Harry's Resolve

A silence fell over the Office.

Harry felt the dizziness intensify, a ringing in his ears, so loud it almost emptied his mind, and the world before him blurred.

"Harry... Harry..."

"Harry..."

After a long while, Harry gradually heard two voices coming from a distant place, as if they had crossed endless barriers and finally arrived beside him.

Harry gradually came to his senses and saw Dumbledore standing close to his face, while Mr. Strange's voice still echoed in his ears.

"Thank goodness, you're finally awake."

Harry felt unusually calm and clear-headed.

For the first time, he ignored Strange's incessant chatter and paid no attention to Dumbledore in front of him, instead quickly going over the whole matter in his mind.

He looked at Dumbledore and calmly asked, "So, I will die, and I must die for Voldemort to die, is that right, Professor?"

Dumbledore shook his head.

Harry smiled wryly and said, "Professor, you don't need to comfort me. You just said that as long as the Horcrux is intact, he will not die."

"Yes, Harry," said Dumbledore, "But why destroy the Horcrux?"

Harry for a moment.

Dumbledore went on to explain, "The Horcrux were destroyed to kill the soul that Tom was attached to Horcrux."

And you, Harry, are a special Horcrux. Although a piece of Tom's soul lives in you, you are still a complete person.

His part of his soul is like a parasite; if we can kill that part of his soul and protect yours, then you will not die.

Harry understood now. "So, I have a chance of surviving?"

"Of course," Dumbledore nodded, "But the probability of that..."

Dumbledore didn't continue, but Harry knew exactly what he was going to say.

"You don't have to do that. At least compared to what I guessed, I still have a chance to survive, don't I?"

Harry seemed quite relaxed about it, which made Dumbledore sigh inwardly—he had really misjudged Harry, thinking that without his guidance, Harry wouldn't have the courage to face Tom.

Harry is, after all, a Gryffindor.

"And..." Harry's tone turned somber, "I don't want that to happen again..."

I don't want to see my friends in danger again, and I'm powerless to help them.

I don't want to see Will suffer anymore because of me, but there's nothing I can do.

If Voldemort continues his evil deeds, not only Will, but also my other friends may be in danger.

So, Professor, let's get started!

Harry closed his eyes, clenched his fists, and his hands trembled uncontrollably.

Dumbledore looked at Harry with a complicated expression.

You could say this kid's stupid, but he's quick-witted and perceptive of quite a few things; yet you could also say he's not stupid...

Harry's reaction clearly indicates that he thinks he's about to die.

Dumbledore gently patted Harry on the shoulder one last time. "Harry, it's not the right time yet."

You can still enjoy your life, so don't put too much pressure on yourself. However, don't forget to be prepared at any time.

And, Harry, I'm sorry.

At this moment Dumbledore set aside all his authority, his entire demeanor becoming peaceful, like a kind elder to his juniors.

He did feel guilty towards Harry, just as Snape said, he had designed and manipulated Harry's life, which was a suppression and denial of Harry's free will.

Moreover, Dumbledore felt even more guilty because he wanted to use Harry's sacrifice to end his past mistakes.

Harry, confused, said, "You don't need to apologize, Professor Dumbledore. This has been my fate since the day Voldemort set his sights on me."

Of course, there were things Harry didn't say aloud—he desperately wanted revenge for his parents, and he also wanted revenge for Will.

When Will graduated from fourth grade, he definitely suffered a lot, but all of that originally had nothing to do with Will, since Voldemort's target was himself.

"Harry..." Dumbledore moment, "I think you need to go back and rest for a while, enjoy the weekend, and at least for the time being, you don't need to worry about this."

Harry walked very slowly down the Corridor.

He unconsciously touched the scar on his forehead, feeling a faint pain there. He could always feel the pain in the scar when Voldemort made a move.

He thought it was because of his destiny with Voldemort, but now he realizes it was all a lie.

Harry recalled what Dumbledore had said, and he understood that his time was running out, perhaps this year, or even tomorrow.

Harry thought of Will again, and he clenched his fists. He absolutely could not let Will shoulder everything alone anymore.

This time, he's going to do it himself.

Inside the Headmaster's Office, Dumbledore sat before the Sorting Hat: "Old friend, you didn't tell me Harry thought that way."

"Yes, how could the great Dumbledore have imagined that the child he had manipulated his entire life would have such awareness?" the Sorting Hat said sarcastically.

"Old friend," Dumbledore said in a low voice, "If I had a choice, I really wouldn't want to do this."

"Will does everything better than you," the Sorting Hat said. "He's Harry's role model. Harry's current mindset is largely due to Will's influence."

"Will..." Dumbledore a hint of helplessness— the Sorting Hat had been increasingly favoring Will in recent years.

Even though Will was admitted to the Sorting Hat, it kept saying Will was bad.

However... Dumbledore observed Will for six years.

He watched Will grow from an "ordinary" First Year student into the troublesome figure he now found difficult to handle.

The High Tower; Sylvia, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Neville, Ginny, Corner, Cedric... this whole group of people are quite extraordinary.

Sometimes Dumbledore felt that the High Tower was like a small kingdom separate from the four houses, and Will was an invisible king.

Therefore, while Dumbledore wasn't worried that Will would follow Voldemort's path, he was worried about something else—

Will's grand ambitions.

Dumbledore sighed. "If I had a choice, I would never want to be a professor again."

"But there are no 'what ifs'," the Sorting Hat said, still a little annoyed. "Right now, we still have to clean up Voldemort's mess."

"Yes." Dumbledore nodded, got up and walked to the window, looking towards the Forbidden Forest —that was where the High Tower was located.