Several days after sheltering the Malfoys, Harry finally succeeded in obtaining Slughorn's memory.
Viewing it through the Pensieve revealed a memory of regret—of giving young Tom Riddle knowledge about Horcruxes.
But this wasn't really Slughorn's fault.
Tom Riddle had been the very model of an excellent student back then, showing no signs he'd misuse magic. Slughorn had simply been deceived.
And by obtaining this memory, Dumbledore and Harry were able to reach the secret of Voldemort's immortality.
The secret of immortality was indeed Horcruxes. By destroying them all, it would become possible to kill Voldemort.
Furthermore, the memory also revealed their number.
Young Tom Riddle had stated that seven was the most powerful magical number.
Then the number of Horcruxes would be six—seven when including the original soul.
Of those, three had been confirmed destroyed.
First, the diary destroyed in second year.
The ring that Dumbledore destroyed.
And the Horcrux hidden in the vault that Mirabelle (presumably) destroyed.
But aside from the ring Dumbledore destroyed, questions remained.
First, the diary. Harry had certainly pierced Tom Riddle's phantom with a sword.
But the actual vessel was the diary itself—it couldn't be considered destroyed unless that was damaged.
In other words, when it retreated from before Harry and the others, the diary was still intact.
But if it was intact, why did it release Ginny Weasley's soul?
...Was it disposed of by Mirabelle? That seemed the most reasonable conclusion.
And another thing. Regarding the Malfoy family vault that was recently attacked—the presence of a Horcrux there was purely speculation; no one had actually seen it.
It was possible there was no Horcrux, or that Mirabelle didn't know how to destroy it.
Moreover, Mirabelle's objective wasn't necessarily the Horcrux.
Considering that, assuming it was destroyed might be overly optimistic.
In any case, what needed to be done was clear.
First, find and destroy the Horcruxes to defeat Voldemort.
In terms of being an immortal monster, Mirabelle was the same, but she probably hadn't created multiple vessels like Voldemort.
Priority was eliminating Voldemort's Horcruxes.
Fortunately, Dumbledore apparently had a lead on the Horcrux's location.
Harry and Dumbledore immediately departed for the cave where a Horcrux was supposedly hidden.
But ultimately, it proved a wasted trip.
Because when they arrived, the place had already been completely destroyed, reduced to ruins with only piles of corpses.
"P-Professor, what is this...?"
"Mirabelle. I can think of no other explanation."
Dumbledore answered Harry's trembling voice with a groan.
This was a cave Voldemort had used to protect a fragment of his soul.
Naturally, it would have been prepared with traps utilizing the full extent of his magical prowess.
Only a limited number of people could break through those and destroy everything so thoroughly.
Nine times out of ten, this was Mirabelle's doing—no doubt about it.
"That terrifying girl reached the method of killing Voldemort before us and destroyed the Horcrux."
Mirabelle was attempting to dispose of Voldemort's Horcruxes.
That was fine. It might sound harsh, but if villains wanted to crush each other, nothing could be better.
But Mirabelle—and even Voldemort himself—probably didn't know there were sevenHorcruxes.
The most powerful magical number was seven. So Voldemort had undoubtedly created six Horcruxes.
That way, combined with his own soul, there would be seven souls total.
But when that ignorant Dark Lord tried to kill baby Harry, he inadvertently gave him a piece of his soul.
In other words, Harry was the final Horcrux that Voldemort had unintentionally created.
This was the reason Harry understood Parseltongue and could synchronize with Voldemort's consciousness.
If... if Mirabelle realized this...
That girl would surely come to kill Harry without hesitation, without a single pang of conscience.
Voldemort would probably never notice.
Perhaps because he'd absorbed Harry's protective magic, or because the connection had become so normal he couldn't perceive it—he remained oblivious.
But Mirabelle would surely realize it eventually.
Probably after destroying all the Horcruxes, when she tried to kill Voldemort and discovered there was one final Horcrux.
If that happened, that demon would surely trace her way to Harry.
"Oh dear, what to do..."
Dumbledore sighed gloomily and stroked his long beard.
✦
The end of another year had arrived.
The usual closing ceremony was held, and Dumbledore delivered words of caution—now the third time in as many years.
The peace of the wizarding world was gradually crumbling due to the activities of the Death Eater faction.
Already there had been several casualties, including relatives and parents of students present here.
The Ministry of Magic was currently fighting hard under Scrimgeour's command, but the situation wasn't favorable.
At this rate, its fall was only a matter of time.
The wizarding world now faced its greatest crisis, Dumbledore believed.
Grindelwald, Voldemort, and Mirabelle.
Each was a tremendous evil capable of shaking the wizarding world single-handedly.
And now, by some twist of fate, they'd all converged in the same era.
Meanwhile, the forces of justice opposing them were woefully inadequate.
This past year had been eerily quiet, but he knew it was the calm before the storm.
Probably next year, a tempest would engulf the entire wizarding world.
Surviving that storm with everyone intact was, unfortunately, nearly impossible.
There would surely be tremendous casualties.
Many tragedies would unfold.
Even so, Dumbledore couldn't help but hope.
That next year, he could see everyone here safe and sound once more.
✦
"Grindelwald, you're quite an amusing fellow to come up with something like this."
Walking through Durmstrang's campus, Mirabelle spoke cheerfully.
Beside her walked Grindelwald, the wizard who once painted the wizarding world with terror.
Many students attending this Durmstrang had lost relatives to him.
Viktor Krum, for instance, had lost his grandfather because of Grindelwald.
Yet not a single person on campus reproached him.
"Transforming this entire Durmstrang castle into a mobile fortress—such a delightfully wasteful idea never even occurred to me."
What Grindelwald had done in preparation for the final battle was a massive renovation of Durmstrang castle.
Whatever thought process led to this action, Grindelwald had transformed this castle into a flying floating fortress.
During the Triwizard Tournament, Beauxbatons Academy had arrived in a mansion-sized carriage, but this replicated that scale magnified many times over.
Of course, no magical creature, no matter how powerful, could pull an entire castle.
So he'd transformed the castle itself into a magical artifact with the same effect as the Levitation Charm.
This was difficult, but not impossible.
The Weasley twins, for instance, had created hats with the same effect as the Shield Charm.
It was merely a matter of scale, large or small.
This was truly worthy of the great wizard Gellert Grindelwald.
"But if you wanted a mobile base, a ghost ship would suffice, and a flying base the same size as Beauxbatons would be easily prepared. Yet you deliberately chose a castle—no, a school. You really want to settle things with Dumbledore, don't you?"
"..."
As Mirabelle said, going to the trouble of renovating a castle was purely wasteful.
There was no need for such trouble—mobile bases could be prepared easily.
Yet he'd insisted on a school because he wanted to stand on equal footing with Dumbledore.
Taking the same position as Dumbledore—that of Headmaster—possessing a school castle like him.
Only then would conditions be equal, Grindelwald believed.
"But it's rather half-hearted, isn't it? You didn't need to expel all the students and staff, then fill it with brainwashed Aurors and undead."
"Please. Children who haven't even finished their education are useless in battle."
"Heh, how kind of you."
Mirabelle spoke mockingly with sarcasm.
But Grindelwald merely smiled, not budging an inch.
This girl always enjoyed teasing people like this.
"More importantly, are your preparations progressing? According to your predictions, Voldemort should be seizing control of the Ministry soon, right?"
"No problem. I can start a war anytime. Fifteen hundred Aurors combined from France, Germany, and Ireland. Six hundred vampires, and roughly a thousand ghouls raised from various graveyards. Plus several hundred golems created with the Philosopher's Stone's power, and about a thousand borrowed Muggle soldiers. Then sixty dragons, ten mass-produced basilisks... Oh, Quirrell brought three hundred trolls from somewhere. And various other magical creatures and demi-humans too numerous to count."
"That's a terrifying force. It's chilling."
"This is actually modest. Compared to Muggle wars where tens of thousands are standard, this is like a skirmish between small nations."
The magical population was naturally far inferior to Muggles in numbers.
The exact total was uncertain, but even combining all wizards worldwide, it probably wouldn't reach a hundred million.
At most, perhaps ten million.
From Earth's total population, roughly one in several thousand.
"Come to think of it, this country had several hundred Dementors—aren't you using them?"
"Hmm? Oh, I exterminated them all. Such trash has no place in the country I'm building."
"...I thought they'd be reasonably useful as forces?"
"Don't make me repeat myself. I have no use for trash."
The uncompromising force of her tone made Grindelwald fall silent.
Apparently, Mirabelle despised Dementors.
It wasn't about whether they were useful—she seemed to hate their very existence.
In that case, pressing further and incurring her displeasure wouldn't be wise.
Just then, one of Mirabelle's vampire subordinates rushed toward them in apparent panic.
"M-Mirabelle!"
"What? You're making a racket."
"I-I have a report! Today at 2 AM, Voldemort launched an assault on the Beresford estate in Britain! He destroyed the Beresford estate! Fortunately, Mrs. Maevis and your siblings appear safe, having been protected by Dumbledore!"
At that report, Grindelwald's face hardened.
This should have been anticipated.
Moving so conspicuously and destroying Horcruxes—Voldemort's retaliation was inevitable.
And that retaliation targeting family members was an equally transparent future.
Yet while Mirabelle had taken her loyal servants Holger and Sydney with her away from Britain, she'd left her mother Maevis and all her other siblings at the family estate.
Leaving them there last year made sense. To keep Dumbledore's and Voldemort's attention focused on her double, she'd avoided suspicious movements.
Even if the double was in Britain, it would be obviously suspicious if the parents disappeared.
But the double was gone now. Once her identity was revealed, she should have evacuated her family immediately.
Receiving Grindelwald's reproachful gaze, Mirabelle's expression didn't change—she merely muttered, "I see."
"So, is that all?"
"...Excuse me?"
"I'm asking if that's all."
As if utterly uninterested. As if hearing about some stranger's murder case somewhere—with supremely indifferent attitude, Mirabelle asked.
It wasn't bravado or a deliberate act.
She truly, from the bottom of her heart, considered her own blood family being attacked as merely "that all."
There was no love, no anger or grief at her childhood home being destroyed.
Only cruel, absolute indifference.
"Y-yes! That concludes the report!"
"Then fine. Continue focusing on information gathering."
"Yes, ma'am!"
Dismissing the messenger, Mirabelle looked at Grindelwald.
She saw what appeared to be a displeased, complicated expression.
"What? You look rather unhappy."
"...Not really."
"Hmm. You've never met my family, yet... Is there some problem?"
Even at this point, what Mirabelle worried about was whether some problem had arisen in Grindelwald's plans.
Maevis Beresford was a former Durmstrang Deputy Headmistress—a fairly useful piece if one wanted to employ her.
If Grindelwald had intended to use her for something, that would be problematic.
Facing this girl with fatally misaligned, inhuman thought processes, Grindelwald shook his head.
"No... It's nothing, Beresford."
"Really? Well, if you say so, I won't press further."
Watching the girl's back as she walked ahead, Grindelwald felt a chill at that emptiness.
This girl had no human heart.
Even Voldemort felt love for his mother, yet Mirabelle lacked even that.
She loved nothing, felt nothing.
Could such a person truly create an ideal magical nation?
Grindelwald cut off that train of thought and shook his head slightly.
Mirabelle: "Hmm... Snake meat tastes like chicken." Munch munch
Grindelwald: "You... I thought you were cutting off part of the body to take with you, but for this...?"
Mirabelle: "Want some? It's delicious."
Random Naked Guy passing by: "Miss, if you don't mind, could you share some of that snake meat?"
Mirabelle: "Sure. Want some Calorie Mate and instant ramen too?"
Big Boss: "Absolutely."
┌(┌^o^)┐ Good evening, everyone. This time featured Malfoy's persuasion and Nagini's attack.
I'm worried whether Mirabelle's increasingly villainous behavior is making readers lose interest.
Incidentally, as for why Mirabelle realized Nagini = Horcrux, it's Harry's fault.
It's common knowledge that Harry's connected to Voldemort. In Order of the Phoenix, he saw Nagini attacking Arthur in a dream.
At that time, Harry became Nagini in the dream.
Result: Harry, who should only be connected to Voldemort, connects with Nagini → Wait, is that snake a Horcrux? → Okay, let's destroy it. That's how it happened.
The scary thing about having canon knowledge is being able to make god's-eye-view meta-deductions that ignore process.
Even speaking only in your mind without leaving any information is already exposed—the reader can see everything. It's an utterly unreasonable situation.
This is all that office lady's fault...
When you think about it, the Detective Conan criminal suits that hide identities until the last moment are really excellent.
They might be the ultimate stealth item that even deceives the reader's perspective.
Current Horcrux Status:
Gaunt's Ring = Destroyed by Dumbledore
Tom Riddle's Diary = Destroyed by Mirabelle
Ravenclaw's Diadem = Destroyed by Mirabelle
Slytherin's Locket = Destroyed by Mirabelle
Hufflepuff's Cup = Destroyed by Mirabelle
Nagini = Destroyed by Mirabelle. She couldn't escape.
Harry Potter = Still alive. Though Voldemort hasn't realized it. Mirabelle only has knowledge up to Book 5, so she hasn't reached certainty either.
***
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