Dumbledore spoke again after a brief pause: "We must deal with Voldemort as soon as possible... Collins, how is your relationship with Horace?"
At this point, Dumbledore could no longer find anything to say.
The priority was to deal with the two Dark Lords, Voldemort and Grindelwald, as soon as possible and bring complete stability to the wizarding world.
As for Andy...
He could worry about this headache later!
"Er... Professor, it's only the start of the school year."
Andy gave a helpless smile and said lightly, "But I have always done well in Potions, and with my reputation in the wizarding world and my ability… I think Professor Slughorn is quite fond of me."
Dumbledore: "…"
Although he didn't want to criticise his old friend, Slughorn was indeed a bit of a superficial elitist.
He liked students who were talented, famous, and from wealthy and powerful families.
But for those ordinary students, he won't even remember their names.
Dumbledore looked at Andy with a serious expression and frowned, asking, "Collins, are you sure that Voldemort only has seven Horcruxes?"
"Well..."
Andy pondered for a moment and nodded, saying, "I'm about 50% sure. Seven is a magical number... Not only that, but I've also studied a bit about souls, and splitting seven times is the utmost limit."
"The reason I'm only half sure is because the person I'm talking about this time is Voldemort, so I'm willing to overestimate his abilities as much as possible."
Dumbledore nodded slightly, his whole face furrowed, as if he was thinking about something.
Andy didn't disturb him.
According to Andy's many years of study, as well as observations of the points system, seven...should be the limit that humans can possibly reach.
Let's take the [Constitution] attribute as an example.
When the [Constitution] attribute reached five points, Andy gained power from the death dimension—the breath of death.
When the [Constitution] attribute reaches seven points, it will reach the limit that Andy can bear. Or rather, the limit a human can bear.
And when the [Constitution] attribute exceeds seven points, it may reach a whole new domain.
Of course, these are just Andy's speculations.
Because the highest stat Andy currently has is only seven points.
As for after seven points... With so many stat points to add, given his current strength, Andy will focus on gaining [Potential Points] for now, and only later will he consider strengthening his abilities.
As for Andy's study of the soul, of course, that is also true.
To be honest, being able to split a soul twice is already terrifying. Splitting a soul seven times... is something that only a very small number of people can do.
Seven times...
Dumbledore was lost in thought.
He trusted Andy's judgement because he also felt that seven times was the limit for a human being.
But this was only speculation, after all.
Dumbledore had to be responsible for the entire wizarding world.
If the speculation was wrong, the consequences would be unpredictable—perhaps Voldemort would hide the last Horcrux in a place where no one could find it.
Or Voldemort would continue to split his soul.
As Andy had said, since the one they are up against is Voldemort, they must try to overestimate his abilities.
It was just that...
In the current situation, there was no time for Dumbledore to further gather evidence.
He must completely deal with Voldemort before Grindelwald officially makes a comeback.
Only then could he focus on stopping Grindelwald's rise.
"Collins..."
After a moment of contemplation, Dumbledore finally spoke: "You must keep a close watch on Harry tomorrow. I will find an opportunity to destroy the locket. When Harry shows signs of abnormality, use the Legilimency on him."
Andy was taken aback. "Find an opportunity?"
Can't you just destroy that locket thing at any time?
"...in front of Voldemort," explained Dumbledore.
Oh, I see!
Doesn't this mean you are going to confront him face-to-face?
Given Voldemort's fear of Dumbledore, when he sees Dumbledore destroy a Horcrux in front of him, he will definitely be distracted and involuntarily recall other Horcrux locations.
If he uses Legilimency on Harry at such a time… he might be able to peek into Voldemort's memories.
This is double insurance!
Apparently, Dumbledore still intended to adopt a cautious approach.
He might be willing to take risks himself, but he would not drag the entire British wizarding community through the fire with him.
"If there are only seven Horcruxes, then apart from Harry and the snake, there is only one left!"
Dumbledore continued, "Collins, while I hold Voldemort back, you must destroy the last Horcrux as quickly as possible."
Of all Voldemort's Horcruxes, the diary, the diadem, and the ring have already been destroyed.
The locket is in Dumbledore's hands.
Harry and the snake are temporarily beyond their scope.
Therefore, as long as the last Horcrux is destroyed, Dumbledore can proceed to deal with Voldemort.
With the help of a Dementor, it's possible to deal with Harry.
As for the snake...isn't that just a matter of one spell?
Andy mused.
Unless Voldemort had eight Horcruxes, or he could continue to split his soul, he would be dead for sure.
Er...that's right, he can still flee!
"Professor, what if Voldemort escapes?"
Andy frowned and asked, "A wizard of Voldemort's level; if he is determined to hide, it should be difficult to find him, right?"
Dumbledore said sternly, "Tomorrow...it will be the decisive battle!"
What?
So soon?
No more careful planning?
But on second thought, there really isn't anything to plan.
With Andy and Dumbledore in the British wizarding world, once Voldemort senses the threat of death, he will definitely leave immediately.
This is also one of the reasons why Dumbledore was in no hurry to destroy the locket.
Once Dumbledore destroys the locket and Andy destroys the other Horcrux... Voldemort will flee even if he doesn't want to.
If he doesn't leave, he will die!
Therefore, the final battle cannot be delayed any longer!
Things are moving a bit too fast, so fast that Andy is a bit caught off guard.
"No problem!"
Andy nodded and said, "Tomorrow is Saturday, right? Harry and I will stay at the Hog's Head Inn the whole time. Once we know the location of the Horcrux, it will only take us ten minutes at most!"
Andy is very confident in his own abilities.
After using the Apparition spell to get there, he will just kill and be done with it.
"One more thing..."
Dumbledore looked at Andy with a serious expression and said, "After destroying the Horcrux, you must take Harry to the place where Voldemort and I will duel."
"Got it!"
Andy gave an 'OK' sign and then asked, "Where will you duel?"
Dumbledore handed Andy a bronze knut. "It will lead you to us."
Andy played with it for a moment, then asked with a raised eyebrow, "Professor, can I exchange it for a gold galleon?"
Dumbledore: "…"
At this critical moment, you still want to take advantage of me?
There was a moment of silence in the room.
"Collins, please be serious!" Despite his words, Dumbledore felt that there was something not quite right with the vibe in the room.
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