Hogwarts: Undercover Death Eater Replaces the Dark Lord

"Lexus, this isn't a question you'd ask."

Dumbledore chuckled and unknowingly changed the way he addressed Lycos, from calling him by his surname to using a name that was only used between close people, but Lycos didn't find it awkward at all.

"I think you have some guesses in your mind, right?" he asked.

"I guess it's related to the group that intercepted the Hogwarts Express and released Fiendfyre?" Lycos frowned and asked slowly, "Before the train resumed its movement, a green mark appeared in the sky..."

"I heard that was the Dark Mark of the Death Eaters?"

When mentioning the Death Eaters, Lycos's face remained expressionless, but his heartbeat unconsciously quickened.

Even though the Dark Mark had already been hidden in his skin, his left forearm was still hidden under his sleeve, motionless, for fear that the Dark Mark would reveal any important flaws.

"So you think the person who cast Fiendfyre was a Death Eater, correct?"

Dumbledore leaned forward, the lenses of his half-moon glasses reflecting the pale light of the candle.

"I... can't guess." Lycos said softly, "After all, we don't know if the Dark Mark was placed by another organization, deliberately blaming the Death Eaters."

"Very good, your guess is the same as Severus's." Dumbledore suddenly laughed, leaned back on the sofa, and said with a relaxed expression.

"Severus told me that in order to completely release the Dark Mark into the air, one must rely on the mark on the Death Eater's arm... This is not something that others can easily imitate."

"So, if someone really wants to frame the Death Eaters, even if the imitation is very similar, there will always be some loopholes."

Dumbledore suddenly waved towards a cabinet.

The next moment, the cabinet door suddenly opened, and then a basin flew out of the cabinet and landed directly on the desk in front of Dumbledore.

Lycos lowered his head and saw that it was a wide, flat and hollow basin made of a strange stone with a metallic texture. Many gems were carefully embellished and inlaid on the outside of the basin.

The basin was filled with liquid of unclear color.

"Professor, this is..."

"You could call it a Pensieve."

As Dumbledore spoke, he extended his wand, placed the tip of the wand against his temple, and pulled out a bright silver-white substance.

When the silvery-white substance fell into the basin, a picture suddenly emerged on the calm surface of the liquid—

The green mark continued to rise from the ground towards the night sky, eventually forming a huge Dark Mark in the sky.

The picture freezes at the moment when the Dark Mark is clearest and brightest.

Then, Dumbledore took out a piece of parchment from the side, placed it lightly in the air, and placed it on the side of the Pensieve.

Lycos opened his eyes wide and looked at the parchment, and found a very complex and exquisite black Dark Mark drawn on it, exactly the same as the mark on Lycos' left forearm.

"You can take a look at them for reference. One is the Dark Mark that appeared in the sky the night before you returned to school, and the other is on Severus' arm."

Dumbledore extended his hand and gave it a slight push, and the Pensieve and parchment moved a distance towards Lykos.

"You can take a closer look at the difference between these two marks..."

"Um... why are you telling me all this?" Lycos made a clueless expression. "I'm just a second-year student. I can't really help you, right?"

He looked serious on the surface, but he was very nervous inside.

According to Dumbledore's actions, Lycos always felt that he had completely understood his identity...

Otherwise, which headmaster would reveal Snape's undercover identity and tell a twelve-year-old child all kinds of important information?

Lycos had a headache.

Although he and Dumbledore have maintained a tacit understanding since they stopped Voldemort from stealing the Philosopher's Stone last semester - you know I have a secret, and I know you are fishing, we use each other and don't expose each other.

But Lecos never thought of confronting the principal...

"You are not an ordinary second-year wizard." Dumbledore pushed his glasses and chuckled.

Lycos' heart was in suspense.

Then, Dumbledore's blue eyes stared into Lycos's through the half-moon lenses.

"You stopped Quirrell's crimes last semester, and today you used the Fire Shield to block Fiendfyre's invasion, protecting nearly a thousand students..." he said, "Even the person who invented the Fire Shield would be proud of you..."

At this point, Dumbledore's expression clearly showed a hint of loneliness.

Lycos couldn't help but think of Grindelwald's heroic presence in Paris, and the Grindelwald gas stove in the Lestrange mausoleum...

"I admire you, Lycos," Dumbledore continued, "so as a seeker... I would like you to help me see the difference between the two Dark Marks."

Lycos' heart was finally at ease.

Although Dumbledore's words sounded like clichés, the fact that he was willing to use clichés at least showed that he had no intention of revealing his true colors on the spot.

There is still room for maneuver...

But Lycos was a little confused. Wasn't he originally asking Dumbledore a question? Why did the situation change so naturally... to the point where he was helping Dumbledore determine the difference between the two Dark Marks?

"Ahem... Since you think so highly of me, let me share my humble opinion."

Lycos coughed dryly and walked over to the Pensieve.

The two Dark Marks were different colors, and one was more three-dimensional, while the other looked more like an image drawn on paper...but their consistency could still be seen from the two Dark Marks.

It is also a big skull, with a python spitting out from the skull's mouth, like a long tongue.

However, Lycos was too familiar with the Dark Mark on his arm, and he could recognize the difference between the two at a glance.

"The look in the skeleton's eyes is wrong, and the angle of the python spewing out of its mouth is also different..."

Lycos pointed at the two Dark Marks and spoke slowly.

Still looking into Lycos's eyes, Dumbledore nodded slightly.

"Very good, since you and Severus have reached the same conclusion, we should be able to draw a conclusion." He said, "There is indeed someone else who cast Fiendfyre, but they want to pin the blame on the Death Eaters who have been silent for many years!"

Lycos nodded slightly.

He thought so too, because before Voldemort fully recovered his strength, the Death Eaters would be a mess... None of the Death Eaters who survived the Wizarding War and were not imprisoned in Azkaban were willing or able to secretly cause such a big incident!

"But now that we've reached this conclusion, we have another question." Dumbledore stood up from the sofa and slowly walked over to Lycos. "What kind of organization would harm students?"

"I really don't know about that." Lycos shook his head quickly.

"Don't be nervous, Lycos, I'm not asking you." Dumbledore smiled, "I will investigate this matter. What I want to ask you is another matter..."

He stared at Lycos with deep eyes, and his tone was light, but it could bring great pressure to people.

"When Dobby found me, he cried and begged me to protect Harry... Lekos, do you have any idea about this?"

Lycos' heart almost skipped a beat.

The culprit that Dobby was worried about, the Horcrux diary, was still in Leucos's snakeskin wallet.

"I don't know." He quickly adjusted his mentality and said calmly, "But I did hear that in order to protect the Potters' safety, Dobby cast a spell on the wall of Platform 9 and 3/4 to prevent them from boarding the train."

"But Cassandra discovered the spell and removed it for the Potters, so they didn't miss the train... Well, Draco confronted Dobby about it, but he'd rather hurt himself than answer."

Lycos recounted the events at a very fast pace, trying to divert the topic to Dobby, the house-elf.

"Is that so?" Dumbledore nodded thoughtfully. "Okay, I see."

Lycos still kept his spirits tense and did not dare to relax at all.

"Professor, it's getting quite late..." He chose to use the excuse he had prepared before entering the principal's office. "I've been using a lot of magic today, and I'm feeling a bit sleepy now."

"Ah, is it already so late?" Dumbledore looked up at the wall clock. "I'm remiss. You've worked really hard today, Lycos."

"Hmm, let me think... Slytherin will get a hundred points for you and Miss Vorely."

He smiled happily and took a sip of tea from the cup beside him.

"But before you go back to bed, I have one last question—"

Lycos was startled and looked up at him.

Dumbledore put down his teacup and said slowly:

"Did you go to Albania during this summer vacation?"

……

Chapter 122 Q&A

Dumbledore's words almost froze Lycos in place.

"What did you just say?"

He spoke hesitantly, holding on to the last glimmer of hope.

"You heard me right," Dumbledore repeated. "I'm curious, did you go to Albania this summer?"

The old principal still smiled kindly, but Lex felt a chill down his spine.

Obviously, Dumbledore had doubts about the traces he left in the Albanian forest... But when did he find them? The places burned by the Fire Shield should not be discovered by Newt's tracking spell...

Lycos looked up at Dumbledore and opened his mouth slightly, but didn't know what to say.

It is almost certain that when this old fox asked the question, he at least had a lot of clues or evidence, and Lycos would not be able to get away with it as easily as he deceived Voldemort.

The IQs of these two most powerful wizards in the magical world are not even in the same league...

Lycos sighed deeply.

"Yes, I have been."

He finally nodded and admitted that he had been to Albania.

"Very good, I'm glad you didn't deceive an old man like me." Dumbledore smiled happily, the wrinkles on his face squeezed together, and his eyes were squeezed into two slits.

"So where did I reveal my weakness?" Lycos slumped down on the sofa on one side of the principal's office and rubbed his eyes tiredly.

"This story begins shortly after the summer vacation began." Dumbledore smiled, turned around, and walked back to the desk. "I have an old friend who I have known for decades. A while ago, he received an anonymous letter..."

He opened a drawer on the side of his desk and pulled out a piece of parchment.

Lecos recognized it immediately. It was the letter he had sent to Newt at the beginning of summer vacation, pretending to be a little wizard from Albania.

"Isn't it normal for the world's most famous Magizoologist to receive letters from admirers?" Lycos asked. "So... Mr. Scamander discovered the flaw from this letter?"

"No, this letter is so well written that Newt initially believed it to be true." Dumbledore chuckled and held up the parchment. "The deliberately poor grammar, the crooked handwriting, and the appropriate corrections..."

"I have to say, if it weren't for preconceived suspicions, no one would object that this was a letter written by a young Albanian wizard... Plus, this young wizard is a loyal admirer of Magizoologists, so the kind-hearted Newt would have no doubts about it."