Everyone Covets the Founders' Relics / There's No Need to Destroy Every Horcrux...

Suddenly, an idea struck him, and Harry clenched his fist and smashed the water pipe next to him, splashing water everywhere!

He then seized the opportunity to use his magic to control the water flow, transforming it into a raging dragon that slammed into Voldemort's chest!

Limited by this strange space, Harry couldn't use water elemental attacks directly, but his ability to control water flow remained!

Taking advantage of this brief respite, he finally managed to rush into the inner toilet room and flush himself directly into the Hogwarts main pipes!

Chapter 203 The relics of the Four Founders were all coveted.

"Hmm, finally escaped..." Harry suddenly opened his eyes as he felt himself enveloped by the icy lake water.

What came into view was not the murky lake bottom, but the glaring chandelier on the ceiling of the Hospital Wing; and around me was not damp lake water, but bandages and sheets soaked in blood.

Beside his bed was a young girl with red-rimmed eyes.

Besides Hermione, there were many more people in the ward: Dumbledore, the head of the Fourth Hospital, Madam Pomfrey, and even Filch.

Oh, and there are two cats snuggling together.

It seems like every time something happens to me, it causes a huge commotion throughout the entire school.

"Harry, you're awake... that's wonderful!"

Upon seeing Harry open his eyes, Hermione reacted immediately and excitedly threw herself at him.

"Hermione, I'm sorry to have worried you..."

Harry raised his bandaged arm and tenderly stroked the girl's hair at the back of her neck. She must have been terribly worried about him while he was in trouble.

"It's alright... as long as you're alright!"

Hermione buried her head in Harry's chest, her shoulders trembling slightly, her voice filled with lingering fear and surprise.

"Great, Harry, you're finally awake!"

Dumbledore also stepped forward to greet him with concern, but in his eyes, Harry also saw a hint of doubt.

"Thank you for your concern, Headmaster," Harry said softly. "The problem has been resolved..."

He knew what Dumbledore wanted to ask, but given the current situation, Voldemort's soul fragments had been transferred from the Ravenclaw's Diadem to his own body, which was indeed a solution.

"In that case, you should get some rest." Dumbledore nodded slightly, instructed Madam Pomfrey to take good care of Harry, and then turned and left the ward.

He knew, of course, that things wouldn't be that simple, but Harry wasn't feeling well and he didn't want to linger there too long, so he decided to let Harry rest first.

"Then we'll be going too..." Professor Flitwick glanced remorsefully at Harry on the sickbed, and left with the other professors.

"Physically, he should be fine, just a bit weak and might need some rest." Madam Pomfrey carefully examined Harry, then looked at Hermione with a smile, "I'll make an exception for you; you can stay here with the two cats, but don't disturb the other patients, understand?"

"Thank you, Madam Pomfrey."

Hermione quickly stood up to thank her, and after Madam Pomfrey left, she took Harry's hand tenderly and asked, "Harry, what happened to you earlier?"

When they gripped each other tightly, Harry could feel Hermione's fingers were icy cold.

"It was Voldemort's doing. I almost got lost and couldn't find my way back... Luckily, the Ravenclaw's Diadem and Myrtle helped me at the crucial moment." Harry's voice was weak, and he seemed listless.

"The Ravenclaw's Diadem and... Myrtle?" Hermione was taken aback by the question.

Since Harry woke up, Ravenclaw's Diadem had already slipped off his head, so was that light really the Ravenclaw's Diadem helping Harry?

But what about Myrtle?

How did that female ghost in the bathroom get involved in this?

"I don't know the specifics either. Let's talk about it after we meet with the principal."

After Harry finished speaking, he involuntarily closed his eyes. He was quite exhausted from dealing with Voldemort and now all he wanted to do was fall asleep immediately.

Seeing this, Hermione carefully tucked the blanket around him and then lay down beside his bed...

The next morning, Harry was gently awakened by a tickling sensation coming from the side of his nose.

The academically gifted girl had been here all night. She was hugging a pillow and lying next to Harry, her loose hair accidentally landing on Harry's mouth and nose, playfully swirling with his breath.

After admiring Hermione's adorable sleeping face up close, Harry couldn't help but smile gently. He carefully tidied Hermione's hair and then leaned over to give her a light peck on the lips.

Meow~ *2

This scene was witnessed by the two cats lying in the corner of the bed. They immediately covered their foreheads with their little paws, making a very human-like gesture as if to say, "I didn't see anything."

"Harry... um~" Harry's actions also woke Hermione, who was not very sleepy. As soon as she opened her eyes, she found that the other person's face was close to hers. A cute blank look appeared on Hermione's face.

But soon she started asking about Harry's health, "How are you feeling? Is anything bothering you?"

"I'm fine now, you can rest assured." Harry smiled and got up, seemingly preparing to get out of bed and leave.

"No, you can't get out of bed now!" Hermione quickly stopped Harry when he tried to move. "I'm going to find Madam Pomfrey right away, and we'll wait until she's examined you... Oh dear!"

The academically gifted girl was about to turn and leave when she was suddenly picked up from behind and hugged around the waist, causing her to instinctively gasp in surprise.

"I'm really fine, I can even carry you without any problem~" Harry picked Hermione up and carefully placed her on his hospital bed. "You can rest here, I have to go find the headmaster."

Hermione must have been on tenterhooks all night, and she couldn't get any rest at all lying next to him. She's probably aching all over right now, and Harry can't bear to see her running around taking care of him anymore.

After settling Hermione in, Harry instructed the two cats in the room to stay with her, and then hurried to the Headmaster's Office.

"Harry? Why didn't you rest a little longer before coming?"

Headmaster's Office, Dumbledore was fiddling with a letter behind his desk. When he saw Harry, he immediately stood up with a smile and inquired about his well-being.

"I've almost fully recovered, but considering that business is more important, I came to bother you as soon as possible," Harry replied with a smile, casually placing the Ravenclaw's Diadem he had received yesterday on his desk.

"Ravenclaw's Diadem... I can't believe Voldemort actually turned this into Horcrux!" Even Dumbledore was amazed by Voldemort's audacity upon seeing this strangely appearing treasure.

"It's not the only one that's been turned into Horcrux," Harry sighed. "Hufflepuff's Cup and Slytherin's Locket have probably been turned into Horcrux as well."

Harry didn't see Voldemort's memories after leaving Borgin Burke very clearly, but one thing he was certain of was that Voldemort murdered the original owner of the two treasures—a witch named Hepzba Smith—before leaving.

Therefore, at least after Ravenclaw's Diadem, Voldemort had already crafted one of the chalice or the locket into Horcrux.

Considering that the victimized witch claimed to be a descendant of Helga Hufflepuff, Harry could even deduce that Voldemort's fourth Horcrux was the Hufflepuff's Cup!

"So that's how it is..."

After listening to Harry's general account of his memories of Voldemort, although Harry concealed many parts—such as the fact that he did not actually destroy Voldemort's soul— Dumbledore still understood many of the past events.

"Voldemort... the reason he returned to the school and applied for the position of Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts was actually to hide Ravenclaw's Diadem in the Room of Requirement and, incidentally, steal Sword of Gryffindor."

That's right. The treasures of three of the Four Founders have already been turned into Horcrux. The only thing Voldemort his obsessive-compulsive disorder, could covet in the end was probably Godric Gryffindor's sword.

However, Harry felt that Albus Dumbledore didn't seem to care much about it.

Chapter 204 Horcrux Don't Necessarily Have to Be Destroyed

"Actually, I was just lamenting how extravagant Voldemort's pursuits were; he didn't really care much about the treasures left behind by the four Founders."

As if reading Harry's mind, Dumbledore said slowly, "Harry, the four Founders were the creators of Hogwarts, but they were only creators. They could have their own selfish motives, and Hogwarts wouldn't be so greedy as to want to keep everything they left behind... For example, this Ravenclaw's Diadem, I actually intended for you to handle it yourself."

What a realistic and rational thought... Harry silently gave Albus Dumbledore a thumbs up in his heart~

Many people believe that these items bearing the name of the academy are treasures left by the Founders, but in reality, they are simply the Founders' private possessions.

Ravenclaw's Diadem was a closely guarded treasure by Rowena. Even her own daughter, who stole it, was too afraid to return to Hogwarts and ultimately died far from home. This shows just how possessive Rowena was of the Ravenclaw's Diadem.

The Hufflepuff's Cup was always Helga heirloom, and it was taken away from Hogwarts after the last person with Helga blood changed their surname.

As for the Slytherin's Locket, it was kept in the hands of Salazar's direct descendants from beginning to end. Apart from Harry and Dumbledore, no one else in Hogwarts probably knew that such a thing existed.

Of the Four Founders, only Godric Gryffindor was the one who generously left behind the most prized possessions of the school.

Therefore, treasures like Ravenclaw's Diadem, golden cups, and lockets never belonged to Hogwarts, and Albus Dumbledore couldn't bring himself to ask Harry to hand over the Ravenclaw's Diadem.

But if that's the case...

Suddenly remembering something, Harry looked at Dumbledore with a wronged yet greedy expression.

"You little rascal, you're so cunning! You really don't want to suffer even the slightest loss!" Seeing Harry's expression, Dumbledore couldn't help but chuckle. "I'll give you some authorization. Until you graduate or Voldemort is completely defeated, you can temporarily keep the Sword of Gryffindor. Of course, if the school needs to use it under special circumstances, you can't hold onto it tightly!"

"Okay, thank you, Headmaster!" Harry replied with delight, smiling like a thirteen-year-old.

Nice! That's exactly what he was waiting for Albus Dumbledore to say.

"So, can we talk about Horcrux now?" After bribing him with the treasure, Dumbledore's expression gradually turned serious. "Harry, are you sure you haven't seen the whereabouts of other Horcrux in Voldemort's memories?"

"No... I was busy dealing with his attack and didn't have time to look at those memories closely." Harry's eyelids were lowered, his gaze fixed on the jewels in the Ravenclaw's Diadem. "I have absolutely no idea where the cup and locket went."

Harry felt a pang of guilt, but because he had specifically studied emotional control beforehand, he carefully concealed it.

He withheld a crucial piece of information from Dumbledore: the whereabouts of the other Horcrux.

Harry didn't know where Voldemort had hidden the golden cup and locket, but the second Horcrux Voldemort had made— the Gaunt family heirloom ring—was now hidden in the Gaunt Shack, four or five miles away from Little Hangleton!

Harry didn't want to tell Dumbledore this information...

In fact, he had no intention of telling Dumbledore or anyone else who was interested in Horcrux anything!

The reason for releasing the news about the golden cup and locket was merely to divert Dumbledore's attention.

"Is that so? That's a real shame... But at least we now have a clear target, and we just need to gather more information." Dumbledore, but he didn't seem discouraged. "If we can destroy these Horcrux, we'll have real hope of defeating Voldemort..."

"Headmaster, why do we have to destroy all the Horcrux?" Harry suddenly couldn't help but ask.

"Harry, why do you ask that?" Dumbledore looked at Harry suspiciously. "It is precisely because of the existence of Horcrux that Voldemort has been able to return time and time again. Therefore, to completely defeat Voldemort, we must first destroy all the Horcrux. Harry, I thought we had reached a consensus on this matter."

"This... Headmaster, have we really reached an agreement?" To salvage his hasty mistake, Harry steeled himself and retorted with a touch of sophistry, "You haven't forgotten, have you? I'm also Horcrux! If we have to destroy all the Horcrux first, does that mean that my existence as the Prophecy the Boy Who Lived is only to trade my life for Voldemort's?!"

"No, Harry, I've never thought of that, and I would never sacrifice you to fight Voldemort. Trust me, we'll find a way that benefits both of us."

Realizing that Harry seemed only worried about his safety, Dumbledore's suspicions lessened somewhat, and he quickly tried to comfort and reassure Harry.

Of course, he felt guilty when he said that, because he had actually considered trading Harry for Voldemort... at first.

However, because Harry was so exceptionally talented and difficult to control, and because his importance in Harry's heart was growing, he eventually gave up on the plan.

"So why can't we defeat Voldemort first?" Sensing Dumbledore's wavering, Harry quickly pressed on, "For example, we could go to Albania, find Voldemort in his spirit form, and try to imprison him. Once we're sure he's no longer a threat, we can slowly search for the other Horcrux, and then use... a method similar to what I used yesterday, to solve the problem while preserving the Horcrux. Wouldn't that be better?"

Harry was indeed getting a little anxious; he even forgot to consider the feasibility of his method, which caused Dumbledore to unconsciously frown.

"Harry, the plan to defeat and imprison Voldemort is indeed unique and audacious, but the difficulties in carrying it out are also considerable." Dumbledore shook his head slightly, his gaze towards Harry becoming more discerning. "Also... I don't recall you telling me how you removed the soul fragments from the Ravenclaw's Diadem."

"I can only say that I received assistance from the Ravenclaw's Diadem, but as for how Voldemort's soul disappeared... I'm not entirely sure."

Harry knew that Albus Dumbledore was suspicious of him, but he could only pretend to be ignorant for now.

"So, that's the problem. We need to study the methods for dealing with Horcrux carefully." Dumbledore shook his head, seemingly unwilling to delve any further.

Of course, Dumbledore knew in his heart that he had already missed the opportunity to investigate further.

Prior to this, Dumbledore had been restraining himself from using Legilimency on Harry for fear of angering Harry and causing him to go to extremes.

But as the situation involving Horcrux escalated, Dumbledore, unable to resist trying to probe Harry's thoughts, found himself unable to do so.

Harry had never practiced Occlumency, yet his mental defenses were so strong that even he and Severus working together couldn't break through them.

His true experiences in the Chamber, and the secrets he deliberately concealed, can only be revealed when he decides to speak for himself...

Chapter 205 The Ravenclaw's Diadem Can Provide Help

The atmosphere in the Headmaster's Office was somewhat oppressive. Harry and Dumbledore looked at each other, neither of them seeming to know what to say.

After a moment of silent confrontation, Dumbledore finally changed the subject. "Harry, take a look at this too... Unfortunately, it's bad news from Wizengamot."

Dumbledore handed Harry the letter he had been reading, and on the envelope, Harry saw a line of beautiful, ancient writing.

"From Wizengamot —the High Wizengamot?" Harry's knuckles trembled slightly as he gripped the envelope; he seemed to already know what the bad news was.

Sure enough, after a quick glance at the high -Ravenclaw's Diadem letter, Harry easily deduced the Wizengamot's meaning.

No.

Fingerprints, which no one in the Wizarding World understands, cannot be used as evidence, therefore they cannot be used to prove that Lucius Malfoy was the source of the Chamber opening.

As for asking the Muggle police system to help compare fingerprints, that's absolutely impossible.