Chapter 769: I Dare Not Tell You!!
"Yes, child, you are right," Dumbledore said quietly. "Voldemort used your blood to rebuild his body. That means Lily's protection now exists in both of you. As long as he lives, you cannot truly die."
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Harry froze.
Slowly—almost unwillingly—his gaze drifted toward Darren.
His whole body trembled. Anger, guilt, disbelief… all of it tangled together until he could barely hold himself together.
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"You knew I wouldn't die…"
His voice cracked.
"Then why didn't you stop him?"
"Why—why did you just watch Darren die?!"
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Dumbledore didn't answer immediately.
He stood there in silence, as if carefully choosing his words.
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Finally, he sighed.
"At first… when I discovered Darren carried Voldemort's blood, my plan changed."
"It was no longer about sending you to die."
"It became about letting him take that place instead."
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Harry's head snapped up.
"You wanted to destroy Voldemort completely—even Darren, just because he carries that bloodline?!"
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Dumbledore shook his head.
"No."
"When you were in your third year, I discovered something else… Darren also carries my blood."
He paused, then added quietly—
"And Gellert's."
"And… within his soul, there are fragments tied to Ariana."
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Harry went still.
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"I have never once looked down on him," Dumbledore continued. "Not even after learning he had Voldemort's blood."
"I never despised him. I was never angry."
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His voice softened.
"Harry… don't you understand?"
"It wasn't me who led Darren to this point."
"It was himself."
"And you."
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Harry stared at him.
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Dumbledore didn't soften his words.
He didn't look away.
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"You still don't understand?"
"Darren himself could not accept that bloodline."
"And you—his brother—did not help him accept it either."
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"I—it was too late…" Harry said instinctively.
But even as the words left his mouth, they sounded hollow.
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Under Dumbledore's gaze, his hands began to shake.
He covered his face.
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Yes.
He had cared.
He still loved Darren—but he cared about that bloodline.
And Darren… Darren was too perceptive not to notice.
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After learning the truth himself…
Darren had chosen this path.
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"There were other ways," Dumbledore said quietly. "If he had waited… Ariana's soul could have gradually consumed Voldemort's fragment."
"But he didn't choose that."
"He went to Voldemort himself."
"Like a lamb… offering himself to be killed."
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Harry's whole body trembled.
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"Well, Harry… I am not saying this to make you feel guilty," Dumbledore continued.
"I am telling you this so you understand his state of mind."
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He paused, then added—
"That is also why I am not rushing to bring him back."
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Harry looked up sharply.
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"If he returns now…" Dumbledore said slowly, "he will only feel… that he himself is filthy."
"No matter how much we explain, he will still believe that carrying Voldemort's blood makes him disgusting."
"And if that belief remains…"
"He will choose destruction again."
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Harry's breath hitched.
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"And beyond that…" Dumbledore went on, "there will be others—people who don't know the truth—who will whisper behind his back."
"If we bring him back without resolving this…"
"We may only be sending him back to die again."
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Silence filled the room.
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Harry stared at him.
"…You can really save him?"
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"Yes," Dumbledore said calmly. "There are many ways."
"But for now… I cannot."
"This—" he gestured slightly, "—this is the obstacle."
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For a moment, Harry couldn't believe it.
Then suddenly—
Hope surged.
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"That's good… that's really good!" he said, almost breathless. "I can fix this—I'll talk to him, he listens to me, I'll make him understand—"
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"No."
Dumbledore interrupted him gently.
"You were not very convincing before."
"I would prefer something more… certain."
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Harry flinched.
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"Before that," Dumbledore continued, "there are other things you need to know."
"You may ask anything. I will answer."
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Harry looked at Darren for a long time.
Then, slowly, he turned back.
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"The Deathly Hallows."
"I want to understand the Deathly Hallows."
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Dumbledore lowered his head.
For a moment, something like regret crossed his face.
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"The Deathly Hallows…" he murmured.
He covered his eyes briefly.
When he spoke again, his voice was quieter.
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"It's not that I didn't trust you."
"I just… didn't dare to tell you."
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He let out a soft breath.
"Darren is… too straightforward."
"I allowed him to meet Gellert… but I never told him everything about me and him."
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Harry stayed silent.
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"I was afraid," Dumbledore admitted.
"Afraid that if you knew… you would look at me differently."
"Especially Darren."
"Would he… turn away from me?"
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He gave a faint, self-mocking smile.
"He carries my blood."
"As Severus once said… at the beginning, I could keep my distance."
"But later… I couldn't."
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"I wanted him to admire me."
"To see me as… someone great."
"My selfishness told me that if I maintained that image…"
"He would continue to look up to me."
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Dumbledore's voice grew quieter.
"I thought about telling him many times."
"But as long as I didn't say it… no one would know."
"And if no one knew…"
"He would never see what kind of person I truly was."
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Silence followed.
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Harry finally spoke.
"…Then tell him when he wakes up."
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Dumbledore shook his head immediately.
"No."
"I can't."
"I don't have the courage."
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He looked away.
"I am afraid… of seeing disappointment in his eyes."
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Harry let out a tired breath.
Then asked quietly—
"…What else can you tell me about Darren?"
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"Yes… Darren."
Dumbledore nodded, as if pulling himself back.
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"You should already know—from Severus' memories—that Darren was aware of your Horcrux."
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Harry nodded.
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Dumbledore sighed.
"Then… I'll show you something."
"What we spoke about that night."
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He took out a glass vial.
Inside it, silver threads of memory shimmered faintly.
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"This is my memory," Dumbledore said. "Come."
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The world shifted.
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Harry landed on solid ground again.
They were in Dumbledore's office.
Another version of it.
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He saw himself.
And Darren.
Sitting together.
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He remembered this.
It was from last year.
One of their lessons.
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Darren was calmly analyzing the number of Horcruxes.
Harry remembered that part clearly.
But after that…
His memory had always gone blank.
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Now, he watched.
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Darren's voice sounded—
quiet, but heavy.
"So… the thing in my brother's head… that's a soul, isn't it?"
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Harry—his past self—looked stunned.
"If there's a soul in his head… then that makes him a Horcrux?"
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And then—
Dumbledore's voice.
Clear.
Unavoidable.
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"Yes."
"That is what I have been hiding from you."
Harry heard Dumbledore finally admit it.
So, at such an early age, did Darren already know that he was Voldemort's Horcrux?