Harry Potter and the Secret Treasures

“We must go to Malfoy Manor immediately,” Seemingly because his words went unanswered, Harry stubbornly repeated, “to destroy that Horcrux.”

He also had to find out—to be sure—whether the person imprisoned in that dungeon was Ron.

Evan and Hermione exchanged a glance, both reading worry in each other’s eyes.

Hermione seemed to have noticed something amiss as well, but for now, she needed to calm Harry down.

In an instant, she and Evan reached an unspoken understanding.

Harry’s current state was off; he was far too agitated, possibly influenced by Voldemort, or perhaps this was all a trap. There might not even be a new Horcrux. Voldemort could have sensed Harry intruding into his mind and was now using the same trick again, trying to lure them in.

Just like the time at the Hall of Valor, Voldemort had deliberately lured them there to be sacrifices to the evil god.

So, any decision to go to Malfoy Manor had to be made with extreme caution.

Besides this, Evan was also thinking of something else. If Voldemort had truly created such a magical Horcrux, then casting it upon Gryffindor’s Philosopher’s Stone would have been the most logical — and the best — choice. It couldn’t have been anything else. If it were, Dumbledore would surely have discovered it.

But Dumbledore had never mentioned anything of the sort. It seemed clear that during the years between Tom Riddle’s disappearance and his transformation into Voldemort, he hadn’t created any new Horcruxes. Hufflepuff’s Cup had been the last one made before Riddle vanished; and then came Harry and the statue of the evil god.

During those years of disappearance, Voldemort had subjected his own body to vile Dark Magic experiments.

He must have realized then that his soul had become unstable due to multiple splits. Because of the Horcruxes, he had gained immortality, but also, because of the splitting of his soul, he couldn’t cast many powerful Dark spells. Therefore, from then on, he became increasingly cautious about creating more Horcruxes.

And before that, when Voldemort was still Tom Riddle, he had always been under Dumbledore’s surveillance.

Riddle had also been exceptionally selective about what objects to use for Horcruxes. Aside from the diary, which had special personal meaning, every other Horcrux was tied to one of Hogwarts’ Four Founders. Therefore, Gryffindor’s Philosopher’s Stone would have been Riddle’s ideal choice — too perfect to pass up.

Once Evan reached that conclusion, everything else seemed to fall into place.

Since that Horcrux had once been bound to Gryffindor’s Philosopher’s Stone, it must now be on one of the people who had been present at the time: a Centaur, Evan, Sirius, Harry, Hermione, or Ron.

No matter how he looked at it, the strongest possibility pointed to Ron; and that was what worried Evan the most.

Voldemort’s sudden appearance with Ron’s group during Harry’s transfer was very strange.

Had he made a mistake, thinking Ron was the real Harry? Or had he sensed something else?

Voldemort might no longer have any connection to his Horcruxes, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t feel something if one of them passed right before his eyes.

Ron, carrying Voldemort’s new Horcrux!

This was highly likely, and it also explained why Ron had been missing all this time.

Evan pondered, what was Voldemort planning to do?!

Wouldn’t it be reckless to rush into Malfoy Manor before they fully understood Voldemort’s plot?!

Of course, if the person imprisoned there truly was Ron, they had to find a way to rescue him.

However, there was no need to act in haste. If it really was Ron, his safety wasn’t a concern for the time being. Besides, rescuing someone from the Death Eaters’ stronghold — Malfoy Manor — was not something Evan, Harry, Hermione, and Elaine could simply do on their own; they would have to talk to Sirius and the Order of the Phoenix.

Thinking this through, Evan cleared his throat softly. “To be honest, Harry, Malfoy Manor is far too dangerous. I don’t think our current focus should be on that Horcrux. The secret treasure of Hufflepuff and Slytherin is far more important than that Horcrux. Only by collecting all the keys to unlock the treasure left by the Four Founders will we have the power to fight the Dark Lord. And don’t forget, Dumbledore isn’t dead. He’s just gone to another dimension to eliminate Herpo the Foul’s soul. If we’re fast enough, we can reduce his stress and even help him defeat the evil god. Getting Professor Dumbledore back is what we need to do most right now.”

“But…”

“What you need right now is rest, Harry. The four of us just escaped from Gringotts, and everyone is exhausted. It’s really not suitable for us to embark on a new adventure immediately,” said Hermione. “You don’t even know exactly where Malfoy Manor is, and if the Dark Lord is there right now, going would be walking straight into a trap.”

“Exactly, there’s just too much to do. I think it’s best to decipher the information on the deed to the Golden Cup before making any decisions,” Evan continued. “Even if we’re going to Malfoy Manor, we should discuss it with the Order of the Phoenix. The Dark Lord can’t stay there forever; we can wait until he leaves. Although I also want to destroy that Horcrux as soon as possible and rescue whoever he’s imprisoned, it’s not something that can be done immediately.”

“If that’s all you two think, go to sleep instead of taking action!” Harry said irritably, the scar on his head throbbing more and more. “But if he finds out the ring and the locket are missing, he’ll be furious. What if he thinks Malfoy Manor isn’t safe enough and moves the Horcrux?”

“Since we’ve already destroyed so many Horcruxes, we’ll eventually find it. I’m sure of it,” said Evan with quiet determination.

He met Harry’s eyes for a long moment. Then Harry muttered something under his breath, stood up angrily, and stormed out of the kitchen.

“His emotions are very unstable!” said Hermione wearily. The flames in the room seemed to flicker and dim. “His mind shouldn’t be connected to the Dark Lord anymore. It’s not only extremely dangerous, but it will also make Harry increasingly unstable. I really don’t know how to persuade him to stop.”

“It won’t work, and it’s not something Harry can control,” said Evan softly, his fingers tracing the patterns on the golden cup.

“Well, what’s he angry about this time? He seems very concerned about the person carrying the Horcrux, Evan,” Hermione frowned.

“The atmosphere between you two just now was… strange,” said Elaine quietly. She bit down on her lollipop with a sharp crack, her wine-red eyes gleaming in the firelight with an uncanny brightness. “It’s like you already know something — something terrifying — but you won’t say it. Isn’t that right?!”

“Yes, terrifying, but it’s best to say it,” Hermione looked at Evan. “Who’s the person captured by Voldemort? Could it be Ron?!”