338 love, memory, price, others, honor

338 love, memory, price, others, honor

Ever since he learned that Ariana Dumbledore was still alive, Callan had the idea of ​​resurrecting Mr. Anthony.

Everything seems so natural.

If there is anyone who Caran cares about the most, it must be Mr. Anthony - he deeply influenced Caran, so that even after he came to Hogwarts, Caran would not forget to continue to take care of Anthony Court. Receive a photo from the kids every Christmas holiday.

This also became the reason why Callan's Boggart became Mr. Anthony - he loved magic deeply and did not want to be bound, but he had to compromise because of Mr. Anthony's death.

This restraint may come from the slightest trace of guilt in Karan's heart.

It could also be Mr. Anthony’s love for Karan.

That was the first time Karan truly saw the power of love, which forced him to spend more time calming down his inner turmoil and choose to stay in the Anthony Courtyard.

Love has become a bondage, giving Karan more ties and less freedom.

Resurrecting Mr. Anthony is Karan's effort to break free from his bondage.

Even if it's too late now - because more people have become Karan's new shackles, Lily, Snape, Steve, Guspard, and many others...

But Callan still hopes that Mr. Anthony can be resurrected.

Mr. Anthony is the beginning of everything, and death has become his end. This is irreversible, a miracle that even magic cannot do.

Until Karan met Arianna who had come back from the dead, he vaguely guessed the miracle that could be achieved by using the crown-resurrection from the dead.

Hence, Karan’s actions today.

He prefers to let Mr. Anthony's end become a new beginning, and let everything return to normal, back to when Mr. Anthony was still alive.

Perhaps before this, the reason why Karan chose to do this was just to get rid of the initial shackles, repay Mr. Anthony for all his love, make himself free again, and continue to pursue the magic he deeply loved without any distractions.

But love can never be fully repaid.

It wasn't until the moment he put on the crown that Karan finally understood - he had long been accustomed to losing his freedom, and he had even begun to actively add restraints to himself - Lily, Snape, Steve, and Guspard , and many others...

At the moment of Mr. Anthony's death, he ceased to be free and became a person who loved and was loved.

And the reason why he wants to resurrect Mr. Anthony now is just for a simple reason.

It is because of love.

It's because of love.

The gate of Anthony's Court seemed to appear again in front of Karan's eyes. The children stood together in the order of the Christmas photos. They only knew that this was to thank the unknown donor for allowing them to continue to maintain the home. Life at Anthony Yard.

And just as the familiar faces were trying to smile one by one, a sofa chair suddenly appeared in the center of the first row.

Mr. Anthony was sitting there, still dressed in an old-school gentleman style, smiling and looking at Karan standing in front of him.

"We meet again," he said.

"I thought that since the last experience in the secret room, we would never have the chance to meet again - could it be that you took the potion on your own initiative?"

After seeing Karan's silence, Mr. Anthony shook his head mockingly: "This is impossible. I know how smart you are, Karan. You will never make such a low-level mistake, let alone just Take such a big risk just to meet me."

"I'm not that important in your heart."

Mr. Anthony continued softly: "Not to mention that what I did before dying was really a bit... immoral?"

He suddenly chuckled twice: "If others knew that I had to let a child with an odd age bear so many responsibilities, then it would be really——"

"Long time no see." Karan suddenly interrupted Mr. Anthony's ramblings.

This seemed to have happened many times. Mr. Anthony was not annoyed at being interrupted, but nodded slightly and waited quietly for Karan's next words.

If it was at the Anthony Court, the next step would usually be Karan deliberately pretending not to hear, then immediately turning around and running away.

But this time, Karan did not run away.

It was Mr. Anthony who he found on his own initiative.

"Do you remember what you said last time?"

Karan turned his head inadvertently, as if he didn't want to see the other party's triumphant look, but he had to continue to do so.

"I no longer reject those existences. I have seen many things with my own eyes, including people who only want me to continue to live, but those people don't care about their own life or death."

"You succeeded, Mr. Anthony, in making me try to accept them."

"Accepting...the love I have experienced within myself."

"Now, resurrect yourself, Mr. Anthony. At least let me know how to resurrect you."

"This won't keep you waiting long. I dare say I have too much time."

The expected triumphant laughter did not come as expected. After looking at the dark clouds in the sky for a while, Karan finally couldn't help but turn around and asked: "Mr. Anthony, you-?"

Karan's sight suddenly seemed to possess some inexplicable power. When he turned his head, the familiar Anthony Courtyard and the children in front of him all disappeared like mist.In the white space, Mr. Anthony, the only one left, was just looking at Karan with a smile.

He slowly opened his mouth, and what came out was another familiar voice.

"Mr. Anthony?"

Karan's eyelids twitched twice, and he slowly opened his eyes. Mr. Anthony's face was gradually replaced by another slightly older face.

His light blue eyes stared at Karan through half-moon glasses, with urgency and worry in them, as well as a sadness that was so thick that it could not be resolved.

Inside the Room of Requirement, Principal Dumbledore sighed softly.

Just through Karan's unconscious call, he had already vaguely guessed Karan's purpose of coming here.

"It's a shame, Karan."

Principal Dumbledore's tone was full of regret and regret.

"Although I was foolish enough to pursue this - but the crown cannot bring people back from the dead."

A simple sentence revealed a lot of information - the crown was indeed brought to Hogwarts by Principal Dumbledore. He also tried to use the crown to resurrect others, but Ariana never really died once... ..

But Karan's first reaction after hearing this was to subconsciously turn his head and look around.

There was no familiar sofa chair, and no Mr. Anthony.

Karan failed and at the same time lost hope of finally coming back from the dead.

The expression on Dumbledore's face became even sadder - Callan's reaction reminded him of his former self, with the same sense of loss in his eyes.

He took out his magic wand and conjured a glass of pumpkin juice, then handed it to the pale Karan.

"Drink it, you need to recover your strength quickly, and maybe you need to go to the campus hospital for a while - the spell using the crown has exhausted your magic power. This spell is very complicated, and even I have only used it three times. That’s all.”

Karan numbly obeyed Principal Dumbledore's arrangement. Only then did he realize that his throat was so thirsty that it was about to smoke, and the small mouthfuls of tasting gradually turned into large mouthfuls of swallowing.

Principal Dumbledore watched this scene silently. He kept helping Kahlan refill the cup with juice until Kahlan breathed a sigh of relief before emptying the cup again.

Callan leaned on the statue behind him. He had noticed that the crown was taken off his head, returned to its original appearance, and was held by Principal Dumbledore.

"headmaster......"

Karan opened his mouth. At this moment, he had countless questions to ask and countless words to say, but he didn't know where to start.

"Don't be anxious, Callan." Principal Dumbledore said gently: "I originally planned to set aside a period of time for our conversation. It is best for this conversation to only happen in this strange room, and not to be exposed to outsiders. Listen, this is dangerous, there are countless people who want to get the crown, including Voldemort."

Callan nodded slightly. He recognized Principal Dumbledore's vigilance, which was very necessary. Otherwise, he would not have insisted on erasing Snape's memory related to the wand gesture.

"Then it would be best for me to ask the important question first."

The expression on Principal Dumbledore's face became much more serious, and there was a hint of worry in his expression.

"Are you in pain?"

Karan was stunned, and his eyes turned confused: "Principal, what are you referring to?"

"Pain." Headmaster Dumbledore repeated again: "This is the price that the true user of the crown will inevitably pay. Make a request, and then the incomparable pain will hit you. This pain is not even related to the body, but Sourced from the torture of the soul - I have always suspected that this is the real cause of death of the founder, Ms. Ravenclaw: According to rumors, she died of an intractable disease, but what disease can be overcome? Where was the smartest wizard at the time? Not to mention the other founders. I think it was probably because she had used the crown too many times. As a result, time alone could no longer heal the pain that had hit her before. She eventually passed away."

"So, are you in pain now, Karan?"

Callan has long been shocked by Principal Dumbledore's words - will the crown bring soul torture to the user?Fortunately, time has this strange way of healing, otherwise it would be really hard for him not to think of Horcruxes - they are black magic that splits the soul, wounds that cannot be repaired even by time, and can only be painful until death. Just repent.

There is also the cause of death of the founder, Ms. Ravenclaw - this is the first time Karan has heard this statement. In this way, wouldn't Helena's stealing of the crown cause her mother to suffer a lot by accident? Lived for a while?Didn't the torture of the soul continue to deepen?

However, at this moment, apart from endless fatigue, Karan did not feel anything strange. The so-called pain was only the constant soreness in his limbs, which was a sign of depleted magic power and had no connection with the soul.

But this made Karan's doubts deepen.

"No, principal." After carefully experiencing it for a while, Karan shook his head and said: "I didn't feel any...unexpected pain, but what is the reason for this? I obviously tried to use A crown?”

Principal Dumbledore was silent, with a thoughtful look in his eyes.

"Maybe that's the difference between wizards and Muggles."

He finally said: "This is related to my first wish - when I was young, I tried to resurrect my parents, in order to make my miserable childhood warm again, even if it only allowed me to see them in person again. . However, there is no doubt that magic cannot bring people back to life, so I failed and received the punishment from my soul."

"But the wise old man you talk about - Mr. Anthony is different, he is a Muggle without magic power - I'm sorry, I don't mean to offend, but my parents are wizards, which may cause spiritual problems. There are differences, and the results of the crown are different for different people.”

"So that's why there's no cost to you - the diadem has nothing to do with Muggles, only wizards."

Callan vaguely felt that Principal Dumbledore did not tell all his guesses, but he was quickly attracted by the next topic.

"Either way, this is good news for us."

After confirming with his own eyes that there was really nothing wrong with Callan, Principal Dumbledore said happily: "You never want to feel the torture from the soul. It will last for a long time and will drive people crazy, even They all made me develop the habit of drinking, and I spent a long time in a daze, which is not a good thing for a teacher."

"Okay." After seeing the expression on Callan's face, Principal Dumbledore continued to smile and said, "I guess you must want to know how I got the crown, right?"

Karan nodded immediately, not hiding the curiosity on his face - he never understood the whole thing, let alone how Dumbledore got the information about the location of the crown from Helena.

"This is really a story full of accidents." Principal Dumbledore gradually fell into memories: "When I returned to Hogwarts to serve, I would occasionally go to the tower of the castle to look at the scenery, and remember that I was still young. My own past at that time. At that time, I was still young and couldn’t figure out many things. I would often go to the tower alone after class. Sometimes I was reflecting on my teaching content, and sometimes I was thinking about how to teach those students. Eminent scholars wrote back.”

"Until one day, the ghost of Ravenclaw House - Ms. Gray actually went to the tower. She was very proud, very proud, and at the same time acted very cold - although this was just an appearance, it was the person she was at that time. That's all I remember of her as a Gryffindor."

"At this time - please allow me to say this - I have to thank myself for the hard work I put in during my school days. Ravenclaw House has always liked smart students, and I happened to be the smartest one in Hogwarts during my school days. People - at least that's what it seems from the transcript. Perhaps for this reason, Ms. Gray did not leave the tower immediately, and I, who had just become a professor at the time, also did not immediately leave because I was worried that I would offend the other party. leave."

"This process lasted for a long time, until I asked her a question about transfiguration during an encounter, and that's when we really got to know each other."

"Later, as usual, we met again in the tower. We had become friends by then. She saw the pain and trouble hidden in my heart, and at the same time, I also noticed hers."

"So, we exchanged each other's secrets."

"When two unfortunate souls meet, each other's pain can bring comfort to each other, because empathy has always been a difficult mountain to cross. Not everyone is on the same mountain, and not everyone can truly understand others. Inner pain.”

"I learned a lot from this experience, and it even changed the way I teach in the future, and I gained Minerva's friendship later. Please forgive me for not saying more about this. Keeping secrets has always been a prerequisite for inner communication. .”

"And during that encounter in the tower, Ms. Gray finally took off her cold disguise - she explained to me the reason why she did this. In addition to being related to the cause of her death, it was largely because of the She grew tired of people asking about the diadem's whereabouts over the centuries, so she chose to arm herself with a cold demeanor to keep them at bay."

"However, Ms. Gray selflessly helped me after hesitating for a long time."

Principal Dumbledore's eyes gradually filled with gratitude.

"[The dead are irretrievable, but the living are still alive. I hope you will no longer be as sad and sad as me.] This is what Ms. Gray said to me at the time. I was really surprised by her cold face and warm heart - —It even made me ignore the fact that I soon learned the whereabouts of the crown.”

"Later, I asked for leave from school, found Ravenclaw's diadem from a hollow tree, and brought it back to Hogwarts. Speaking of which, I have to praise your wisdom—— The secret about the wand gestures had troubled both of us for a long time. Fortunately, we finally solved the secret. To express my gratitude, I invited Ms. Gray to watch me use the diadem for the first time..."

Principal Dumbledore sighed softly: "I have already told you the rest. It was a complete failure. The attempt to resurrect my parents made me suffer unimaginable punishment and price, and Ms. Gray also finally learned some secrets about her life."

"She never touched the crown after that, not once."

Principal Dumbledore seemed to be lost in memories again, and Karan finally figured out everything.

Principal Dumbledore and Ms. Gray, Ravenclaw's daughter Helena, both had extremely tragic fates.The two miserable people became each other's comfort as they kept meeting each other, and after uncovering each other's deepest secrets, Helena finally decided to take the initiative to help Dumbledore.

This is completely different from the way Voldemort obtained the crown - no deception, no concealment, just sincerity and relief, and the empathy of pain and relief.

This made Callan gradually breathe a sigh of relief - because whether it was the origin of the crown or Professor Kettle's experience after becoming a werewolf, it all showed that Principal Dumbledore had always adhered to his own bottom line, and had never done anything for the better. Regardless of everything, great interests are always passively endured and planned.

As for the secrets deep inside the two of them - the one related to Helena must be because of her belief that she was living in the shadow of her mother, and her final remorse and guilt after stealing the crown.

As for the reason why she finally decided not to be exposed to the secrets of the crown - after seeing the price paid by Principal Dumbledore, she finally understood the suffering that her mother had suffered, and she didn't learn about it until hundreds of years later. The fact that she accidentally saved her mother became her most entangled feeling, so much so that Helena never touched the crown again, and the painful memory was sealed.

The secret of the young Principal Dumbledore should be Ariana who is not yet dead.

Ariana didn't die, but that wasn't because she came back from the dead, but because she somehow survived the secret three-person duel.

But Principal Dumbledore still hid Ariana's existence - because this did not change the fact that she was an Obscurus. Callan had witnessed this scene with his own eyes in Professor Kettleburn's house, and he knew of Ariana's existence. It will never be tolerated by the wizarding world, not to mention that after the three-person duel, Principal Dumbledore has realized the importance of relatives, and there is no way he will put Ariana in danger again.

However, in the process of revealing secrets to Helena, the young Principal Dumbledore still revealed the existence of his sister.This may just be because he wants to find someone to talk to about his inner pain - because it is still difficult for Obscurus to live for a long time, and death threatens his only remaining family members all the time - and ghosts are naturally the best choice to talk to. .

What Principal Dumbledore didn't expect was that Helena actually knew the whereabouts of the crown and told him the secret.This made Principal Dumbledore aware of the hope of saving Ariana.After the first wish made with the crown to resurrect his parents failed, one of the next two wishes must be related to Ariana - now her age seems to have remained the same, and there is no reason for it. The limits of Obscurus passed unexpectedly.

I just don’t know what my third wish will be...

In addition, Callan also knew something about the friendship that Principal Dumbledore mentioned with Professor Minerva McGonagall - which was related to Professor McGonagall's family environment and first love.

Her mother is a wizard and her father is a Muggle.For fear of affecting the happiness of her marriage, Professor McGonagall's mother always concealed the fact that she was a wizard until she could no longer hide McGonagall's superb magical talent as a child.

Although Professor McGonagall's father was very shocked by this, fortunately they still lived together, and Professor McGonagall also had two younger brothers who also had magical abilities. Although she was still a child at the time, But she still helped her mother hide some accidents and embarrassments caused by magic from her father.

This had a great impact on Professor McGonagall - because when she went to work at the Ministry of Magic after graduating from Hogwarts, she met a handsome and kind-hearted local Muggle, and the two fell in love without a doubt. Ge even agreed to the other party's engagement.But after that, she suddenly thought of her mother's past - secretly hiding the fact that she was a wizard, locking the wand in the cabinet and never taking it out again, saying goodbye to all her future ideals.

Mag couldn't tolerate such a result. She endured the heartache and broke off the engagement with her fiancé. She was even unable to tell him the real reason because of the International Statute of Secrecy.After this, Professor McGonagall felt discouraged at her job at the Ministry of Magic. She could not tolerate the strong discrimination and prejudice against Muggles by some of her colleagues, because she loved her father and still loved her first love.So before a great promotion opportunity, she chose to write to Hogwarts to ask if she could get a teaching position.The owl sent a reply a few hours later, and she was offered a position in the Department of Transfiguration, headed by Albus Dumbledore.

All was well at Hogwarts, and it was better to lock Dougal McGregor's (fiancé)'s letter in a box and put it under the bed than to lock her own wand there, Minerva told herself.Until she learned from her mother's letter that Dugor had married the daughter of another farmer, she was shocked and sad.

One night, Albus Dumbledore found Minerva crying in his classroom.She told him the whole story.Dumbledore comforted Minerva and told her stories about his family that she had never known before.The heart-to-heart conversation that night established a trusting relationship between these two reserved, private people, and laid the foundation for their long-lasting mutual respect and friendship.

There is still a long story, but before Callan could recall it all, Principal Dumbledore looked at him again.

"Callan," said Headmaster Dumbledore, pointing to the ornate crown in his hand.

"Next, I will take the crown away and hide it completely again. Neither I, nor you, nor anyone else should touch it again."

"Why?" Karan asked subconsciously: "We need it, don't we? Even if the crown cannot be resurrected, there are still too many places where we need it. Maybe... maybe it can be used Is it used to deal with mysterious people? Or is it used to study more powerful curses——"

Principal Dumbledore shook his head slightly: "You look exactly like Dorcas now - oh, of course, she doesn't know the crown is here, and we shouldn't tell her about the crown, otherwise as long as there is a chance, She will definitely use the crown."

"But, Callan, not all costs can be easily borne, especially the pain of the soul - it is unnatural, and it is difficult for me to imagine what Lady Ravenclaw will become after continued use of the diadem. If this really happens, perhaps what we have to face is not just one founder who runs away, but two, or a more terrifying confrontation and split between founders.”

"And there's one more thing - and that's what worries me the most."

Principal Dumbledore's tone became solemn again, and he tried his best to advise Karan: "The price will not only appear on the user, but when the requirements are related to the people around us, they will also suffer more terrible consequences." The price - this is even more terrible than the torture of the soul."

"Love binds us together, and crowns don't ignore that. And when the terrible truth happens, there's nothing we can do about it."

"Don't touch the crown again. If you still care about someone, never touch the crown again."

Karan's face gradually became paler.

At the expense of others?Does this also include Ariana?

Karan inexplicably thought of the role of the resurrection stone - it was not resurrection in the true sense.At this time, he was even vaguely glad that Mr. Anthony had not been successfully resurrected.

Under the gaze of Principal Dumbledore, Callan pursed his lips, which were gradually becoming dry, and nodded slightly.

"Let's go."

Principal Dumbledore gently helped Karan up, and the two of them walked out of the door of the Room of Requirement. Principal Dumbledore had already put the crown in his pocket.

"I hope Poppy won't be angry because I took so long." Principal Dumbledore turned around with a smile and said, "I used magic to simply detect your physical condition. If it weren't for the fact that there seems to be no big problem, I’m not going to get it straight here. But I guess you’re anxious to know some facts.”

Karan raised his vain steps and whispered: "Yes, sir. I thought you would ask more questions - Acromantula, secret chamber, crown, and even thought of buckling a large sum of money." Academy points, but I didn’t expect you to be…so caring?”

Callan really didn't know how to describe Principal Dumbledore at this time - he tolerated everything he did but never imposed severe punishment.

However, Principal Dumbledore suddenly laughed.

"I remember that there were many werewolves waiting for me to deal with in the Chamber of Secrets." He said: "Believe me, after having a student like Voldemort, it is difficult for another student to really surprise me—— At least no one is disturbing the wizarding world anymore, and no one is trying to purify the wizarding bloodline."

"But I have to say that after this, there were still two students who gave me a lot of surprises. One of them you already know-Dorcas Meadows, an incredible late bloomer, even if It rarely appears in historical records, and at the same time, it is inevitable that I will occasionally have headaches for her recklessness and impulsiveness.”

Then, Principal Dumbledore turned his head and looked down at Callan.

"And you, Karan, are just another one of them."

Under the dim moonlight, Karan slowly raised his head. He looked at Principal Dumbledore calmly, and his brown eyes met the light blue.

The old man does not look old, but the child is being supported.

At this moment, Callan suddenly noticed other meanings in Principal Dumbledore's eyes.

It turned out that he was not the only one who had been wary of Principal Dumbledore.

The most powerful white wizard in the wizarding world is always wary of him becoming the next Voldemort.

Then, Karan gradually showed a smile.

That smile was exactly the same as Mr. Anthony's.

"My pleasure, sir."