"Just as we analyzed, Lucius Malfoy was indeed safeguarding a Horcrux for Voldemort. He had provided Voldemort with substantial financial support, earning a certain degree of trust from him.
Lucius's willpower isn't particularly strong. When I showed up at Malfoy Manor unannounced, he panicked slightly. With a bit of verbal prodding, he caved and handed over this rather unique Horcrux.
Unlike the soul fragments in the other Horcruxes, the one in this diary contains the complete memories and consciousness of Voldemort from his younger days.
It even emits mental waves, luring wizards to communicate with it by writing in the diary.
It can construct a mental illusion for communication, using Voldemort's youthful charm, extensive knowledge of dark magic, and eloquence to break down the defenses of those who interact with it, ultimately achieving an effect similar to the Imperius Curse.
After obtaining the diary, the 'young Voldemort' inside refused to communicate with me. I used some methods to force a conversation and uncovered the secrets of this Horcrux.
This was likely the first Horcrux Voldemort ever created, made before he even graduated from Hogwarts. It was an oversight on my part."
Dumbledore recounted the process of obtaining the diary Horcrux and the information he had gathered.
"What about this magical chain?" Dudley asked.
"That's my doing! The chain seals off the young Voldemort's perception of the outside world, preventing him from causing trouble.
Holding this Horcrux is risky. Lucius had kept it locked in a chest for years. Now that we have it, we must take precautions."
Dumbledore explained.
"What if I want to have a chat with the young Voldemort inside?" Dudley pressed. Having a punching bag to vent his frustrations on was too good to pass up. Plus, he had some important experiments that required the assistance of the young and handsome Tom Riddle!
"Dudley, are you sure you won't be influenced by Voldemort's residual soul?" Dumbledore asked with concern. "Your magical power is strong, but you lack experience."
"Just teach me how to remove the magical chain first, Dumbledore!" Dudley insisted. "I'll only unlock it once I'm fully prepared."
"Alright," Dumbledore agreed.
"Now, what about Barty and Barty Jr.? Is Barty Jr. still alive? Did he escape?"
After discussing the diary Horcrux, Dudley moved on to the next topic.
"He's alive, and he did escape!" Dumbledore replied bluntly.
Dudley frowned. "Did you find out where he—"
"But he didn't succeed!" Dumbledore interrupted, throwing in a twist that left Dudley exasperated.
"What's the actual situation?" Dudley asked, rolling his eyes.
"Ha! Just a little joke. It's a good way to lighten the mood," Dumbledore said, his spirits noticeably lifted. "When I Apparated near the Crouch residence, I saw Barty Jr. escaping and attacking his father, Barty Sr.
Just as Barty Sr. was about to be overwhelmed, I secretly cast a few nonverbal spells to help him. Barty Sr. managed to subdue his son, tie him up, and drag him back inside.
Barty Sr. probably realized someone had helped him, but he couldn't detect me, so he had to let it go.
After that, I stationed myself near the Crouch house and sent word to Alastor Moody, the famous Auror, and Remus Lupin, Harry's father's close friend, to take over the surveillance of Barty Jr.
Both are exceptionally powerful wizards, especially Moody, who's responsible for capturing over half of the dark wizards in Azkaban. With them on the job, we can rest assured that Barty Jr. won't slip out of our grasp."
Dudley thought about it. In the original story, it took both Barty Jr. and Peter Pettigrew to capture Moody. Now, with Barty Jr. alone and Moody teamed up with Lupin, the odds were in their favor. Still, out of caution, he reminded Dumbledore:
"It might be wise to assign some trustworthy ordinary wizards as backup. This is a long-term surveillance mission. Moody and Lupin can't be at their peak 24/7, and they might need to take shifts."
"Dudley, you're always so thorough!"
Dumbledore agreed and began mentally listing a few loyal allies he could call upon, planning to send them letters later.
As the sky darkened, Dumbledore didn't stay for dinner at the Dursleys'.
After Dudley added a Trace to him and he taught Dudley the spell to remove the magical chain, Dumbledore Apparated back to Hogwarts.
He told Dudley that he still needed to interview a few candidates to replace Quirrell as the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor for the year.
Professor McGonagall had shortlisted some excellent wizards for him.
Among them was a young witch who had recently returned from the American wizarding community to settle in Britain. She was exceptionally skilled and had extensive knowledge of dark creatures, making her an ideal candidate for the position.
Additionally, the election for the new Minister of Magic was scheduled for the next day, and Dumbledore needed to oversee it.
Work was busy, and there was much to do.
Even at a hundred years old, the old man still had to keep pushing forward.
August 14th
At the Ministry of Magic, the election for the new Minister was held.
Kingsley Shacklebolt, not too old and with no regard for seniority, won by a landslide solely due to his loyalty to Dumbledore.
Ninety-eight percent of the wizards participating in the election voted for Kingsley.
This left the other candidate, seasoned Auror Rufus Scrimgeour, as a mere footnote in the election, forced to watch as Kingsley, a mid-level Auror who had once been beneath him, ascended to the highest position in the Ministry.
That evening, after presiding over the election and making a trip to the Gaunt house, Dumbledore returned to the Dursleys'.
Thanks to Dudley's stern warning, he hadn't suffered the same mishap as in the original story.
He successfully brought back the Horcrux—Marvolo Gaunt's ring—along with the Resurrection Stone set into it, both sealed with powerful magic.
The Resurrection Stone, like Dumbledore's Elder Wand, was rated SSS-level by the system.
As Dudley pried the stone from the ring and examined it, he received a system notification:
[Detected that the Host has touched the Resurrection Stone, one of the Deathly Hallows. System reminder triggered.]
[Collecting all three Deathly Hallows will unlock the SSS-level special regret event: The Curse of the Deathly Hallows.]
[This regret event is extremely difficult and will require facing genuine life-and-death crises multiple times. Proceed with caution.]