"The Gaunt family's old house."
Orli picked up the thread:
"Tom Marvolo Riddle—Marvolo Gaunt. If you're determined to go to the Gaunt house, then I must warn you: before you destroy the Horcrux, it will use all its power to bewitch your mind and tempt you into making the wrong judgments... No offense intended, but you'd better prepare yourself mentally."
If Dumbledore went directly to the Gaunt family's old house, he might once again be tempted by the Resurrection Stone. She had to do everything in her power to prevent Dumbledore from repeating his mistakes—she couldn't let Dumbledore become critically injured again, and she couldn't let Snape bear the infamy of killing Dumbledore once more.
"And this."
Orli took out a bottle of silver potion that glimmered faintly in the torchlight. This was a small bottle of potion she had obtained from the system by spending all her contribution points—and it was the only bottle. Even in the system, it could only be exchanged once.
"This is a lost potion. No one knows the formula, and no one can obtain the ingredients. It can prevent dark curses and dark magic from corrupting the body. If you trust me, the moment something goes wrong—drink it immediately. It can save your life."
She placed the bottle of potion in front of Dumbledore. The old man's expression shifted several times, a flicker of emotion crossing his weathered features.
"Orli, you should keep something like this for yourself," Dumbledore said, shaking his head gently.
"If I'm not mistaken, you plan to deal with the cup and locket yourself, don't you?"
"No, you're more important—at least until Voldemort is completely dead, the wizarding world needs Dumbledore—a livingDumbledore."
Orli's voice carried absolute conviction.
"Orli, you could actually leave these matters to us. You don't need to take such risks... You've done enough these past few years," Dumbledore sighed, his voice heavy with concern.
"If you told me to do nothing now, to just sit quietly, I'd go mad."
Orli stood there like a stone statue, her face a mask of cold determination.
"You should get some sleep, or go to the Hospital Wing to see Harry. Ron and Hermione have been there the whole time..." Dumbledore suggested gently.
"You should know that compared to Harry lying safely in the school, I'm worried about someone else."
Orli's gaze drifted toward a row of empty potion bottles on a distant bookshelf—remnants of Snape's presence in this office.
"...I'm very sorry, Orli," Dumbledore said, his voice weighted with decades of regret.
"All those years ago, I never imagined things would develop this way... I didn't know Severus would meet you..."
"Yes, in your eyes, he's just a pitiful creature who can be used, abandoned, and sacrificed at any time. He doesn't need to have his own life, nor does he deserve any hope or future, right?"
Orli's words cut like shards of ice.
"When you sent him back, did you think about what he would suffer? Take a guess—just in this past night alone, how many times was he subjected to Cruciatus? You can't even be sure if he's still alive right now!"
Dumbledore's lips trembled, his hands clenching slightly on his desk. He seemed desperate to speak but couldn't force out a single word. He simply endured Orli's emotional storm in silence, but she quickly reined herself in. Her expression hardened once more, becoming an impenetrable wall.
"I don't expect you to guarantee his safety, nor do I expect you to consider anything for him. But don't take all of this for granted—"
Orli turned and strode to the door of the headmaster's office, her footsteps echoing in the sudden silence:
"I'm going to the Hospital Wing now to see Harry, and to think about whether there might be other Horcruxes."
She reached for the door handle. In the last moment before the door clicked shut, she glimpsed Dumbledore watching her with eyes full of complex emotions—guilt, sorrow, and something that might have been understanding.
The door closed with a soft finality, leaving the headmaster alone with his thoughts and the weight of choices made long ago.
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