American comics: From Hogwarts to God on Earth

Dumbledore was well aware that Rune's rate of growth was alarmingly rapid. However, he always believed that Rune wasn't the kind of person Snape imagined. The reason was quite simple: if Rune were truly as Snape described, why would he have directly told him the prophecy?

Therefore, he believed that Rune's obsession with becoming stronger stemmed from his foresight of Voldemort's return and his eagerness to protect himself. This also explains why Rune didn't care about history, astronomy, or herbalism, but instead focused on learning Transfiguration and Charms. In contrast, Dumbledore was pleasantly surprised that Rune was willing to study Potions and even made a name for himself in it.

Most importantly, Dumbledore had personally met Rune. He believed that although Rune's mental age was far greater than his actual age, he still had a moral bottom line, even higher than the upper limit of many pure-blood families. He could have used the brown sugar ginger tea recipe for his own personal gain, but he chose to do it openly; he could have stood by and watched Slytherin insult other houses, but he chose to retaliate in kind.

Dumbledore was certainly willing to believe in Rune, and believed that Rune could bring about tremendous changes to the entire wizarding world in the future.

Did Snape know this? As the head of Slytherin, a professor who was often bothered by runes asking questions, how could he not know?

"If you can make a promise, I'll leave immediately." Snape stared intently at Dumbledore. Yes, Rune was generally a kind boy, he knew that, but what Rune had done these two times was truly excessive. The first time, he hung up all the Slytherins of his year, plus several older students; the second time, he forced all the Slytherins to apologize to others. What about next time? Was he going to grab the heads of the other twenty-eight pure-blood families by the neck and force them to admit that pure-blood theory was wrong?

This is why Snape was truly wary of Rune: his respect for the rules was gradually disappearing, he was becoming increasingly intolerant of injustice, and he possessed the corresponding strength. Snape still couldn't be sure just how strong Rune was, but based on his performance that day, he was already capable of overturning the table.

Rune is kind, but who says there are only dark demon kings? If this guy doesn't stick to his principles, he'll become the first white demon king.

Why was Dumbledore unwilling to touch the Ministry of Magic, even allowing the incompetent Fudge to take over and "cowardly" obey his orders? Wasn't it because Dumbledore feared that if he became Minister for Magic, he would be tempted to rewrite the rules of the entire British wizarding world? And how many wizards would die if the rules were rewritten? How would the remaining wizards communicate with the leaders of the Muggles? Would the war between the conservatives and Dumbledore drag innocent Muggles into it?

After careful consideration, Dumbledore realized he couldn't answer those questions, which is why he became the headmaster of Hogwarts. To be honest, it was a form of escapism, but on the bright side, Dumbledore also hoped to cultivate a student who could answer those questions.

But if Rune were to become Minister of Magic, he certainly wouldn't consider these issues. He would simply flip the table, read minds, and then the good wizards would stay and the dark wizards would die—it's that simple.

That's why Snape was afraid. It's not that only bad people kill; good people can kill more and faster than bad people.

However, Dumbledore touched his glasses with his fingers, looked at Snape, and said softly, "This may not be a bad thing, Snape. Our enemies have never been just Voldemort. Those with specific individuals and organizations can be destroyed, but how are we wizards and Muggles supposed to get along?"

Snape frowned slightly, a hint of confusion in his eyes, his gaze lingering on the other person as if trying to understand something.

"Have you seen the comments in the newspaper?"

Upon hearing this, Snape's lips curled into a slight, contemptuous smile, his eyes filled with obvious disdain, as if silently mocking: "That attention-seeking Rita? If even half a sentence in three of her reports is true, we should be thankful. She deserves her current status; after all, there are plenty of fools in the wizarding world..."

"Have you seen it?" Dumbledore didn't answer, but asked the same question again, which made Snape a little flustered. However, he nodded slightly, not because he had specifically seen it, but because this matter was essentially the fuse that triggered Rune's rampage in Slytherin, so he knew about it.

A serious shadow instantly fell over Dumbledore's face. His brows furrowed and the corners of his mouth were slightly pursed, making him appear exceptionally solemn.

"That's all I wanted to say, Snape," he said softly. "It's not just the Potions Masters who have disappeared; some students have vanished too..."

Snape shook his head repeatedly upon hearing this: "Impossible, absolutely impossible. Every semester, each professor checks the student count, and information about students transferring schools or leaving Hogwarts for other special reasons must be confirmed by you and McGonagall..."

However, Snape's expression changed instantly after saying this, his previously furrowed brows relaxing abruptly. But this look of sudden realization was fleeting; his face quickly darkened, his lips pressed into a tight line, and his eyes blazed with fury. This former core member of the Death Eaters, a Potions Master highly skilled in Dark Magic, completely lost his composure as a professor.

"Those who have been granted access but have not yet arrived are the missing secretaries..."

Dumbledore nodded, and continued, "Yes, and as Rita wrote, they are mostly half-bloods or Muggles..."

That's right. If they can capture potion masters, how could those aspiring wizards who know nothing about spells escape their grasp?

Snape paced angrily through Dumbledore's office, his footsteps falling like raindrops. Fortunately, the office was large enough, and the floor was made of stone, so the headmaster wasn't worried about wearing holes in the floor.

Suddenly, Snape turned to Dumbledore and asked, "The Purgers?"

The Purifiers were an illegal organization based in neighboring America, originally law enforcement in the region. However, at the time, the American wizarding world lacked a Ministry of Magic or a Magical Congress, and its laws were riddled with loopholes. Therefore, they were no longer content with merely hunting notorious criminals or anyone who could be used to earn bounties. These Purifiers reveled in bloodshed and torture, and even began trafficking their fellow wizards.

Until the infamous Salem witch trials, the Magical Congress was established and the Purgers were tried. However, some of the most notorious Purgers escaped capture. Because of their vengeful nature and criminal record, Snape immediately suspected them.

Dumbledore shook his head.

"It is not known at the moment."