Master of Death

"Don't say that, Severus! You should be more lenient with an elderly man. I've been known to make the occasional mistake…" Dumbledore did not elaborate on the matter of the Three Hallows.

Snape sneered at him, then remembered something and his expression changed. He stared at the old man suspiciously.

"No! Your injuries were inflicted several days ago, otherwise they would not have worsened to this extent, but I saw you just two days ago…" Snape's eyes narrowed as he questioned her.

"I was injured and could not see the others…" Dumbledore explained vaguely, touching the golden ring and staring at the burned holes and cracks.

It took him a long time and countless attempts to find a way to destroy the Horcrux — the Firebiting Charm!

Having not used Dark Magic for decades, he had almost forgotten how to use it…

"So you really weren't the one I met with two days ago?" Snape asked, looking annoyed.

Dumbledore did not say who it was, but Snape was able to sort through the possible candidates in his mind, and when combined with their recent strange behaviour, he was able to arrive at a conclusion.

"It was Ivan Hals? The little devil? He used Polyjuice Potion to disguise himself as you, at your behest?" Snape asked confidently.

Praising himself and giving Gryffindor a few hundred points seemed like something Ivan Hals would do.

Snape's mouth twitched as he remembered how he had complained to her two days ago…

But… how did Ivan-Harris find out about that pact?

Snape was confused. He and Dumbledore were supposed to be the only ones who knew about this.

Snape thought back to Ivan's reply to him.

The other side seemed to be saying: Our agreement has always stood!

Snape's face darkened as he realised that he had been tricked. The man seemed to have answered his question, but he said nothing…

"Why? Did something happen?" Dumbledore asked, raising his eyebrows when he noticed Snape looking upset.

Snape was not prepared to talk about his dark past, but instead changed the subject by questioning Dumbledore's decision to assign a child who had not yet graduated to the duties of acting as the Headmistress.

"But he managed to fool Minister for Magic Fudge and us professors. It seems that child was more suited to the position of Headmaster than you…" Snape said sarcastically.

Ignoring Snape's snide comment, Dumbledore seemed quite pleased with himself.

"Do you think so, Severus? It just goes to show you I chose the right person! I thought you or Minerva would be the one to represent us, but I thought the children might prefer a different headmaster…"

Despite his words, Dumbledore knew full well that neither McGonagall nor Snape was fit to represent him.

McGonagall was powerful and experienced, but she tended to be conservative and inflexible, unlike Yvonne, who was unconventional and completely indifferent to rules.

Snape, on the other hand, had a grudge against Sirius and was not the right person for the job…

Therefore, his choice of Ivan Hals was an act of desperation, as he could not find a better match.

Snape couldn't bear Dumbledore's nonsense any longer, and he wanted to ask Dumbledore how he would fulfil his promise to him in his current condition.

Snape held his tongue, understanding that the old man had been badly injured in his attempt to destroy the Dark Lord.

With that, Snape flicked his sleeve and left, leaving the Headmaster alone in his office.

Dumbledore remained alone in his thoughts, but did not dwell on the matter of the Horcrux, as he was in no condition to search for it.

Dumbledore's gaze fell upon the two Deathly Hallows on the desk, and after a moment's hesitation, he picked up the Elder Wand and used his magic to draw a vertical line across the desk.

Eventually Dumbledore thought of Harry's Cloak of Invisibility and added a triangle around the vertical line and circle.

The faint magical fluorescence linked together to form a strange pattern that resembled a triangular eye. The difference was that there was not an eyeball in the middle of the pupil, but a vertical line!

"The Elder Wand… the Resurrection Stone… the Cloak of Invisibility!" Dumbledore whispers the names of the three Deathly Hallows, wondering what mystery they hold…

Legend has it that one who possesses all of the Deathly Hallows will become master of Death…

However, other than the Resurrection Stone, he had studied the other two Deathly Hallows in depth while he was in possession of them.

However, he gained nothing, as if the two Deathly Hallows were merely powerful alchemical artefacts, causing him to doubt the veracity of the rumours.

"The possession of all means that three objects must be assembled?" Dumbledore stares at the picture, and a thought occurs to him that perhaps the combination of the three Deathly Hallows might cause something magical to happen…

However, the Resurrection Stone suffered some damage in the course of his destruction of the Horcrux, and it is unknown if it had any effect…

…

At the same time, in the Gryffindor Lounge, Harry, who had been reading so many books that his head was spinning, finally exploded.

"Jesus Christ! Why am I spending so much time learning about the British International Law and the Muggle Protection Act? It has nothing to do with this case!" Harry complained loudly.

However, he was quickly silenced by Hermione, who glared at him and rebuked him.

"How could it not be? Open the book and read it carefully. Peter Pettigrew killed thirteen Muggles, right under the jurisdiction of the Muggle Protection Act!

And his use of the WMD on the street to reveal the existence of the wizarding community was a breach of the British International Law!"

"In addition, Peter was a Death Eater and was convicted of seven other war crimes… all of which are listed in the British International Law."

Hermione then looked at Harry in surprise. "As I recall, you've been reading them for almost an hour and you still haven't memorized them?"

(PS: The third post is released later, around eleven o'clock…)