The mastermind behind Hogwarts

Chapter 125 Sir Cadogan

Moriarty stood the Slytherin staff upright in the hole in the floor and looked at Dumbledore: "Spell together to find the Headless Horseman."

"I see," Dumbledore said with a start, standing up and smiling. "Otherwise, I would have deducted ten points from Slytherin House for deliberately damaging the floor."

Although he had a smile on his face, Dumbledore quickly drew his elder wand, pressed his thumb against the crook of his index finger, raised his arm, pointed the tip of the wand at the ceiling, and muttered something.

Moriarty heard some syllables of an ancient spell, and Dumbledore's magic was like a burning furnace, radiating light and heat.

Like a signal flare launched, Dumbledore's magic, scattered throughout the castle, began to take effect.

On the other side, Moriarty gripped his staff with both hands and uttered a series of Parseltongue words, the hissing sound startling Professor Trelawney, and Diana also looked on in surprise.

Dumbledore recognized the name and recalled the events he had experienced with Moriarty.

Yes, Moriarty also used the same Parseltongue when revealing the secret room!

So, translated, it means—

"The heir of Slytherin, descendant of the lion of Godric's Hollow, fledgling eagle embracing ancient wisdom, the rose of Hufflepuff, requests a dialogue with the First Order!"

A spell to awaken the castle's original appearance.

In order to prevent the Headless Horseman from reacting, Moriarty ordered the stone pillars, armor, ghosts, and portraits in the castle to move at a considerable speed.

The stone pillars and armor moved toward the castle gate, the ghosts entered the common rooms of their respective colleges, and the portraits all walked into the murals on the first-floor corridor, forming a long line!

They were puzzled by Moriarty's orders, but Moriarty wore a confident smile.

"Peeves said that only the Headless Horseman could disobey my orders to the castle, so? It must have hidden itself when I gave the order!"

Moriarty glanced at Dumbledore, a glint of light flashing in his eyes.

"Let's begin the search. At this point in time, all the other murals are empty, only the headless horseman is darting around."

"A brilliant reverse maneuver, watch this!" Dumbledore exclaimed, as if he had become fifty years younger and found a rival, waving his wand gleefully.

The elderflower wand flashed with streaks of fire, dazzling and brilliant. The light expanded at a visible speed, forming the silhouette of a phoenix.

The Phoenix Light and Shadow looks roughly the same as the Fox, but it is larger and more ornate.

Each feather shimmered with golden light, fluttering its wings and hovering above Dumbledore's head.

Meanwhile, in Moriarty's "God's-eye view," Dumbledore's magic transforms into tiny phoenixes that fly over the castle like fiery whirlwinds.

"Phoenix Dance! The Peverell family's hereditary magic."

Dumbledore spoke softly, a desolate aura emanating from him. He raised his head, gazing wistfully at the phoenix of light and shadow, "I haven't used it for seventy years."

Moriarty's heart skipped a beat. Did Dumbledore have the blood of the Peverell family?

When it comes to the Peverell family, the most famous story is the Three Deathly Hallows. Moriarty learned some unknown secrets from Salazar's notebook, such as the fact that the Peverell family is always protected by a phoenix.

"Found it," Dumbledore said suddenly, smiling at Moriarty. "You would never guess where the Headless Horseman is hiding."

"Where are you hiding?" Diana asked impatiently, standing up with an imposing presence, like a cold and beautiful rose.

"Relax, Professor Diana, relax," Dumbledore said quickly. "We can't define the Headless Horseman as a villain before we've made contact with him; perhaps he will be the key to resolving a series of events."

"Click!"

Moriarty pulled his staff from the hole with an impatient clanging sound, and gave Dumbledore a look that said, "Speak up."

Dumbledore found it amusing. He shook his head slightly, looked towards a spot in the castle, and said in a deep voice, "Sir Cadogan's mural. The Headless Horseman is right there now."

"Sir Cadogan?"

Diana adjusted the gold-rimmed glasses and leaned gently against the wall near the office door.

She knew many of Hogwarts' secrets, and clearly this unfamiliar name held another secret.

"Moriarty, how much do you know about Sir Cadogan?" Dumbledore walked to the bookshelf.

"His murals hung on the seventh floor of the castle, and whenever a young wizard passed by the murals, he would shout for someone to duel with him."

Moriarty shared his impressions of Sir Cadogan, concluding with the assessment: "Sir Cadogan is not a bad person, but he is a passionate duelist with a fiery temper."

"That's right."

Dumbledore took a diary from the bookshelf; the cover was yellowed and looked quite old.

"In most people's eyes, Sir Cadogan was a fool, but few people know that he lived in the same era as Merlin. He and Merlin were friends."

Moriarty and Diana exchanged a glance, noticing the surprise in each other's eyes.

Merlin's story has always been a legend, but now there is a living portrait of a friend of Merlin!

Although a mural of Merlin himself hangs on the walls of Hogwarts, wizards who have studied Merlin know that the mural is not of Merlin himself, but merely a portrait spell of Merlin.

As if sensing their thoughts, Dumbledore opened his diary and placed it in front of them.

A strong, clear male voice rang out.

"According to the information we have found, the wizarding world generally believes that Sir Cadogan was a member of the famous Knights of the Round Table!"

Although he was little known, and his promotion was due to his friendship with Merlin.

But clearly, all Muggle versions of the Arthurian legend exclude him. Oh, Muggles? Heh.

However, the Wizarding version of the story retains the fact that Ser Cadogan was with Lancelot, Bedivere, and Ser Parzifar.

In the story, he appears impulsive, hot-tempered, and fearless to the point of foolishness, but he is the kind of ordinary person who isn't inherently bad.

The male voice was deep and steady, possessing a captivating power that seemed to draw listeners into the adventures of Sir Cadogan.

However, the deep contempt in the male voice when he spoke of Muggles reminded Moriarty.

Could it be Grindelwald?

Moriarty suddenly had a bold idea: Dumbledore and Grindelwald had also searched for Merlin's secret when they were young.

This passage was from their notes—"whoosh," Dumbledore turned a page, the parchment still stiff despite the many years that had passed.

A voice, seemingly belonging to Grindelwald, rang out again.

"Sir Cadogan's most famous feat was his duel with the two-legged dragon on the River Wye."

You've seen bipedal dragons, haven't you, Dumbledore?

Those dragon-like creatures have long inhabited the southwestern counties of England.

In their first duel, the dragon devoured Sir Cadogan's horse, bit off his wand, and breathed fire that melted his sword and visor.

The steam from the melting helmet blocked Sir Cadogan's vision, and he barely escaped with his life.

But instead of running away, he stumbled to a nearby meadow, grabbed a short, plump pony that was grazing, jumped on it, and rode back to the two-legged dragon. He was left with only his broken wand and was ready to die a heroic death.

The dragon lowered its terrifying head, intending to swallow Sir Cadogan and the pony whole, but the broken, wrecked wand pierced its tongue, igniting the gas emanating from its stomach and blasting it to pieces.

Older wizards still use the proverb "I'll bring Cadogan's pony" to express "I will do everything in my power to turn the tide."

Haha, Sir Cadogan's wand must be a combination of blackthorn wood and a giant's beard. Blackthorn wood is flammable, and giants have a fiery temper.

Older wizards might as well pray they have a wand they like! So, are you determined to find the Deathly Hallows, Dumbledore?

(End of this chapter)