Voldemort's Horcrux notes are inconspicuous, which is also a way to protect the Horcrux. This method is just as effective as hiding it in a cave or protecting it with powerful magic.
If only this book entered Hogwarts, even if Dumbledore had absolute authority as headmaster, he would be powerless against it. However, when the book was placed in front of Dumbledore, all kinds of concealment methods became ineffective. After all, even Sam, who had only been in contact with magic for less than two years, could sense that this book carried an uncomfortable aura. How could Dumbledore, who had fought Voldemort for half his life, not notice it?
Dumbledore waved his wand, and a silver strap emerged from the tip, tightly binding the notebook. Beside him, Phoenix, who seemed to be in low spirits, also stood up, staring at the notebook with an uneasy expression.
"Get behind me, boy," Dumbledore instructed, holding up his wand. "This thing may be more dangerous than I thought, and I think you need to stay away from it."
Although Sam knew that this notebook hadn't absorbed much energy since it was created, and after fighting with Overton before, it probably didn't have much active attack power now. However, since such things were difficult to explain, he could only follow Dumbledore's advice and hide. After all, he had come here to sue parents, and suing parents should be done properly.
After confirming that Sam was safely behind him, Dumbledore transformed the silver strap into a translucent protective shield. Then, carefully directing a silver instrument on the table, he opened the notebook. The moment he saw the name on the title page, Sam clearly noticed Dumbledore's back freeze for a moment.
This was inevitable. Although Voldemort's original name had been erased from many records, as a teacher who had been with him for seven years—and his lifelong enemy—Dumbledore immediately recognized to whom this belonged.
After all, in the original events, Dumbledore always insisted on calling Voldemort "Tom." There was no way he wouldn't recognize the name.
Knowing what kind of person Voldemort was, Dumbledore did not dare to underestimate anything he left behind.
Flipping through the notebook hastily, Dumbledore found no words inside. He began waving his wand in intricate patterns, chanting incantations aloud.
For a wizard of Dumbledore's level, most spells could be cast silently. He could even cast spells while arguing with Voldemort during their battle at the Ministry of Magic. The fact that he was now chanting aloud indicated the severity of the situation.
As Dumbledore's incantation filled the air, one by one, runes burning like flames emerged from his wand and sank into the notebook.
Although Sam had gained a full set of rune knowledge during his trip to Scotland, he couldn't comprehend the magic that Dumbledore was unleashing.
It was like reading an advanced academic paper—he could recognize each word, but he had no idea what the entire text meant.
As the burning runes continued to pour in, the notebook began to emit traces of black smoke. Eventually, a blurred face made of smoke, with barely visible features, appeared above the book.
Once the face fully formed, the fiery runes turned into glowing red chains, binding it tightly. The smoky figure thrashed violently, trying to break free.
Although Voldemort's power was comparable to—or perhaps even slightly greater than—Dumbledore's, the diary contained only one-seventh of his soul. Moreover, this was the version of Voldemort as a teenager, making it no match for Dumbledore.
Sam watched as the face struggled less and less, the burning chains tightening further, until finally, the face stopped moving. But instead of relief, Dumbledore's expression grew even more solemn.
Is there more trouble? As soon as Sam had this thought, an ear-piercing shriek erupted from the diary. The smoky face suddenly dissolved, reforming into a pitch-black mist that shot toward Dumbledore's face like a spear.
The shriek wasn't just a sound—it carried a direct attack on the soul.
Sam was forced to cover his ears and crouch down. He didn't know exactly what this misty spear was, but he could tell it wasn't good.
Dumbledore quickly summoned a flame shield. The misty spear struck the shield, rapidly consuming itself in the flames. Sam watched as the spear grew shorter and weaker.
Because the diary had already expended too much energy before, the spear attack lacked the strength to last long. Within a minute, it was completely obliterated by Dumbledore's magic.
As the last traces of the attack disappeared, Sam exhaled in relief.
At that moment, the diary suddenly made a strange noise. Sam watched as it fell onto the table, black ink spilling out of it.
As the ink spread across the table, it suddenly burst into flames—as if it weren't ink at all, but gasoline. The fire consumed the diary rapidly, its cover and pages burning away as though soaked in fuel.
Within moments, nothing remained but gray-black ashes.
Dumbledore waved his wand, making the ashes vanish, then turned to Sam with a weary expression.
"Where did you get this?" he asked.
Sam carefully concealed anything related to the Myriad Realms store and the foreknowledge of events. He told Dumbledore that the notebook had been a gift from Ginny, but when he discovered that it could write back, he became terrified. After multiple attempts to destroy it—including fire and water—he realized it couldn't be destroyed and had no choice but to seek the headmaster's help.
He also mentioned that he had seen Williams Malfoy secretly slipping something into Ginny's cauldron. Having spent a year with the Weasleys, he knew they were good people. He didn't believe they would own such a dark artifact—it had to be a setup.
Dumbledore listened carefully, nodding as Sam spoke.
"This is a very dangerous object," Dumbledore finally said. "You made the right choice. I will award Gryffindor fifty points for your wisdom and courage. But, boy, I ask that you keep this matter a secret. The evil hidden here is not something students your age should be dealing with, and I do not want panic spreading among the students."
"I understand, Headmaster Dumbledore," Sam assured him.
With that, he descended the spiral staircase of the headmaster's office.
Just as his eyes reached floor level, he glanced back. Dumbledore was leaning in his chair, staring at the ashes, deep in thought.
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