In the headmaster's office, the conversation continued.

Dumbledore paused and said to Snape, "Voldemort has controlled his temper, and he still needs you. I knew this after I found out that Umbridge's mind was messed up... How does that sentence go? Anyone who asks for help must be polite. Obviously, Voldemort is no exception."

"I'm not interested in listening to some vulgar proverbs you share."

"Oh, Severus, these exquisite short sentences are thought-provoking and worth savoring again and again... You know, I've been trying to make you fall in love with life again." Dumbledore said kindly.

Snape shook his head violently, as if he was stained with something dirty. .

"Since Voldemort wants you to poison me while you are healing my wounds, he will definitely wait for a while. I think he may decide the duel time based on my physical condition?" Dumbledore said thoughtfully, "In this way, I can influence his judgment. I only need to accept a few interviews at the right time and take a few pale photos... Well, I have thought of it. Wizengamot, witch trials... I have to talk to Ms. Bones." "

Severus, your role is too special, so special that even if Voldemort has doubts about you, he will not act rashly as long as you are still useful. In addition to Umbridge, there is another loophole, that is Harry. Fortunately, he has practiced the brain block technique well, and Voldemort seems to have taken the initiative to cut off the connection, but nothing is absolute, don't take it lightly." He warned at last.

"Speaking of Potter," Snape said suddenly, "Dumbledore, you lied to me. Harry Potter... He is one of them, one of the Horcruxes."

A moment of silence.

"When did you know that?"

"So that's true?" Snape growled, rising and staring at Dumbledore across the table. "I've spied for you, told lies for you, risked mortal danger for you. All for the supposed safety of Lily's son. And now you tell me that his fate was doomed from the start? Like a pig to the slaughter -"

"How touching, Severus," said Dumbledore. "Have you really come to like that boy?"

"Like him?" Snape cried. "Expecto Patronus!"

The silver doe sprang from the tip of his wand. It fell to the floor, leaped lightly across the office, and flew out the window. Dumbledore watched it go, watched its silver light disappear, and then turned to Snape, his eyes welling with tears.

"Still like this after all this time?" he asked softly.

"Always like this," said Snape.

Dumbledore sighed and closed his eyes. The only sound in the room was Snape's panting. He murmured repeatedly, "You lied to me, Dumbledore." After a long while, Dumbledore opened his eyes. His gaze had returned to calm, and he stared at Snape from above the half-moon lenses.

"I don't want to excuse myself, Severus. But I am indeed prepared for the worst - when it comes to the last resort, the boy must die once, so I trained him, tempered him, observed him, like a craftsman carefully carving his own work."

"Die once?" Snape looked up, "Dumbledore, make it clear."

"On the night when Voldemort tried to kill Harry, the killing curse rebounded on himself, and a fragment of his soul was blown away and attached to the only living soul in the collapsed house, Harry Potter..." "

Part of the Dark Lord lives in that baby? It has become a Horcrux?" Snape asked anxiously, "So Parseltongue and the connection to the Dark Lord's mind are all due to the soul fragment?" Dumbledore

nodded slightly, "To be precise, Harry is not a complete Horcrux."

Snape was a little confused. His understanding of Horcruxes was still very superficial. He only knew the most basic information, and some of the content was even deduced by himself based on multiple pieces of intelligence. He didn't know how to make a Horcrux, not to mention the many taboos, so he could easily connect Harry with the Horcrux and accidentally uncover the truth.

At this moment, he pricked up his ears and listened carefully.

"...The steps to make a real Horcrux are extremely complicated and difficult beyond imagination. Perhaps this is why Voldemort has not been able to connect Harry with the Horcrux yet - Harry is not even as complete as the snake. But he does play the role of a Horcrux: as long as the fragment is still in Harry's body, Voldemort will never die in the true sense."

"Then, can the fragment be separated?" Snape racked his brains, "It was just accidentally stuck, right? It's like a piece of dirt on the wall. As long as we find some way to remove the stain-" He held his breath and looked at the old man in front of him, "Did you find it?"

Dumbledore shook his head slowly.

Snape's body shook, he supported his hands on the table, and looked at Dumbledore with empty eyes.

"Any issue involving the soul must be handled with extreme caution," Dumbledore said softly, "We cannot learn wisdom from the books of our predecessors. We must rely entirely on ourselves. And Harry's situation is even more dangerous: Voldemort's soul fragments have not been processed in any way and are directly attached to Harry's soul. After so many years, the closeness of the connection between them may be far beyond your and my imagination. And this connection will become stronger and stronger as Harry gets older, like a parasitic life."

"You should have heard about Harry's exaggerated progress this school year?" he asked.

Snape looked at Dumbledore expressionlessly, and Dumbledore looked back at Snape.

"I thought - it was the result of his hard training."

"I don't deny that this is a reason. But - apart from the gap in knowledge and experience, Harry is not much weaker than you now. This is not normal at all, Severus."

"Is there no other way?"

"Felix and I - we are both trying to find a solution. He found an idea in the books about Horcruxes: repentance can reunite the divided souls. Felix's achievements in the field of memory magic are amazing," Dumbledore said: "He wants to capture Voldemort and soak him in a jar full of 'repentance' emotions for one day, two days, or even one or two years."

Snape was shocked at the boldness of Felix's idea.

"...But I don't have much hope for this method. The conditions are too harsh: you must first capture Voldemort alive - compared to the other steps, this step is even easier. You also have to make Voldemort sincerely repent for what he has done. Frankly speaking, I don't think he has the slightest regret in his heart. I wouldn't be surprised if he suddenly showed me his patronus... In addition to these, even if Voldemort was forced to repent, what effect would extracting the soul fragment have on Harry?"

"No one knows."

Snape froze in place.

After a long while, he asked with difficulty: "You only talked about Felix's efforts, what about you? What did you do?"

"Oh, I can't tell you yet." Dumbledore said apologetically, "That method may be more illusory and incredible than making Voldemort sincerely repent... and I can't verify it for the time being. Telling it will only add to your troubles."

He stuffed the black gem ring into the drawer and fiddled with the exquisite silverware on the table. The conversation seemed to end here. Snape stood up and walked towards the door. "Oh, by the way, Severus?" Snape turned his head and looked into the blue eyes under the half-moon lenses.

"Add more sugar to the potion, okay?"