Chapter 299 Relatives

A ray of sunlight slowly slid across the smooth desktop of the principal's office, illuminating a silver inkwell and a bright red quill.

The portraits around him were all awake, rarely sleeping, and were listening attentively to Dumbledore's explanation. In the frame, there are also the occasional rustling of the robes of past principals and the faint sounds of clearing their throats.

"I know you feel guilty, but don't be impatient and listen to me slowly about the ins and outs of this matter." Dumbledore said to Harry gently.

"Actually, Professor Dracula has been planting an insider among the Death Eaters. As you can see, it is Lucius Malfoy who betrayed him midway... He has already informed Voldemort that he wants to trick you into going to the Ministry of Magic. I told Professor Dracula, and we used this to devise a plan in reverse."

"Lucius Malfoy?" Harry frowned, "I don't understand why that bad guy suddenly chose to help us?"

"He is not helping us, he is just helping himself." Dumbledore shook his head and said, "Lucius Malfoy is a coward, he is just a swaying wallflower."

"When Professor Dracula shocked Malfoy more than Voldemort, and Malfoy had also lost trust in Voldemort, then the choice he made was self-evident."

"But isn't he afraid of Voldemort's revenge?" Harry asked.

"Of course he is afraid, so Professor Dracula had already arranged an escape route for him before this action." Dumbledore said, "Professor Dracula personally served as the secret keeper and built a safe house for Malfoy."

"After this operation is over, the Malfoy family will evacuate to that house. His mission ends here."

"In other words, all our actions are under your attention?" Harry's eyes widened in disbelief, feeling like a fool, "So we used Umbridge's fireplace to go to the Order of the Phoenix. Did you hide it on purpose?"

"Yes, we cannot appear in your sight, Harry." Dumbledore explained, "Voldemort and your memories are connected. If we appear rashly, it is likely to arouse his vigilance... "

"Unfortunately, something went wrong with this plan in the end, and Voldemort was not completely taken down—fortunately, it was not completely fruitless."

Dumbledore stared at the black gemstone ring he had put on his index finger, and his tone became very soft.

Harry felt terrible.

Although after listening to Dumbledore's explanation, most of the guilt and self-blame in his heart disappeared, he still felt like he had become a clown performing hard in front of everyone's eyes.

None of his actions had any real meaning, and now everyone knew he was obsessed with being a hero.

"But why didn't Voldemort take the prophecy ball himself?" Harry asked unwillingly, "I can understand that only those mentioned in the prophecy can get the prophecy ball, but I don't understand... Voldemort can obviously do it himself. Take it away."

"Voldemort is also afraid of being exposed, Harry." Dumbledore smiled at Harry and said, "If he, as one of the parties involved, took away the prophecy ball. When the Silent Man of the Department of Mysteries discovered this, the mysterious The news of the person's return will quickly sweep through the entire magical world——"

"After all, Voldemort has not been resurrected long enough and has not yet organized all his forces and allies. Exposing him too early will do him more harm than good."

"It will be different if you go to get the prophecy ball. Not only will it easily put Fudge, who is seeking stability, into complete confrontation with you, but you will also be able to find an opportunity to eliminate you as a threat to the Ministry of Magic."

"Unfortunately, it seems that his plan was completely ruined."

Having said this, Dumbledore had a rare smile on his face, and happily poured a cup of tea for Harry and himself, sipping lightly.

Harry took the tea and then picked up the prophecy ball that he had been holding in his hand.

"So this prophecy mentions me and Voldemort...what does it say?" He asked curiously, "Does it contain any important information? Voldemort is actually so interested in it."

"The reason why Voldemort wants to get this prophecy ball so much is because he has only heard half of the prophecy." Dumbledore said with a smile, "Want to take a look together?"

He reached out and took the prophecy ball from Harry's hand.

Then, Dumbledore tapped the transparent sphere with his wand, and a pearly-white image began to appear in the principal's office. The effect was a bit like a pensieve, but the image was hazy and blurry.

Harry saw a sloppy woman with disheveled hair sitting on a chair, reading something crazily. It can be vaguely seen from her clothing that she is the Divination Professor at Hogwarts, Sybill Trelawney.

"The one who has the ability to defeat the Dark Lord is approaching..." Sybill Trelawney muttered divinely, "born into the family who had resisted him three times, born at the end of July..."

"The Dark Lord will mark him as his rival, but he will have powers unknown to the Dark Lord... One of them will die at the hand of the other, for both cannot live but one survives... The one who has the power to defeat the Dark Lord will be born at the end of July..."

The pearly white light disappeared, and Harry raised his head blankly, meeting Dumbledore's smiling eyes.

"Professor Trelawney didn't seem to mention me exactly." Harry said doubtfully, "And...Neville was also born at the end of July. His family seems to have resisted Voldemort several times."

"You are right, Harry." Dumbledore smiled, "But you can look at the second half of the prophecy, which Voldemort has never understood - 'The Dark Lord will mark him as his own' Rival'."

"You and Voldemort are both half-blood, and the Longbottoms are a pure-blood family. Harry... Voldemort values ​​bloodline too much, so he chose to regard you, who is also half-blood, as his powerful enemy."

"Isn't this too...unbelievable?" Harry opened his mouth. "If prophecy can determine everything in the future, then what's the point of what we do?"

"That's not the case, Harry." Dumbledore shook his head and said, "The significance of us learning prophecy-related knowledge is not to accurately predict the future, but to get rid of the shackles of fate, allowing us to understand more possibilities, so that we can Live more freely.”

"Prophecy does not exist to constrain us!"

"Harry, remember, no matter what the future mentioned in the prophecy looks like, we are still living in the present!" Dumbledore continued, "The present is complete, but the prophecy is not. Prophecies are fragmented. It can’t tell us everything about the future, and it certainly doesn’t need to interfere too much with our present.”

"But Voldemort..." Harry hesitated.

"Voldemort pursues power and life excessively and fails to understand many of the principles of life." Dumbledore sighed and said softly, "This is also a big reason why he has repeatedly been frustrated in his confrontation with you."

"I thought I was just lucky enough." Harry said in a depressed mood.

"That's not the case. In many cases, luck cannot represent everything." Dumbledore said seriously, "Maybe it's time. I should tell you what I should have told you five years ago..."

Harry was stunned for a moment and looked at Dumbledore blankly.

Dumbledore stared out the window at the sunlit ground. After a while, his eyes returned to Harry.

"Harry, five years ago, just as I planned and hoped, you came to Hogwarts safe and sound." He said, "Well, maybe not completely safe and sound, you suffered in a Muggle family."

"When I left you on the doorstep of your aunt and uncle's house, I knew you were going to suffer. I knew that doing so would doom you to ten years of darkness and hardship."

He paused and looked at Harry.

Harry was silent and didn't speak.

"You may ask, and for good reason - why are things like this? Why can't I find some wizarding family to take you in? Many families will not only be happy to do this, but will be willing to accept you as their true self. They will feel honored and happy to raise their own sons.”

"My answer is, my first priority is to keep you alive. Because I know you're probably in more danger than anyone else."

"When we sent you to your uncle and aunt's house, Voldemort had just been defeated a few hours ago, but his supporters were still at large... They were angry and brutal desperadoes, and they Many of them are as scary as Voldemort."

"I need to make judgments and decisions a few years in advance for the next few years. Do I, like Fudge and the others, really believe that Voldemort is gone forever? No, I don't believe it."

"Although I don't know when he will come back, ten, twenty, or fifty years later, I am sure that he will come back, and based on what I know about him, I am also sure that he is killing you. I would never sit still and wait for death before.”

"I know that Voldemort's magical ability is almost more powerful than any living wizard. I also know that once he recovers all his magic power, I am afraid that even I may not be able to defeat him even if I try my best."

"However, I also understand where Voldemort's weakness is - he was a child born under the influence of aphrodisiacs and never knew what love was. This is also the reason why he eventually fell under your mother's magic."

Dumbledore looked into Harry's green eyes, stretched out his index finger, and pointed lightly at his left chest.

"So I decided that Lily's blood magic should be used to protect you. Voldemort has always looked down on this kind of magic, and he has always despised and underestimated this kind of blood magic that can be unleashed with all his emotions and power -"

"It is precisely because of this that he paid the price. Your mother gave you an unexpected and lasting protection, which is still flowing in your blood to this day."

"So, trusting your mother's blood, I gave you to her sister, her only remaining relative."

"But she doesn't like me," Harry retorted immediately. "She doesn't give me anything -"

"But she took you in," Dumbledore interrupted him. "She may have taken you in reluctantly, unhappy, and reluctantly, but she still accepted you after all. In the process, I forced Lily to Your magic has been amplified, and Lily's sacrifice has made the bond of blood the most powerful protective shield I can give you."

"I still don't think—" Harry began with a stiff expression.

"As long as you can call home the place where your mother's blood exists, you will not be disturbed or harmed by Voldemort there. Voldemort caused her blood to flow out, but that blood still exists in you and yours. On my aunt."

"Lily's blood magic has become your refuge. You need to go back once a year to ensure that this blood magic can continue. At the same time, as long as you are there, Voldemort cannot harm you."

"Your aunt knew this. I left the letter on her doorstep and explained everything I had done to you. She knew that keeping you at home would ensure that you would be safe for the past fifteen years. Have a safe and uneventful year."

Harry's eyes widened, feeling that his outlook on life had been greatly impacted.

The Dursleys, who usually wanted to beat him and scold him every day, turned out to be his biggest protection against Voldemort?

"I know you may not be able to accept it for a while, but please think about it, Harry." Dumbledore said calmly, "If your aunt hates you so much, why does she go on time every summer vacation? Will I pick you up from King's Cross station and take you home?"

Harry froze once again.

Thinking about it this way, it seems to be true...

No matter how many mistakes he made before the last term started, and how unhappy he made the Dursleys, Aunt Peggy and Uncle Vernon would always stand at King's Cross Station at the beginning of every summer vacation. Waiting for him on the platform.

Even though the previous one messed up Uncle Vernon's big business, even though they inflated Aunt Marge into a balloon, and even though they locked Dudley in a zoo exhibit, they still didn't leave Harry alone. Planning at the station.

Although their expressions are not very good-looking, and there is even a bit of disgust in their eyes, they have never been absent.

"You seem to have figured it out, Harry." Dumbledore smiled gently.

"Your aunt has always had feelings for her sister. No matter how much she does and no matter how bad her attitude towards you, she still doesn't want you to leave her without knowing when like Lily did."

"Harry, you have relatives. You always have."

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