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Snape heard Sean's whisper, his brow furrowing slightly, his tone remaining somber.

"You're very skilled, Wallerup?"

Sean's eye twitched. Why was this old bat's focus so different?

"Let's not talk about that... Professor, did you use Prior Incantato to check his wand?"

If Max Dawson really has a problem, then his wand must also have a problem.

Sean's presence was detected earlier, while Lavender Brown didn't have that ability, which proves that the Lurker must have been present at the time.

If that person really was Max Dawson, then in order to deal with Snape's examination, even if he forgot his memories and then wove new ones, it must have been a hasty action taken in a short period of time.

Checking memories is troublesome, but using the Prior Incantato to check a wand is much easier.

To his surprise, Snape gave him a mocking look. "Do you think I wouldn't know such a basic check? Wand-Lighting Charm, Organizing Spell, these are common spells, the wand is normal."

The wand is normal... Sean frowned.

Was I being too suspicious? But I couldn't rule out the possibility that Max Dawson had a spare wand...

"Where is his residence? Is there anything unusual, like another wand or an empty glass bottle?"

"Everything is normal," Snape said coldly.

The easiest place to hide things at Hogwarts is the Room of Requirement, which happens to be Sean's Room of Requirement... Elsewhere, Max Dawson is mostly secretly watched by the ghosts of the castle, except when he's in his room—but everything in his room is normal...

Am I really overthinking things?

Furthermore, it is important to note that this hidden figure went to great lengths to manipulate the students with the Imperius Curse and made so many thorough preparations. On the one hand, he naturally did not want to expose himself. On the other hand, and this is his main purpose, he had to convey Trelawney's true Prophecy to the outside world.

However, the Memory Bottle that Trelawney had extracted were not found with Max Dawson...

Regardless of whether the infiltrator was Max Dawson or not, the fact that this person dared to use the Imperius Curse at Hogwarts was an extremely risky act.

Because if a person's soul is stolen for a long time and they have to go through frequent memory deletions, over time, their state will definitely be different from their normal state.

In other words, even if Sean hadn't happened to run into them tonight, Lavender Brown and the others' strange behavior would have been discovered sooner or later in front of powerful wizards like Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick.

That person couldn't wait until the end of the semester and the holidays to safely take those Prophecy memories out of the school gate.

Another point worth noting is how the Opal Necklace that nearly killed Parvati Patil was brought into the school.

New teaching assistants undergo rigorous screening upon joining the school. While memory manipulation cannot be detected, such powerful dark Magical Item cannot be hidden...

Sean narrowed his eyes slightly. That infiltrator must have a way to contact the outside world, even to teleport items...

Such a thought only lasted a moment. Sean looked up and searched his surroundings, then found his target.

He naturally moved over to the pearl-white ghost. "Hey, Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington, how have you been lately?"

Nearly Headless Nick, beamed when he heard Sean address him, and proudly puffed out his chest. "Very good. It is an honor for a nobleman to serve Hogwarts."

Sean casually set up an anti-eavesdropping barrier and went straight to the point. "Nick, you're in charge of coordinating the inspection of the new teaching assistants, right?"

"Oh yes, Professor McGonagall entrusted me with this arduous task, and I will certainly not let her down—by the way, aren't you going to call me Sir anymore?" The Nearly Headless Nick fiddled with his neck and head, which were now only connected by a sliver of skin.

"Listen, Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington, I need you to tell me what Max Dawson has been up to lately."

"What's going on? Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape have both asked me, and everything is normal," Nick said.

"No, describe it to me in more detail."

Nick played with his head, looking thoughtful. "As instructed by the professor, the ghosts monitor his daily activities, except when he returns to his room... well, most of his free time, he either stays in his room or in the Staff Room —oh, I was watching him from the wall next to the fireplace when you guys were chatting last time."

"What's the travel route?"

"The route is quite normal, basically just going back and forth between the offices, classrooms, Staff Room, the Great Hall, and the washrooms, with the occasional trip to the library. Oh, Mr. Dawson often shows curiosity about Hogwarts, but in my opinion, he is a very polite gentleman and doesn't go out of his way to find the secret rooms of Hogwarts."

Looking at it this way, everything does seem normal. I guess I was really overthinking it...

Nearly Headless Nick, continued, "Oh, right, he's been to Hogsmeade a few times too."

"Hogsmeade? What did he go to do?"

"Oh, you're overthinking it, Sean. Mr. Dawson behaves quite normally when he goes to Hogsmeade, and not often. After all, students aren't allowed to go to Hogsmeade now, and it's not good for a teacher to go there to relax and have fun all the time. At most, he'll go to drink some Butterbeer, buy some candy, or some clothes and the like."

When was the most recent time?

"Oh, I know that perfectly well. I was the one secretly following him that time," Nearly Headless Nick, proudly puffed out his chest. "Just the day before yesterday, he went to Hogsmeade in the evening."

The day before yesterday... Sean's suspicions, which had just subsided, suddenly resurfaced. It's hard not to be suspicious at this time.

"The specifics, Nick."

"It was Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington, Sean— " Nick corrected him, then said, "It must have been around five o'clock that afternoon when he left his room to relax."

"Along the way, he encountered several students, greeted them normally, and ran into that big oaf Hagrid as he left the school gate, the two exchanged a few words. After arriving at Hogsmeade, he hesitated for a while between the Three Broomsticks and Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop, finally choosing the Three Broomsticks, where he happened to run into Professor Trelawney..."

Professor Trelawney ... Sean frowned.

Nick continued, "The two of them didn't seem to know each other very well. They exchanged polite greetings and then went into the Three Brooms together. Later, Professor Trelawney came out first, and a little while later, Mr. Dawson came out too. Oh, right, he also ran into Professor Lockhart after he came out. Ha—it's a good thing Mr. Dawson didn't go to Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop. Lockhart came out from there. If he had, he would have had to put up with that guy's boasting..."

"Wait, wait, wait," Sean quickly interrupted Nick's comments, "What happened in the bar? What happened between Mr. Dawson and Professor Trelawney in the Three Broomsticks?"

"I don't know," Nearly Headless Nick said, shrugging.

Sean was taken aback. He and the professors had forgotten one thing: the "normal" that the ghost spoke of was different from their understanding!

Ghosts can only wander in places they have been before, but Nearly Headless Nick, died more than 500 years ago! At that time, Hogsmeade existed, but the Three Broomsticks might not have existed!

Sure enough, Nick said, "There weren't any bars or teahouses when I was alive, so I couldn't go in. I could only wait outside—if only he had gone to the Hog's Head Inn. The Hog's Head Inn had just been built when I was alive, and you can't imagine how bright those little cabins used to be... Hmm, Sean? Sean?"

Nearly Headless Nick, looked at Sean in confusion. Sean was leaning against the wall with his head down, seemingly deep in thought, and remained silent.

In the pitch-black Hogsmeade Village, in the shadows of the cobblestone streets, Sean's figure emerged as the air twisted.

He needed to check the situation with Three Broomsticks, so he left Illusion Charm on the spot and then used Trace Flash to arrive at Hogsmeade.

Fortunately, Shadow Bug were left here beforehand...

Sean sighed silently, then concealed himself and pushed open the door with the Three Broomsticks.

"Welcome, but are you coming so late? We're closed for the night... Hmm?" Madam Rosmerta, the proprietress with Three Broomsticks, looked at the door of her bar, which had been pushed open and then closed, and there was no one there.

"There's no wind tonight?" The slender, sociable woman put down her wine glass in confusion and went to the door to check, her eyes blurry with drunkenness.

Behind her, Sean had already narrowed his eyes.

Imperius Curse...

"Madam, can you tell me what happened between Max Dawson and Professor Trelawney here?" Sean revealed himself directly.

His appearance did not shock Madam Rosmerta much; rather, his words seemed to have triggered a switch, making her already dazed eyes even more lifeless.

Sure enough, the Imperius Curse also tampered with memories...

Madam Rosmerta was momentarily stunned, then suddenly drew her wand and pointed it at Sean: "Avada Kedavra...!"

"Bang." Her body was struck by a beam of red light.

Sean waved his wand, binding Madam Rosmerta. The Imperius Curse could only be dealt with by the healer; he couldn't get any information out of her now.

He turned around and began searching the bar.

Finally, Sean found something amiss in Madam Rosmerta's bedroom: an extra wand was well hidden.

Sean tested them one by one using the Prior Incantato.

Apparition, Muffliato Charm, Confundus Charm... and even a Sean had never seen before, but which was probably used to send communication signals.

Although Hogsmeade has lost its former business, the shop owners here can still occasionally go out to make purchases...

Sean took a deep breath. The infiltrator had taken control of Madam Rosmerta and was using her to communicate with the outside world...

Max Dawson, there's a big problem!

Without further hesitation, Sean used a spell to hide the unconscious Madam Rosmerta, and then used Trace Flash to return to Hogwarts.

Sean, who had been leaning against the stone wall, slowly raised his head and opened his eyes.

By this time, the students had gathered on one side of the Great Hall; they would be sleeping there that night.

Meanwhile, Max Dawson, who had just been cleared of suspicion, was talking to several new teaching assistants.

Sean walked over to Professor McGonagall and, after his usual refrain, said in a low voice, "Something's wrong with Max Dawson. Nick's information is flawed, and Madam Rosmerta has also been controlled by the Imperius Curse."

"What?!" A flash of shock crossed Professor McGonagall's eyes, but she controlled her expression well and didn't even glance at Max Dawson.

"Professor, we have to control him, but there are too many students here... Find an excuse to send a few teaching assistants outside to check on the guards. I'll try to subdue him as soon as possible. If the ambush fails, you and the other professors can come and support us."

"No problem." Professor McGonagall nodded.

Soon, Professor McGonagall called over several teaching assistants by name.

"Max, Charlotte, Colton, oh, and you too, Sean, you go too. Go check on the guards at the main gate. I think the Dementor are acting strange tonight. Sean, if things seem normal, please inform the Prefect and chairmen for me."

"Okay, no problem." Sean nodded.

The group quickly headed out of the castle.

Sean walked beside Max Dawson, a wry smile on his face, and said in a sympathetic tone, "Max, you must have had a tough night."

The other party shook his head with a wry smile, "There's nothing I can do. It's a special time, so I can only cooperate... To be honest, I don't even know what exactly happened tonight."

Sean deliberately lowered his voice. "Someone has infiltrated Hogwarts, used the Imperius Curse to control the students, and is trying to steal something... You know, you are, after all, a new teaching assistant."

Dawson's mouth dropped open in astonishment, then he sighed, "That bastard made me drink Veritaserum..."

The conversation seemed normal, and indeed it was; Dawson had fabricated a memory for himself, and what he was saying now was his true thought.

But Dave kept having this thought, "His brain tastes off, like it's suddenly become more vigorous."

Sure enough, he set up a memory-awakening switch for himself...

The group had reached the deserted square. Sean stretched, wand in hand, and yawned, "What time is it...?"

Charlotte and Colton, who had been whispering and bickering behind them, received the signal and their argument suddenly escalated, with the two even standing still and confronting each other.

"Sterling, what do you mean?!"

"Miss Hawke, please watch your words."

The two immediately drew their wands.

Max Dawson turned around and said with a hint of exasperation, "Gentlemen, this is business, let's not argue..."

Sean's eyes suddenly turned cold, and he pointed his wand directly at Dawson.

"Fainting..."

Before the incantation was even uttered, an instantaneous burst of familiar yet chilling magic erupted from Sean's heart!