Dumbledore's International Network of Contacts

William's meaning is simple.

Even if Old Tom is defeated, he will not die because of Little Tom's existence and will continue to live, waiting to be resurrected... Conversely, the same applies to Little Tom!

What are Horcrux?

A part of the soul resides in an object outside the body. This way, even if your body is attacked or destroyed, you will not die, because a part of your soul remains unharmed in the world.

For both Little Tom and Old Tom, the other was a part of the soul that existed in the world.

The two thus became each other 'Horcrux Horcrux, forming a true... immortal duo!

"William, your concerns are very likely... and they have indeed come to pass."

Dumbledore remarked, "No one has ever created more than one Horcrux; the tearing of the soul from that vessel is enough to drive a normal person insane."

But Voldemort may have made multiple.

No one's Horcrux has ever been resurrected, possessing a body while still in a spirit state.

But Tom did it.

Voldemort has entered a magical realm previously unknown and uncharted. I believe that Little Tom and Old Tom have indeed formed a bizarre Horcrux relationship.

"Does this mean we'll never be able to kill them?" William exclaimed in horror.

"Child, have you noticed something? When Tom talks to you, he keeps reminding you that he is a part of Voldemort's soul?"

"Yes."

"To a wizard like me, he was implying... no, almost explicitly stating that he was Horcrux... Voldemort's secret to immortality is the Horcrux!"

"Why would he do that?" William asked, puzzled.

Tom is just a piece of soul, and because he was the first to split, he may have a larger share than the other fragments.

And because Voldemort wanted someone else to open the Chamber of Secrets... he was even more independent.

These two unique characteristics led to his successful resurrection.

The problem is, he is just a soul. No matter how large it is, it is still just a soul and can never be compared to a complete soul.

His growth potential will forever remain fixed at sixteen.

Why did he go to such lengths to sacrifice his own soul to escape from the diary, instead of simply killing others to complete the sacrifice?

As he said, the greatest power is gained by sacrificing one's beloved.

That kind of sacrifice would bring him incredibly close to his sixteen-year-old self's strength... sacrificing others wouldn't allow him to do that.

Even so, his strength after his resurrection was only that of a sixteen-year-old.

At sixteen, he's not yet an adult, and his magic won't continue to grow... In fact, his magic isn't even as much as yours.

In this state, Tom Riddle's strength is naturally limited, and apart from one immortal being, many people can defeat him.

This is not what Tom wants. He is ambitious, he wants unparalleled strength, he wants to return to his peak, or even stronger.

"Instead of being satisfied with just immortality."

Dumbledore moment, then said seriously, "So he also needs to find the Horcrux and find a way to extract the soul from it, so that his soul can continue to grow stronger."

His true goal is the integrity of the soul!

"Now, what's blocking his path isn't us, but those Horcrux, and even Voldemort himself."

I dare say Tom can't wait for us to kill Voldemort!

"In a way, Tom now shares the same goal as us!" Dumbledore chuckled. "To kill Voldemort."

William was momentarily stunned; this world really is crazy.

The little snakes are now working as henchmen for the old phoenix. Are the two planning to team up and kill the old snake king?!

Dumbledore said dismissively, "If one day we are able to completely eliminate Tom, it will be due to his excessive greed."

"But the same problem remains." William hesitated for a moment. "Because of Little Tom's presence, the two are Horcrux symbiotes, how do we kill Voldemort?"

"William, I think Tom may have found a way," Dumbledore said calmly. "He knows how to sever that special connection of souls."

"What?" William asked, bewildered.

"The guidance of Slytherin!" said Dumbledore. "Tom mentioned the guidance of Slytherin."

As far as I know, the Four Founders have different focuses in their research on Prehistoric Mysteries... Slytherin's forte is the study of the soul.

Since Tom has records of Slytherin, he'll definitely go looking for what Slytherin left behind.

"Slytherin's Wand!" William exclaimed suddenly, after a moment of surprise.

"Oh, it seems Nicolas already told you," Dumbledore said calmly. "It is indeed Slytherin's Wand, the only thing he left behind besides the Chamber of Secrets."

"Besides that wand, I really can't think of anything else that could guide him."

"Nicolas told me that the wand was stolen by Isolt Thale from her aunt Gormlaith Gaunt. After Isolt Thale died, the trail went cold." William frowned.

"The trail has indeed gone cold, but we should still return to the ending of the story and try to savor the small details," Dumbledore said softly.

The last time the wand appeared was when Isolt and her husband James Stewart buried it in the ground outside the school.

Within a year, some unknown Snakewood grew at the site where the wand was buried, and it could not be cut down or destroyed.

"Is the wand still under the tree?"

"It's not there... Everyone checked, the wand is gone... But since that's where the wand was last seen, Tom must be at Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

"If you were Tom, what would you do?"

"Resurrect... or possess some minor wizard and secretly investigate at Ilvermorny School," William said.

"Indeed," Dumbledore smiled. "Both Tom and Voldemort have done this; it's one of his specialties."

Dumbledore stood up and took a locked book down from the shelf; a phoenix was printed on the raised part of the book.

He touched the lock, and the bullet opened.

Dumbledore was turning the pages of the book; each page had a photograph with a name on it. He turned the pages, but all the people in the photographs had disappeared.

"This is a very small international network that I established a long time ago to counter--"

Dumbledore.

"Gellert... Grindelwald."

William noticed that Dumbledore's voice seemed to tremble slightly.

"Later, he agreed to go to Nurmengard, and the network of communication was not interrupted, even during Voldemort's time... it continued to function."

Dumbledore turned to a certain page:

An elderly man with white hair appeared in the photo.

--Eulalie Hicks.

"Eulalie is the headmaster of Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. When I met him, he was a very young professor, not much older than Newt," Dumbledore explained.

"What happened, Albus?" asked Eulalie in the photo.

"Tom Riddle has come back to life... I need to remind you, his target might be that Snakewood."

Eulalie in the photo hurriedly left, apparently to inform me.

Dumbledore the thick book, clasped his hands together, and said softly, "I can't leave here. We still need a reliable wizard to go to United States to keep an eye on Tom."

"Any suggestions, William?" Dumbledore, his blue eyes fixed on the boy.

"United States?" William replied without hesitation. "I think Old Man Newt would be willing to go..."

"Indeed, Newt loves United States the most," Dumbledore smiled. "He has vivid memories of it."

"Rita said in the newspaper... that Seraphina Picquery still misses him? He can go and visit Ms. Picquery."

In a café on the Left Bank Seine, Newt couldn't help but sneeze.

"The wind is picking up."

Newt tightened the collar of his trench coat. He had a feeling that a sense of malice was hanging over him.

The last time it was this intense was when he went to the United States.

At that time, Grindelwald transformed into Percival and infiltrated the Magical Congress of the United States of America.

Then, Grindelwald sentenced him to... death!

The old man picked up a Quirrell and muttered softly:

I hate United States!

(Please vote with your recommendation tickets and monthly passes, everyone!)