My name is Sasuke, from being the richest man in Naruto to dominating the world

Chapter 588: Speculations about Horcruxes (Dumbledore)
Harry and the other two were caught on the spot, and the scene that followed was complete chaos.

The doorman Filch was going crazy. He regarded Mrs. Norris as his most important companion. Now that he saw her "killed", he wished that Harry would pay with his life on the spot.

Fortunately, Dumbledore arrived in time and told him that Mrs. Norris was not dead, but was petrified. Once a new batch of mandrakes matured and a new potion was prepared, she would be able to be freed from the petrification.

This news calmed Filch down a little, but he still refused to give in and hoped that Harry and the others would be punished.

Of course this was impossible. Harry had done nothing wrong, so why should he be punished? Just because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time?

If it was someone else it would be fine, but Harry, haha, old Dumbledore can punish anyone but not Harry.

But this could not be said openly, so Dumbledore waved his hand and asked Harry and the other two to stay, while the others returned to the common room as soon as possible.

Just like that, Zhou Ming came here with a group of people, and then left with another group of people. He knew exactly what would happen next, so he didn't need to stay at the scene to watch.

But this matter obviously would not be so easy to get over. He had just returned to the lounge and had not yet lay down on the bed when a letter suddenly flew in front of him.

Zhou Ming opened it and took a look.

"Student Zhou Ming, please come to my office. I have something to ask you."

It was a message from Dumbledore. It seemed that the old man inevitably began to suspect me.

Zhou Ming smiled, put the letter away, turned around and left the room, heading straight for Dumbledore's office.

When he arrived at the office, Dumbledore was the only one in the room. It was obvious that he had finished dealing with today's affairs.

"You're here? Sit down. Do you want something to eat? I recently bought a new batch of snacks."

Dumbledore said this very kindly and pushed a large basin in front of Zhou Ming.

Zhou Ming picked a candy and put it in his mouth. The candy was sweet and tasted good.

"I asked you to come here, you should understand why."

"I see. You want to ask about Horcruxes."

"Yes, since you know everything, please tell me, has there been any abnormality with the Horcrux recently?"

"No, it's very peaceful, and the soul fragment inside has fallen asleep again."

"Did it communicate with you? For example, did it talk to you, or exchange secrets with you..."

"Professor Dumbledore."

Zhou Ming interrupted Old Deng before he could finish his words. He tapped his fingers on the armrest of the chair and said, "Please don't treat me as an ordinary second-year student. I think that ordinary second-year students can't resist the temptation of Voldemort, nor can they resist your Legilimency."

Zhou Ming's eyes were emitting a faint white light, and he was fighting against Dumbledore's Legilimency.

"..."

Dumbledore looked at Zhou Ming in silence, then sighed after a moment, "I'm sorry, I want to apologize to you first. I used Legilimency on you without permission because I was too anxious. I wanted to find out what happened. I was also worried that you had been controlled by Voldemort. I had to ensure the safety of the school and you, but now it seems that you should be fine."

In fact, Old Dumbledore would not easily use Legilimency on others, because such behavior was very impolite and too aggressive.

But in today's magic world, the number of people who can block his Legilimency can be counted on one hand. Because of some experiences in his youth, old Dumbledore would subconsciously restrain his own power, which naturally included Legilimency.

However, this time, the problems in the school were somewhat serious. At present, the only Horcrux he could be sure of was the crown in Zhou Ming's hand. He was worried that something might happen to Zhou Ming, and directly used Legilimency to explore Zhou Ming's heart. It made sense, but it was still very rude, which made Zhou Ming feel a little unhappy.

"Of course I have no problem. I have already made sufficient mental preparations before coming into contact with the Horcruxes. Professor Dumbledore, don't forget that I am a Ravenclaw."

Zhou Ming said with a pursed lip.

Dumbledore nodded.

"Yes, you are a Ravenclaw, known for your rationality and intelligence, which is naturally different from the reckless Gryffindor... Since there is no problem with the Horcrux in your hand, do you know what happened tonight?"

"Haha, Professor Dumbledore, why don't you ask yourself before you ask me? You should know what happened in the castle, right? So there is no need to test me. I can guarantee that this matter has nothing to do with me, and there is nothing abnormal about the crown. So what happened tonight, there is only one possibility..."

Having said this, Zhou Ming suddenly paused.

Dumbledore nodded and took over the conversation.

"Someone has activated another Horcrux, and it is now under Voldemort's control."

This was the last thing Dumbledore wanted to see. If it was Zhou Ming who was controlled, or if Zhou Ming was not controlled but did it willingly, then he would be able to deal with it easily.

After all, the goal is clear, he only needs to control Zhou Ming and the crown.

But now there is no sign of Zhou Ming being invaded by black magic, which means that this matter should have little to do with Zhou Ming. As for Zhou Ming taking the initiative to do such a thing... As he said just now, Ravenclaw represents intelligence and rationality, and the people of this academy are least likely to do thankless things.

They will carefully weigh the risks and benefits when doing something, and try their best to ensure that they will not be affected. If these conditions are not met, Ravenclaw students will most likely not take action themselves.

This is why Ravenclaw students tend to be low-key, because apart from studying, there is almost nothing in the college that can bring them enough benefits.

The same thing happened tonight. What's the point of petrifying a cat? Apart from alerting the school's top management, it has almost no practical significance.

What's more, with Dumbledore's knowledge, he naturally saw at a glance that what happened tonight was related to the Basilisk, and the Basilisk was directly linked to Slytherin House, and the blood words at the scene also proved this point, so it was wrong to suspect Zhou Ming without reason. It was only because Zhou Ming was the most suspicious that Dumbledore took action tonight.

Now he has basically ruled out Zhou Ming as a suspect, but a new problem arises. If the problem is not on Zhou Ming's side, then whose problem is it?

In addition to the tiara? Is there a second Horcrux in Hogwarts?

So what is this Horcrux?
Also, how many Horcruxes did Tom create? Could it be the Hufflepuff cup? After all, the cup had been lost for many years and could have fallen into anyone's hands.

Finally, and most importantly, Dumbledore thought of Harry.

Now that it has been confirmed that Voldemort created a Horcrux, and more than one, the possibility he can think of most is that Harry may also be one of the Horcruxes.

If this is true, then things will be a bit troublesome later... Old Deng sat there without saying a word, thinking alone.

Zhou Ming could probably guess what Dumbledore was thinking, so he didn't rashly disturb him, but quietly appreciated the layout of the room.

He had seen this room countless times in movies before, but this was his first time to see it in person, and everything was new to him.

Especially the portraits of former principals on the wall. When Zhou Ming paid attention to them, they were also paying attention to Zhou Ming.

One of the portraits spoke.

"Hey, little one, you said you had a Horcrux? What was it? Ravenclaw's Diadem?"

The person who spoke was an old man with a fierce look. As soon as he opened his mouth, his aura made Zhou Ming identify his identity.

Phineas Black, one of the former headmasters of Hogwarts, was born in Slytherin House. He was one of the ancestors of the Black family and the grandfather of Sirius Black. He is considered to be the most unpopular headmaster in the history of Hogwarts.

"Yes."

Zhou Ming nodded.

"Hehe, I didn't expect that the diadem was actually found and made into a Horcrux by our Slytherin descendants. This is incredible..."

Phineas shook his head as he spoke, his eyes constantly glancing at a portrait of a woman wearing glasses and with a serious expression next to him.

But the woman just kept her head down reading the book and ignored him at all, which made Phineas quite bored.

Zhou Ming stared at the female headmaster for a few seconds and confirmed that she was a former headmistress of Ravenclaw. Since nothing major happened during her tenure and she herself had no outstanding achievements, she was not very famous. However, from the temperament she exuded and the familiar scene in the portrait, it was not difficult to determine her identity.

Phineas must have had a conflict with the other party and hoped to use this incident to mock the other party. Unfortunately, he met Ravenclaw. A qualified Ravenclaw would not be overly distracted by such things. Phineas should have thought of this earlier.

Zhou Ming stared at the other portraits for a while. Almost all of them were very kind to him. They either smiled at him or waved at him.

Zhou Ming also responded politely one by one.

"Ah, sorry for leaving you alone for so long."

Dumbledore quickly came to his senses and smiled at Zhou Ming somewhat embarrassedly.

"What do you think about that hidden Horcrux, Zhou Ming? Where do you think it is?"

"First of all, it must be in the hands of students. If it were the professors, they would definitely not allow Voldemort to escape...well, except for a certain professor."

Zhou Ming was originally very confident until he remembered Lockhart. If it was Lockhart, then everything was possible.

Dumbledore had obviously thought of this, and he felt a little embarrassed. After all, it was he who recruited Lockhart into the school, but the trouble he had caused recently was more than that of the previous ten years combined. This made Dumbledore doubt whether he was really senile, otherwise why would he recruit such an outrageous person into the school as a teacher?
"But I'm more inclined to believe that the Horcrux is in the hands of students, because the student body is large and it's easy for the Horcrux to hide. If it's really in the hands of a professor, as long as you, Professor Dumbledore, check it, the Horcrux will basically not escape."

Zhou Ming said.

"That makes sense. So you think that a Horcrux has thoughts? It can actively choose its owner?"

"There's no need to explain that it has thoughts, right? Professor, you've seen everything about the soul fragments in the crown. As long as the soul in the Horcrux recovers a little, it will be almost effortless to control the little wizard.

As for the fact that it will choose its own owner... I am more inclined to believe that someone deliberately arranged all this and chose a suitable owner for the Horcrux."

Zhou Ming said with a smile.

"Are you saying that someone is deliberately doing something bad behind this?"

Dumbledore demanded.

"The probability is very high, isn't it? And isn't it obvious? Why didn't the Horcruxes appear in the past, but this year? Or, why has the situation in the entire wizarding world changed since Harry entered school? Voldemort is not dead, and any smart person can see that. Those who oppose him are trying every means to destroy him, and those who submit to him will certainly try every means to resurrect him.

Hogwarts is a good place. Various means of detection from the outside world cannot see what is happening inside the school, and a large number of students are the best hiding group. As long as a Horcrux is sent in somehow and into the hands of a student, given the alertness of the young wizard, it is difficult for him to report the situation to the professor in the first place.

As long as they miss the initial opportunity, the subsequent Horcruxes will have countless ways to control the young wizards, absorb their vitality, and complete the final resurrection."

Although this logic has many loopholes, it is very clear overall, and even Dumbledore could not find any major problems.

"What do you think this Horcrux could be?"

he asked again.

"I don't know. I wondered if it was a relic of another founder..."

"Gryffindor's relic is the sword, but it has always been in my possession, so it can't be a Horcrux."

"Hufflepuff and Slytherin..."

"The gold cup and locket are missing, as is the tiara before it."

"The possibility of the gold cup is not very high, because it is not easy to hide. The possibility of the pendant box is higher..."

Zhou Ming speculated pretentiously, "Also, Professor Dumbledore, do you think Voldemort would use something other than relics to make Horcruxes? If there is something that is the most common and inconspicuous thing among the student group..."

"You mean books?"

Dumbledore immediately thought of this and frowned tightly.

"If we follow your previous analysis, then indeed, the probability that the Horcrux is a book is higher... I'm sorry, Zhou, I'm not sure what Voldemort's Horcruxes are made of..."

Dumbledore shook his head, but he already had a guess in mind.

Because textbooks have to be new every year, it is impossible for Voldemort to use books from the future to create Horcruxes, so if the Horcruxes are really books, they are most likely something like diaries.

(End of this chapter)