bioinnovel Chapter 396 Gaunt's Old House 3
Chapter 396 Gaunt's Old House 3
Chapter 396 Gaunt's Old House 3
The story of the Peverell brothers is well-known in wizarding society; almost every child has heard of it.
The story revolves around the Peverell brothers, who one evening use magic to build a bridge across a dangerous river and conquer death.
Death was furious about this. In order to take the three brothers' lives, Death pretended to congratulate them and let them each choose something as a reward.
The eldest of the three brothers, Antioch, chose the invincible Elder Wand, while the second brother, Cadmus, chose the Resurrection Stone, which could bring the dead back to life. Both brothers wanted to further conquer death.
The third son, Ignatius, chose an invisibility cloak that even Death himself could not see through.
In the end, Antioch, the eldest brother, was murdered because of the invincible Elder Wand, while Cadmus, the second brother, felt endless despair because of the Resurrection Stone, which could bring the dead back to life, and he committed suicide.
Only Ignatius, the third son who chose the invisibility cloak that even Death could not see through, was able to die peacefully. When he was able to accept death calmly, he took off the invisibility cloak and happily left this world with Death.
Belvina's first reaction to this children's story that was widely circulated in the wizarding community was: Death may be a bit less powerful, but he is still very disciplined. This god can be dealt with!
As for the Deathly Hallows mentioned in the story, Belvina wasn't very interested, even though she knew that people had been searching for the three artifacts.
However, impermanence is the norm in life.
Those who desperately seek the Deathly Hallows fail to obtain them, while those who have no interest in the Hallows unexpectedly stumble upon the Resurrection Stone.
Even more unexpectedly, the other two sacred artifacts were actually always with Belvina, and she had almost come close to them more than once.
If those who desperately seek the Deathly Hallows knew that Belvina not only had no interest in the artifacts, but was also preparing to destroy one of them, the Resurrection Stone, they would probably want to kill her.
After leaving the Gaunt mansion, which was in danger of collapsing at any moment, Belvina stood in the open space in front of the cottage and casually tossed the silk bag containing the black gemstone ring on the ground.
Once upon a time, the old Gauntlet house was surrounded by dense nettles, so tall they reached all the way to the windows. Now, however, the nettles around the old house have long since withered and decayed due to the Horcruxes, utterly devoid of life.
Belvina took out her wand, ready to use Fiendfire to burn the Horcrux.
At that moment, Dumbledore, who was standing some distance away, suddenly spoke up, saying, "Belvina, here you go."
As he spoke, he pulled a dagger-shaped object from his robes. Dumbledore continued, "The basilisk's fangs were specially crafted by goblins."
Belvina caught the basilisk fang dagger that was thrown to her. The scabbard was made of leather, and the handle was also wrapped with layers of leather. Judging from its appearance alone, the dagger was very crudely made.
"Aren't you afraid of being branded a thief by fairies after Godric Gryffindor, just like him?"
As she spoke, Belvina drew her dagger. The dagger, made from the fangs of a basilisk, was thin and sharp, with a faint green glow emanating from it.
"Professor, were you tricked by a fairy?" she continued. "This dagger looks like it's just been sharpened; Hagrid could have done that. Was it really necessary to ask a fairy for help?"
The self-aware Dumbledore stood far away, turned away, closed his eyes, and refused to watch Belvina destroy the Horcruxes.
Dumbledore wasn't sure if the Resurrection Stone would be unharmed after the Horcruxes were destroyed, but destroying the Horcruxes was more important than the Resurrection Stone, which would allow him to see his loved ones again.
Belvina crouched down, holding her wand in one hand and raising the basilisk fang dagger in the other, aiming at the silk bag on the open ground.
Soon, a minute passed, but Belvina, holding the venomous dagger, hesitated to make a move, as if she were waiting for something.
In 1992, Belvina destroyed another Horcrux—Salazar Slytherin's locket.
At that time, Salazar Slytherin's locket was desperate to survive, doing everything in its power to hinder Belvina, resorting to both coercion and bribery.
However, the Peverell Ring, which was also a Horcrux of Voldemort, remained unusually quiet, offering neither coercion nor bribery. This ugly ring was unusually quiet.
"Hurry up, Belvina!" Dumbledore urged, suppressing his craving for the Resurrection Stone.
Belvina cleared her mind, ignoring the strangeness of the Horcrux, and raised her left hand, holding the Venomous Fang dagger, high before stabbing it fiercely into the silk bag on the open ground.
First came a crisp sound like metal clashing, followed by a long, piercing scream.
Nothing terrible or strange happened, there was nothing to defend herself against, and Belvina, holding her wand in self-defense, looked like a fool.
Belvina stood up, took a few steps back, and then waved her wand.
The silk bag's drawstring untied automatically, and wisps of smoke emerged from it; the fragments inside the Horcrux had vanished.
For a fleeting moment, Belvina felt a strange emptiness. Voldemort's carefully hidden Horcrux had been found and destroyed just like that.
At this moment, Belvina's feelings were completely different from the night she destroyed the Slytherin locket. She didn't know why, and could only convince herself with the words "one step closer to victory."
Suddenly, a series of hurried footsteps sounded from behind Belvina.
It's Dumbledore!
Belvina raised her arm, and the deadly fang dagger blocked Dumbledore's path.
"Professor, I know you long to see your deceased family members one last time, but don't you think you're being a little too hasty?"
Belvina turned to look at Dumbledore. Today, Dumbledore was completely unlike his usual calm and composed self; he seemed like a child who hadn't grown up yet.
At the Gaunt mansion, he couldn't wait to put on Peverell's ring; even after destroying the Horcrux, he was still just as impatient, not wanting to wait even a minute longer.
This was the first time Belvina had ever seen Dumbledore so immature and unreliable.
Belvina threw the fang dagger in her left hand, and it landed about an inch in front of Dumbledore.
Dumbledore didn't speak, nor did he step forward with the fang dagger again. He just stared blankly at the dagger stuck in the ground.
Belvina knelt down again, picked up the silk bag on the ground, and emptied the rings out of it.
Then, she took her wand and started poking at the black gemstone ring repeatedly, feeling that Voldemort's protection of the Horcruxes couldn't be that simple.
After a while, Belvina stood up and looked at Dumbledore, who was lost in thought.
She said, "Professor Dumbledore, although the Horcrux is destroyed, the ring still has a very strong curse on it. It is likely that he used it to take someone down with him."
As she spoke, Belvina walked over to Dumbledore.
She continued, "I haven't lifted the curse on the ring. If you're still so eager to die, this time I won't stop you."
After saying that, Belvina walked outside without looking back.
She helped where she could, did what she was supposed to do, and said what she was supposed to say.
The rest is up to Dumbledore to handle. If he insists on wearing the ring anyway, then he is destined for this fate.
Having put aside her desire to help others, Belvina quickly left the woods and returned to the path outside Little Hangleton village.
She didn't rush to leave, but waited, waiting for Dumbledore to come out on his own, or for him to never come out.
Time passed second by second, and after an unknown amount of time, a rustling sound came from behind Belvina. It was the sound of bushes and hedges rubbing against each other.
Belvina turned around and saw Dumbledore's tall, thin figure.
At this moment, the sorrow on Albus Dumbledore's face was gone, replaced by his usual composure.
"I'm sorry, Belvina," Dumbledore said slowly. "If it weren't for your repeated interventions, I might not have been able to leave Gaunt's old house."
"It's alright," Belvina said nonchalantly. "Although you were very annoying just now, it's still better than collecting your corpse and holding a funeral for you."
"I now have two Deathly Hallows," Dumbledore suddenly said, "the Resurrection Stone and the Elder Wand." As he spoke, he raised his left hand, revealing the Peverell's Ring on his finger.
Belvina glanced at the ring, but even with the Deathly Hallows right in front of her, she remained unmoved.
"Ah, if I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have stopped you," Belvina said. "I should have taken the opportunity to slit your throat and take the Elder Wand."
"Next time," Dumbledore said with a smile. "I'll let you know in advance when I've had enough of living."