Chapter 125: Research Findings on Voldemort
"Sometimes, you have to admit that Voldemort was one of the most talented and remarkable students Hogwarts has seen in years."
A look of regret flickered across Dumbledore's aged face.
Ryan saw it and understood completely. The Headmaster was still dreaming his beautiful dream of a single House producing three legendary wizards, fantasizing about waking up one morning to find his two most brilliant students, Tom Riddle and Ryan Welles, waiting to greet him together.
As for Voldemort being the most talented, Ryan felt he was fully deserving of the title. When a person is that good at stirring up trouble, their abilities can't possibly be weak.
He followed the Headmaster's line of thought. "So, did Voldemort do something particularly shocking?"
"I recall you spent some time in the library searching for information on Horcruxes, didn't you? What are your thoughts on them?" Dumbledore asked.
"I never found the book, so what could I possibly think?" Ryan grumbled, a hint of dissatisfaction in his voice. He genuinely never found it! A certain old geezer had hidden it away. Was it really necessary to guard against me as if I were another Voldemort?
A complex expression appeared on Dumbledore's face—perhaps it was a mask for his own internal awkwardness. He paused for a long moment before continuing, beginning his explanation of what a Horcrux was as if he hadn't heard Ryan's complaint at all.
"A Horcrux is a product of extremely evil Dark Magic. Through the supremely vicious act of murder, a wizard can split their soul. They can then take a fragment of that soul and place it within an object outside of their body. That object is the Horcrux."
"In this way, even if the wizard's physical body is attacked or destroyed, they will not die, because a piece of their soul remains on this earth, safe and unharmed."
"Voldemort used this evil magic in his pursuit of immortality. He must have split his soul by creating Horcruxes, because when Gellert and Nicolas were studying him, they discovered that the part of Voldemort they held was incomplete."
He didn't tell the whole story. In truth, Flamel and Grindelwald had found that the fragment of Voldemort's soul they'd captured was shattered almost beyond recognition. Furthermore, when they compared the quality of his soul fragment to their own, they estimated it was only a fraction of the whole. This suggested that Voldemort had created more than one Horcrux.
Dumbledore was reluctant to speak more of such a wicked practice, fearing it might reignite Ryan's interest in researching them. One Voldemort in the world was already a massive headache; they certainly didn't need any more. (Though, in reality, the number of Voldemorts had already increased.)
Ryan nodded. "I heard that Voldemort often boasted of his unparalleled power to the Death Eaters and demonstrated that he had conquered death. Perhaps he was using the properties of his Horcruxes to prove he could be resurrected?"
"I imagine so. Voldemort always favored using force to intimidate and subdue other wizards." Dumbledore's voice softened slightly, perhaps recalling a burning wardrobe from many, many years ago. There was another who had once believed that force could leave a profound and lasting impact on people. But in the end, that person had been wrong.
Shaking the memories from his mind, he continued, "Moreover, Gellert and the others discovered that Voldemort split his soul a very long time ago. The traces left on his soul fragment are ancient."
"Perhaps..." Dumbledore enunciated each word carefully, weighing its accuracy. "...he had already... split his soul... as a student."
"Murdering someone to make a Horcrux as a student. Now that's a talent for breaking rules and ignoring laws," Ryan said, a slight tremor in his voice. After all, the word "immortality" held an indescribable allure for him—for all of humanity. And a Horcrux could provide a form of it. For the student-aged Voldemort to have the audacity to do such a thing... it was quite a bargain, when you thought about it. Kill someone, gain eternal life.
If it weren't for the price—one's sanity—this method would surely be wildly popular among the so-called "righteous wizards." At that point, anyone who couldn't or wouldn't make a Horcrux would be too embarrassed to even call themselves a member of the establishment.
"Please don't misunderstand, Headmaster. I have no intention of studying or creating Horcruxes. I'm just struck by how easily this immortality was obtained."
Although Dumbledore's face remained impassive, Ryan could sense the old wizard's tension when he'd expressed his admiration.
He explained further, "An immortality that comes too easily... even if Voldemort's mind hadn't been damaged by splitting his soul, he would have eventually lost his way over his long life and become a slave to power. Without trials, without crossing a sea of bitterness, one cannot attain true longevity."
"The long tempering of experience becomes the pillar that supports a wizard through a long life... that is a novel and insightful perspective," Dumbledore said, finally relaxing. He could genuinely hear the disdain in Ryan's voice for the cheap immortality offered by Horcruxes.
The once-heavy atmosphere in the room immediately lightened. Ryan smiled. "It's not that my viewpoint is novel, Headmaster. It's that so few in the wizarding world ever study longevity, because the gap between wizards is just too vast."
"Take your example. You said Voldemort was likely researching Horcruxes as a student. But look back through the history of Hogwarts—how many students could have achieved such a thing? And in the entire history of magic, how many wizards ever found a path to immortality in their lifetime?"
Ryan was speaking from the heart. While the world of Harry Potter wasn't the most high-powered magical setting, the difference between one wizard and another was greater than the difference between a wizard and a dog. It was like in the Muggle world, where some people believe no one is so stupid they can't learn calculus. But then you look at the average university student, staring blankly at their textbook, drool nearly escaping their lips as their mind goes fuzzy. They are the same species, yet their thoughts and actions are on completely different levels.
"Talent is something one is born with, and there are inherent differences. But knowledge is not. What Hogwarts and we can do is ensure that knowledge comes to every young wizard equally," Dumbledore said calmly. In his long life, he had seen many geniuses and many ordinary people. Looking back, the ones he truly considered geniuses could be counted on one hand. These days he had been reading Muggle sociology and felt he was learning a great deal. Many of its principles, he thought, could be applied directly to wizards. The only difference was that in the wizarding world, he believed both the individual and the "great man" theories of history were equally true; both played a decisive role.
A top-tier alchemist like Nicolas Flamel, for instance, could single-handedly drag the wizarding world into an industrial age. And top-tier wizards like himself and Gellert likewise had the ability to alter the course of history.
Ryan wasn't thinking that deeply. He just felt that Dumbledore was right; at least for the young wizards of Britain, knowledge was available to all.
Suddenly, a thought struck him. "That raises a question, though. Voldemort couldn't possibly be unaware of the conditions for his resurrection via a Horcrux. So why hasn't he been able to return all these years?"
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