Hogwarts's basement.
Black stones are piled up to form a depressing and solemn wall, and the shelves along the wall are filled with various glass jars, filled with many strange-shaped things.
Various kinds of colorful liquids are soaked in biological specimens such as snakes, scorpions, toads, and even the eyeballs and organs of some unknown creatures.
In the center of the room, there is a large rectangular table with scales, glassware for measuring solutions, and dried herbal materials in beakers.
There are also several copper crucibles propped on the iron shelves, which may be cooking some kind of mysterious Potions, so that the whole room is filled with the indescribable unique smell of Potions. It is the office used by Slytherin Head of House today, and it is also suspected to be the confinement room used by Hogwarts for cruel punishment.
Now, after many years, it seems to have resumed its former purpose. Mr. Marcus·Flint, whose family is well-connected in Ministry of Magic, has been tied to the chair with a rope by Snape for several hours.
Of course, Snape was not torturing Marcus·Flint. He just completed the task and obtained information in a somewhat ancient way, at least that was how he prepared to submit the report.
"Gulu gulu gulu~"
Potions in the crucible is bubbling.
The clamoring was non-stop from the beginning.
To this day, he is unconscious.
Marcus·Flint probably experienced dozens of rounds of service in the unique way of Snape - the various bottles and cans on the table next to the bench have become empty bottles.
In addition to the ultra-large dose of Veritaserum, there are also many Potions reagents with various effects. The Potions being cooked in those crucibles must be Marcus·Flint's dinner tonight.
This is of course not an operation allowed by the school, and it certainly does not comply with the torture and punishment regulations of Ministry of Magic, but the real Dark Wizard Snape of Hogwarts obviously does not care about morality.
Death Eaters three characters.
What more needs to be said.
"Slytherin doesn't need such a student. He was actually led to Hogsmeade Village by a stripper's little card. He's simply worse than those Gryffindor stupid pigs!"
Snape raised his wand and cast a spell on Marcus·Flint. Dark Wizard was finally cleared. Do you need to use "Obliviate" is the "essential" difference between him and other Dark Wizard. The other party's family's connections in Ministry of Magic are indeed a trouble, but as long as the other party doesn't remember anything, the trouble will naturally disappear.
Connections?
Where can I find a magic wand?
"Severus, I hope I didn't disturb your work." Snape had just prepared the oozing color Potions in his hand, and turned around to see Dumbledore appearing in his office at some unknown time.
"Albus, why... why are you here?"
The startled Snape took a few steps back and quietly hid the Potions in his hand behind his back. Obviously, it was not a configuration that he wanted to be discovered by Dumbledore.
"I just want to know the results of Mr. Flint's side as soon as possible." Dumbledore turned his head and glanced at Marcus·Flint who was tied to the chair.
"It's Imperius Curse, that's right. If Flint is not tied up, I won't be able to fulfill your instructions. He is very likely to suddenly attack me and carry out a sneak attack that will kill me."
Snape first explained why he treated Marcus·Flint in this way.
Imperius Curse.
One of the three unforgivables.
The person under the spell will feel that his mind goes blank, and all thoughts and sense of responsibility disappear. In a state of great happiness and joy, he can complete anything according to the voice in his head.
Even if the other party's request is to let the cursed person kill his parents, the cursed person will definitely do it with a smile and without hesitation. Only those with extremely determined spirits can be swayed.
"As expected."
Dumbledore nodded slightly.
Noncommittal.
"Did you find any useful information in Mr. Flint's mind?" Dumbledore walked to the unconscious Marcus·Flint.
Under Snape's somewhat horrified gaze.
He raised his wand.
Aiming at the temples of Marcus·Flint, he quickly extracted a memory like silver thread and put it into a special container that seemed to have been prepared for him.
"The spell caster's method is very sophisticated, and he is also careful enough. Even when he tampered with Flint's memory, he did not leave any identity information in Flint's mind." Snape feels that Dumbledore is a little inexplicable. Does this behavior make him suspect that he may be fabricating lies?
Is there Death Eaters behind this incident?
Dumbledore no longer trusts himself?
All of a sudden.
Snape's brows knitted together.
"It seems that the hidden mysterious little mouse has a good teaching level. Flint is not a talented wizard, but he was able to teach Mr. Flint your Sectumsempra in one night, and then let him use this Charms to kill our teacher Defence Against the Dark Arts."
Dumbledore completes Legilimency without looking directly into the eyes. It is not without reason that many people are afraid of Dumbledore.
"Yes, writing Prince's name in a superfluous manner, and then coming to us to identify him in a clever way is just Flint's behavior to vent his anger on his family friends."
In the previous Legilimency, Snape already knew about the grudge between Ian and Daphne, and also knew the reason why Flint wanted to target Ian.
"Before he went to Hogsmeade Village, he was thinking about some false accusations. Under the influence of Imperius Curse, he might have considered this as part of the order?" Snape is not sure whether the side effects of Imperius Curse may produce similar situations. He prefers Cruciatus Curse and the curses he created.
"Perhaps we should strengthen some anti-fraud education for the little wizards of Hogwarts." Finally, Snape made some additional suggestions.
Dumbledore did not respond.
"Did these Potionss of yours play any role?" Dumbledore took a look at the bottles and cans, and probably had some understanding of what happened to Marcus·Flint.
Useful for exploring the truth.
But it doesn't necessarily need to be used.
"I am conditioning Mr. Flint's body. As you know, Unforgivable Curses affects more than just his thoughts." Snape forced himself to remain calm and maintain his rigid expression.
"Not a bad excuse."
Dumbledore nodded, but did not rebuke or persuade. Snape felt that something was not right with Lao Deng today, and before he could figure out what Dumbledore was.
"I need a list of users who are familiar with the original version of Sectumsempra." Dumbledore suddenly spoke abruptly, which made Snape snap out of his thoughts.
"I haven't spread this curse to too many people." Snape walked to his desk, wrote down a list, and then walked up to Dumbledore with a straight face.
"This list does not make any sense, because that crazy woman Bellatrix can also do it, and she may have spread this Charms to many, many people."
Facing the reminder of Snape.
Dumbledore Just smile.
"As long as we check your list, we can actually determine the target." Dumbledore's words were not obscure, and Snape soon understood what they meant.
"Those guys don't dare to show their heads now."
Snape obviously has a different view.
"Anyway, there must be an insider of that little mouse in our school." Dumbledore said firmly, "Ronnie. Erich is not a weak wizard, otherwise my old friend would not have sent him for protection and surveillance. This person has escaped from death more than once under Riddle."
Regarding Dumbledore's judgment, Snape nodded in agreement. They had all watched the memories of Marcus·Flint and knew the whole process of Marcus·Flint killing teacher Defence Against the Dark Arts.
"Ronnie. Erich seemed to be looking for his lost wand, and judging from his shaky posture, he should have been affected by some toxic substance."
"Regarding this, I need to let Pomona examine Professor Erich's... corpse." Snape felt that it was really hard to name those fragments.
The Charms he invented is indeed a bit inappropriate.
"I will conduct the test with you." Dumbledore nodded, but his words made Snape frown even more, with a very unhappy expression on his face.
"Are you doubting me?" Snape is still thinking about Dumbledore's behavior just now. Under normal circumstances, Dumbledore would not doubt the results of his work.
In this sensitive period when Voldemort will be back next year.
He couldn't help but think too much.
"Of course not, Severus, the person I would least doubt is you." Dumbledore didn't know if it was pua, but he found a reason for his decision.
"I know quite a bit about the enemies of these fanatical believers. I may be able to find some useful clues and information from the poisoning methods used by them."
Quite reasonable.
But this doesn't make Snape let go of his dissatisfaction.
"You have never really trusted anyone, Albus. The closer I get to you, the clearer I can see you..." Snape's face was gloomy, and his tone was not polite at all.
"What you said is not wrong. In all these years, no one has really seen me clearly." Dumbledore nodded, not annoyed, and didn't even give any rebuttal.
His performance made Snape feel a little strange.
Dumbledore on weekdays.
Although his tone, tone, and expression were no different from his current one, he always felt that something was wrong. Dumbledore's temperament had changed a lot from the past.
And.
The most important thing is that even his overstep in punishing Flint was not criticized by the other party!
"You can't be the one who drank Polyjuice Potion... some old guy." Snape wanted to touch his wand. He suspected that it was Grindelwald. Acolytes wanted to investigate the cause of death of his accomplice.
After all.
As an old man who usually likes to order others to do things, today he unusually wants to interfere in everything. It is really hard not to make him doubt whether the person standing in front of him is Dumbledore. No one can get Dumbledore's hair? Not necessarily the guy over Grindelwald!
Snape took out his wand and was about to cast the sleeping spell.
"Boom!"
Dumbledore's wand slipped out of his cuff. He just lifted it slightly and slid it in an arc gracefully. Then, Snape, who wanted to pre-emptively attack the wand no matter what, was directly pushed to the wall by the powerful magic power.
"Pa~"
The configuration Potions he had been hiding in his hand fell to the ground, the bottle shattered, and a pool of weird-colored potion flowed to the ground, creaking and emitting a burst of evil green smoke.
"Severus, you are a little too cautious." Dumbledore lowered his wand helplessly, and Snape slowly fell down from the wall next to it.
"There are rats in the school and there are murders. Why do you think I should be vigilant?" Snape looked very embarrassed and disheveled as he picked up his wand.
He realized that he was too sensitive.
With such powerful magic, it is difficult for anyone to fake it.
"I will take care of this problem." Dumbledore looked at Marcus·Flint on the chair, "I want to take this child away temporarily. If you can pretend that you are under a sneak attack and fail to complete what I asked you to do, I may be able to use him to fish out the mice hiding in the school."
It's not like what a highly respected principal would say.
"He is a student of Hogwarts, an underage wizard. Do you want to use him as your bait?" Snape looked at Dumbledore in front of him in disbelief.
He seemed to have reacquainted himself with the great white wizard he had been with for many years. Compared with this guy who had no idea why he was crazy, he was as kind as a Unicorn.
"This is the fastest way to find clues, Severus. Of course I will not let Mr. Flint die because of this. No one can successfully attack him under my eyes."
Dumbledore spoke calmly.
"If Board of Governors knew that you were doing this kind of thing, you would be forced to step down immediately! If you lose your position as principal, can you still carry out your plan to eradicate that guy?" Snape is not yet so hostile to Marcus·Flint that he doesn't care about the other party's life or death. He wants to stop Dumbledore's crazy plan.
"No one will know except you." Dumbledore's expression was also a little struggling, but in the end he still spoke to Snape in a low voice with firm eyes.
"Hogwarts is no longer safe now. We need to solve the hidden danger as soon as possible. Mr. Flint will not die because of this. He may just suffer a little bit."
"It's... worth it."
Dumbledore didn't know whether he was persuading Snape or himself. He didn't wait for Snape to respond, and wanted to take away Marcus·Flint, who was unconscious and tied up.
"What's wrong with you?" Snape wanted to stop Dumbledore.
Dumbledore sighed with a complicated expression.
"I'm solving the problem."
He closed his eyes.
He looked very tired.
"I suggest you take Young Grindelwald away directly and watch her memory. Ronnie. Erich is not an ordinary wizard. He will not just eat potions or food given by strangers."
"At Sorting Ceremony's dinner, he even ate things he brought himself." Snape obviously placed the target of suspicion on Aurora. Grindelwald.
This is not selfish.
It is the most rational and logical judgment.
"If Ronnie. Erich would eat anyone's food, it would be the food or medicine given to him by Young Grindelwald. No Acolytes can refuse the care of his little master!"
Snape stared into Dumbledore's eyes.
"I don't think it's Miss Grindelwald. If she wants a Acolytes to die, there's no need for such behavior." Dumbledore shook her head without thinking.
"She doesn't want to accept these Acolytes. I can feel her resistance to Acolytes." Snape is the dean of Slytherin. Of course, he has some contact and understanding of Aurora.
"The answer will naturally be revealed when the situation is understood." Dumbledore did not refute, but used Levitation Charm to pull Marcus·Flint and the stool towards him.
"You are subconsciously rejecting the biggest possibility. I know it's because of your... old friend." Snape is probably one of the few Hogwarts people who dares to talk to Dumbledore like this.
"Severus, you still don't know me well enough." Dumbledore took out a Portkey, and with one hand he grabbed the Marcus·Flint floating in the air with a chair and a person.
"I just want you to tell me clearly, what if it is finally found out, poisoned, and the person who took the Ronnie. Erich wand is Young Grindelwald?"
Snape knew he was powerless to stop him, so he could only grit his teeth and stare at Dumbledore.
"In that case..."
Dumbledore's cold eyes made Snape feel chilled inside.
"You will see me more clearly because of this."
His words made Snape feel chills running down his spine. This was no longer fulfilling the principal's duty to protect students. Snape didn't know what the situation was that made Dumbledore become so strange.
Grindelwald?
Dumbledore probably hasn't left school recently!
"I think I also need to remind Severus, if Marcus·Flint's consciousness had not been confused, he would not have come forward to identify Mr. Prince as the murderer."
"You should think carefully about who will be framed when we find the body of Professor Ronnie. Erich and find that he died of Sectumsempra."
Dumbledore left a profound sentence.
Started Portkey.
He and Marcus·Flint disappeared into the basement.
Empty office.
Only Snape was left frowning, with a complex expression and twinkling eyes.
In the class of little wizards.
Ian is drowsy.
A History of Magic is recognized as the most boring course of Hogwarts.
He didn't believe it at first, until Professor Binns showed him the most incredible medical miracle of the twentieth century in a monotonous voice without even a trace of emotion.
Even the Ravenclaw students who love learning can hardly resist this mental hypnotic attack. A large area of the table at Gryffindor has already fallen asleep snoring.
It can be said that there are almost very few people in the entire class who can insist on jotting down names and dates. Ian understood what Dumbledore was talking about about the fierce battle.
He is only eleven years old.
I have begun to feel that I am wasting my time and wasting my life. The sparrows outside the window have stopped chirping, and the description of living like days has become a concrete experience at this moment.
"Professor, I heard from the seniors that you wanted to get up early in the morning to teach the students, but accidentally forgot your body in front of the fire in the professor's lounge?"
Ian During the intermission of Professor Binns, he raised his hands to cheer up his spirits. This was definitely the most outrageous reason he had ever heard of becoming a ghost.
"That's right, yes, I was already very old at that time." Professor Binns was just like the seniors said, he did not shy away from others mentioning his death.
Just.
But the seniors seem to have forgotten to tell Ian.
"Speaking of this matter, it is actually a piece of history. Maybe I should tell you about it..." Professor Binns got interested and the intermission ended early.
Finally, even Ian couldn't hold on any longer and couldn't help but fall asleep. He slept soundly. When William shook him awake, Michael seemed to have raised his big black palm again.
Still unable to fight, which makes Michael very regretful.
"It's time to eat."
The three of them yawned and went to the Great Hall. The dinner was as sumptuous as ever, but the categories remained the same, but it was just the beginning of school, so they wouldn't feel bored by it.
"What should I say? What should I say about the letter of introduction?" William has been thinking about joining the party. He has been grabbing the most delicious food to Ian while eating.
Passionate as fire.
Even Michael, who has sharp eyes and quick hands, couldn't beat him.
"Write it when you get back!"
Ian handed today's A History of Magic homework to William. William naturally put Ian's homework in his schoolbag without even asking what Ian meant.
This child has a future.
"Oh my god, Prince, I heard that you killed teacher Defence Against the Dark Arts?"
"What I heard is that Professor Snape was also killed together!"
"It's so funny that a first-year wizard killed an adult wizard by himself. None of the biographies I read dared to write this. I bet this must be another masterpiece concocted by Gryffindor!"
Return to the lounge.
Ravenclaw's little wizards indeed knew what happened in the morning, but it was obvious that mental retardation did not exist here. Everyone just regarded this as another nonsense of some groups.
Thanks to Gryffindor for the stable review.
They saved Ian from being isolated and feared. Of course, the support of the two Prefect must have played a big role here.
When the bonfire in the fireplace begins to burn brightly.
Ian started his small class again just as he said yesterday. Perhaps because of the standard bottle of Boil-Cure Potion in the morning, there were actually some second grade wizards joining in.
"I won't talk about Potions today. I'll wait until I get some materials and then teach you step by step. If anyone is willing to learn, I will teach you some Transfiguration techniques."
The content of the professor has been changed.
Some people hesitate to leave.
There are also people who are interested in joining.
Ian sees it.
Not rated yet.
After collecting the tuition fees from all the little wizards, he began to give vivid explanations. Time passed quickly, and he received the gratitude and admiration of the little wizards just like last night.
When I returned to the dormitory, I finished washing up.
Ian found William just sitting in front of the bed, not saying anything, just staring at him with pleading eyes, and he immediately wrote the letter of recommendation quickly.
Immediately afterwards.
I studied for a while.
Seeing that both roommates fell into a deep sleep, Ian dug out the box Room of Requirement had brought and stuffed it into the bed together with the two boxes of Chocolate Frog he got today and yesterday.
Even though he had slept for a long time in the afternoon, falling asleep was not difficult for Ian. He soon stepped into that strange place again in a trance.
The night is already deep.
Some stories are still going on.
Big chapter!
(End of chapter)