"Ammosta?"
Before Ammosta could speak the incantation, two ugly stone creatures in front of Dumbledore's office moved aside to make room for the door.
As Ammosta entered, Dumbledore was sitting behind his desk reading a letter. From the gravity of his expression, it seemed he was also dealing with a peculiar situation. Upon recognizing who had come in, he set aside the letter, took off his half-moon glasses, rubbed the bridge of his nose, and put them back on again.
Amostan's serious expression immediately caught Dumbledore's attention, indicating that there were also important matters on his side.
The fox on the gold bough looked rather listless before Ammosta's arrival, but upon seeing him, it immediately perked up its head, its ruby eyes sparkling with excitement, as if anticipating something.
As he passed by the fox, Ammosta smiled at it. He knew the fox had been in Dumbledore's office for a while and was eager to go out for a 'stroll'.
"So, Professor Dumbledore, I just received a letter from Sirius Black -"
Amostan quickly walked over to the desk, not waiting for Dumbledore's invitation, he pulled out a chair and sat down, without much small talk, he directly concisely said.
"You know I've been asking Sirius to keep an eye on Barty Crouch's activities."
This topic immediately aroused Dumbledore's concern, his expression became somber, and he maintained a listening posture.
"Yesterday morning, Barty Crouch took a long vacation from the Department, telling them that the injuries he sustained while studying the Tree Peak in Hungary have not healed, and his illness has made it difficult for him to focus on his work. Therefore, he decided to stay home for a while and decline Mr. Fudge's suggestion of going to St. Mungo's for treatment. He handed over his daily duties to Percy, and if there were important matters, Percy could write him a letter to report."
"Unbridled audacity!"
Among the modern portraits of the headmasters hanging on the side wall, Armando Dippet immediately shouted out in his own frame. These portraits were all in the know, and the other headmasters immediately chatted with their friends in adjacent frames.
"What do you think this means, Ammosta?"
Dumbledore's piercing blue eyes also shot out sharp light, he certainly wouldn't think that old Barty was really sick and unable to go to work. But at the same time, he also had the same doubts as Ammosta - whether from any angle, Voldemort wouldn't let old Barty die inexplicably now.
"I'm not sure..."
Ammosta shook his head.
"But I'm thinking, we can't just leave old Barty's side unattended -"
"But you should be aware, Ammosta, if Tom is currently at Barty's place, then your sudden intrusion may make our plan fail -"
Dumbledore said solemnly.
Ammosta's brow furrowed slightly, feeling somewhat surprised.
In the matter of Barty Crouch, Dumbledore's decisiveness and ruthlessness exceeded Ammosta's expectations, but it was also quite normal. Dismantling Voldemort was probably the only thing left for Dumbledore to accomplish in his remaining life, and he was willing to sacrifice some people to achieve this goal.
Like Alastor Moody, Dumbledore knew full well that his long-time friend was now in enemy hands and was very likely being held captive in that fake Moody's office. Yet for so long, he never made any attempt to rescue him.
"If Voldemort is indeed hiding in Barty's house, then it would be impossible for me to sneak in unnoticed. However, let's think about it, why should I have to sneak around at all? Shouldn't I be able to do whatever I want?"
Ammosta remained firm in his belief.
Releasing Voldemort back into the world was a consensus between him and Dumbledore, but to control the spillover of risk and fully grasp the development of the situation was necessary. All the movements on Vitiya Kryon's line were not beyond his eyes. From all indications, she was not truly loyal to Voldemort. The cooperative agreement they had reached probably meant that Vitiya needed help from Voldemort to resurrect him, and what she required was that after Voldemort regained power, he would help her avenge herself against the Vatican.
"I am currently working with Barty, and I have some reasonable reasons to visit him openly without arousing any suspicion -"
Before coming to Dumbledore's office, Ammosta had already planned some reasons.
"All right."
After listening to Ammosta's reasons for visiting, Dumbledore furrowed his brow and pondered for a moment. It was clear that he still didn't want Amostan to take risks, but he also knew he couldn't interfere forcefully.
Looking across at the young man sitting opposite, whose expression had grown even more resolute and whose every gesture exuded authority, Dumbledore sighed in his heart. He suddenly missed those days half a century ago when he and Newt and the others had exposed Gellert's plot to ascend to the presidency of the International Wizarding Council. Back then, everything was as he decreed.
"I can't find any flaws, Amosta. I think if Barty really agreed to your visit, Tom wouldn't be hiding behind a door eavesdropping on your conversation. You probably wouldn't run into him in Barty's house."
Dumbledore's nod also gave Ammosta a slight relief.
Their relationship was more like that of allies, and in order to ensure the stability of their alliance, it was necessary to obtain each other's consent before major actions. Acting independently would almost certainly lead to internal conflict.
"Another thing -"
Dumbledore had expected Ammosta to set off immediately for investigation, but instead of leaving, he showed some hesitation.
"About the Horcruxes of Voldemort, Professor Dumbledore, how many specific pieces of information do you have at your disposal now?"
Voldemort's Horcruxes--
It seemed like a magical sentence, and as Ammosta said this, the previously chattering voices of the former headmasters who had been discussing Ammosta's decision to investigate Barty's house fell silent one after another, and even the tiny noises in the office seemed to vanish.
"The Horcruxes of Voldemort, specific information -"
Dumbledore leaned back in his chair, his wrinkled face shrouded in shadow. He looked at Ammosta and whispered.
"If you're asking for specific information, Ammosta, I think we know as much as each other. The Slytherin locket, the Ravenclaw crown, and the notebook Tom left at Hogwarts are all destroyed at your hands. And we are extremely fortunate to know that Helga Hufflepuff's Cup is very likely to be one of the Horcruxes as well. Of course, we still cannot determine the whereabouts of the Cup at this point. And lastly, Harry--"
Dumbledore's piercing blue eyes locked onto Amostan's body, but his voice was still gentle.
"What's up, Ammosta, are you planning to surprise me again?"
"Oh, I'm sorry, Professor, but this time I can't come up with a new Horcrux to surprise you."
Amostan smiled and stood up. The wand in his sleeve fell silently into his hand.
"But I do have a lead on something that might also be a Horcrux --"
Ammosta's wandtip emitted a few strands of black mist, which twisted and formed in front of the solemn Dumbledore, eventually taking shape into an unremarkable black stone.
"It would probably look something like this, of course, it might also be a bit different. In fact, it should be a decoration on a gold ring --"
Ammosta gazed at the black stone in mid-air, his voice slow and deliberate.
The silence stretched on for far too long. Ammosta finally realized something was amiss, and he turned his head towards Dumbledore, his expression stunning upon a glance.
Sometime without realizing it, Dumbledore's serious expression dissipated, replaced by a complex mixture of surprise, nostalgia, longing, alertness, and regret.
Ammosta only perceived these from Dumbledore's scattering thoughts, driven by turbulent emotions, but soon these emotions were suppressed by Dumbledore.
"How did you know about it, Ammosta?"
Dumbledore asked softly.
"I was investigating some matters. Accidentally found out that Salazar Slytherin once owned this stone and he probably intended to pass it down as an important treasure--"
Ammosta narrowed his eyes and looked towards Dumbledore.
"But I'm not very sure if it has fallen into Voldemort's hands. It seems like you have seen this stone before, Professor Dumbledore?"
(End of this chapter)
