The Real and Fake Snape

Chapter 25

"Welcome."

Borgin and Burkes' owner, Bork, watched Li Mu enter through the door with a piercing gaze.

He was judging the customer's strength and wealth, as well as whether they were famous. If they had no money, he'd do business as usual. If they were rich and famous, he'd still do business as usual. But if they were rich and unknown, that was the perfect chance to rob them blind. He could make a fortune without damaging his reputation.

"I'm here to sell something," Li Mu said.

"I offer absolutely fair prices," Boss Bork said without batting an eye, lying through his teeth.

"The items are very valuable. This isn't a suitable place to discuss them," Li Mu said pointedly.

"Come with me." Boss Bork opened the concealed door leading to the basement.

He wasn't worried about being robbed in his basement. The whole shop was filled with traps and curses. Anyone who dared rob him there and got away with it would find him on his knees, kowtowing and begging for mercy, calling them "Daddy." Boss Bork, walking ahead, had no idea what was about to happen to him.

Li Mu followed Boss Bork into the basement and began pulling items from a pocket on the Elf Magic Cannon, a pocket enchanted with the Vanishment Charm.

First, he took out a wand. Boss Bork checked it for curses, then picked it up, somewhat disappointed.

But the moment it touched his hand, the wand gave him a tremendous boost.

He felt it suited him perfectly, both in controlling Magic Power and casting spells.

Before he could grow greedy and attack Li Mu, Li Mu continued taking out one item after another.

They were bottles of Wizard Potions. Boss Bork picked one up and didn't recognize it at first, but his broad experience soon helped him identify them by their distinctive features: they were all Wizard Potions that had been lost to history.

Boss Bork watched Li Mu nervously as he took out ten more chests of Gold Galleons.

He recognized them as standard Gringotts suitcases. Expanded with the Vanishment Charm, each could hold a million Gold Galleons. Ten suitcases meant ten million Gold Galleons. Someone carrying that many Gold Galleons wouldn't be selling these Wizard Potions.

And he'd laid out so many Wizard Potions and Gold Galleons without the slightest concern that Boss Bork might rob him?

He must be confident enough to show off his wealth because he had absolute power.

Without absolute power, anyone could get Gold Galleons, but these Wizard Potions would be impossible to obtain.

"What exactly are you planning?" Boss Bork couldn't help asking.

"If I give you all this, how many Dark Wizards can you recruit to work for me?" Li Mu asked with a smile.

"..."

Boss Bork was at a loss for words.

There weren't many Wizards in the entire British Magic World, and Dark Wizards were only a small fraction of them. Forget the Wizard Potions—ten million Gold Galleons alone could hire every Dark Wizard in Britain. Was this man planning to start a Wizarding War or overthrow the Ministry of Magic?

"Give me your answer in a couple of days," Li Mu said as he left the basement. "I'm going to Hogwarts to eliminate Dumbledore. If I fail, all of this is yours. If I succeed, I want you to use it to gather enough Dark Wizards for me the next time we meet."

"Gulp!"

Boss Bork swallowed hard, shocked by Li Mu's words.

Eliminate Dumbledore, use ten million Gold Galleons to recruit Dark Wizards—there was no need to spell out what that meant. Someone was aiming to become the Third Generation Dark Lord, and this Third Generation Dark Lord was more confident, richer, and more handsome than Voldemort. At least Voldemort had never openly challenged Dumbledore, even at the height of his power.

When Boss Bork left the basement, all he saw was Li Mu climbing into one of the cabinets in his shop.

He knew it was a Vanishing Cabinet, capable of forming a secret passage through space to another Vanishing Cabinet.

But he didn't know where the other one led, or whether it was in good condition. If it led somewhere dangerous, that would be one thing. But if the other Vanishing Cabinet was broken, forcing his way through might leave him lost in the space between, trapped there until he died.

Now that the Mysterious Person had climbed inside, he clearly knew it led to Hogwarts.

For a moment, Boss Bork considered destroying the Vanishing Cabinet in his shop.

Then, when the Mysterious Person returned, he'd be trapped inside and never get out.

But then again, if the Mysterious Person returned, it meant Dumbledore was dead. The Gold Galleons and Wizard Potions were tempting, but someone powerful enough to kill Dumbledore had handed him all that wealth without a second thought. Did Boss Bork really think he'd taken no precautions?

Better to wait for news. Perhaps Dumbledore would be the one to survive.

Li Mu passed through the Vanishing Cabinet and climbed out of another cabinet.

The Vanishing Cabinet at Hogwarts had originally been broken, but Snape had repaired it as Li Mu requested and moved it into his office. So when Li Mu stepped out, he was already in Snape's office.

Li Mu took out a bottle of Polyjuice Potion, pinched his nose, and gulped it down.

The Potion took effect, and he transformed into Snape.

The Elf Wizard Robe changed shape, becoming a perfect match for Snape's clothes.

Li Mu checked himself in the mirror. He now looked exactly like Snape.

He left the office and went to the Seventh Floor of Hogwarts Castle. At the end of the moving staircase, he found himself outside the Headmaster's Office.

"Chilled lemon juice."

Li Mu spoke the password to the Headmaster's Office.

The gleaming Oak Door opened, revealing a spacious, beautiful circular room.

Dumbledore, who had been feeding his bird, looked at Snape in surprise as he suddenly entered.

"I found a Basilisk," Li Mu said urgently.

"A Basilisk? Where?" Dumbledore asked, startled, then quickly composed himself.

"Right here at Hogwarts," Li Mu replied. "Today, I found an unusual snake scale in the castle. After checking it carefully, I'm certain it belonged to a Basilisk. You know how dangerous one is. If we don't deal with it immediately, none of Hogwarts will be safe."

"Where did you find the scale?" Dumbledore asked seriously.

"In a pipe inside the castle walls," Li Mu answered at once. "That's the only place large enough for a Basilisk to move through."

Dumbledore nodded in agreement. A Basilisk was huge; if it had appeared openly, someone would have spotted it long ago. But it could go unnoticed in the pipes deep within the castle walls, since they'd been abandoned for centuries and generations of headmasters had never bothered with them.

Dumbledore brought Phoenix Fawkes along, and went with Snape to the Hogwarts basement.

They soon pinpointed the approximate location of a pipe deep inside the walls. They removed the bricks, then blasted open the pipe farther in with a spell. Phoenix Fawkes flew in first. A Phoenix that could be reborn through Nirvana had no need to worry about suddenly encountering a Basilisk.

Only a few minutes later, Phoenix Fawkes had flown through all the pipes in the castle.

Fawkes continued through the pipes into the depths below to investigate. Soon, Phoenix Fawkes finished searching and returned the way he had come.