"Yes…" Jon nodded and replied softly.
Seeing the grave look on Dumbledore's face, Jon couldn't help wondering whether the situation was even more serious than he had expected.
Fortunately, the tension in Dumbledore's expression gradually eased.
"If that's what Horace believes, then it's certainly possible… Wait, Jon—have you had dealings with him before?"
"Yes." After hesitating for a moment, Jon nodded. "A few months ago, Mrs. Greengrass and I visited him once. He knows part of my identity."
"Horace has connections with some Death Eaters—former star pupils of his," Dumbledore explained calmly. "But I trust his character. He's always been a good man. That's why you should take his warning seriously."
"Be extra careful during this time," Dumbledore added, giving Jon a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "If you run into danger, ask us for help immediately."
"Thank you, Professor," Jon said gratefully.
"I've suddenly had a brilliant idea!" Headmaster Phineas Black's voice rang out from the wall behind them.
At once, the portraits of the headmasters and headmistresses—who had been pretending to sleep—turned their attention his way. Clearly, they'd been closely following Jon and Dumbledore's conversation the entire time.
"What is it, Phineas?" Dumbledore asked gently.
"We could have Hart carry one of our portraits with him," Phineas Black said smugly. "That way, if he runs into danger, we can return here through the portrait and inform you!"
"That sounds reasonable…" Dumbledore nodded thoughtfully. "What do you think, Jon?"
"I—"
Before Jon could finish, Phineas Black rudely cut him off. "Why ask his opinion? He's not the Headmaster! Don't I have a portrait at Grimmauld Place? That filthy, chaotic place—and the sight of my idiotic great-great-grandson is unbearable. Just give that portrait to Hart and let him carry it around. At least I'll get to enjoy the scenery outside!"
No sooner had he finished speaking than Phineas Black vanished from the portrait, clearly having returned to his frame at 12 Grimmauld Place.
"Any objections, Jon?" Dumbledore asked with a smile.
"None…" Jon shook his head stiffly. "Of course… it would be an honor."
Dumbledore nodded, then gently stroked the feathers on Fawkes's head on the nearby perch. "Fawkes, go to Grimmauld Place and tell Molly to take down Phineas's portrait…"
...
With Phineas Black gone from the wall and Fawkes having flown off, the room fell quiet again.
Jon and Dumbledore found themselves staring at each other.
"Professor," Jon asked curiously, "do you have a plan for dealing with the Dark Lord's provocation?"
"I'm searching for Hufflepuff's Cup," Dumbledore replied calmly. "That's the last one, isn't it?"
"Yes," Jon said thoughtfully.
Of the seven Horcruxes Voldemort created aside from Harry Potter, five—Nagini, Riddle's diary, Slytherin's locket, Peverell's ring, and Ravenclaw's diadem—had already been destroyed. Only the final Horcrux remained: Hufflepuff's Cup.
"Any progress?" Jon asked cautiously.
"Tom keeps the cup on him at all times," Dumbledore said, frowning slightly. "Hidden in the pocket of his outer robe, without any apparent protection."
"Then that means…" Jon murmured, frowning.
At present, Voldemort's two closest confidants—Severus Snape and Peter Pettigrew—were both on Dumbledore's side. If Voldemort truly kept the Horcrux on his person, it might not be impossible to steal it at the right moment.
"After seeing six Horcruxes destroyed, I believe Tom would be extremely careful with the last one," Dumbledore said evenly.
Jon froze, then immediately understood.
Putting himself in Voldemort's position… he might fear that hiding the Horcrux elsewhere wasn't safe enough and choose to keep it close at hand. Or he might deliberately carry a fake to draw attention, while hiding the real Horcrux somewhere no one knew about.
After thinking it through, Jon felt the second possibility was far more likely.
If that was the case, then the Horcrux Voldemort carried with him was nothing more than a decoy. Worse still, it meant Voldemort had begun to suspect those closest to him, questioning whether his most trusted Death Eaters had betrayed him.
That was very bad news.
"I followed the traces Tom left behind," Dumbledore continued, his tone tense, "but the cup wasn't present at any of those locations. And judging from the signs, the injuries he sustained during the battle at the Department of Mysteries are gradually healing…"
There was a note of irritation in Dumbledore's voice.
They had already driven Voldemort into a corner, only one final step away from finishing him off. Yet now he had become as slippery as an eel, making that last step impossible to take.
...
"But don't worry. Everything is still under control," Dumbledore said, lifting his head and giving Jon a warm smile. "As for you… you've been searching for a way to save Miss Greengrass, haven't you?"
"Yes," Jon replied vaguely, deliberately avoiding any mention of gathering materials to create Horcruxes.
After all, something as profoundly evil as Horcruxes was bound to be a sensitive topic for a "white wizard" like Dumbledore.
Dumbledore didn't bring it up either, though Jon was fairly certain he already knew—most likely through Slughorn or Fawkes.
Both of them tacitly maintained this mutual pretense, arriving at an unspoken understanding.
Jon first gave a brief account of his trip to Albania.
Then—
He paused before continuing, "After returning to France, I received some very important information from Madame Maxime and Professor Hagrid…"
He succinctly retold Hagrid's "story" to Dumbledore.
"If we can obtain the giants' method of splitting souls, the chances of success will be much higher," Jon said earnestly. "The last remaining giants in Europe have likely already allied themselves with the Dark Lord. Professor… do you have any idea where they might be?"