Harry eventually burst out of a fireplace and stepped on the carpet with both feet. He looked around and found himself in the Headmaster's office, which had been vacant since Professor Dumbledore left.

Everything around was the same as the day Dumbledore left: fine silverware was laid out on the table. Occasionally, some white mist is sprayed. Portraits of male and female old principals are resting quietly on the canvas. Harry looked out the window and saw a plain gray-green hanging in the sky: dawn was slowly coming.

The office was silent, and only the occasional snoring or sniffling of a sleeping portrait would break the silence. Harry couldn't stand it, and he was now very worried about his friends who had followed him into the Ministry of Magic, as well as about the members of the Order of the Phoenix who had come to his rescue. They had been completely scattered in the previous battle, and Harry could only silently pray that they were okay.

Just as he stood silently on the edge of the windowsill and looked out of the window, an emerald green flame suddenly erupted from the empty fireplace. When Dumbledore's tall figure emerged from the flames, the wizards of men and women on the surrounding walls awoke violently, many of them erupting in cheers.

"Thank you, thank you. As he spoke, Dumbledore pulled out of his pocket Fawkes, who looked like a newborn chick, and gently placed it on a fine ash plate under a gilded perch, where an adult Fawkes usually stayed.

"Oh, Harry," Dumbledore said to Harry, finally walking away from the young phoenix, "and one thankful thing to tell you is that most of the people who entered the Ministry of Magic yesterday because of you survived. In that kind of absolutely disadvantaged environment, it's nothing short of a miracle. ”

"Most?" Harry chuckled inwardly at the sight of the word, and asked in a trembling voice, "Everyone—how's that going?"

"Madam Pomfrey is treating them," Dumbledore said, "you young people can get better, Nymphadora Tonks and Sirius Black may need to spend some more time at St. Mungo's Hospital, but it looks like they'll recover soon, Sirius lost his left hand when he was hit by a Death Eater with dark magic at one enemy and five to five, but I'm sure it won't affect his life." ”

"You said that most of the people survived, so who died?" Harry said with difficulty, feeling as if someone else was speaking through his mouth, as if he were floating in the clouds.

"Ryan and Hermione. Dumbledore's tone fell. "No one saw their deaths, but I went to the house to inspect the arch after talking to Fudge just now, and I can confirm that both of them crossed the door. ”

"The door—" Harry closed his eyes, remembering what Ryan had said when he entered the house earlier, "Through the curtains, people will disappear from our world completely, and no one will ever come back alive from behind that door."

"They're gone—" Harry said in a trembling tone, as if the question was answered. "They're gone because of me?"

"I know how you're feeling right now, Harry. Dumbledore said in a very soft voice. "It's a very uncomfortable thing to let relatives and friends pass away because of your own factors. I've encountered this kind of thing many times in my life—"

"No, it's different. Harry sat there, ten fingers digging deep into his hair. "You used to just make a mistake or mistake because of you, but this time I sent my friend to death with my own hands. I'm thinking now, if I hadn't listened to you and didn't save people on my own, maybe Ryan wouldn't have died. ”

Harry felt his whole body weak, and he said in a hoarse voice. "Ryan had actually been against my adventures before, but when I decided to save someone, he chose to come with us because he was worried that we wouldn't be able to deal with some of the intricacies of the Ministry of Magic, and Hermione had the same idea. They could have gone, I- I'm sorry for them. ”

"Their knowledge of magic is really good, and it's not unreasonable to be worried. Dumbledore nodded. "I've examined the arch, and after synthesizing the accounts of the others, I'm sure the two of them were holding off the burst of death in front of the door. If they hadn't done that, you on the stage would have survived. They saved everyone – except themselves. ”

Speaking of this, Dumbledore paused: "So there's nothing wrong with the two of them following you, you alone can't resist that power of death." I just didn't expect Ryan to go so far in the study of magic. But I think they should have known what they were going to face when they saved you, but they did it anyway. They are brave in this regard, braver than most adult wizards. ”

"So, it's my fault—" Harry muttered with his head down, but Dumbledore interrupted his self-pity. "It's not just your problem, it's my mistake. ”

Harry looked up at Dumbledore in surprise, and then saw Dumbledore's eyes look apologetic. "I've been a principal for too long, and this long experience has made me more inclined to look at things holistically rather than from one person's point of view. After Sirius was kidnapped, I was just trying to find the best solution to rescue Sirius. At the same time, the harm to innocents is minimized. But I didn't take into account that he is your only relative right now, ignoring what you feel in your heart. ”

"Harry, I apologize to you for this. Apologize to Ryan and Hermione. Dumbledore said word for word, "It was an old man's review of the mistakes he had made, and I realized that my long life had given me not only experience, but also some stubborn misconceptions." As the world's No. 1 white wizard, this honor and responsibility sometimes makes me ignore the feelings of many people. I realized that this was a big mistake and that I should not forget the feelings of ordinary people. ”

The sun had risen, and the mountains had taken on a dazzling orange edge, and the sky above was colorless and bright. The light hit Dumbledore, on his gray brows, on his beard, and on his deep wrinkles. Harry also realized at this time that Dumbledore was indeed old, and those heavy burdens might not have enough energy to think about everything.

"By the way, what exactly is that prophecy ball that Voldemort is fighting over with us today?" After a moment of silence in the office, Harry asked him another question. He wanted to know what his friends were getting back in exchange for their lives.

"It's a long story, Harry. I'd like to show you in a more visual way. With that, Dumbledore stood up and walked past Harry to a black cabinet next to the phoenix perch. He bent down. He pulled the latch and removed the meditation basin from it, then raised his wand and pointed it to his temple, pulling out a few silver, cobweb-thin thought fibers that stuck to the wand, and placing them into the stone basin.

Together with Dumbledore, Harry buried his head in the meditation basin and did not raise his head until a quarter of an hour later. He looked at Dumbledore and asked, "This is what you've been hiding from me??" As a wizard who grew up in the Muggle world, Harry had never been very interested in this kind of prophecy. Especially after attending a Hogwarts divination class. In this case, when he learned that all the things in his life were caused by this prophecy, he naturally felt a sense of absurdity.

"Yes, even if Voldemort only listened to the first half of the prophecy: the boy's birthday was in July, and his parents had defeated Voldemort three times. But he still comes to the door and tries to kill you, but under the protection of your mother he fails. But he also marked you as his lifelong enemy. Dumbledore said slowly.

"At the end of the prophecy—it says – neither of them can live—" Harry's heart seemed to sink. "We have to kill one another—"

"Yes, this is the burden you will carry on your shoulders, heavier than anyone I have ever seen. On this path, you will see many sacrifices. Loved ones, friends', or even your own. Unfortunately, Ryan and Hermione are likely just the beginning, and all you can do now is minimize such tragedies. ”

Listening to Professor Dumbledore's words, Harry stood there in silence for a long, long, long-