Chapter 146: Invitation to Join Forces

Descending through the secret chamber passage, the three seemed to have entered the deep underground. After traversing a section of rock caverns, they discovered a network of underground pipes spreading in all directions. At the opening of one pipe stood a circular door, entirely covered in serpentine patterns.

"It seems this is the place!" The three walked up to the door.

"It must be opened using Parseltongue!" Jun Ma said. "We need to forcibly break the spells here to get in."

Without a doubt, the spells laid down by Salazar Slytherin were formidable indeed, but the three present—Dumbledore and Snape—were hardly ordinary. Even if their combined might still fell slightly short of that ancient Slytherin, adding Jun Ma into the mix changed the equation entirely.

The three cast spells together, and shortly after, the circular door was forced open.

Passing through the corridor, they finally arrived at the true location of the Chamber of Secrets. That old eccentric Salazar Slytherin had even narcissistically built a statue of himself here.

After some effort, the Basilisk emerged from the statue's mouth.

"Watch out, do not look into its eyes!" The battle was on the verge of breaking out, and Dumbledore instructed.

"Professor Ma, make sure not to be frightened by the Basilisk; you can hide off to the side!" Snape did not forget to mock Jun Ma a couple of times at that moment, then closed his eyes and raised his wand.

The outcome of the battle went without saying. Snape spent the entire encounter doing nothing, while Jun Ma and Dumbledore joined forces and easily dealt with the Basilisk!

Standing before the carcass of the Basilisk, Jun Ma grinned at Snape. "Professor Snape, see? I told you that you didn't need to come down. Look, you couldn't help at all!"

Returning to the surface, the various professors received the news that the Basilisk had been dealt with, and everyone relaxed.

Next came the matter of handling Ginny.

Ginny woke up and, seeing the circle of professors surrounding her, was thoroughly frightened.

Following investigation and questioning, she stated that she knew nothing at all.

Having obtained no information, Dumbledore had no intention of making things difficult for the young girl, and the matter had to be left as an unsolved mystery.

However, the news that the Basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets had been slain was publicized throughout the school, at least relieving the students of their anxiety.

The Daily Prophet also published an article explaining the matter, and Jun Ma made the headlines once again.

Among the students, Jun Ma's prestige rose significantly in a short period of time. Quite a few people even compared him to Dumbledore.

Harry, who had been running around to no avail, also offered his congratulations to Jun Ma.

As things gradually began to settle down, Jun Ma took Voldemort's diary and went to visit Dumbledore once more.

The headmaster's life was relatively comfortable; at least in his office, there was always a pile of snacks and pastries laid out.

As he ate, Jun Ma said, "Headmaster Dumbledore, what do you think about the affair of the Chamber of Secrets?"

"Splendid work, Professor Ma, you handled it admirably!" Dumbledore praised. "It is truly rare to find a professor as young and promising as you!"

"Thank you for the compliment!" Jun Ma said with a cheerful smile, his expression suddenly turning serious. "However, Headmaster, the matter from before is not yet over; I withheld a few details! Because I felt the situation was grave, I had no choice but to come to you now. Take a look at... this object."

Jun Ma fished Voldemort's diary from inside his robes and handed it over.

Seeing how seriously Jun Ma regarded it, Dumbledore couldn't help feeling curious. He took the diary and began to observe it closely.

After a long while, Dumbledore raised his head. "This is... an extraordinarily complex dark magical artifact! Where did you find it?"

"Right on Ginny, that controlled little girl!"

"I suppose you already know what this thing is?" Dumbledore smiled. "Professor Ma, I must praise you once again—your reservoir of knowledge is extremely profound, and you have researched the Dark Arts extensively. It seems you truly are an exceptional Defense Against the Dark Arts professor!"

"Very well, Mr. Headmaster!" Jun Ma smiled. "I already know that I am exceptional. The question now is how we should deal with this object! You know, if it is genuine, then trying to kill that dark wizard Voldemort will be exceedingly difficult!"

Dumbledore let out a long sigh. "A Horcrux... I should have guessed long ago that the reason Voldemort was still able to survive was because he created Horcruxes. It is truly hard to believe that he actually succeeded! Although he is currently in a disembodied state, one day he will surely return. And to kill him, every single Horcrux must be destroyed!"

"But the problem is, we have no idea how many he made, nor do we know where he hid the Horcruxes!"

"Indeed, this is a matter requiring long-term preparation. It is truly a headache!" Dumbledore wore a troubled expression.

"The only thing we can do now is find some trusted individuals to search for the Horcruxes. Furthermore, this notebook must be properly safeguarded for the time being. If it is destroyed, Voldemort will surely notice." Jun Ma said.

"Quite right!" Dumbledore looked down at the notebook.

"Damn it!" Suddenly, Jun Ma let out an exclamation of startled realization.

"What is it?"

"Harry!" Jun Ma stared fixedly at Dumbledore. "Harry can speak Parseltongue, and he knows that Voldemort can too! Between them..."

"You mean..." Dumbledore's expression turned exceptionally grave. "You suspect that inside Harry, there resides a portion of Voldemort's soul? That Harry is also a Horcrux?"

"I'm afraid so... I must confirm this immediately!" Jun Ma wore an expression indicating the situation was of the utmost gravity. "Headmaster, once this is confirmed, how shall we deal with it? If we wish to destroy the half of the soul within Harry, then Harry..."

Jun Ma was watching Dumbledore's reaction. If he could secure his support, then when the time came to deal with Harry, there would be someone else to take the blame.

One had to bear in mind that in the world of Harry Potter, Dumbledore's strength placed him among the very top tier of individuals, yielding nothing even to Voldemort.

More than a decade prior, after the tragedy at Harry's home, Dumbledore had been among the first to rush to the scene. Upon discovering that Harry was left only with a scar on his forehead and that Voldemort had been vanquished, he would certainly have investigated why Harry had caused Voldemort's downfall.

According to Jun Ma's conjecture, it was very likely that at that very moment, the old fox Dumbledore had already discovered that a fragment of Voldemort's soul resided within Harry.

If that was the case, everything could be neatly explained. Dumbledore understood that Harry would eventually have to face Voldemort eye-to-eye; to put it more bluntly, it meant allowing Voldemort to kill Harry with his own hands, thereby destroying the soul within him.

Therefore, Harry's entire life had unfolded under Dumbledore's nurturing. And in truth, his cultivation had been successful—Harry had grown into a true savior, someone capable of sacrificing himself for others and facing death unflinchingly.

Now, facing Jun Ma, Dumbledore hesitated. He had no intention of voicing his hidden thoughts; instead, he gave an evasive reply. "Let us confirm it first. We shall try our best to gather all the Horcruxes, and when that day arrives, we can discuss the matter of Harry!"

"I suppose we have no other choice." Jun Ma naturally could not press further at this moment.

Following nearly a year of teaching at Hogwarts and resolving the affair of the Chamber of Secrets, it was clear that Dumbledore had placed his full trust in Jun Ma. As Jun Ma prepared to take his leave, Dumbledore said, "Professor Ma, during the holidays, I would like to invite you to attend a gathering. It will be with some old friends; I am certain you will enjoy it. What do you say?"

"It must be the Order of the Phoenix..." Jun Ma speculated inwardly, and readily agreed. "No problem!" (To be continued.)