Chapter 51: Two People Seeking Death
"I can't accept it, but Dumbledore doesn't think that way. He strongly supports Nicolas Flamel destroying the Philosopher's Stone. He even once said that for those with well-organized minds, death is but the next great adventure." Even now, when Harry recalled those words, he still found them unbelievable.
"Forget it. Nicolas Flamel and Dumbledore must simply be too old. They've lived too long and probably don't have much left to look forward to, so they want to die." Although George had lived two lives, he was only in his thirties. He still wanted to make movies, go to Hollywood, and date beautiful actresses.
He still had many things he wanted to accomplish. He simply couldn't understand Dumbledore's way of thinking.
"Right. None of us has lived to be six hundred years old. We have no idea what that feels like." Hermione raised her eyebrows in agreement. Then, suddenly catching onto something, she blurted out, "George, do you think Dumbledore wants to die?"
Harry and Ron were so startled that they both shot to their feet, fear filling their eyes.
"Hermione, you're joking, right?" Harry's voice trembled as he gripped the back of his chair.
Ron shuddered, unwilling even to consider her words. "How could you have such a crazy idea?"
"Calm down." George waved his hand to settle the three of them and began analyzing the situation seriously.
"Nicolas Flamel shouldn't deliberately choose death at a time like this. When Voldemort ruled the wizarding world, both Dumbledore and Flamel were fine. Now Voldemort is extremely weak—we can't kill him yet, but he's far from powerful. If Flamel chooses death now, it can only mean he genuinely wants to die. The safety of the Philosopher's Stone is probably just an excuse."
"Nicolas Flamel wouldn't be afraid of Voldemort," Harry said quietly. "Even I, just a first-year student, don't fear him anymore—let alone a great wizard who's lived over six hundred years."
"But what does that have to do with Dumbledore?" Ron asked anxiously. Dumbledore was the pillar of the wizarding world. He had lived for so long. He was the greatest wizard in white robes. As long as he lived, people had hope, and Voldemort had nowhere to hide.
"Dumbledore and Nicolas Flamel are close friends. They've known each other for many years. If anyone would persuade Nicolas to accept death, it would be Dumbledore. And Dumbledore himself is already over a hundred years old." Hermione was frightened by her own sudden thought, yet she couldn't help analyzing the possibility.
"They're simply too old."
That was the conclusion they reached after discussing it.
"But if Dumbledore dies, what will happen to the wizarding world? And what will Voldemort do once he returns?" Ron began to worry about the terrible consequences.
"Don't worry. Didn't Dumbledore stay out of this one? Harry already said he'll kill the next Voldemort. And you'll all keep your promises too, right?" George reassured them. As long as Voldemort wasn't fully resurrected, he wouldn't pose too great a threat.
Even if Dumbledore had lived long enough, he wouldn't choose to die now. As long as there was still time, even Voldemort at the height of his power wasn't unbeatable. And with their interference, Voldemort's resurrection wouldn't be easy.
Hearing George's words, Harry gave a bitter smile. He no longer feared Voldemort, but killing him would not be easy.
"Dumbledore isn't even dead yet! And here we are discussing his death—it's awkward. But it seems that only we can deal with Voldemort now. That's insane," Hermione said, confused. Faced with such a great crisis, the adults of the wizarding world seemed to be making their own choices: Nicolas Flamel accepting death, and perhaps even Dumbledore contemplating it.
Because of Harry, the four first-years had been pushed into shouldering the responsibility of saving the entire wizarding world.
"I believe Dumbledore won't seek death lightly. But I will defeat Voldemort." Harry didn't want to continue discussing whether Dumbledore wished to die.
He stepped forward and lowered his head before George. "Please train me more strictly. I'll work harder. I will kill Voldemort—for myself, and for my parents."
"As long as you complete my training as required, you will gain the power to kill Voldemort," George replied sternly.
Harry's initiative in asking for harsher training pleased George greatly. It allowed his earlier plans of persuasion to proceed smoothly. Wasn't this exactly what he wanted? The more powerful allies he had, the safer the world would be.
Only then could he have time to enjoy life, spend money freely, and live in peace—without worrying that some dark wizard might suddenly appear during his rest.
"Oh no… stricter training?" Ron groaned. His talent wasn't equal to Harry's or Hermione's. Though determined not to hold them back, he feared that if the training intensified further, he would lose all his free time.
Meanwhile, Malfoy felt that this period had been utterly miserable. He had faced a grave threat, yet because of a muscle injury he had ended up lying in the hospital wing.
He had managed to gather substantial evidence against Harry and his friends—they had been raising a dragon! That illegal act alone was enough to get them expelled. At the time, Malfoy had thought he was witnessing the greatest victory of his school life.
He would have Hagrid, Hermione, and Ron Weasley—three people he despised—expelled. Harry Potter would be forced to bow before him. With two students expelled, Gryffindor would lose a massive number of points and become the laughingstock of the school. Slytherin would rightfully win the House Cup.
That was how it was supposed to go.
But because of a terrifying accident, everything changed. Nothing followed the expected course.
"How could this happen?!" Instead, he had been confined and exiled to the Forbidden Forest. Worse still, many people there had wanted to kill him. Thinking of it, Malfoy nearly ground his teeth to dust. "Those scoundrels—how dare they!"
Yet they truly had dared. Malfoy recalled the dreadful creatures he had encountered in the Forbidden Forest. Thanks to his alertness, he had survived. For the first time, he realized that within the school itself, someone might use a blade to kill—to eliminate him, the heir of the Malfoy family.
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