A Provocation at the Door

Sean rattled off a long string of words, without deliberately displaying an air of certainty or eagerness to verify anything. He simply laid all his conclusions flattering Thomas.

At the same time, he subtly observed the other person's subtle expressions and had Dave was curled up in the inner pocket of his robe, keep a close eye on the smell of the other person's brain. Although the soul was incomplete, the body was complete, and emotions would affect the smell of the brain.

Just as Sean was speaking, Thomas's pupils contracted slightly, a movement that Sean immediately noticed. At the same time, Dave in his pocket sent a message.

"The taste is changing, a sudden change."

You guessed it...

The magic of [Sloth] had been cultivated into something similar to Obscurus, which was his somewhat uncertain guess.

In the second challenge, when Stephanie and Daisy were attacked at the bottom of the lake, in addition to the attacker using Obscurus magic to make Daisy lose consciousness, another strange thing was that neither their own Selma Lake Monster nor their Basilisk could detect the attacker's location.

Dave couldn't dive, so he couldn't use his ability to smell brains to give Sean the enemy's exact location, and water would also affect Dave's senses.

Even though Dave, who was best at finding the Hidden Ones, wasn't there, the area of reeds had been thoroughly searched by the two serpentine beasts. They were still able to cast spells from time to time, and finally used Obscurus magic to ambush Daisy.

For Sean, who possesses Obscurus within him, this is an incredible point. The power of Obscurial is very difficult to control. Only those who have established a cooperative relationship with Obscurus, like Sean, can have a certain degree of control over it. However, the price is that they cannot fully unleash the immense power of the Obscurus. Even Obscurial like Aurelius, who has lived to this day, naturally exudes a captivating aura even when he is not using magic.

However, the opponent's Obscurus magic was activated suddenly.

Sean initially suspected that the attacker might have formed a cooperative relationship with the Obscurus, just like himself. However, after careful consideration, he realized that the way the attacker concealed himself was somewhat similar to the Lloyd Couple that Sean had encountered before.

The Lloyd Couple, whose son Lonte Lloyd went missing after being recruited by Durmstrang, were also affected by the Sloth spell and were taken away by Dumbledore for treatment.

Sean thought about it carefully. If you didn't pay special attention, it would be easy to overlook the existence of Lloyd Couple, who were under the influence of the "Sloth" spell. Their presence was greatly reduced due to their own laziness, which was probably one of the reasons why the couple had spent half a year in such a strange way without being discovered.

Sean suspected that minimizing one's presence might also be one of the characteristics of the [Sloth] magic.

So, the attacker at the Black Lake might have been able to remain hidden there undetected by Sean and his Magical Creatures because he possessed the magic of "Sloth."

Considering that the other party possessed the Obscurus magic, Sean realized that perhaps the Returners had combined the magic of Sloth with the magic of the Obscurus and "planted" it into the attacker's body.

As for whether it was Sloth who attacked them, Sean thought the possibility was very low. The Returners would not allow their own Sin to take risks on Hogwarts ' territory. After all, Pride is the Sin, and if Sloth were absorbed, it would be a great loss.

This is a bold guess, and there aren't many factors that could connect the dots, so Sean has some doubts about its accuracy.

However, what was originally an uncertain conjecture was confirmed by Thomas.

Thomas's reaction proved that Sean's guess was correct!

After reaching this conclusion, Sean even felt a sense of absurdity— the Returners, these lunatics, had actually combined the Obscurus with [Sloth]...

Thomas, standing before Sean, lowered his head after Sean finished speaking, only raising it again a moment later.

His expression remained unchanged; instead, he gave a mocking laugh, "Wallerup, I must say, the images you've filled in your head are quite amusing."

Tsk, what a stubborn mouth, and so loyal to the Returners.

Sean smiled, seemingly unconcerned. "I'm not asking you to confirm my guess, but rather to tell you my conclusion."

His composed demeanor made it impossible for Thomas to maintain his composure any longer.

"You..."

"Don't make any threats, I'm tired of hearing them—" Sean interrupted the other person, "I'm more curious about one thing, as the one who was abandoned, how exactly are you feeling right now?"

Thomas's face was a mixture of emotions, and after a long while he said fiercely, "That's impossible. You can't sway me, Wallerup. Get out of here."

Okay, I'm completely sure now, my guess was correct.

Sean grinned with satisfaction and said cheerfully, "This is my territory—hey, buddy, I've given you such important information, aren't you going to do anything about it?"

"Roll."

Sean wasn't angry at all; instead, he laughed even harder, "There's no point in getting angry with me. Let's consider some practical factors—you've been abandoned, Returners have found new candidates. So what happens to that special Horcrux you left behind at the old base?"

He smiled slyly, "No way, no way, someone has revealed their livelihood to others?"

Thomas's face turned completely ugly.

"Sigh, tell me about you... You know Voldemort, right? Even though that guy wasn't very bright, he still knew that Horcrux should be hidden in a place only he knows about—of course, I can understand you. The magic you used to create Horcrux was probably taught to you by one of the Returners. He told you to leave a piece of your soul with him so that it could save your life in the end, right?"

Doubt, fear, and panic flashed in Thomas's eyes. Clearly, Sean had hit the nail on the head.

"Let me think... If I kill you..." Sean narrowed his eyes, "Your last Horcrux will awaken, carrying your memories of this place. But, will they create a new body for you? Don't forget, the magic of Sloth is unique, and so are all Sin. I know this much better than you do..."

"With a stronger and more suitable candidate, who would care about the broken soul of a loser? Oh, right, you might be able to use Professor Dumbledore's information to trade with them, but after mentioning that information, tsk tsk, you'll really be completely useless..."

Sean plunged Thomas into despair, as he realized with horror that he was trapped in an intractable predicament.

Have I really been abandoned...?

Seeing Thomas's expression darken completely, Sean raised an eyebrow in satisfaction, stood up, and waved.

"Don't rush, my friend, you have plenty of time to think."

After saying that, he turned and left without any hesitation.

Today's gains were immense, not only confirming several conjectures but also shaking Thomas's resolve.

It wasn't that Sean didn't want to strike while the iron was hot and pry more information out of the other person, but rather that the other person's state wasn't suitable for him to say anything more.

Someone like Thomas, who thinks he is the chosen one and is arrogant, will have his not-so-bright brain constantly working and thinking when he falls into intense frustration and self-doubt, especially when he is alone.

He would think about his future misery, the gains and losses of the whole affair, and who he should turn to for help.

There is only one answer.

Sean wasn't in a hurry. Thomas would eventually think of his own. In the end, it wouldn't be Sean asking, but Thomas would bring it up on his own initiative, and the value of the other party's bargaining chips would plummet.

Stepping out of the ring and standing beneath the torch of the Room of Requirement, Sean stretched.

How the Returners created the vessel that fused the Obscurus and the magic of Sin, and how they accomplished this terrifying magic, remains a mystery to Sean. But now he at least knows the key information and is no longer as clueless as before.

Moreover, the time is getting closer and closer...

Sean looked up in a certain direction.

The day when Grindelwald's memories are fully integrated and he becomes one with Grindelwald is drawing ever closer.

He believed that on the day the old man returned with all his memories, it would be the Returners who had been hiding behind the scenes trying to manipulate the entire world who would tremble.

And what I need to do now is...

Sean narrowed his eyes.

Find the "container" hidden among the contestants!

He hasn't avenged Stephanie yet.

"Hurry up, hurry up!" Several boys were excitedly calling to their friends in the Great Hall Entrance Hall.

"What's wrong? Why are you in such a rush? It's a rare day off..." someone asked lazily.

"Krum, it's Krum!" the short boy in the lead shouted excitedly. "He's going to play Quidditch on our playground!"

"What?! Run!"

The news that Krum would be riding Flying Broomstick quickly spread throughout the entire castle, and Sean and his group, who had just finished Golden Dawn Club members' gathering in the Room of Requirement, also heard the news.

"What?! Krum!" Ron exclaimed excitedly, his face flushing red.

But soon, Fred and George poured cold water on Ron's enthusiasm.

"Tsk tsk tsk, is our little brother preparing to defect to the enemy?"

"Don't ever say you're from the Weasley family when you go out, or I'll lose face."

The two men's sarcastic remarks made Ron extremely embarrassed.

He stammered, trying to explain for himself and for Krum: "He shouldn't be that bad guy... He has a bright future ahead of him after all..."

Hermione immediately gave him a disdainful look, took Daisy's hand, and called Stephanie to leave the Room of Requirement.

Sean told the members of the Golden Dawn what had happened at the Black Lake, but omitted the part about the Sin. He also reminded them not to do anything private with students from other houses, not for the sake of school rules, but for their safety.

Upon learning this news, a group of people immediately turned their attention to Durmstrang's participating Champion. Leon Schneider was the prime suspect, followed closely by Reinhardt Nott. Krum was less of a suspect, but because he was also from Durmstrang, he was also resented by the members of the Golden Dawn, even the Weasley twins who had previously idolized him. Now, Krum was nothing more than a pile of dung in their eyes.

Ron kept muttering that this matter had little to do with Krum, and Sean could understand Ron's thoughts, but the others didn't seem to be prepared to understand.

Hermione was furious about Daisy's attack and had tried to contact the professors privately many times. After failing to get anything, she even made the outrageous remark that "the professors are really disappointing"—which is actually quite normal, since there is no way to investigate the Champion participating in the Triwizard Cup of Fire without evidence.

On the other hand, Hermione's attitude towards Stephanie improved even more because of Stephanie's brave act of standing up for Daisy and shielding her from the curse.

Originally, Hermione couldn't stand Stephanie and would often say something sarcastic to her. But this completely disappeared after the Christmas Ball, and the two would sometimes have private conversations together.

After the attack at the Black Lake, Hermione became even closer to Stephanie, clearly regarding her as a close friend.

Now, Sean seems to be the one who's been excluded; the three girls are now often seen together, leaving him out in the cold.

Sean didn't seem to care about that.

As for the oranges being in great shape... I don't think so, right?

Watching the girls disappear into the distance, Ron scratched his head, feeling a little aggrieved. Harry, standing beside him, simply patted his friend on the shoulder without saying a word.

Sean raised an eyebrow. "Let's go, let's go take a look too."

Ron was overjoyed. "Sean, you also think that Krum couldn't be the attacker, right?!"

Sean shrugged. "No, just going to scout out the enemy. These guys usually stay on their own boats and don't come down much except for meals. It's a good opportunity to check things out today."

Ron immediately lowered his arms in frustration.

However, the others got excited, especially the Weasley twins, who had always been keen on doing this kind of thing, and today it felt more like a joint operation of the Golden Dawn.

They absolutely adore this kind of provocative behavior.

Yes, they've already concluded that Sean is going to provoke those Durmstrang bastards.

Sean wasn't going to explain anything further, even though he did have a bit of a grudge in mind.

Even if there's that one in a thousand chance that the attacker isn't one of Durmstrang's men, provoking them doesn't seem like such a big deal...

That guy named Reinhardt Nott keeps gesturing with his neck like an idiot.

And so, the Golden Dawn team set off in a grand procession towards the operation.

When they arrived at their destination, Durmstrang's students were already gathered there, and Krum was there with a Flying Broomstick, doing pre-flight checks.

Beside him were several of his friends, while in the stands stood a group of Hogwarts students who were unaware of the situation.

Sean smiled slightly, "Go and have a chat with our guests, guys."

Ah, five hundred chapters already...