A Visit of a Muggle in King's Cross

I think my bladder will burst as I strode my way to the nearest comfort room. Clicking the lock and get myself in, zipping my zipper down to release the drowning eel and when I released the fluid my body gives a satisfying jerk. What a comfort I have, halfway down to finish, I wiggle the remaining drops to avoid yellow blotches on my white cotton underwear and made myself done. Glancing towards the windows facing the city park, I saw the moon beaming down below to all the serenely sleeping things beneath it. How lovely the night was, and when I check my watch it told me that I still have four more hours to sleep before I could busy myself packing for my first trip to Canada. My manager will visit the country to promote the hotel where I am working into. I have focus myself into the surface of the moon, I notice that there is something in the middle of the moon which is I think is not part of its geography. A perfect dot in the middle of the perfect sphere of the celestial body, which makes me think of scary image in the movie like a flying bat in the moon. But the dot is getting bigger and bigger, it makes me wrinkled my forehead and think passionately of what could it possibly be? So I climbed up into the bowl, positioning my feet against the bowl strong foundation and dock into the window to have a closer look. Then after a second, I convinced myself that thing is getting nearer and heading towards the direction of the house.

So I run out of the comfort room and run towards the window in my bedroom which faces the same park and has a full view of the moon too. There, I have the perfect view of the unknown thing. I know that I am dealing with this strange thing but I realized I am not sacred at all, what a brave man I am. Because instead of running towards my bed and cover my whole body with thick blanket with shivering knees and gritting teeth, I leaned myself more closer to the window making myself excited to have a clearer sight of the growing thing. The image of the flying object is getting closer than ever before and it is getting whiter and clearer making me decide that it is a bird.

I think I saw this thing somewhere in my mind but have the difficulty to find. With great astonishment and amazement I cracked a loud shout “This cannot be!”

My heart doubled the speed of its beating making me feel cold and nervous for the very first time. How on earth can an owl so intelligent enough to perch and envelope in its sharp beak. Yes! It is an owl with is very prominent large yellow eyes and wide wings span. Now the bird is closer than ever, enough for me to tell that it is a snowy white owl and it directly flew over the roof of my house. With sudden burst of excitement I run towards the opposite window to check if the bird really does pass the house, but I cannot see the bird anymore. My mind draws images after images of the bird landing in my very own roof and transforming itself into something that is very much scary. Now I start to panic but I managed somehow to calm myself. So I need to drink water as what my body demanded and seeing myself running towards the kitchen. With the run I have done it tripled the speed of my heart and decided to trot myself towards the kitchen along the dimly lighted hallway. Cold water may be enough to make myself calm. Pouring the ice cold water into my drying throat and put the glass into the sink and there, I saw it again. I saw the bird clutching its claws with practice balance on the fence with the envelope perch on its beak. Without hesitation I was very much determined to have a closer look of the bird, and so I went out into the yard. I keep on imagining that the owl will transform itself in my very front, forming into a silhouette of man and draw a dagger from somewhere and dig in it deep into my heart then transform itself again to a bird and leaving me lifeless. But it is not what appeared, because the bird just stands so calmly and affects me so much. And finally I decided to touch the bird and take the envelope out its beak. I cannot see evil in the eye of the bird or a chance that it could hurt me in any ways. So I stretch my hand towards the bird and touched the envelope. And as I have the full hold of the envelope in my hand the bird immediately flap its wings and stretches it out making a large shadow over my face. I have panic a bit for I was caught by surprise of the scale of the bird and starting to run towards the door and the bird flew into the air and vanish out into the cold dark night sky.

What a bizarre night I am dealing tonight if I still have a trip to attend tomorrow afternoon, maybe this is a bad omen for me to continue the travel. But I open the envelope anyway which reveals a letter with a strangely figured logo if a shield divided into four quadrants with different colors and presented with animals and with a large capital letter “H” in the middle of it. And as soon as I read the whole entry of the letter I was perfectly surprised of the content. How on earth could this be possible, a faculty of witches and wizards is inviting me to be a visitor in a place which they called Hogwarts. This is not just an ordinary place, but a school for young witches and wizards whom will go to learn the proper used of magic.

I cannot fully comprehend that this thing really does occur in this techno age. Witch and wizard are gone for how many centuries already. Aha! What if everything is just a perfect set up? Maybe there are plenty of cameras out there and I am televised around the globe with loads of audience waiting to laugh on how am I going to react on this prank? But the owl is the only thing that makes me feel that there is something tonight, something that is beyond what I am expecting. I checked the letter for how many times now and glancing to the bottom part of the letter with a beautifully scripted named which says:

The letter told me that I have to visit Hogwarts as one of the “Few Five Fortunate” non-magical being or what they call Muggles to witness the grandeurs of their world. Crap, I told myself. Instead of being intrigued by this odd experience of mine tonight I dive myself into my bed because I still have to prepare myself tomorrow.

The very next morning I packed and ready to leave, with my luggage piled and few bags to carry and with just a call from my boss, I am ready to set off. And in a matter of second my phone rang and it is my boss requesting me to fetch someone. After muttering of complete set of yes and yes sir, I started to drive myself to the King’s Cross Station. There, I have to meet someone that I thought would be a participant for the business promotional activity in Canada. I parked myself around, waiting for the queues of cars to pass I directly head myself between platform nine and ten where I was instructed to wait. I stood for quite a moment and whistling my boredom away. Straitening my stare away from the crowd I haven’t noticed I have already someone in my side which I caught coughing just to call my attention. The man is taller than me with fire flaming bronze hair and wearing a very bizarre set of clothing that makes him look like a magician, with a large black cloak around his body which concealed the inner design of his peculiar clothing.

The man didn’t smile and I asked him straight away.

“Good afternoon Sir, are you Mr. Ronald Weasley?”

“No Doubt” the man replied in monotone.

“I am Mr. Meljer Lozano, nice to meet you Mr. Weasley. You are the one I am instructed to meet. Let me lead the way sir, here” as I step forward for him to follow me to where I parked my car, he stopped me by holding me with his hand.

“No, you are coming with me. I am the one instructed to meet you here. Everything is under control and set for your two days tour to Hogwarts. The call you received is from your manager which is perfectly ” he stopped and continued with a whisper “Perhaps Confunded” he stopped again and glanced directly at me and continued his line “ given with total precaution to secure your job safely as soon as you get back to work. You have nothing to worry about.”

“But sir I do not understand what are you taking about? I think you have come to a wrong man, I still have business to attend and I’ll be meeting someone else now” I said strongly that if you happen to be near me you might conclude I am mad, making the people keep staring at me and Mr. Weasley. So I make my exit but again he stopped me by holding my shoulder and said to me directly.

“You received a letter last night” he doesn’t asked, it is a statement.

“How…how did you know about the letter?” I produced I faint smile and said “Aha! You are the owner of the owl and …” before I could finish my line Mr. Weasley draws something out of his pocket and I could remember nothing at all. It is as safe I were sleeping the whole way down to this white smoke belching scarlet train, I can see children running around me, youngster and adults were all busy around. Some were carrying trunks and cages with different kind of owls on it and some were holding toads, rats and cats and I never seen anything like these before. I can see parents counseling children and giving tips how to be a prefect. In other direction there are shouting and yelling “We will be in Gryffindor, Gryffindor, Gryffindor, hurray Gryffindor”. Gryffindor? What was that? And here comes a group of children with someone in the middle who talk with so much boasts “My mother is a pure-blood witch and my father is a pure-blood wizard, so what do you expect of me? Slytherine Quiditch Team will acquire a good Seeker”. Strange but the whole event fascinates me. But before I could decide to have a stroll by my self around, I could hear a high pitch voice from my back which is issuing from a lady with bushy brown hair. Shouting to someone which I can say for sure is Mr. Ronald Weasley.

“How could you Ron! Why did you Confunded him?” she crossed her hands and continue “Cannot you deliver a message to him so calmly? What if someone has seen you drawing out your wand? Perfect ticket to ministry of magic I think? ” shrieked the lady to Mr. Weasley.

“Blimey! Hermione, as what I have told you for how many time already now, no one did, no one have seen me Confunding him, and I am confident with that” replied Mr. Weasley. With that, Mr. Weasley caught me off guard glancing to their conversation and grabs me immediately in front of the lady. Then he introduce me to her “By the way, this is my visitor Mr. Meljer Lozano, a personal secretary of the muggle president of the famous hotels in London, he is a Filipino and been working in UK for about a decade already. He first witnessed the true magic when I drive that bewitch car of daddy and flew into the air. He wasn’t obliviated since he was not detected, careless Ministry of Magic.” He said the last few lines with disgust on it.

“Nice to meet you Mr. Lozano” said the lady

“And oh!, before I forgot, Mr. Lozano this is my lovely wife Hermione Granger Weasley” said Mr. Weasley with his extended hand to introduce Mrs. Weasley and so I did mine to shake Mrs. Weasley’s hands. She looked very intelligent to me and very kind and clever lady with her smile. Then she introduces her own visitor whom I can see to be an attractive man in the named of Mr. Walter Whitecloak.

“Where is Harry by the way? He must be here.” asked Mrs. Weasley.

“His on the train already with his visitor, I think we have to get inside and secure some compartment” suggest Mr. Weasley

“If Harry was already inside, he must have been booked us too, now off we go?”

Then a loud voice issued from the train announces the train is leaving in a moment. So we hurried our selves inside the scarlet vibrating train, it is like a large red serpent which is very much ready to strike.

We pass many compartments inside the train and were searching for someone whom they call Harry. And good lord, we ended up at last almost at the end of the tail of the train and get inside a compartment, in my amazement I never did observe that the interior size of the train is quite much larger compared to the size of the train’s exterior. But I did not put too much attention in it and just followed the couple inside the compartment. There, inside the compartment is a man sitting with a large circular spectacle together with a young lady dress in the same set of clothing I was wearing.

“Hi Harry! How long you’ve been waiting here?” asked Mrs. Weasley to the man sitting inside the compartment.

“Oh hi Hermione, not that long, just enough for Ms. Brown to have her rest” beamed Mr. Potter to Hermione by gesturing for us to sit down.

Then Mr. Potter greeted me by shaking my hand and so all of us exchanges greetings. So I took the chance to comfort my feet and leaned my back against the soft cushion of the chairs. I was about to close my eyes when Mrs. Weasley touch my hand which is sitting in front of me and said.

“Mr. Lozano, I would like to apologize on what my husband did to you this morning” she glance into her watch when the train roared once again to life and continued by saying “We are setting off, it is exactly 11 o’clock in the morning” she paused and beamed to me again “Again Mr. Lozano, I am very much sorry for what had happen, I assure you to punish… ” he instantly stopped as I interrupt him in the middle by saying.

“Him? Mr. Weasley?” I paused when Mrs. Weasley gives me a nod “Oh! Please do not bother your self about it Mrs. Weasley. Indeed, I am actually…shall we say… still surprise of everything. But in summary I have enjoyed this, but instead of punishing Mr. Weasley I would be much pleased if you would be kind enough to explain to me why I can’t remember anything from the moment I left King’s Cross Station because I am very much certain I am not in Britain anymore” with that, Mrs. Weasley gives me a wide smile and answered me.

If I am going to summarize what had happen to me this must be a good deduction to it. Mr. Weasley casts a Confundus Charm to me, according to her it is a jinx that causes a person or animated object to become highly confused. There appear to be varying degrees of inflicted confusion, ranging from tricking a person about a specific issue to making them lose all semblance of common sense, even to the point of endangering themselves. But in my case I was tricked by Mr. Weasley to earn less argument from me and take me with him easily. What a very nice thing to cast to someone, I think deeply. But Mrs. Weasley assures me very much that we are still in Britain. The other three: Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley and Mrs. Weasley were talking with so much eagerness to the subject they were raising when an old lady come pass our compartment pushing a trolley with loads of colorful sweets.

“Anything from the trolley? The travel is quite long dear” said the lady as he pokes her head inside our compartment and offer us different kind of sweets. “Pumpkin Pasties and Chocolate Frog Perhaps? What do you want?” I was caught by the bizarreness of the food they were offering me but Mrs. Weasley had already bought loads of chocolates which is enough for the six of us. Then she offered me a box of Chocolate Frog and in my total surprise the frog is really moving and it feels like alive. But they gestured that I must eat the frog at once before it would leap away and waste the delicious chocolates. And so, with so much repulsion of what might happen inside my mouth if I am going to eat this, I swallowed the frog entirely. From that very moment I have never tasted any chocolates that taste so wonderful.

The surrounding of the train is very mountainous and passes thick green forest and vast green field. I was quite bored in that very moment so I made up my mind to asked Mrs. Weasley something that might lead to a great concentration.

“Ahm, Mrs. Weasley?” I asked generously

“Yes? And please, you can call me Hermione” she said very positively with a wide assuring smile.

“Oh! So, Hermione? Where are we exactly going?” I asked. Though I have the slightest idea that we are heading to Hogwarts, I just want her to elaborate the idea and can build up a conversation.

“As what have you read in the letter, we are heading Hogwarts and we will be their about dark. Everything will be explained by Prof. McGonagall after the sorting ceremony and you will understand why you are here. Today, as you already know is September 1 the very first day where students come to study at Hogwarts School of witchcraft and wizardry. Though all of these passengers were students and will be attending school, you have a different purpose why you were invited. This is a very rare occasion that is why you are called the Few Five Fortunate.” She explained.

“Few Five Fortunate?” I glanced around to see Ms. Brown which is quite sleeping and Mr. Whitecloak who is looking so calm, as if this is not his first time. He blends a lot in the scenery and glanced back to Hermione “where are the others? I thought we are five? The Few Five Fortunate?” I asked.

“Oh yes, Mrs. Ginny Potter and Ms. Luna Lovegoode is in the nest compartment with their respective visitors and will be attending us later on” she stopped and glanced back into the outside view of the windows.

Time have already ticked away so ghastly, it feels like I was just standing in that platform and here I was, inside a train full of witch and wizard in the making. And the train conductor announces that we already reach our destination. Which I and the other people inside the train have to get out and will be heading to the school immediately. Though according to Hermione, first year student will not be attending the rest of the student for they will be on the boat and will be welcomed in the great hall for the sorting ceremony.

Then at the landing, we meet Mr. Potter’s Wife a beautiful lady with a hair the same with Mr. Weasley. Then appeared a lady with a very whimsical voice, feels like a fairy talking to me. Then we boarded again into carriages that pulled itself with its own accord, but according to Ms. Lovegoode the carriages are not pulling their own weight but magical creatures called thestrals are pulling them. These creatures are invisible to those who haven’t seen someone die. And I haven’t witnessed one myself so maybe that is why I cannot see them too.

Everything seems so creepy, cold and dark. Beyond the dark skies there lies an enormous building at the top of the cliff: The Castle of Hogwarts. From that very moment I told myself. I want o stay longer because I know that there is still plenty of magical things and creature will be introduce to us.

Then I gasp for a cold fresh air and brace myself to expect the most unexpected and whisper to my own ears “I Love Magic”. Then the carriage pulled higher and closer into the castle, and I am getting nearer into the place where thousands of amazing stories to be shared.

Share their world to a muggle like me.

Nowhere is Safe

Harry Potter Poster

Harry Potter

Ronald Weasley

Hermione Granger

Severus Snape

Bellatrix Lestrange

Lord Voldemort

Fenrir Greyback

Under the Bed

My brain keeps on telling my eyes that they need to cry more. But my eyes cannot produce even the tiniest drop of my tears. I am perfectly dehydrated. It is as if forever, I cried infinitely because of the horror I have witnessed. I cannot dare to close my eyes, because if I did? I can see the old man’s dreadfully rotting face. It is like a painting in the dark, directly painted into my own retinas.

I cannot explain how that dead body of a man resting underneath my bed was, sleeping silently in the middle of the night.

That very night I arrived from my six month of vacation from a far away place, far enough for me to forget the heartache I felt. I enter my usually dimly lighted room, boring flat white walls and uninteresting wall painting hanging on it. My sofa is dusty and discoloration is starting to occur. I can smell dust inside my room and I can smell too a rotten rat. Tired from my trip I took no notice of these things, I directly dive into my bed and feel the softness of my pillow. Thinking that I was alone, knowing that I keep myself unaccompanied, never in my mind registered that there would be someone lifeless, dead and rotting underneath my bed. Every night I sleep there is that corpse staring blankly into my won back, eyes wide open, mouth broadly open like someone shouting for a help. Just imagine hoe innocent I was, just imagine as I feel every inch of my comfortable bed, a dead man underneath me, long forgotten, long unnoticed. Just imagine as I turn my face down my pillow, it is as if I am facing face to face the man’s horrifying image.

They say spirits will do anything just to be notice. And I can give my own testimony that this is true. As days past, I cannot smell the odor of the rotten rat inside my room, maybe the garbage’s piles were taken away already. I did drunk plenty of beers from friend’s party and it makes my bladder full of my urine. So I have to visit the comfort room every now and then to have my pee. But as I rose for the fourth times already, together checking my nearest clock and revealing that is was 3:00 am already. And I took notice of my hair standing from a much undefined reason. I never have this kind of experience ever since. It is as if the coldness is coming from the inner most part of my body the massive chillness is coming from within. So I did stand to make my pee and in a sudden horror, as my feet landed the solid floor I can feel that there is something cold and rough wrapped around my feet. In my total shocked I did produce the loudest scream I have every made. So did shake my feet to get rid of the grasping thing in my feet, but it wont release itself. I cannot see anything that moment because I cannot sleep with lights all around me. So I run towards the area where the switch on the wall rest. But I can feel that the thing in my feet keeps the grip tighter. I cannot explain the anguish that I did felt that very moment, it is as if I did face death myself. I cannot tell how scared I was, I cannot hear anything but simply the rumbling thud of my heart beat. It beat unnaturally fast and my whole body was trembling with so much repulsion. My scream never did came into a halt but rather a much prolonged scream were coming as I ram towards the switch. And as I keep on running, I can feel the weight of the thing, I can feel that I am dragging the thing with me.

From that, I collected all the remaining courage I have. As I drag this thing in me, I transmit all that courage into the tip of my finger and able to switch on the lights. At the very tick of the switch it gives the signal that the whole room was already illuminated hoping that the thing will disappear, but unfortunately it never withdraw itself. I can still feel the coldness of the thing, whatever it is, it is uncomfortable, awful and hideous. I covered my eyes tightly with my lids. I am afraid of what my eyes might witnessed this time. Again, the grip keeps on tighter and I believe that it will leave a mark in my feet after. Tilting my head towards my feet I can see a hand, pale, sunken and bones were forming in the skin and as I look further into the boney arms I can see directly into the corpse cold blank stare. He was staring directly to me, directly inside my brain and reading my thoughts. The old man’s face is rotting dry, I can see that the skin fits the skull perfectly. The horror I have now tripled of what I did felt the past few seconds.

Just as I thought that everything is already settled and with that I made myself quite mistaken. As the eyes of the old man’s dead body keep on staring directly at me and in a fraction of a second the whole body of the corpse gave a wild shake. As it shakes like an earthquake the trembling transmit it directly to my feet, which give me a cold shudder. It shakes faster and faster and you can hear the clanging of the bones against bones, an uncomfortable sound, outrageously abomination. I keep on crying, crying is the only way I can do now, and it is as if a pain reliever that cannot do something to the pain I have felt now. I scream and cried and I cried after hundreds of screams for this is the only thing I could extend because I am completely helpless. The shake stop and the noise of clanging bones echoes into the room and registered perfectly into my memory. But my scream never did stop. But gladly, the skull is not facing me anymore. But as the moment I thought that I will run the face of the skull move directly towards me and here comes again the blank cold stare. And suddenly the free hand of the dead body moves towards my face, reaching something towards me, like he wants to hold my face. As the hand move closer to me, I can smell the awful odor of the body and with great trepidation I scream as loud as I can and immediately I cannot see anything as I become unconscious.

Now, I can see how much he loves me. And I realize it not an old man, it looks like an old man because of its rotting skin and flesh. He was completely mummified by his love, able to prolong his existence just to give me the thing that I have asked him for about years and I hate him for that. And here he was lifeless but still able to give me the ring and a note to say “Will you be my wife?”

It is too late for both of us.

The reason why he is under my bed is still a mystery. All I know is I love him too, and he was murdered.

Dumbledore's Horcruxes

I do not claim this article as my own draft but rather just a copied material from www.beyondhogwarts.com and I recognize the author of this article. This is just a matter of spreading the idea. God Bless and enjoy reading.

How does a wizard learn about the existence and properties of Horcruxes? Who knows what they are, how to make them, what they can do? What wizard would make a Horcrux? Under what circumstances? And for what reasons? And why are they so evil? Hermione is working very hard to answer these questions. As Hogwarts virtual library search-engine, she is coming up empty - no answers to these questions can be found at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry so far.

Fifty years ago, Tom Riddle, while still a student at Hogwarts, somehow learned of Horcruxes. How he did this is something of a mystery since Tom has no wizarding family, no connection with anyone in the wizarding world outside of Hogwarts (that we know of), and attended a school where Horcruxes were a banned subject, where Dumbledore at the time was, as Slughorn explains, (HBP, US version p. 499) "particularly fierce about it..." ("it" being the ban on Horcruxes). And yet by the end of Book 6, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, we believe that Tom Riddle-turned-Voldemort had probably divided his soul into seven parts and created six external Horcruxes in his lifetime.

How do we learn of the Voldemort Horcruxes?

Through Dumbledore's suspicions.

Dumbledore is the only wizard who suspected that Voldemort created Horcruxes. When the Avada Kedavra curse Voldemort used against Harry backfired and diminished Voldemort, Dumbledore suspected that Voldemort had made a Horcrux. Then Tom Riddle's diary came along in Chamber of Secrets and Dumbledore's theory gained some support. No mere memory, the being in Tom Riddle's diary began to come to life and behave like a Horcrux, restoring Voldemort to life.

But then Tom Riddle's diary was destroyed when Harry stabbed it with the poison basilisk fang, and Voldemort did not perish. So here Dumbledore must have begun to realize that either he was wrong about his theory that Voldemort had made a Horcrux or that there may have been more than one Horcrux. What an astounding idea this must have seemed! And in Book 6 when Harry returned from the graveyard and reported what Voldemort told his followers at the end of Goblet of Fire about having gone further than any other wizard, Dumbledore believed that this information provided support for the possibility that Voldemort may have been using Horcruxes, but had been using more than one of them. Remember, it wasn't until Harry finagled that bit of memory from Slughorn (in HBP) that we got any confirmation at all of Dumbledore's Horcrux theory. Slughorn's memory shows the first hard evidence linking Voldemort with the Horcruxes.

But Dumbledore suspected the possibility of a Horcrux from the beginning. Why? Why suspect a Horcrux? Was it because he was familiar with the concept? Was it because he had already created one?

Dumbledore create something as evil as a Horcrux! Impossible!

Or is it? (Hmmm, perhaps I should write for the Quibbler...)

Here's a thought: perhaps it is not the Horcrux itself that is evil, but killing someone in order to create a Horcrux that is evil. Slughorn explains that the Horcrux is created: "By committing murder. Killing rips the soul apart. The wizard intent upon creating a Horcrux would use this damage to his advantage: He would encase the torn portion (of his soul in a Horcrux)" (HBP p. 498).

Killing rips the soul apart. This is important: Killing rips the soul apart -- whether one makes a Horcrux or not. The evil act is in the killing. If a wizard had killed another person, regardless of his intent, the ripping of the soul would have occurred.

There are three possible forms of intent involved in the act of killing. The first is malice, the desire to inflict harm and affect a killing. We usually associate this with anger or hatred and Muggle and Wizard societies both punish this type of act. The second form of intent is self-preservation. Here the person who affects the murder is justified in doing so because he, his family, his friends or even his society as a whole are in danger from the person who is about to be killed. In this case the killer is not punished by society. And the third form of intent is actually lack-of-intent. This is the case when a person or persons are killed inadvertently, or accidentally. In the Muggle world this is sometimes punished, sometimes not. If the killer's lack of due diligence caused the death(s) -- as in drunken driving -- we tend to punish it, even though it was not intended by the killer. If the killer shows due diligence -- and someone simply jumps out onto the road in front of a moving car -- we tend not to punish the killer.

I do believe that killing under any of the three forms of intent causes damage to the soul. Maybe there is no blame to be laid, no guilt to be levied, but there would still be great anguish to the soul of someone who realizes he has taken a life. Whether through malice, self-defense, or completely by accident, the person who kills is diminished in some way by having taken a life. I believe this is the damage to the soul. It is not a punishment by society, but a natural result of destroying life. And I think this damage occurs no matter how good or evil the person who affects the killing is as a person. In fact, it is easy to imagine that the anguish of a good person who is pressed to kill is far greater than that of someone who feels no loss at ending someone's life.

The damage to the soul would be irreversible. And here a wizard could use this damage "to his advantage (by) encasing the torn portion in a Horcrux." Creating a Horcrux, in and of itself, is not evil. It is the murder that precedes the Horcrux creation that causes the soul to be ripped apart that is evil. Killing is, as Slughorn explains, "the supreme act of evil." The evil is done. And then you have a damaged soul. Encasing your now-damaged soul in a Horcrux neither extends nor eradicates the evil born of the murder. A Horcrux is simply a container for that already-damaged portion of the soul.

We know, from Albus Dumbledore's chocolate frog card (Philosopher's Stone, UK edition, p. 77), that "Dumbledore is particularly famous for his defeat of the dark wizard Grindlewald in 1945, for the discovery of the twelve uses of dragon's blood and his work on alchemy with his partner Nicolas Flamel." So, in 1945 Dumbledore defeated the evil wizard Grindlewald. How might he have "defeated" Grindlewald? Did he need to kill him as perhaps Harry needs to kill Voldemort? There is no mention of Grindlewald in Azkaban. I suspect that the defeat did involve a killing.

If Dumbledore had killed Grindlewald, then perhaps Dumbledore might have created a Horcrux. Not necessarily an evil Horcrux, but the product of opportunity rather than the product of an evil act. Dumbledore is a very intelligent, logical being. If the killing of Grindlewald was necessary, then the possibility of creating a Horcrux might be a logical follow-up. And if the killing was a positive event eliminating evil from the wizard world, then perhaps Dumbledore's Horcrux -- though borne through dark magic -- would not be an evil thing. Not creating a Horcrux would not have changed his need to kill Grindlewald.

Why would Dumbledore even consider making a Horcrux? In Book 1, McGonagall has a conversation with Dumbledore in which she points out that he knows all of the Dark Magic, but that she believes he chooses not to use any of it. Perhaps he has had good reason to use Dark Magic for some positive purposes. And remember, Dumbledore's old friend, Nicholas Flamel, sought eternal life with the Philosopher's Stone. Why is it hard to suppose that Dumbledore may have sought eternal life as well? A different means to that end, yes, but still with a goal to the same end.

But would Dumbledore have committed this supreme act of evil? If Dumbledore has committed a killing, he would have to have a damaged soul. The damage done by killing another is absolute. Does Dumbledore have a damaged soul? Having a soul like Harry's that is "untarnished and whole" (p. 511) is certainly wonderful but may not be something that every witch and wizard can claim. Dumbledore is 150 years old and has been battling evil in the wizarding world for quite some time. Is it possible that his soul is still untarnished and whole? That he has never harmed another witch or wizard, evil or otherwise? I think not. Only youth has such purity and innocence. As people go through life, wizards and Muggles alike, we are confronted with difficult choices and obstacles, points in our lives at which there is no easy answer.

So let's assume Dumbledore did need to finish Grindlewald to remove his evil influence from the world. What Horcrux would hold Dumbledore's damaged bit of soul? Gryffindor's Sword perhaps? One of the many silvery spindly objects in his office? I don't think so. I think Dumbledore's Horcrux is the phoenix Fawkes.

Isn't it most interesting that Dumbledore suspected that Nagini was one of Voldemort's Horcruxes? We know Voldemort to be a friendless person who collects inanimate artifacts and objects for his Horcrux keepers. Why would Dumbledore think that Voldemort might choose Nagini to guard a portion of his soul? Why suppose that a wizard would choose any animal as a Horcrux, unless of course you had already done the very same thing yourself.

There is no comparison between Nagini and Fawkes as viable soul-keepers, or Horcruxes. Nagini is a snake, a magical creature with questionable moral values. Fawkes is a magical creature known for extreme loyalty, the ability to heal wounds and transport very heavy loads for long distances. Fawkes seems to be all positive attributes. And even more importantly: Nagini can be destroyed. Fawkes, a phoenix, cannot be killed. He will continue to rise anew from the ashes, reborn to continue on. Fawkes is an excellent choice for a Horcrux. Fawkes will live forever.

All right, so let's say we allow the assumption that Dumbledore has made a Horcrux. And let's go on to the next step and allow that Harry discovers it. This is, by the way, quite necessary since the Harry Potter stories are all told from Harry's point of view and we would certainly not know of the Horcrux unless Harry knew of it as well. How would this Horcrux work itself into the story in Book 7? What would be the value and difficulty of discovering that Dumbledore had created a Horcrux?

The value is easy to spot. There is then the possibility that Dumbledore isn't gone for good. He may have died physically, but he could be reborn through the use of his Horcrux. This is, for everyone except Voldemort and the Death Eaters, a very uplifting possibility. Dumbledore's abrupt departure from the quest to destroy Voldemort at the close of Book 6 is quite disturbing. It is as though, after so many, many years of his research and discovery to identify Voldemort's weakness(es), Dumbledore simply vanishes.

What if Harry is not the only one to learn of Fawkes's role as a Horcrux? Then what? Who else might be trying to recover Fawkes at the same time as Harry?

The most likely wizard to join Harry in the pursuit of Fawkes would be -- Severus Snape. Somehow, Snape will know that Fawkes was Dumbledore's Horcrux and will be trying to get Fawkes. Harry will discover this. Not knowing whether Snape is good or evil, we won't know whether Snape should get Fawkes or not. Hermione will tell us we should trust Dumbledore's faith in Snape; Harry will be convinced Snape is up to something evil. It is possible Snape is supposed to acquire Fawkes, that Dumbledore wants him to, and that Snape was aware -- at the moment of the Avada Kedavra curse on top of the tower -- that there would be further steps to having Dumbledore return to make sure that Voldemort was vanquished.

Furthermore: How would Dumbledore have protected Fawkes from Voldemort? Surely Dumbledore would have foreseen that someone on the Dark Side might have discovered Fawkes's value as a Horcrux. How might he have provided protection for Fawkes? Perhaps in was in the same way he protected the Philosopher's Stone. Remember the protection Dumbledore placed on the Stone in the Mirror of Erised? "You see, only one who wanted to find the Stone -- find it, but not use it -- would be able to get it..." (PS p.217) Perhaps Harry will need to want to recover Fawkes, but not activate Dumbledore's Horcrux in order to gain Fawkes.

Maybe when Harry discovers that Dumbledore has a Horcrux -- Fawkes -- a choice has to be made about bringing Dumbledore back or going on without Dumbledore's help. What if the choice was there and Harry has to decide whether to rely on Dumbledore's help or to move on as a now-adult wizard (Harry comes of age at the start of Book 7 on July 31) and accept his role as The Chosen One? A choice between what is right and what is easy, perhaps.

Somehow, I have found it hard to believe that Dumbledore would so easily leave the battle with Voldemort. Dumbledore has spent many years researching Voldemort's background and looking for ways to finish him. Why would he bow out so easily, before he could see his work brought to closure? Completed by Harry, yes, but brought to closure.

And the wording of Professor Trelawney's prophecy is curious, as well, "one cannot live while the other survives..." If Harry, himself, does not directly cause Voldemort's death, Harry will retain his pure, untarnished, virgin soul. He will remain in many ways childlike and pure. Is this desirable? Or does Harry need to pass through a gauntlet of sorts to become an adult? Perhaps Harry must kill Voldemort to become an adult. Perhaps this is a painful process that must be done. Harry came awfully close to damaging his soul with the Septumsempra curse on Malfoy. It is not impossible to believe that Harry will have to suffer the consequences of his anger and hatred toward Voldemort (and maybe Snape). As a minor (under the age of 17) Harry still has a pure untarnished soul. But is it realistic to expect that this will continue throughout his adult life? I think not. Life is not that simple.

Meanwhile, there is one other important player in this search: Hagrid. Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts, is our resident expert in Magical Creatures. That's Fawkes, a magical creature. Hagrid will know how to recover and capture Fawkes (just like Hagrid knew how to lull Fluffy to sleep) because Dumbledore would have told him. Dumbledore tells Professor McGonagall in Book 1, "I would trust Hagrid with my life," and he has. Dumbledore has shared with Hagrid Fawkes's secret.

So while we know there will be a search going on for Voldemort's Horcruxes in Book 7, we may learn that a parallel search will commence for Dumbledore's Horcrux, Fawkes.

I really do believe that Dumbledore does have a Horcrux. The Horcrux is Fawkes, his soul mate, literally. And Hagrid is the Secret keeper of the Horcrux secret.

Hagrid will likely die protecting this information. And what does that mean? Hopefully we'll find out soon, because J.K. chose this topic as one of the three FAQ questions she would like to answer on her web site: What happens to a Secret after the Secret keeper dies? I don't think this is of terribly vital importance to 12 Grimmauld Place, but I do think it will matter even more when it comes to losing Hagrid.

We learn of the existence of Horcruxes out of the blue in Book 6 of the seven book series. No mention of them in any of the thousands of pages preceding Half-Blood Prince in Books 1 through 5. Will we learn in Book 7 that there is another Horcrux? Dumbledore's Horcrux?

Princess Ivory

Once upon a time in a far away land their lived a beautiful princess named Ivory. She lived with her Mother, Queen Maria in a large castle. His Father, King Thaddeus is on a great expedition in distant land in conquering new properties.

As king Thaddeus traveled the great seven seas with the largest fleet the kingdom had ever built, many people have known him because of his bravery and of being a kind-hearted man, many of his soldier and men like him a lot.

Queen Maria perhaps seems different among the other, she is the only queen that makes everyone intimidated and perfectly opposite with the king. So the queen just stayed in the castle whole day long or sometimes asked her servants to accompany her to the forest for a horseback riding. On the absence of the king it was Queen Maria who took up his husband’s responsibility to her daughter’s affection and that makes Princess Ivory felt different towards his father king.

One stormy night, the king woke up breathing so heavily from a nightmare, he dreamed that beyond the mountain of Nineveh lived a very horrible creature, gargantuan and very fierce. That very morning the king visits the seer of the castle. He divulges all the detail of his dreamed and the seer interpreted them one by one. The king was shocked on the interpretation of the seer. It was stated on the seer’s basin that the hideous creature behind the mountain of Nineveh will be the one who will going to destroy their land, and even attacked the castle and burned the city down. And will eat all the flesh of its men and women of the castle.

Because of this, the king was challenge to face the creature, he felt insulted by this. No one could ever defeat him in any battle, he conquered hundreds of lands and this time he will go to kill the creature to save his mankind. And so the king prepared for this. But he was stopped by the Queen and his daughter, convincing him to stay because it would be too dangerous for him to trounce the monster. But no one could ever stop the king this time.

Certain of his decision, he gathered his man and planned to attacked the monstrous creature. In that very dawn, they march towards the mountain of Nineveh. As they reach the bottom of the mountain the king decided to set the camp for them to rest. But the king never been able to sleep, wickedly awake and completely prepared for any unwanted intruder. But the night pass quietly serine, no harm was detected.

As the dawn reaches the land, the troop is preparing for another march. As the king commanded for them to move, a soldier came to King Thaddeus for some report. The news was quite mysterious and indeed a threat to their travel. The young soldier reported the tank of their water was mysteriously drained out from its container. Immediately the King asked them to check for any leak of the tank, but to leak was ever found. The king was mystified by the event, so he asked every man to check their own water pocket, but again the containers were completely empty. Wild conclusions drops into every soldiers mind. They cannot continue the march without the water. So the king ordered half of his with their horses to go back to the castle to get water and must immediately come back for them to join the march and everyone could have a drink. At that very moment, half of the troop traveled back to the castle.

With great bravery, King Thaddeus still believe that they will survive the march and putting the life of his men to risk. As they march miles and miles away. A rush of water was being issued from a distant fountain and every men runs towards the water and quenching every inch of their thirstiness. But as soon as the water touches their throats, everyone turns into a stone. The king was shocked by the events his eyes had witness. He loss quarter of is man.

They were now few.
Marching the dark side of the mountains the King and his men were now very much conscious on every move. More miles are waiting for them. They were in the middle of their expedition as they reach a clearing and then decided again for them to have a rest. With thirsty throats, numbing legs, and heart full of courage over fear, all the men took a rest. In a sudden moment silence of the forest, rustling leaves among branches was heard by all of them and suddenly a colorful bird appeared above the branch of the trees where they have camped. Bird is more like a peacock in appearance but with a beautiful harmony of voice. The bird sings very serenely and melodiously that makes every men fall asleep. But the king commanded them not to sleep, maybe that this is the monsters trick. But all his men cannot refuse to accept the melody of the bird and all of them took a very quite sleep to death.

All of them died sleeping, except the king and a few more of his soldiers. But the king made a decision that troubled his men. He ordered them to go back to their family and spread the story of their adventure. But his men refuses, but the king commanded them with valor and pride. His man cannot do anything but obey the king’s command.

King Thaddeus bravery is immeasurable. All the trickery of the monster, from the waters drying out, into the mysterious fountain and to the bird’s sleepy music was monster’s whole plan to face the king alone.
At last King Thaddeus can see the horizon of the back end of the mountain, all he can see was a vast endless lake. No sign of ripples in the surface of the water, oily like. The king shouted, thinking that this is the monster’s lair. Without hesitation a single circle of ripples and into two ripples until the whole lake is full or ripples issued from the center of the lake came up a beautiful woman. King Thaddeus commanded the woman to show her face because it’s showing its naked back from him. Then the monster slowly and gracefully swings its shoulder into the king’s eyes revealing a familiar face. The king was shocked to see her daughter’s face. From the very first time King Thaddeus felt afraid of killing the monster. Because of the present situation in seeing his daughter’s face, make him weak. The monster knows the weakness of the king, the monster is very canny. Then the monster speaks, very much the same with princess Ivory’s voice. “Kill me father, this is your plan from the start of your voyage. Then do this now” whisper the monster. Then the king replied with weakness in his voice “Dare not to use my daughter’s face to hide your wickedness, I am here, certain to kill you”. But in a glimpse of the king’s eyes, the monster vanish in the thin air and immediately appearing in front of him.

The king was stunned by the speed of his enemy and they were nose to nose facing each other. Looking into directly the eyes of his daughter lays a different kind of feeling. The king felt numb of his arms and cannot swing his sword to slaughter the monster. Then the monster whisper into his ears “Kill me now father…you think I don’t love you? But father I do.” The king can smell from the monster’s breath of burned metal and scorching ashes. But the king cannot fight any courage anymore and a droplet of tears fall into his eyes and embraces the body of his daughter.

With devious smile, the monster held its arms up issuing a dagger from nowhere and digs it down to King Thaddeus’s ribs. With splatters of blood from the ribs of the king a stream of red fluid runs into the lake. Then with his last breath he issued a muffled voice into the monster’s ears. “I can face any battle of life, but seeing my daughter felt distant with me, makes me wish to dig that dagger of death myself” he paused “I LOVE YOU, my daughter”. Suddenly the monster screams aloud, a scream of remorse and malevolence, and the monster is burned to death.

A Lover from Beyond

Just after I dried my body, I picked my towel and heading towards my room. Making sure that the house is secure, I checked for the locks. And so, I stretched my hand out to reach for the switch to turn off the lights. But before my finger could hit the surface of the switch the entire house went pitch dark. My heart leapt enthusiastically and with my heart throbbing unnaturally fast. “Just a black-out” I ridiculously convinced my self, unfortunately it wasn’t working at all. So I doubled my step towards my room without turning my head anywhere just focusing my brain that my feet are hitting solid floor. I have five more steps up and I’ll be heading west to my room. But just after my fifth count another stair up added, a miscalculation. But there’s one more, another one and another one and more stairs are added. My God! When was the last time they added the stairs. Just this morning? This afternoon? or just now? Just perfectly now to scare someone like me?

I paused for awhile. The throbbing of my heart never have the chance to paused for a little while, because if that’s happen? I’ll be cold dead now. The extra cold water I used for my shower never helps to dry any sweat my pores were releasing now. I perspire just so fast, flooding my neck and soaking my nose. A faint smile painted in my face, just a convincing factor, but then again I perfectly failed to do it.

I am very much sure that the stairs are just twenty steps higher, but according to the present trance I have now, more than thirty is the perfect count. I know that there is some one in this house exists, more than just me, more than just the cobwebs and the dust. I run higher, higher than my mind could accept. I cannot see anything, the light had not come back yet. I’m scared now, very much scared. My knees were trembling, my mind is frantic and I am totally in panic. I cannot breath normally, I’m hyperventilating and claustrophobia is attacking me. It feels like walls are drawing near me, squeezing every inch of my flesh and cracking every bone I have. “No! Please stop, help me please” a shout for help. I couldn’t run more, I’m sure more stairs are waiting there for me. I just have to wait until I have someone to notice me out. From the very edge of almost infinite stair I can see a familiar silhouette, a human figure in the dark heavy robe which I think who can help me. She is the woman who keeps on appearing in the ruined church of the town. And I called out for her, she can’t hear me. She is just standing straight in the edge, nothing bothers her like a mannequin, mute, blind and lifeless. But I’m still hoping she can help me. So I reached my hand out for her, stepping more stairs higher to touch her dark heavy robe. In my surprise, the stairs have not multiplied but instead making my way up to the human figure like an escalator. I could feel the rough texture of her robe, anxious to give an attention I pulled the robe out of her. And revealing the simplest horror I have ever seen. A face of a human, pale like paper as the only light figure in space I am standing. With pitch black eyes, it is as if a hole deep into nothingness. And an open mouth which in a sudden small flesh eating beetles coming out of her mouth eating her mouth out until it reaches her nose until the eyes were eaten too. Until she vanish, cold and static killed by the beetles to death.

Shocked eyes and open mouth painted my face accompanied by a repulsive scream. And I can’t feel nothing, just the blowing wind from my back, because I’m falling into a space and a thud of my whole body snaps the whole event into a silent darkness.

Then in a sudden it feels like I’m hovering and room full of light and crowd of people welcomed my eyes. I went closer into a space which I could see a box, a box elaborately decorated my gold and silver linings and flowers around it and I finally realize it a coffin. Closer and closer I could see my face beneath the clear glass. Now, I’m dead, cold and lifeless. And I could see my mother sobbing in pain, crying for grief and comforted by my father. “I saw him just at the bottom of the stairs, flooded with blood. Our son is dead!” then he cried out again. And as I turn my head back, there I could see the same figure I saw in the edge of the stairs whispering into my ears “Let’s go home because you are already mine, MY LOVE”.