Chapter 675: My Place (Edited)

A pale green ray of light shot out from the tip of Harry's wand, heading straight towards Dumbledore.

The group was stunned by the sudden attack. Even the cat nestled in the arms of Professor McGonagall stopped purring and looked at Harry with wide eyes.

However, Dumbledore acted as if he had been prepared. He reached out to grasp the wand that had emerged from his sleeve and lightly tapped a metal ornament on the table, which immediately expanded and flew out.

The Killing Curse hit the ornament, causing it to burst with a "pop" and quickly disintegrate without causing any harm.

"You can't kill me like that, Tom," Dumbledore looked at Harry with indifference. Even if the spell hadn't been blocked, at most it would have made his nose bleed.

"Hmph..." Harry scoffed unconsciously.

At the same time, the hatred he felt quickly faded, followed by a sharp pain in his scar.

"Ah!"

Harry quickly dropped his wand and fell to his knees, clutching his scar.

"Harry, are you okay?"

(ΦωΦ)

Fish jumped out of Professor McGonagall's arms and ran towards him, casting a [Stabilizing] spell and a [Rejuvenating] spell on him.

Meanwhile, Dumbledore circled the desk, went to Harry's side, and helped him up from the floor.

"Professor, Professor..." Harry tried to pull his arm back, but Dumbledore held it firmly.

He looked at Dumbledore in horror and explained incoherently, "It's just... it wasn't me... I don't know..."

"I know it wasn't you, but that's why I'm asking you to learn Occlumency as soon as possible," Dumbledore said softly.

Seeing that Harry still seemed distressed, he added reassuringly, "But don't worry too much. It was because Voldemort first drained your dreams, and then your emotions fluctuated so violently that Voldemort was able to take advantage of it. And the Killing Curse was so weak that it couldn't harm anyone. That's all it could do."

"Besides, it's not that easy for Voldemort to control your actions. It would also drain his energy, and he can't watch you all the time."

With Dumbledore's reassuring words, Harry felt slightly calmer, yet at the same time, he felt a strong urgency to practice the Occlumency he had been neglecting. After all, he didn't want the day to come when he would suddenly and uncontrollably attack his friends and family.

"What the hell, I thought it was Harry who wanted to fight Albus as well..."

(?ω?)

Fish said with a bored expression.

Professor McGonagall smacked Fish on the head and then turned to Dumbledore, "So, Voldemort went to all this trouble just to have Harry attack you?"

"No," Dumbledore decisively denied, "He would have known that it wouldn't harm me. There must be a deeper reason for him to create false memories to deceive Harry."

He furrowed his brow and pondered for a moment, then told Harry, "Harry, tell me again what you dreamt of before, including every detail you can remember."

The previous dream was so vivid and had been repeated so many times for such a long period that Harry could recount it without much effort.

Everyone, including the successive headmasters in the portrait, and Sirius and Moody at the other end of the two-way mirror, listened in silence.

Occasionally, Fish attempted to interrupt with a question, but Professor McGonagall stopped him with a stern look, so Fish had to huff and chew on cockroaches deliberately, making a "click-clack" sound.

"Do you mean... Voldemort said he couldn't get it himself, that Sirius would have to get it?" Dumbledore confirmed with an indifferent expression as he listened to Harry's account.

Harry nodded and replied, "Yes, in the dream, Sirius wouldn't give in, and then Voldemort tortured him with the Cruciatus Curse, and then Ron and the others woke me up."

"But that's not right!" Sirius exclaimed in surprise through the mirror. "Shouldn't that thing... only Voldemort and Harry be able to get it?" Then he said with a start, "Is he trying to lure Harry to get it? But that doesn't make sense..." Sirius said, once again confused.

"Alastor, get in touch with Arthur..." Dumbledore shook his head midway through the sentence. "No, to be sure, it's better if I go myself... Fawkes."

He beckoned to the phoenix, who was perched on a stand.

Fawkes flapped his wings and landed on Dumbledore's shoulder.

"You'll wait here for my message," Dumbledore said, and with a burst of fire, he and Fawkes disappeared from sight...

He also took with him a certain kitten that suddenly reached out and grabbed his robe.

...

In the main room of the Ministry, Fish and Dumbledore stared at each other, while Fawkes flew away with a soft cry.

"You're going to fight Voldemort, right? Fish is going too!"

(?ω?)

Fish exclaimed with a sparkle in his eyes.

"Well..." Dumbledore sighed helplessly, and then said, "But you have to promise me that you won't do anything without permission."

"No problem, nya." Fish quickly nodded his head and obediently stood by Dumbledore's side.

Going back wasn't an option, and whatever the old bad guy wanted, he would accept it first.

But Fish, always restless, didn't take long to be next to Dumbledore before he started looking around.

(°ω°≡°ω°)

"Albus, isn't this the Ministry of Magic? Why is Voldemort here?" Fish asked curiously.

Fish had been here a few years ago when Professor McGonagall had brought him to register as an Animagus.

Then he pointed to the golden fountain in the middle of the main foyer and mocked, "Fish used to think those house-elves from that fountain were so stupid... that water came out of their ears."

"This is indeed the Ministry of Magic." Dumbledore also looked around, realizing that there was no one in the main foyer, and furrowed his brow. "We have to go to the Department of Mysteries now and see if that thing is still there, in case we run into Voldemort."

"What is that thing, nya?"

(?ω?)

Fish asked curiously.

As for the possibility of not running into Voldemort, Fish really didn't care. He was just a loser, so if he couldn't run into him, it would be fun to visit the Ministry of Magic.

Last time, Fish was in his cat form, being carried by Professor McGonagall all the time, and he didn't have a chance to wander properly.

"Well..." Dumbledore hesitated, but said honestly, "It's a prophecy orb. It contains prophecies about Harry and Voldemort, and only those whose prophecies involve them can obtain prophecies about themselves from the Department of Mysteries."

"Prophecy..."

(?ω?)

Fish lost interest as soon as he heard it was related to a prophecy. He had fooled Umbridge with Professor Trelawney, and in Fish's mind, prophecy equaled deception.

So Fish refocused his attention on the Ministry and continued to look around.

Besides that, it was a beautiful place... except for the fountain, which was a bit silly.

With that in mind, Fish suddenly changed back into his cat form and found a few spots that seemed good, scratching his paws or rubbing his cheek against them from time to time, leaving the marks of his paws and his scent as a sign.

Fish had wanted to mark this place as his own when he arrived a few years ago, but Professor McGonagall had held him back, and he hadn't been able to do it.

But...

From today onward.

This is now Fish's territory!

(=?ω?=)