Chapter 110: Destiny Is Not Terrifying, The Unknown Is
Evil, terrifying, wearing black robes, and at Hogwarts… the trio couldn’t think of anyone else who fit this description.
“We always thought Quirrell wanted to steal the Philosopher’s Stone to make gold…” Ron’s voice was hoarse, his tone grave: “But now it seems he probably wants to use the Philosopher’s Stone to prolong his life.”
Harry and Hermione nodded. They hadn’t considered prolonging life before. After all, Quirrell looked so young, who would have thought of such a development?
This new discovery weighed heavily on their hearts.
Because the nature of the problem had suddenly changed, even though the trio were still young, they could discern the difference in importance between economic issues and life issues.
Ron gritted his teeth: “I should have realized sooner. Last year, he dared to cast the Killing Curse on Vaughn in the castle like a madman, how could it have been just for gold? Murder and theft are not the same thing at all. Theft only leads to Azkaban, but murder means facing the Dementor’s Kiss!”
More words Harry didn’t understand.
For the moment, he wasn’t in the mood to ask what Azkaban was or what the Dementor’s Kiss was, he just felt… he’d better catch up on some common knowledge of the Wizarding World during the holidays.
He anxiously asked, “So, what do we do now?”
Because he suddenly realized his plan seemed unworkable.
Compared to Harry and Ron’s panic and anger, Hermione remained calm. She thought for a moment and said, “This is no longer something we can solve, Harry. We must inform Professor McGonagall and Dumbledore as soon as possible.”
“But…”
“No ‘buts,’ and don’t use finding evidence as an excuse anymore!” Hermione said sternly, “Quirrell even dared to drink unicorn blood. His life must be in a terrible state. It’s truly hard to imagine we’ve been in the same school as such a ticking time bomb for a whole year!”
“Who knows when such a desperate person will be pushed to their limit, or what kind of madness they’ll unleash. I wouldn’t be surprised if he blew up Hogwarts right now. You can’t imagine how far a person will go to survive!”
“I know you want to catch him and get Gryffindor points from Dumbledore as a reward, but it’s different now, Harry. Are you going to put all the students’ lives in danger?”
“I…” Harry’s lips moved a few times, unable to utter the selfish words.
He knew Hermione was right. Even a fish thrown into hot oil would struggle to survive, let alone a person, a dark wizard!
Although it was hard to give up this last chance, Harry knew he couldn’t stand by while his classmates were with a volcano about to erupt.
He nodded vigorously: “Okay, we’re going back right now!”
To his surprise, Ron stopped him: “Wait, since we’re here, you could ask Firenze to use Centaur divination to divine Quirrell’s plan. It’s not like we’re in a hurry for a few minutes.”
Beside them, Firenze, who had been silently listening to the trio’s “secret” conversation for a long time, looked hesitant when the trio looked at him. He didn’t say yes or no, but instead asked,
“Harry, aren’t you always curious why we all recognized you when you stumbled into our tribe back then?”
“In fact, we glimpsed your destiny long ago, Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived. From the day you stepped into Hogwarts, the stars of your destiny began to shine.”
“You…”
“Firenze, you damned fool, do you know what you’re doing?”
A furious, rough roar from a distance interrupted what Firenze was about to say.
The trio jumped in surprise. They quickly looked in the direction of the sound and saw a burly, black-haired, wild-looking Centaur galloping towards them, followed by a much leaner Centaur.
The two Centaurs quickly arrived in front of them. The boisterous, rough black-haired Centaur raised his hoof at Firenze: “We swore an oath, we will never defy the will of heaven. Are you going to break your oath?”
“Bane, don’t slander me!” Firenze said indignantly, “I haven’t agreed to Harry Potter yet!”
“But you were about to. You were going to tell him the path of the stars, this foal chosen by destiny!”
“I was just hesitant…”
The sudden appearance of the two Centaurs and the ensuing argument left the trio bewildered.
They hadn’t even figured out why asking Firenze to divine Quirrell’s actions had led to a conversation about Harry.
…
Time rewinded to a short while ago, among the treetops above Harry and the others.
Overwhelming magical power enveloped the space, obscuring Dumbledore and Vaughn, who were sitting on a flying carpet, looking down.
They watched Hermione play the sound of a unicorn to calm the Occamy, and listened to Harry ask Firenze about unicorns, which led to events from the previous year.
Dumbledore exclaimed, “Beautiful destiny, unpredictable destiny, isn’t it, Vaughn?”
“…Yes, everything seems to have been arranged…”
Even after dissecting it many times, Vaughn was still struck by the unpredictability and strangeness of destiny. As he said, everything seemed to be arranged.
Harry’s Quidditch match failure, his “reasonable” attempt to seize the last chance.
Then, “reasonably” preparing to seek out the Centaurs to pinpoint Quirrell’s timeframe.
And then, in the dangerous Forbidden Forest, they “reasonably” encountered danger.
Hermione, also “reasonably,” took out the portable player Vaughn had given her, which played unicorn sounds, to resolve the danger.
This led to a discussion about unicorns, which then brought up the reason for their disappearance.
Step by step, the previously hidden information was presented to Harry, unexpectedly yet logically, helping him piece together the entire event and confirm Quirrell’s condition.
It was as if… an invisible script was pushing Harry to meet the other half of his destiny as quickly as possible!
Vaughn even discovered that he was also involved in those events, and played a decisive role.
Normally, from the moment he decided to intervene last year and lure away the unicorns, Harry’s destiny should have been altered by him.
Without unicorns, Quirrell wouldn’t have come to the Forbidden Forest. Without being caught for night wandering while delivering Norbert, Harry wouldn’t have gone to the Forbidden Forest, and certainly wouldn’t have met the Centaurs.
Originally, with Vaughn’s interference and Dumbledore’s deliberate concealment, Harry and Voldemort, who was parasitizing Quirrell’s head, should have been on parallel paths.
But today, these two parallel lines suddenly converged!
And Vaughn only realized recently that the foreshadowing for their convergence had been planted long ago—when he tried to use Voldemort last year on Halloween!
That day was the beginning of everything that followed.
If he hadn’t tried to use Voldemort to get the Philosopher’s Stone, Harry and Hermione wouldn’t have sought him and Ron.
Without them seeking people, Harry wouldn’t have suddenly encountered Voldemort, causing the Horcruxes’ connection to activate prematurely.
Much less would he have taught Harry Legilimency to prevent Voldemort from influencing him.
And it was precisely by teaching Harry Legilimency that, to improve his progress, Vaughn implanted an experimental Persona Embodiment into his mind.
The punishment mechanism of the virtual persona caused Harry to think he was a horse one day and sneak into the Forbidden Forest, where he fatedly met the Centaur Firenze!
The Centaur Firenze was a crucial node in Harry’s original destiny, and it was he who told Harry that Voldemort was still alive.
And Harry, who harbored a deep hatred for Voldemort, began to shift from passive to active from that day on. He became like a moth drawn to a flame, rushing towards anything related to his mortal enemy Voldemort, pushing their intertwined destinies toward a storm that would engulf everything!
“I, and my Persona Embodiment… have become tools of destiny!”
Vaughn couldn’t articulate his feelings—excitement? Fear? The shame of being used and manipulated? It seemed to be all of it, yet none of it.
All he knew was that beneath the solid shell forged by his maxed-out Legilimency, his Mind World was already a tempest. The storm of negative emotions gave him an impulse to destroy everything.
And he could do it!
With a flick of his wand, he could kill Firenze and disrupt the course of destiny.
But his remaining reason told him that such an act would be meaningless. Firenze was just a part of destiny. Or rather, the protagonists of the vortex of destiny were only Harry and Voldemort; everyone else were pawns helping them perform their grand show!
Including himself, Vaughn Weasley!
Gripping his wand, Vaughn’s expression was blank. He was accustomed to hiding and suppressing his emotions; even in this situation, he had enough reason to control himself.
However, he couldn’t hide it from Dumbledore.
“Does it feel difficult to accept? Are you angry?” Dumbledore suddenly asked, looking at the trio, who were now gathered below, discussing Quirrell’s condition.
Vaughn glanced at him but remained silent.
Dumbledore, not getting an answer, continued: “I was like you once. To be precise, it seems difficult for intelligent people like us to accept that our every action becomes a predetermined part of some concept or entity.”
“It makes us feel that our intelligence, our efforts, suddenly lose meaning… Ordinary people don’t have such troubles, because only intelligent people are so proud, so proud of believing in themselves more than in fate!”
This was the first time Vaughn had heard Dumbledore call him proud.
Although he had sensed it through their long interactions, Vaughn had long ago realized it.
However, feeling upset, he said sarcastically, “Don’t you always advocate for the principle of equality for all? Why are you distinguishing between ordinary and intelligent people today?”
Dumbledore knew he was lashing out but didn’t mind, simply smiling: “It seems you admit we are alike. Then, perhaps you might listen to the experiences of someone who has already gone through this, a few small experiences on how to deal with destiny?”
Vaughn said nothing further.
Dumbledore continued: “As I said, I had a period like yours. When I first realized the power of destiny, for a long time, I became suspicious and doubtful.”
“I always wondered then, are my actions truly my own genuine thoughts? Are my thoughts already planned? Is my planning perhaps not from my free will?”
“When you question facts with doubt, then everything before your eyes will be full of suspicion. It’s a terrible situation. You’ll start questioning everything, even your own existence, feeling as if you’re drowning in despair, not wanting to think about tomorrow or the future, and then slowly drag yourself down…”
“This is perhaps destiny’s punishment for intelligent people who are wary of it!”
Listening to Dumbledore’s account, Vaughn wasn’t sure if he would become like that in the future, but for the moment, he had indeed questioned the meaning of his actions and thoughts.
He finally spoke, asking, “And then what?”
“And then? Then I started learning to be an ordinary person!” Old Dumbledore winked at him. “See, I still believe people are equal. From the perspective of destiny, what difference is there between ordinary and intelligent people? But if you consider it from your own perspective, ordinary people are happier. It’s a mindset worth learning, and it’s a positive thing!”
Vaughn hadn’t expected him to suddenly counter his earlier sarcasm at this point, and was somewhat speechless.
He couldn’t help but retort: “So your solution is to just give up?”
“Ha, ‘give up,’ an interesting phrase… Of course not!” Dumbledore shook his head. “That’s just the first step, learning the mindset of an ordinary person, learning to escape fear, and then, you must try to guide and control destiny!”
Hearing this, Vaughn was surprised: “You can control destiny?”
“Of course not!” Dumbledore said righteously, then laughed heartily, “But I have magic!”
Saying this, he drew his wand and pointed it downwards.
A terrifying fluctuation of magic surged from him. He didn’t cast a spell, but Vaughn could clearly sense that the moment he pointed his wand downwards, a spell had been cast.
It was just an ordinary Confundus Charm, but in the hands of this Legendary Wizard, it was like an incomprehensible concept suddenly covering the land below.
Spreading, expanding, growing!
The power of the charm spread like ink dropped into water, seeping outwards.
“We are wizards. In the eyes of wizards, nothing is more noble than magic, not even destiny!”
“My dear, remember what I told you? Destiny is not immutable; it contains variables, as Muggles say!”
“Destiny needs Harry to know the truth that Voldemort is alive, but it only needs the result. The process of achieving that result could happen today, or it could happen in a month. These variables are what our magic can leverage.”
“Just like now, I don’t like delaying things for a month; I want it to happen now!”
As Dumbledore finished speaking, Vaughn noticed two Centaurs, who shouldn’t have appeared, galloping from afar and quickly arriving in front of Harry and the others.
He heard Firenze call the two Centaurs Bane and Ronan.
He heard Bane accusing Firenze, and Firenze, from initially defending himself, gradually became impatient, and finally lost his temper:
“I’m tired of your weak demeanor, like ostriches in the Muggle world, burying their heads in the sand, thinking that if they don’t see or hear, the danger will disappear.”
“Listen, Harry Potter, the one whose name cannot be spoken, the one who killed your family and ultimately died by your hand, he is still alive! He is hiding in Hogwarts, he is the evil wizard who attacked the unicorn!”
“Firenze!”
“I don’t want to deceive anymore, deceiving others or myself, I don’t want to! Bane, Ronan, do you think the Dark Lord will spare us when he returns? You know the prophecy, he and Harry Potter are twins of destiny. Only when they decide who wins will there be peace in the Wizarding World!”
The Centaurs’ argument echoed through the forest and into the stunned ears of Harry, Ron, and Hermione.
Above, Dumbledore’s sigh also reached Vaughn’s ears:
“Everything is so logical. A Centaur questioned and slandered by his companions impulsively reveals a secret that should have been hidden, and his motive is very logical, because he loves his tribe, loves this forest, loves peace, and dares to face difficulties.”
“Vaughn, your fear of destiny stems from its unknown nature, but in reality, destiny can only reveal its power on things that truly exist, and magic can achieve the same!”
Listening to Dumbledore’s words and watching what was happening below, Vaughn fell into thought.
Actually, for a moment just now, he suddenly wondered if Dumbledore’s use of magic to leverage variables was also an arrangement of destiny.
But he quickly suppressed the thought.
Dumbledore was right; he shouldn’t question facts with doubt, as that would only lead him deeper into doubt.
Without paying attention to the shock Harry and the trio must have experienced upon hearing the bombshell news, Vaughn pondered his own questions.
“So, after today, I have to learn to be an ordinary person… Persona Embodiment seems like a good tool, but its appearance seems related to destiny… Wait, stop thinking…”
Taking a deep breath, Vaughn broke free from his thoughts. His fully activated Legilimency had only moderate suppression effects on his own distractions, as it was a defensive magic against external probes, not against oneself.
To stop himself from overthinking, Vaughn looked at Dumbledore: “What happens next? Harry knows the truth now. Have your checkpoints been prepared?”
Dumbledore smiled: “Of course!”
………
Everything that happened tonight was too sudden.
It caught everyone off guard.
Harry only remembered Firenze arguing fiercely with Bane and Ronan. Bane accused Firenze of betraying their oath and tribe, and Firenze, enraged, suddenly revealed the true identity of the black-robed man—Voldemort—and Harry’s intertwined destiny with him!
Under the impact of those truths, Harry’s mind was buzzing, making it almost impossible for him to react or think clearly.
In a daze, he felt Firenze pick him up and place him on his back, and heard Bane’s angry roar:
“Damn Firenze, not only did you betray your oath, but you also defiled the honor of the Centaurs! You let a human ride on your back like a damned mule!”
A mule was likely a highly insulting term among Centaurs. Harry could feel Firenze’s broad Centaur body tensing with rage, becoming incredibly hot:
“Then go back to the tribe and let the elders expel me. I’ve had enough of your stupid, savage face, and I’ve had enough of your cowardly demeanor. Or do you want to stop me and taste my arrows?”
Bane let out a terrifying roar. Harry’s vision was as chaotic as his mind; he couldn’t see anything clearly, only vaguely saw him raising his bow.
Then Ronan ran between the two: “Enough! Put down your arrows, Bane, you’ve insulted him too much. And Firenze, you… you really shouldn’t have spoken the prophecy, and you certainly shouldn’t be carrying a human foal.”
Firenze’s breathing sounded like a bellows: “Because of your pedantry, I’ve started to worry about the safety of these foals. I’m taking them out of the Forbidden Forest. Ronan, don’t stop me!”
“Firenze…”
Firenze ignored him, reared his hooves, whinnied, and charged into the forest with the trio on his back, turning around.
Harry didn’t know if Bane and Ronan were chasing them. All he knew was that Firenze ran very fast, moving through the dense forest as if on level ground. Trees, bushes, and nocturnal animals hiding in the darkness, their faintly glowing eyes, were quickly left behind.
A cool breeze blew against his face.
After an unknown amount of time in the cold wind, his speed gradually slowed. His dazed mind began to clear a little. When he came to his senses, he noticed Ron, leaning against Firenze’s upper body in front of him, and Hermione, holding onto his robe behind him, both looking at him with complex expressions.
He opened his mouth to say something, but didn’t know what to say.
He turned his head and looked ahead.
The trees gradually thinned out, indicating they had reached the Forbidden Forest Edge. After walking a bit further, the moon appeared clearly overhead. Firenze stopped, crouched down, and let the three of them off.
“It’s safe here now. You can use your wands to set off fireworks. Hagrid will see them and escort you safely back to the castle.”
“Firenze…” Harry’s voice was hoarse, “What about you? What will you do?”
The Centaur, whose appearance was as pure as a unicorn’s, smiled and gently rubbed Harry’s hair with his large hand: “I must return to the tribe, of course. I am a Centaur, I should not tread on human lands. This is the requirement of the 《Secrecy Law》. We swore an oath, and we must keep it!”
Harry was anxious and impulsively said, “Didn’t you already break your oath? What good will come of going back now? Bane practically wanted to kill you earlier!”
“Oaths are different, Harry Potter.”
Firenze still smiled gently: “The oath of the 《Secrecy Law》 concerns the survival of all Centaurs and must be strictly adhered to. The oath to conceal destiny was merely because the tribe feared the one whose name cannot be spoken. It is disgraceful, born of cowardice and weakness.”
He crouched down, looking directly into Harry’s emerald-like eyes, and clasped his shoulder firmly with his large hand: “Running away won’t solve anything, so I’d rather break it to tell you the truth of the prophecy, because, Harry, you can defeat him.”
“I firmly believe this!”
“I…” Harry was dumbfounded. He looked at Firenze’s firm and trusting expression and couldn’t utter any discouraging words.
When the Centaurs were arguing and revealing that the black-robed man was Voldemort, Harry couldn’t help but recall last year, in the Fourth Floor Corridor, the distorted dark figure he had seen.
It was so terrifying, so powerful, that merely the overflowing magical fluctuations made the walls and flames lose their color and distort light.
In the past, when people spoke of his “great achievement” of defeating Voldemort at the age of one, Harry had no real sense of it, as he had no memory of that event.
To him, Voldemort was merely an abstract concept of someone dead, a symbol who would never stand before him again.
At least, when he occasionally became arrogant and immersed in praise and admiration, he never thought Voldemort would stand before him again.
And during the time he was carried on Firenze’s back last year, intense fear gripped Harry’s heart tightly.
The scenes from Halloween last year flashed through his mind one by one: Quirrell’s magic, Vaughn’s magic, and finally, that terrifying green light.
He had never thought he might experience such a scene again, after all, Vaughn, the professors, and Dumbledore were at the school.
He thought he was a minor character, only needing to expose the black-robed man at the crucial moment. As for the black-robed man himself, the adults would deal with him.
He never imagined he would be the protagonist!
The chaotic emotions bombarded his fragile Legilimency: confusion, excitement, sadness, and—fear and shame…
Harry realized he wasn’t as great as everyone said. Facing the suddenly revealed truth of his destiny, he became cowardly.
Because Voldemort was no longer an abstract symbol to him, but a dark wizard whose terrifying power he had personally experienced.
Seeing Harry mumbling without speaking, Firenze said nothing further. He gently rubbed Harry’s hair again, then stood up, waved goodbye to them, and re-entered the mist-shrouded Forbidden Forest.
Soon, he was no longer visible in the night.
Harry gazed in that direction for a long time, stunned, and murmured, “I wonder what punishment he’ll receive when he gets back?”
Beside him, Ron, who was dejectedly being teased by Hermione for failing to set off fireworks several times, scratched his head and said, “It probably won’t be good. The Centaur tribes are very insular and savage. Bane’s temper is basically the impression wizards have of Centaurs. Firenze will have a hard time back there.”
But Firenze wasn’t afraid!
For some reason, Harry suddenly realized that the fear that had been lingering around him had dissipated at some point.
He glanced at the Forbidden Forest one last time.
He didn’t know when he would see Firenze again, but he remembered what he had said.
Running away won’t solve anything!
Harry Potter, you need to be brave!
Bang!
Harry, who had just encouraged himself, was startled by the loud bang beside his ear. It was Hermione, setting off fireworks with her wand.
In the distance, only the silhouette and lights of Hagrid’s Hut could be faintly seen. Fang let out a loud bark.
………
Tap, tap—
The crisp sound of shoe soles on the floor echoed in the empty corridor.
Vaughn walked through the now silent castle, ignoring the complaints of the portraits who had been woken up, and headed to the basement.
He arrived at Snape’s Office door and knocked.
Normally, professors should have been asleep by this time, resting for the next day’s classes. However, Snape was an exception. He was a bit like a Muggle shut-in, preferring to research things he was interested in late at night.
It was said that it sparked his inspiration.
Indeed, the door soon opened. Snape, in his usual plain black robe, stood with his usual expressionless, stiff face:
“What is it?”
“The plan has been moved up, Professor!”
“…What do you need me to do?”
Vaughn smiled: “Of course, to guide Quirrell and Harry. Dumbledore and I plan to leave tonight. The representative from Ilvermorny has been kept waiting for many days; they must be anxious by now. Unfortunately, I only finished dealing with school matters tonight—well, Quidditch is a good excuse—as a token of apology and our regard for Ilvermorny, we’ve decided to meet them tonight. I believe the representative will be very touched!”
Snape’s mouth twitched. The representative meeting Vaughn and Dumbledore was unfortunate for them.
“So, I need to inform Quirrell and Potter of this news?”
“Yes. Thank you for your trouble, Professor. I believe with your acting skills and intelligence, they absolutely won’t see through it… Oh, would you like to bring a camera? I ordered a batch of micro-cameras some time ago. You can hide it in your clothes and film this part too, to make the story complete.”
“No need!” Snape said coldly.
Although the change in expression from stiff to cold was subtle, it was quite evident on Snape’s face.
Vaughn shook his head regretfully: “Tsk, then the plot of the Savior’s Trial plan won’t be perfect. A bit of a shame… But then again, you still have to be a spy later, so you can’t reveal it.”
“…Is there anything else?”
“That’s all. I won’t disturb you further. Good night, Professor.”
After a slight bow, Vaughn turned to leave, but Snape called him back: “Wait!”
“Professor?”
Snape’s dark eyes gazed at Vaughn. He hesitated for a moment, then said softly, “You’re getting closer and closer to Dumbledore. I don’t know your intentions, but I want to remind you to be careful…”
Vaughn hadn’t expected him to say that. He paused for a moment, then smiled again: “Thank you for your concern, Professor. I’ll be careful.”
Snape turned his face away and snorted, “This isn’t concern. I just fear you’ll become as terrible a person as him someday.”
Ha, tsundere!
Vaughn smiled, said nothing further, bowed again, and left quickly.
Exiting the basement, Vaughn went straight to the Eighth Floor. Dumbledore was already waiting there, along with Professor McGonagall. This stern Deputy Headmistress looked displeased.
“Albus, why must we rush tonight? Can’t we schedule the meeting for tomorrow morning or noon? It’s already late at night. Isn’t it rude to disturb the representative from Ilvermorny?”
“And you notified us so suddenly. The school still has a lot of things to deal with. Those cheating tools and inferior potions used by the young wizards have resurfaced, and I was planning to arrange an investigation!”
Professor McGonagall was not truly involved in the plan because her fair and protective nature towards young wizards meant she likely wouldn’t agree to Dumbledore’s plan, so everyone kept it from her.
However, she clearly couldn’t stay. According to the plan, she needed to leave Hogwarts as well.
Seeing the two from afar, Vaughn was about to approach when he heard Dumbledore say with a naive smile, “Minerva, it’s not me who’s in a hurry, it’s Vaughn. You know, that child has to review his lessons and undergo Quidditch training recently. I suspect he’s been itching to go.”
