Hogwarts doesn't need a savior

"Lynn! Lynn! Cheer up! Let's go to your place for a drink tonight?"

Ines came running towards her from a distance with a happy look on her face. She had just finished class and her face was flushed. She didn't look like she had been unable to eat or sleep well in the past few days.

Chapter 203 Dumbledore Leaves School

The ordinary weekend seemed particularly relaxing because of the end of the OWLs and NEWTs exams.

Although there were tests in several subjects including Potions in the following week, this was of little concern to professors like Lynn and Inès who had already finished their exams.

For two whole days, in addition to arranging final exams for the other five grades for his three assistants Hermione, Percy and Doris, Lynn devoted all his attention to the research of "Herpo's Wrath", and the results were remarkable.

He didn't even go back to his home in Birmingham to spend the weekend with Euphemia as usual - it wasn't that he didn't want to, but Beauxbatons was approaching the end of the semester, and Ms. Fox, as the person in charge, had become very diligent.

Perhaps the only flaw in these two days is that the Alchemy Lion, which has been struggling for four months, has finally reached the point where it can no longer continue.

On Sunday evening, a crack appeared in the special alloy on its surface, and the cunning magic spread like mist and disappeared without a trace.

The curse that has lingered in the castle for decades has returned, marking the countdown to Inès' departure - with less than a month left until the end of the school year.

This made her, who was very emotional, feel a little reluctant, and Lin En teased her about it, making her blush.

However, this is all normal.

After all, the time we spend together as close partners, friendly colleagues, or like-minded classmates is limited.

Gathering is accidental, separation is the norm in life.

Just like those seventh years who are about to graduate and leave school, or Professor Kettleburn who is about to retire.

Accepting it calmly and finding fun in it is, in a sense, a good way to deal with separation.

According to the gossip Lynn heard from Doris, the old professor, who kept a record of "probation" once a year, was planning to make big news before leaving school.

He waited and watched, and also secretly calculated it.

For example, invite two drinking buddies and Ines, who is gradually developing an interest in drinking, to have a final-term cocktail party.

This semester has been very busy, and he has been dealing with a mountain of things to do almost every day. Apart from the leisurely drinks with Euphemia every weekend, he hasn't found the right time to have a drink for a long time.

With this mood, he stood next to the cracked lion statue, shook his wand lightly, and the curse magic that was about to take shape shattered.

"Cough cough cough...!"

A pungent smell spread in the exploding magic power, causing him and Ines, who was not far away, to cough.

"It must be the noseless old man's fault!"

Facing Inès's contemptuous gaze, he covered his chest and spoke through gritted teeth.

-----------------

Around ten o'clock in the evening, the two men who had finished their curse research left the Room of Requirement holding the broken statue and walked to the outside of the principal's office.

"Honey Fudge. What is that old man doing? Is he planning to strike back at Professor Kettleburn?"

Lin En gave the command familiarly and began to inquire about information from the ugly and cute stone beast guarding the gate.

"I'm sorry, Professor Eric, you two can't go in now. The principal is out."

"Huh? I saw him telling jokes with Professor Marchbank in the auditorium during dinner. Where did he go?"

"I don't know. The headmaster left about an hour ago with some wizards I haven't seen before. Maybe the deputy headmaster would know something. She was in the headmaster's office at the time."

After saying this, the stone beast closed its eyes, lay on the ground and dozed off, ignoring the two people's intentions.

"Where can this old man go so late at night? And with someone he doesn't know..." Ines looked at the stone beast suspiciously, and Lin En also changed her name.

"Who knows, it might be some boring organization like the Old Bee Candy Appreciation Club."

Lin En made up the story with a sense of wicked humor and turned to walk to the other side. "Just ask Professor McGonagall. Everyone knows that she is the one who has the final say in this school."

"I don't think so, Lynn." Before he could finish his words, Mag's figure appeared from the corner of the corridor, and it looked like she had just gone upstairs.

"Professor McGonagall!" Inès stood up straight quickly. She respected this outstanding and dedicated witch very much.

"Good evening, Inès." Mag greeted with a smile and took out a note. "I was planning to look for you, but I happened to run into Longbottom. He told me to go upstairs, so I just came here, saving a lot of trouble. This is the letter that Albus asked me to pass on to you. He has gone to America."

Lynn frowned and quickly opened the envelope.

"America? Could it be those people from the Magic Congress?" He read it quickly, "It really is..." His face darkened visibly.

"What happened? Isn't the thing you are holding in your arms something from his room?" Mag sensed something strange. "Open the door and let's go in and talk."

"As you wish, ma'am."

The stone beast with its eyes closed immediately retreated and made way for the door of the principal's office, which was full of the meaning of differential treatment.

Mag pushed the door open, asked the two to sit down, took out the tea set with ease, and finished the preparations in no time. Then he sat in the armchair with a more serious look.

"Perhaps you two can help me understand this. This is probably what Albus meant - otherwise he could have used the Patronus Charm instead of asking me to convey it."

"Of course, Professor McGonagall, I had no intention of hiding anything from you. Please allow me to explain it from beginning to end."

Lin En nodded, pointed to the alchemical lion on the coffee table, and said softly, "These things all started when Lockhart got into trouble. At that time, the headmaster and I..."

The silverware emitted wisps of mist, and the scenery in the principal's office became hazy.

-----------------

At the same time, in New York, the MACUS headquarters, the Woolworth Building, has been rebuilt.

There were staff members rushing around everywhere, and the sky was full of gliding paper planes, conveying various messages.

Dumbledore followed Ms. René, who looked older than she had been in months, to the 42nd floor. They passed through one magical barrier after another and entered the mysterious Department, where there was no one to be seen.

"Respected Sir Dumbledore, I am very grateful for your generosity. Please allow me to introduce the current situation to you."

It was the same old Silent Man, whom Dumbledore recognized - he had seen him in Grindelwald's memory not long ago.

The young newcomer has now become a veteran.

A dusty Auror rushed in from behind, strode to Renee's side, and reported something nervously.

The already haggard witch looked even more miserable.

She waved her hand, signaling her subordinates to leave first, and looked at Dumbledore worriedly.

"After more than two months of investigation, we found that a considerable number of the [Apostles] who attacked the Woolworth Building previously were not wizards. The identities of some of the attackers have been confirmed. They are No-Maj civilians from Mexico, and most of them have been missing for a long time."

The old Silent Man said in a heavy tone, "Our Prophecy Office recently discovered that the small town of Salem, which has always been the focus of attention, is shrouded in a dark fog."

All the high-ranking officials of the Magic Congress knew that the secret about the Salem heresy could no longer be covered up, and it was not something they could deal with independently. They could only choose to put aside their so-called face and ask for help.

"The dark fog... this is not a good sign." Dumbledore nodded. "We can go to the scene and take a look. If a disaster really happens, I will take action."

His words made everyone present look happy, even Renee, who was full of hatred and resentment, smiled.

This is the promise of the most powerful wizard.

Chapter 204 He Trusts No One

“It turns out there are so many things I don’t know.”

Under the soft light, after listening to Lynn's concise narration, Professor McGonagall lowered her head thoughtfully, looking at the alchemical lion, whose appearance was almost the same as a few months ago, but whose inner self was still corroded by the black magic and was unrecognizable. Her heart moved slightly.

She had never believed in the existence of the so-called "Defense Against the Dark Arts Curse" before, but with the evidence in hand, she had no choice but to believe it.

There are also monsters that only exist in the corners of historical records or in some legends circulating among the people.

This master of Transfiguration, who has been working and living in Hogwarts since he was in his thirties and has been doing the same thing day after day for decades, feels that his worldview has been impacted.

In fact, this is true for almost all wizards, including Lynn and Euphemia, who first saw these strange monsters that were incompatible with the real world.

This was the result of Lynn deliberately concealing a lot of information - such as the meeting with Grindelwald, and the memory of the hummingbird that he had forcibly plundered.

"…Lin, I have a question."

After thinking for a long time, she slowly said, "Why did Albus go to the United States alone instead of taking you with him as you had originally agreed?"

"I'm not sure either." Lin En showed an innocent expression, "Maybe he wants to prove himself."

"Prove yourself?"

"It proves that he can do what his lover couldn't do back then." Lin En said as a matter of course, "Or maybe he doesn't want to show us another side of himself? The side that's as strong as a monster."

"Maybe... Then what are you going to do?" Mag did not comment, his face was so serious that he almost froze.

"Since he doesn't want us to go, let him be happy. It just so happens that we both have our own research. I haven't given up studying curses in Defense Against the Dark Arts."

Lynn's words were half true and half false, but at least they sounded reasonable to Mag, although she always felt that something was wrong after dealing with Lynn for many years.

But due to the huge information gap, she couldn't find the specific problem. She could only understand the situation a little bit, then let the two leave doubtfully. She stood alone in the principal's office, trying to figure out what her old friend was thinking.

-----------------

"You really don't plan to go? That's..."

Back in Lynn's office, Ines, who had been patient all the way, finally breathed a sigh of relief and asked anxiously.

“You can go, but not now.” Lynn lazily sat in the armchair, waved his wand, and the red wine in the cabinet floated down onto the coffee table.

The gem-like wine fell into the glass, and the aroma filled the air.

Lynn picked up a cup, sniffed it gently, nodded contentedly, and then said, "Why do you think Dumbledore kept us in school, and specifically through our beloved vice-headmaster?"

"Of course he wants Minerva to leave us at school so he can handle this alone," Ine said without hesitation.

There was undisguised confusion written on her face.

This was the most puzzling part for her.

"Our principal is a master at pretending to be confused. Don't try to find the answer from the information he revealed to us." Lynn did not savor the wine carefully, but drank the glass of red wine that had just been awakened by magic, with a meaningful look in his eyes.

The drawer not far away suddenly opened, and the booklet that Ines was very familiar with flew out of the air and landed steadily in Lynn's raised hand, revealing one of its pages.

What was written above was Grindelwald's analysis at the time. It was not as real as the memory, but full of restrained rationality.

Gellert Grindelwald was an extremely proud man, but he always managed to remain objective while being proud, and the few words he left behind were even more precious than memories.

"?"

Inès didn't understand and looked at Lynn in confusion.

"He has never expressed any doubt about Grindelwald's memory, nor has he doubted my analysis. This trust itself is the biggest doubt - because our headmaster will never give his trust to anyone."

Lynn said confidently, placing the empty wine glass gently on the table, his cheeks a little more rosy, and his breath carrying a slight smell of alcohol.

Seeing that Inès still didn't quite understand, he poured himself another glass and swirled it in front of his eyes. "His brother said something very good. This guy learned to conceal and lie as soon as he was born. The only person he trusts is himself, or to be more precise, his own eyes."

"So... you mean, he has to find this monster himself and see it with his own eyes before he will believe it?" Ines frowned. "Isn't this nonsense?! Over there..."

"That's right, but he is the most powerful wizard in the world. He can always act as he pleases, and no one can really stop him, including me."

Lin En drank the wine in his glass again, his eyes fixed on a picture that had been posted on the wall for a while, which had a sharper edge.

That was a map of the seaside town of Salem.

Tens of thousands of Muggles and wizards live there.

"At least not yet."

-----------------

Dumbledore's departure did not cause much ripples on the Hogwarts campus.

On the one hand, the vast majority of teachers and students had no idea that this elusive principal had left the school.

On the other hand, even if he left, this practice had long been accepted by everyone - the greatest White Wizard was always very busy, and there must be his reasons.

Soon, a few days passed, and the fifth and seventh grade little wizards finished their exams one after another and had their break earlier than other grades.

Andrew and Boyce, who were freed up, began to squander their precious free time - for half a month, while other students were preparing for exams, the situation was reversed.

This is especially true for Andrew, who is in his seventh year. This is his last time at Hogwarts and it is particularly precious.

Thinking that he would never have such a learning opportunity again after leaving school, he appeared beside Lynn even more frequently than his three assistants.

The closer we get to separation, the more questions and confusions we have - just like the sprint review before an exam.

On the other hand, with a heavy heart, Inès was preparing for her last job at Hogwarts, the final exams for five grades.