"Mr. Ken,"
After catching up to Dumbledore and entering the temporary headmaster's office with him, Dumbledore first sat down and poured two cups of tea. He pushed one of them toward Avada before finally asking at his usual unhurried pace, "The matter we discussed last time—completely separating the soul fragment from its container. How is your progress on that?"
"It's already done, Professor."
The moment the subject came up, Avada immediately perked up. "Our original plan was to completely deal with the Horcrux problem over Christmas, so I haven't let this matter out of my sight for even a moment lately."
"Have you performed any experiments yet?"
"Not yet. The process of separating a soul could cause quite a commotion, and I didn't dare carry it out on Durmstrang's grounds."
That was Avada's answer.
He had done simulated experiments using the equipment at Leach University, but after all, the body double he used over there had not been carrying a Horcrux, so he could not guarantee the results would be completely accurate.
Although, at his current level and with his ability to directly perceive souls, he was fully confident that he could succeed with the spell in one go, this plan directly involved Harry Potter's own soul. So he still had to do everything possible to eliminate every last risk.
And one must not forget—besides Voldemort's soul fragment, Harry also carried a protective charm that similarly involved soul magic, making his condition countless times more complicated than that of an ordinary person.
If not for the fact that Avada had directly acquired soul-related knowledge, Harry Potter would practically be the most valuable soul research specimen repository in the world—the sort of thing top-tier Dark wizards would fight each other to capture and dissect.
Well… except for Voldemort.
"My plan is to test it on several Horcruxes first after we return to Hogwarts,"
he said to Dumbledore. "Once the first experiment succeeds, I'll gradually make contact with the soul fragment inside Harry. Only after I've completely ruled out every possible risk will I begin the actual operation… I'll make sure the basic safety measures are in place."
"That's good."
Dumbledore nodded. "Then roughly how long will the whole process take?"
"One to two days," Avada replied.
"One to two days…"
After hearing that answer, Dumbledore habitually stroked his beard and pondered for a moment. "That should be enough."
Enough?
Avada felt puzzled.
Was something going to happen during the time he returned to Hogwarts?
"Mr. Ken, what are your thoughts on the upcoming Christmas Ball?"
Before Avada could voice his question, Dumbledore ended his reflection and instead asked something completely unrelated to the previous topic.
"?"
Avada instinctively tensed at those words, then relaxed again.
If not for the fact that he could see that Dumbledore's mental state was generally still calm, he would have thought Dumbledore had received some definite intelligence—that the pure-blood families were planning to make their move at the Christmas Ball…
So this was just a normal question about his dance partner?
"…To be honest, I don't really have any thoughts on it."
He thought for a while before answering truthfully, "At the moment, I know absolutely nothing about dancing. I've also never attended a ball like this before, so I don't know what I should pay attention to… And since I'm unfamiliar with Durmstrang, I don't really dare casually invite anyone or accept an invitation. I'm even a little worried I'll make a fool of myself on the dance floor and embarrass Hogwarts."
"No one would think a ball can represent the honor of an entire school."
Dumbledore smiled faintly. "So in other words, you aren't particularly enthusiastic about attending this ball, correct?"
"…You could say that."
Avada hesitated, then added, "Professor, from the way you're saying this… could it be that you want to take me back to Hogwarts on the day of the ball?"
"I thought we were only supposed to begin the plan after the Christmas Ball ended. Personally, I don't really mind missing the ball, but wouldn't that be the time when the champions are under the most scrutiny? If I were absent for no reason at that moment, people would definitely get suspicious. Don't forget, that 'Ludo Bagman' who may actually be little Barty Crouch has been watching us the whole time…"
"I'm aware of all that, Mr. Ken."
Dumbledore still wore his calm smile, and he even looked somewhat more pleased, as though he was very happy to see Avada thinking this much. "Yes, I do hope that you can return to Hogwarts on the day of the Christmas Ball. And if you're willing, you needn't worry about exposing anything either. I'll arrange for someone to disguise themselves as you. Of course, this is only a suggestion. The points you made are valid as well, and safer in some respects… The two choices are more or less equal. Which one we choose depends entirely on your opinion."
"Then why do you want to leave on the day of the ball, Professor?"
Avada asked curiously.
From what he could observe, Dumbledore's mental state was actually showing a faint trace of conflict and difficulty.
"I have an invitation that I cannot refuse that day."
His smile indeed faded a little, though on the surface he still looked perfectly at ease. "An old friend wants to meet with me to discuss some very important matters, and by sheer coincidence, he happened to set the time on Christmas Day. But the invitation was one-way, and I currently have no way to contact him to ask whether he can change the date… so I can only accommodate him."
"In any case, I'm definitely going out that day, so I thought I'd ask you while I was at it."
"I see."
Avada did his best to suppress the complicated thoughts rising in his mind and outwardly asked as calmly as possible, "I don't have any problem with it, but if I remember correctly, shouldn't the headmasters of all three schools also be expected to attend the Christmas Ball? Or are you planning to send two people to Durmstrang to disguise themselves as both of us separately?"
"I'm not nearly that capable."
Dumbledore shook his head with a laugh. "But don't worry. There definitely won't be any problems on the day itself. That much I can guarantee."
"That's good… But how good is the acting of the person disguising themselves as me? Do I need to inform my friends in advance?"
"You may tell Mr. Shafiq."
Dumbledore answered as though he had anticipated the question already. "He should also know part of the truth, so there's no issue with telling him. But please make sure he keeps this secret, and that he also doesn't have too much contact with the person playing your role."
"I understand… Is there anything else, Professor?"
"No… Ah, right. Would you like some pickled shark-flavored Cockroach Clusters? It's a unique flavor from the Nordic region. Quite novel, really…"
…
After escaping Dumbledore's dark cuisine, Avada finally made it safely back to his room. Then he completely lost control of his expression, and his whole face rapidly twisted.
"The person looking for Dumbledore… don't tell me it's Grindelwald?"
"He spent several months preparing, all just to meet Dumbledore once??"