Hogwarts: Undercover Death Eater Replaces the Dark Lord

Lycos asked with some confusion: "So, the problem lies somewhere else?"

"That's right." Dumbledore smiled and put the parchment back on the desk.

"After receiving the letter, Newt quickly put down his research on the fire slug and flew all the way from Brazil to the forests of Albania..."

"But he wanted to meet his fans first and offer whatever help he could to the family in the letter who was having a hard time."

He continued his story.

"Newt searched the forest for a long time but couldn't find the wizarding family that matched the letter... but there were indeed many people who were troubled by the trouble in the forest, so he provided assistance to the surrounding families."

Lycos held his forehead helplessly and leaned against the soft back of the sofa.

Newt is really worthy of his name. For the sake of a little wizard he has never met, he actually helped a large number of families around the forest... It even made Lecos feel a little guilty.

"And then?" Lycos asked weakly, "The Albanian forest is so vast. He wouldn't become suspicious just because he didn't find his admirer, right?"

"Don't be impatient, these are just foreshadowing." Dumbledore shook his head slightly. "What really made Newt doubt was the last point -"

He looked at Lycos deeply through the half-moon lenses.

"Lex, you may know that Newt is very good at a spell called 'Avenseguim'. He can find things that have happened in an area."

"But after all traces of Dark Magic in the forest were burned away, Newt's tracking spell only showed a blank. This blank can only be due to two reasons -"

The lenses reflected a bright white candlelight, and Dumbledore's eyes were particularly deep, as if he saw through everything.

"The first possibility is that nothing happened in the area where the tracking spell was cast... However, there was a fire caused by magic just now, so it's certainly possible that nothing happened."

"Then it can only be the second reason. The fire that burned this forest was not an ordinary flame. The tracking spell cannot reproduce the flames in the scene... and this effect is usually only achieved by Fiendfyre."

Lycos opened his mouth and suddenly realized what the problem was.

The black flames of the fire shield were indeed powerful enough to prevent Newt's tracking spell from repeating the previous scene, but the gaps in the tracking spell also proved the type of flame.

Fiendfyre is one of them, and Grindelwald's fire shield, which was modified based on Fiendfyre, is another.

It just so happens that Newt and Dumbledore are both old acquaintances of Grindelwald and know his magic inside and out...

Sure enough, Dumbledore then said:

"Although Newt was far away from the fire, it was at least strong enough for him to easily see its color... Obviously, Fiendfyre wasn't that color."

"It's quite a coincidence that Newt actually saw a kind of flame over sixty years ago... I know very well that that experience was an unforgettable one for Newt."

As Dumbledore spoke, a hint of nostalgia appeared in his eyes, as if he saw some scenes in his memory.

"It just so happened that the flames Newt saw at that time overlapped with the black fire in the Albanian forest..."

"So because of the big fire in the forest, you started to suspect me, Mr. Principal?" Lecos asked softly.

"No, I didn't doubt you at first." Dumbledore shook his head. "Although I told you the secret of the fire shield on a whim, I didn't think a kid of eleven or twelve could master this magic in such a short time..."

"Even when Grindelwald was young, he would have been at least fifteen or sixteen years old to master magic of this difficulty."

"So even if I overestimated you as much as I could, I never thought you could achieve this in just half a year... Until today, when I saw with my own eyes the unwavering black flames within the fierce fire!"

Dumbledore clapped his hands in admiration. "You have already reached a high level of mastery in the use of this magic."

Faced with Dumbledore's praise, Lycos did not feel happy at all, but fell silent.

So that’s how it is, forming a closed loop——

First, Newt began to have doubts about the letter and the magical families around the forest. Then, the tracking spell was unable to recreate the scene and determine the type of fire in the forest. Finally, Dumbledore witnessed Lycos's excellent control of the fire shield...

As the clues were unraveled and connected one by one, they all pointed to Lycos.

"I never thought I'd leave so many loopholes." Lycos stood up from the sofa and sighed deeply. "I deliberately found a scapegoat. I thought I could fool you."

He feels very tired now... Apart from Voldemort who is not very smart, the wizarding party and the people in Hogwarts are more difficult to deal with than each other. It is too difficult to be an undercover!

How do those undercover agents in movies and TV shows do their work? How do they manage to thrive in the cracks between powerful forces without exposing themselves?

Lycos's desire for power has now almost reached its peak.

Magic is power, but ultimately, he himself has no power, and there is no way to escape from the situation he is in…

Fortunately, Tom Riddle's diary was in Lycos's snakeskin wallet. It was a mobile treasure trove of knowledge about the Dark Arts, containing all of Voldemort's insights and experiences as a student.

It's time to have further communication with Riddle...

"Lexus, your magical talent is the only one I've ever seen in my life."

Dumbledore looked at the absent-minded Lycos in front of him, gently stroked his long white beard, and spoke softly.

"And as the headmaster of Hogwarts, it is my duty to help you get on the right path."

"The right path?" Lycos laughed self-deprecatingly, then suddenly raised his voice: "Headmaster, what do you think is the right path? To make a glorious sacrifice for the future of the wizarding world?"

"Lex, no one wants you to sacrifice yourself..." Dumbledore shook his head. "I am just speaking from the perspective of someone who has experienced this. I hope you don't repeat Tom Riddle's mistakes."

"It's easy to say, but do I have any other choice?" Lycos asked.

"Even you probably wouldn't understand what I'm facing! I feel like I'm walking on the road to hell. If I take even one wrong step, I'll be doomed!"

Dumbledore was silent for a moment, and his sharp eyes seemed to dim a little.

"Actually, I understand... I understand your difficulties, Lycos." He said in a very soft voice, "But these difficulties are not a reason for you to give up on yourself."

Dumbledore raised his head, his eyes suddenly sharp again.

"Lexus, it's not our abilities that determine who we become, but our choices!"

Lycos stared into Dumbledore's piercing eyes, and for the first time, he didn't look away.

He suddenly realized that, excluding his multiple undercover identities, he was actually just a twelve-year-old wizard.

Although Dumbledore has always been very thoughtful and has come up with many tricks to protect the wizarding world, he is always very kind to young wizards...

In the original plot, Dumbledore has been trying his best to reduce casualties, even if he regards himself as a chess piece that is bound to die... Even Harry Potter, who must be killed by Voldemort, was brought back by him from the Lost Realm where he was about to die.

And now, Dumbledore obviously wants to guide Lycos onto the so-called right path.

Perhaps... I can take this opportunity to reveal some information and gain some of the old principal's trust?

He felt as if he had entered a scene, a scene that was very familiar in his past memories.

Then Lycos uttered a classic line:

"I didn't have a choice before, but now I want to be a good person."

"Heh... but you've always been a good person, Lycos." Dumbledore chuckled. "I know very well that you have never been on Voldemort's side."

"Is that why you trust me?"

Lecos couldn't believe that gaining Dumbledore's trust would go so smoothly.

"I have no reason not to believe you, Lycos," Dumbledore said. "Not to mention that you helped me drive away Quirrell and Voldemort, in fact, you have never done anything bad to Hogwarts from the beginning to the end..."

"Judging by your actions, not your heart, since you have truly made great contributions to Hogwarts and haven't posed any threat, why would I doubt you?"

"I always feel that this kind of talk is not your style." Lycos shook his head and looked at Dumbledore suspiciously.

He felt that while he was trying to gain Dumbledore's trust, the old headmaster was also trying to gain his trust in another way... The two of them were like a turtle against a mung bean, each with their own little schemes.

Lycos wants to gain Dumbledore's trust so that he can continue to stay in Hogwarts and continuously improve his strength; while Dumbledore also wants to gain Lycos's trust so that he can get the latest news about Voldemort at any time...

Thinking of this, Lycos finally relaxed completely.

As a spy who survives in the cracks, he really doesn't want to pin his hopes on the character and attitude of others.

For Lecos, it is better to believe in interests than to believe in human nature... Since Dumbledore can still use him, he will not be troubled in Hogwarts.

"Mr. Principal, if you have anything you want to ask me, there's no need to hide it." Lycos smiled slowly. "Of course, there are many questions I can't answer. You should understand what I mean."

Since he wanted to reach a further understanding with Dumbledore, the first step, of course, was to submit his pledge of allegiance.

Dumbledore also had a knowing smile on his face, his wrinkles squeezed together, like a happy old fox.

"I see... So it's an unbreakable vow. This is a bit difficult..."

He said difficult words, but the expression on his face was still very happy.

"Don't worry, Lycos, I won't make things difficult for you..."

Dumbledore chuckled, then said, "You are in your junior year now, so you probably won't feel it yet. But when you reach your senior year, the academic pressure at Hogwarts will become very great."

"Lex, can you give me a rough estimate...at what grade will you feel stressed?"

……

Chapter 123 How to Find Loopholes in the Unbreakable Vow

Lycos immediately understood the meaning of Dumbledore's words.

What Dumbledore just said was that the academic pressure at Hogwarts would become very great when you reach the senior year, which made Lycos think about which year he would feel the pressure...

The meaning of this sentence is actually very simple.

Since you can't reveal Voldemort's information due to your Unbreakable Vow, why don't you tell me when you think you'll feel the pressure...

But with the abilities demonstrated by Lecos, he naturally wouldn't feel any academic pressure.

So this pressure is not academic, but psychological.

What Dumbledore actually wanted to ask was: When do you think Voldemort will come back and bring you psychological pressure?

Lycos took a deep breath.

He knew very well that according to the original plot, Voldemort would get help from Peter Pettigrew and Barty Crouch Jr. in his fourth year, and would make a comeback at the end of the Triwizard Tournament.

Although it is not known whether Voldemort can still get the help of his two subordinates after the plot changes, the fourth year should be considered a turning point, at least indicating that the Dark Lord has accumulated enough power.

Lycos spoke slowly, and the words "fourth grade" almost slipped out of his mouth...

However, the next moment, the unbreakable oath in the brain suddenly took effect!

Just like when school started last year, Lecos suddenly felt like something was stuck in his throat, and all the words were blocked in his throat.

At the same time, his mind began to buzz. The Dark Mark on his left forearm automatically emerged from beneath his skin, causing a sharp pain, as if a knife was scraping his flesh...

Sure enough, there aren’t that many loopholes in an unbreakable oath!

"Relax, Lex, and clear your mind." Dumbledore's gentle voice sounded in Lex's ears, "Now listen to me, don't think about anything, and don't think about anything about Voldemort..."

Lycos gasped, opened his eyes hazily, and saw Dumbledore raised his wand.