The Land of Death

Harry is missing.

Silencio trace, as if they had vanished into thin air.

Earlier, when Mad-Eye Moody arrived at 4 Privet Drive with the Order of the Order of the Phoenix, he did not find him.

Moody assumed Harry had already used the Portkey to go to the Order of the Order of the Phoenix headquarters.

But after making contact, they discovered that Harry hadn't arrived there either.

Moody searched every corner of the house again.

Fearing Harry might drown or be dismembered, they even checked the toilet and refrigerator, but he was still nowhere to be found.

Given Moody's Magic Eye, which can see through Invisibility Cloak, even Harry's Invisibility Cloak would be no problem.

Therefore, it can be basically concluded that he is indeed not in the room... he is missing.

As everyone knows, a wizard needs some reasoning skills, and that's also quite something.

Harry's disappearance wasn't particularly difficult; anyone with a modicum of intelligence could figure out what went wrong.

First of all, Harry won't leave the house on his own.

They were there to pick him up, and Dumbledore had repeatedly instructed him not to leave the protective spell's range.

Moreover, there are members of the Order of the Phoenix protecting the neighborhood, such as Mrs. Figg next door.

She had been watching closely but hadn't seen Harry go out.

Harry himself cannot Apparition; he is still a minor, and his use of magic would be monitored by the Ministry of Magic.

These important departments are now all led by wizards from the Order of the Phoenix.

Since Harry neither walked out of the house nor Apparition inside the room.

Lily's protective charm has not yet disappeared, ensuring that Death Eaters cannot invade.

Therefore, Harry could only go to the Order of the Order of the Phoenix headquarters using the Portkey, as agreed, after Mad-Eye arrived late.

The fact that his luggage was not in the room further confirms this.

But there's no Harry at Black's old house, so there's only one possibility:

The Portkey had been tampered with.

That Portkey was made by Dumbledore, who personally handed it to Dedalus before sending it out.

Therefore, the problem can only lie with Dedalus or Hestia, who was traveling with him.

Using their brains to reason meticulously, they quickly identified the suspect.

After examination, it was confirmed that Hestia with the problem; she had been afflicted with... Imperius Curse.

There's a reason why the Imperius Curse is listed as one of the Three Unforgivable Curses.

That's right, in terms of fatality rate, it's indeed not as good as Avada Kedavra's.

In the battle for the title of "King of Torture," it is far inferior to the Cruciatus Curse.

But it can manipulate souls.

Avada Kedavra is for killing, the Cruciatus Curse is for torment, and the Imperius Curse is for control.

A wizard who is skilled in the Imperius Curse can achieve complete control over a person, and the controlled person will find it very difficult to break the spell on their own.

Most importantly, it is difficult for outsiders to detect.

The Confundus Charm can also control a wizard to some extent, but it can't achieve the same smooth effect as the Imperius Curse.

Now that the method of the crime has been determined, the whole matter becomes clear:

After being taken into custody, Hestia took the Portkey and observed the area for a while.

Dedalus, adhering to the principle of trusting his companions, didn't pay much attention.

On his way there, Mad-Eye felt he was being followed, so he took a slightly longer route, which is why he was late.

This is very much in line with Moody's character; he is such a cautious wizard.

This "caution" was a little late, forcing Harry to use the switched Portkey.

So the question is, who was the wizard who captured him?

William pondered this question on his way to Privet Drive.

He guessed they were Death Eaters.

This isn't the first time Death Eaters member of the Order of the Phoenix has used the Imperius Curse.

For example, Sturgis Podmore.

Two years ago, during the summer vacation, he was controlled by Lucius with the Imperius Curse and then infiltrated the Department of Mysteries.

Upon arriving in the living room, Dumbledore looked at William and said with a grave expression:

"It wasn't Voldemort, it was Tom who did it."

The principal's words were concise, yet incredibly contradictory.

In a sense, even with the name change, Tom is still Voldemort.

But over the past four years, the two have become different things, because "Tom" now refers more to sixteen-year-old Little Tom.

Most people would definitely not understand it, but William happened to be the one who could.

"Tom isn't dead? That can't be!" William exclaimed.

While in Ilvermorny, United States, he repeatedly examined Tom's body.

They even stayed to guard Tom's body for a while after his death.

If Tom still had Horcrux, he definitely couldn't have remained hidden forever; he would have quickly reappeared as a ghost.

William was certain that Tom had definitely broken free of the Horcrux and was in a "killable" state at the time.

"How exactly did Tom recover?" Dumbledore sighed.

"I saw Hestia's memories; Tom first controlled her, and then lived in her house for a while."

Tom didn't erase this memory; it seems he deliberately let them know.

William raised his eyebrows.

"Tom left you a letter at Hestia's house."

Dumbledore took out the letter, and William took it and read it carefully.

The letter contained very simple information:

First, I want to thank William for impersonating a "Targaryen" and deceiving him, which allowed him to grow and mature.

With that tone full of resentment, William sounded like a complete scumbag.

Is he a jerk?

No way!

Then, Tom said that he had dismantled the Horcrux, so William could go and kill Voldemort without worry.

Finally, in a mocking tone, he said he wanted to borrow Harry to go find Death.

After it's used up, it will also help kill Harry, remove the last Horcrux, and let William kill... Voldemort without worry.

Aside from its sarcastic remarks, the letter mostly urged William to kill Old Voldy as soon as possible.

(Voldemort: wdnmd!)

This is even closer than "closest friends and relatives".

"Tom's going to find Death?" William was somewhat surprised by this news.

"He probably intends to use the piece of soul from Harry's forehead to represent one of the ' Three Brothers '," Dumbledore speculated.

"He might have made another Horcrux, which would complete the trio."

Because it originates from a single soul, it fulfills the conditions for seeking out Death.

Is this some kind of outrageous tactic?!

William was utterly stunned. Now, even going to find Death could be done through a bug?

"Has Tom found the entrance to the Land of Death?"

William saw Grindelwald and went in search of Death.

He didn't manage to gather all Three Brothers; he set off alone.

This suggests that there is more than one way to find Death, and even the entry point is not fixed.

"Tom is clearly searching in the way the Tale of the Three Brothers," Dumbledore replied.

"There is only one entrance, in the City of Seven Hills."

"The City of Seven Hills... Rome?!"

This wasn't the first time William had heard the word.

The last time I saw it was in that book, "The Glory of History)," when I was looking for the entry for Gaunt.

When the text introduces Babbling's father Corvinus Gaunt, it mentions that he disappeared in the City of Seven Hills.

Historically, the most famous of the "seven hills" is Rome.

"Not Rome, William," Dumbledore said softly. "I've investigated for a long time; it actually refers to Constantinople."

The entrance to the Road of Death is right there.

William suddenly realized... No wonder Dumbledore and Grindelwald planned their quest for sainthood with Constantinople as the final destination.

Rome is not the only city known as the "City of Seven Hills".

For example, Constantinople, or even Lisbon on the Atlantic Ocean coast.

"Now that we know their purpose, should we stop them and rescue Harry?" William asked.

Harry must be kept under control.

He was the most crucial link in the fight against Voldemort.

And with Tom taking Harry away, who knows when he'll be back?

If he dies and Harry stays in the Underworld and can't come back, then Voldemort won't need to be killed!

"I know the entrance is in Constantinople, but I don't know its exact location," Dumbledore shook his head.

"And given Tom's speed, he'll definitely catch Harry, return to Constantinople immediately, and then open the gates."

If we go now, we probably won't make it in time.

"What should we do then?" William asked.

"I have a better way than Constantinople: into the Land of Death," Dumbledore said softly.

"William, do you remember those four golden coffins?"