Professor Vampire.

Chapter 299: Family

A ray of sunlight slowly slid across the smooth desk of the headmaster's office, illuminating a silver ink bottle and a bright red feather pen.

The portraits around were rarely awake, listening attentively to Dumbledore's explanation. In the picture frame, there were also the occasional rustling sounds of the robes of past headmasters and the faint sounds of clearing their throats.

"I know you feel guilty, but don't be impatient, listen to me slowly and tell you the whole story." Dumbledore said to Harry gently.

"In fact, Professor Dracula has been planting an insider among the Death Eaters. As you can see, it is Lucius Malfoy who turned against us... He had long told Professor Dracula that Voldemort wanted to trick you into the Ministry of Magic, so we used this to arrange a plan in reverse."

"Lucius Malfoy?" Harry frowned, "I don't understand why that bad guy suddenly chose to help us?"

"He is not helping us, he is just helping himself." Dumbledore shook his head and said, "Lucius Malfoy is a coward, he is just a fence-sitter."

"When Professor Dracula's deterrence to Malfoy exceeded Voldemort's, and Malfoy had already lost Voldemort's trust, then his choice was self-evident."

"But isn't he afraid of Voldemort's revenge?" Harry asked.

"Of course he was afraid, so Professor Dracula had already arranged a retreat for him before this operation." Dumbledore said, "Professor Dracula personally acted as a secret keeper and built a safe house for Malfoy."

"After this operation, the Malfoy family will evacuate to that house. His mission will end here."

"In other words, all our actions are within your attention?" Harry widened his eyes in disbelief, feeling like a big fool, "So when we used Umbridge's fireplace to go to the Order of the Phoenix, you deliberately hid?"

"Yes, we really can't appear in your sight, Harry." Dumbledore explained, "Voldemort and your memory are connected. If we show up rashly, it is likely to arouse his vigilance..."

"Unfortunately, this plan went wrong in the end, and Voldemort was not completely taken down-fortunately, it was not completely fruitless."

Dumbledore stared at the black gem ring he had already worn on his index finger, and his tone became very gentle.

Harry felt very uncomfortable.

Although his guilt and self-blame disappeared after listening to Dumbledore's explanation, he felt like a clown who performed hard in front of everyone.

All his actions had no real meaning, and now everyone knew that he was keen on being a hero.

"But why didn't Voldemort take the prophecy himself?" Harry asked unwillingly, "I can understand that only those mentioned in the prophecy can get the prophecy, but I don't understand... Voldemort can obviously take it himself."

"Voldemort is also afraid of being exposed, Harry." Dumbledore smiled at Harry and said, "If he, as one of the parties involved, took the prophecy himself. When the Unspoken Man in the Department of Mysteries found out about this, the news of the return of the mysterious man would quickly sweep the entire wizarding world-"

"After all, Voldemort has not been resurrected for long enough, and has not yet organized all his forces and allies. Exposing himself too early will do him more harm than good."

"If you go to take the prophecy, it will be different. Not only will it be easy for Fudge, who seeks stability, to completely oppose you, but you can also find an opportunity to eliminate you as a threat in the Ministry of Magic."

"Unfortunately, it seems that his plan has completely failed."

At this point, Dumbledore rarely smiled, and happily poured a cup of tea for Harry and himself, sipping it lightly.

Harry took the tea and then picked up the prophecy ball he had been holding in his hand.

"So this prophecy that mentioned me and Voldemort... what did it say?" he asked curiously, "Does it mention any important information? Voldemort is so interested in it."

"The reason why Voldemort wants to get this prophecy ball so much is actually because he has only heard half of the prophecy." Dumbledore smiled, "Want to take a look together?"

He reached out and took the prophecy ball from Harry's hand.

Then, Dumbledore tapped the transparent ball with his wand, and a pearly white image began to appear in the principal's office. The effect was a bit like a pensieve, but the picture was much more hazy and blurred.

Harry saw a disheveled woman sitting on a chair, reciting something crazily. From her clothes, it can be vaguely seen that she is the professor of divination at Hogwarts, Sybil Trelawney.

"The one who can defeat the Dark Lord is approaching..." Sybill Trelawney muttered mysteriously, "Born in a family that has resisted him three times, born at the end of July..."

"The Dark Lord will mark him as his greatest enemy, but he will have powers unknown to the Dark Lord... One of them must die at the hands of the other, because both cannot live, only one survives... The one who can defeat the Dark Lord will be born at the end of July..."

The pearly white light disappeared, and Harry looked up blankly and met Dumbledore's smiling eyes.

"Professor Trelawney didn't seem to mention me specifically." Harry said in confusion, "And... Neville was also born at the end of July, and his family seemed to have resisted Voldemort several times."

"You are right, Harry." Dumbledore smiled, "But you can take a look at the second half of the prophecy, which Voldemort never understood - 'The Dark Lord will mark him as his rival.'"

"You and Voldemort are both half-bloods, and the Longbottom family is a pure-blood family, Harry... Voldemort attaches too much importance to bloodline, so he chooses to regard you, who are also half-blood, as his rival."

"Isn't this too... incredible?" Harry opened his mouth wide, "If the prophecy can determine everything in the future, then we What is the meaning of what we do? "

"That's not the case, Harry." Dumbledore shook his head and said, "The significance of our learning knowledge related to prophecy is not to accurately predict the future, but to get rid of the shackles of fate, let us understand more possibilities, so that we can live more freely. "

"Prophecy does not exist to restrict us!"

"Harry, remember, no matter what the future mentioned in the prophecy looks like, we still live in the present!" Dumbledore continued, "The present is complete, but the prophecy is not. The prophecy is fragmented, it can't tell us everything about the future, and naturally there is no need to let it interfere too much with our present. "

"But Voldemort..." Harry hesitated.

"Voldemort pursues power and life too much, and he doesn't see through many truths of life." Dumbledore sighed and said softly, "This is also a big reason why he has been frustrated in his confrontation with you. "

"I thought it was just my luck. "Harry said in a low mood.

"That's not the case. Luck can't represent everything in many cases." Dumbledore said seriously, "Perhaps it's time. I should tell you what I should have told you five years ago..."

Harry was stunned for a moment and looked at Dumbledore blankly.

Dumbledore stared at the sunlit ground outside the window, and after a while, his eyes returned to Harry.

"Harry, five years ago, just as I planned and hoped, you came to Hogwarts safely." He said, "Oh, maybe not completely safe, you suffered in the Muggle family."

"When I left you at the door of your uncle and aunt, I knew you would suffer. I knew that doing so would doom you to experience a dark and difficult decade."

He paused and looked at Harry.

Harry was silent and did not speak.

"You may ask, and you have good reasons to ask - why is it like this? Why can't I find some wizard families to take you in? Many families are not only happy to do so, but will be willing to raise you as their own real son, and they will feel honored and happy."

"My answer is that my first consideration is to keep you alive. Because I know you may be in more danger than anyone else."

"When we sent you to your uncle and aunt's house, Voldemort was defeated just a few hours ago, but his supporters are still at large... They are all angry and brutal desperados, and many of them are as terrible as Voldemort."

"I need to make judgments and decisions about the next few years a few years in advance. Will I really believe that Voldemort will be defeated like Fudge and others? Did the demon leave forever? No, I don't believe it. "

"Although I don't know when he will come back, ten, twenty, or fifty years later, I am sure he will come back, and based on my understanding of him, I am sure he will never sit still before killing you."

"I know that Voldemort's magical ability is almost stronger than any living wizard now. I also know that once he recovers all his magic, I am afraid that even I, even if I try my best, may not be able to defeat him."

"But I also understand where Voldemort's weakness is-he is a child born under the influence of aphrodisiacs and has never known what love is. This is also the reason why he finally fell under your mother's magic. "

Dumbledore looked into Harry's green eyes, stretched out his index finger, and gently pointed at his left chest.

"So I decided to use Lily's blood magic to protect you. Voldemort has always looked down on this kind of magic, and he has always despised and underestimated this kind of blood magic that explodes all emotions and power-"

"Because of this, he paid the price for it. Your mother gave you an unexpected and lasting protection, which still flows in your blood today."

"So, I trusted your mother's blood and handed you over to her sister, her only surviving relative."

"But she doesn't like me." Harry immediately retorted, "She didn't give me a little-"

"But she took you in," Dumbledore interrupted him, "She may be reluctant, unhappy, and reluctant to take you in, but she still accepted you after all. In the process, I amplified the magic that Lily cast on you, and Lily's sacrifice made the blood bond the most powerful protection I could give you."

"I still don't think-" Harry said stiffly.

"As long as you can still call the place where your mother's blood exists home, you will not be disturbed or harmed by Voldemort there. Voldemort made her blood flow, but that blood still exists in you and your aunt."

"Lily's blood magic has become your refuge. You need to go back once a year to ensure that this blood magic can continue. At the same time, as long as you are there, Voldemort cannot hurt you."

"Your aunt knows this. I left a letter at the door of her house, and in the letter I explained everything I did to you. She knew that keeping you at home would ensure that you would be safe for the past fifteen years."

Harry's eyes widened, feeling that his outlook on life had been greatly impacted.

The Dursley family, who usually wanted to beat and scold him every day, turned out to be his biggest umbrella to protect him from Voldemort?

"I know you may not be able to accept it for a while, but please think about it, Harry." Dumbledore said calmly, "If your aunt hates you so much, why does she go to King's Cross Station on time every summer vacation to pick you up home?"

Harry was stunned again.

Thinking about it this way, it seems to be true...

No matter how big a mistake he made before the last school started, and how unhappy the Dursleys were, Aunt Peggy and Uncle Vernon always stood on the platform of King's Cross Station waiting for him at the beginning of each summer vacation.

Even if the previous one ruined Uncle Vernon's big business, even if Aunt Marge was blown up into a balloon, even if Dudley was locked in a display cabinet in the zoo, they still didn't plan to leave Harry alone at the station.

Although their expressions were not very good, and even their eyes were a little disgusted, they had never been absent.

"You seem to have figured it out, Harry." Dumbledore smiled gently.

"Your aunt has always had feelings for her sister. No matter how much she does or how badly she treats you, she still doesn't want you to leave her like Lily did."

"Harry, you have relatives. You always have."