Hogwarts: Undercover Death Eater Replaces the Dark Lord

"Professor, is what Lecos said true?" Harry looked at Lupin, still holding on to a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

Lupine was silent.

"Although what Lycos said was unpleasant, most of it made sense." He sighed deeply, "In fact, the legislation regarding truth serum was enacted during the period after the Wizarding War—"

"At that time, there were too many wizards who joined the Death Eaters... If we use Veritaserum to make those captured wizards confess one by one, I'm afraid half of the entire wizarding world will be imprisoned in Azkaban."

"So, the Ministry of Magic at the time chose the simplest and most profitable approach - banning the use of truth serum in interrogations and accepting donations from those pure-blood Death Eaters, thereby exempting them from responsibility in the war."

"This way, the Ministry of Magic will earn enough funds, reduce the pressure from the pure-bloods, and also reduce the pressure on Azkaban..."

Lupin glanced at Harry and Lecos, seeming to hesitate whether he should tell the two young wizards these cruel facts.

However, before Lupin could speak, Lycos said what he wanted to say first:

"So even today, the Ministry of Magic can use the Veritaserum Control Act to 'stabilize' the social situation. In the case of Sirius, the Ministry of Magic's mistakes will attract a lot of public opinion and reduce its credibility."

"So, they would rather let Sirius be wrongly accused for the rest of his life than admit Peter Pettigrew's crime!"

……

Chapter 204 Back to School

Harry's eyes widened until they almost popped out of their sockets.

"How could this happen..." He murmured blankly.

Because of the long-term bullying suffered by young Harry in the Muggle world, he has always regarded the wizarding world as his real home, and he has beautiful aspirations for all kinds of people and things in the wizarding world.

Now, the Ministry of Magic's unfair treatment of Sirius has finally made Harry realize...

Whether it is the Muggle world or the magical world, as long as there are people, there is darkness and unfairness.

"Actually, compared to Sirius, I'm more worried about the Dementors..." Lupin frowned, his expression filled with worry. "The Ministry of Magic actually dared to allow Dementors to appear on a train full of students. This has reached the point of abuse."

"I also think Dementors are very dangerous..." Harry shuddered as he recalled the experience of facing that monster just now. "Can the Ministry of Magic really control these monsters?"

"Actually, these Dementors have just rioted." Lupin glanced at Lycos intentionally or unintentionally. "Although the specific reason is unclear, this large-scale gathering is obviously different from what the Ministry of Magic imagined..."

"And this isn't the most important thing—Dumbledore has long said that Dementors are Voldemort's natural allies... When he returns, the Dementors will be the first to betray the Ministry of Magic."

"But... why?" Harry demanded.

"In fact, Dementors were born out of fear," Lupin said slowly. "The wizarding war started by Voldemort will bring endless fear to the world, which will provide a wider breeding ground for Dementors..."

"Besides, Death Eaters don't care about the lives of Muggles. They will allow Dementors to suck the happiness of Muggles and create countless food for Dementors."

"Dumbledore didn't tell the Ministry of Magic about this?" Harry asked incredulously. "How dare the Ministry of Magic use something so dangerous as an employee?"

"It's useless," Lycos continued. "It's too convenient to use Dementors as guards in Azkaban and as tools for catching criminals. It doesn't require any funding from the Ministry of Magic..."

"If any Minister of Magic wants to ban Dementors, the first thing he will have to face is the soaring fiscal deficit and the huge occupation of manpower and material resources."

Lycos leaned against the wall of the train and shrugged. "Besides, eliminating the Dementors isn't some extraordinary feat... Which minister do you think would take on such a thankless job?"

Harry still couldn't believe it and turned to look at Lupin blankly.

However, in the face of Harry's hopeful gaze, Lupin did not refute anything, but nodded silently.

Harry fell completely silent.

"Harry, I know that what happened today might have been a bit of a shock to you." Lupin gently placed his hand on Harry's shoulder. "I originally just wanted to tell you about Sirius's current situation, but it has expanded so much..."

"Sirius is staying not far from Hogwarts right now. No one can find him... As for what happened today, Harry, go back and digest it. You might be needed to testify in court for Sirius later."

Harry didn't say much, just nodded to himself in silence.

Lupin sighed softly, patted Harry's shoulder again, looked at Lecos deeply again, turned and left the corner of the carriage.

"I see the train has started again. It should arrive at Hogsmeade Station in about ten minutes." Before leaving, he added, "I need to talk to the conductor. You can pack up and change into your uniforms."

After saying that, Lupin walked straight through the first carriage and headed towards the front of the train where the conductor was.

Lycos and Harry looked at each other, neither of them seemed to be in the mood to talk, and each returned to their respective boxes.

……

During the remaining ten minutes of the journey, Cedric and Draco in the box did not seem to have completely recovered from the influence of the Dementors and were in no mood to talk much.

Crabbe and Goyle were fast asleep, occasionally snoring loudly.

So, there was no conversation along the way, and the train finally stopped at Hogsmeade Station.

Because of what happened before, the luggage and other belongings were thrown all over the place, and when the young wizards got off the bus, they were in a state of panic.

Owls were hooting non-stop, pet toads were croaking and jumping, pet cats were running around... and many little wizards couldn't find their school robes for a long time and were frantically searching for them in the piles of luggage.

Lycos and his companions were not too busy.

Most of Lycos and Draco's luggage was in snakeskin wallets cast with a traceless extension charm, while Cedric's luggage was in the prefect's compartment, where the storage racks were better than in other compartments and were not scattered everywhere.

Only Crabbe and Goyle's luggage suffered the same fate as everyone else, but the two chubby guys' school robes were oversized, so they were easy to find and would not be confused with the others...

When Lex got off the train, Cedric had already said goodbye to him and joined the other prefects for a routine security check.

Outside the train, the ground of the small Hogsmeade platform was wet. Although the Dementors had left, the cold rain was still pouring down, hitting the roof of the platform and making a crackling sound.

"First years, come here!" Hagrid's signature loud voice rang out.

Lycos subconsciously turned around and saw Hagrid's burly figure at the other end of the platform.

He was waving to the panicked first-year students, about to lead them on the traditional opening journey across the lake... Lycos looked at the students with sympathy, and Draco laughed out loud with glee.

"This year's freshmen are really unlucky to be on a boat in this kind of weather," Draco said with a smile.

"Okay, stop gloating. Be careful that your juniors and classmates will hate you." Lecos glanced at him and walked into the rain first.

But before stepping out of the roof of the station, he took out a black umbrella from his snakeskin wallet and held it above his head to block the raindrops falling from the sky.

In the UK, carrying an umbrella is a must.

Because the weather here is often changeable, and the temperate maritime climate is relatively rainy, with sudden showers often occurring, people living in the UK always carry an umbrella.

Later, carrying an umbrella even became a symbol of gentlemanliness in the Muggle world.

However, the wizarding world clearly didn't have such a custom. After all, wizards could use spells to block the rain... Lycos carried an umbrella, mostly because he didn't know enough spells for everyday use...

"I thought you were going to use the Water and Fire Immunity Charm or the Umbrella Transfiguration Charm to keep out the rain?" Draco said casually as he got under Lycos' umbrella very rudely.

Crabbe and Goyle were left in the rain, their school robes soaked.

"You know that my grades in Charms and Transfiguration are just average." Lycos held an umbrella and followed the crowd to the front of the station.

"To prevent the Water and Fire Invulnerability Spell from leaking, or transforming into a broken umbrella and getting me drenched in rain... I still think it's more convenient to just use a real umbrella."

"If your grades are average, then what am I?" Draco stomped his feet, splashing water onto Lecos's trouser legs.

Lycos glanced at Draco and said unhappily, "Walk properly!"

Draco then responded sullenly and continued walking towards the front of the platform.

Following the other students of Hogwarts, Lecos and his friends walked onto a rough and muddy road. The rain that continued incessantly made the road surface extremely slippery. If there had not been so many people on the road and not enough space, the little wizard would have fallen on the road long ago.

At the end of the road, at least a hundred carriages were waiting for the students arriving from Hogsmeade Station, each carriage pulled by a Thestral.

Lycos saw from afar the group of tall and muscular horses with pitch-black bodies, dragon heads and horse bodies, and a pair of broad wings... He himself had forgotten when he started to see these Thestrals.

Because only those who have witnessed death can see the Thestrals.

But Lycos really shouldn't be blind to it, he has used the killing curse many times.

Thinking of this, they quickly climbed into a carriage and avoided the heavy rain.

After the door was closed, the carriage began to move forward, swaying and bumping along the way. There was a faint smell of mold and straw inside the carriage.

"What's that smell? Hasn't it been cleaned up yet?"

Draco was still grumbling under his breath.

The carriage rolled forward, and after a few minutes, a pair of magnificent cast iron gates appeared in front of them, with many stone pillars on both sides, and a winged wild boar at the end of each pillar.

It's a warthog statue representing Hogwarts.

Lycos saw two more tall, hooded Dementors standing guard on either side of the gate.

In a blink of an eye, a cold wave seemed to hit him. He sat on the uneven seat and closed his eyes gently.

Draco took a deep breath and buried his head in Goyle's stomach...

Meanwhile, the carriage picked up speed along the long, sloping drive until it reached the castle. Lycos opened his eyes and watched the turrets and towers approaching.

Finally, the carriage wobbled to a stop and Lycos and the others got off.

Lycos walked quickly, almost impatiently, following the crowd up the stone steps, through the huge oak door in the courtyard, and into the deep, torch-lit antechamber, where a magnificent marble staircase led upstairs.

The door on the right leading to the auditorium was open, and Lycos followed the crowd into the auditorium hall.

Standing next to the Slytherin table, Lycos once again swept his eyes across the table, and finally completely lost the last glimmer of hope - Cassandra really did not return to school, she must have really had an accident.

"When did we first go to Hogsmeade?" Lycos asked casually.

"I don't know." Draco shook his head and turned to look at the captain of the Slytherin Quidditch team, Marcus Flint, who was not far away. "Flint, do you know when the first Hogsmeade was?"

"Usually before Halloween," Marcus Flint said. "So, that should be around the end of October, right?"

"OK, thanks." Draco gave a thumbs-up and immediately told Lycos, "It should be the end of October. Are you eager to go to Hogsmeade?"

"...You can say that." Lycos wanted to refute, but then he thought about it and decided not to.

He really wanted to take the opportunity of going to Hogsmeade to go somewhere else.

But if it is the end of October, it will be two months later.

It’s still too late…

……

The sorting ceremony began soon.

"Welcome!" Dumbledore stood up from the center of the professors' seats, his white beard gleaming in the candlelight. "Welcome to Hogwarts in the new school year!"

"Before we begin the Sorting Ceremony, I have a few words to say to all of you—one of which is a very serious matter, and I thought it best to make it clear before you get carried away by this delicious meal..."

Dumbledore cleared his throat and continued, "You are all aware that some magical creatures have searched the Hogwarts Express. Some of you may have heard of those monsters; they are called Dementors."

"Our school is currently hosting several Dementors from Azkaban, who are here on Ministry of Magic business."