From Azkaban to Hogwarts.

Adams's expression was rather unpleasant—or rather, few wizards in the entire hall had an unpleasant expression.

The saying goes, "A person's name casts a shadow on a tree." The fact that the Dark Lord was so powerful that the entire British Ministry of Magic dared not use his official name and only dared to call him "Mysterious Man" is enough to prove the point. Only a little over a decade has passed since the war, but Voldemort's accumulated power has not dissipated at all. On the contrary, it has become even stronger because of this resurrection.

The joy people felt back then is now matched by their fear. An unkillable opponent, an opponent that can resurrect—it sends chills down your spine…

Even the students who were usually fearless were unusually quiet at this moment, and the professors were even more determined not to show their fear on their faces...

"Alright, alright, Adams," William said helplessly, pulling back the newspaper. "I take back what I said earlier. That Dark Lord has actually come back to life... It's terrifying..."

He tried to feign fear, but Adams easily saw through his act.

"You're just too carefree. That's no ordinary dark wizard; he really does kill... and we all know he's always been... "

Adams grumbled irritably, "I'm not trying to scare you, but look at that damn plan in the newspapers—that Dark Lord even admitted he intends to try and strip Muggle wizards of their powers to strengthen his Death Eaters..."

Every professor at this school knows which course's professor was being targeted. Adams had heard those rumors from students when he was a student, and now he was somewhat annoyed with them for being so irresponsible—at a time like this, they still had the mind to joke about that mysterious person!

“That’s different. There are only a handful of Muggle-born wizards…” William spread his hands. He hadn’t expected that before the third mudslinging incident could even begin, the Dark Lord would expose himself. But to think he could wash himself clean so easily? Dream on…

“You at least know the basic process of potion making, Adams,” William said seriously. “Even the most skilled apothecary can only fully activate the properties of the materials themselves using various potion formulas, but cannot complete the transformation of the materials—no problem, right?”

"Yes, yes, but what does this have to do with that damned plan?"

"Remember, he's a potion, not some magical alchemy, Adams. Add to that his clumsy extraction process and flawed conception, and even if the Dark Lord succeeds, how many Muggle-born wizards do you think he'd need to kill to elevate the so-called bloodline glory of a Death Eater? Five? Ten? Or even more?"

"What? You mean it takes five or even ten Muggle wizards to elevate the bloodline of one wizard?!"

Adams was so shocked by the horrific number that he even shouted it out in a manner that was unusual for him, drawing all the attention in the otherwise quiet auditorium, which was quiet because of the day's news.

Professor McGonagall's disapproving gaze immediately swept over and lingered for a long time—what kind of time is this to dare bring up such a sensitive topic…

William gave a wry smile. He rose from his seat, quickly walked over to Professor McGonagall, and began to briefly explain the previous topic, adding, "Let me explain to the students, otherwise who knows what rumors will spread..."

He didn't want to end up getting blamed himself; this matter needed to be explained—who knew Adams would be so easily intimidated…

After receiving Professor McGonagall's approval, William stood up.

"Well, this shouldn't have been brought up for discussion, because it's really creepy, and you shouldn't be dealing with this kind of thing. But since this accident happened, I can only offer my somewhat immature opinion."

"Professor Adams and I just had a brief discussion about the feasibility of the Dark Lord's so-called plan, which is why that sound came out in the end."

"In theory, as a professor, I would never allow you to study something that is more evil than most black magic. But since this has happened today, I have to explain a little about any random things that might come up."

"Currently, there is no research that can strip a wizard of their power. Even if the Dark Lord were to succeed in his research, he would absolutely not be able to completely strip a wizard of all their power—this is a very simple principle, let's take a simple example..."

"For example, let's say you have seven Galleons. I can take your money using all sorts of methods—robbery, theft, fraud—but I can only get a maximum of seven Galleons from you. In most cases, it will be even less, because once you realize you've been tricked, you'll be extremely protective of the remaining money..."

“I know some of our students aren’t very friendly towards Muggle-born wizards, and sometimes even use the Dark Lord’s evil plans to attack them—but think about it, how many Muggle-born wizards are there in the whole of Hogwarts?”

"So think about it, if each of them only has seven Galleons, do you think you can rob a whole bunch of Galleons? How many Galleons would that be if you took them all?"

"So, if we want to get a lot of Galleons, where will we get the rest of the money? If a Muggle-born wizard has seven Galleons, what about half-blood wizards? Wizards from small families? How many Galleons do they have?"

He pulled a small pile of Galleons from his purse. "Okay, to give you an idea, on my left are Galleons for Muggle wizards, and on my right are Galleons for half-blood wizards and wizards from less privileged backgrounds. Now, I'm mixing them all together..."

In front of the students, he mixed the Galonnaise in both hands together, then separated them, saying, "Now, can someone tell me how to tell them apart?"

“It’s that simple,” William put away the money. “Think it over carefully, that’s it.”

-

“You have practically publicly refuted that Dark Lord, Professor William.”

In the headmaster's office, Dumbledore looked at William with a smile, "He's not exactly a magnanimous person..."

"I didn't expect that this pressure would force him to reveal his true colors..."

William shook his head. "I was actually planning to throw a third bucket of mud at him. I thought that would be the only way he'd give up..."

"So it seems we need to change our plans?"

"No, it's still the same. I really want to see his reaction..."

William grinned mischievously, clearly delighted.

Chapter 598 Voldemort's name is Tom

“You’re joking, Professor William.”

After William briefly explained the third piece of news he had prepared, Dumbledore showed a surprised expression.

“I didn’t, Principal.”

William said calmly, “On the contrary, we should learn to rely on the strength of others. Dealing with the Dark Lord is something that the entire magical community should do, not just your responsibility. You are being too hard on yourself.”

"He'll get suspicious!"

“You can’t expect to keep this from him for long, especially now that Lucius Malfoy is almost certainly on our side. Think about it, that diary…”

“I need to think about it some more…Professor William.”

“There’s no time, Headmaster,” William said, looking at Dumbledore. “It’s true we forced him out, and it’s true we spread all sorts of rumors about him, but he does indeed control the Ministry of Magic of a country… or rather, the Magical Congress.”

"You should know that lies will be dispelled by facts. Once American wizards realize, after their initial fear, that the Dark Lord himself has no intention of capturing them for potion making, his followers will only grow larger and larger—and then the entire wizarding world will be drawn into the war."

"His direct approach may temporarily dispel some rumors, but his authority is enough to deter those who are wavering. Although it was abrupt, ordinary rumors can no longer persuade them to betray the Dark Lord. The price of betraying him is different from the price of betraying Miss Bertha."

William sighed. The goal of the rumor was indeed achieved, but it was still a little short... That was originally intended as a buffer for the third rumor.

"Rely on them..."

Dumbledore thought for a moment, then finally nodded. "Alright, I'll personally send the letter to Fudge and have him appoint the person to issue this statement."

-

The First Half of the Mysterious Man's Life

...

According to absolutely reliable sources, the student records of the recently resurrected mysterious figure—the one whose name cannot even be mentioned—have finally been unearthed.

Tom Riddle was born in an orphanage in London, England. He was introduced to the wizarding world by Dumbledore himself in the summer of 1938 and attended Slytherin House at Hogwarts.

[It is understood that if you combine the name Tom Riddle, you will see the phrase "I am ██"...]

In 1945, Tom Riddle graduated from Hogwarts. At the time, he was an outstanding student, praised by all.

In 1946, Tom Riddle resigned and began a life of wandering...

In 1956, Tom Riddle returned to the wizarding world, having undergone several magical transformations and possessing the awe-inspiring power he now commands.

...

[It is reported that the mysterious person ultimately completed the human transformation in Bhutan, while the countries he visited before were...]

……

[Furthermore, the British Ministry of Magic is offering a high reward for information leading to the discovery of the secret behind the mysterious man's ultimate power: 10,000 Galleons for discovery, and 3,000 Galleons for accurate information.]

This activity is extremely dangerous. Wizards who are not strong enough are strongly advised not to participate. If any unusual areas are discovered, please report them immediately. Once an unusual area is confirmed to be a bounty area, the reward will be paid according to the amount of accurate information provided.

...

-

"Dumbledore, you deserve to die! You deserve to die!"

In the Magical Congress office, Voldemort was using magic to wantonly destroy one decoration after another.

His completely magically transformed face was now burning hot, as if something was scorching him.

"I know it was you, Dumbledore. You gave me this damned report, you instructed me to do it, you coward! I'll kill you a thousand times over!"

His scarlet eyes gleamed with a blood-red hue; he had never suffered such humiliation since his resurrection.

Orphanage...

Yes, that orphanage—he remembered the helpless mother, the father he had killed with his own hands…

"You deserve to die, Dumbledore!"

Another expensive ornament exploded completely under the influence of magic, but this did not diminish Voldemort's rage in the slightest.

He felt as if his clothes had been stripped off, as if he had been ripped open in front of all the wizards in the world, leaving him with nothing at all.

"I'm going to kill you, Albus, I'm going to kill you..."

-

"So, how was that Dark Lord...?"

In Dumbledore's office, William looked at the latest intelligence that Dumbledore had obtained.

"He still hasn't left the United States?"

"There's not even any information about him being away for an extended period..."

"Could it be that we were really wrong, and the Dark Lord didn't plant any Horcruxes over there?"

William's eyes were full of doubt—with such a bounty, wizards from those countries had been mobilized, but the Dark Lord hadn't made any move to travel. If he wasn't just carefree, then it could only mean that the Dark Lord's Horcrux wasn't there.

'Does he think that anywhere outside of England is unworthy of his Horcruxes?'

Or did he believe his loyal Death Eaters would take good care of his soul, thus requiring England, where the Death Eaters were most numerous, to be the place?

'But if it were in England, then what exactly did I miss?'

'Or is it really as we suspected, that all the Horcruxes have been found?'

William couldn't confirm it.

'If all else fails, we'll have to trick them into killing us first, then seal them away…'

"So, Professor William, what are your thoughts?"

Dumbledore's face revealed an all-knowing expression; he already knew what William was planning to do.

"Just as you thought, lure him in and kill him..."

William sighed. He would rather confront the Dark Lord head-on than let the Dark Lord consolidate his power and grow steadily after taking control of the entire American magical world—by then, getting close to the Dark Lord would probably be wishful thinking.

"It's time for Lucius to give us a complete and utter backstab."

"If Bhutan and those other countries don't have it, then it's time to let the Dark Lord know that Lucius has presented a diary, and we are studying this precious magical artifact from the Dark Lord."

"Only then will the Dark Lord leave his safe haven in the American wizarding world and risk his life to inspect those Horcruxes..."