The Headmaster's Office.
"Care for some sweets to calm your nerves? Your experiences tonight were truly eventful."
Dumbledore smiled as he spoke to Lucien, raising a hand to conjure several plates of sweets and pastries before picking up a Milk Fudge and tossing it into his mouth.
Lucien picked up his cup and took a sip of honey-lemon water.
Slaying the Basilisk, confronting Tom, triggering Slytherin's inheritance, and saving Rubeus Hagrid... it had indeed been a busy night. He really should have something sweet.
Avoiding the plate of Fudge Flies, Lucien picked up a Creamy Peppermint instead.
The sweetness that burst across his taste buds immediately made him feel more relaxed and content.
No wonder the old bee loved sweets so much. After a busy and exhausting period, a bit of sugar really could relieve fatigue.
"The Order of Merlin. I originally wanted it to be a surprise, but it seems that won't be possible now."
Dumbledore set down his teacup and looked at Lucien with a broad smile.
"Headmaster, do you really think Mr. Malfoy's suggestion is feasible?"
To be honest, Lucien had been quite surprised when Lucius Malfoy proposed awarding him the Order of Merlin, First Class.
More specifically, he had been surprised that Lucius was the one to make the suggestion.
But after thinking it over, Lucien felt it was also a form of goodwill.
From Lucius's perspective, he could not be certain whether Lucien knew the true origin of the diary. To be safe, he naturally wanted to earn a favour if possible.
However, Lucien was not particularly confident about receiving the Order of Merlin, First Class.
From what Dumbledore had told him, he had originally been set to receive the Order of Merlin, Second Class.
From the perspective of reputation, receiving the Order of Merlin at his age, whether First Class or Second Class, would already be sensational.
This was entirely different from the influence of his Transfiguration thesis within academic circles.
The Order of Merlin was an honour recognised throughout the entire magical world.
Not only in Britain, but across Europe as well, the prestige of the Order of Merlin was extremely high, and it would attract attention throughout much of the world.
Once he became widely known, the sales and revenue of his magical products would also increase dramatically, greatly accelerating repayment of the Emerald Tablet Fragment's annual loan.
"Actually, Lucien, once your application for the Order of Merlin, Second Class, was approved, many of the concerns and obstacles had already been resolved. As for your contribution tonight, it fully meets the requirements for the Order of Merlin, First Class..."
Dumbledore went on to explain the standards for receiving the Order of Merlin, First Class.
Lucien was already familiar with them, but Dumbledore, as Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, explained them in far greater detail.
"The Order of Merlin, Second Class, had already been finalised and could have been awarded to you before Christmas. However, if we submit a new application for the First Class now, it may be delayed until next term. Still, thanks to the groundwork already completed, the process should be much faster this time. It will most likely be awarded at the beginning of next term."
"Good things are worth waiting for."
Seeing Lucien treat such an honour with complete composure, Dumbledore felt genuinely impressed.
Most people would be jumping with excitement.
After all, this was the youngest recipient of the Order of Merlin in history, and potentially the youngest recipient of the highest honour, First Class.
"Headmaster, what about this diary?"
Lucien's gaze shifted toward the old diary resting beside Dumbledore.
Dumbledore lowered his eyes to it, a complicated look flickering behind his half-moon spectacles.
"Tom..."
"Oh, right, Lucien. You mentioned triggering Slytherin's inheritance. Was Tom ultimately dealt with by the measures Salazar left behind?"
Lucien nodded. After passing on the inheritance, Salazar had instructed him to inform the current Headmaster of Hogwarts about the matter.
With a sigh, Dumbledore found the situation rather ironic.
Slytherin's most outstanding student had ultimately been abandoned by Slytherin himself.
Dumbledore opened the diary, revealing the yellowed pages within.
As if sensing that someone had touched it, a line of text slowly appeared on the parchment:
"Lucien, you have won. I am willing to tell you all the knowledge I possess..."
Perhaps because all of its life force had been stripped away, the words appeared very slowly.
After a moment of thought, Dumbledore reached out and clenched his hand. A white quill appeared between his fingers, and he began writing in the diary:
"Long time no see, Tom. I never expected to meet your younger self again."
As the ink vanished into the page, Dumbledore's Magic also seeped into the diary.
Sensing that familiar aura, the diary immediately suppressed the already weakened fluctuations of its soul entity.
After playing dead for several minutes, Tom seemed to accept reality and realise that continuing the act was pointless.
A line of text slowly appeared. The usually elegant handwriting was now somewhat untidy:
"Dumbledore!"
Dumbledore continued writing:
"It is indeed me. It is difficult to imagine that you were only in your sixth year when you created this diary. How extraordinary you were back then. You were once the most brilliant student Hogwarts had ever seen."
Yes, once.
Now Hogwarts had a student even more brilliant than Tom.
Dumbledore looked up and saw Lucien quietly drinking his honey-lemon water while reaching for a Fizzing Whizzbee.
This time, the diary took longer to respond.
"Whether I am brilliant or not is not for you to judge."
After that, the diary fell silent again.
Dumbledore then drew the Elder Wand. A faint magical glow shimmered along its segmented shaft and slowly permeated the diary.
"Headmaster, the Head of House Slytherin mentioned something called a Horcrux. Is that what this diary is?"
The moment Lucien spoke, the flow of Magic Dumbledore was transmitting briefly stalled.
"A Horcrux!"
Several sharp gasps immediately erupted from the portraits of former Headmasters, who had previously been dormant.
"A Horcrux? A student created a Horcrux while still at Hogwarts?"
The former Ravenclaw Headmistress, Sharon, adjusted her glasses and frowned deeply, her eyes filled with shock, disbelief, and anger.
Sharon had conducted extensive research into methods of countering Dark Arts curses. She understood perfectly well how evil a Horcrux was.
How could a boy commit such a heinous act?
"A Horcrux? Is that something important? Why are all of you making such a racket in the middle of the night instead of resting?"
A sharp voice rang out as Phineas, sporting a small moustache, lazily appeared within his portrait.
In truth, most of the former Headmasters were unfamiliar with Horcruxes. Even within the Dark Arts, they were considered obscure, mentioned only in fragments throughout ancient texts.
However, Phineas's attitude was still irritating.
Soon, a stern-looking, broad-shouldered man stepped into Phineas's portrait and seized him by the neck from behind, immediately silencing him.
Seeing Headmaster Morgan, who had come from Gryffindor, choke Phineas into unconsciousness, Sharon began her explanation.
"A Horcrux is a Dark Arts object. A wizard splits off a fragment of their soul through an evil act such as murder and seals it within an object. As long as the Horcrux remains intact, the wizard who created it cannot truly die..."
As Sharon explained, the expressions of the various Headmasters changed one after another.
None of them had expected that a mere student would dare create something so vile.
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