The Butcher of Hogsmeade

As the spell was completed and they were about to part, Shen Hou suddenly turned back and joked, "Professor Dumbledore, what would you do if all of this were a hoax, a Voldemort conspiracy?"

Dumbledore was puzzled: "I don't understand what you mean."

"I mean, if my origins, the Sphinx's warning, and so on, are all just a play staged by Voldemort, a conspiracy against the prophecy, just to gain your trust and attention so I can infiltrate your ranks and gather intelligence, what would you do?"

Dumbledore's expression froze for a moment, very slightly, and he quickly recovered, but Shen Hou saw it clearly.

"If it were truly as you say, even if only half of it came to pass, it would be a nightmare we could not bear. So, are you a spy sent by Voldemort?" The old wizard's last words sounded like a joke.

Shen Hou laughed out loud, tapped his temple with his finger, and said, "How would I know? Look at my brain, you should know what a mess it is; I don't even know who I am. Maybe one day I'll suddenly be awakened by a memory and discover that I'm not a good person at all."

The spiral stone staircase escorted Shen Hou out of the headmaster's office. Dumbledore sat behind his desk, lost in thought, not moving for a long time. Shen Hou's parting jokes kept replaying in his mind.

Could that young man be a spy sent by Voldemort?

Voldemort certainly had enough cunning and resources to orchestrate such a complex scheme, but as Voldemort's teacher and the headmaster of Hogwarts who had observed Voldemort's growth from beginning to end, would he be deceived by the scheme?

Has that young Chinese man truly gained the trust of the greatest white wizard?

Dumbledore's own answer was no.

Others may not know, but Dumbledore knew in his heart that the so-called "prophecy" he told Shen Hou was only the first half, which was also the part that he guessed Voldemort already knew. Even if the "worst-case scenario" in Shen Hou's joke happened, it was more likely that it would only strengthen Voldemort's determination to eliminate the root of the problem, focus his attention more on the Potters, and learn that the couple was already protected by the "Faithful Charm".

The aforementioned information is inherently difficult to keep confidential.

In other words, even though Shen Hou has now joined the Order of the Phoenix, he may still know more information than Voldemort. On the contrary, if Shen Hou were not an undercover agent, then after the Sphinx's reminder, he might actually be able to distract Voldemort and the Death Eaters, relieving the Potters of some of the pressure.

Therefore, the greatest risk to Shen Hou is not the low-probability event of being an undercover agent of Voldemort, but whether the two forces behind him will intervene in the civil war of the British wizarding world because of him.

The old wizard felt a growing sense of unease.

Shen Hou, on the other side, was also filled with worry because he was lost. The way out was completely different from the way in. When Dumbledore brought him in, he clearly remembered that the stairs between the second and third floors were only a few steps away from the Dripping Beast statue, but now they were nowhere to be seen. The place where the stairs used to be had been replaced by a smooth and sturdy stone railing.

Fortunately, the school bell rang at that moment, and with the help of a group of kind and curious students, he finally found his way to the castle gate, though he was completely disoriented.

"Sir, you must not have graduated from Hogwarts, so what are you doing at the castle?" the student who led the way asked.

"I am a striker from the Auror's office, here to question Professor Dumbledore about the dispute between the Black Lake Merfolk and the Giant Squid this morning."

The student leading the way was honest and simple. Upon hearing this, his eyes lit up immediately, and he asked, "Some people say the dispute is because the mermaid tribe borrowed tentacles from a giant squid to make squid rolls. Is that true?"

"How could that be? Wouldn't that mean cutting off the giant squid's tentacles?" Shen Houyi, seeing that the boy was a bit silly, immediately started improvising. "The mermaids went to borrow ink because they wanted to decorate their wedding venue and bridal chamber with murals, but they lacked pigments; you know, ordinary ink dissolves quickly in water, but giant squid ink has special magical effects and can be preserved in water for a long time..."

Watching the little wizard skip and hop away, eager to share the "latest news" with his classmates, Shen Hou suddenly understood Fabian's fun. He smiled, pushed open the door, and left the castle.

The journey from the school to Hogsmeade was quite long; a number of Hogsmeade villagers had already gathered near the waters that had just been scorched by fire, pointing and discussing the charred reeds and trees on the shore, making various speculations. Shen Hou didn't look to the side, and went straight into the village, finding the Pwitt brothers at the Three Broomsticks pub.

The bar was still bustling. The uproar caused by Fabian's poisoning seemed to have subsided. Many patrons recognized the victim and were gathering around him, asking about him. Some familiar wizards even made a few jokes. Perhaps out of guilt, or perhaps still shaken, the female owner, Ms. Rosmerta, would occasionally appear beside Fabian, making sure that the drinks delivered to the Pewter brothers didn't pass through the hands of a second person.

"Hey, Shen, over here!" Fabian spotted Shen Hou first, waving and calling out, "Tell them what happened at Black Lake, they don't believe me."

"What did you say to them?" Shen Hou walked over and sat down at the table.

"Of course it's the truth," Fabian said with certainty. "A kelpie somehow wandered into the Black Lake. Fortunately, Professor Dumbledore discovered it, personally subdued the magical creature, and strictly forbade it from attacking any humans near the lake. We were sent by the Ministry of Magic to assess the kelpie's danger."

Shen Hou never expected that in less than an hour since they parted, the rumors had changed so much. He glanced at Gideon, then sat down opposite Fabian, feigning confusion, and said, "But I just spoke with Professor Dumbledore, and he said the horse-like monster voluntarily left the Black Lake and returned to the sea; how come it's different from what you said?"

Fabian stared wide-eyed, looking Shen Hou up and down several times. His eyes revealed a joy and admiration for seeing a kindred spirit: "You can talk so fast and don't even blink. You're not inferior to me."

"We should go." Gideon couldn't stand the two of them talking nonsense any longer and took the lead in leaving the table.

Fabian muttered, "Shen just arrived, he hasn't even had a drink yet..."

"I'm not very thirsty. I already drank quite a bit in Professor Dumbledore's office," Shen Hou quickly echoed Gideon.

"Fine, fine," Fabian muttered helplessly, and had no choice but to follow the two out.

Later, they ran into an acquaintance at the post office.

"Mr. Crouch, have you fully recovered from your injury?" Shen Hou greeted the young man behind the window. "I saw Director Crouch personally take you to the hospital; he was quite frightened by your injury."

"Thank you for your concern, Mr. Shen. I heard that it was you and Professor Dumbledore who came to save me and my colleague, but I haven't had a chance to thank you yet," Barty Jr. replied calmly and politely, but intentionally or unintentionally glossed over the topic of his father.