When Headmaster Dumbledore finished his speculation that the diary was a Horcrux—Sherlock pondered for a moment, then summarized as if concluding.
"So... a Horcrux is a type of Dark Magic object that can store souls.
Voldemort should have died instantly when the Killing Curse rebounded onto himself all those years ago.
But he survived in fragmented form because he had successfully created a Horcrux."
Dumbledore's eyes widened in surprise, twinkling with an unusual light behind his spectacles as he looked at Sherlock.
"You're quite right, Sherlock, but I thought you'd never heard of Horcruxes before."
"Indeed, this is my first time hearing about them."
"Yet your understanding already strikes at the very essence. Truly remarkable acuity of judgment."
Dumbledore nodded approvingly, his silver-white beard swaying gently with the movement.
"Thank you for your praise, sir, but I'm more concerned about another matter."
Sherlock leaned forward slightly, his gray eyes grave with intensity.
"Please, speak freely."
"Headmaster Dumbledore, I remember you once said he was hiding in the forests of Albania."
"That's correct."
"You said this before resolving the Chamber of Secrets incident, so is he still alive now?"
"He is still alive."
"Are you certain?"
"I am quite certain."
"Then a new problem has emerged," Sherlock's gaze suddenly became more intense, "he possesses more than one Horcrux."
The admiration in Dumbledore's eyes deepened beyond before. "How did you deduce that?"
"Isn't it obvious?"
Sherlock reached out and tapped the diary.
"The reason Voldemort didn't die thirteen years ago was because he had created a Horcrux, storing his own soul.
Before this diary was destroyed, you told me Voldemort was hiding in the forests of Albania.
After it was destroyed, you tell me Voldemort is still alive, which proves he must have at least one more Horcrux besides this diary.
Otherwise, with the destruction of this diary, his soul should have been utterly destroyed as well."
Dumbledore looked at Sherlock very seriously for a while, then laughed heartily.
"When you put it that way, it truly is too simple to require explanation."
Sherlock shrugged indifferently. "I've heard people say that more than once already.
So, you asked me here today because you want me to help deduce exactly how many Horcruxes Voldemort has created?"
"Yes, and no."
Dumbledore made no attempt to hide anything, directly stating his intentions.
"I'm certain an old friend shares some dark secrets with Tom Riddle.
Once we know these secrets, everything about Voldemort and his Horcruxes will come to light."
"I see, so you want me to help you extract this secret from your old friend."
Sherlock raised an eyebrow, his tone carrying a note of understanding.
"As you've surmised, Sherlock," Dumbledore smiled, "but this old friend is unwilling to see me, so I wanted to tell you about this matter first, so you'll have more thorough preparation for this task."
"A wise decision."
Sherlock also smiled, a glimmer of appreciation flashing in his eyes.
It seemed that after the Chamber of Secrets incident, Dumbledore had indeed changed his previous habit of holding back information.
He leaned forward slightly, his eyes focused intently on Dumbledore.
"Then tell me about this old friend of yours, Headmaster, the more detailed the better. This will help me extract the secret from him."
In the office, the portraits of past headmasters all held their breath.
Even the red-nosed, portly wizard forgot to adjust his hearing aid as everyone waited quietly for Dumbledore's answer, the air filled with an atmosphere of tension and anticipation.
If there was anyone in the magical world besides Snape who could be called a top Potions Master, it would certainly be Horace Slughorn.
Like the Black family, the Malfoy family, and the Weasley family, the Slughorn family also belonged to the Sacred Twenty-Eight pure-blood families.
Horace Slughorn, as a pure-blood wizard, came from a privileged background with a wealthy family.
His parents weren't fanatic pure-blood supremacists like the Black and Malfoy families, nor were they considered "blood traitors" like the Weasley family.
But they still quite respected the inherent advantages of their lineage, so before Horace entered school, they advised him to associate more with people similar to himself.
Horace lived up to expectations. Upon entering Hogwarts, he was sorted into Slytherin and became an outstanding student.
Shortly after enrollment, he displayed astonishing talent in Potions while also performing admirably in other areas, becoming a focus of attention.
However, he didn't completely follow his parents' instructions.
Besides befriending students from families as influential as the Slughorns, he also made many capable friends from Muggle backgrounds.
Thus, after graduating with excellent grades, Horace soon received an offer to teach Potions.
Undoubtedly, Horace Slughorn was an exceptionally capable wizard who carried his parents' expectations for him to distinguish himself at the Ministry of Magic.
However, though he possessed the potential to become a politician, he himself had no interest in scheming and intrigue, preferring instead the comfort of his existing comfort zone.
He was satisfied simply by befriending high achievers, without any burning desire to catch up with his friends' accomplishments.
Precisely because he preferred to stay behind the scenes, enjoying the privilege of knowing celebrities and successful people, and because he loved his old school so much, when he received the invitation to serve as Potions Professor at Hogwarts, he readily agreed.
The headmaster at the time was still Armando Dippet, and during his tenure, he happened to overlap with Albus Dumbledore.
He served as the Potions Professor at the school.
Soon, due to his outstanding abilities, he also took on the role of Head of Slytherin House.
Overall, Horace maintained a good temper and easygoing personality during his teaching years, receiving unanimous praise from students and faculty.
Although he was a pure-blood wizard, he never discriminated against half-bloods or Muggle-born wizards.
As long as they demonstrated their abilities, Horace never hesitated to show them favor.
Of course, he also had flaws—his method of treating students differently was far too stark.
One group consisted of students he favored or believed had bright futures—whether pure-blood, half-blood, or Muggle-born.
The other consisted of students he deemed to have dim prospects or no potential—unless they came from prominent families, in which case they were treated a little differently.
In short, they needed to have something that made them shine.
Unfortunately, Tom Riddle happened to be an exceptionally excellent student back then.
Slughorn undoubtedly possessed a discerning eye for talent. He discovered Riddle's brilliance and cultivated him as one of his prized students.
Of course, this couldn't be blamed on Slughorn.
Because Tom Riddle's disguise at the time was far too successful.
Almost all the faculty and students held an extremely favorable impression of him.
Except for Albus Dumbledore, the Transfiguration Professor who had personally brought Riddle from the orphanage to the school.
"In fact, I warned Horace at the time to be careful not to be used by Tom."
Dumbledore told Sherlock slowly.
"Unfortunately, Horace had too much confidence in his own judgment—which, to be fair, had been proven correct many times over.
During his decades teaching at the school, he nurtured countless brilliant wizards from Quidditch, politics, business, journalism, and more.
Because of this, he disregarded my warning.
He believed that I had already formed a prejudice against Tom when I brought him from the orphanage to school."
"You did indeed have prejudices against him from the beginning."
Sherlock commented bluntly, "But as it turns out, your opinion of him didn't matter.
Because the Dark Lord who terrorized the entire magical world was nurtured by Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Simply blaming Professor Slughorn is meaningless."
Dumbledore shook his head with a bitter smile. "You're right, Sherlock. I won't evade responsibility for this."
Sherlock shrugged noncommittally. "Since you put it that way, was he the one who told Tom about Horcruxes?"
"That's also merely my speculation. When the self-proclaimed Voldemort rose in the magical world, Horace didn't immediately recognize his old student.
But when he realized that this terrifying wizard was actually Tom Riddle, he was petrified.
On the night when Voldemort returned to Hogwarts seeking a teaching position, he hid in his office, afraid that Voldemort would come to find him.
Unfortunately, his worry seemed somewhat unnecessary. Voldemort didn't bother to visit his former mentor."
Sherlock shrugged again.
"Later, when Voldemort attacked Harry that night and suffered defeat, Horace felt more relieved than most people.
It was precisely because of the ecstatic emotion he showed at that time, and the fragmented words he uttered, that I first became alert to his connection with Tom."
"So you asked him directly?"
"Yes, I carefully inquired, but unexpectedly this action only deepened his defenses, so much so that he submitted his resignation a few days later."
"Ha!"
Sherlock laughed.
This Professor Horace was truly swift and decisive.
"After retiring these past ten-plus years, he returned to the comfortable home left by his deceased parents, where he used to vacation during school breaks, which has now become his permanent residence.
He enjoys his retirement life very much and occasionally visits former members of the Slug Club.
Besides that, he also likes hosting dinner parties at home—
Until two years ago, when he learned through his connections that Voldemort was still alive."
Dumbledore's tone shifted. "As I understand it, he hasn't been very happy since then.
As you just analyzed, Voldemort surviving the Killing Curse proves he had already successfully created a Horcrux.
Of course, if he knew that Voldemort is still alive even after we destroyed one Horcrux, he would undoubtedly be even more anguished."
Sherlock had no interest in hearing Dumbledore analyze this old professor's psychological state. He only asked about the part that interested him.
"The Slug Club, what is that?"
"This was a gathering Horace established at Hogwarts, named after his own surname.
He specifically invited excellent students, children of famous and successful people, and children from families with good connections in the magical world."
"I see."
Sherlock smiled slightly. "I assume that Tom Riddle also joined this club, didn't he?"
Dumbledore nodded gravely.
"Very well, so to summarize, this Professor Horace Slughorn's life trajectory fully demonstrates the survival strategy of a shrewd Slytherin in turbulent times."
Sherlock leaned back in his chair, hands clasped under his chin, his gaze sharp as he began to summarize.
"He's a contradiction. Born into a prominent pure-blood family with absolute pure-blood advantages and networking resources, yet willing to associate with capable Muggle-borns.
But this is by no means true egalitarianism—more like investment acumen. He keenly sniffs out the future value that potential rising stars might bring.
He's extremely satisfied with the status quo, or more precisely, satisfied with the sense of security his comfort zone brings.
For him, pursuing power and climbing the political ladder too easily results in being caught in the maelstrom, which is why he chose the shield of a Hogwarts teaching position.
It allowed him to legitimately cultivate connections through his position as Head of House while hiding behind the fortress of knowledge and under your protective wing.
Here, he enjoyed prestige, comfort, and the satisfaction of selecting and nurturing tomorrow's stars while minimizing risk.
I imagine when Voldemort first began to rise, he chose to continue teaching at the school because it was safer here.
In fact, this is what most people think—even today, the entire magical world still believes that as long as you're at Hogwarts, Voldemort won't dare act recklessly."
"Sherlock, you give me far too much credit. Voldemort possesses—"
"Voldemort possesses tremendous power that you could never have, I know."
Sherlock impatiently waved his hand, directly finishing the second half of Dumbledore's sentence, causing the centenarian to pause.
"For Professor Slughorn, identifying talent is his strength, or rather, his core ability for self-preservation and pride.
For decades, this discerning eye has been the cornerstone of building his status and safety net.
But it was precisely this arrogance that harmed him, making him indulge in his wrong judgment of Tom Riddle, blind enough to ignore your warnings.
When Riddle transformed into Voldemort, and when he realized it was because he had divulged knowledge of Horcruxes that led to all this, his reaction was quite typical—fear and avoidance.
He only relaxed when Voldemort was mistakenly believed to be dead.
Unfortunately, your inquiry triggered his strongest defense mechanism.
He resigned, retreated to the luxurious safe house left by his parents, trying to numb himself with parties, wine, and memories of past glory, attempting to rebuild that shattered security barrier through indulgence.
Until news that Voldemort was still alive completely shattered this fragile retirement dream. Everything he relied on for his sense of security instantly became a potential threat.
The network of connections he was so proud of has now become a preliminary roster for the Death Eaters.
Of course, it's still somewhat premature to say all this now, but once Voldemort truly returns, this will be a foregone conclusion."
At this point, Sherlock also made his final summary.
"Ultimately, the core value that Horace Slughorn has pursued his entire life can be summed up in one word—stability."
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