Days at Hogwarts

Chapter 747 Death Eater Father and Son

A tall, bear-like middle-aged man walked along the lush green mountain path, his expression somewhat dazed as he gazed at the increasingly thick mountain fog ahead.

A few years ago, when I escorted Vincent to his new school, we climbed the mountain to Ifarmoni with the help of a servant. Once there, we bought a carriage at the wizarding market for several hundred Galleons. I can't remember what the magical creature pulling it was—maybe a Thestral or a Runehorse. At the time, I thought Ifarmoni was too remote, and since Vincent was transferring schools mid-way, the journey up and down the mountain would be too much trouble, so I left the carriage and the magical creature with him.

After receiving news of Vincent's disappearance, he specifically asked someone to search the mountain roads and also personally walked through one of the areas.

It was summer, the vegetation was lush, the old trees were abundant, and occasionally you could see vipers disguised as leaves coiled on the ground, and there were tire tracks left by wheels on the roadside.

There was no path ahead. Old Crabbe couldn't tell which way was which, only that he should go uphill. So he simply waded through the dense weeds, carving a path with his body. The top of the mountain was Iphamoni's castle, but unfortunately, the mountain fog was thick, and the forest was dense. The bushes and weeds around him all looked the same. Even though he was going uphill, he circled around and ended up back where he started.

Unfortunately, Iphamoni has set up protective magic here, preventing him from Apparating directly to the school gate.

After going around in circles for a while, old Crabbe's breathing became heavy, and he began to feel annoyed.

Just as he was about to set something on fire and make a big commotion, a clear phoenix cry rang out overhead.

Old Crab looked up but didn't see the phoenix. Instead, a brilliant flame landed on his shoulder and spread throughout his body in an instant before he could react, blurring the trees and weeds in front of him.

……

The mountaintop was shrouded in thick fog in the early morning, and the interior of the castle was dimly lit. Instead of electric lights, candles were lit in the side hall, which was unusual for the castle. The candles burned quietly, and the melted wax flowed down the lamps. The table was full of food, with milk and bread steaming and emitting a rich aroma.

Professor Snape's dark circles under his eyes have worsened; it seems he didn't sleep much last night, probably staying up all night researching the Serpent Tree and the living Horcruxes. The two headmasters are acting strangely, but I can't quite put my finger on it. I'll observe them a bit more.

Around the dining table, Loren and Hermione ate with their heads down, their eyes occasionally glancing at them. The two wizards, now back at Ilfamoni after graduating, huddled together, quietly discussing the flames they had just seen, and the magnificent phoenix within them.

"Is that the Phoenix Fox?"

"I've heard that only wizards from the Dumbledore family can encounter the phoenix."

"Has our principal ever kept any magical creatures?"

"Does Pukchi count...?"

Hermione listened to their conversation, shook her head, leaned close to Loren's ear, and whispered, "What kind of job is the headmaster talking about?"

"Welcome a guest."

"guest?"

"The victim's family members are also accomplices of the suspect."

"what……"

Hermione took a bite of her bread, blinked, and had a vague idea in her mind.

Ilfamoni's Apparition Lockdown differs slightly from Hogwarts' protective magic, covering a wider area, almost encompassing half of Greylock Hill. However, both share the same flaw: they only target Apparition and cannot prevent magical creatures and elves from teleporting.

Half a minute later, flames rose again at the entrance of the side hall, and a figure slowly appeared.

This man was tall and muscular, with broad shoulders and a thick waist. His muscles bulged out of his sleeves and trousers. He looked middle-aged, with some balding hair and signs of aging on his face.

"Mr. Crabbe."

"Dumbledore..."

Old Crabbe looked around the room, his expression still somewhat dazed.

"Long time no see, Mr. Crabbe. You look tired. Would you like some breakfast and a rest?" Dumbledore's voice was deep and gentle. As soon as he finished speaking, bread, bacon, fried eggs, and milk were placed in front of the Death Eater. It was as if the visitor was not a vicious wanted criminal, but just an ordinary student's parent.

Old Crabbe sat across a table from Dumbledore, staring silently at Dumbledore's face. Several people nearby looked somewhat familiar, but he no longer cared, whether the Death Eater spy was Severus Snape, or the two young wizards were Harry Potter's friends.

He was indeed very tired, his mind was foggy, and his limbs and muscles felt unusually heavy.

Unable to remember Ilfamoni's location and unable to Apparate to the foot of the mountain, he had to resort to a laborious method to get there. He escaped from the Death Eater camp and used the map to assess the direction and Apparate along the way, taking a whole night to travel from the suburbs of New York to Mount Greylock in Massachusetts.

"Lucius told me that you've found Vincent."

Old Crabbe paused, a glimmer of hope flashing across his blank face. For decades he had been irritable and easily angered, always shouting as he spoke, but now his voice was very soft. "I know what you want from me. As long as he is safe and sound, I can tell you important information about the Dark Lord."

Dumbledore sighed: "Please don't misunderstand. I went through many channels to pass on this message to you. While it is indeed related to Voldemort and the Death Eaters, it is more about me, as a professor, informing students' parents. That's all."

Where is he now?

"plz follow me."

Dumbledore put down his silver metal cutlery, stood up, and led old Crabbe toward the woods behind the castle. The others present also quickly stood up and followed silently behind.

The group walked into the woods, passed through the vine barrier, and arrived near the snake tree.

The mountain fog was thick, the forest was dense, and the thickest and most lush tree had been cut open.

Old Crabbe arrived at the snake tree and immediately saw the pit. He walked into the pit and saw the constantly wriggling pink umbilical cord and the almost monstrous body inside. The figure seemed vaguely familiar, but he dared not think about it too much.

Dumbledore glanced at the snake-scale-covered body: "This body now relies on the snake tree for sustenance and is connected by a fleshy umbilical cord. Voldemort split his own soul and attached the fragments to Vincent Crabbe's body, devouring the original soul. He also used dark magic to modify the snake tree and the body, intending to create a wand with powerful magic."

Old Crabbe opened his mouth and uttered a strained voice: "Can you save him?"

"His soul has been extinguished," Dumbledore shook his head and said softly. "Maintaining the status quo will turn this body into the core of the staff, while separating it will cause the body to wither and decay."

"He's dead, isn't he?"

The old principal didn't answer directly, but everyone knew the answer.

Old Crabbe reached into the tree hollow and gently touched the body connected to him by blood. He felt only cold, hard scales. He exhaled a heavy breath and said calmly, "Headmaster Dumbledore, could we be alone for a while?"

"certainly."

Dumbledore turned and left, taking the onlookers with him.

After the others left, old Crabbe did not examine the body in the tree hole closely, but simply leaned against the tree trunk.

They weren't very close when they were young. Old Crabbe, who had been irritable all his life, had no patience and didn't know how to get along with children. He would often beat and scold them, even punching and kicking them. Now he doesn't know how to say goodbye, he just stands quietly by his side.

The mountain mist gathered and dispersed, the sunlight broke through the clouds and gradually moved westward, the sky brightened and then darkened again.

As the sun began to set, Old Crabbe's legs became numb and almost lost all feeling. He hadn't eaten or drunk anything for a day and a night, and his whole body was stiff. He had to hold onto the edge of the tree hollow to keep his balance. He struggled to support himself and his vision became blurry.

He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but he vaguely saw that the snake scales disappeared, and the face revealed its true appearance again.

He opened his mouth and let out a weak, guttural sound: "Vincent?"

For some reason, the empty shell of a body that had lost its soul began to move, extending its right hand and gently touching the middle-aged man's hand, as if in response.

Old Crabbe's exhausted and thirsty body regained its strength. He glanced at the orange sky, took out his wand, pressed it against the shell inside the tree hollow, and chanted with difficulty:

"Fierce Fire".

(End of this chapter)