A ray of sunlight slowly slid across the smooth desk in the principal's office, illuminating a silver ink bottle and a bright red feather pen.
The portraits around him were all awake, a rare sight, and were listening intently to Dumbledore's explanation. In the frame, the occasional rustling of robes and the sound of throat clearing of past headmasters could be heard.
"I know you feel very guilty, but don't be anxious. Just listen to me slowly as I tell you the whole story." Dumbledore said to Harry gently.
"In fact, Professor Dracula has been planting an insider among the Death Eaters. As you can see, it is Lucius Malfoy who turned against us... He told Professor Dracula that Voldemort wanted to trick you into the Ministry of Magic, so we used this to arrange a plan in reverse."
"Lucius Malfoy?" Harry frowned. "I don't understand why that bad guy would suddenly choose to help us?"
"He is not helping us, he is only helping himself." Dumbledore shook his head and said, "Lucius Malfoy is a coward, he is just a fence-sitter."
"When Professor Dracula's deterrence on Malfoy exceeded that of Voldemort, and Malfoy had already lost Voldemort's trust, the choice he made was self-evident."
"But isn't he afraid of Voldemort's revenge?" asked Harry.
"Of course he was afraid, so Professor Dracula had already arranged a retreat for him before this operation." Dumbledore said, "Professor Dracula personally served as a secret keeper and built a safe house for Malfoy."
"Once this operation is over, the Malfoys will evacuate to that house. His mission will end there."
"So, all our actions were under your watch?" Harry's eyes widened in disbelief, feeling like a fool. "So when we used Umbridge's fireplace to go to the Order of the Phoenix, you deliberately hid?"
"That's right. We really can't appear in your sight, Harry." Dumbledore explained, "Voldemort and your memory are connected. If we show up rashly, it is likely to alert him..."
"Unfortunately, this plan had some problems in the end, and Voldemort was not completely defeated - fortunately, it was not completely fruitless."
Dumbledore stared at the black gemstone ring on his index finger, and his tone became very gentle.
Harry felt terrible.
Although his guilt and self-blame mostly disappeared after listening to Dumbledore's explanation, he felt like he had turned into a clown performing hard in front of everyone.
All his actions were meaningless, and now everyone knew that he was keen on being a hero.
"But why didn't Voldemort take the prophecy ball himself?" Harry asked unwillingly, "I can understand that only those mentioned in the prophecy can get the prophecy ball, but I don't understand... Voldemort can obviously take it away himself."
"Voldemort is also afraid of being exposed, Harry." Dumbledore smiled at Harry and said, "If he, as one of the parties involved, took the prophecy ball himself. When the Silencer in the Department of Mysteries discovered this, the news of the return of the mysterious man would quickly spread throughout the wizarding world—"
"After all, Voldemort hasn't been resurrected long enough, and he hasn't organized all his forces and allies yet. Exposing himself too early will do him more harm than good."
"It would be different if you were the one to get the prophecy. Not only would it be easy for the cautious Fudge to completely oppose you, but he could also find an opportunity to eliminate you as a threat from the Ministry of Magic."
"Unfortunately, it seems that his plan has completely failed."
Having said that, Dumbledore put on a rare smile on his face, and happily poured a cup of tea for Harry and himself, sipping it gently.
Harry took the tea and then picked up the prophecy he had been holding in his hand.
"So this prophecy that mentioned me and Voldemort... what did it say?" he asked curiously, "Does it contain any important information? Voldemort is so interested in it."
"The reason why Voldemort wants to get this prophecy ball so much is actually because he has only heard half of the prophecy." Dumbledore smiled, "Would you like to take a look together?"
He reached out and took the prophecy from Harry's hand.
Then, Dumbledore tapped the transparent sphere with his wand, and a pearly white image began to appear in the headmaster's office. The effect was a bit like a pensieve, but the picture was hazy and blurred.
Harry saw a dishevelled, slovenly woman sitting on a chair, muttering something insanely. From her clothes, one could vaguely tell that she was the Hogwarts Divination professor, Sybil Trelawney.
"Here comes the one who has the power to defeat the Dark Lord..." Sybill Trelawney muttered mysteriously, "Born into a family that has thrice resisted him, born at the end of July..."
"The Dark Lord will mark him as his greatest enemy, but he will have powers the Dark Lord knows not of... One of them must die at the hand of the other, for both cannot live but one... The one who will have power to defeat the Dark Lord will be born at the end of July..."
The pearly white light disappeared, and Harry looked up blankly, meeting Dumbledore's smiling eyes.
"Professor Trelawney didn't seem to mention me specifically." Harry said puzzledly, "And... Neville was also born at the end of July, and his family seemed to have resisted Voldemort several times."
"You are right, Harry," Dumbledore said with a smile, "but you can look at the second half of the prophecy, which Voldemort never understood - 'The Dark Lord will mark him as his greatest enemy'."
"You and Voldemort are both half-bloods, and the Longbottoms are a pure-blood family, Harry... Voldemort places too much emphasis on bloodline, so he chooses to regard you, who is also half-blood, as his rival."
"This is too... incredible, isn't it?" Harry opened his mouth wide, "If the prophecy can determine everything that will happen in the future, then what is the meaning of what we do?"
"That's not the case, Harry." Dumbledore shook his head and said, "The significance of our learning about prophecy is not to accurately predict the future, but to get rid of the shackles of fate, so that we can understand more possibilities and live more freely."
"Prophecy does not exist to constrain us!"
"Harry, remember, no matter what the future mentioned in the prophecy is like, we still live in the present!" Dumbledore continued, "The present is complete, but the prophecy is not. The prophecy is fragmented. It cannot tell us everything about the future, and naturally there is no need to let it interfere too much with our present."
"But Voldemort..." Harry hesitated.
"Voldemort pursued power and life excessively, and did not see through many of the truths of life." Dumbledore sighed and said softly, "This is also a big reason why he was repeatedly frustrated in his confrontation with you."
"I thought I was just lucky." Harry said a little depressed.
"That's not the case. Luck can't always represent everything." Dumbledore said seriously, "Perhaps it's time. I should tell you something I should have told you five years ago..."
Harry froze for a moment, looking at Dumbledore blankly.
Dumbledore stared out the window at the sunlit ground, then returned his gaze to Harry.
"Harry, five years ago, just as I had planned and hoped, you arrived at Hogwarts safe and sound," he said. "Well, perhaps not completely safe and sound, you suffered in your Muggle family."
"When I left you on your aunt and uncle's doorstep, I knew you would suffer. I knew it would doom you to a dark and difficult decade."
He paused and looked at Harry.
Harry remained silent and said nothing.
"You may be asking, and with good reason - why is it the way it is? Why can't I find some wizarding family to take you in? Many families would not only be happy to do so, but would be honored and happy to raise you as their own son."
"My response was that my first priority was your survival. Because I knew you were probably in more danger than anyone else."
"When we sent you to your aunt and uncle's house, Voldemort had been defeated just a few hours ago, but his supporters were still at large... They were all angry and brutal outlaws, and many of them were as terrible as Voldemort."
"I need to make judgments and decisions about the next few years several years in advance. Do I really believe, like Fudge and the others, that Voldemort is gone forever? No, I don't believe it."
"Although I don't know when he will come back, ten, twenty, or fifty years later, but I am sure that he will come back. And based on my understanding of him, I am also sure that he will never sit still before killing you."
"I know that Voldemort's magical ability is more powerful than almost any wizard alive today. I also know that once he recovers all his magical power, I am afraid that even I may not be able to defeat him even if I try my best."
"But I also understand where Voldemort's weakness is - he is a child born under the influence of aphrodisiacs and has never known what love is. This is why he eventually fell under your mother's magic."
Dumbledore looked into Harry's green eyes, stretched out his index finger, and gently pointed at his left chest.
"So I decided that I should use Lily's blood magic to protect you. Voldemort has always looked down on this kind of magic, and he has always despised and underestimated this kind of blood magic that explodes with all emotions and power—"
"And because of this, he paid the price. Your mother gave you an unexpected and lasting protection, which still flows in your blood to this day."
"So, I trusted your mother's blood and handed you over to her sister, her only remaining relative."
"But she doesn't like me," Harry retorted immediately. "She doesn't give me any -"
"But she took you in," Dumbledore interrupted him. "She may have taken you in reluctantly, unhappy, and reluctantly, but she took you in after all. In the process, I amplified the magic that Lily cast on you. Lily's sacrifice made the blood bond the most powerful protection I could give you."
"I still don't think—" Harry began stiffly.
"As long as you can call home the place where your mother's blood lives, you will not be disturbed or harmed by Voldemort. Voldemort spilled her blood, but it still lives in you and your aunt."
"Lily's blood magic has become your refuge. You need to go back once a year to ensure that this blood magic can continue. At the same time, as long as you are there, Voldemort cannot harm you."
"Your aunt knew that. I left the letter on her doorstep telling her exactly what I had done to you. She knew that keeping you at home would ensure that you were safe for the past fifteen years."
Harry's eyes widened, feeling that his outlook on life had been greatly impacted.
The Dursley family, who usually wanted to beat and scold him every day, actually became his biggest protection from Voldemort
"I know you may not be able to accept it for a while, but please think about it, Harry." Dumbledore said calmly, "If your aunt hates you so much, why would she go to King's Cross Station on time every summer vacation to pick you up?"
Harry froze in place again.
Thinking about it this way, it seems to be true...
No matter how big a mistake he had made before the last school term started, or how unhappy the Dursleys had been, Aunt Peggy and Uncle Vernon would always be there waiting for him on the platform of King's Cross Station at the beginning of every summer vacation.
Even though the previous one ruined Uncle Vernon's big business, even though Aunt Marge was blown up into a balloon, and even though Dudley was locked in a display case in the zoo, they still had no intention of leaving Harry alone at the station.
Although their expressions were not very good, and there was even some disgust in their eyes, they were never absent once.
"You seem to have figured it out, Harry." Dumbledore smiled gently.
"Your aunt has always had feelings for her sister. No matter how much she did to you or how badly she treated you, she still didn't want you to leave her like Lily did."
"Harry, you have family. You always have."
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