My Hogwarts has a serious problem.

Chapter 256, Section 253: The Person Behind the Scenes

From hiding in the bathroom to finding Hubert, to getting the secret of Parseltongue out of him, to gathering information at Hogsmeade, obtaining valuable information from Granny Daniels, and finally returning to Hogwarts to find Madam Grey, Lynn unexpectedly obtained the Scepter. Lynn spent about an hour recounting his experiences over the past three weeks to Dumbledore.

Dumbledore was undoubtedly a good listener. He had already prepared three cups of tea and replenished the desserts. Lynn had finished his story and, having eaten his fill, let out a satisfied burp.

"Rose Danielle, you can believe what she says. Since she predicted that the entrance to the treasure is at Hogwarts, it must be here. You're just looking for it the wrong way."

Lynn understood the implication in Old Deng's words: "You know this person too?"

He knew he'd asked a pointless question as soon as he said it; Aberforth had introduced him to all these people, so there was no reason his own brother wouldn't know them.

"Of course I know her." Dumbledore crossed his arms, a faint smile on his face. "She was in the same year as me when we were at Hogwarts, except she was in Ravenclaw and I was in Gryffindor."

"Then why does she know so much?" Lynn's voice was hesitant, because this question involved someone else's privacy, and he didn't know whether he should ask it.

But Dumbledore had no intention of hiding it from Lynn.

"Because, like your great-uncle, she was a born prophet, a seer."

"A prophet? Then why would she be a zookeeper at the Owl Post Office?"

"That's her own problem, it has nothing to do with us." Dumbledore shook his head, it was unclear whether he didn't want to talk about it or didn't know the matter.

"As for you obtaining the [Scepter]," Dumbledore picked up the spellbook Lynn had placed on the table, skipping the spells recorded in the front and flipping directly to the page containing the [Scepter]. "This is indeed unexpected. It has been hidden in Hogwarts for nearly a thousand years, yet no one has ever found it, including me."

Lynn raised an eyebrow: "You tried looking for it?"

"That was a long, long time ago. I had just become a Transfiguration professor when I heard about the Scepter, but in the end, I didn't pass the test left by the three relic masters." Dumbledore's voice sounded somewhat regretful.

"Didn't you pass any test?" Lynn was very curious about this.

"The bronze eagle at the entrance to the Ravenclaw common room," he said wistfully, "asked a question I could never answer in my entire life."

Lynn wisely didn't ask any more questions about this, nor was there any need to. The questions that troubled Old Deng throughout his life could only come from two aspects: one was his deceased sister, and the other was his beloved whom he had personally defeated.

How could the greatest headmaster in Hogwarts' history possibly fail the test left by the three leaders? He just didn't want to face certain things anymore.

"So do you know what this [scepter] is used for?" Lynn wasn't changing the subject; he was genuinely curious about the purpose of this alchemical artifact.

Dumbledore was very interested in the image.

"Its uses are certainly great. As far as I know, it is comparable to the Philosopher's Stone and can be considered one of the greatest alchemical creations in the history of the wizarding world. It's just that it has never been actually used by anyone."

"What exactly is its function?"

"I only know part of its function, such as its ability to command the entire castle when fully activated," Dumbledore said casually. "You should also realize that this castle is not simple. It's not enough to just have the title of Headmaster to become the master of the castle; rather, one must become the master of the castle to obtain the title of Headmaster."

"But Slytherin left no trials, so this [scepter] can never be activated?"

"Nothing is absolute. Since it has no possibility of being activated, why did the three Gryffindors leave it behind?" Dumbledore said with a smile. "Besides, once you get it, you can rightfully succeed me. You are now the designated successor of Hogwarts."

Lynn curled his lip in disdain: "Are the benefits of being the headmaster of Hogwarts really that good? Not only do you work all year round, but you also don't get a year-end bonus."

Old Deng smiled; he rarely saw Lynn show this childlike side. "Alright, keep this safe. Now that we've finished talking about these things, let's get down to business."

When they started talking about serious matters, their expressions became serious.

"Since the person hiding behind the scenes can control Hubert, it means he can also control others," Dumbledore said, frowning.

"I've already beaten the basilisk half to death. Even if the person behind it still wants it to come out and cause more trouble, Hogwarts is safe until at least Christmas. But after that, it's uncertain," Lynn analyzed the current situation.

"After the basilisk was moved out of the Chamber of Secrets, it hid in the treasure vault that the goblins once built in Hogsmeade. The mastermind's lair is very likely in this place as well. This is the only clue we have now. In addition, the fact that the basilisk attacked me today has also exposed many suspicious points."

First, why would he order the basilisk to attack me? Even if he discovered that I was impersonating Professor Lockhart, I myself possess wizarding blood. The basilisk was a tool left by Slytherin to cleanse Hogwarts, and it must have a way to distinguish whether a wizard is pure-blood. Considering the original purpose of the Chamber of Secrets and the basilisk's creation, attacking me makes no sense at all.

Secondly, why could the thing that rescued the basilisk use Apparition in the castle? Hogwarts has extremely strong anti-Apparition spells against wizards. Even someone as powerful as Professor You cannot Apparate within the castle. This means that the thing that took the basilisk was either a powerful wizard who could break through the anti-Apparition spell, or it was not a wizard at all but some other magical creature, such as a house-elf.

Third, and this leads to the second question, is the mastermind actually inside Hogwarts? If he's not at Hogwarts, how did he enter the castle? And how was he so confident in controlling the situation? And if he is at Hogwarts, what is his role? Is he a student, a professor, or some other being?

(End of this chapter)