Harry's fists were heavy, heavy enough to keep him awake.

Wait for the potion to fully take effect and heal the wounds on his body before he walks out of the old mansion.

Harry carefully wrapped the ring in Transfiguration, not even daring to throw it into the Sorting Hat, but took the pocket that had previously contained the motorcycle and put it in its own pocket, for fear that it would lead to some unexpected disaster.

They walked out of the house.

The hat was obediently parked in front of the door, and even used the magic spell carried by the motorcycle itself to clean up the stains on its body, as if it had been staying here, quiet and well-behaved, and it was a good motorcycle.

"No one saw it." Harry slapped it.

The Sorting Hat immediately replied, "Of course not, I was careful and pressed the previous one"

Halfway through that, it sensed that something was wrong, and its voice became flustered: "Hey, Harry, I didn't go out and run around like a little wizard in a flashy way!" ”

"Well, you know, you've been pretty good here." Harry nodded perfunctorily as he helped Dumbledore onto the motorcycle.

"Of course, I'm a very responsible hat, well, I should say I'm a, oh no, a responsible motorcycle?" The Sorting Hat muttered, it now contemplating the extremely serious question of self-knowledge.

But it soon forgot about these things, and the Big Four didn't have the brain to think about these issues, and besides, whether it was a hat or a motorcycle, as long as it could show off to Godric.

"What's wrong with Albus?" In contrast, it is more concerned with this matter.

Dumbledore looked a little weak, his face was pale, and his robes were stained with ash, blood, and something that inexplicably looked like vomit.

"You know, it's older." Harry stepped up as well, carefully tucking his feet, "I fell when I went upstairs and almost broke my brain. ”

"I think it might be the stomach." The hat flashed its headlights a few times and flew up smoothly, "Do you want to go somewhere else?" ”

"Let's go back." Harry spoke, looking at the old Gaunt mansion.

Perhaps, one night a few months ago.

Senior Tom was like this, standing in the doorway, looking up in the direction of Hogwarts.

What was he thinking, what would he be thinking?

The hat takes off, a full day of practice, and it is fully familiar with its new body, flying in the air with pleasure, high speed but smooth, at least not like it was at the beginning, and occasionally stuttering.

By the time we flew back to Hogwarts, it was already dark.

There are also many young wizards outside the castle, they are excitedly having a snowball fight, this is the most lively Christmas in the history of Hogwarts, most of the young wizards do not choose to go home after the Christmas ball, anyway, the most important Christmas is over.

It's better to stay in school, there are not many opportunities like this to play in the castle without studying and unscrupulously.

In the principal's office.

As soon as they got through the window, Dumbledore couldn't sit down before he could speak, "Harry, get your stuff out." ”

Harry ignored him, waved his wand, and the Patronus flew out.

After a moment's hesitation, he picked up Snape among the people who had been informed, although in his eyes, Snape was no less dangerous than Dumbledore, and he might have lost his mind after seeing the ring, just like the hundred-year-old man.

But as the only master of the dark arts in the school, it was necessary to call him in.

"You don't believe me." Dumbledore sighed and sat down by the wall, looking at the Sorting Hat and sharing with Godric how he felt about going out today.

"I believe you." Harry shook his head and pulled his pocket out, "But I don't trust your brain. ”

Dumbledore was stunned: "What's the difference?" ”

"That's an obsession for almost a hundred years." Harry looked at him and said in a calm tone, "It's really great that you've been able to do this, there's only one last step left, and I can't let you fall short." ”

Controlling desires is the hardest thing to do.

And Dumbledore, day after day, for more than a hundred years, confined himself to this little house, and did not indulge it.

He is not weak and has always been determined.

Of course, just controlling his desire to control himself almost exhausted all his strength, and in other respects it seemed a little powerless.

After knowing that it had passed, Harry was even a little embarrassed to scold him again.

"You're complimenting me." Dumbledore was a little surprised, "It's really rare, I should have taken a picture." ”

He wasn't done yet.

There was a panicked knock on the door, and before the people in the house could answer, the people outside the house couldn't wait to push the door and walk in.

"Minerva?" Dumbledore was a little surprised.

McGonagall had a straight face: "Harry said that you suddenly had a confused mind, you were going to do something stupid, and you were beaten up before you came to your senses, he was a little worried about you, let me come over to help." ”

Dumbledore was stunned, his face full of surprise, and he looked at Harry.

That's how you use the Patronus to speak?

"You believe Harry's words?" He took a deep breath.

McGonagall nodded, "Harry has always been credible, and"

She looked deeply at her headmaster, "You won't be surprised by what you do. ”

Dumbledore sighed, tugged at his beard, and began to reflect, is he really so unreliable?

"So it's true?" McGonagall frowned, "You were beaten up by Harry. I mean, you really almost did something stupid, something stupid? ”

She didn't really believe Dumbledore would do such a thing.

It was only Harry who spoke, giving the matter some credibility.

She was sure that Harry could do something to beat the Headmaster - he hadn't beaten this year's Defence Against the Dark Arts professor yet, and now it seemed that it had been transferred to Headmaster Dumbledore.

"Let's wait until they're all here." Dumbledore nodded.

McGonagall sat down on the side, and she didn't have to wait long for the other three deans to arrive one after another, all with serious faces.

They had been with Dumbledore long enough to know more or less about the past, and they all knew what kind of person Dumbledore was.

It sounds ridiculous, but it's not impossible.

Dumbledore poured each of them a drink, gave Harry a whiskey in return, and slowly told them what they had encountered when they went out today.

"Mystery man's child?" Flitwick was stunned, "Does he look like someone with children?" ”

Sprout held his head: "That's a child, even the mysterious man is no exception, he is over seventy, and he is considered an old man." ”

McGonagall wanted to get involved, too.

Snape's tone was cold: "Does it matter if he has children or not?" The focus is on Horcruxes. ”

"Something that is hard for Albus to resist."

Dumbledore looked at Harry and said in a firm tone, "Harry, take it out, I promise it won't be like it was in the afternoon." ”

Harry looked at Snape, opened his pocket, and with a flick of his wand, the box flew out of it.

It slowly opened, revealing the ring inside.

The aura of magic surged.

Several people's eyes were glazed at the same time as they looked at it.

Professor Sprout was the least responsive, and she was almost quickly freed from the effects of the spell.

Dumbledore looked dazed, he was still in a deep illusion, this time it was slightly better than the last time, he could control his body, he didn't reach for it, he didn't touch the ring, but he didn't want to get out of the illusion.

Even if it was just an illusion, he wanted to take a few more glances at Ariana.

Snape struggled.

His reaction was much more complicated than Harry thought, he was completely different from Dumbledore, there was longing, that eager desire on his face, but more remorse, guilt, he wanted to raise his hand but didn't dare, his lips opened and closed, but he couldn't pronounce those two words.

To his surprise, McGonagall and Flitwick reacted a little badly in front of the ring.

They didn't resist the spell as easily as Professor Sprout, but they were as deeply trapped as Dumbledore and Snape, with remembrance and sighs in their eyes, and even Snape had other emotions that hindered him.

But neither of them had it, only the desire to be aroused, and they both reached out and touched the ring.

"Professor Sprout!" Harry shouted, pulling out his wand and pointing at the ring.

"Don't worry." Sprout nodded, spilling a handful of seeds from his pocket and waving his wand.

Grow fast!

The seed immediately ripened, and a large bundle of devil vines crawled out and tied up the other professors.

Harry casts a spell, trying to lift the spell from the ring.

The spell was clumsy, but it was skillful and it took a lot of effort for Flitwick to break free of the Devil's Vine and continue to reach for the ring, and Professor Sprout hesitated to release the biting kale before Harry solved it and dissipated it into a puff of smoke.

"Harry." Dumbledore sighed, a slight grumbling in his tone.

Harry waved his wand again.

Blue wind chime-like flames poured out, pushing back the devil vines little by little, making them curl up in small corners under their chairs.

"This is the Horcrux that made Dumbledore almost do something stupid?" McGonagall came to her senses, and she realized what she had just done, and her face flushed slightly with shame.

in the box.

Although the spell was lifted, the black gem still exuded a faint demagogic aura.

"There's a very vicious curse on it." Snape's face was cold, his face was even more ugly, although he said about the ring, but his eyes always fell on Harry, "The one who wears the ring will be cursed and hurt." ”

"At least I can't fix it."

Dumbledore was silent, and after a long moment, he slowly spoke: "I can fix it before it takes effect, but if it does, I don't think I can do anything about it." ”

"Then get rid of it." Harry urged.

Dumbledore raised his wand.

The ring floated, and layers of sludge-like black liquid peeled off from the ring, and the evil aura slowly subsided.

After a while, the "curse" was visibly removed.

Dumbledore picked it up and played with it in his hand, his eyes hesitant, tentatively trying to put the ring back on.

Harry held his hand, "Professor, wait. ”

(End of chapter)