"Such a miraculous talent exists?" Dumbledore exclaimed in astonishment after hearing Dudley's explanation. He tried to decipher the origin of this talent using his vast knowledge:
"Dudley, perhaps one of your ancestors was skilled in alchemy, or more likely, one of your forebears mastered human transmutation—a forbidden and long-lost ancient alchemical art. Just as a natural Legilimens must have ancestors skilled in mind magic, or a Metamorphmagus must have ancestors skilled in Transfiguration. However, inheriting such a powerful talent, you shouldn't logically be a Muggle!"
"Who knows?" Dudley shrugged, neither confirming nor denying Dumbledore's speculation.
"Ask your next question."
"Ah... right." Dumbledore was taken aback by Dudley's unexpected calmness. He had assumed Dudley would be interested in this topic but was met with a soft rebuff. He continued with his line of questioning:
"Dudley, how did you know that Hagrid was retrieving the Philosopher's Stone for me, and how did you prepare this red gemstone in advance to replace it?"
As he spoke, Dumbledore pulled out a dark red gemstone from his pocket, the very one Dudley had swapped into Hagrid's coat.
Hearing this question, Dudley inwardly groaned. This was the biggest flaw in his plan from the previous day. The fake Philosopher's Stone was meant to be taken by Voldemort, only for him to realize it was a dud later.
But no, the white-haired, white-bearded old man had to intercept it with a "Finite Incantatem."
Now, Dudley had to come up with an explanation.
He decided not to lie outright but wouldn't reveal the full truth either.
"It's an information about future events. I can sense some things, though not everything, and it's not always accurate."
"Dudley, you're also a natural Seer?! Your ancestors must have—" Dumbledore was once again astonished. The number of surprises he'd experienced in the past two days exceeded those of the previous decade.
"Enough! I know what you're going to say, and I don't want to hear it," Dudley interrupted, cutting off Dumbledore's irrelevant musings.
"Get this straight: I'm the one who's remarkable. Why keep praising my ancestors? They can't hear you!"
Dumbledore: "Ah..."
"Ask your next question! Or are you done?" Dudley pressed.
"...No, I still have a few more questions," Dumbledore replied, suppressing his frustration. "So, when you warned Hagrid in the Gringotts vault, was it because you foresaw Voldemort's presence nearby?"
"Not exactly. I've already discussed this with Harry. Let him explain it to you," Dudley said, passing the baton to Harry to describe the scar, the soul fragment, and the connection to Voldemort.
Harry didn't hesitate and succinctly explained the situation.
Dumbledore listened intently, his frown deepening with every word. By the end, a dark cloud seemed to hang over his thoughts.
"Horcruxes! Voldemort has learned and used this most vile of dark magic! No wonder he became so powerful, so difficult to destroy!" Dumbledore stood up abruptly and began pacing the room, his usual composure gone.
"If the soul fragment in Harry's scar was unintentionally created by Voldemort, then he must have made other Horcruxes, possibly multiple ones! Given Voldemort's madness, this is almost certain!" Dumbledore muttered, half to himself, half as an explanation.
"Please calm down, Professor Dumbledore," Dudley interjected. "No matter how much you pace, Voldemort's Horcruxes won't come to you and destroy themselves."
"My apologies, children. I lost my composure," Dumbledore said, stopping his pacing. He didn't want to react this way, but Horcruxes were an exceptionally difficult problem.
"What's a Horcrux?" Harry asked as Dumbledore sat back down.
Dumbledore's expression turned grave.
"Harry, it's an evil form of dark magic that requires an act of murder to perform. Through the heinous act of killing, a wizard splits their soul and encases a fragment of it in an object, creating a Horcrux. This way, even if the wizard's body dies and their main soul is destroyed, they can return to life through the Horcrux, achieving immortality."
Dumbledore explained in a heavy tone, emphasizing the dangers of Horcruxes to prevent Dudley and Harry from being tempted: "Never attempt this dark magic. It's cruel, and splitting the soul is an act of profound folly! A mistake can lead to drastic changes in personality, diminished..."
As Dumbledore was earnestly warning them, Dudley suddenly had an idea and excitedly proposed:
"Since Voldemort's soul fragment is connected to Harry's soul through the scar, couldn't Harry learn this dark magic, kill one of Voldemort's followers, perform the ritual, and then separate and destroy Voldemort's soul fragment?"
Dumbledore's eyes widened in horror: "Abandon that dreadful thought, Dudley! How could you even suggest that Harry learn to kill?!"
Dudley's expression turned cold.
"Spare me your occasional bursts of naive kindness, Dumbledore! You're the one who's been guiding Harry and Voldemort toward each other at Hogwarts, all while hoping Harry will kill Voldemort and rid the magical world of a great evil. How is it that you can hope Harry to kill, but when I bring it up openly, you can't handle it? Harry and I are determined to avenge Aunt Lily and Uncle James. The enemy will be killed sooner or later. Why not make use of it while we're at it? Or do you have some foolproof method to help Harry separate Voldemort's soul fragment?"
"No, Dudley! You're oversimplifying this! Creating a Horcrux is an extremely evil process. It splits the caster's soul. Harry cannot use this method to separate Voldemort's soul fragment! It would only damage Harry's own soul!" Dumbledore explained with stern urgency, clearly terrified by the idea.
"Too dangerous, not feasible. Then we'll table it," Dudley said calmly. He had no intention of risking Harry's safety from the start.
Dumbledore let out a long sigh. He was beginning to realize that Dudley might be a good person, but he was far from a conventional one.
However, they still needed a safe way to address the soul fragment in Harry's scar. It was a difficult problem and one of the reasons for the dark cloud hanging over Dumbledore's mind.