A day at Hogwarts.

Chapter 678 Secret Organization
As October drew to a close at Hogwarts, the weather grew colder and colder, and the students' hearts grew equally chilly.

Before the pumpkin lanterns hanging in the castle corridors were lit, a sense of tension more biting than the cold air already permeated the air.

The Halloween Eve revelry seems like a distant dream, but before savoring this joy, all students must first overcome a hurdle called the "October Monthly Exam".

The library was packed, and there was little laughter in the common room. Hermione and her friends' tutoring classes had exceeded expectations, and everywhere there were people buried in their books, the scratching of quills on parchment, and the low, desperate chanting of spells.

What's even more alarming is that a rumor, which seems to have originated from nowhere, spread rapidly among the students like the flu.

It is said that all the questions for this monthly exam will be drafted by Umbridge himself.

The thought of her cramming her rigid, biased, and bureaucratic way of thinking into the exam sent shivers down even the best students' spines.

Charles received a deeper understanding and realized Umbridge's true intentions.

However, he didn't think this was a bad thing for the time being, so he didn't say anything more and continued to do his own thing.

The night was deep, but the roaring fireplace made the principal's office warm and cozy.

Dumbledore sat in the magical massage chair behind his desk, several hands massaging his limbs, shoulders, and temples.

When Snape arrived, he looked up and gave a gentle smile.

“Severus,” Dumbledore gestured for him to sit down, “is there any new development on Voldemort’s side?”

He wondered why the double agent had come so late at night.

“That’s not it,” Snape’s voice was as deep as ever, his eyes shining with a different light under the lamplight. “I’m not here for that.”

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow slightly, stood up and walked to the chair at his desk, and said, "So, it's about the upcoming monthly exam?"

"Although it was somewhat unexpected that Professor Umbridge would set the questions, it is not uncommon to occasionally test the students' learning outcomes under different standards."

Snape's lips curled downwards, clearly disagreeing with the assessment of "interesting".

“It’s not a monthly exam.” He refuted the principal’s second guess, paused as if organizing his thoughts, and then slowly began, “I’ve come tonight to discuss something about Charles Smith.”

Dumbledore paused almost imperceptibly for half a second as he poured tea, his eyes fixed intently on Snape, and asked, "What's wrong with him?"

Charles has been busy with his research outside of class lately, and that seems to be all he does.

It's related to research, specifically Snape's assistance with the large potion model.

Snape's gaze turned serious, and his voice became more solemn, something he had never done before when mentioning Voldemort: "I suspect he is connected to 'R'."

“R?” Dumbledore repeated softly, the simple letter triggering some not-so-distant memories.

He certainly knew what that code name represented. It was a mysterious organization that had haunted the shadows of the magical world like a ghost decades ago. Its period of activity predated Voldemort's rise, but in some ways, it was even more dangerous and secretive.

“A group of dark wizards who call themselves scholars and researchers,” Snape thought Dumbledore should know, but still spoke very seriously, “who, under the guise of seeking the origins of magic and pursuing immortality, act no differently than the most despicable dark wizards.”

"Illegally acquiring knowledge, plundering magical items, infiltrating the Ministry of Magic, and even being able to summon Dementors to attack..."

"It wasn't until June 22, 1991, that it was finally broken up in the battle at the back gate of Hogwarts Castle." "At least superficially."

He raised his eyes, staring intently at Dumbledore, and continued, "Charles' interest in certain forbidden areas has astonished even the Dark Lord."

"Especially his ability to mobilize resources, which far exceeds that of his peers and even many adult wizards, his relationship with Ministry of Magic officials, and his ambiguous relationship with Dementors, all of this makes me wonder if he has some unknown connection with that organization that should have been destroyed long ago."

"Perhaps he is the last remaining spark of R, or perhaps a new member?"

A brief silence fell over the office, broken only by the sound of Fox pecking at a piece of hard candy.

Dumbledore's gaze seemed to drift into the distance, as if recalling all the fragments of memories related to Charles...

Charles did indeed have dealings with many mysterious wizarding organizations, so Snape's suspicions were not unfounded.

A few minutes later, Dumbledore slowly shook his head, his gaze refocusing, becoming clear and resolute.

“No, Severus.” His voice was calm, yet carried an undeniable authority. “I understand your concerns. Charles is indeed shrouded in many mysteries, and his abilities and ambitions far exceed those of ordinary people.”

"However, R's style of doing things and his core demands are fundamentally different from the qualities that Charles has shown."

He further explained: "The most fundamental pursuit of the R Organization is to open the path to immortality, in addition to the pursuit of knowledge, truth and justice, as well as to use mind control to eliminate the corruption of the British Ministry of Magic."

“Charles is different. All his projects, whether they are large-scale recipe models, large-scale potion models, large-scale models of future magic, or mobile libraries, seem to be more inclined to create a new era.”

"He is building platforms and creating tools, and although these tools may be extremely powerful, his approach is more like that of an extremely efficient, goal-driven engineer or entrepreneur than a predator or secret researcher hiding in the shadows."

Dumbledore paused for a moment before finally concluding: "I tend to think that there may indeed be a mentor behind Charles that we do not yet know, or a network with powerful resources and support."

"But the nature and purpose of this support system are completely different from the dark creed of the 'R' organization that pursues immortality and absolute power."

Snape pursed his lips, seemingly not entirely convinced by Dumbledore's assessment, but he did not utter any further objections.

He knew that Dumbledore possessed an experience and intuition that he could hardly match in understanding people's hearts and weighing situations.

Moreover, the reason I thought of R was because of some personal grudges.

While a secret conversation about the forces behind Charles was taking place in the principal's office, the person in question was not staying quietly in the castle.

An owl from the Hogsmeade Owl Post Office flew to the dormitory. After Charles saw the letter it delivered, addressed to a stranger, he quietly left the castle.

The large menu model is put away after dusk, and the bar becomes deserted again at night. Aberforth wipes the glasses and ignores the customers.

Charles, wearing a hood, seemed not to recognize him and went straight upstairs to the second floor, knocking on the door of a room.

The door opened quickly, and Charles went inside.

There were two people waiting in the room, a male wizard and a female wizard.

If Snape and Dumbledore were here, they would surely recognize that this wizard named Jacob was once a member of R, and the witch was his sister Amelia. Their father was the leader of R.

(End of this chapter)