Sherlock Holmes at Hogwarts.

Chapter 632 The Last Horcrux

You might not believe it, but it's true.

Dumbledore's gaze swept over the two boys opposite him, lingering briefly on Harry. A hint of pity flashed in his eyes before he slowly spoke:
"But what would you say if I told you frankly that I had been keeping an eye on the snake next to Voldemort that night—that is, Nagini's behavior?"

Upon hearing Dumbledore's words, Sherlock and Harry both showed expressions of surprise.

This is very rare for Sherlock.

After all, he has always given people the feeling that he has everything under control.

"snake?"

Harry looked on incredulously: "What? You can make Horcruxes from animals?"

After saying this, he realized that a familiar scene had occurred—the old principals in the portraits on the wall were all awake and eavesdropping on their conversation.

A fat wizard with a red nose even took out a hearing aid.

However, Dumbledore did not ask them to leave like Professor McGonagall did.

Sherlock pondered for three seconds, then shook his head and looked at Dumbledore:

"Using animals as Horcruxes is not a particularly surprising thing in itself."

However, it is not a wise thing to entrust one's soul—even just a small part of it—to a living being with its own consciousness and thoughts, capable of running and moving.

This doesn't seem like something Voldemort, who is extremely cautious about Horcruxes, would do.

Or are you trying to say that Voldemort, after undergoing multiple soul splits, has become mentally incapacitated, which is why he acted this way?

"That might be part of the reason, but it's not the whole story."

Dumbledore slowly raised his hand and pushed up his crescent-shaped glasses on the bridge of his nose.

The lenses reflected dappled light as he carefully chose his words and spoke slowly:

"If my estimate is correct, Voldemort was at least one Horcrux missing when he arrived in Godric's Hollow, and had not yet reached his goal of making six."

"Where's the evidence?"

Sherlock leaned forward slightly, his gray eyes gleaming with inquiry, and immediately pressed for an answer.

"There's no evidence, this is just my guess, but my guesses are usually pretty accurate."

Dumbledore spoke with considerable confidence, but he quickly shook his head slightly, his white beard trembling with the movement:

“I have a feeling that he’s using a particularly important murder to create a Horcrux, and Harry… is naturally such a target.”

Harry remained silent.

That is certainly my goal.

In that prophecy, he himself had become an obstacle to Voldemort's conquest of the world, so killing himself was of course very important to him.

Dumbledore continued:

"...He believed that if he could kill Harry, he would eliminate the danger foretold by the prophecy."

He believed that this would make him invincible.

So I think he must have intended to use Harry's death to fulfill his wish of creating the last Horcrux.

"Invincible under heaven..."

Sherlock sneered, a mocking smile playing on his lips:

"The tyranny that forces people to submit through force and power will eventually be overthrown by a stronger force. Only the benevolent way of the king can endure."

“I’m glad we share the same view, Sherlock.”

A hint of approval flashed in Dumbledore's eyes, but it was quickly replaced by helplessness.

He gave Sherlock and Harry a long look, shook his head with a hint of melancholy, and continued:

Unfortunately, Voldemort did not think so.

“So he failed,” Sherlock said, staring at Dumbledore.

Yes, he failed.

Dumbledore stated frankly:

He was defeated by the greatest emotion in the world—love.

This defeat lasted for more than ten years, and by the time they wanted to kill Harry again, the opportunity had passed.

In this situation, he could only use another murder to create the last Horcrux.

That's why he thought of this giant snake.

In his opinion, this large snake looked very much like the snake monster in the secret room.

It can highlight Slytherin's family background and increase the mystery surrounding 'Lord Voldemort'.

I think... this might be his favorite thing.

He undoubtedly liked to carry it with him and seemed to have an unusual amount of control over it.

Even within the Snake Language, this is extremely rare.

Dumbledore's voice echoed in the quiet office, and a gentle breeze from outside stirred the curtains, bringing a touch of coolness.

Sherlock and Harry both fell into deep thought, their brows furrowed, their gazes fixed on the spots of light on the ground.

Dumbledore didn't urge them. He placed his hands on the table and quietly watched them, his eyes filled with gentle expectation.

After a moment, Sherlock was the first to come to his senses:

"Based on the existing facts, this possibility should indeed not be ruled out."

Having gained Sherlock's approval, Harry mustered his courage and tried to organize his thoughts:

"So now the situation is that the diary is destroyed, the ring is destroyed, but the cup, the locket, and the snake are still there."

Then there's another Horcrux, which is Ravenclaw's relic, because you said the only known Gryffindor relic is there.

As he spoke, he glanced at the Gryffindor sword placed next to the Sorting Hat, his tone carrying a hint of uncertainty yet also revealing seriousness.

“Very good, Harry,” Dumbledore nodded approvingly, a hint of a smile in his eyes, “A concise and accurate summary, yes.”

Silence fell in the office again, broken only by the faint sound of Fox preening his feathers.

The portraits of past principals hanging on the wall all turned to these three figures.

After a moment, Dumbledore broke the silence:

"That's enough for now. I called you here today because of these two things."

Harry, I hope you will study Occlumency seriously; it is very important for what we are about to do.

Oh, right—there's one more thing.

He paused, his tone becoming serious:
"Now, on behalf of the Order of the Phoenix, I formally extend an invitation to you, hoping that you and Harry will join the Order of the Phoenix."

"Isn't it said that the Order of the Phoenix only recruits adult wizards?"

Sherlock raised an eyebrow, a playful smile curving his lips. He leaned back slightly, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Even by the standards of the wizarding world, Harry and I will still be adults in two more years."

"Mrs. Weasley raised the same question, and even when I last parted from her, she was still firmly against you joining the Order of the Phoenix."

Dumbledore smiled and shook his head, even the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes appearing more gentle with his smile.

But then his expression turned serious, and his eyes became much more solemn:
"I must say, Sherlock, it is your and Harry's performance over the past four years that has changed my mind."

Especially during your second year, if you hadn't pointed out my overprotective attitude towards Harry, I think I might have been influenced by Mrs. Weasley's words by now.

but now……"

His gaze suddenly became piercing, like two burning flames, and even his crescent-shaped glasses could not conceal this sharp light:

"Whether you are Sherlock Holmes, the Lion King of Gryffindor, or Harry Potter, the savior of the wizarding world, you are all extraordinary."

One day, once we have truly destroyed all of Voldemort's Horcruxes, then he will die—a real death.

But don't forget, although his soul is beyond repair, his mind and magic are still intact.

Even without Horcruxes, killing a wizard like Voldemort still requires extraordinary abilities and skills, and you…” He paused, his gaze lingering on their faces, “...exactly possess those abilities.”

Sherlock smiled without saying a word, his eyes filled with confident certainty, almost as if he were saying, "Who doesn't know this?"

Harry was startled and blurted out, "No, I didn't."

"No, you do."

Dumbledore leaned forward slightly, his gaze fixed intently on Harry, his tone firm and resolute:
"You have abilities that Voldemort never had, you have love!"
Think about everything you've been through; it's truly remarkable.

You are just too young to know how special you are.

Do you remember Professor Trelawney's prediction?
The energy the Dark Lord doesn't understand—it refers to love.

Harry remained silent.

His eyes were lowered, and his eyelashes cast a small shadow under his eyelids.

Harry knew very well that love was a great emotion.

It was his mother's love that made him the only person to survive Voldemort's Killing Curse.

And this love has protected him from the past to the present.

Love knows no bounds!
But this love was too heavy, so heavy that he sometimes found it hard to face, as if he were carrying an invisible mountain on his back.

"In short, it was love that protected you!"

Dumbledore's voice was gentle yet powerful:

"Only this kind of protection can resist the temptation of power like Voldemort's!"
Despite experiencing so many temptations and so much pain, you remain pure of heart, just like when you were eleven.

When you look into that mirror that reflects your inner desires, all you see is reuniting with your family; there is no immortality, no wealth, no power.

Harry, do you know that very few people in the world can see what you see in the mirror?

Actually, Voldemort should have known what he was dealing with at that time, but unfortunately he didn't!

"But he knows now."

Sherlock said calmly.

"Yes, he knows—but even so, I don't think he understands why."

Dumbledore sighed softly:

"He was so busy destroying his own soul that he had no time to understand the unparalleled power of a pure and wholesome soul."

So, your answer to my invitation is—”

"accept."

"accept."

The two voices spoke in unison, firm and clear.

A relieved smile spread across Dumbledore's face, and the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes finally smoothed out completely.
"Then, enjoy the party tonight!"

Even in difficult circumstances, it's important to maintain an optimistic attitude.

Sherlock and Harry rose to say goodbye to Dumbledore and turned to leave the headmaster's office.

The torches in the corridor cast a warm glow, stretching the two people's shadows long.

Harry remained silent on the way back to the Great Hall.

He lowered his head, kicked the stone slabs under his feet, and frowned slightly, as if he was thinking about something.

After walking for a while, he finally made up his mind, raised his head, and asked:
"Sherlock, what do you think of me and Snape...Sherlock?"

Before he could finish speaking, Harry was surprised to find that Sherlock had disappeared from his side!

He was the only figure in the corridor, the torchlight flickering on the walls, making it seem somewhat empty.

That's it again!

Harry was startled at first, but his surprise quickly turned into helplessness and relief.

He shook his head slightly, a bitter smile playing on his lips.

Without him, only familiar with Seoul.

Sherlock had disappeared so many times that he was no longer surprised.

Never mind, let's go to the auditorium first.

Harry thought to himself, and continued walking forward.

Although Sherlock would occasionally pull this stunt, it turned out that he always had a legitimate reason for disappearing.

When he returns, he will proactively explain where he went.

Then again, it seems I've forgotten something?
Before entering the principal's office, I had made that bold decision...

Never mind, this matter isn't urgent, we'll talk about it later.

Meanwhile, in the principal's office.

"Why are you back again?"

Dumbledore was talking to a portrait on the wall with his hands behind his back.

Hearing footsteps, he looked up and saw Sherlock standing in the doorway.

He couldn't help but show a look of surprise, his gray eyebrows slightly raised.

"The final Horcrux."

Sherlock strode into the office, closed the door behind him, and said bluntly, "That's why I'm here."

"Nagini? Is there something wrong with that giant snake?"

Dumbledore sat down again, gesturing for Sherlock to sit as well, but a hint of doubt flashed in his eyes.

"Not Nagini."

Sherlock did not sit down as Dumbledore had indicated.

He stopped in front of the desk, his sharp gaze fixed on Dumbledore, and said, word by word:

"It is the true last Horcrux—Harry Potter."

Dumbledore's expression froze at that moment.

Surprise surged across his face like a tidal wave. He sat up abruptly, his hands instinctively pressing down on the table.

The crescent-shaped glasses slid down to the tip of his nose, revealing a pair of deep blue eyes behind the lenses, filled with disbelief.

Although Sherlock had shocked him many times before, none of them had ever been as intense as today.

His gaze, peering through his glasses, was fixed on the boy before him, as if he were seeing him for the first time.

The principal's office fell into dead silence.

The portraits that had been whispering among themselves after Sherlock and Harry left were now all curiously observing the two below.

Only Fox, perched on a perch, gently preened his feathers, making a soft rustling sound that broke the suffocating silence.

Dumbledore slowly leaned back in his high-backed chair, then placed his fingers on his chin.

His eyes behind the glasses gradually deepened, and he scrutinized Sherlock intently, as if trying to see through his thoughts.

Sherlock met his gaze without backing down, his grey eyes seemingly able to see right through Dumbledore's thoughts.

After a long while, Dumbledore slowly raised his hand and pushed his glasses back into place.

Then he spoke in an incredulous tone:
“You’re right, Sherlock, Harry is indeed the seventh Horcrux, but…”

How did you know? Even I only found out recently…

"It's actually quite simple."

At this moment, Sherlock finally sat down:
"The clues have actually been right in front of us all along."

(End of this chapter)