"The third Horcrux is Salazar Slytherin's Locket," Draco said calmly, meeting Dumbledore's gaze. "It's hidden in a cave, the exact location of which I don't know, but I assume you do."
When Dumbledore heard the word "cave," his eyes suddenly darkened.
In those deep eyes, it seemed as if long-forgotten memories were surging.
"The cave..." he repeated softly, his gaze drifting to the scenery outside the window, as if piercing through time and space, landing on some corner he didn't want to look back on. "Yes, I think I know where it is."
"That was a corner filled with unpleasant memories. Tom had always favored these symbolic places, using pain as a shield to protect his ridiculous obsession with immortality."
Dumbledore's voice remained steady, but beneath that calm, an undercurrent seemed to be slowly surging.
Draco continued without pausing, "The fourth Horcrux, Helga Hufflepuff's Cup, was hidden by Voldemort in the Gringotts Lestrange Vault."
" Gringotts... Lestrange Vault." Dumbledore stroked his beard, a sharp glint in his eyes. "Shrewd, and audacious."
He paced slowly, speaking with a hint of analysis, " Tom knows Gringotts ' rules well. Hiding Horcrux there is tantamount to placing them in one of the most heavily guarded places in the entire Wizarding World, besides Hogwarts."
Draco chuckled softly upon hearing this, "The safest place? Didn't Gringotts just get robbed?"
Dumbledore was visibly taken aback; his usually composed and strategic expression momentarily went blank.
Soon, a complex emotion flashed across his eyes, eventually turning into a bitter smile that was a mixture of helplessness, amusement, and deep worry.
He even shook his head slightly, as if lamenting the irony of fate. "Ah... yes, not long ago, Gringotts did indeed experience a sensational theft that shook the Wizarding World. Although the Goblin tried their best to deny and downplay the matter, the news had already spread like wildfire."
He changed the subject, his tone returning to seriousness. "However, this does not mean that breaking into Gringotts and seizing the Golden Cup will become easier. On the contrary, after this incident, the Goblin ' vigilance and defense levels will only rise to unprecedented heights."
"Perhaps Polyjuice Potion would work?" Draco suggested.
A quick assessment flashed in Dumbledore's eyes.
At this moment, his gaze toward Draco held both scrutiny and a hint of encouragement.
" Polyjuice Potion," Dumbledore's thought, "Is indeed a classic method of disguise, and it's remarkably effective in certain situations. What specific application scenario do you envision? And who do you intend to impersonate?"
" Bellatrix," Draco said succinctly.
"The core of this method lies in two key issues." Dumbledore held up two fingers.
"Firstly, it requires obtaining the target's hair or body tissue; secondly, and more importantly, the Polyjuice Potion can only change appearance and voice, it cannot copy memories, magical signatures, or behavioral habits, let alone break bloodline or contract-based verification magic."
He concluded. "Therefore, Polyjuice Potion cannot be used as a standalone solution, but they can be incorporated into complex action plans as a key component."
Draco shrugged, a hint of mockery in his voice, and said, "Then you'll have to figure out this headache yourself."
Upon hearing Dumbledore shook his head helplessly, but a faint smile flashed across his eyes, "I do have a headache, but your words have greatly relieved my worries. Let's continue, talk about the fifth Horcrux, and leave the rest to this old man."
"The fifth Horcrux, Rowena Ravenclaw's Diadem, is hidden in the Room of Requirement."
Upon hearing this, Dumbledore's body stiffened abruptly, as if struck by an invisible bolt of lightning.
" The Room of Requirement!" he repeated in a trembling voice, his tone filled with shock, as if confirming an unbelievable fact.
His face, besides being shocked, was also filled with frustration and icy anger.
"It was in this castle!" Dumbledore's voice trembled almost imperceptibly. " Rowena Ravenclaw's Diadem... He not only found it, but he turned it into Horcrux!"
He took a deep breath, a flash of understanding in his eyes, "Hiding the Horcrux here is both a provocation and the ultimate disguise."
"The most dangerous place is sometimes the safest place."
He abruptly looked up, his gaze landing on Draco, his expression unusually serious. "This means that every student at Hogwarts shares a castle with a Horcrux."
"This Horcrux must be dealt with first! It's right here with us, and could be accidentally triggered at any moment, with unimaginable consequences," Dumbledore said resolutely, his tone leaving no room for doubt.
"It's easy to find," Draco added casually. "It's on a plaster bust in the Room of Requirement."
Dumbledore abruptly stood up, not pacing back and forth, but standing still, his gaze seemingly piercing through layers of stone walls and floors, precisely locking onto that elusive space on the Seventh Floor.
"The search area has been narrowed down from the infinite possibilities of the entire room to a specific target." His voice held the calm and sharpness of a hunter locking onto its prey. " Draco, this is a crucial detail, absolutely essential."
Draco touched the tip of his nose and said, " Old Dumbledore, this can be considered a major piece of evidence that what I said is true. However, do you think we should wait until we have collected all the Horcrux and then destroy them all at once?"
The moment Dumbledore heard the suggestion, he abruptly stopped moving.
He didn't respond immediately, but instead stared intently at Draco with his deep eyes, his gaze complex and unreadable.
"This is... a very bold, and very dangerous, proposal."
After a long silence, Dumbledore spoke.
"Are you worried that if we destroy the Diadem now, or destroy each one we find immediately afterward, Voldemort will realize that his Horcrux are being destroyed one by one, thus becoming alert and strengthening the defenses of the remaining Horcrux, or even taking extreme retaliatory measures that we cannot predict?"
Draco shook his head, his tone almost casual. "No, it's just for convenience."
Dumbledore chuckled, then his smile faded, and he said seriously, "The advantage of this method lies in its suddenness and thoroughness."
He abruptly changed the subject, his tone becoming extremely serious again, "But its risks are equally enormous."
Dumbledore analyzed each point as follows:
"First, searching for all the Horcrux could take years, or even longer."
"During this period, we must properly safeguard these Horcrux, ensuring they are not lost, stolen, or accidentally triggered, and we must also guard against them influencing and controlling their custodians."
"Secondly, concentrating all the Horcrux in a limited number of locations means that if the storage locations are leaked or breached, all our previous efforts will be in vain, and the Horcrux may even fall back into Voldemort's hands."
"Third, we assume that Voldemort was completely unaware of the Horcrux ' unusual activity, but this is ultimately just an assumption."
"Fourth, by leaving so many extremely evil and tempting items in the world for so long, even with strict supervision, we will continue to bear a huge responsibility for the potential accidental harm they may cause."
Draco nodded thoughtfully. "It seems that destroying them one by one is more effective."
"However, in my judgment, there shouldn't be a direct connection between the main soul and the Horcrux. If there were, Voldemort's methods would be far too overpowered."
"A very pragmatic choice." Dumbledore's eyes showed approval. "The 'take them down one by one' strategy may alert Voldemort, but at least it can gradually weaken his immortality while keeping the risks relatively under control. It also allows us to continuously accumulate experience and adjust our strategies as we go."
He then changed the subject, beginning to explain in an academic tone, "As for your judgment on the connection between the Horcrux and the Main Soul, it coincides with my speculation based on the principles of Horcrux manufacturing."
"The essence of Horcrux is to seal fragments of a torn soul within a container, allowing them to exist independently of the main soul."
"This 'independence' is the core characteristic of Horcrux. If there is an immediate and clear sensory connection, the Horcrux loses its purpose of 'concealment' and instead becomes a burden and weakness of the main soul."
Dumbledore then changed the subject, becoming more cautious, saying, "However, the issue of perception still needs to be handled with care."
" Horcrux and their master souls may not be directly connected, but the complete destruction of a Horcrux, the annihilation of a fragment of the soul—this kind of 'loss' is something Voldemort might not be unaware of."
"Especially when multiple Horcrux are destroyed in succession, he will definitely feel weak and uneasy."
"More importantly, the Horcrux itself is very likely to be enchanted with alarm magic, which will trigger a signal if anyone touches it or attempts to destroy it."
His gaze suddenly sharpened, and he said without a doubt, "Therefore, we must prepare for the worst, assuming he will eventually find out."
"Every operation must be swift and covert, and we must also have a comprehensive contingency plan in place to deal with his retaliation."
Dumbledore quickly reviewed the current task:
"Therefore, the current tasks are quite clear. The Diadem is inside the castle, posing the most immediate threat and requiring priority; the diary is at the Malfoy Manor, where we must patiently wait for the right opportunity; the ring is at Gaunt Shack, requiring thorough preparation; and the chalice is at Gringotts, where the situation is the most complex and requires careful consideration."
Draco stretched and said in a somewhat languid tone, "That'll have to trouble you, Old Dumbledore. As for the last Horcrux, I won't say anything; I'm sure you know what it is."
A brief but almost suffocating silence fell over the office.
After a long silence, Dumbledore nodded very slowly, his voice low and hoarse, carrying a weariness and sigh as if the dust had finally settled, "... I think I understand."
The two understood each other implicitly, both knowing what the last Horcrux referred to and the heavy, cruel fate it carried.
Dumbledore's gaze shifted from Draco's face to the leaping flames in the fireplace.
His gaze became distant and complex, churning with pain, resolve, affection, and an indescribable sense of deep helplessness in the face of fate.
In the midst of the silence, Draco suddenly smirked and said with a hint of mockery, "Actually, I have even more explosive news. Do you want to hear it?"
"... Even more explosive news?" Dumbledore repeated the words slowly, his voice seemingly calm, but beneath that calmness lay a tension as strong as steel.
He was already numb from the series of shocking secrets, and it was hard to imagine that any news could be more shocking than the truth about the Horcrux.