Chapter 683 - 684: Guess; The extraction remembers.

In the quiet office, the silver memory vortex continued slowly in the Pensieve.

"Have you eaten your fill? Do you need more sandwiches?" Dumbledore finally opened his eyes and asked gently. "Very well, now, what can I help you two with, Harry?"

Harry hesitated before sharing his concerns. "Professor," he began, "I had a dream last night. I dreamed of Voldemort. He was with Kreshkov, the Vampire, in the same place as that evil god statue."

He recounted the frightening details of his dream, expecting some kind of reaction, but Dumbledore remained unfazed as if he had anticipated this.

"Furthermore, my scar hurt; it hurt really badly and woke me up," Harry added.

Dumbledore responded calmly, "Ah, I see. Did your scar hurt at any other time this year, aside from the previous incident during the summer break?"

"No, but how did you know it woke me up during the summer break?" Harry asked in surprise, glancing at Evan.

"Sirius told me," Dumbledore replied briefly, his gaze fixed on Harry. "Among us, there is a connection."

"Professor, do you know why my scar hurts?" Harry asked anxiously.

Dumbledore studied Harry briefly and then answered slowly, "I have a speculative theory, mind you. Your scar hurts when Voldemort approaches you with a strong desire for revenge. It's because of the connection formed between you and him during the failed curse."

"My scar is connected to Voldemort?" Harry was taken aback. He had no idea.

"You should know that your scar is not ordinary," Dumbledore explained. He couldn't confirm whether Voldemort's soul still resided within Harry's scar, but it was close to being certain. Otherwise, he wouldn't have agreed to Evan's plan and would have arrested Barty Crouch Jr. immediately.

"In that case, Professor, do you think my dream was real?" Harry pressed further.

"It's quite possible," Dumbledore said. "Very possible, Harry. Have you seen Voldemort?"

"No," Harry replied slowly. "I only saw his back and couldn't make out any details. Professor, he doesn't have a body, does he? And how can he possibly use a wand?"

"Yes," Dumbledore murmured. "How indeed..."

Silence fell upon the room, with no one speaking. Dumbledore seemed lost in thought, his gaze fixed on a distant point. Then, he snapped back to the present.

"Harry, do you have any other concerns?" he asked gently.

After watching the trial memories, Harry hesitated once more before asking about his doubts. He inquired about Bellatrix, Karkaroff, Barty Crouch Jr., Ludo Bagman, Neville's parents, and Snape. Dumbledore patiently explained each matter, revealing everything he knew. Evan listened attentively, and it was clear that Dumbledore wasn't withholding any information, even if some details were gruesome.

After nearly half an hour, Harry felt he had no more questions. He glanced at Evan, who also seemed hesitant but decided he had something he needed to discuss with Dumbledore.

"Harry, Sirius, and I need to talk for a while longer," Dumbledore said calmly. "I'd like you to go and find Sirius. He should be coming from the Hogsmeade secret passage. You can meet him near Hagrid's hut."

"Alright, I'll do that," Harry agreed. He stood up, turned to look at Dumbledore and Evan, and then left the room.

Once Harry had left, an awkward silence descended upon the room. Dumbledore gazed at Evan with a penetrating look, making Evan feel as though Dumbledore could see right through him. Not wanting to be exposed, Evan began using Occlumency to shield his thoughts. He had no intention of engaging in a magical contest with Dumbledore.

"Have you agreed to the plan for Sirius to come to Hogwarts?" Evan finally asked, breaking the silence.

"I mentioned earlier that there are many forces in this world, many powers we don't fully understand," Dumbledore replied. "If Voldemort is determined enough, we may be unable to prevent him. We can only choose the most suitable countermeasures."

Harry nodded, appearing to understand but not fully grasp the implications. His expression showed that some things were still unclear to him.

After a moment of silence, Harry asked again, "Professor, do you think my dream was real?"

Dumbledore considered the question and answered slowly, "It's possible, Harry. Very possible. When Voldemort wants something badly enough, his power can manifest strangely. Dreams can be a part of that."

At that moment, Evan realized that Dumbledore's cryptic responses acknowledged the possibility that the evil god was involved without revealing too much to Harry.

The room fell into silence once more, and Dumbledore began pacing back and forth behind his desk, sometimes running a hand through his long silver hair, his wand occasionally touching his temple as he was deep in thought. Occasionally, he would extract a silvery strand of thought from his mind and add it to the Pensieve.

As Dumbledore swirled his thoughts in the Pensieve, Evan saw the silvery substance twisting and turning, forming abstract patterns. He couldn't discern the content of Dumbledore's thoughts but could sense the weight of what was being considered.

Evan had many questions, particularly about the evil god and the extent of its influence. However, Dumbledore's gaze remained penetrating as if trying to gauge Evan's thoughts. So, for now, Evan decided to remain quiet and wait for Dumbledore to reveal more.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Dumbledore did not immediately offer an explanation. Instead, the silver-white memory continued to whirl in the Pensieve, forming a vortex. After a few minutes, he suddenly said, "Would you allow me to look at your memory of the illusion with the evil god?"

Evan was taken aback but quickly responded, "Of course, no problem."

He began the process of withdrawing the memory he had shared with Dumbledore. The sensation was strange, akin to a part of him being pulled away, and he experienced an indistinct, eerie feeling. The strange sensation passed, but he realized he could no longer recall the events in Gryffindor Tower during the illusion. It wasn't a matter of simple forgetting; he was aware that the events had occurred but couldn't recollect them in detail. It was as if they had vanished without a trace.

This magical ability was far more profound and unexpected than Evan had initially anticipated when he began using Pensieve. He had considered it a backup for his memories, but it was more than that. The act of extracting memories seemed to involve more than just a simple copying process; it had an impact on the person's recollection of events as well.

Evan suddenly realized he couldn't hope to preserve memories he didn't want others to know about by simply withdrawing them. He must be cautious to avoid revealing too much, especially to Dumbledore.

Dumbledore continued to watch the swirling memory in the Pensieve without offering any explanation. The silver-white memory rotated rapidly, forming a vortex. After a few minutes, he suddenly spoke up, breaking the silence. "Evan, I've seen and heard about such a dreadful living entity in the past. In certain sects that follow primitive mysticism and ancient religious doctrines, they worship these ancient evil gods, hoping to bring about the world's destruction and restore these ancient beings to their former dominant status."

"Like the Claw of the Raven?" Evan inquired, recalling this organization.

"Yes, you're aware of this ancient organization. The Claw of the Raven was indeed one of them," Dumbledore confirmed. "They believed that Rowena Ravenclaw had left behind information about a god of ravens within Hogwarts and sought to destroy the school to find these hidden records. It's quite a mad idea, isn't it? Yet they fervently believed in it and even gained some influence for a time."

"Indeed," Evan agreed. "Based on our current information, it doesn't seem feasible."

"That's the most frightening part. These ancient evil gods did exist, but they've been forgotten by us," Dumbledore said, his gaze fixed on Evan. "Voldemort is involved in some dangerous matters, but he either hasn't realized it or doesn't care. Yes, I understand him well; he wouldn't care."

Once again, Dumbledore didn't provide a straightforward explanation, leaving Evan unsatisfied. There was clearly information he was withholding, which was becoming increasingly apparent to Evan. Dumbledore's decision to keep certain things to himself frustrated Evan.

Still, Dumbledore hadn't given a clear response regarding Evan's plan. Evan asked again, "Professor, do you agree with my plan?"

Dumbledore didn't provide a direct answer but continued with his line of questioning. "You should know the principles and methods of creating Horcruxes. I'm aware you took many dark magic books from the Black family. Therefore, you would have the knowledge to make such deductions."

Evan nodded, acknowledging that this matter couldn't be concealed any longer. Dumbledore's questions indicated that he was aware of the situation.

"Though I don't know how many Horcruxes he's made, I suspect it could be seven," Evan admitted.

"Yes, seven is a powerful magical number, and I concur with your suspicion," Dumbledore said. "But we need to be certain."

"While I don't know how many Horcruxes he's made, I did recently destroy one," Evan stated, taking out Ravenclaw's diadem and placing it in front of Dumbledore.

Dumbledore showed a surprised expression upon seeing the wreath for the first time, though it quickly disappeared. "Ravenclaw's diadem, that makes three," he said, examining the object. "It's truly remarkable, Evan. You've exceeded my expectations once again."

Dumbledore hadn't asked Evan how he found the diadem or how he deduced that it was a Horcrux. It seemed that Dumbledore knew the answer, and by bringing up these matters, he tacitly acknowledged that certain secrets were meant to be kept. While he would undoubtedly continue to inquire into these secrets, he also respected certain boundaries and chose those he trusted to share their secrets willingly.

Evan now realized that he couldn't hope to preserve these secrets simply by withdrawing them into a Pensieve. He needed to be cautious about inadvertently revealing them, particularly to Dumbledore.