Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to JK Rowling. I own nothing but the original characters I make.
Chapter 160: Join DA
"Thank you, Professor," Dudley said sincerely.
He knew that what he had done earlierm, disarming the Headmaster inside his own office was extremely disrespectful. Under normal circumstances, such behavior would have earned a student severe punishment. Yet Dumbledore showed no anger toward him. Instead, the old wizard seemed strangely calm, even understanding why he did that.
Seeing that reaction made Dudley feel a little relieved.
"What you said is correct," Dumbledore replied gently. "It would be far too dangerous if that wand were to fall into the wrong hands."
His gaze briefly shifted toward the Elder Wand in Dudley hand before returning to Dudley face.
Unlike before, Dumbledore did not attempt to use Legilimency on him. The last time he had tried, the result had been… unpleasant and painful. Since then, he had chosen to respect the boy privacy.
"I believe it is time for honesty," Dumbledore continued after a moment. "I will tell you everything I know about Voldemort."
Dudley nodded silently.
The two of them spoke for nearly half an hour. Dumbledore explained Voldemort obsession with immortality, the creation of Horcruxes, and the terrible lengths the Dark Lord had gone to in order to anchor his soul to the world.
Later, Dudley also explained about what Horcrux really is. There is impossible for even a wizards to split soul, instead Horcrux is the advanced darker magic that separate magic, so they got some a good debate and Dudley finally won the argument.
When the Headmaster finally finished, the room fell quiet once more.
Dudley slowly rubbed his chin, thinking deeply about what he had heard.
"Professor," Dudley said after a moment, "there's something I didn't tell you earlier."
He lifted his hand and pointed toward the Gaunt ring resting on the desk.
"I have already destroyed the other Horcruxes," Dudley revealed calmly. "But when I went to retrieve that ring from the house, I discovered it had already been taken."
Dumbledore eyes widened behind his half-moon glasses, the reason he was surprised because he didn't expect Dudley manage to find other Horcrux.
Dudley continued.
"I suspected that besides me, there were only two people who might take it."
He pointed to himself.
"Me."
Then he pointed toward Dumbledore.
"Or you and it might also be Voldemort.
Dudley crossed his arms slightly.
"And now that I know the ring has been destroyed, that means Voldemort is no longer as strong as he once was."
For several seconds, Dumbledore simply stared at him.
Then the old wizard slowly sat down in his chair and let out a long, heavy breath.
"You have done an extraordinary thing, Dudley," Dumbledore said quietly. "A very good job."
Dudley shrugged slightly, though he appreciated the praise.
"Professor," Dudley asked after a moment, "I know every Horcrux location usually contains a trap. What kind of trap did you encounter?"
Dumbledore's eyes darkened with old memories after Dudley reminded him why he had fallen to Voldemort trap.
He remembered his little sister Ariana and even his parent, the regret can be seen on his face. Not just that but he can also feel pain on his heart and something deeper which guilt towards them.
After a long silence, the Headmaster finally spoke again.
"I had a younger sister," he said softly. "Her name was Ariana Dumbledore."
He began recounting the story of his past, his family, the tragedy that had shaped his life and the temptation that had led him to put on the cursed ring.
Dudley listened quietly.
For the first time in his life, the legendary Headmaster of Hogwarts was speaking openly about his deepest regret and nonetheless to the student and Dudley realized something surprising. Behind the wisdom and reputation… Albus Dumbledore was still just a man who carried many many regrets.
.......
2 SEPTEMBER 1996
BACK TO THE PRESENT
"So that's what happened," Steve said slowly.
He had wanted to ask about it since yesterday, but he didn't have opportunity to meet Dudley. After the Sorting Ceremony, they were sent to different Houses, Steve to Gryffindor and Dudley to Hufflepuff. On top of that, they were in different years, so their schedules didn't aligned.
The only time they could meet was during the small gaps between classes or when both of them had not class at the same time.
"Yes," Dudley replied. Then he casually leaned against the wall and tried to shift the topic. "So, how was Hogwarts, brother?"
Steve frowned slightly. "Weren't we just talking about Dumbledore?"
"That was one topic," Dudley said with a relaxed smile. "Right now I'm curious about your opinion of Hogwarts."
Steve studied his brother for a moment before sighing softly.
"Well, it's only the first day, so I can't really comment much yet," Steve answered honestly. "I'm still waiting for Professor Snape class. I want to see how his lessons are."
Steve and Dudley chuckled quietly.
"But I can say this," Steve continued. "It's actually pretty fun here. I already made a friend, his name is Bucky Barnes."
Dudley laughed when he heard the name.
He still remembered yesterday Sorting Ceremony. When the name Bucky Barnes was called, Dudley had nearly jumped out of his seat. For a moment he genuinely thought another transmigrator had appeared.
But after taking a closer look, he quickly realized the boy looked nothing like the Bucky Barnes from the movies.
"I know," Dudley replied, still smiling. "I was surprised too when I heard that name yesterday."
Steve tilted his head slightly. "You noticed it?"
"Of course," Dudley said. "For a moment I thought we had another special guest in this world."
Steve shook his head with a small laugh.
"So, how are the first-year lessons?" Dudley asked curiously.
"They're… too easy," Steve admitted. "Honestly, I already understand all of the material. I'll learn as much as I can as quickly as possible."
He paused for a moment before adding quietly,
"Because when Voldemort returns, he'll be much stronger."
The moment Voldemort name was spoken, Dudley smile disappeared.
Both brothers understood the danger far better than most people in the wizarding world.
Dudley had already felt the terrifying, malevolent magic leaking from the Dark Dimension that Voldemort had touched and entered That dark power was unlike anything he had ever sensed before.
Which was exactly why Dudley had been preparing himself by studying ancient magic, creating new potions, even experimenting with new spells.
Because when Voldemort returned, the next battle would not be the same as before and they had to be ready to face him.
"Brother, join me in Dumbledore Army Club," Dudley invited him.
Steve nodded without hesitation, with Dumbledore Army lesson he can get to know Hermione.