AN: As promised, here's the next chapter—another will follow at the end of the week. Not sure yet if I'll manage one more before my three-week break.

Between the daily classes, Apparition practice, and Duelling lessons, time flew by without any word from Malfoy Manor.

Tonks had managed to convince some local Muggle newspapers to publish a report suggesting that someone in the Ministry of Crime and Policing was obstructing the investigation into the mysterious deaths of teenagers. Meanwhile, with the help of the others, Hermione had written an anonymous letter via Muggle post to Umbridge, accusing her of being responsible for the death of Muggle-borns. Now, all they could do was wait and see if it would have any effect.

On a Tuesday evening, several weeks later, Ron, Harry, and Ginny returned from the Burrow, where they had helped Molly and Lily prepare vegetables for market day. The others, led by Charlie, had finally made the long-awaited trip to Dartmoor to see the wild ponies.

The group from the Burrow was the first to return. As they stepped through the back door, Kreacher and Dobby were already waiting for them, looking positively giddy with excitement.

"The wizard in the painting is back," Kreacher announced, "and he's not happy about being kept waiting."

Molly and Lily levitated the fruit and vegetables from the greenhouses into the kitchen, while Harry, Ginny, and Ron hurried to the drawing room, where a grumpy Phineas Black gave them all a disparaging look.

"About time someone showed up," he grumbled. "I'm doing vital work for Dumbledore, but apparently, no one in this house is remotely interested in my information."

"What do you want?" Harry snapped, not willing to stand there and be insulted. "Where have you been anyway? We were starting to take bets on whether you'd gotten yourself lost."

Phineas looked even more annoyed when Harry smirked. "That's not how you address your elders, young man. At your age, we were taught proper manners."

Lily and Molly stepped in before things could escalate. "How can I help, Phineas?" Lily asked politely. "Is there any news?"

Phineas let out an exaggerated sigh. "Nothing happening at Malfoy Manor," he muttered sourly. "That young man, that wannabe Voldemort, has been gone for days, searching for something. And Lucius or Narcissa haven't been in the drawing room either."

"We'll pass that on to Dumbledore," Lily said with a kind nod. "So, no need for you to linger, then?"

"As you wish," Phineas snarled, glancing around. But since no one seemed interested in arguing with him, he huffed, "Fine. Then I'll go back."

A little later, the other residents of Grimmauld Place returned from their outing. Emily excitedly told Ginny about the foals she had seen, while Graham withdrew to a corner with Colin to go over the spells from their last Transfiguration lesson.

Since Ron had excused himself to take a shower, Harry listened amusedly to Emily and Ginny's conversation until Hermione approached him.

"Harry. Do you have a moment?"

"Sure. What's it about?" Harry asked.

"You and Ginny have lessons with Dumbledore tomorrow, don't you?" Hermione asked, and when Harry nodded, she continued, "I found something interesting and have a question for him."

She led him into the library, took a book from her reading corner, and opened it. "Among Professor Dumbledore's books, there are a few that mention Horcruxes—not many, yet some do. In this one, however, a few pages are missing. It looks as if someone has ripped them out." She gestured towards the torn edges where the missing pages should have been, looking hesitant. "I can't imagine he did it himself, but maybe he remembers what the missing pages were about?"

Harry smiled. "You are very thorough."

Hermione looked almost apologetic. "The chapter seemed important, and it covers something that isn't mentioned in any of his other books."

Harry nodded. "Can you write down the title? Or should I take the book with me?"

Hermione handed him the book. "Take it with you. I've already read most of it."

Harry glanced at the tome—it was small but with a lot of pages—and asked incredulously. "Have you really read all of his books already?"

"Oh," Hermione replied with a flattered smile. "I don't read every page, just the parts that seem important. And I make an index so I can find key passages quickly if needed." She gestured towards a notebook on her reading table. "Don't you think it's strange that pages have been removed from one of the most important sections of a book?" She smiled apologetically. "It always drives me crazy when something is missing— I can't rest until I find out what it was about."

Harry chuckled, not sure whether to admire her persistence or be amused by it. "You never know, right?"

**HG**

When Harry and Ginny arrived at Dumbledore's the next day after lessons, they were met with an unusual setup. In the drawing room, a screen blocked the view of the back half of the room. Dumbledore himself sat in his usual armchair, greeting them with a smile and a curious glance at the book that Harry was holding before he set it on a nearby table.

"Hermione has some questions about one of your books," Harry explained. "We mustn't forget to ask after class. It seemed very important to her."

"Very well," Dumbledore said, gesturing for them to take a seat. "Dora Tonks mentioned that Phineas stopped by Grimmauld Place yesterday," he continued, stroking his beard with a slightly amused smile. "She said you spoke to him, Harry. Was there anything of interest?"

Harry grinned. "Not really. Phineas was bored because nothing was happening at Malfoy Manor. The wannabe Voldemort, as he called him, isn't there at the moment. Phineas thinks he's looking for something."

"As I suspected," Dumbledore said thoughtfully.

"You once mentioned that he would search for the remains of the Voldemort you defeated," Ginny said.

"That may be the case," Dumbledore replied with a slow nod. "Now that the piece of his soul in the diary has been used up in his resurrection, he may be looking for the only other Horcrux he knows of—the Gaunt ring."

"But he won't find it..." Harry said. "I assume you've got it somewhere safe."

"In one of the boxes that went to Grimmauld Place," Dumbledore confirmed. "Along with the locket and the diadem."

"I wonder if he even remembers where he hid the ring," Ginny said cautiously.

"That depends on when he hid it at the Gaunt House—before or after he created the diary Horcrux," Dumbledore mused. "If it was before, he'll soon realise the Horcrux is gone. If it was after, it may take him some time to figure out where he hid it."

"If he doesn't find the ring, he'll want to find out if there are any other Horcruxes," Harry said.

Ginny nodded. "And to do that, he has to find the only source that can give him the answers—the remains of his old self, trapped somewhere, still tied to this world through his Horcruxes."

"That will give us time we should use wisely," Dumbledore concluded, gesturing towards three wands lying on a small table beside him. "Since we were speaking about wands the other day, Harry, these are the ones I still use."

"You have three wands?" asked Harry, astonished. "Which one is the best?"

"They are quite different from one another," Dumbledore admitted, picking up a relatively new-looking wand. "This is the wand I received when I went to Hogwarts. It served me well. I used it to defeat Grindelwald."

"Grindelwald?" Ginny asked, surprised. "Who is Grindelwald?"

"A Dark wizard," Harry answered. "I've heard my dad, Sirius and Uncle Remus talk about him."

"That's right, Harry," Dumbledore confirmed. "Gellert Grindelwald was just as dark a wizard as Voldemort, and just as powerful." He paused briefly. "When I defeated Grindelwald, I became the master of his wand. It was made of elder wood, was fifteen inches long, and contained a Thestral tail hair core. A most unusual wand. Do you two know The Tales of Beedle the Bard, Tale of the Three Brothers in particular?"

"Yeah," Ginny confirmed. "Dad read it to me when I was little."

"We mostly had Muggle children's books, but also some magical ones," Harry said. "But I know the fairy tale." He raised his eyebrows. "You're not saying that's the wand from the fairy tale?"

"Indeed." Dumbledore smiled, amused. "I was never sure whether that part about the Master of Death was true, but it may have helped me defeat Voldemort."

"You'd also need the ring and the Invisibility Cloak for that," Harry said confused—before his eyes widened in realisation. "The Gaunt Ring…and my dad's Invisibility Cloak."

"Exactly." Dumbledore nodded, pleased.

"And what about that one?" Ginny asked, pointing to the third wand.

Fawkes, perched in his cage by the window, let out a brief whistle, as if startled.

"This is Voldemort's wand," Dumbledore explained. "I won its mastery when I defeated him that fateful night at Hogwarts." He added thoughtfully, "Thirteen and a half inches long, yew, with a phoenix feather core."

"Just like mine?" Harry blurted out.

"Indeed," Dumbledore said. "Both wands share a core from the same phoenix—Fawkes."

"Mine is also made of yew, but it has a griffin feather core," Ginny said, frowning. "What does that mean?"

She exchanged a quick glance with Harry, who asked, "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

"That depends," Dumbledore replied. "Twin cores were a very rare occurrence. The wands could be made from a different wood or a different length, as long as both wands shared cores from the exact same individual creature. According to wand lore, when they duel, they do not perform the intended spell. Instead, they produce an effect that forces the loser to relive the last spells cast with it."

"And what use is that?" asked Harry, confused.

"That, I don't know," admitted Dumbledore. "I've never witnessed such a process. But more interesting is what happens when twin wands fight the same enemy. Then, according to the wand lore, their power is increased tenfold."

"Oh," Ginny blurted out. She exchanged a look with Harry, who had a wide grin plastered on his face. "So that means...we could?"

"Precisely," Dumbledore said, smiling thoughtfully. "It was quite a surprise to me that your wand core is also a feather given by Fawkes, Harry. Garrick was supposed to tell me who he sold the wand to, but that never happened."

"The old lady who sold us our wands said the box must have slipped behind the shelves where she found it."

"That explains a lot," Dumbledore murmured. "Fate takes strange turns sometimes."

Sitting up in his chair, Dumbledore suggested, "Then let's begin. Today, we'll be practising the Reductor Curse. I take it you remember the incantation?"

"Reducto," said Ginny, nodding.

"Ginny, I'd like you to use Harry's twin wand for today's practice," Dumbledore said, handing her Voldemort's wand.

She hesitated before taking it, eyeing it with clear reluctance. The idea of holding something that had killed so many people made her skin crawl. "Why didn't you destroy it? It's a terrible relic."

"A good question, Ginny," Dumbledore admitted, "Perhaps it was…nostalgia. I fought against that wand for so long. Or maybe it was fate, since it could prove very useful now. We shall see."

At that moment, Diara appeared and moved the screen aside, revealing several large stone boulders in the far corner of the room. The walls around them shimmered as if glowing with magic.

"Diara has already prepared something for our training session. I want you to work on these stone boulders with Reductor Curses as powerful as you manage. Don't hold back. We'll start one at a time. Harry, if you would go first?"

"How close can we get?" Harry asked cautiously.

"Don't be afraid," Dumbledore reassured him. "The area is secured with strong protection charms. You won't get hurt."

Harry nodded and positioned himself, his right leg slightly forward. He concentrated briefly and then raised his wand. "Reducto!"

One of the boulders cracked into several pieces, but Harry had expected more damage.

"Perfect," Dumbledore called out, to Harry's surprise. "That was very good. These boulders are highly resistant, Harry. Try again, and then we'll see how Ginny fares."

Harry closed his eyes and focused on smashing his target. "Reducto!" he shouted, beaming with satisfaction as the boulder shattered into countless small fragments that bounced off the protective wards.

"Very well done," commented Dumbledore. "And now Ginny, please."

Ginny took Harry's position and, after a brief moment of focus, fired her Reductor Curse. She grimaced, dissatisfied. The boulder had only split into three pieces. Like Harry, she'd expected more.

"That was excellent, Ginny," Dumbledore praised. "You must remember this isn't your wand. The result would certainly have been stronger with your own. Give it one more try, then we'll test both wands together."

Ginny's next attempt was much better, shattering the boulder into half a dozen pieces. She shrugged and motioned for Harry to step up beside her. "This bloody wand is giving me the creeps," she muttered to him. "Come on. On three!"

She counted quietly, and on three, they both unleashed the most powerful Reducto they could manage.

With a deafening bang, the last remaining boulder disintegrated into thousands of tiny pebbles, scattering in all directions like debris from an explosion - and indeed, an explosion it had been.

"Whoa," Ginny exclaimed, grinning at Harry, who looked equally stunned.

"Perfect," Dumbledore called, unable to hide a hint of enthusiasm. "Diara, if you would be so kind as to restore the boulders so we may go another round."

After three more rounds of blasting boulders to dust, Dumbledore called a halt. "I believe we have confirmed the hypothesis that twin wands, when used together, amplify their power," he said, beaming. "Now, let's move on to duelling."

Ginny exchanged Voldemort's wand back for her own and faced Harry.

"Actually, today, we'll be doing something different," Dumbledore announced unexpectedly. "You'll be duelling me."

Harry stared at him with wide eyes, but then shrugged. "Who goes first?"

"Let me have a round with Ginny first," Dumbledore suggested.

Ginny eyed him, her eyebrow raised. "Are you staying seated?"

"I'm afraid if I stand, I'll have to lean on my cane, and that would put me at a disadvantage," Dumbledore replied with an apologetic smile, his eyes twinkling with quiet amusement.

"Only the spells we've practised so far, or can I use anything I know?" Ginny asked cautiously.

Dumbledore inclined his head. "I'll restrict myself to the spells we've practised. You, however, may use any spell you've learned with your brother."

Ginny's grip on her wand tightened, her heart pounding as she faced Dumbledore. He looked utterly at ease, as if this were a friendly chat rather than a duel.

"Begin," he said kindly.

Ginny didn't hesitate. "Expelliarmus!"

Dumbledore waved his wand, easily deflecting the spell. His counterattack came instantly—a rapid series of stunners pushed Ginny back. She blocked one, dodged another, but she was onto the defensive.

A tripping jinx nearly sent her stumbling, and another spell brought her dangerously close to the edge of her balance. Her eyes flickered back and forth. She had to do something—fast.

An idea struck her.

Instead of aiming at Dumbledore, she aimed lower. "Depulso!"

The stool beneath Dumbledore jerked back abruptly. His chair wobbled precariously, forcing him to grab the armrests to steady himself.

Ginny bit back a grin, called, "Expelliarmus!" and caught Dumbledore's wand with her outstretched hand.

Dumbledore adjusted his glasses, his eyes gleaming with amusement. "Very clever, Miss Weasley," he said, tapping the armrest. "Perhaps I should consider duelling with a seatbelt."

Ginny stepped aside, and Harry took her place.

Harry barely had time to brace himself before Dumbledore struck. The first spell came fast—too fast. He deflected, and dodged, but he was slipping. A flick of Dumbledore's wand sent Harry's spinning from his grasp.

Before he could retrieve it, another spell surged toward him. He barely rolled aside, grasping his wand just in time to deflect the next strike. But Dumbledore pressed on, relentless. Harry stumbled back, losing ground. Frantically, he looked around in search of cover when Dumbledore sent the next stunner. Harry barely dodged the spell but lost his footing and fell to the floor.

Ginny shot Dumbledore a horrified look. What was the man up to?

"Enough!" her voice rang out.

"Expelliarmus!"

Dumbledore's wand flew from his grasp, landing in Ginny's outstretched hand. The room fell silent.

Dumbledore straightened, brushing off his robes as if nothing had happened. He turned to Ginny, his expression unreadable—then, with the barest hint of a smile, he inclined his head.

"Well done, Miss Weasley."

Ginny swallowed, glancing at the wand in her hand—Voldemort's as she realised. It felt heavier now, charged with something unspoken. She glanced at Harry, then back at Dumbledore.

"What just happened?" she asked.

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "Precisely what needed to."

Still frowning, Ginny walked over to return the wand, but Dumbledore shook his head. "You won it, it's yours. It is made of yew, just like your own wand. I am sure it will serve you well."

"But that's..." Ginny tried to protest.

Dumbledore smiled. "We can't be sure, but perhaps that's part of your role in the prophecy to be the master of this wand, Harry's twin wand." He nodded reassuringly at her. "You two should also take the Elder Wand with you to Grimmauld Place, to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands."

He glanced from Ginny to Harry, smiling. "If I'm not mistaken, Miss Granger had a question about one of the books?"

"She did," Harry said. He took the book and flipped through the pages. "Hermione noticed that several pages are missing from this book, and since they were ripped out, she suspects it was intentional. She wanted to know if you know more about the missing pages, or what they were about."

Dumbledore took the book from Harry's hands and skimmed through it thoughtfully. His face lit up as if he had just remembered something. "Ah, yes. This is indeed an important passage. I recall finding valuable information in this book when I was researching Voldemort's Horcruxes. These pages have been concealed and can be found in another volume—I don't recall which one, though. I wanted to ensure they didn't fall into the wrong hands. I have no doubts Miss Granger will be able to locate them."

"We'll tell her," Harry replied, taking the book back, adding with a chuckle, "I'm sure she'll start searching right away."

"Fine. Then we'll see each other again on Saturday," Dumbledore dismissed them.

As they entered Grimmauld Place through the back entrance, they heard voices coming from the kitchen. Emily and Hermione were sitting at the table, enjoying tea, while Kreacher and Dobby were busy preparing dinner.

"Would you like some tea?" asked Emily, gesturing to the empty seats beside her.

"Yes, please," Ginny replied, settling onto the corner bench next to Emily before glancing at Harry.

"Oh, thanks, but no," Harry said with a sheepish smile. "I want to check if Ron's back before he forgets I live here too." He handed Hermione the book. "Dumbledore remembers it. He must have thought the pages were important enough to conceal them and hid them in another book—didn't want them falling into the wrong hands."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Concealed? And how exactly am I supposed to find them now?"

Harry chuckled. "The old man trusts you to figure it out. He seemed pretty certain you would. Word of your persistence when it comes to research seems to have reached him."

As Harry turned to leave, Dobby called after him, "Dinner is in half an hour, Master Harry."

"Thanks, Dobby," Harry replied with a grin. "That gives the girls plenty of time to gossip in peace."

A crumpled napkin hit him on the back of the head. When he turned, Emily and Hermione giggled while Ginny gazed innocently at the table.

Upstairs in the drawing room, Ron was playing chess against Graham and Colin. As Harry entered, Ron glanced up.

"Finished in the greenhouses?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, Charlie and Tonks are helping Mum put the boxes away," Ron said with a grin. "Mum's in a good mood—made decent money today."

Harry stepped behind Graham and Colin, watching the board. "And you two? Got him on the ropes?"

"Not a chance," Colin muttered, though he couldn't hide a grin. "He always wriggles out of it and wins in the end. You could help us."

"Nah!" Harry shook his head, grinning. "I can tell when a battle's already lost." He turned to them. "Didn't you have an Apparition lesson today? The exams must be coming up soon."

"Yeah. On Saturday," Graham confirmed, pushing a pawn forward.

"And how do you feel about it?"

Graham laughed and clapped Colin on the shoulder. "Colin here gets a bit wobbly sometimes, but with a bit of luck, he'll pass. Hermione won't have any trouble, obviously."

"And you?"

Colin chuckled. "Graham? He's got it down perfectly. Feels like he's always been able to Apparate."

"Nah, I haven't," Graham said. "But I did pick it up pretty quickly."

Suddenly, an excited voice rang out. "Hello! Is anyone home?"

They looked around in surprise before realising the voice was coming from the portrait.

"Phineas. We're here," Harry called, and the four of them hurried over. "What's wrong?"

"I must speak to Dumbledore—immediately," Phineas said, sounding uncharacteristically agitated.

"As you know, Dumbledore's a little…indisposed and only travels when it's absolutely necessary," Harry replied, making an effort to be polite. "But I can pass on a message and get you an answer."

"Very well," the portrait huffed. "Tell him he's brought back the real Voldemort—or at least, the odd wraith that's left of him."

**HG**

AN: Before anyone complains, and I wasn't aware of it either, but as you can actually read in Writing by J. K. Rowling: "Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry", that , if both twin wands battle the same enemy, then the power of both wands would increase tenfold. And then I thought, why not go with it.

A special thank you to GryffindorHealer, Ksummer, and Vaffyu for their invaluable help in making this chapter readable!