Dudley listened to Dumbledore's analysis with a mix of surprise and admiration. It seemed the old man had truly been spurred into action, his mind now working with remarkable agility!
"Wait… you haven't already gone to the Gaunt house, have you?" Dudley asked, sucking in a breath through his teeth. He stared intently at Dumbledore's hands, half-expecting to see the Gaunt ring with the Resurrection Stone already on his finger.
Dumbledore noticed Dudley's gaze and looked puzzled. "No, I haven't gone yet. Didn't you say to come back and discuss any leads with you?"
"That's a relief!" Dudley exhaled, relieved that the powerful ally he had worked so hard to secure wasn't about to self-destruct in less than two weeks. Thankfully, the old man was still listening to reason.
"Dudley, have you had another vision? You seem… strange!" Dumbledore asked curiously.
"Your earlier analysis was correct. There are indeed Horcruxes hidden at Hogwarts and the Gaunt house," Dudley replied, sidestepping the question about visions. He decided to be straightforward, as Dumbledore's newfound insight was too valuable to waste. "The Gaunt family's ancestral ring is one of them."
"That's excellent! I'll head to the Gaunt house first!" Dumbledore's energy surged again, ready to set off immediately.
"Hold on!" Dudley shouted, stopping the old man in his tracks. "Wait a moment! Just a moment! It won't hurt to delay for a bit. I still have important information to share, and you haven't finished reporting on what you've already done!"
"Alright then. Should I go first, or will you?" Dumbledore sat back down in his chair.
"I'll go first. The Horcrux at the Gaunt house is their ancestral ring, which Voldemort has enchanted with extremely powerful dark magic. Even you, if you're not careful, could be seriously harmed by it if you put it on," Dudley emphasized the gravity of the situation.
"Dudley, you're underestimating me!" Dumbledore chuckled with a childlike confidence. "Why would I put the ring on? I'd obviously break the dark magic on it first!"
Dudley didn't join in the laughter. Instead, he remained serious. "Because the ring is set with the Resurrection Stone! One of the Deathly Hallows, on par with the Elder Wand in your hand!"
He repeated the point three times, wiping the smile off Dumbledore's face.
"Dudley, are you serious? The Resurrection Stone… it's at the Gaunt house?" Dumbledore's composure cracked, his face a mix of excitement, longing, and anxiety.
"Cousin! What's the Resurrection Stone? Can it… bring the dead back to life?" Harry, who had been listening intently, couldn't contain his curiosity and blurted out the question.
Seeing the reactions of both his cousin and Dumbledore, Dudley felt a pang of sympathy and a touch of fear. He quickly shattered their illusions:
"As cruel as it sounds, I must remind you both—the Resurrection Stone cannot bring anyone back to life. It's like expecting to find stars in a dish called 'Stargazy Pie.'"
"What?!" Dumbledore exclaimed, his soaring hopes dashed by a bucket of cold water, leaving him feeling utterly deflated.
"Oh… I see," Harry muttered, his voice tinged with disappointment. However, his reaction was far milder than Dumbledore's. Having grown up in the Muggle world, he had never held much hope for something as fantastical as resurrection.
"Dudley, why do you say that? Have you foreseen the true nature of the Resurrection Stone?" Dumbledore pressed, still clinging to a sliver of hope.
"The Resurrection Stone only summons false images of the deceased. Whether these images are based on the user's memories or a simulation of the deceased's soul, I don't know. But I can confirm that these images are entirely fake—they are not the actual souls of the departed.
Once summoned, these images will make the user feel an overwhelming sense of warmth and happiness, only to then plant the idea that the afterlife is far more beautiful, leading the user to commit suicide.
Anyone with weak willpower who obtains the Resurrection Stone will only end up losing their own life instead of bringing back their loved ones."
Dudley explained the stone's true nature in detail. Seeing Dumbledore's devastated expression, he added:
"Dumbledore, it's obvious. If the Resurrection Stone actually worked, would Voldemort have left it behind in the Gaunt house?
Given his personality, wouldn't he have resurrected a bunch of powerful pure-blood wizards from history to serve as his Death Eaters? Wouldn't he carry it with him to instantly revive his fallen followers?
If the Resurrection Stone truly worked, the Gaunt family wouldn't be reduced to an empty house—they'd be thriving!"
Dudley's sharp, questioning logic cut through the fog of Dumbledore's wishful thinking like a blade.
"You're right, Dudley. I lost my composure.
Please forgive an old man who has lost so many loved ones. As we age, we tend to yearn for the past, especially recently, seeing you and Harry, and the Dursleys, living together so harmoniously…"
Dumbledore wiped a tear from his eye, trying to regain his composure.
"There's no need to apologize," Dudley said, his tone softening. "Wanting to bring back lost loved ones is a natural human desire. Harry and my mother also wish they could bring back Aunt Lily and Uncle James, don't they?
I just want you to stay rational and not pin your hopes on a useless piece of rock. As for resurrecting loved ones, I might have a way."
"Thank you for understanding."
Dumbledore wiped his tears, calming himself. But as he did, he suddenly froze.
"Dudley! What did you just say at the end?!"
"Cousin said he has a way to bring back the dead!" Harry chimed in, his voice filled with excitement.
"Exactly!" Dudley confirmed with a nod.
Dumbledore was beside himself, stammering, "What… what way?!"
"By finding a way to safely separate the Horcruxes from Voldemort's soul fragments and restoring the three relics of Hogwarts' founders to their original state, free from Voldemort's taint.
Once that's done, my abilities will grant me an immensely powerful force—one that can transcend the boundaries of life and death, allowing me to resurrect anyone I choose!"
Dudley stood up, his confident and compelling words painting a vivid picture of hope for Harry and Dumbledore.
"I'll do everything in my power to make it happen! Everything!" Dumbledore declared with unwavering determination.
Seeing Dumbledore's resolve, Dudley stepped forward and patted the old man's shoulder—a gesture he'd picked up from Hagrid.
"Alright, this isn't something we can achieve overnight. Let's take it step by step and focus on the present. Dumbledore, since you're still shaken, we can delay retrieving the Gaunt ring and the Resurrection Stone.
For now, tell me about what you've already done—like the locked diary Horcrux and the situation with Barty Crouch Jr."