"The obvious test to see if the Resurrection Stone is
Then Harry paused, because
"...your dead wife, and ask her where she left her lost earring, or something like that," Harry finished. "Did anyone do any tests like that?"
"The Resurrection Stone has been lost for centuries, Harry," the Headmaster said quietly.
Harry shrugged. "Well, I'm a scientist, and I'm always willing to be convinced. If you
Dumbledore stared at Harry.
Harry gazed equably back at the Headmaster.
The old wizard passed a hand across his forehead and muttered, "This is madness."
(Somehow, Harry managed to stop himself from laughing.)
And Dumbledore told Harry to draw forth the Cloak of Invisibility from his pouch; at the Headmaster's direction, Harry stared at the inside and back of the hood until he saw it, faintly drawn against the silvery mesh in faded scarlet like dried blood, the symbol of the Deathly Hallows: a triangle, with a circle drawn inside, and a line dividing them both.
"Thank you," Harry said politely. "I shall be sure to keep an eye out for a stone so marked. Do you have any other evidence?"
Dumbledore appeared to be fighting a struggle within himself. "Harry," the old wizard said, his voice rising, "this is a dangerous road you are walking, I am not sure I do the right thing by saying this, but I
And
"Good question," Harry said, after some internal debate about how to proceed. "Maybe he found some way of duplicating the power of the Resurrection Stone, only he loaded it in advance with a
"You are not fooling me, Harry," said the old wizard; his face looked ancient now, and lined by more than years. "I know why you are truly asking that question. No, I do not read your mind, I do not have to, your hesitation gives you away! You seek the secret of the Dark Lord's immortality in order to use it for yourself!"
"Wrong! I want the secret of the Dark Lord's immortality in order to use it for
Tick, crackle, fzzzt...
Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore just stood there and stared at Harry with his mouth gaping open dumbly.
(Harry awarded himself a tally mark for Monday, since he'd managed to blow someone's mind completely before the day was over.)
"And in case it wasn't clear," said Harry, "by
"No," said the old wizard, shaking his head. His voice rose. "No, no, no!
"Bwa ha ha!" said Harry.
The old wizard's face was tight with anger and worry. "Voldemort stole the book from which he gleaned his secret; it was not there when I went to look for it. But this much I know, and this much I will tell you: his immortality was born of a ritual terrible and Dark, blacker than pitchest black! And it was Myrtle, poor sweet Myrtle, who died for it; his immortality took sacrifice, it took
"Well
There was a startled pause.
Slowly the old wizard's face relaxed out of its anger, though the worry was still there. "You would use no ritual requiring human sacrifice."
"I don't know what you take me for,
"I am at a loss, Harry," said the old wizard. His feet once more began trudging across his strange office. "I know not what to say." He picked up a crystal ball that seemed to hold a hand in flames, looked into it with a sad expression. "Only that I am greatly misunderstood by you... I don't
"You just don't want anyone to be immortal," Harry said with considerable irony. It seemed that elementary logical tautologies like