Routine, School Starts, and a Talk with the Headmaster

Due to the special Enchanted Ceiling on the first floor, a large portion of the space on the Second Floor Hogwarts Castle is occupied. Compared to other floors, there are far fewer named rooms, not even as many Abandoned Classroom.

Dumbledore was clearly very patient, or perhaps he was thinking about how to begin the conversation.

Loren wasn't in a hurry. He walked slowly along the Second Floor corridor beside the old headmaster, and the two fell into an inexplicable silence.

Leaving the Gryffindor Head of House Office, past a few Abandoned Classroom, lies the A History of Magic classroom. Due to the stereotypes left by Professor Binns, Loren unconsciously yawned as he passed by.

Dumbledore chuckled, "Actually, Professor Binns' early A History of Magic courses were quite interesting. He could always find related events in the long history and piece them together like a story."

"In his early years?" Loren tilted his head. "How early? During his lifetime?"

"I don't know. That's what Headmaster Armando told me. After all, I didn't attend any of Professor Binns' classes." Dumbledore chuckled and shook his head. "By the way, how was the trip to Egypt? Babbling only told me that her curse was lifted, but she wouldn't tell me the details, saying it was to keep it a secret for Hermione."

"It's a long story, Headmaster Dumbledore. You know about Professor Babbling's background, don't you?"

"I know a little about it. Her brother gave his life fighting the Death Eater more than a decade ago. After the First Wizarding War, she heard of my reputation and came to me seeking a way to lift the curse." Dumbledore sighed, his tone tinged with melancholy. "But I am powerless to do anything about such an ancient Blood Curse."

"And then what?"

As they spoke, the two had already left the History of Magic Office and arrived at the corridor of an Abandoned Classroom. Through the half-open door and the classroom's not-quite-closed windows, the sound of the noisy wind and rain outside could be faintly heard, but fortunately there was no thunder.

"Later... later she received the Prophecy of the Sybil and asked me again for confirmation." Dumbledore's eyes shone with reminiscence as he slowly recalled, "It was probably two years before you and Hermione enrolled, well, maybe a year, I can't remember exactly. The Sybil said that a Hogwarts student would meet her in Egypt and help her break the curse in her blood."

Dumbledore's footsteps were light, and his voice was soft. "I thought it would be Harry, you know, he's a very special one, involved in a Prophecy before he was even born. After the Sorcerer's Stone incident, I thought that student would be you."

"Ha, you didn't expect that, did you? It's actually Hermione!" Loren shook his head, his face full of pride because of the girl, as if Hermione being the Prophecy student was more gratifying than himself.

"After taking Hermione to the Ministry of Magic, I did have this suspicion, but I wasn't quite sure," Dumbledore smiled nonchalantly. "But whoever it was, I didn't tell you. My experience tells me that the best way to deal with a Prophecy is to ignore it."

He raised his hand to ruffle Loren's hair, but found that his current height made it inconvenient to reach him. Instead, he patted Loren's shoulder and said, "Come on, tell me about Miss Granger's heroic deeds in Egypt..."

Loren didn't hide anything and recounted everything that happened inside the Pyramid from beginning to end. "It was Pyramid... Anyway, that Sphinx mummy was very strange... According to the goblin manager at Gringotts, that strange cauldron eventually grew brass legs and hopped away and disappeared."

After hearing his story, Dumbledore fell into deep thought, repeatedly uttering the Sphinx's riddle. "What person always wears a mask, acts mysteriously, and lies constantly... What person always brandishes a cane, fools his servants, and is fooled by them..."

"Power, oh power..." A strange light gleamed in Dumbledore blue eyes. He was silent for a moment, then suddenly laughed heartily, "What a brilliant riddle! If I were to write a children's book after I retire, I would definitely include this story in it."

Loren looked at him and asked tentatively, "The Tales of Albus the Bard?"

The book title, seemingly imbued with Cheering Charm, instantly made Dumbledore burst into laughter. He stopped in his tracks, clutching his beard and laughing so hard he bent over, the hem of his robe trailing on the ground. Dumbledore laughed until tears welled in his eyes before wiping them away and shakily straightening up.

Loren stood to the side, somewhat dumbfounded, staring at the old headmaster.

Is it really that funny?

The principal has such a low threshold for laughter.

As Dumbledore smoothed his beard, which had spread out from laughing, he said, "What an interesting title! Once I finish writing it, I'll definitely ask you to write the preface. When you become famous in the Wizarding World, ' The Tales of Albus the Bard ' will surely be a bestseller."

"Is it that funny?" Loren asked, puzzled.

Dumbledore lowered his head, smoothing his beard and parting the tangled whiskers, straightening them one by one. "When I was young, I dreamed of many futures: Minister for Magic, Chief of Wizengamot, changing the status quo of the Wizarding World, creating a better world."

"But in the end..." Dumbledore paused for a moment, "You may think my choice was cowardly, but I do not regret it. The answer to the Sphinx's riddle sounds to me as a compliment."

With his beard straightened, Dumbledore looked up and changed the subject, no longer talking about the Sphinx and power. "Did you notice that Magic Power cauldron? Does it seem familiar? Hint: the answer is in the Tales of Peter the Bard."

Loren blinked, quickly realizing what he meant, and exclaimed incredulously, "A wizard's Jumping Cauldron!?"

"It possesses magical Magic Power and can grow brass legs..." Dumbledore pretended to ponder, "If nothing unexpected happens, it should be the Jumping Cauldron mentioned in the Tales of Poet Beedle the Bard?"

Loren directly asked the question that had been lingering in his mind for a long time, "The Tales of Poet Beedle the Bard are not just fictional stories, are they? The Deathly Hallows are real, the Jumping Cauldron is real, you mentioned the Fountain of Good Fortune, and the Warlock's Humbled Heart is real too. They are all magical items that exist in reality, right?"

"They are not just simple magical items," Dumbledore added. "Behind these stories lie untold secrets: the Warlock's Humbled Heart represents the Horcrux of immortality, the Jumping Cauldron was once the source of power... Whoever collects Deathly Hallows will possess invincible power to conquer death."

Loren frowned and thought for a while, "So what effect will the Jumping Cauldron have on Hermione? I mean, for such a mysterious and troublesome magical item that seems to have its own consciousness, it's the right choice for Hermione not to have it, right?"

Dumbledore gazed kindly at Loren, his eyes revealing undisguised approval. After hearing so much wonderful magic, his first reaction wasn't to collect the items, but rather to worry about his companion's safety...

The two continued walking, having already covered half the Second Floor corridor. Ahead was a washroom, where Loren and his friends had fought off Mountain Troll on Halloween during their first year.

"It's hard to say, Loren. The situation may be more complicated than we think," Dumbledore said slowly, shaking his head as he met Loren's probing gaze. "But there's no need to worry too much. Complicated doesn't necessarily mean bad news."

Riddler, go to hell!

Loren couldn't help but roll his eyes. "Get to the point!"

"The stories compiled by Poet Beedle should be later than the time the Pyramid were built. The Jumping Cauldron has a certain self-awareness, and I think its Magic Power can allow it to break free of the Pyramid and appear elsewhere. It might even come looking for Hermione." Dumbledore smiled. "Don't worry. Judging from your experiences and the descriptions in the Tales of Poet Beedle the Bard, as long as Hermione stays true to herself, the Jumping Cauldron will only become her tool."

Loren followed him with some skepticism, without saying a word.

Dumbledore's analysis made sense, and Loren agreed, but Hermione's safety was at stake...

Loren made a decision: if that Jumping Cauldron dared to jump out and do anything wrong, he would deal with the Basilisk Fang. If the fangs didn't work, he could get his hands on the Sword of Gryffindor.

It seems like the Fiendfyre should be arranged by now.

Loren nodded thoughtfully.

Seeing the strange expression on his face, Dumbledore fell silent, sensing that he was thinking something unpleasant.

Passing through the washroom, there is an open window in the middle of the corridor, at a perfect angle, allowing a view of the Castle outside while keeping out the wind and rain.

With his excellent eyesight, Loren spotted the Dementor floating in the distant sky. He recalled what had happened earlier that day, "Bellatrix Lestrange has been on the run for a while now. The Ministry of Magic should have realized she was out of the country long ago. Why did they still send people to monitor Harry and even lock down the school?"

Loren had wanted to ask these questions for a long time, "Also, what's with the defection of high-ranking officials from the Ministry of Magic? Voldemort hasn't even been resurrected yet, and people have already turned against him?"

The sound of wind and rain became clearer, and the relaxed atmosphere from before seemed to have been blown away by the sound of the wind and rain.

Dumbledore replied, "About a week ago, someone spotted Bellatrix in Hogsmeade Village. According to the Aurors ' investigation, Mr. Flume. Ambrose Froome said that she last disappeared in the basement of his shop."

"Ambrose?" Loren felt the name sounded familiar.

Shop, basement... a series of keywords flashed through his mind. Loren exclaimed in surprise, "Honeydukes? Basement? There's a Secret Passages leading to the school there!"

Merlin's beard! Could they have infiltrated the Castle?

Last semester, in order to give Hermione a different kind of birthday, he borrowed George and Fred's map and learned that there were seven Secret Passages leading to Hogsmeade Village from Hogwarts Castle, and the caretaker Filch guarded the entrances to four of them.

The other three paths were hidden behind a mirror on the fifth floor, and one had Whomping Willow planted at the entrance. Loren chose the last one, which was in the middle of the Third Floor Corridor, behind a statue of a hunchbacked, One-Eyed Witch.

Dumbledore turned his head slightly to look at him, Loren gave him a well-behaved smile, "Hehe, exploring the Castle is the responsibility of all little wizards."

"I know, but I didn't expect you to find such a hidden Secret Passages," Dumbledore said quietly. "After all, even the dutiful Mr. Filch didn't know, let alone me, the headmaster who has lived in the Castle for decades."

Loren continued to smile obediently.

Dumbledore turned his head back and continued what he had just said, "The Ministry of Magic also believes that Bellatrix may be hiding in the school or in Hogsmeade. They think that this vicious Death Eater will lie in wait for everyone to lower their guard, and then kill Harry in one fell swoop to avenge her master."

Loren considered the possibility for a moment, then shook his head. "The Ministry of Magic is wasting their time. They think Voldemort is completely dead, but we all know Voldemort's still alive. Bellatrix and that Ministry of Magic official's escape must have been Voldemort's doing. She's definitely with Voldemort now."

"They should be in Ilvermorny right now, why are they in Hogwarts—" Loren paused, remembering something from last semester, his agreement with Voldemort. He raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised, and said, "For Wormtail Peter? Bellatrix was ordered by Voldemort to send that rat to me?"

"I hadn't considered that possibility." Dumbledore frowned, thought for a moment, and said slowly, "I thought they were after Harry."

Because of that special Prophecy, Lily's protective magic, and the scar on Harry's forehead, Dumbledore always believed that Harry was Voldemort's most valued person.

He knew about the agreement between Voldemort and Loren, but he didn't expect Voldemort to actually keep it, and so quickly.

"So they really might be hiding in the Castle!" Loren's voice was tinged with barely perceptible excitement. He stared at the ceiling of the corridor, his sharp gaze seemingly piercing through layers of barriers, looking towards some unknown, hidden location.

"I don't think so..." Dumbledore shook his head slightly. "Professor McGonagall led the Ministry of Magic to conduct a thorough search of the Castle, and Filch and I also participated. We confirmed that they were not hiding in the Castle. Afterward, the Ministry of Magic sent Dementor to block the main passages, so that not even a rat could escape the search."

Loren licked his lips, then pressed them tightly together.

He was skeptical of such a search. Hogwarts Castle had too many hidden corners, too many unknown places to hide. Various secret Secret Passages, the Room of Requirement, and Chamber of Secrets ...

He silently assessed their strength: Wormtail Peter was useless, Bellatrix was a bit troublesome... but it seemed like he could give him a shot.

"Loren!" Dumbledore voice, looking intently into his eyes, and said meaningfully, "When you gaze into the abyss, darkness rises to the surface. Don't let yourself be overwhelmed by the darkness."

He didn't say much. Compared to his earlier worries and suspicions, after two years of getting to know each other, Dumbledore felt he had seen through Loren's true nature. Besides, with a kind girl by his side, he wouldn't repeat the mistakes of his predecessors.

Loren didn't reply...

Walking along the Second Floor corridor, I had unknowingly covered most of it. Ahead was the Hospital Wing, Madam Pomfrey's office, and beyond that, I was back at the starting point, Professor McGonagall's office.