a flash of blue light, a figure gradually coalesced in the air.

It was a boy with jet-black hair. His eyes were as deep as black gemstones, gleaming with a cold light. He had a high nose bridge, tightly pressed thin lips, and a lean, handsome face. He wore Slytherin robes.

Yet at that moment, his face was dark, and his eyes brimmed with murderous intent, making his originally handsome features seem somewhat twisted.

"How dare you deceive me!!" the boy demanded furiously of Wes.

Wes merely shrugged and said nothing.

The boy's rage only grew fiercer in the face of Wes's indifferent attitude, as though he were about to burn Wes to ashes.

"Long time no see, Tom." Dumbledore's calm, powerful voice rang out, making the boy shudder from head to toe.

A flicker of surprise crossed his eyes before it was replaced by wariness.

"Dumbledore!!" The boy—Tom, or rather Voldemort—was filled with apprehension, along with a fear he himself had yet to notice.

Looking at Voldemort's youthful face, Dumbledore could not help feeling a twinge of regret. He sighed. "I never expected you to have made a Horcrux while you were still a student. If only I had guided you properly back then..."

"Stop putting on that act, Dumbledore. You never liked me from the very beginning. You've always been wary of me."

Voldemort's roar echoed through the Headmaster's Office, filled with fury and resentment as though it could tear the air apart.

Dumbledore remained exceptionally calm in the face of that anger, but the portraits on the walls could not stay silent. Their voices rose one after another, full of fury and condemnation.

"Utterly incorrigible!" a headmaster in one portrait bellowed.

"You are simply a disgrace to Hogwarts!!" another headmaster in a portrait angrily accused.

"Destroy him quickly!" urged yet another headmaster in a portrait.

"Oh, Merlin's beard, committing murder at such a young age—unforgivable!"

The portrait of an elderly headmaster joined in the scolding.

Faced with the headmasters' rebukes, Voldemort merely raised his chin slightly, his expression proud and defiant, without the slightest hint of remorse.

"Quiet, everyone." It took Dumbledore quite some effort to calm the portraits down.

Dumbledore closed the diary, and Voldemort turned into a streak of light and returned to it. The atmosphere in the office settled as well.

"What do you think of the gift?" Wes asked somewhat smugly.

"Wonderful." Dumbledore praised him. "Where did you find it? Voldemort places great importance on his Horcruxes and hides them extremely well."

Wes told Dumbledore what had happened at Flourish and Blotts.

"Lucius Malfoy." Dumbledore's expression turned serious. "He was a Death Eater back then. Voldemort might indeed have entrusted a Horcrux to him for safekeeping. But why would he send it back to Hogwarts at this time?"

Dumbledore fell into thought, unable to guess Lucius Malfoy's intentions for the moment.

"We can invite Mr. Malfoy here and ask him face-to-face," Wes suggested.

"Mr. Malfoy is not an honest man," Dumbledore said with some concern.

"I have a way, but I'll need your cooperation, Headmaster." Wes's voice was full of confidence.

"No problem." Dumbledore agreed readily.

"We'll need to use the diary then as well."

Dumbledore shrugged. "I had originally planned to destroy this Horcrux as soon as possible, but waiting a few days doesn't matter."

If it had been a Horcrux Voldemort made at the height of his power, Dumbledore would certainly have destroyed it immediately. But this diary was the first Horcrux Voldemort had made when he was sixteen or seventeen. No matter how old Dumbledore was, he was confident he could keep watch over it.

They agreed to act on the day of the Quidditch match. At that time, the entire school's attention would be focused on the pitch, providing perfect cover for Dumbledore and Wes's plan.

Moreover, Draco had become Slytherin's new Seeker that year, so Dumbledore inviting Lucius to Hogwarts to watch Draco's first match was perfectly reasonable.

In his office, Dumbledore wrote the invitation with his elegant quill on a piece of parchment. Once the letter was finished, he gently blew on the ink, then carefully folded it and placed it in an exquisite envelope.

He summoned an owl, which obediently perched on Dumbledore's arm. Dumbledore said softly to it, "Go, my friend. Deliver this letter safely to Malfoy Manor."

The owl grasped the envelope in its beak, spread its broad wings, flew through the window, and headed toward Malfoy Manor.

At Malfoy Manor, Lucius Malfoy had been deeply worried these past few days. Ever since the start of term, he had been fretting over the diary. He had heard no news of anything unusual happening at Hogwarts, which left him confused.

Lucius could not determine whether Wes had brought the diary back to Hogwarts, or whether the diary lacked the power Voldemort had described to purge Hogwarts.

His wife, Narcissa Malfoy, noticed his unease and asked with concern, "Darling, what exactly happened? You've been absentminded ever since you returned from Diagon Alley. Did something go wrong with that batch of goods?"

Narcissa thought there had been a problem disposing of the dark Magic Items.

Lucius forced out a smile. "You know, I had a conflict with that Weasley at the bookshop. He's keeping a close eye on me now, and those things may cause trouble."

Narcissa believed her husband's explanation.

Just then, Dobby, the Malfoys' House-elf, approached cautiously, his head hanging low as he dared not meet either of their eyes. In a trembling voice, he said, "Master, a letter from Hogwarts."

"You fool, can't you see we're talking?" Narcissa snapped.

Dobby trembled all over in fright.

With a look of disgust, Narcissa took the envelope from Dobby's hand. Only after spraying it with a great deal of perfume did she open it.

"It's from Dumbledore. He's inviting us to watch a Quidditch match."

Lucius said suspiciously, "He has never invited us before. Why so suddenly this time?"

But Narcissa was delighted. "It's Draco's first match as Seeker. I don't want to miss it, and it would be good for you to get out and clear your head."

Lucius considered it and ultimately agreed. He secretly made plans in his heart.

I need to confirm in person whether the diary was brought to Hogwarts, and why nothing unusual has happened.

Thank you all for today's recommendation votes, and thank you to _Huaqingqiu and Jiuw ei LW for the monthly votes~~~