Sherlock Holmes at Hogwarts.

Chapter 559 The Death Eaters' Past
Albus Dumbledore, the current headmaster of Hogwarts, is widely regarded as the greatest wizard of our time.

Dumbledore's well-known contributions include:
He defeated the dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945;
Twelve uses for dragon blood were discovered;
He and his partner Nicolas Flamel were very successful in alchemy.

Professor Dumbledore enjoyed chamber music and ten-pin bowling.

On the Chocolate Frog card, the entry for "Defeating the Dark Wizard Grindelwald in 1945" is listed as the first contribution by Dumbledore, demonstrating the significant impact of this event.

However, even though he had expected it, Dumbledore's heart still skipped a beat when the name "Gellert Grindelwald" was clearly uttered by Sherlock, as if he had been gently stung by something.

A complex emotion flashed quickly in his blue eyes behind his glasses.

There is nostalgia for youth, regret for past disagreements, and a deep-seated pain hidden in the depths of the eyes, never spoken to anyone.

He did not interrupt Sherlock, but simply sat quietly in the large chair, his hands gently folded on the table.

At this moment, he couldn't help but think of that windy summer in Godric Valley.

"Based on the information I've gathered, Grindelwald is far superior to Voldemort in every way."

Sherlock keenly noticed Dumbledore's emotional fluctuations, but he paid no attention and continued to articulate his views methodically:
"First and foremost are ideals and beliefs."

Grindelwald pursued 'for the greater good'.

He longed to establish a powerful, just, and wise wizarding society to overthrow the old order that he considered corrupt and backward.

The core objective is to overthrow the International Law on the Secrecy of Wizards and establish a global hierarchical order led by wizards, preventing wizards from hiding in the shadows.

While his ultimate goal was still to establish wizarding rule over Muggles, at least his objective was global, unlike Voldemort's focus on pure-blood rule in Britain—their visions were vastly different.

"Secondly, it's about their style of doing things."

Sherlock leaned forward slightly, tapping his fingertips lightly on the table, his eyes sharpening.

"Grindelwald possesses exceptional personal charisma and oratory skills."

He was like that head of state, his voice seemingly possessing magic, easily persuading others to agree with his ideas.

He did not rely solely on fear and violence to force others to follow him, but rather attracted a large number of truly like-minded wizards by promoting his ideals.

Among these followers, many genuinely believe in the 'greater good' rather than simply fearing his power.

Although his actions were accompanied by violence, such as the magical revolution he launched in Europe, they were always imbued with an idealistic hue.

He consistently attempted to achieve his goals by establishing a new order, but later gradually lost his way amidst the allure of power.

"As for Voldemort..."

Sherlock then changed the subject, his tone becoming more sarcastic:
"From beginning to end, they maintained their power solely through fear and self-interest."

Death Eaters are either afraid of his retaliation or want to gain power and status from him; they have no ideals whatsoever.

He was ruthless and liked to create intimidation by launching surprise attacks and massacring Muggles or rebels.

In my view, he's more like a mob boss, whose methods of rule are simple and brutal; he has nothing but violence.

"Finally, there's the scope of the impact."

Sherlock's voice returned to calm:
"Grindelwald's activities covered the whole of Europe. With his powerful appeal and top-notch magical skills, he stirred up a revolutionary storm in the magical world and even controlled the magical forces in half of Europe."

His name alerted the Magical Congress of America, drew the attention of the Asian magical community, and his influence extended far beyond Britain.

Even at the height of his power, Voldemort's influence was limited to Britain.

Although his terrifying reputation was known throughout the global magical world, his influence never extended to the European continent, let alone other continents.

From this perspective alone, Voldemort and Grindelwald are not even in the same league.

Throughout Sherlock's narration, Dumbledore's expression changed continuously.

At first, his gaze was sharp, as if he were scrutinizing Sherlock's analysis.

Gradually, the sharpness faded, and his gaze softened.

In the end, all emotions settled into a gentle sense of relief, as if decades of pent-up feelings had been gently brushed aside by Sherlock's words.

He listened quietly the whole time, without interrupting or arguing.

It's as if, through Sherlock's words, we are revisiting that brilliant yet regrettable past, buried deep in our memories.

Only after Sherlock finished speaking did Dumbledore slowly raise his head and give him a deep look:
"What you said is basically correct. Grindelwald's vision and influence are indeed much greater than Voldemort's."

However, there is one thing you may have overlooked.

Voldemort wasn't without his strengths, comparable to Grindelwald.

"Oh?"

Sherlock raised an eyebrow, a hint of curiosity flashing in his eyes, and leaned forward slightly. "I'd like to hear more."

“It’s strength.”

Dumbledore's voice was soft, yet it conveyed a sense of firmness:

"In terms of individual magical power alone, Voldemort is stronger than Grindelwald."

I've fought both of them before, and I know that better than anyone.

Sherlock was taken aback, clearly not expecting Dumbledore to give such an evaluation.

But he quickly realized what he meant and laughed, his eyes showing a hint of agreement:

“That’s right. You’ve faced them all head-on, so your judgment is naturally the most accurate.”

"Alright, let's talk about Karkaroff."

Dumbledore gently shook his head, dispelling the complex emotions about the past.

He picked up the glass jar containing the cockroaches from the table, thought for a moment, then put it down again, his tone becoming serious once more:
"Regardless of Voldemort's overall situation, his strength is beyond doubt."

Even though it is currently weakened, it is still an extremely powerful enemy to us.

As you just said, Karkaroff's performance could very well indicate that Voldemort is regaining his power, and we must not let our guard down.

"Okay."

Sherlock's smile faded, and his eyes turned serious.

He looked at Dumbledore, his tone slightly mocking, and directly stated his request:

"Then please tell me more about Karkaroff, sir."

Please don't tell me he's also a spy you trained, like Professor Snape.

"Of course not."

Upon hearing this, Dumbledore couldn't help but shake his head and chuckle, but he quickly realized that Sherlock was joking with him.

But this joke is indeed a bit lame.

He stopped smiling, stood up from his chair, and walked towards the black cabinet against the wall behind him, saying as he went:
"Since you're here today, I'll let you take a look."

Some things become clearer when seen with one's own eyes than when I describe them.

"let me see?"

Sherlock was slightly taken aback, but when he saw Dumbledore's next move, he immediately understood.

Dumbledore opened the black cabinet door and took out a stone basin with intricate carvings on its surface.

He carried the stone basin to the desk, carefully placed it on the smooth surface, and then sat back down in the chair behind the desk.

"The Pensieve? You're planning to show me your past memories again?" "That's right, letting you observe these memories will be more intuitive than me telling you directly."

Dumbledore nodded, his eyes serious: "With your exceptional observational skills, you might be able to discover some details that I missed back then."

"That sounds like a good idea."

Sherlock did not refuse.

Dumbledore's actions were exactly what he wanted.

He has never been able to resist the truth hidden in the details.

"Then let's begin. Next, we'll enter my memories."
I think you'll find that it's not only vividly detailed, but also incredibly accurate.

As Dumbledore spoke, he took a clear crystal bottle from his pocket, which contained a swirling, floating silvery-white substance.

He opened the bottle and slowly poured the silvery substance inside into the Pensieve.

As soon as the substances entered the stone basin, they began to slowly rotate.

They emit a faint glow, neither flowing like a liquid nor drifting like a gas, but rather presenting a peculiar state somewhere in between.

"You go in first."

Dumbledore pointed to the Pensieve and said to Sherlock.

Without a word, Sherlock bent down toward the Pensieve, burying his face in the cold memories within, and then fell into the darkness.

A few seconds later, his feet finally landed firmly on the ground.

He opened his eyes, looked around, and immediately recognized the place.

The trial chamber located beneath the Ministry of Magic.

A year ago, he was here listening to the interrogation of Peter Pettigrew by Wizengamot.

"It seems you've already recognized this place."

Dumbledore's voice sounded beside him, and Sherlock turned his head to see Dumbledore standing next to him.

He pointed to a figure in the center of the bench and said, "That's me."

Sherlock looked in the direction he was pointing and saw another Dumbledore sitting in the middle of the bench.

Mad-Eye Moody sat next to him.

To Sherlock's surprise, Moody did not have his signature Magic Eye at this time.

His eyes were still normal, and his face didn't have as many scars as it did later. Although he was still serious, he had more vitality than in his later years.

What followed was almost exactly the same scene as when Peter Pettigrew was interrogated a year earlier.

Two Dementors dressed in black cloaks escorted a wizard step by step to the chair in the center.

The wizard was enveloped by the aura of the Dementor, trembling all over, his face as pale as paper, and he even had difficulty standing.

The Dementor pressed him down into the central chair, and the chains on the armrests immediately bound him tightly.

When Sherlock saw the wizard tied to the chair, he couldn't help but chuckle, a hint of mockery in his eyes.

That man was none other than Igor Kakarov, the current principal of Durmstrang.

Karkaroff in Dumbledore's memory is much younger than he is now.

His hair and beard were still pure black, without a single gray hair.

He wasn't wearing his signature sleek fur coat either, but rather a thin, tattered grey wizard's robe.

Like Peter Pettigrew, who was tried a year ago, he is now in a state of extreme fear after just leaving the Dementors.

His body was trembling uncontrollably, his teeth were grinding together, and his eyes were filled with despair.

After the chains on the chair armrests bound him, a voice immediately said:
“Igor Karkaroff, you have been brought out of Azkaban to testify before the Ministry of Magic.”

You told us you had important information to report to us.

Just by hearing that voice, Sherlock already knew who its owner was.

Barty Crouch, his position was the same as Fudge's during Peter's interrogation, in the middle of that bench.

His face had far fewer wrinkles than it does now, and he looked much more energetic.

Sherlock immediately realized that this memory must have occurred before Barty Crouch's son was arrested.

Next, Barty Crouch began questioning Karkaroff about the Death Eaters, and Karkaroff, as if grasping at a straw, desperately revealed all the information he knew about them.

Just as Lupin had told Sherlock, Karkaroff had sold out almost all the Death Eaters he knew in order to get parole.

However, he wasn't very lucky.

The names mentioned at the beginning have either already been captured by the Ministry of Magic or died during the capture process.

In his haste, he blurted out the name Severus Snape.

Sherlock smiled.

As expected of Severus Snape.

Peter Pettigrew did the same thing at this time last year.

Fudge had said at the time that Dumbledore had vouched for Snape.

Now Sherlock has finally witnessed this scene.

However, Karkarov's luck finally turned around.

After Dumbledore testified for Snape's innocence, Karkaroff, in order to protect himself, revealed the names of several other Death Eaters who were deeply hidden.

Just then, the scene before my eyes suddenly blurred, like smoke being blown away by the wind.

A few seconds later, a new scene began to appear.

Sherlock understood that this was yet another new memory.

It was still the Ministry of Magic's courtroom.

But this time, the person brought in by the Dementors was someone that surprised Sherlock.

Ludo Bagman.

At this time, he was a Quidditch star in his prime, with an intact nose, a tall and thin build, and a strong physique.

According to the trial proceedings, Sherlock quickly learned that Ludobagman was not a Death Eater.

However, he was accused of passing on Ministry of Magic intelligence to Voldemort's henchmen during the Wizarding Wars.

When confronted with the accusations, Bagman appeared completely innocent, claiming he knew nothing about them and thought Bagman was gathering intelligence for his own people.

Finally, after a vote by the members of Wizengamo, he was acquitted due to a lack of conclusive evidence.

Sherlock chuckled again upon seeing this.

The room in front of me was then blown away by the wind just like before, and the third memory began to unfold.

This time, Sherlock only glanced at it, but his spirits lifted and his eyes instantly sharpened.

Because he could clearly sense that, although it was also a trial, the atmosphere of Dumbledore's memory was completely different from the two trials he had just experienced.

(End of this chapter)