You could disrespect Albus Dumbledore, but you had to respect the President of the International Confederation of Wizards, Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, member of the Magical Law Enforcement Committee, and repeatedly nominated Minister for Magic.
It was worth noting that Fudge feared that last title most of all.
It meant that if Dumbledore wanted to become Minister for Magic, he could have Fudge impeached and removed from office, then take over himself without a hitch.
The Ministry of Magic wouldn't even have a gap in leadership.
Whoever took over as Minister for Magic wouldn't be able to sit easy.
When Professor Rosier's tea arrived, she didn't drink it right away. Instead, she lifted the cup gracefully and breathed in its aroma.
Then the box beside her floated over and came to rest in front of Dumbledore.
"What... is this?" Dumbledore had a guess, but still asked instinctively.
It was one of those occupational hazards. Dumbledore had been an educator for so long that the teacher in him had practically seeped into his bones.
"The Diadem of Ravenclaw—and also a Horcrux made by my good-for-nothing senior, Tom." Isaac's words made Dumbledore's fingers tremble as he reached for the lid.
A very ominous feeling suddenly rose in Dumbledore's heart.
Before Dumbledore could say anything, the former headmasters in the portraits on the wall erupted into a commotion.
Especially those who had belonged to Ravenclaw House.
After all, the Diadem of Ravenclaw had been missing for nearly a thousand years. A thousand years! Even Nicolas Flamel hadn't lived that long.
Now the Diadem, missing for a thousand years, had been brought back. That alone was earth-shattering news.
Seeing this, Dumbledore's hand, which had been reaching for the elegant box, suddenly stopped.
All the headmasters on the wall were focused on the Diadem of Ravenclaw. Only Dumbledore was focused on the second half of Isaac's sentence.
Voldemort's Horcrux...
As a well-traveled master of magic, could Dumbledore really not know how to destroy a Horcrux?
There were only a few ways.
The other methods required certain tools, but the Fiendfyre Curse didn't. A single spell could destroy a Horcrux.
Now Isaac had brought him a Horcrux, with Vinda Rosier, Grindelwald's former right-hand woman, at his side.
Given Isaac's personality, would he really have brought back an intact Horcrux?
After these few days together, Dumbledore had more or less figured out what Isaac was like.
He was a good kid, no question about it.
He was magically gifted and well-mannered. Perhaps because he was a Seer, Isaac was clearly more mature than an ordinary young wizard.
But that wasn't a bad thing.
There was just one thing: Isaac was a little petty.
The Death Eaters who had attacked Isaac had most likely been sent by Voldemort. Perhaps it had only been a test.
But when Isaac saw him take down Quirrell and Voldemort, his delight had been genuine.
Isaac hadn't even bothered to hide it.
He'd been that happy then. Now that Voldemort's Horcrux had fallen into his hands, was there any chance it was still intact?
Don't make Headmaster Dumbledore laugh.
"Dumbledore, open the box and let us see the Diadem of Ravenclaw!" One of the headmasters on the wall could hardly wait to admire Hogwarts' "treasure."
"That's right, Albus! Stop keeping us in suspense, you old rascal!" More and more headmasters joined the uproar.
Of course, a few of them knew about Horcruxes and how to destroy them.
They all kept quiet, wearing innocent expressions as they waited for Dumbledore to "open the box."
This was bad.
He couldn't get away with not opening it.
If he did, he'd become the greatest sinner in Hogwarts' thousand-year history!
Why was Voldemort so awful?!
Dumbledore had no doubt found the one truly responsible, and in his heart, he gave Tom Riddle a thorough tongue-lashing.
But there was no way to put it off forever. Dumbledore could only open the elegant box in silence.
The Headmaster's Office fell silent at once.
"The Diadem of Ravenclaw... was damaged over the past thousand years? What poor craftsmanship..." one blunt headmaster blurted out.
"Shut up, you stupid ape! That's the Diadem of Ravenclaw. How could it be damaged so easily?!"
The headmaster from Ravenclaw House flushed with anger. Was this some kind of joke?
Ravenclaw had been a witch of immense power! How could a diadem she had made with her own hands be so easily damaged?
Besides...
"You fool, look carefully! The fragments of the Diadem are still smoking!"
At that, every headmaster on the wall turned to look at Isaac, then shifted their gazes to Professor Rosier.
"Ahem. I have something to say about that. My old senior, Tom, used an extremely vile spell to turn the Diadem into his Horcrux.
To keep the Diadem from being desecrated, I had to ask Professor Rosier to purify it with Fiendfyre.
Now that I think about it, perhaps the purification worked a little too well?"
Hearing Isaac's words, the headmasters on the wall were nearly laughing with anger. They had lived their lives and spent all these years hanging on the wall.
This was truly the first time they had heard of the Fiendfyre Curse being used to purify a Dark object.
"That boy's got such a thick skin and such a black heart. He'd make a fine Slytherin!"
A Ravenclaw headmaster said wryly.
The Slytherin headmasters bristled at that and immediately shot back, "Nonsense!
The boy's so bold, he'll do anything. He's obviously Gryffindor material!"
The headmasters from Gryffindor House said, "Exactly!"
The headmasters on the walls of the office started up again. Dumbledore waved his hand helplessly, and the velvet curtains on either side fell, blocking out the noise from the portraits.
Isaac set his lemonade on the desk, placed his hands on his knees, and looked obediently at Dumbledore.
"Professor Dumbledore, can the Diadem still be repaired?"
"Hmm..." If it had been an ordinary magical object, Dumbledore could have told Isaac at once that magical objects burned by Fiendfyre couldn't be repaired.
But he had just seen the inscription, still clear on the fragments: "Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure."
The words were still legible after being burned by Fiendfyre. That clearly meant something.
However, Dumbledore didn't have the time to repair it himself.
"I'm not sure, but I'll send it to an old friend of mine. I think he'd be very interested in repairing the Diadem.
"Besides, Isaac, can't you just look into what happens to it?"
"I certainly can—" Isaac nodded. "But life's more interesting when there are a few unknowns.
"If you know everything in advance, wouldn't life in the future be terribly boring?"
Isaac smiled lightly, and for a moment, both people in the office were lost in thought.
So much like him.