Chapter 1,217

In fact, when Albus and I left Hogwarts to start a different life, we wanted to do what was then popular around the world... to visit and observe foreign wizards.

However, in the evening before our journey began, Albus's mother Kedra passed away. As the head of the family, Albus had to support the family.

I postponed my departure for a long time to attend Kedra's funeral as a sign of respect. Then go on this lonely journey alone.

There was no doubt that Albus would not travel with me... he had a brother and a sister to look after, and they had very little money.

We had little contact during those days, and I wrote to Albus, probably unconsciously, describing the wonders and stories I had seen in my travels, from barely escaping a fire-breathing beast in Greece to The experiments of the Egyptian alchemists.

The letters he wrote to me barely mentioned his day-to-day life. I think this kind of life must be very frustrating and boring for such a talented wizard.

While I was still immersed in my travels, I was saddened to hear that another tragedy had befallen Dumbledore: the death of his sister Ariana.

Although Ariana had been frail for a long time, this was another blow not long after the loss of their mother, which still had a great impact on the brothers.

All these personal misfortunes about Albus... plus my own good fortune... made Dumbledore feel that he was responsible for Ariana's death (which of course had absolutely nothing to do with him), They left an indelible mark on Dumbledore.

In fact, it was only after I returned that I discovered that such a young man had gone through the pain that an older man would go through.

Albus was a little more conservative and less carefree than before. As if God wanted to increase his pain, the loss of Ariana did not bring Albus and Aberforth closer, but further apart.

Regardless, from that point on, he stopped talking about his parents and Ariana, and neither did his friends.

It's as if the pain in the past was just a reflection of the success he would achieve in the years to come.

Dumbledore's countless contributions to magical scholarship, including the discovery of twelve uses for dragon's blood, will benefit generations to come. Likewise, becoming the Chief Wizard of the Wizengamot, he displayed extraordinary wisdom in many trials. Many say that there is still no wizarding duel that rivals the one between Dumbledore and Grindelwald in 945, and all eyewitnesses wrote about their experiences watching these two outstanding wizards fight. The fear and awe felt.

Dumbledore's successes, and their importance in the wizarding world, are recorded in the history of magic and are considered a turning point alongside the introduction of the International Statute of Secrecy and the downfall of the Devil Who Must Not Be Named. .

Albus Dumbledore has never been arrogant and arrogant. He can benefit from anyone, but it is despicable and meaningless. I believe that the setbacks in his early years gave him the best personality and compassion.

To this day, I can't believe I've lost such a friend, but my loss certainly doesn't compare to that of the wizarding community as a whole. Known as the most inspiring and beloved headmaster Hogwarts has ever had, he lives on in people's hearts. He worked long and hard to make everything better, and until the end of his life, he must have been willing to lend a helping hand to a little boy with dragon rash, just like the day I met him...

At this point, Harry had finished reading, but he was still staring closely at the photo next to the obituary: Dumbledore was wearing his familiar, kind smile, but his piercing eyes, through his The pair of half-moon-shaped glasses can leave a strong impression on Porter even in newspapers, as bright, condensed, and captivating as starlight.

Mixed with Harry's sadness, however, was a sense of shame.

In fact, Harry always thought he knew Dumbledore very well, but after he read this obituary, he had to realize that he never knew him.

Every time Harry thought of Dumbledore, he thought of the dignified, elderly, silver-haired man he knew.

Neither he nor anyone else had any idea of ​​the young Dumbledore, it was like trying to imagine a stupid Hermione or a friendly Blast-Ended Skrewt.

In fact, Harry never thought of asking about Dumbledore's past. There was no doubt that it would be strange, even reckless. And after all, the legendary duel between Dumbledore and Grindelwald has become popular knowledge. Harry didn't even think about asking Dumbledore what kind of duel it was, let alone his other... achieved.

No, they just kept talking about Harry, Harry's past, Harry's future, Harry's plan... It seems that for Harry now, even though his future is full of dangers and changes, he has missed them all Seize those irreplaceable opportunities to ask those things about Dumbledore himself. Even the only personal question he ever asked the headmaster, Dumbledore did not answer him honestly: "What did you see when you looked in the magic mirror?"

"Me? I saw myself holding a pair of thick wool socks."

A pair of thick wool socks from God!

As far as this obituary is concerned, what Dumbledore saw was definitely not that simple.

Fan ** had discussed some things with him, and he accidentally said about Fan Lin and Dumbledore's experience of searching for Horcruxes.

Voldemort's magic once caused Dumbledore to be lost for a long time, which was terrifying. Moreover, it is reported that it was the magic left by Voldemort when he was a teenager.

However, Harry noticed another message. Dumbledore was lost. Fantasy always shows what a person desires most in his heart, just like the fear that Boggart will target you.

Harry's own is a dementor, Ron is a giant spider, and Fanlin and Hermione are each other's corpses...

Of course, things might change now, and Harry knew exactly what he was afraid of.

Ginny?

What about...Dumbledore?

Everyone's desires and fears come from important people or things. Harry once asked, and Fanlin just answered him that you will know later.

Ariana, Aberforth, or Grindelwald?

Harry thought for a long time. He tore the obituary from the Daily Prophet, folded it and placed it in the first volume of "Practical Defense Magic and its Restraint against the Dark Arts", and then put the rest of the newspaper away. Throw it in the trash and turn to face the room: it has become much neater.

The only thing left outside was today's copy of the Daily Prophet, still lying on his bed, and above it, a fragment of the broken mirror.

Harry crossed the room, removed the shard of mirror from today's Daily Prophet, and opened the paper.

When he picked up the rolled newspaper delivered by Owl Mail early in the morning, he only glanced at the headlines and threw it aside after finding that there was no news about Voldemort.

Harry was certain that the Ministry of Magic would ban the Daily Prophet from publishing news about Voldemort. But now, he suddenly saw what he had missed because of it.

In the bottom center of the first page is a small message with a picture of Dumbledore, seemingly hastily posted: Dumbledore - The Final Truth? Over the past week, the shocking story of the flawed genius who was regarded as the greatest wizard of his generation has been brought to the attention of many.

Peeling back the popular façade of this silver-bearded sage, Rita Skeeter reveals his chaotic childhood, lawless youth, long family feuds throughout his life, and the story of Dumbledore. The secret that Lidona took to his grave: Why did this man so easily give up the chance to become Minister for Magic and settle for just being the Headmaster?

What is the true purpose of the mysterious organization known as the Order of the Phoenix? How did Dumbledore face his death? And many other questions like these are explored in Rita Skeeter's latest explosive biography, The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore, 13th edition, Bay Area. An exclusive interview with Ray Brishwaite.

In an instant, Harry's face turned extremely ugly.

Harry tore open the newspaper and found page thirteen.

At the top of the article was another familiar face to Harry: a woman with bejeweled glasses, curly blond hair carefully styled, teeth bared in what was undoubtedly a winning smile. Wagging his finger at Harry.

Harry tried his best not to look at the disgusting picture and continued reading.

In my personal opinion, Rita Skeeter is much gentler and more passionate than her sharp reputation suggests.

After greeting me in her cozy hallway, she led me straight into the kitchen for tea and a slice of cake, and, needless to say, a lively conversation ensued.

"Of course, Dumbledore is every biographer's dream," Skeeter said. "Such a long and fulfilling life. I guarantee that my book will be the first of many."

Skeeter did hit the point.

Her more than nine hundred pages of work were completed just four weeks after Dumbledore's mysterious death in June. I asked her how she managed to achieve this ultra-high-speed feat.

"Well, when you've been a reporter for as long as I have, you learn that extreme work is just instinct. I knew the wizarding world was clamoring for the whole story, and I wanted to be the first to fulfill their needs. "

I mentioned the widely circulated comment recently made by Ephia Dogo, a special advisor to the Wizengamot and Dumbledore's long-time friend: "Skeeter's book contains more than There's a picture of a Chocolate Frog."

Skeeter laughed. "Dear Dogo! I still remember interviewing him a few years ago about the rights of merfolk. God! He was so stupid. It was like we were sitting at the bottom of Lake Windermere and he kept telling me to be careful. Salmon."

But those condemnations of Euphia Dogo had an impact in many places. Does Skeeter really think that just four weeks is enough to obtain information about Dumbledore's long and extraordinary life?

"Oh, dear," Skeeter smiled, rapping me with his knuckles affectionately, "you certainly know how much a bag of Galleons, a style that never lets one say no, and a wonderful shorthand pen can buy you. News! People are lining up to expose the dirt on Dumbledore! You know, not everyone thinks he's that good... He pissed off a lot of important people. The old liar Dogo is about to get his ass off. That veneer of nobility was lost, for I gained a source that many journalists would trade their wands for... a man who never spoke publicly, but was a close confidant of Dumbledore's lawless youth. Character. The aforementioned public biography of Skeeter does suggest that those who believe that Dumbledore's life was flawless must be prepared for the blows to come."

I ask, so what's the biggest surprise she's ever revealed?

"Don't ask now, Berry. I won't reveal any highlights until you buy my book!" Skeeter laughed, "But I can guarantee that those who still believe Dumbledore is as innocent as his beard Would have been a slap in the face! Let's think about it, people heard that he was strongly opposed to You-Know-Who, but never dreamed that he himself dabbled in the dark arts in his youth! As a wizard who promoted tolerance in his later years, in his youth! But he is by no means a man of magnanimity! Yes, Albus Dumbledore has an extremely dark past, not to mention his dirty family that he avoids mentioning by studying hard. "

I asked Skeeter if she was referring to Dumbledore's brother Aberforth, who had been convicted by the Wizengamot fifteen years ago for a crime involving magical abuse of minors.

"Well, that Aberforth thing is just the end of a whole bunch of ugliness," Skeeter said with a smile. "No, no, I'm talking about more than a wasted brother, even more than his cruel brother. Muggle dads were much more serious... although Dumbledore couldn't calm either of them down anyway, both of them had been accused of the Wizengamot though! His mother and sister, unearthing a little bit of dirt that was pretty well covered up... but, like I said, you're going to have to wait until Chapters 9-12 to get all the details. Let me tell you, Dumbledore never told anyone about his broken nose."

Although the family scandal was exposed, Skeeter couldn't deny Dumbledore's brilliance in many magical inventions, right?

"He had brains," Skeeter admitted, "although there are many doubts as to whether the achievements now presumed to be his were really all the credit he deserved. As I revealed in Chapter 16, Ai F. Dillonsby claimed that he 'borrowed' from Dumbledore; his paper had already discovered the eight functions of dragon's blood. "

But, with all due respect, the importance of some of Dumbledore's achievements cannot be denied. What about that famous incident where he defeated Grindelwald?

"Oh, I'm glad you're talking about Grindelwald now," Skeeter said with a slight smile. "I'm afraid those who naively believed in Dumbledore's great victory must be as if they had been fooled." A bomb... maybe a dung bomb, really, is a very dirty trick. What I'm trying to say is, don't be so sure about the spectacular duel after reading my book. would be forced to admit that Grindelwald simply conjured a white handkerchief from the end of his wand, and that was the end of it!"

Skeeter refuses to reveal more about the intrigue, and we turn to the interpersonal aspects that most fascinate her readers. (To be continued)