Having Such Sharp Eyes Isn't Always a Good Thing / The Power of Love, Potent Effects

It's time to confront Dumbledore.

Harry gave Dumbledore brief account of what had happened, but it was more of a complaint than a recounting.

Especially when facing someone who looks exactly like him, it's really hard for him to be completely objective. Even when he's speaking, fragments of his Obscurus inadvertently slip out.

"Child, calm down," Dumbledore quickly advised gently, seeing the situation. "I know you harbor resentment, but the power of the Obscurus must be properly controlled."

"Sorry..." Harry realized he had lost his composure, and gradually calmed down.

"Excellent self-control," Dumbledore nodded in approval. "Obscurial generally have difficulty controlling their emotions, and given your somewhat extreme nature, it's truly remarkable that you've managed to control yourself to this extent. However, it seems that my timeline did indeed have some issues... Obscurial can only be reformed with love. I shared similar experiences with him, so he shouldn't have targeted you like this."

"Who says otherwise?" Harry scoffed, "Maybe he just doesn't understand the concept of love."

Ultimately, Harry is someone who values first impressions and is more responsive to gentle persuasion than force. Those who leave a good first impression on him and remain friendly towards him Harry receive more in return.

But it seemed like Albus Dumbledore was doing it on purpose; he always managed to step right on Harry's trigger points.

"Oh, I personally would be very sad to hear that." Dumbledore shook his head regretfully, then looked sincerely at Harry, "Child, if you need, I can speak to you on his behalf..."

"Please don't!" Seeing Dumbledore about to bow to him, Harry quickly waved his hand to stop him. "You two are not the same person at all. I don't need you to apologize for him. My grudge with him will be resolved on its own in the future. I came here just out of curiosity. How can two people with similar experiences be so different?"

"Well then...child, I'll take you somewhere tomorrow," Dumbledore's thought. "Some things might be better explained there."

"That place is..."

"Nurmengard."

Chapter 792 Having too good eyesight isn't always a good thing

Nurmengard... Harry never imagined that Dumbledore would take him there!

That ancient castle in Austria was once a notorious wizarding prison, just like Azkaban.

But in reality, it was more like a concentration camp where no one saw the light of day. Before it was abandoned, it held wizards who refused to submit to the rule of the Dark Lord.

However, as time went by, the witch camp was completely abandoned starting in 1945.

Now, only one wizard is imprisoned in this abandoned prison, and ironically, that wizard is none other than the builder of Nurmengard Castle...

Gellert Grindelwald — the Dark Lord once dominated Europe outside of Britain and most of America, and also Dumbledore youth.

The above passage belongs to the history of this timeline. It was preserved in a remote corner of Harry Potter's memory during his escape in seventh grade, and therefore had not previously attracted Harry's attention.

However, it now seems that this history is quite different from what happened in Harry's own timeline.

After all... in Harry's timeline, Grindelwald had long since died at Albus Dumbledore's hands, and his ashes had probably already been scattered. Nurmengard Castle had been completely reduced to ruins.

Now, Dumbledore here is actually taking him to see Grindelwald, which inevitably makes Harry's mind wander.

In his own timeline, his understanding of Grindelwald was primarily based on Bathilda and Aberforth Dumbledore. One was too old to remember many things, and the other simply considered Grindelwald an enemy. Therefore, the objective impressions they could provide Harry were quite limited.

Therefore, Harry only vaguely knew that Dumbledore and Grindelwald were once like brothers.

But now it seems that their relationship might not be as simple as it appears.

On his way back to his tent after leaving Hogwarts, Harry kept thinking about this question.

He asked Dumbledore to help him understand why there was such a difference between the other person and Albus Dumbledore, but Dumbledore simply brought up Grindelwald...

Could it be that Grindelwald's death was what caused Albus Dumbledore's drastic change in temperament?

But Harry really couldn't understand it. Grindelwald clearly killed Albus Dumbledore with his own hands. If he was really so reluctant and couldn't bring himself to do it, then he shouldn't have done it in the first place!

In Western societies that constantly preach human rights and freedom, it's perfectly normal to fail to eradicate heinous criminals completely.

There is no death penalty in the Britain Wizarding World. The most severe punishment a wizard can receive is being thrown into Azkaban and then secretly tortured to death by Dementor, or having their soul directly absorbed and turning them into a mindless undead.

So if Albus Dumbledore really didn't want to kill Grindelwald, then after defeating him, he could have simply followed the example in the 'original story' and locked him up in Nurmengard to reflect on his actions.

Perhaps, the two of them could even exchange letters privately.

Now look what's happened! Albus Dumbledore may have had his fill of killing, but he's ended up in this mess, and everyone in Britain —good guys, bad guys, and centrists alike—has to put up with his constant erratic behavior.

"Sigh... never mind."

Back in front of the tent, looking at the dim yellow light shining through the tent opening, Harry shook his head irritably, forcing himself to suppress his chaotic thoughts.

Honestly, he hated the name Gellert Grindelwald.

Although they had never met, and Harry actually admired the other person's actions, for some reason, he felt an inexplicable aversion and hatred, as if this person was incompatible with him by birth.

Even when investigating the Deathly Hallows and Albus Dumbledore's past, Harry would always feel a surge of anger for no reason whenever that name appeared.

What will happen if I actually meet this person tomorrow...?

Harry tiptoed back the tent flap and found that the lights in several bedrooms were off, except for a door light left on for him in the living room.

That's true. Although in their own timeline, less than twenty minutes might have actually passed, they had already traversed three different time periods in succession, during which several battles had taken place. The two women must be exhausted.

Besides, he was getting back so late; did Hermione and Luna Lovegood really have to stay huddled on the sofa waiting for him?

After confirming that the two women seemed to be asleep in the master bedroom, and that Zouwu and Norberta were also resting in their respective corners of the living room, Harry, not wanting to disturb them, quietly washed up and then chose a guest bedroom to go to bed.

But when he lay in bed, he tried to relax and stop worrying about tomorrow, but he found that he couldn't fall asleep at all.

No matter how much he tried to clear his mind, or even repeatedly chanted the Clear Mirror Still Water Mantra, all sorts of chaotic images would always flood his mind as soon as he closed his eyes.

First, a skeleton with flickering soul fire in its eye sockets cast a persistent shadow over him. Then, a series of figures, including Voldemort and Albus Dumbledore, appeared one after another. Finally, a guy with short, light blond hair and a single, pale eye appeared, which annoyed him to no end.

In the end, Harry simply kept his eyes open and stared at the tent ceiling, at least that way he wouldn't hallucinate.

Then, after a long while, his room door was suddenly opened a crack...

A soft light from the living room streamed into the room through the crack in the door, immediately drawing Harry's attention to the entrance. Then he saw... two girls furtively closing the door behind them and sneaking towards his bedside like thieves.

Wait... what are Hermione and Luna Lovegood doing so late at night?

Are they planning a night raid?

So, should I let them succeed, or should I succeed?

The hurried breathing and cautious footsteps grew closer, but just as Harry was struggling in the darkness, wondering whether to pretend to be asleep and wait for them to continue, or to make a sound and expose them, he inadvertently met a pair of bright eyes...

Immediately afterwards, a girl's panicked screams came from the darkness.

"How... how come he's awake?!"

Luna Lovegood's eyes were also quite special; she could see clearly even in the dark. So she immediately noticed... Harry, lying on the bed, was staring at them with a completely bewildered expression.

So, she panicked immediately.

They were reluctantly (actually, half-heartedly) dragged along for a night raid, only to find their target staring wide-eyed at their entire performance...

In an instant, a surge of embarrassment rushed from the soles of her feet to the top of her head, making Luna Lovegood so ashamed that she wanted to cover her face and run away immediately.

"What a waste that you're called Loony! Can't you just pretend he's dead asleep?!"

However, the 'main culprit' who had instigated her to come along was clearly not going to let it go. Not only did she grab the girl who was about to run away, but she also restrained her from behind and pushed her down onto Harry's bed!

"Ah! You Know-it-all, don't be like that... um~"

Um... Harry, who instinctively reached out to help, admitted that he really didn't mean to let the girl sing off-key...

Chapter 793 The Magic of Love, Powerful Effects

Harry felt it necessary to explain the misunderstanding that had just occurred...

Please, Luna Lovegood really did fall there by accident!

What just happened was so sudden and unexpected. By the time Harry reached out to help her, it was too late. The girl, in her panic, spun around, causing her to not only fall backwards next to Harry, but also land hard on her Harry on his hand...

Of course, saying "sitting" isn't quite accurate, because Luna Lovegood is actually lying stiffly on Harry's hand, her body tense and completely still, like a...

How to describe it, a little zombie?

Even just by touch, Harry could clearly sense her nervousness... well, she was trembling and shrinking.

If I were to pinch it, I probably wouldn't get my hand chopped off, right...?

However, hearing the girl's increasingly disordered breathing and hearing her uneasy trembling, Harry felt he couldn't let this misunderstanding continue, especially in front of Hermione.

"Hmm..." But just as he tried to pull his hand away, Luna Lovegood, sensing his movement, inadvertently let out a soft moan...

"Neither of you move! Especially you, Harry. If you dare utter a single word, I'll take the Loony and leave right now!" This small noise startled Hermione. For reasons unknown, she used a combination of threats and inducements to make Harry freeze on the bed.

As for Luna Lovegood, her whole body is completely stiff now, otherwise she wouldn't be unable to get up...

' Know-it-all... even if you don't let him move, at least make him take his hand away first...'

Clearly, someone didn't hear Luna Lovegood's tearful murmur; instead, they climbed into bed and lay down on Harry's other side.

So, without Harry's complete understanding, the three of them ended up sleeping in the same room again, just like before in Paris.

And this time it was on the same bed again, with Harry even being moved to the middle!

With his body tightly sandwiched between the two women, and especially with Luna Lovegood pinning down one of his hands, Harry felt like his brain was about to shut down; he had absolutely no idea what they were trying to do...

What's more, bringing Luna Lovegood along... Has Hermione really gotten that far with her antics?

"You... you shouldn't be thinking like that!" As if she had read Harry's mind, Hermione spoke up somewhat awkwardly to explain, "She's Loony. She said she can't sleep in unfamiliar beds and is afraid to sleep alone at night, so she came to find you!"

"I didn't..." Luna Lovegood tried to defend herself in a low voice after being 'slandered' by Hermione, but her voice was barely louder than a mosquito's buzz.

Harry was speechless at this explanation. Honestly, even Hermione herself didn't believe the ridiculous reason she came up with.

Harry can tolerate the claim that Luna Lovegood is sensitive to different beds, but to say that Luna Lovegood is afraid to sleep alone... please, when has she ever slept alone?

Hasn't she always been the one you slept with?

You two were just lying in the same bed!

Despite his complaints, Harry quickly sensed that Hermione seemed a little off.

She didn't seem like she was here to cause trouble. Besides, even if she really wanted to do something with Harry, she wouldn't be crazy enough to bring Luna Lovegood along!

After lying down next to him, Hermione nestled into Harry's arm like a kitten, gently stroking his chest with her hand.

But she didn't seem to be doing anything strange... Her hands were trembling slightly, and she seemed a little flustered.

"Hermione, what's wrong?" Harry asked softly, sensing the girl's unusual behavior.

"We...we're really worried." Hermione gently grasped Harry's shirt. "I don't know what's wrong with me. Even when you went to face Voldemort alone, I wasn't this worried, but with Dumbledore ...I'm really afraid something might happen to you..."

"I feel the same way..." Luna Lovegood, who was frozen on the other side, whispered, "Maybe it's because I'm too influenced by someone else. I'm always worried that you'll clash with him, and he just happens to be carrying the Elder Wand ..."

"Is that so..." Harry sighed softly upon hearing the two girls' words.

It turned out that they, like me, cared a lot about this matter.

In his own timeline, Albus Dumbledore seems to have truly become a source of anxiety for himself and those around him.

Especially for Hermione and Luna Lovegood, who are still students at Hogwarts, the psychological pressure they face every day is unimaginable, given their constant open opposition to the headmaster.

Sigh, hopefully the upcoming trip to Nurmengard will allow everyone to finally resolve this issue.

"I actually had a pretty good chat with him. Professor Dumbledore here has something that the Headmaster doesn't." Harry hugged Hermione a little tighter. "Tomorrow, he'll take us somewhere, and maybe then we can unravel all the mysteries."

He briefly explained his meeting with Dumbledore to the two women, as well as their upcoming itinerary. However, when he mentioned a certain person's name, Luna Lovegood's body trembled violently, and she sprang straight up from the bed!

"Luna Lovegood? What's wrong?" Harry asked, and quickly got up with Hermione.

"I... I don't know either, I just suddenly got a little scared, but it should be nothing serious, right..."

It was clear that the girl was trying her best to reassure Harry, but the pain and fear in her eyes were impossible to hide.

"Harry ..." She looked at Harry with wide eyes, and at that moment, Harry seemed to see extreme reluctance in her eyes.

"Luna Lovegood... this time, don't leave me again!"

Harry completely understood Luna Lovegood's worries. He spoke in a hoarse voice, holding Luna Lovegood tightly in his arms, as if afraid she would disappear from his life like the nightmares he had witnessed before...

At that moment, Hermione, who was standing beside Harry, gently reached out and took Luna Lovegood's wrists.

"Hmm, no way~" As if sensing Harry's feelings, or perhaps encouraged by the two of them, Luna Lovegood temporarily abandoned her shyness, curled up into a small ball, and snuggled tightly into Harry's arms.

Perhaps to many people today, their relationship seems somewhat abnormal, but the people involved don't care at all.

Because all three of them know very well... they can never leave each other!

They embraced each other and finally fell into a deep sleep together.