The Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor Is Gone~

"Found it."

Dumbledore gave Isaac a gentle smile, then raised his wand to his temple.

As he slowly drew the wand away, a strand of glowing silvery-white substance was pulled from his mind.

The extracted memory was half-liquid and half-gaseous, like a ribbon of silver spider silk—light, translucent, and faintly luminous.

It looked as though light had become liquid, or wind had become solid.

Dumbledore then dropped the memory into the Pensieve.

That was the good thing about wizards.

When there was no one around to sing a big shot's praises, the big shot did not need to awkwardly brag about himself. He only needed to let Isaac watch the memory from that time.

Isaac rubbed his hands together and plunged his face straight into the Pensieve.

Then he saw Dumbledore beating the hell out of Quirrell and Voldemort.

One hit for one, two hits for the other—it was not much different from beating up a dog.

Isaac actually understood Voldemort's "weakness" very well.

If Voldemort, in his current state, could still trade a few blows with Dumbledore, the Death Eaters' campaign of conquest would not have been stopped by Dumbledore's Order of the Phoenix back then.

The death of Voldemort's wandering soul opened the door to a whole new world for Isaac.

Isaac was not sure whether the so-called inertia of the world had arrived yet. That still required further observation over time.

But the convention that key plot characters would not die had already been broken by Isaac.

Quirrell was dead, and Voldemort was dead too.

Isaac had a question now.

"Professor, what are we going to do about our Defense Against the Dark Arts professor for the new school year?"

Dumbledore: ...

Very good. Isaac had hit the nail on the head.

With only a month left before term began, where was Dumbledore supposed to find a Defense Against the Dark Arts professor for Hogwarts students?

Dumbledore suddenly thought of the respected, older catgirl deputy headmistress.

This deputy headmistress possessed a sense of responsibility far beyond ordinary people. If Professor McGonagall learned that the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor they had lined up had "died unexpectedly," would he still be able to lounge about in the Headmaster's Office, eating Cockroach Clusters and Lemon Sherbet for the rest of the holiday?

Just thinking of his old friend's stern expression gave Dumbledore a headache. Then he noticed Isaac rubbing his hands together in secret.

If it was a Seer...

"Isaac~" Dumbledore's expression became even kinder.

In response, Isaac put on an equally warm smile. "Professor Dumbledore?"

"Isaac, I wonder whether your divination can reveal who Hogwarts' Defense Against the Dark Arts professor will be this school year?"

As expected of Dumbledore—he had immediately thought of borrowing a Seer's gift for prophecy.

Isaac spread his hands innocently. "Sorry, Professor, but I can't help with that either.

By the way, Professor, do you know what a Horcrux is?"

Isaac's attempt to change the subject was clumsy, but highly effective. The moment he said it, Dumbledore became completely serious.

In fact, when he saw Tom Riddle's current state, Dumbledore had already formed a certain guess about the nature of Tom's existence.

That guess was confirmed by Isaac's words.

"A Horcrux is the most evil and forbidden Dark Magic object in the Wizarding World.

Its primary function is to grant a wizard a twisted form of immortality by splitting off fragments of the soul."

After explaining what a Horcrux did, Dumbledore's gaze settled on Isaac.

Isaac met Dumbledore's eyes openly. "I know very well what it is, Professor.

Don't worry. I have no intention of turning myself into a noseless plug-faced monster."

Isaac understood one truth well: strength was temporary, but being handsome lasted a lifetime.

Just look at Voldemort. He had turned himself into a noseless monster by making Horcruxes. How long had people mocked him in another world?

What Dark Lord? More like the No-Nose Lord.

In his previous life, Isaac had watched plenty of legendary tales from his peers on Qidian—without exception, none of those predecessors had chosen this road to immortality.

Anyone who chose that path would be laughed to death by their peers.

More importantly, powerful wizards already lived far longer than ordinary people. Magic and alchemy could extend their lives even further.

Besides Nicolas Flamel, there was also a wizard in the Wizarding World named Barry Winkle. This year should have been his 755th birthday.

In the future, his 755th birthday banquet would even make the front page of the Daily Prophet.

Additionally, Hogwarts' former headmaster, Armando Dippet, had died at the age of 355.

So in the world of Harry Potter, Isaac was least concerned about his lifespan.

Why was Dumbledore so highly respected in the Wizarding World? Because he was only 110 years old this year.

For a powerful wizard, that age was no different from being in the prime of life.

Why was Fudge so terrified of Dumbledore, terrified to such a pathetic extent? Even after learning that Voldemort had returned, he had done nothing but bury his head in the sand.

Because he knew perfectly well that he could never outlive Dumbledore.

The strategy of waiting for the old man to die did not work on Dumbledore—compared to Dumbledore, Fudge was the real old man.

Then there was the inscription on the Potters' grave in Godric's Hollow: "The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death."

Luna's words to Harry: "The people we love never truly leave us. They're just somewhere we can't see."

And Dumbledore's frequent saying: "Death is the next great adventure."

All these views proved that death was not the end of everything, but a peaceful resting place for the soul, where one could reunite with departed loved ones.

The same was true for Isaac. He was exploring and experiencing the mysteries and wonders of the Wizarding World.

That made the world after death even more appealing to him.

An adventure was an adventure no matter where it took place. Would a Seer stop prophesying after death?

Isaac did not know whether his future self would change, but right now, he truly had no intention of turning himself into a noseless monster.

Dumbledore understood Isaac's resolve and nodded with a gratified smile.

Back then, he had guided one student down the wrong path, and it had left him constantly doubting his ability as an educator.

Now, it seemed he might yet become an excellent educator.

"Yes, Isaac, you already understand the drawbacks of Horcruxes very clearly.

The reason we call Horcruxes the most evil products of Dark Magic is that creating one causes irreversible damage to the soul.

Each time the soul is split, the creator's humanity, sanity, and appearance undergo irreversible distortion. The more times it is divided, the more unstable the personality becomes, the more incapable one becomes of human empathy, and the further one strays from a normal form.

That is the fundamental reason Tom's appearance became what it is today."

With a casual wave of his hand, Dumbledore conjured a projection in the air of the Headmaster's Office.

No exaggeration—Tom had been a genuinely handsome young man in his youth.