Hogwarts: I will never become the Dark Lord

Publius Maro fell silent upon hearing this, and after a moment of composure, he replied, "I'm sorry, gentlemen, I can't be sure either, but..."

Then Publius Marlow fell silent again. "This matter is much more complicated than you think!"

"Do you think we can just ignore this?" Grindelwald said coldly, a murderous glint flashing in his eyes.

"I will investigate this matter thoroughly; you have no right to interfere!"

Grindelwald almost laughed in exasperation, but Dumbledore seemed thoughtful. He stopped Grindelwald and gave him a reassuring look.

"Please keep the contents of the box safe for now. Let's leave first!" With that, Publius Maro led the three of them to the base of a massive skeleton.

"This, is this the skeleton of the Basilisk? Merlin's beard, this body is definitely over fifty feet long!" Newt exclaimed in surprise as he looked at the exaggerated skeleton in front of him.

As they approached, they discovered a tall, black throne in the center of the skeleton. Its back was uniquely designed, shaped like wings, adorned only with red lines and devoid of any ornate decorations. However, the person who once sat on the throne was now just a skeleton; the former power and glory had been replaced by desolation and silence.

"Who is this?" everyone asked curiously.

“I don’t know either! But the structural design here does resemble the hell that Muggles talk about!” Publius Marlowe shook his head and said. He was forcibly teleported here by the man in black robes and had arrived not long before Dumbledore and the others, so he didn’t know much more about this place than they did.

“It’s time to leave!” With that, Publius Maro placed a palm-sized jade-colored stone disc on the basilisk’s huge fangs. As the disc was activated, the four of them disappeared from the spot.

On the unknown hillside, three figures suddenly appeared, twisting and contorting – it was Dumbledore and his group.

"You're out?" Newt exhaled a breath of stale air as he looked down at the bustling crowd below and the domed buildings in the distance.

"Albus, what were you thinking just now? Why didn't you ask that guy Publius Marlowe? He must know something!" Grindelwald leaned against the tree trunk, his doubts finally bursting forth.

“Obviously, even if we ask, he won’t tell us, and what he does tell us might not be the truth, but it’s not a complete loss…” Dumbledore said, glancing at Newt.

A Niffler, covered in black fur and with a long snout, emerged from Newt's clothes, carrying a yellowed note in its mouth.

The edges of the note were charred black by the flames, and only the middle part was still faintly legible.

"Looks like the little guy succeeded!" Dumbledore smiled.

“You animal keeper, you look like you’re not even as good as a Niffler!” Grindelwald mocked Newt.

Newt: "..."

Taking the paper from the Niffler's mouth, Dumbledore and Grindelwald stared intently at its contents, their expressions gradually turning grim, their eyes revealing a deep chill.

Newt noticed the change in their expressions and curiously leaned closer to see what was written on the page. However, he didn't quite understand it; the content seemed to be related to alchemy.

Dumbledore and Grindelwald, however, knew exactly what kind of alchemy was written on the pages, because Jerry's parents came from this kind of alchemy.

Recalling the previous loss of an arm, an ominous premonition welled up in the two men's hearts. Could it be that the other party was planning to create or rather, replicate Jerry?!

Chapter 147 I am irreconcilably opposed to evil!

"So, what's so special about Jerry? How is he different from other kids?"

Grindelwald murmured to himself, this was not only a question in his own mind, but also a mystery that lingered in Dumbledore's mind.

Dumbledore sat silently on the nearby rock, his eyes deep and complex. His mind kept replaying every detail of his recent contact and exchange with Second Bishop Publius Marlowe.

“Albus, do you think today’s events might be related to this Second Bishop…” Grindelwald pointed the finger directly at Publius Maro.

“I can’t be sure,” Dumbledore frowned, pondered for a moment, and then sighed. “But even if it has nothing to do with Publius Marlowe, the Apostles are not immune! This matter must have been orchestrated from within their ranks. Publius Marlowe’s words have already given us the answer. It’s not that we can’t intervene, but that we can’t investigate within the Apostles’ ranks!”

Dumbledore continued, "The biggest question today is: who exactly is that mysterious man in black? Someone with such power is definitely not some nobody in the wizarding world. Gellert, I even suspect that the man in black, like Publius Marlowe, is an Apostle!"

Upon hearing this, Grindelwald pondered for a moment and then nodded slightly, for Dumbledore's guess coincided with his own thoughts.

"Alright, let's leave this matter at that for now. I need to hurry back to Hogwarts! After all, I haven't been fired yet!"

Now it's up to Publius Marlowe. He's a high-ranking man, and he'll definitely do everything in his power to investigate what happened today, especially regarding the man in the black robes. I don't believe he'll allow such a threat to exist within the organization. All we need to do now is protect Jerry and observe the situation!

"We may not be able to infiltrate the core of the Apostles, but we can exploit the conflicts among their members to tear open their shell!" Dumbledore said reassuringly.

Grindelwald sighed softly; he couldn't think of a better way at the moment. Having dealt with and fought against this mysterious organization for so many years, they knew better than anyone how troublesome and difficult the Apostles were.

"So eager to get back to Hogwarts? Albus, didn't you leave everything at school to Jerry?" Although Grindelwald hadn't been in England for a while, he corresponded with Dumbledore almost every day, and Dumbledore would mention what was happening on campus, especially about Jerry, in his letters.

“Although everything has been arranged, I’m still a little worried. I’m afraid something might happen to the students!” Dumbledore shook his head helplessly, then looked at Newt, who was pacing back and forth to the side.

"Newt, thank you for coming with us today! But we still need you to keep this a secret, especially about what happened today."

"Don't worry, Albus! I'll keep it a secret. Tina doesn't know anything!" Newt said hurriedly, nodding to Dumbledore. He was eager to leave.

If you two have anything to discuss in the future, could you please wait until I'm gone before discussing it privately? It really makes me feel like I'm superfluous!

……

Spring quietly descended upon the grounds surrounding the castle, and the sky, like the lake, turned a pale blue with a faint purple glow. Inside the greenhouse, enormous flowers bloomed, resembling cabbages.

Two weeks have passed since Dumbledore left Hogwarts, and fear is spreading at an unprecedented pace. The warm sun shines on the castle's outer walls, but it seems unable to penetrate the straight-lattice windows and reach into every inch of space.

Apart from the Slytherin students, most faces in the school showed fear, and every laugh that came from the corridor sounded sharp and eerie, and was suppressed in an instant.

"Ancient Egyptian ruins, destroyed by a mysterious black wizard..."

Inside the Great Hall of Hogwarts, Jerry sat on a bench at the long table, looking at the Daily Prophet with a strange expression. Egypt? Could it be related to Dumbledore and Grindelwald?

"Jerry!"

Hearing someone call his name, Jerry looked up and saw Hermione with a happy smile, her face beaming with the excitement of someone who had won the lottery. She skipped and hopped along, running towards him.

"What's making you so happy?" Jerry asked curiously, then continued looking down at the Daily Prophet in his hand.

Hermione clung tightly to Jerry's back, their faces almost touching. Jerry could clearly feel Hermione's warm breath.

"Jerry, are you going to France again this summer?" Hermione asked excitedly. "I just received a letter from Mom and Dad; we're planning a summer vacation in France!"

"France? I'm not quite sure yet, we'll see!" Jerry replied absentmindedly, his mind completely absorbed in the newspaper in front of him.

Hermione noticed the perfunctory tone in Jerry's words, and she pouted, giving him a disgruntled glare. She wanted to see what exactly was in the Daily Prophet that was so captivating to Jerry!

"Jerry, this looks like last week's newspaper, doesn't it?" Hermione asked, looking at the date on the paper. "Where did you get this newspaper?"

"I just borrowed it from Mischief!"

Peeves? Borrow? Hermione got up from Jerry's back, looked at Jerry's clean and tidy clothes, and then sniffed him carefully. After confirming that Jerry had not been attacked by Peeves with stinky poop balls, she looked incredulous.

This guy, Pipi Gui, would actually lend something to someone so politely?

"There's nothing surprising about that. Just talk to Pippi the Ghost properly, and you can always reason with him!" Jerry put away his newspaper, smiled, and said.

Jerry was indeed trying to "reason" with Peeves. When he passed by Peeves in the corridor that morning, he saw a newspaper in Peeves' hand with a big headline about Egypt and wanted to borrow it to take a look. Unfortunately, Peeves dared not lend it to him and even dared to provoke him! He even took out a stinky dung ball to threaten him.

Bold!

Peeves, I think you've been disloyal to Hogwarts for a long time. Today you dare to threaten students with stinky dung balls, tomorrow you'll be following Voldemort to kill, burn, and run rampant in the school!

Dumbledore wasn't at school, so how could Jerry ignore something like this?

Jerry: I am mortal with evil!

Turning around, Jerry approached Barrow, the Blood Man ghost from Slytherin, and had him take an axe to Peeves to reason with him, urging him to confess honestly and be treated leniently if he confessed, and severely if he resisted!

Chapter 148 Secret Room

"Jerry, what are you daydreaming about? You're just like Neville!" Hermione grabbed Jerry's shoulder and shook him. "Can't you concentrate a little when you're talking to me?"

"Huh? Oh, sorry, I'll be more careful next time!" Jerry patted the hand on his shoulder and said, "But Neville still hasn't recovered?"

After the anomaly in Jerry's eyes subsided, Hermione, Harry, and Ron quickly returned to normal. Only Neville seemed to still have some lingering effects, always absent-minded and forgetful.

"It's much better than a few days ago! But Jerry, should we tell Harry and the other two about the Basilisk? I'm worried they might be in danger!"

"Don't worry! Whatever Hermione can think of, Headmaster Dumbledore can also think of. He will arrange everything!"

As the two were talking, Harry, Harry, and his friends yawned and walked in from the side of the hall.

"Good morning!"

"Good morning, Jerry!" Harry said listlessly after sitting down. "Jerry, what should we do?"

"The Ministry of Magic won't listen to a giant eight-eyed spider; Hagrid will still be imprisoned in Azkaban!"

“As long as Professor Dumbledore knows that Hagrid was framed, that’s enough, Harry, you have to believe Dumbledore!” Jerry comforted him.

"I shouldn't have kept it from Professor Dumbledore that I was a Parseltongue; I should have told him that I heard strange noises at the scene of the attack!"

Hermione sat to the side, watching the regret and anxiety on Harry's face, speechless. She really wanted to throw the Basilisk information in his face.

Why don't you go to the library and look up some information? The answer is already so obvious!

……

Night, Hogwarts Headmaster's office. After trying out the names of several snacks and candies, Jerry successfully sneaked in.

The portraits of past principals hanging on the wall are now asleep in their frames, and Phoenix Fox is also dozing off next to the desk.

Jerry approached the desk cautiously and silently, trying to make as little noise as possible. He slowly reached out his hand towards Fox's feathers, careful not to wake it!

Fox, who was sleeping, suddenly felt a chill, and a strong malice woke him from his slumber.

It opened its eyes and found Jerry standing beside it, trying to pluck its feathers again when it wasn't looking.

Fox swiftly dodged Jerry, ripped his sleeve with his claws, and flew to the top of the bookshelf, glaring angrily at Jerry.

"It's a misunderstanding, it's a misunderstanding, you have to believe me!" Caught red-handed by Fox, Jerry quickly waved his hands and explained, "I came to see you tonight because I had something else to discuss, really!"

Jerry looked at Fox, who refused to come down from the high shelf, and smiled awkwardly. How stingy! All I did was secretly pluck a few feathers from you last time!

Anyway, you still have so many feathers on you, what's wrong with giving me a few? I'm still a child!

"I've come here to discuss how to deal with the basilisk monster. All you need to do is blind it, and don't hurt the rest of it. Those are all treasures, so leave them to me!"

Jerry explained to Fox in a low voice again, and finally, after much pleading and cajoling, Fox slowly returned to its desk, though its eyes remained fixed on Jerry warily.

After discussing things with Fawkes in the Headmaster's office, Jerry headed straight for the second-floor washroom at Hogwarts.

Myrtle, thoroughly annoyed by Harry and his friends' constant questioning about the Chamber of Secrets fifty years ago, left the washroom and went elsewhere. This was for the best; it saved Jerry the trouble of finding an excuse to get rid of her.

Jerry carefully examined the pool and found a bronze dragon head with a small snake engraved on the side. He twisted it but found no water came out.

"This should be it," Jerry thought to himself.

"Hiss! (Open)" Jerry stared intently at the carved snake, trying to imagine it as a real snake. Then, he let out a hoarse, piercing, and unsettling hiss.