Post-Battle Review

Harry fainted, and a flash of golden-red fire streaked through the room.

Dumbledore appeared from within the flames, accompanied by a beautiful bird. He nodded to Kano, then bent down and picked up the unconscious Harry.

"How was it, Kano? Did you see clearly?"

"Just as expected, Headmaster. Let's get Harry back first."

The Headmaster used the power of Fawkes the phoenix to bring Kano back to the hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey hurried forward when she saw the somewhat disheveled Kano and the unconscious Harry.

"Put him down, quickly! On this bed!"

Madam Pomfrey examined Harry's condition, then checked Kano as well. Once she confirmed that neither of them had any serious problems, she drew the curtains and forbade anyone from visiting.

Kano stared blankly at the white ceiling. He had just seen Voldemort's "soul" fly away out of thin air, and he had gained some understanding of Voldemort's current condition.

There was no denying that Voldemort's soul was shattered.

In Kano's Life Vision, Voldemort's soul had been disemboweled, and its skull had been pried open. Its organs and brain had vanished, and the entire soul was wrapped in the stench of hell—yet it had not fallen into hell because of that.

Was it because of Horcruxes? As long as the Horcruxes remained intact, the soul could not die?

Kano felt it was necessary to look for information on Horcruxes and find the connection between such magical objects and hell.

A day passed, and the heroic deeds of Harry's trio suddenly spread throughout Hogwarts. However, in this version of the story, Voldemort's existence was omitted.

Harry and the others had learned the secret of the Philosopher's Stone, and Quirrell, the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor with ill intentions, had tried to steal it.

The trio overcame the layers of defenses set by the professors, and in the end, Harry stopped Quirrell's theft.

"Honestly, this isn't fair." Ron had two chicken legs stuffed in his mouth. "Clearly, Kano, you were the one who..."

"Shh." Kano signaled for Ron not to talk about it at the dining table as he leisurely cut his steak.

Kano's involvement had also been completely concealed. It had been a joint decision between Kano and Dumbledore.

Voldemort was still very weak and did not dare summon his former servants in this state, so Kano still had time to grow.

He needed to keep himself out of the Death Eaters' sight. Let Harry handle what happened in the open.

"What are your plans for the holidays?" Kano changed the subject.

"I'm going home to stay with my grandmother." Neville took another couple bites of beef. "As always, it'll be terribly boring."

"My family might travel abroad? Who knows." Hermione's parents were both dentists, which made them standard upper-class citizens in this country.

"You know what my family's situation is like, Kano." Ron held a chicken leg and nudged Kano with his elbow.

"If you come visit earlier, I might even get a good meal at home."

Kano nodded, silently considering when he should visit his relatives.

On the third day, Harry finally woke up.

The news swept through the school like a whirlwind, and Harry's admirers packed the corridor.

Then Madam Pomfrey drove every last one of them away.

"You children! If you come to the hospital wing and make a racket again, every sip of potion you drink at school from now on will be bitter enough to make you cry!"

The students scattered in all directions, terrified that Madam Pomfrey would remember them.

Only Kano, Hermione, and Ron were allowed in to visit.

"Five minutes!"

Madam Pomfrey held up one hand and let the three of them inside.

"Harry, you're awake!" Hermione and Ron eagerly grasped Harry's hands, while Kano stood nearby with a smile.

"Thank you. We did it." Harry happily squeezed his best friends' hands.

Then he turned to Kano. "Voldemort—he isn't dead."

"He isn't dead. I saw him." Kano nodded.

"Will I still have a chance to avenge my parents myself?"

"Of course. Work hard and grow up, Harry," Kano encouraged him.

During the final days of the school year, Kano saw Dumbledore again. In the Headmaster's office, Dumbledore had a dish of preserved plum candies before him, popping them into his mouth one after another.

"Kano, these are the candies you recommended. Have one."

Kano took one and put it in his mouth. It tasted quite good.

Dumbledore stroked his beard before speaking. "I looked into Voldemort's condition, as you told me."

"I suspect that he created Horcruxes."

Dumbledore's blue eyes watched Kano from behind his lenses, and Kano nodded.

"My prophecy showed the same thing."

Kano had no intention of concealing it. The sooner this information was shared, the better. As for why he had not told Dumbledore everything from the start, it was because Kano himself feared that the information he knew might differ from reality.

Only after seeing it with his own eyes and having it confirmed by Dumbledore could he be certain the information was reliable.

"Headmaster, are there any books related to Horcruxes? I'd like to learn more about them." Kano made his request, and Dumbledore frowned.

"It's too early. You're still a child." Dumbledore shook his head. "In another two years, I'll teach you this knowledge."

Kano nodded. He did indeed need time.

He remembered very clearly how many Horcruxes there were, but he really could not recall where some of them had been hidden.

After all, he had once been thoroughly Chinese and knew nothing at all about British geography. This county, that county—who knew where any of them were?

What he remembered more clearly were the locations of the diary, the locket, the diadem, and the cup.

But none of that mattered. Harry had been able to destroy the Horcruxes in the original story; there was no reason they would fail to find them this time with Dumbledore at the helm.

"All right, Kano. We may need many years to search for the Horcruxes, so there's no need to hurry now." Dumbledore ate another piece of candy. "What are your plans for the holidays?"

"I'm planning to travel and sightsee. I'll head to Cornwall in the summer, then visit relatives at the Weasleys' place when the term is about to begin." Kano spread his hands.

During his morning training, the knight serving as his opponent had brought him a message. Merlin said that he should make a trip to Cornwall during the holidays; someone was waiting for him there.

Naturally, Kano did not object. Perhaps the lingering resentment of warriors from the past was wandering there. Voldemort's situation was not yet urgent, but he certainly could not set aside Mordred's affairs.

Dumbledore suddenly said, "Nicolas Flamel has heard of your existence. He wants to meet you."

"Uh, isn't Mr. Nicolas Flamel about to die?" Kano asked curiously.

Nicolas Flamel and his wife had lived for far too long and felt utterly exhausted in both body and mind. They had lent the Philosopher's Stone to Dumbledore as bait, and this year they planned to destroy it and embrace a peaceful death.

They had faked their deaths many times before, but this time, they seemed serious.

"Nicolas is indeed going to die. The Philosopher's Stone has already been destroyed, and he has passed all his knowledge on to his apprentices." Dumbledore nodded. "However, they heard that you are a Druid, a kind that has now vanished from the world. They would like to invite you to attend their funeral."

"Probably next term. You'll need to take a few days off."