Chapter 782: Tomb Raider (Edited)

After the funeral, the white tomb was moved to a small hill on the outskirts of the village of Hogsmeade.

After all, not even the Headmaster of Hogwarts was worthy of having his tomb at the school, let alone the fact that he wasn't actually the true Headmaster.

There were already many tombstones on the hill, and some people who had worked at Hogwarts and had no other relatives, or were not close to them, chose to place their graves here.

Fish, who had come with Professor McGonagall and Hagrid, tasked with moving the graves, twitched his ears and suddenly turned his head towards a nearby pine tree. Behind the pine tree stood a tall man, whose trunk barely had the width of a man and didn't completely conceal his form, revealing a small corner of his clothing.

However, Fish had already identified the man by his scent.

"Aberforth, you're here too, meow!"

(ΦωΦ)

Fish greeted the man hidden behind the tree.

Aberforth Dumbledore came out helplessly from behind the tree, looking sad and uncomfortable at the same time.

He had not attended the Hogwarts funeral before and still couldn't forgive his brother, but after all, Albus was the only family he had left, so he decided to come alone to pay his respects in private.

Unexpectedly, Fish called out to him directly.

Professor McGonagall froze for a moment, then smiled and said, "Albus would be very happy to know you came to see him."

"Hmph! I haven't forgiven him!" Aberforth mocked at first, then let out a long sigh and said sadly, "However, it's meaningless to say that now."

Fish scratched his head, wanting to say something more.

(?ω?)

It seemed to him that it would be even harder to get Aberforth to forgive Albus after this.

Professor McGonagall didn't stay for long, as there was still much work to be done at Hogwarts. Additionally, the Ministry of Magic had withheld Dumbledore's inheritance under the Justifiable Confiscation Act, and Professor McGonagall had to fight to retrieve it.

Although they could only retain it for thirty-one days, and although Professor McGonagall knew that Dumbledore had hidden the important things, she had to put up a good fight against the Ministry, against Voldemort's people to be precise.

So, after a brief conversation with Aberforth, Professor McGonagall left with Fish, dragging Hagrid along, who had been blowing his nose with a handkerchief and making trumpet-like sounds.

When the trio had left, Aberforth remained in front of the white tomb for a long time before leaving at dusk.

Back at Hogwarts, Professor McGonagall was busy for the rest of the day, grading Transfiguration written exams, organizing the distribution of final results, preparing the annual end-of-term dinner, and a series of other matters, in addition to her constant disputes with the Ministry of Magic.

Soon, it was the last day of the term, and Hogwarts held its usual end-of-term feast, but this year it was much quieter compared to previous years.

Everyone ate in silence, and even when they spoke to each other, they did so in the lowest voice possible. Even Fish was affected by the surrounding atmosphere, so he didn't enjoy his meal very much.

The next day, the students of Hogwarts boarded the Hogwarts Express, and Professor McGonagall, having quickly finished her work, took Fish and Hermione to the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix.

Alongside them was a tall figure concealed in a black cloak.

"You're finally here!" Sirius and Lupin greeted them. "The meeting is about to begin."

With Dumbledore's "death," the rest of the Order of the Phoenix had to discuss what to do next.

Then Lupin noticed the figure in the black cloak standing behind McGonagall and Hermione.

"Is it...?" Lupin asked curiously.

Certainly, he didn't believe that Professor McGonagall would bring someone unrelated here, but he couldn't think of anyone else who hadn't arrived... except Snape.

But Snape was supposed to be gathering information on Voldemort, so he couldn't be here, and he didn't resemble him in size either. There was someone else who did, but he was dead...

Just as Lupin lowered his gaze, the man pulled back his hood, revealing a face that Lupin couldn't believe could be there.

"It's been a long time, Remus," Dumbledore greeted him with a smile.

"Dum... Dum... Dumbledore?!"

Exclaimed Lupin, surprisingly calm, which caused Sirius to let out a choked cry of surprise.

His voice also attracted the rest of the Order of the Phoenix, and after a flurry of footsteps, Moody, the Weasleys, Tonks, Kingsley, and Hagrid appeared in the hallway, all frozen at the sight of Dumbledore.

"Dumbledore?! Aren't you dead?"

Hagrid was the first to regain his senses, he lunged forward in surprise and embraced Dumbledore.

"Cough, cough... if you don't let go, I really will die... Hagrid," Dumbledore exclaimed in pain.

Hagrid quickly released him and asked in disbelief, "Are you sure you're not dead?"

"I apologize for causing you worry," Dumbledore bowed in apology, and then entered as he explained, "I faked my death to lure Voldemort onto the stage...".

At that moment, the others finally came to their senses, first surprised that Dumbledore wasn't dead, and then distracted by his next words.

"According to what Snape has heard, Voldemort and his followers have gained control over a large number of Ministry members, including Pius, so we must try to get rid of Voldemort this summer!"

Dumbledore, after delivering this big news, managed to divert everyone's attention from his previous deception.

(?ω?)

Fish looked at him disdainfully, but since he was part of the deception, Fish wisely chose to remain silent.

And once Dumbledore told them everything except Harry's situation, they all understood Dumbledore's reasons for not telling them...

At least Hagrid wasn't such a good actor.

...

While Dumbledore attended to the rest of the Order's tasks, Voldemort arrived alone at the white tomb, and with a wave of his wand, the tomb split in half, revealing the table and Dumbledore's body sealed within, along with the old wand by his side.

Voldemort picked up the wand and cast a spell, cutting down a tree that stood a short distance away.

"Strange..." he said, frowning in disgust.

The Elder Wand was no more powerful than his own yew wand, and it was not at all deserving of its legendary fame.

Voldemort did not suspect that the wand in his hand was a fake; after all the time it had been in Dumbledore's possession, he was impressed.

Moreover, crafting a wand was no easy task. The slightest difference in its power could make it less potent, and it was difficult to replicate an ancient wand while still maintaining its power.

The renowned wandmaker Gregorovitch had possessed the Elder Wand for years and had been unable to make an equal one, so Voldemort didn't believe that Dumbledore could do it in such a short time.

Could it be because he hadn't truly defeated Dumbledore for the Elder Wand?

Voldemort raised the Elder Wand once again and pointed it at the "Dumbledore" in front of him. The body burst into flames and soon turned into a cloud of ashes before he waved the wand again and shattered another, thicker tree.

The power of the spell... remained the same.

Was it because he hadn't "truly" defeated Dumbledore? Or was it because... Dumbledore had deliberately lost to someone before his death?

It wasn't impossible, but Voldemort wondered why Dumbledore had buried the wand in the tomb when he had already transferred the wand's allegiance.

Unless...

The person who had transferred the allegiance was a wizard who didn't heavily rely on the wand. In that case, Dumbledore would have been able to transfer the allegiance of the Elder Wand and safely take it to his tomb.

Furthermore, if someone... like me, used the Elder Wand to deal with a small-time wizard who didn't need a wand, they would face a violent reaction...

"Humph!"

Voldemort, who believed he had seen through Dumbledore's tricks, grimaced, then turned around and vanished into thin air.