As six of the seven Circle members soon learned, wandless magic was perfectly possible when Edward put pressure on you. Initially, the young Ravenclaw had accepted that they would use their voices to pronounce their spells but soon, Ed had taken them by surprise by casting a Silencio. The majority of them had insulted him then, using the epithet short thinking that being silenced their friend would not hear him. Big mistake: only Luna had escaped the fury of the teen who had strafed them with spells they had to avoid without wands or voices. They should have known that Edward was such a paranoiac about his height that he would have learned to read the hated word on the lips…
Nevertheless, Edward's brutal methods had enabled them to progress at quite a considerable speed. Edward's goal was for them to all be able to cast the spells they had learned during their last four years at Hogwarts and ultimately, on the whole everyone had done pretty well. It must be said that they all started with the advantage of knowing how to use their magical hearts as animagi, which made the exercise easier for them. Moreover, they were all more powerful than the average so they could use the magic of their magical hearts without too much fear of exhausting it. This did not prevent Edward from monitoring the level of their magical hearts very carefully to prevent it from emptying and thus causing them to fall into a magical coma.
Edward was genuinely fascinated by these exercises because he could see firsthand the effects of his training on his friends. He had noticed that the more the members of the Circle used their magical hearts, the more they dilated, developed and even flourished. For Edward, this meant there was no limit to power- even for those who were considered magically weaker by other, more ignorant wizards. There could be developmental delays, but every wizard had the potential, through hard work and self-sacrifice, to one day reach Dumbledore's level of magical power. He had also noticed that magical hearts blossomed best when souls were filled with positive emotions: for example Edward had been sent flying in the Chamber of Secrets by Ron when he made the mistake of going after Hermione during training. Edward had deduced that feelings like friendship and especially love made spells stronger, thus verifying Albus Dumbledore's theory of the strength of love in terms of magic.
Edward had seldom been so happy since he had arrived in this world: his friends here were thriving, casting fourth or fifth year spells just with their hands or in Hermione's case, just by uttering a spell. . Admittedly, this threw in the water all his theories on the fact that the growth of a wizard stopped after a certain level and that wizards could not cast spells beyond those of their fourth year without a wand. But in a way, it made sense because human beings never stopped growing, progressing throughout their lives. It meant he could consider humanity as having positive growth.
Edward knew deep down that he was training the next generation of talented and powerful wizards and he couldn't help but feel a certain pride in it. Best of all, none of them were drawn to power, eternal life, or any other nonsense like that. They sought to become strong not just to protect their loved ones from Voldemort- although that was the main issue- but also to later become adults with strong qualities and personalities, prominent people in society who could move the wizarding world in the right direction in the future. In any case, that was how Edward interpreted his role as a catalyst.
He himself was practicing wandless magic using the magic of his magical heart. However, he also had a strong intention to learn how to use the magical energy that came from the Gate. So he had decided to start his own training by conjuring a ball of energy that he was going to throw at a mannequin. He had warned the others that maybe they should back off because what he was about to do might cause some damage. All of the Circle had rushed behind the rotting body of the gigantic Basilisk, casting as many protective spells as possible. Edward had been touched by their confidence in him, really. Well, okay, his ball of energy had pulverized the mannequin and made the whole room shake. But it was a good start. He just needed to make his spells less… lethal.
Oddly enough, he had found an ideal partner to practice using the magic of the Gate: Luna Lovegood, who seemed to use it almost naturally without a wand, to the point that Edward would have been willing to swear that sometimes the young Ravenclaw didn't do magic but some sort of strange mixture of magic and the alchemy of Amestris. When he had seriously questioned her on this subject, the girl had confessed to him that she had always had difficulty casting spells without overdoing it, and that she sometimes had the impression of feeling the magic, of seeing things that others couldn't see and to which she had given names like Wrackspurts or Crumple-Horned Snorkacks. It had been that way since the death of her mother.
Now, Ed remembered that, according to Ginny, Luna had been present when her mother died during a strange ritual… Not to mention the presence of two graves where there should have been only one… Could it be that during a resurrection ritual performed by her mother, Luna had found herself in front of the Door of Truth and that, like Alphonse, she had been so traumatized by her passage that she had forgotten that it had happened? He decided not to take his questioning any further for the sake of his friend.
Still, thanks to her, he managed to understand the different ways in which one could feel magic. He had already felt some aspects of it thanks to his instincts and his sad habit of encountering dangerous experiences: he had known for example that Dumbledore's hand had been the target for containing a black magic spell. Another example could be seen with how he was able from time to time to perceive the bond which united an elf to his master. With Luna's help, he had learned to limit his strength enough to be able to cast spells more precisely than his energy ball without fear of hurting others around him… At least not seriously, Ron added flatly.
In the meantime, Harry had also focused on Slughorn and Malfoy but to no avail. He felt like he had failed on both counts, even if he obtained rather satisfactory results concerning his training. He had also noticed that the professor, no doubt appeased, was starting to leave his office again, which meant that he might be able to try again soon.
The seven of them were waiting in a sunny corner of the grounds, Ron, Hermione, and Edward clutching the Ministry's handouts on Common Apparition Mistakes and How to Avoid Them. The brochure had only reinforced their nervousness when they already knew how to Apparate perfectly.
They were interrupted by the arrival of a postal owl that brought a parchment made wet by Hagrid's tears: Aragog, his first friend, was dead and he wanted to invite Harry and his three friends to his funeral. Out of respect, Luna, Neville and Ginny walked away- half out of modesty, half because they had no desire to attend the burial of a giant spider. Unfortunately, neither Harry nor his other friends really wanted to respond to Hagrid's invitation with a positive response.
Then, as the legal adults headed for Hogsmeade for their Apparition permit, Harry hurried to potions class, hoping to curry favor from the professor. There were only three students in class that day and their potions teacher gave them free rein to create a potion. Harry used the Prince's notes to create the perfect Elixir to Induce Euphoria, but as usual the stout professor was gone so quickly it seemed like he managed to Apparate within the confines of Hogwarts.
When he returned he saw Ed, Hermione and Ron proudly showing off their Apparition licenses, having passed the exam on the first try. The youngest Weasley son, who had feared the mockery of his brothers for failing his license exam, was now reassured and he rushed to the arms of Hermione to better express his joy. Harry replied morosely that he had been unlucky for the fifty-seventh time and that was when Ron had his brilliant idea:
"Luck, of course! Use the Felix Felicis." Ron exclaimed. "This will give you the chance to talk to Slughorn!"
Harry wanted to find an argument against it, but the memory of the Montgomery sisters who had lost their little brother through Greyback's mad fault hung in his throat. So he went to get the small vial, carefully camouflaged in his socks, and joined the others in front of the Gryffindor common room. Before their anxious eyes, he took a carefully measured sip. Slowly, but surely, he felt the intoxicating sensation of endless possibilities opened up to him, that he could do absolutely anything. Getting the memory of Slughorn back seemed like a breeze now as long as he followed the potion's directions.
Instead of taking charge of Slughorn's office, he suddenly wanted to attend a funeral. He therefore took off in the direction of Hagrid's hut, passing through the greenhouses- not the shortest path, but one which allowed him to meet Slughorn, busy in greenhouse #3. He revealed himself from under his invisibility cloak and explained to the potions professor that he was going to attend the burial of an Acromantula. Attracted by the greed and possibility of over two hundred gallons of giant spider venom, the stout teacher offered to come and assist Hagrid in this difficult time.
The funeral was solemn; the speech of Aragog's greatness and the drunkenness the two adults had, memorable. They discussed potion ingredients and old school memories, toasting each other until they were thirsty again, while Harry was careful to never let them empty their alcohol cups. The two professors raised their glasses to Aragog, dragons, Hogwarts, Dumbledore, elven wine, and Harry Potter, their speeches becoming less intelligible and coherent as time went on.
Judging now that the professor was drunk enough like this, Harry, for the umpteenth time, told the sad story of his parents' deaths, with particular emphasis on his mother's death, her sacrifice. Then Harry asserted that he was the Chosen One, that it was his duty to destroy him, as it was Slughorn's duty to want to be rid of the wizard who had killed Lily Evans. And finally, after a long minute of silence, the Potions professor put his wand against his temple and extracted the memory and placed it in a crystal vial before falling to the table, knocked out by the alcohol.
Harry knew that Felix Felicis' effects were starting to wear off when he narrowly escaped an encounter with Peeves and the Fat Lady refused to open the door to him. However, it must have been his lucky day anyway because Professor Dumbledore had returned according to Nearly-Headless Nick. Harry, as soon as he heard where he was, rushed to the office and up the stairs four at a time and burst into the room exclaiming that he had the memory. The professor obviously wasn't expecting such news, but he wasted no time chatting. He removed the cork and poured the memory into the Pensieve, then Harry and he dived in to witness Slughorn's true memory.
This was how Harry learned what a Horcrux was- through Slughorn saying too much to a manipulative and charming Voldemort. It was an object in which a person had concealed part of his soul so that even if the body was attacked or destroyed, the mage who performed the procedure could not die because a piece of his soul remains attached to earthly life without any damage. Of course, Slughorn affirmed and reaffirmed that existence in such a form was such that death would be preferable. Such a division was unnatural and Harry was well aware of it from his alchemy lessons and Edward's explanations afterwards. But when Riddle asked how to make a Horcrux, Slughorn relented and revealed that murder was required, the ultimate evil act because killing tore the soul apart.
But Harry instinctively suspected that, somewhere, Tom Riddle had already made his first Horcrux. Finally came the most interesting question in Slughorn's memory, when Tom asked if it was possible to split his soul into seven. Harry felt himself turn excruciatingly pale when he heard that question. He hadn't dared after all? From alchemy lessons with Snape and from the heated discussions he had had with Ed about the constitution of a human, he could see right now the abomination it represented. He wondered deep down if he was going to dare to speak to Ed about it, given the way the latter took the integrity of the soul seriously.
Finally, without him realizing it, the memory had ended and Dumbledore explained that at Harry's age, Tom Riddle was already doing what he could to become immortal. Harry would have liked to reply that at the same age he was seeking to become an Animagus and an Occlumens, practicing Legilimency, and learning to use wandless magic- but that was a secret that even Dumbledore couldn't know, according to the promise that the Circle had made. But for Harry, there was no doubt that Voldemort had succeeded: his very survival was proof of that. After that, it remained to be seen if he had actually divided his soul into more than two pieces.
"Do you think he survived thanks to his horcruxes? And he's made several? He tore his soul into parts that he embedded in objects?! It's utter madness!"
"Indeed," Dumbledore nodded, "Four years ago, thanks to you, I had what I considered to be proof that Voldemort had detached a part of his soul."
"Thanks to me…? Oh! Riddle's Diary!" Harry exclaimed, slapping his forehead.
"Indeed, but an unusual Horcrux. It could, in effect, act and think for itself, to the point of consuming the vital energy of the young Ginny Weasley. In other words, it could act as a backup by playing its part to keep Voldemort from dying. But this diary also had a mission, that of perpetuating Slytherin's goals by imposing itself on a Hogwarts student. In short, it acted as a weapon- and a weapon that could be destroyed as you have proved."
"What you mean is that if Riddle had wanted to make a Horcrux as a means of safeguard, he would have taken more care, putting it under cover and protecting it with hexes or whatever." Harry deduced.
"Indeed. The lack of consideration Voldemort bestowed on this Horcrux very quickly made me fear the worst as it meant that he had created or intended to create other Horcruxes. I didn't dare believe it but it was the only logical assumption. Remember two years ago when he claimed to have gone further down the road to immortality than anyone else? Further than anyone only supports this hypothesis because no one has ever dared to make Horcruxes in the plural. I have proof of this in the way Voldemort was becoming less and less human, which was only explained by the fact that he mutilated his soul beyond the borders of what is usually called the Realm of Evil."
"But why undergo such a mutilation? Why not make a Philosopher's Stone instead, or steal one?" Harry asked.
"My friend Nicolas Flamel once described his Philosopher's Stone to me as the representation of hell on Earth. I'm sure if you asked your young friend Edward Elric that he would have a horrific reaction, because I am deeply convinced that my old friend revealed the ins and outs of the stone that even I do not know to his 'adopted son'. Still, luckily- if one can dare to express himself thus- Voldemort was never attracted by the elixir of long life because he would have been dependent on it and he would have died like an ordinary man if anyone ever stole it from him. Of course, he would not have hesitated to use it to escape that state of half life to which you had condemned him but thereafter, he would have, I am sure, continued to rely on his Horcruxes."
"So he really did make Horcruxes. He created seven Horcruxes, right? That's why he asked Slughorn the question."
"Indeed. In numerology, the number seven is among the most powerful numbers and I would not be surprised if he divided his soul into seven, seduced by the symbolism of this number." Dumbledore asserted.
"Seven Horcruxes, not six Horcruxes plus the portion of the soul in him… They could be anywhere in the world- hidden, buried or invisible…" Harry exclaimed in horror.
"I see you realize the nature of the problem. But you forget that you destroyed one- Riddle's Diary- and I destroyed one as well: the ring you must have noticed."
And Dumbledore gave him the brief account of how he had managed to find the Horcrux, but which unfortunately contained a terrible curse that had put his life in peril. He explained to Harry that he owed his life to Professor Snape who had managed to contain the curse. Harry noticed that Dumbledore hadn't said "destroyed the curse" but "contained the curse" and for a moment he had felt the Headmaster's gaze turn away for a fraction of a second. Harry was not a consummate Legilimens but Edward had taught him the basics of reading a face and especially eyes. The latter, so far, had only wavered this once, an imperceptible sign that Dumbledore wasn't telling him everything. However, Harry continued along his thinking:
"So the Horcruxes could be anything… Like… Slytherin's locket, for example, or a cup from one of the other founders of Hogwarts! You said Voldemort was fascinated by Hogwarts so he must have tried these items, right!?" Harry exclaimed, happy with his discovery.
"I'm glad to see you so quick-witted Harry. Yes, Voldemort must have selected the containers of his soul very carefully. The Locket and the Cup are arguably the number three and four Horcruxes, let's say. Maybe he found an item belonging to Ravenclaw, but I'm sure he never got to touch the Gryffindor relic. Maybe he was trying to get a hold of it when he came here for an interview. Still, he fell short, in my opinion."
"Assuming he had one from Ravenclaw, what would the sixth Horcrux be?"
"Well you see, I have wondered for some time about Nagini, Voldemort's serpent, although it is not advisable to make a Horcrux out of a living being. However, I also believe he intended to make a Horcrux with your death when he entered Godric's Hollow with the intention of killing you. He thought he would both remove the danger prophesied by Professor Trelawney and make himself invincible by forming his seventh Horcrux. As we know he failed, however he killed an old Muggle with Nagini and the idea must have occurred to him to make this serpent his last Horcrux- perhaps a symbol of his connection to Slytherin and a certain mysticism on his part, who knows…"
"So Horcruxes number one the Diary, and number two, the Ring, have been destroyed; Horcruxes three and four identified as the Locket and the Cup and are nowhere to be found;
the Serpent is with Voldemort, and there is one last item that may have belonged to one of the founders of Hogwarts." Harry summed up.
"That is an admirably concise and accurate summary." Dumbledore said.
"Are we sure there aren't any others?" Harry insisted, who didn't want another Horcrux to bring Voldemort back in case he could finally get rid of him. Things were already complicated enough.
"I don't think so," Dumbledore said, imperceptibly avoiding Harry's gaze.
The Boy-Who-Lived noticed but decided to leave it… for the moment. There was something he had to ask first.
"Can I come with you the next time you go to destroy a Horcrux?"
"Yes, I think so," Dumbledore replied with a smile, "I think you've earned that right."
"Does Voldemort know when a Horcrux is destroyed? Can he feel it?" Harry asked.
"An interesting question. I believe not. In my opinion, Voldemort is now so immersed in evil and these essential fragments have been detached from him for so long that he no longer has the same sensitivity as we do. Maybe at the point of death he would realize his loss… Anyway, he wasn't aware that his Diary had been destroyed until Lucius Malfoy dared to tell him…I heard he went into a terrible rage when he found out."
"That doesn't surprise me. He had just found out that he had lost a piece of soul without realizing it... Besides, he must have known that you could guess what he had done, I'm sure." Harry said.
But at that moment, Dumbledore turned to his left-open window and leaned down. Harry heard a 'gasp!' in a familiar voice and soon a slightly shaking Edward found himself on the floor. Harry leaned out of the window in turn and saw the tiny ledge that Ed must have managed to stand on because of his small size.
"How dare you, Mr. Elric, spy on a private conversation," Dumbledore asked in a voice vibrating with anger.
"I just wanted to know why Harry was taking so long to come back, I saw your window was still lit and thought I might… uh… listen quietly to what you were saying. Please don't turn me into a cow or something unnatural!" Edward snapped out at full speed.
"What exactly did you hear?" Dumbledore asked in a harsh voice.
"Uh… Everything since you came back from the Pensieve." Edward said honestly. "I know that Horcruxes exist, that Voldemort would have created six of them, and I know what they are."
"At least you're not lying, Mr. Elric. You just cleverly sidestep the truth. Why exactly are you here when you know that Harry here will tell you everything afterwards?"
"I prefer to trust what I hear myself. And… I wanted to discuss with you something serious that I heard in the Ministry," Ed replied.
"In that case, Mr. Elric, you may do me the favor of waiting outside while I finish my conversation with Mr. Potter."
And Edward found himself unceremoniously kicked out of the office. Grumbling, he sat down on one of the stairs, insulting himself for not having been able to restrain his damn curiosity. He hoped that his stunt hadn't made him lose Harry's confidence even though Harry would have told him later. Not wanting to miss the rest of the conversation, though, the alchemist created a tiny tube to hear what was being said in the office.
Meanwhile, Professor Dumbledore tried to explain to Harry that it was his ability to love that protected him from becoming someone like Voldemort even though he could read his thoughts, know his ambitions, and understand the language of snakes. The old Headmaster managed to get Harry to understand that he was not to kill Voldemort because of a prophecy but because it was the only right thing to do to save lives and to avenge those who had been killed or injured by the madness of the Dark wizard. He made him understand that Voldemort, taking the prophecy seriously, had created his own enemy, as tyrants did with the people they oppressed.
Harry seemed to understand and walked out of the room letting Edward in. Deciding that given the time- it was five in the morning- curfew was already over and he could just as well reflect on what he had just heard. Voldemort had made six Horcruxes and Dumbledore guaranteed that there were only six. So why did he have this bad feeling, this instinct that told him that something was being hidden from him. Dumbledore had looked away for a moment and Harry had noticed. Was he lying? Was he not sure? In that case, why not tell him? Harry knew that to make mistakes was human and that even Dumbledore could make mistakes. He would have accepted it if his mentor wasn't quite sure of his facts... Maybe he should try to ask him the question?
For his part, Edward was standing straight as an i and stiff as justice, which oddly made him look taller than he actually was. Without hesitation, he asked straight out:
"Why should Harry be the only one fighting Voldemort? His best friends can't help him with his task? It's not just that he should be the one to fight him simply on the pretext that he has the necessary weapons to defeat him and not us. I think that if the wizarding world does not want to run to its destruction, everyone must show their desire to defend it."
"I see you still haven't learned your lesson about spying on private conversations." Dumbledore sighed.
"And I see that you want Harry to do all the work for everyone else," Edward growled, giving a look of challenge. "It's not fair."
"Unfortunately, life is not fair, Edward Elric, and I think that is a fact that you already know." Professor Dumbledore said, hitting Ed with an inquiring look.
Edward snorted with an air of disdain that resembled Malfoy junior: he had paid dearly to know that life wasn't fair. But in this world, he was a catalyst, free to bring some balance to Harry's life by ensuring that he and his friends were trained enough to fight the Dark Lord. Better than that, he would make all the members of the Circle became truly free. That was his idea of justice. It might have been presumptuous of him, but Edward had failed to achieve his goals by constantly doubting himself. Seeing that the Headmaster was secretly watching him and sensing that someone was trying to pierce his mind, he raised a spiritual wall with a single thought and glared at Dumbledore:
"Never try that again or else I'll be forced to use Legilimency against you," Edward growled furiously.
"Sometimes, Mr. Elric, you remind me of Tom Riddle at the same age: his talents were truly incredible for his age."
"Except unlike him, I am totally convinced that positive feelings lead to better magical growth, not only for the soul but also for the spirit and magic." Edward replied, coldly.
"I would have thought that being the Ravenclaw that you are, you would have been more distant from feelings in general."
"The good old stereotype of the Ravenclaw immersed in his books, in his ivory tower. I hate stereotypes and think a system based on that is stupid." Ed grumbled.
"You have very strong opinions for a boy your age, Mr. Elric." Dumbledore replied, trying to smooth things over. "So, what did you want to talk to me about that made you make up your mind to listen to the conversation through the window rather than coming to see me directly?"
"I wanted to talk about the book that Rookwood stole from the Department of Mysteries. What are you going to do about it?"
"For the moment, the Horcruxes remain our priority. Once the Horcruxes are destroyed and Voldemort slain, the rest of the Death Eaters will fall like a house of cards," Dumbledore asserted confidently.
"I think you are too optimistic. If this damn book is about what I'm afraid it is, then your wizarding world could very well be gone, whether Voldemort falls or not! There will always be men ready to resume his work and who knows what a disaster will happen if they stumble upon this book! We must destroy this book!" Edward exclaimed with passion.
"Do you know what it is?" Asked the old headmaster inquisitively.
"Not exactly. But, if it is something connected with the Philosopher's Stone, it cannot be less than Hell on Earth!"
"You are very cryptic, Mr Elric, and you use Nicolas Flamel's exact words. Am I to conclude that my old friend told you the secret of the Philosopher's Stone?" Dumbledore supposed.
"Yes, I know him and I agree with the words Flamel told you: it's a vision of hell on Earth and he did well not to tell anyone about it. If Voldemort or one of his minions were to find out the secret behind it, I believe that the wizarding world itself is in danger of withering and dying!"
Edward found it hard not to yell out the danger of his hypothesis. If Voldemort ever tried to duplicate what the Homunculus had done to Amestris, he was risking the very existence of the wizarding world and the general population.
Dumbledore, meanwhile, hid his astonishment very well: Edward Elric had almost used the same words as the pieces of prophecy he had had access to. It couldn't be a coincidence. But he couldn't reveal it to him yet. He looked at Edward but without using Legilimency, trying to decipher the teen only by what he knew about him. But the young Ravenclaw remained an enigma shrouded in mystery and finally, Dumbledore decided to do something he rarely did: he was going to rely on someone else's instinct, he was going to trust Harry's gift of knowing his friends, and therefore trust Edward Elric. He paused for a moment, then spoke:
"If I offered to bring you with me to accompany Harry, would you make the destruction of the Horcruxes a priority?"
Edward remained silent before he said, "Okay, I'll go with you with Harry, hoping my skills are useful to you. But, in your place, I will not neglect this aspect of things."
"If I ever were to disappear, Edward, I would trust you completely on this matter." Dumbledore replied calmly.
Edward looked at him suspiciously but turned back through the door this time and made his way to the Ravenclaw dormitory to get his things and rejoin his friends.
Translator's note: Something that is pretty hard to get across in English is the levels of formality/familiarity in French. There's lots of little things, but one major thing to indicate the level of closeness or formality between people is the use of tu or vous. Both mean 'you', but tu is the familiar form and vous is the formal (or plural) form. For example, everyone in the Circle uses tu with each other (because they're friends and peers), but Harry and Dumbledore use vous when they talk- Harry because he respects Dumbledore and he is older/more senior, and Dumbledore because he's sort of distant, is his teacher, and is using it to show that he respects Harry. (If you're interested in learning more about when to use tu vs. when to use vous, you can check out this flow chart: vous-vs-tu-flowchart-541x1024_ .)
English actually used to have its own pronouns to indicate formality, but thee/thou have died off leaving us with just you (which is the formal, btw). Now it's more down to specific word choice and sentence structures to indicate level of formality. Compare you using slang with your friends to talking/writing to your teachers (unless you're really close with the teacher in question and/or the teacher doesn't care if you use the word 'bussy' in your essay).
(And, of course, other factors like class and culture play into formality vs. familiarity in both languages- compare American street slang with the boys to the crazy levels of formality required with the British upper classes in the past, where you could go to a fancy 'public' school with someone for your entire education and you might never address them with anything other than their last name or maybe a nickname if you're particularly close friends.)
Anyways, linguistics ramble aside, what I'm trying to say is that in that very last section, when Dumbledore invites Ed to come Horcrux hunting with him and Harry, Dumbledore uses the 'tu' form, signifying his willingness to include and somewhat trust Ed. I can't really put that in with the same level of clarity that French readers would get without making Dumbledore sound out of character, so you're just going to have to trust me on this ^.^'.