Lin Du curiously examined the seemingly ordinary Diary. "What is this...? I can sense an unusual dark presence on it, but it looks like nothing more than an ordinary diary."
"It is indeed very good at disguising itself." Dumbledore's voice was low. "Just last night, it nearly completely controlled Ginny Weasley, a first-year student."
Lin Du's expression immediately turned grave. "What did it do to her?"
"It exploited her emotions and fears, eroding her will bit by bit." There was rare anger in Dumbledore's tone.
"It drained her life force, attempting to reshape a body through her. Had it not been discovered in time, that girl might have become the sacrifice for its resurrection."
A chill flashed through Lin Du's eyes. "So what exactly is this?"
"This is Tom Riddle's Diary," Dumbledore said slowly. "Or rather, a Horcrux."
The instant the word "Horcrux" was spoken, the air in the office seemed to freeze. Lin Du abruptly rose to his feet, then forced himself to sit back down.
"Voldemort's Horcrux?" His voice was filled with disbelief. "He hid a fragment of his own soul in such an... inconspicuous little notebook?"
"Do not be deceived by its appearance," Dumbledore said. "It is precisely this seemingly harmless disguise that allows it to approach unsuspecting students so easily."
Lin Du stared at the black Diary on the desk, a trace of understanding flashing through his eyes.
He looked up at Dumbledore, his tone calm.
"So this conversation tonight was a test from the very beginning. You needed to confirm what choice I would make after learning of the Horcruxes."
Dumbledore did not deny it. "Once the secret of the Horcruxes is revealed, those Death Eaters who believe Voldemort to be dead will gather again. That is not loyalty, but fear—fear of Voldemort, buried deep in their bones."
"As long as Voldemort shows any sign that he might return, they will act immediately," Lin Du said. "Therefore, keeping the Horcruxes secret is crucial."
Dumbledore nodded lightly. "Voldemort attained an immortal soul through Horcruxes, yet feared that anyone would discover this secret. Even his most loyal Death Eaters do not know of their existence."
Lin Du lightly tapped the desk with his fingertips. "And now, you have decided to entrust me with a secret that even Professor McGonagall does not know."
"When Voldemort's shadow began to resurface, you happened to appear." Dumbledore's gaze was profound. "And after teaching at Hogwarts for only two months, you saw through the truth about the Basilisk. That has made me willing to believe that you may become an important factor in the fight against Voldemort."
Lin Du stared at the Diary radiating an ominous aura, then suddenly gave a derisive laugh.
"Honestly, Headmaster, I have always thought Voldemort was far inferior to Grindelwald."
Dumbledore's fingers paused lightly on the tabletop, and his gaze flickered behind his half-moon spectacles.
"At least Grindelwald had a respectable ideal—for the greater good." Lin Du's tone was thick with sarcasm. "Mad though it was, his vision was grand enough. But this Mr. Voldemort?"
He pointed at the Horcrux on the desk. "Obsessing all day over that pure-blood nonsense, turning himself into a noseless freak, then tearing his soul apart and hiding the pieces everywhere. With that level of ability, he calls himself the Dark Lord?"
Dumbledore's expression was somewhat complicated. "Every era has its own unique darkness."
"Unique darkness?" Lin Du raised an eyebrow. "If Grindelwald knew his successor was such a disgrace, he would probably laugh out loud in Durmstrang."
At the mention of Durmstrang, Dumbledore's eyes went distant for a moment before returning to calm. "Perhaps. But for now, we must deal with the trouble left behind by this 'unworthy' Dark Lord."
Lin Du stood and drew his wand. "You are right. Let us dispose of this embarrassing thing quickly."
A hint of approval flashed through Dumbledore's eyes. "I noticed you have been studying the Fiendfyre curse."
"I have." Lin Du had already drawn his wand. "Fiendfyre is one of the few forces capable of completely destroying a Horcrux."
Dumbledore waved the Elder Wand, laying down an even stronger protective barrier around the Diary. "Please."
Lin Du closed his eyes. When he opened them again, ghostly blue flames were already dancing at the tip of his wand.
The flames were unusually silent, yet the air around them began to distort.
"Magic Power as the guide, will as the fuel."
The instant the ghostly blue flames pounced upon the Diary, it shook violently and let out a piercing scream.
Black ink seeped from the pages, attempting to form a twisted human face, but it rapidly dissipated beneath Fiendfyre's burning heat.
"It is resisting." Lin Du observed calmly. "Trying to find a host."
"Tom was always overly confident." Dumbledore kept his eyes fixed on the burning Horcrux.
As the Fiendfyre continued to burn, the Diary gradually carbonized, and its screams eventually turned to smoke.
When the final page became ash, the office fell into an unusual silence.
"It is over." Lin Du put away his wand. "But this is definitely not the only one."
"I would guess there are seven," Dumbledore said. "Seven is a number with powerful Magic Power. Tom had an unhealthy obsession with Dark Magic. He must have had an extraordinary fixation on that number."
Lin Du fell into thought. "So Voldemort truly will return."
"His main soul is still wandering somewhere, waiting for an opportunity to return." Dumbledore's voice was heavy. "More worrying still, his followers never truly gave up."
Outside the window, thunder exploded beyond the castle, and lightning cast the two men's faces into alternating light and shadow.
"That is why I need your help, Lin Du." Dumbledore turned to face him. "When the last war broke out, you were too young, but now..."
Lin Du finished for him. "But now, I know too much, and possess too much."
"Precisely." Dumbledore's blue eyes gleamed with wisdom behind his lenses. "You have not only mastered powerful magic; more importantly, you understand how to maintain a balance between power and conscience. That is exactly what we need most."
Lin Du walked to the window and watched the shadows of trees swaying in the distant Forbidden Forest.
"Interesting." He suddenly gave a soft laugh. "I have pored over countless forbidden books and touched knowledge deemed taboo, only because I wanted to see just how far magic could push the word 'life'."
He turned around and looked directly at Dumbledore, that sarcastic curve still lingering at the corner of his mouth.
"And now, the most pressing practical subject is learning how to... thoroughly shove another person attempting to cross that boundary back where he came from."
He shook his head. "Would that count as... black humor?"
Without waiting for an assessment, Lin Du stepped forward and extended his hand to Dumbledore.
"So, is the answer not obvious, Headmaster?" His tone was calm.
"Since this noseless gentleman insists on disrupting my research, I suppose I will have to personally grant him a thorough rest."
He paused, and a cold glint flashed in his eyes.
"Tell me, is the Order of the Phoenix still recruiting?"
Dumbledore gazed at him for a long time. The gentle lines of his aged face slowly softened, finally becoming a deep, understanding smile.
"Of course." He clasped Lin Du's hand. "The Order of the Phoenix will always open its doors to those willing to fight for the light."
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