Hogwarts: Dumbledore reigned over the wizarding world.

Chapter 324 Voldemort in the Shadows

Then Draco stumped him with a question: "So how were they communicating just now?"

'

Harry couldn't figure out the answer to this question until the two of them followed Fruit Tea and caught up with Lucius Malfoy from afar.

Of course, this was just a minor incident. After catching up with Lucius Malfoy, Harry's attention had to be diverted.

Because Lucius is very cautious.

The Malfoy family head, who always acted like an aristocrat and wanted to wear his "nobility" on his face, was now sneaking around in the deserted corridors of Hogwarts.

On several occasions, he would suddenly stop, turn around and look behind him, and sometimes he would raise his cane and suddenly draw it in the air a few times, with a flash of magical light.

Harry and his companion couldn't identify the type of magic, but it must be quite complex. Luckily, they were wearing invisibility cloaks and had fruit tea—

When Lucius Malfoy first cast his spell, they witnessed the magical giant cat react with lightning speed, using her clumsy paws to pull a vial of potion from her pocket and sprinkle it in front of her.

Upon contact with the air, the medicine instantly disintegrated into a thick mist, which floated up like the tides of a black lake, displaying concentric ripples.

The two second-year wizards watched all this with innocent eyes. They could only vaguely judge that Lucius might have cast some kind of detection magic, which was either deceived or neutralized by the potion spilled from the fruit tea.

The two were amazed by Lucius and Fruit Tea's alertness and their covert rivalry.

Currently, fruit tea appears to be the better choice.

Draco was not entirely convinced by this.

Upon witnessing Lucius cast another spell, spilling the potion from the fruit tea, Harry's expression grew increasingly strange. He pulled a parchment from his pocket and wrote:

Those potions were brewed by Vaughn; the powerful one is Vaughn, not that cat!

Harry pursed his lips but didn't reply. He just shrugged, giving Draco a "whatever makes you happy" look, which annoyed Draco.

Fortunately, after walking for another ten minutes or so, this agonizing journey finally came to an end.

They arrived at the dungeon area of ​​Hogwarts.

The familiar, cold, and damp air roused Draco, who stared intently at his father as he descended the stairs, not heading towards the Potions classroom and office area, but instead walking deeper into the area.

Walk through those labyrinthine corridors that are said to have been abandoned for a thousand years and are now long forgotten.

Finally, we stopped in a long, narrow corridor bridge where the thick stone walls on both sides were replaced by transparent floor-to-ceiling windows.

Looking out through the glass, you can see the covered bridge sinking deep into the lake. The cold lake water, carrying the dim yet sharp sunlight, sways the water plants and splashes against the window frame.

The shimmering light drifted like ice, and the air grew increasingly damp and cold.

It belongs to the typical Slytherin art style.

Of course, Harry thought the area was eerie, practically a classic scene where villains meet in a novel.

Seeing Lucius Malfoy stop ahead, knowing they must have reached their destination, Fruit Tea also stopped tracking, lying down at the foot of a statue, its ears twitching, its eyes, enlarged to a perfect circle in the dim light, seemed to be able to see the invisible Harry and Draco, "watching" them slow down, trying not to make a sound, and quietly crept over.

A drawn-out voice came from afar: "I never imagined that one day, the noble Malfoys would sneak around like thieves to meet someone in these ruins. Back when you were in school, you didn't like this place at all."

In a dark corner outside the corridor, a glow appeared. Harry and Draco tiptoed to look and saw Snape holding his wand loosely in one hand, staring coldly at Lucius Malfoy, just like the stone statue in the corner beside him.

Lucius seemed unfazed by his indifference: "It's precisely because no one expected this that I arranged to meet you here, Severus. Where's your secret cottage from your school days? Let's go there and say, 'I've already abandoned that cottage!'"

Snape interrupted him, "Say what you have to say here. Not even the Grindylows will come around here except for me (Grindylows are dark magic creatures, tamed by the Black Lake mermaids, and like to live in places with abundant aquatic plants)."

Lucius seemed to want to argue something, but seeing Snape's increasingly indifferent expression, he paused, then leaned closer.

Due to the distance and angle, Harry and Draco couldn't see the details clearly, but they could see Lucius leaning close to Snape, seemingly rolling up his sleeves.

The next instant, they saw Snape, who was usually indifferent, suddenly turn pale, his face a dark, sallow blue, like the lake outside the window: "How dare you—how dare you activate his mark?"

"You're insane, Lucius!"

Neither Harry nor Draco had ever seen Snape so out of control.

The lake water rippled, and in the faint shimmering light of the covered bridge, they saw Snape's eyes widen. This was the first time they had ever seen that Snape's eyes were actually quite large.

But the content of the words—

A mark? What mark?

Who is "he"?

Beneath the invisibility cloak, the two stared at each other, both seeing huge question marks in each other's eyes.

Meanwhile, the dispute over there continued.

No, to Lucius Malfoy, it sounded more like a statement of fact, his tone calm: "This wasn't activated by me, you know. Ever since the failure, I've wanted to get rid of that past. It would be best if it died forever, like a memory buried deep within me, but—"

Lucius sighed: "A while ago, the mark suddenly activated—you and I both know what that means—"

"He's dead, he's become a shadow!" Snape interrupted him rudely. "Dumbledore told me himself. Dumbledore showed me his current disgusting state. He's lost all his magic. Rather than believing in some sudden activation, I think it's probably just you and your restless friends playing tricks!"

Snape made a dismissive face.

But his rapid speech, his fixed gaze on Lucius's arm, and the way he gripped his wand all betrayed his true feelings.

"well----"

Lucius responded with a sigh.

Amid his sigh, a small voice rang out: "Dear Lucius, it seems our esteemed Professor Snape isn't as loyal as you claim!"

"Who?"

The same thought appeared almost simultaneously in the minds of Snape, as well as Harry and Draco, who were eavesdropping in the distance.

Unlike the two young wizards who were sneaking around and dared not reveal themselves, Snape directly shouted out, and at the same time, he raised his wand high, and silently, the fluorescent light floating in mid-air suddenly burst into bloom.

The light waves spread out instantly, illuminating the entire space.

However, on the other side of the covered bridge, there is still a place where light cannot reach or penetrate, as if something is preventing the light shining into that space directly in front of this side from passing through its boundaries.

The darkness therefore seemed exceptionally intense.

From a distance, its pitch-black color resembles the silt at the bottom of a lake—deep, viscous, and heavy!

In the intense light emitted by the orb, Snape raised his wand and pointed in that direction. His once slick long hair and lifeless robes were stirred by the restless magic, like seaweed swaying wildly in the air outside the window.

The overwhelming aura startled Harry and Draco so much that they almost forgot to breathe.

Lucius, standing next to Snape and facing his imposing presence, magical power, and murderous intent, felt it even more deeply, to the point that his back unconsciously hunched over.

He felt Snape's cold gaze sweep over him from the corner of his eye: "Lucius, you invited me here, but brought other people with you. Don't you have anything to say?"

"—I'm sorry, Severus—"

Lucius, trembling slightly, raised his arm: "I cannot disobey the mark, this is—"

What kind of mark is this that a dignified wizard cannot disobey?

Harry and Draco, who were eavesdropping, were startled and were about to listen more closely when they saw Snape suddenly wave his wand.

In a mere instant, the raging magic, in response to the spiritual connection, was transformed into magic through masterful, silent skill.

The almost frozen air in the dungeon suddenly transformed into a whistling, turbulent current that surged forth like a flood from the labyrinthine corridors behind Harry and Draco.

A strong wind is forming!

It produced a piercing roar and even a thin white line visible to the naked eye.

They frantically "squeezed" towards the underwater bridge that Snape's wand was pointing to.

A violent gale roared past, drowning out Lucius's unfinished words.

It also stirred up the invisibility cloaks worn by Harry and Draco—they stretched and swayed in the wind, their invisibility effect resembling a broken Muggle television set teetering on the verge of collapse.

The sudden turn of events startled the two, who scrambled to their feet. Harry gripped his cloak tightly, and taking advantage of the howling wind, pulled Draco back, shouting, "Quick, let's go! If we're exposed, we're doomed!"

This was the first time Draco had agreed with Harry's judgment, so he cooperated fully.

Braving the raging wind, the two scrambled back into the maze. Just before their figures were once again concealed by the stone walls, Harry instinctively glanced back.

That one glance made his heart skip a beat—

In the apocalyptic gale, he saw Snape seem to glance in his direction, but it was as if it were an illusion. He saw the underwater bridge groaning and bursting under Snape's magic!

The glass shattered and expanded outwards.

Another large amount of lake water relentlessly tried to flow in.

But at the same time, from the darkness at the other end of the covered bridge, a soft snap of fingers was heard, and in that snap, a void formed and rapidly expanded.

Like an inflating balloon, a huge amount of lake water was displaced, and the spherical outline expanded from a tiny point to cover the entire covered bridge in the blink of an eye.

Nevertheless, the covered bridge still collapsed, with a roar and dust.

In the last part of his vision, Harry saw a gust of wind sweep up dust and engulf everything.

The howling sound of the air rubbing together violently gradually weakened, and the violent airflow turned into a gentle breeze that swept over Snape, causing his robes to flutter slightly.

The underwater covered bridge collapsed and shattered under his magic.

But he did not attack again, and even withdrew his wand that was pointing at the other side. He just stared expressionlessly at the place where the bridge had shattered, the huge "bubble" that had burst open the lake water, and the still quiet darkness on the other side.

The darkness was quiet, but the power it contained, like the "bubble" before him, made him tremble with fear.

"legend----"

Under the cold, oppressive pressure of Occlumency, Snape's thoughts and emotions are boiling.

After a brief silence, seemingly sensing that he had no intention of attacking again, the small, delicate voice on the other end chuckled softly: "Dear Lucius, it seems your judgment of Professor Snape was not entirely wrong. He is indeed as cautious and rational as you said. At least he won't humiliate himself again after failing to strike once—I like dealing with people like that."

-

Upon hearing this, Snape glanced at Lucius beside him out of the corner of his eye, who was holding his arm and bowing deeply: "Anyone who has witnessed your immense power would make the same choice."

"No, no, no, Lucius, Mr. Snape's magic is more profound than yours. He didn't need to attack me to test my strength. The esteemed professor only blew a little breeze to cover the escape of the two little ones."

"What?" Lucius turned around instinctively, but the labyrinth in the distance behind him was no longer visible.

At this point, Snape finally spoke slowly: "They're just two students out for the night. It'll make it easier for us to talk if we send them away."

"Oh? A student wearing an invisibility cloak? Speaking of which, that invisibility cloak is very strange; I couldn't see through it at all. Professor Snape, do you recognize what it is?"

"—Unlike some countries with little history, England has a long history of magic, and it's not surprising that pure-blood wizarding families possess some high-level alchemical artifacts."

"Oh"

The voice chuckled again: "Well, it seems our professor guessed my origins. Is it because of my accent? I've always thought my London accent was quite standard."

Snape's face twitched, but he offered no explanation: "I'll look into the issues with those two students later. But you—the esteemed legendary wizard from North America—while Dumbledore was away, you sneaked into Hogwarts and even coerced the head of a pure-blood family from England. What were you planning to do? And who are you?"

"Ah—I didn't introduce myself? I must be getting senile."

The voice said politely and apologetically, "You can call me DeSantis!"

"!"

Upon hearing the name, Snape instinctively clenched his fists.

"Whoosh—whoosh—"

'

Heavy breathing echoed through the intricate maze. Harry felt a burning pain in his lungs, but he continued to move his heavy legs, trying to escape as far as possible.

Although there was no sound behind him, it was as if the howling wind and the collapsed bridge in the water were all just his imagination.

But he knew it wasn't an illusion. Neither Snape, who suddenly attacked, nor that strange, soft voice were easy to mess with.

So he and Draco didn't dare to stop.

Following the labyrinthine corridors of the dungeon back to the entrance of the Slytherin common room, where they saw braziers burning with fairy fire on both sides, the two stopped, panting.

"Why did the Godfather suddenly cast a spell?" Draco asked, pale-faced and still shaken. "We almost got caught in it."

Harry opened his mouth, but hesitated for a moment and ultimately did not speak of the scene he had seen Snape looking back at.

To be honest, he simply couldn't believe that Snape's sudden intervention might be an attempt to cover his and Malfoy's escape.

That's ridiculous. He'd rather he's just hallucinating.

Moreover, there are more important issues that he needs to pay attention to than this "trivial matter".

He ripped off the Invisibility Cloak, and amidst Draco Malfoy's stunned expression, stared at him with eyes brimming with anger: "Your father is indeed problematic, Malfoy. He brought a strange wizard into the castle!"

"That might be, maybe it's his friend—" Draco argued.

Harry sneered, "Your Excellency Malfoy, taking your friend to the dungeon? And doing so without your godfather Snape's knowledge? I think he's the one leading Snape into a trap."

Draco's lips twitched a few times, then he slumped down and lowered his head.

Ignoring his increasingly pale face, Harry scratched his forehead and paced back and forth. "It's obvious now. Your father is colluding with outsiders, Malfoy. He's up to some kind of conspiracy. He was being ambivalent at the previous board meeting; it might have been part of that plot. We should inform Professor McGonagall and Dumbledore as soon as possible."

"No!"

Draco looked up, and to Harry's surprise, his expression had completely shaken off his earlier dejection, even lacking his usual arrogance and restlessness. His eyes gleamed with a calm light: "How are you going to explain to Professor McGonagall how we found out? Are you going to tell her that the two of us, Potter and Malfoy, were sneaking around the castle in the middle of the night? If that happens, Potter, we'll become the laughingstock of Gryffindor and Slytherin!"

"."

'

Harry felt like cursing, because he knew that the possibility of Malfoy's statement was very high.

As Vaughn once said, there is no right or wrong between Gryffindor and Slytherin, only positions!

"Most importantly, we have no evidence that my father colluded with the wizards outside the castle, unless the Godfather disappears tomorrow, but I think that's unlikely."

"But we saw it with our own eyes."

"Yes, we saw it, but others didn't. Even if Professor McGonagall and Dumbledore believe us, so what? Accusing a pureblood requires evidence, let alone the Malfoy family—" As he spoke, Draco's already pale face became even more bloodless: "More than ten years ago, everyone knew that my father was an important figure among the Death Eaters, but he was not punished at all during the post-war reckoning."

yes----

Having specifically learned about these things last semester, Harry gradually calmed down.

Is there any charge in the world more serious than that against Death Eaters?

Even those accusations couldn't bring Lucius Malfoy down; their rash revelation of what they had seen would only expose themselves and serve no other purpose.

"We have to do something," Harry said, pacing back and forth.

Draco paused for a moment, then shrugged. "What can we do? Even if we take Professor McGonagall back now and catch them red-handed, it won't do any good. There's no law in the wizarding world that says wizards can't come to Hogwarts. Besides, my father is a member of the Board of Governors. He has the right to invite anyone to the castle, unless that person is a dark wizard wanted by the Ministry of Magic."