Hogwarts Raven

Chapter 81: 80: The Real Dumbledore, the Framer

The basement of Hogwarts.

The black stones were piled up to form depressing and solemn walls, and the shelves along the walls were filled with various glass jars, which were filled with many strange things.

Soaked in various colorful liquids are 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 beakers of dried herbal materials.

There are several copper crucibles on the iron rack, which may be boiling some mysterious potion, so that the whole room is filled with the indescribable smell of potion. It is the office used by the current Slytherin Dean, and it is also suspected to be the detention room used for cruel punishment in Hogwarts.

Now, after many years, it seems to have returned to its former purpose. Mr. Marcus Flint, whose family has many connections in the Ministry of Magic, has been tied to the chair with ropes by Snape for several hours.

Snape was certainly not torturing Marcus Flint, he was just completing his task and obtaining information in a somewhat ancient way, at least that was how he was going to submit his report.

"Gulu gulu gulu~"

The potion was bubbling in the cauldron.

From the beginning the yelling never stopped.

He is still in a coma today.

Marcus Flint had probably gone through dozens of rounds of Snape's unique way of serving him. On the table next to the bench were all kinds of bottles and jars, which had become empty bottles.

In addition to the huge dose of truth serum, there are also many potion reagents with various effects. The potion being brewed in those crucibles must be Marcus Flint's dinner tonight.

This is certainly not an operation allowed by the school, and it is definitely not in compliance with the torture punishment stipulated by the Ministry of Magic. However, Snape, the real dark wizard of Hogwarts, obviously doesn't care about any morals.

The word Death Eater.

What more needs to be said.

"Slytherin doesn't need a student like this. He was lured to Hogsmeade by a stripper's card. He's even worse than those Gryffindor idiots!"

Snape raised his wand and cast a spell on Marcus Flint. He was a whitewashed dark wizard after all. Whether or not he used "Obliviate" was the "essential" difference between him and other dark wizards. The other party's family's connections in the Ministry of Magic were indeed a problem, but as long as the other party didn't remember anything, the problem would naturally disappear.

People?

Where is the magic wand?

"Severus, I hope I didn't disturb your work." Snape had just finished mixing the terrifyingly colorful potion in his hand, and when he turned around, he saw Dumbledore had appeared in his office at some point.

"Albus, why...are you here?"

Startled, Snape took a few steps back and calmly hid the potion in his hand behind him. Obviously, that was not a configuration he wanted Dumbledore to discover its effects.

"I just want to know the result on Mr. Flint's side as soon as possible." Dumbledore turned his head to glance at Marcus Flint who was tied to a chair.

"It's the Imperius Curse, for sure. If I don't tie up Flint, I won't be able to complete your request. He might suddenly attack me and kill me."

Snape took the initiative to explain why he treated Marcus Flint in this way.

The Imperius Curse.

One of the three unforgivable things.

The person who is under the curse will feel a blank in his mind, all thoughts and sense of responsibility will disappear, and in great happiness and joy, he will follow the voice in his head to complete everything.

Even if the other party asks the cursed person to kill his or her own parents, the cursed person will definitely do it with a smile and without hesitation. Only those with extremely strong mental determination can be shaken.

"Sure enough."

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 astonished gaze.

He raised his wand.

He aimed at Marcus Flint's temple, and soon, a piece of memory as thin as a silver thread was extracted and put into a special container that seemed to have been prepared in advance.

"The caster's methods were very sophisticated and careful enough. Even when he tampered with Flint's memory, he did not leave any identity information in Flint's mind." Snape felt that Dumbledore was a little strange. Was this behavior a sign that he suspected that he might be making up lies?
Could it be that there are Death Eaters behind this?
Dumbledore no longer trusts himself?

All of a sudden.

Snape's brows were twisted into a frown.

"It seems that the mysterious little mouse in hiding has a good teaching level. Flint is not a wizard with outstanding talent, but he was able to teach Mr. Flint your Sharp Edge Spell in one night, and then let him use this spell to kill our Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."

Dumbledore was able to perform Legilimency without looking directly into the eyes, and it is not without reason that many people are afraid of Dumbledore.

"Yes, adding Prince's name to the case unnecessarily and then coming to us to identify him was just Flint's attempt 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 why Flint wanted to target Ian.

"Before he went to Hogsmeade, he was thinking of some despicable frame-ups. Under the influence of the Imperius Curse, he might have considered this as part of his order?" Snape was not sure whether the side effects of the Imperius Curse could produce similar situations. He preferred the Cruciatus Curse and the evil curses he created.

"Perhaps we should strengthen the anti-fraud education for the young wizards at Hogwarts." Finally, Snape gave some additional suggestions with a hint of regret.

Dumbledore did not respond.

"Did your potions have any effect?" Dumbledore took a look at the bottles and jars and had some understanding of Marcus Flint's experience.

Useful in exploring the truth.

But it is not necessarily necessary.

"I'm treating Mr. Flint's body. As you know, the Unforgivable Curse affects more than just the mind." Snape forced himself to remain calm and maintain his stiff expression.

"Not a bad excuse."

Dumbledore nodded, but did not reprimand or advise him. Snape felt that something was wrong with Dumbledore today, but before he could figure out what was going on with Dumbledore.

"I need a list of users who are familiar with the original version of the Grim Reaper Charm." Dumbledore's sudden words brought Snape back to his senses.

"I haven't spread this spell to too many people." Snape walked to his desk, wrote down a list, and then walked up to Dumbledore with a stern face.

"This list doesn't make any sense, because that crazy bitch Bella can do it too. She may have spread this curse to many, many people."

Facing Snape's reminder.

Dumbledore just smiled.

"As long as we check your list, we can actually identify the target." Dumbledore's words were not ambiguous, and Snape quickly understood the meaning.

"Those guys don't dare to show up now."

Snape obviously saw it differently.

"No matter what, there must be a spy 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 to protect and monitor. This man has escaped from Riddle's hands more than once."

Snape nodded in agreement with Dumbledore's judgment. They had all watched Marcus Flint's memory and knew the whole process of Marcus Flint killing the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.

"Ronnie Erich seemed to be looking for his lost wand, and judging from his staggering posture, he must have been affected by some toxic substance."

"Regarding this, I need Pomona to help me examine Professor Erich's...body." Snape felt that it was really difficult to name those fragments.

The spell he invented was indeed a bit inhumane.

"I will conduct the test with you." Dumbledore nodded, but his words made Snape frown even more and a very unhappy expression appeared on his face.

"Are you doubting me?" Snape was still thinking about Dumbledore's behavior just now. Under normal circumstances, Dumbledore would not doubt his work results.

This is a sensitive period as Voldemort will be back next year.

He couldn't help but think about it.

"Of course not, Severus, the person I would least suspect is you." Dumbledore didn't know whether he was trying to be a pua or not, but he found a reason for his decision.

"I have a relatively good idea of ​​who the enemies of these fanatics are. Perhaps I can find some useful clues and information from the poisoning methods they use."

Fairly reasonable.

But this did not make Snape let go of his dissatisfaction.

"You have never truly trusted anyone, Albus. The closer I get to you, the more clearly I can see you..." Snape's face was gloomy, and there was no politeness in his tone.

"You are right. Over the years, no one has ever really seen me clearly." Dumbledore nodded, not annoyed, and did not even give any rebuttal.

His behavior made Snape feel more and more strange.

Dumbledore in his daily life.

Although the tone, intonation, and expression are no different from the current one, he always feels that something is wrong. Dumbledore's temperament has 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're not...some old guy who drank Polyjuice Potion." Snape wanted to touch his wand. He suspected that Grindelwald's saint wanted to investigate the cause of death of his accomplice.

after all.

As a man who usually likes to order others around, today he wanted to intervene in everything. It was hard not to doubt whether the person standing in front of him was still Dumbledore. No one could get Dumbledore's hair? The guys on Grindelwald's side were not sure!
Snape took out his wand and was about to cast a sleeping spell.

"boom!"

Dumbledore's wand slipped out from his sleeve. He just lifted it lightly and slid it elegantly in an arc. Then, wanting to take the initiative no matter what, Snape, who guessed right or wrong, was pushed against the wall by the powerful magic.

"Crack~"

The prepared potion he had been holding in his hand fell to the ground, the bottle shattered, and a pool of strangely colored potion flowed onto the ground, squeaking and emitting a strange green smoke.

"Severus, you are too cautious." Dumbledore lowered his wand helplessly, and Snape slowly fell down from the wall he was clinging to.

"There are rats in the school and murders have occurred. Why should I be alert?" Snape looked very embarrassed and picked up his wand in a dishevelled manner.

He realized that he was being too sensitive.

It is difficult for anyone to impersonate such powerful magic.

"I'll take care of this problem." Dumbledore looked at Marcus Flint sitting on the chair. "I want to take this child away temporarily. If you can pretend that you were attacked and failed to complete the task I asked you to do, I might be able to use him to lure out the rats hiding in the school." These were not words that a respected headmaster would say at all.

"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 known for many years. Compared with this crazy guy, he was as kind as a unicorn.

"This is the fastest way to find clues, Severus. I will certainly not let Mr. Flint die because of this. No one can successfully do anything to him under my nose."

Dumbledore spoke calmly.

"If the board of directors knew you did this, they would force you to step down immediately! If you lose your position as headmaster, will you still be able to carry out your plan to eliminate that guy?" Snape was not yet so hostile to Marcus Flint that he didn't care about his life or death. He wanted to stop Dumbledore's crazy plan.

"No one will know except you." Dumbledore's expression was a little struggling, but in the end he looked determined and spoke to Snape in a low voice.

"Hogwarts is no longer safe. We need to resolve the hidden danger as soon as possible. Mr. Flint will not die because of this. He may just suffer a little bit because of this."

"It's... worth it."

Dumbledore didn't know whether he was trying to convince Snape or himself. He didn't even wait for Snape's response and wanted to take the unconscious and bound Marcus Flint away.

"What's wrong with you?" Snape wanted to stop Dumbledore.

Dumbledore sighed with a complicated expression.

"I'm solving problems."

He closed his eyes.

He looked very tired.

"I suggest you take little Grindelwald away and watch her memories. Ronnie Erich is not an ordinary wizard. He will not take potions or food given by strangers."

"At the sorting dinner, he even ate the food he brought with him." Snape obviously placed his suspicion on Aurora Grindelwald.

This is not selfish.

It is the most rational and logical judgment.

"If there's anyone Ronnie Erich would eat, it would be the food or potion given to him by little Grindelwald. No saint can refuse the care of his little master!"

Snape stared into Dumbledore's eyes.

"I don't think it was Miss Grindelwald. If she wanted a saint to die, she wouldn't have to do such a thing." Dumbledore shook his head without even thinking.

"She doesn't want to accept these saints. I can feel her resistance to the saints." Snape is the head of Slytherin and of course has some contact and understanding of Aurora.

"Once we have found out the truth, the answer will be revealed." Dumbledore did not refute, but used a levitation spell 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 was probably one of the few people in Hogwarts who dared to speak to Dumbledore like this.

"Severus, you still don't know me well enough." Dumbledore took out a portkey and grabbed Marcus Flint, who was floating in the air with his chair, with one hand.

"I just want you to tell me clearly, what if it is finally found out that the person who poisoned and took Ronnie Erich's wand was little Grindelwald?"

Snape knew he was powerless to stop it, so he could only grit his teeth and stare at Dumbledore.

"if that is the case……"

Dumbledore's cold eyes made Snape feel cold inside.

"You will see me more clearly because of this."

His words made Snape feel a chill down his spine. This was no longer the headmaster's duty to protect students. Snape didn't know what had made Dumbledore so strange.

Grindelwald?
Dumbledore shouldn't have left school recently!

"I think I also need to remind you, Severus, that 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 about it carefully. When we found Professor Ronnie Erich's body and discovered that he died at the hands of God, who was the one who was framed?"

Dumbledore left a meaningful sentence.

The portkey was activated.

Both he and Marcus Flint disappeared into the basement.

Empty office.

Only Snape was left with a frown, a complicated expression and flickering eyes.

……

In the classroom of little wizards.

Ian was dozing off.

History of Magic is widely considered to be the most boring course at Hogwarts.

He didn't believe it at first, until Professor Binns showed him the most incredible medical miracle of the 20th century in a monotonous voice without even a trace of emotion.

Even the Ravenclaw students who loved learning found it difficult to resist this kind of mental hypnosis attack, and a large number of students at the Gryffindor tables were already snoring.

There were almost only a handful of people in the entire class who could persist in jotting down names and dates. Ian understood what Dumbledore meant by the fierce battle.

He is only eleven years old.

I have begun to feel that I am wasting my time and my life. The sparrows outside the window have stopped chirping. The description of living day by day like a year has been concretely experienced at this moment.

"Professor, I heard from the seniors that you wanted to get up early in the morning to teach the students, and you accidentally forgot your body in front of the fire in the professor's lounge?"

Ian raised his hands to cheer himself up during Professor Binns's intermission. This was definitely the most outrageous reason for becoming a ghost he had ever heard.

"That's right. I was already very old at the time." Professor Binns, just like his seniors, did not mind others mentioning his death.

just.

But the seniors seemed to have forgotten to tell Ian.

"Speaking of this matter, it is actually a piece of history. Perhaps I should tell you about it..." Professor Binns became interested and ended the halftime break early.

Finally, even Ian couldn't hold on any longer and fell asleep, sleeping soundly. When William woke him up, Michael seemed to raise his big black hand again.

Michael was very disappointed that he still couldn't continue the fight.

"time to eat."

The three of them yawned as they went to the auditorium. The dinner was as sumptuous as usual, but the types of food remained the same. However, they didn't feel bored because it was the beginning of the new semester.

"What? What about the letter of introduction?" William had been thinking about joining the party. While eating, he kept giving the most delicious food to Ian.

Passionate as fire.

Even Michael, who was quick-eyed and quick-handed, couldn't grab it from him.

"Write it when you get back!"

Ian handed today's History of Magic homework to William, and William naturally put Ian's homework into his schoolbag without even asking Ian what he meant.

This child has a future.

"Oh my god, Prince, I heard you killed the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher?"

"What I heard was that Professor Snape was also killed!"

"It's so funny, a first-year wizard killed an adult wizard alone. None of the novels and biographies I've read dared to write this way. I bet this must be another masterpiece concocted by Gryffindor!"

……

Return to the lounge.

The little wizards in Ravenclaw really knew what happened in the morning, but it was obvious that there was no idiocy here, and everyone just regarded it as another round of nonsense from some group of people.

Thank you Gryffindor for your stable reputation.

They saved Ian from being isolated and feared. Of course, the support of the two prefects must have played a big role here.

When the bonfire in the fireplace starts to burn brightly.

Ian started his small class again just as he said yesterday. Perhaps because of the bottle of standard boil potion in the morning, some second-year wizards joined in.

"Let's not talk about potions today. Once I get some ingredients, I will teach you step by step. If anyone is willing to learn, I will teach you some Transfiguration techniques."

Changed the content of the professor.

Some people hesitated to leave.

Some people are interested in joining.

Ian saw it.

Not rated.

After collecting the tuition fees from all the little wizards, he began to give a vivid explanation. Time passed quickly, and he received the gratitude and admiration of the little wizards just like last night.

When I returned to the dormitory and finished washing up.

Ian found William just sitting in front of the bed, not saying a word, just staring at him with pleading eyes. He immediately understood and quickly wrote the recommendation letter.

Followed by.

Study for a while more.

Seeing that his two roommates had fallen into a deep sleep, Ian took out the box he brought out from the Room of Requirement and stuffed it into the quilt along with the two boxes of Chocolate Frogs he got today and yesterday.

Even though he had slept for a long time in the afternoon, it was not difficult for Ian to fall asleep. He soon stepped into that strange place again in a daze.

The night is deep.

Some stories are still going on.

　Big chapter!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)