The Boy Who Almost Died a Horrible Death (Two-in-One)

Elegance.

When Dumbledore saw Ezio use the Killing Curse, there was only one word in his mind: elegance.

There was no hysteria or madness, only absolute stillness and unruffled calm. An elegant death, like a work of art, was a soul-stirring beauty that made one stop and admire it.

At the same time, however, Dumbledore felt a deep unease. Ezio's extraordinary mastery of the Killing Curse, and the hallucination that seemed like a real scene, both told him that behind that beauty lay the cold death no one wanted to face. This power was inherently extremely dangerous.

For a moment, he felt as though Hogwarts was shrouded beneath a cloud of death. A monster the likes of which had never been seen before had been born within the school. The only thing that comforted him was that everything Ezio had shown so far was "under control." He followed the rules. As long as those rules did not interfere with something he wanted to do, he was willing to obey them and maintain a stable environment.

Ezio's goals were very clear. Every transgression was based on a premise that was, overall, beneficial and advantageous. He perfectly fit the image of a Slytherin who pursued nothing but ultimate victory—lawful evil.

But Dumbledore couldn't be sure whether Ezio's claim that he would "do what he said" was trustworthy. Given the circumstances, though, unless he chose to destroy this exceptionally gifted but equally terrifying boy before him, all he could do was choose to believe him.

If it had been Grindelwald, faced with an unknown risk like Ezio, he would have tried to win him over and bring him onto his side. Better yet, he would have tried to instill his own beliefs in him and make him one of his trusted followers. If none of that worked, Grindelwald would have destroyed him without hesitation, erasing him completely before he had a chance to grow and pose a genuine threat.

Dumbledore was different from Grindelwald. He wasn't an excellent leader; he had little interest in controlling others or wielding power. He didn't have the decisiveness to destroy what he couldn't have, or to nip a threat in the bud. Back then, he had already sensed Tom Riddle's greedy, possessive, selfish, and cold nature. He also knew that Tom had exceptional magical talent, along with Parseltongue, a gift with an ill omen in the wizarding world.

Dumbledore also knew that Tom Riddle had been the one behind the killings in the Chamber of Secrets, not Hagrid. Yet he had allowed Voldemort to grow. The only time he had ever said "no" to Tom was when he later refused to let him teach at Hogwarts. Tom's presence there would have infringed on Dumbledore's interests and brought him trouble.

His way of acting—"if it doesn't concern me, I won't interfere"—was weak and ineffectual. It was also the fundamental reason he could never become an excellent leader. Perhaps, deep down, Dumbledore cared only about himself and a few scattered things that mattered to him. Everyone was selfish in some way; no one was exempt. Otherwise, the word "saint" wouldn't exist.

Would Ezio cause him harm now? Perhaps he would bring trouble. After all, he had certainly stirred things up in Slytherin. But overall, everything Ezio had done so far benefited the wider community. As he pursued what he needed, he also brought benefits to others. Slytherin's image was changing, and the other three Houses' opinions of them were shifting. Having witnessed Slytherin's efforts to improve firsthand, students from the other three Houses were gradually being spurred into action as well.

If this positive atmosphere could be maintained, Hogwarts would achieve even more in the future and secure its place as the strongest of Europe's three great schools. As for those who had been cast aside, those who had been sacrificed, they were essentially burdens on Hogwarts as it stood today.

Elimination and competition—those had been the rules since time immemorial.

Should I let things continue? Dumbledore wondered silently. It didn't take him long to decide.

Since things were going well for now, he would keep the situation stable unless he saw things take a bad turn. Of all the students, the only one Dumbledore truly cared about was Harry, and under Snape's guidance, Harry was now moving in the direction Dumbledore had hoped. Dumbledore had to admit that Ezio bringing Harry into Slytherin and helping him get along with Snape had been a great help. After all, at the start, Dumbledore hadn't thought Snape would treat Harry kindly.

"Now that the matter of the Horcrux is settled, I'll take my leave, Professor Dumbledore."

Ezio spoke softly. His visit hadn't gotten him everything he wanted, but he had still gained quite a bit, including a few small surprises. Ezio wasn't greedy; he knew when to be satisfied.

"Wait a moment." Dumbledore called Ezio back, motioning for him to sit a little longer.

"Would you like some tea? Or perhaps something else to drink?"

"Plain water will do." Ezio readily sat across from Dumbledore and asked for a glass of water.

The teapot Dumbledore had summoned poured water for one of them and a drink that smelled cloyingly sweet for the other. A thoughtful glimmer flickered in Dumbledore's blue eyes behind his Half-moon Spectacles. After a moment, he spoke.

"There's something I think I should tell you in advance."

To prevent a certain kind of mishap, Dumbledore decided to explain things to this child, whose mind was far more mature than his age suggested.

"Since you discovered the Horcrux and destroyed it, there's something you ought to know."

"About Voldemort?" Ezio wasn't surprised.

"Yes, about Voldemort." Dumbledore nodded. "Voldemort never died. For the past ten years, he's been eking out a miserable existence in the forests of Albania, in the form of a weak wraith. After he vanished, I investigated him. I never thought he could have died so easily, and I managed to uncover a few clues."

"Half a year ago, an unlucky young man entered the Albanian forest to investigate the monster legends there firsthand. That person was Professor Quirrell. He was actually a very talented young man. I appointed him to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts not because I was being irresponsible toward my students; he really was capable of doing the job."

"He was lucky enough to discover the truth behind the monster legends, but at the same time, he was unlucky enough to encounter Voldemort in his wraith-like state. He was bewitched. Of course, it might also have been because of his excessive thirst for knowledge—Ravenclaw students are always curious about the unknown and eager to explore it. Regardless, he made a terrible decision: Voldemort possessed him."

"By the time I discovered what had happened, it was too late. The terrible thing had already happened, but that didn't mean we couldn't do something about it. I leaked a hint, indirectly—the Philosopher's Stone. That made Voldemort, who had planned to leave by using Quirrell's body, risk returning to Hogwarts instead."

"Using a hook baited with a straight line. Voldemort's mind must have been severely affected by the excessive splitting of his soul." Ezio sounded a little exasperated, though it was more or less what he had expected.

"Yes. That's why Horcruxes are classed as extremely evil. Things that promise enormous benefits often demand an even more terrible price. Not a single wizard in history who made a Horcrux gained immortality from it. On the contrary, they lived shorter lives than ordinary wizards."

Dumbledore sighed. In his pursuit of immortality, Voldemort seemed to have come a long way, but in truth, he was charging headlong down the road to death.

"I brought Quirrell back to Hogwarts so Harry would learn that Voldemort hadn't truly died. Harry and Voldemort are closely connected. A fragment of Voldemort attached itself to Harry by accident. It's a disaster for him, but no one else can solve this problem for him. The only ones who can resolve it are Harry and Voldemort."

"So Harry has to learn to face Voldemort. Perhaps fate and destiny really do exist in this world. Their fates were intertwined ten years ago, and that is an undeniable fact."

"The thing in the Third Floor Corridor is a trial I prepared for Harry. When the time is right, I'll let him explore it. I suspect Harry may ask you to go with him."

"Voldemort must not die—not yet. Otherwise, his resurrection will begin through Harry. The order in which Horcruxes revive depends on the order they were made. If Voldemort revives through Harry, Harry will inevitably die as a result."

"Don't use the Killing Curse. Quirrell can be killed, but only after Harry has seen Voldemort with his own eyes. Then we'll let Voldemort escape from Hogwarts."

"As a reward, and in recognition of your help in destroying Voldemort's Horcrux, I'll write to Nicolas Flamel after this is over and ask him to give you the Philosopher's Stone."

"But don't expect too much from it. Nicolas Flamel can't make another Philosopher's Stone, and this one's magic has nearly run dry after centuries of use. It can't even make a single dose of the Elixir of Life. Though very little of its magic remains, it's still a one-of-a-kind treasure. I believe it may give you some inspiration."

"Thank you for your generosity." Ezio hadn't expected this, but he could understand it. The Philosopher's Stone was precious, but as Dumbledore had said, the value of this particular stone had been drastically diminished. It was a treasure, but its uses were extremely limited.

"Then I'll make you a promise as well. To the best of my ability, I'll help Harry grow and give him the courage and strength to face Voldemort. But I can't guarantee Harry will be powerful enough to defeat him. Voldemort is the Dark Lord, after all. He must be very strong."

"I hope you'll keep all of this from Harry for the time being. Some things he needs to experience and understand for himself."

Ezio nodded, then said his goodbyes to Dumbledore.

[A new contract task has been triggered]

[Onlooker: Do not interfere too much with the trial Dumbledore prepared for Harry.]

[Difficulty: ★]

[Task hint: You actually don't have to do anything.]

[Task reward: Specialized Interference Smoke Bomb ×3]

Ezio curled his lip. He had hundreds of smoke bombs already, or perhaps even more. Still, it was better than a reward of extra time in the Trial Space. After completing a million kills and unlocking Ares War Cry, he no longer had any need to stay in there.

"Maybe I should encourage Harry to sneak out at night? He's got the Invisibility Cloak, after all. But he's been holed up in the common room every day lately. I guess being a hardworking good student isn't always a good thing."

Mulling it over, Ezio headed toward the common room. When it came to getting Harry to face Voldemort, he and Dumbledore had the same interests. Ezio also needed to kill Voldemort to complete his only remaining five-star task. He didn't mind killing Harry himself to destroy Voldemort's last Horcrux, but if he could avoid incurring Dumbledore's revenge and pursuit, that was surely for the best.

We were roommates, at least. We shared a school and all. Ezio shook his head. Since there's a second option, I won't choose the first.

Harry, who was helping in Snape's office, suddenly shivered. It was as if some ominous sense of impending doom had just passed him by.

"Have you weighed the dried Mandrake slices, Harry?" Snape's voice came from the workbench nearby.

"Almost done!" Harry answered quickly, then checked the amount once more and brought it over to Snape.

"Wizards have no need for those Muggle contraptions," Snape muttered, fiddling with a crude alchemical device he had mostly made by hand. "Next, we'll grind the dried Mandrake slices into powder, dissolve them in a potion, and extract the active ingredients. Harry, keep a record of the experiment. Mandrake's properties are complicated; we need to separate them one by one."

"No problem, Professor Snape. I'm ready."

At Harry's answer, Snape glanced sideways at him. For a moment, an image seemed to grow clearer. Someone has finally had the pleasure of watching those delicate hands brew a fragrance. He had never experienced it himself, but now, this seemed nice too.

"You've inherited your mother's talent, Harry," Snape murmured in a voice only he could hear, then turned his attention back to the work.

"Wizarding precision is beyond anything Muggles can imagine! Can they perfectly separate every single property of an ingredient? No! What does that Muggle brat know?"

Snape suddenly resumed grinding out the words through clenched teeth, leaving Harry at a loss. Snape really was petty, he thought. Lately, he'd often heard Snape muttering complaints about Ezio. But... well, let him. Ezio didn't care anyway; all he cared about was how to learn more ways of making Potions as quickly as possible.