Hogwarts doesn't need a savior

Dumbledore returned to his room without any polite words to Lin En. He sat behind his desk and asked, "You were very abnormal when you heard the name Nagini. What you wanted to say should be related to this, right?"

"It does have something to do with her."

Lynn took out a bottle of juice and poured it into the empty cup. He shook it and drank it all in one gulp, then drank another cup.

After most of the day's treatment, he hadn't eaten or drunk anything properly and his mouth was already dry.

The fruity aroma between his lips and teeth soothed his spirit and comforted his restless stomach. He leaned back in his chair and waved his wand, and the portrait on the wall stopped instantly.

"So cautious? Our principal won't leak secrets."

"It's not wrong to be cautious, especially since what I'm about to say is extremely important and there is no room for any risk."

Lynn didn't stop moving his hands, and with another wave, the doors and windows were all covered with silver magical light. The speed was so fast that even Dumbledore was a little surprised.

Even the Sorting Hat taking a nap in the closet was not spared.

Only after he was sure that he and Dumbledore were the only two people in the room who could hear the sound did he heave a sigh of relief, his brows slightly relaxed.

At this time, the moon was high in the sky outside the window. Although there was no news from Euphemia, it was mainly because she couldn't be disturbed. The Halloween party was probably over.

The series of unexpected events slightly disrupted his plans, but fortunately they were not impossible to adjust.

He pulled a mottled piece of parchment from his bosom and pushed it across the table, placing it right in front of Dumbledore.

There is only one line on it.

[Nagini the Great Snake, the Seventh Horcrux]

It was concise and to the point, but it was like a bombshell exploding in Dumbledore's head.

"!"

The old man's eyes suddenly became sharp.

"…This is a prophecy I received earlier. The previous predictions about Horcruxes were accurate, as you know." Lynn said slowly, "But now it seems that the prophecy is very different from what we are experiencing."

"In other words, you are sure that Tom will make a new Horcrux, but you can't be sure what it is. You can only investigate through other methods." Dumbledore thought for a moment and tapped the paper lightly with his fingertips.

"He believes in magic numbers, and he doesn't know that a piece of his soul is broken into Harry's head, so... he will definitely find a way to make up the number," Lynn said.

"Yes, you understand him very well." Dumbledore nodded. "He is an extremely arrogant person, and he has the capital to be so. However, he always makes things worse at the most critical moment and reveals fatal flaws. This is the case with the Chamber of Secrets, Harry, and now it seems that this is also the case with the Horcruxes."

Lynn agreed: "He will break the number of his own beliefs with his own hands and divide his soul into eight parts - this may make him more fragile and crazy, and it may also be our opportunity."

"Then there is only one question now, Lynn." Dumbledore looked at him deeply, "How do you know what other Horcruxes he has?"

He took out a piece of parchment that had been smeared beyond recognition and spread it out on the table. "His diary, Rowena's Crown of Wisdom, and I think there will also be Salazar's locket and Helga's gold cup, and Harry."

"What's the other one?" His deep eyes looked at Lin En with unprecedented importance and doubt.

“Believe me, knowing about the Horcrux will do you no good. You might even lose your life.” Lynn looked back calmly, “Even if it’s me, I have to find the right person to deal with it - of course, this person will be in place soon.”

They stared at each other for a long time.

This is an invisible confrontation.

Dumbledore realized that the young wizard sitting in front of him was no longer the same as he was a year ago, who needed to lie dormant and make concessions in front of him.

He has grown again and become more confident, with every move he makes being full of confidence.

This made the old man feel relieved and slightly stressed.

He turned his eyes away and said softly, "I know you don't trust me."

"Everyone has their own secrets." Lin En said calmly, "We can work together, that's enough. I can tell you that the Horcrux is related to the Resurrection Stone, and we need a scapegoat who deserves to die. Neither you nor I can resist that temptation."

"You want Black to go? Put the Imperius Curse on him?"

"Who knows?" Lin En waved his hand. "Let's get back to today's topic, about his last Horcrux."

"Can you find Tom again? Or... do you have some unknown way to confirm it?" Dumbledore lowered his head, and the faint light reflected by the lens just blocked his vision.

"I do have a way, but I can't reveal it to you now. Maybe you will know it in the near future." Lin En said meaningfully.

Dumbledore nodded noncommittally and raised his glass as well, with some drink in it out of nowhere.

"Ding"

Two metal cups clinked in the air.

They still have a lot to discuss.

Every secret has value, and most of them have a price.

Chapter 276: Smoke and Mist

When the dawn of the next day shone on this thousand-year-old castle, the visitors from afar had quietly returned home - in Newt's words, it would be more comfortable for Nagini to rest at home.

This was also recognized by Amanda and Heber Kratt.

Halloween ended peacefully, with pumpkin lights, candies, and dinners, it was joyful and fulfilling, without any attacks, fear, or alarms.

November arrived as expected, and with it came the heavy rains that marked the transition between autumn and winter.

This year seems to be a warm winter, but this is not good news, especially for the two teams who are about to prepare for the Quidditch Cup.

The first house cup match between Gryffindor and Slytherin was held in early this month, but the weather not only showed no signs of improving, but was getting worse.

Under the instigation of Marcus Flint, who was held back, and the promotion of their headmaster Snape, who was a backdoor for his own house, the Gryffindor team received news that couldn't be worse during the last training before the game.

"We're not playing against Slytherin!" Captain Oliver Wood angrily told his teammates, "Flint just came to tell me that they're playing against Hufflepuff in the first game."

"Why?!" the team members asked in unison, especially Harry.

He knew too well the skills and physical qualities of senior Diggory, who had just replaced the seventh-year graduate as captain. If there was any Seeker in the school that he was afraid of, it must be this guy.

Wood bared his teeth in anger. "The excuse Slytherin found was Draco Malfoy's arm, which healed in two days. They must be afraid of playing in this weather!"

There was a violent storm outside the tent, and the little wizards in the tent were no less nervous.

It is no exaggeration to describe it as lightning and thunder.

On the other side, in the Shrieking Shack, Sirius and Lupin were sitting on the floor in the warm room - since entering Azkaban, Sirius, who used to pay great attention to his appearance, has come to like this slightly rough lifestyle, or he has forgotten what he used to do.

He spread out a copy of the Daily Prophet without any image and said sarcastically, "[Sirius Black is suspected to have appeared in South Africa, with multiple eyewitnesses proving it], which idiot found this clue?"

"It is said to be Kingsley Shacklebolt, the Auror Captain." Lupin took a sip of tea. "He is Fudge's man and is very trusted." After a pause, he added, "At least more trusted than Brian Johnson."

"After all, everyone knows that Johnson is Eric's man." Sirius still spoke with his nose, "Even the striker in Azkaban knows it. I don't know how many secrets that guy with a mind deeper than Snotlout has."

"I don't know, and I'm not interested in finding out." Lupin drank the hot tea, put on a thick windbreaker and was about to leave. "You should have a good rest here. I'll come back tomorrow."

"Wait, Moony." Sirius called him, "Is he the one who cured you of your leucism?"

"It's Amanda Sever," said Lupin without turning his head.

This name made Sirius, who was originally smiling, freeze in his tracks. After a long while, he murmured, "No wonder that guy wanted to beat me up. This is really... a huge favor."

"We do need to reflect on what we did back then. It wasn't just childish behavior." Lupin stopped and looked at his old friend with a complicated expression. "Of course, it's more important to do our current job well, protect Harry, and make the betrayer pay the price."

As soon as he finished speaking, he disappeared into the exit corridor, leaving Sirius sitting alone in the haystack.

He casually threw today's Daily Prophet on the ground, revealing one of its pages.

[The Egyptian Ministry of Magic responded to the call of the International Confederation of Wizards and issued a warrant for the Azkaban prison escapee and Death Eater Barty Crouch. It is the 36th country to issue such a warrant]

Below the large title is a blurry photo that looks many years old.

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Hogwarts Castle, Runes and Ancient Magic Classroom.

"Okay, everyone, that's my analysis. Your guesses are very helpful, and we can discuss them in depth later. Do you have any other questions? If not, you can go back and rest. Today is another fulfilling day, so we need to combine work and rest."

After several attempts which still failed but were significant breakthroughs, Lynn smiled and took out a bunch of various candies and snacks and distributed them to the little wizards who gathered around him.

In addition to Percy and Hermione, there are Cedric, Penelope and Pavla - his two little assistants are very good at listening to suggestions, and therefore have made good research progress.

According to the current progress, with luck, perhaps in a few months, the research that Helbo failed to complete can be completed by modern wizards.

The exhausted little wizards took their snacks and left, including Cedric, who was the most energetic. During this period, he had to practice Quidditch, have special training with Lynn, and participate in various clubs and research activities. He wished he could use one day as two.

Only Hermione hesitated and fell behind, waiting until everyone else had gone out and then closing the door.

"What's wrong, Hermione? Is there anything you want to talk about alone?" Lynn threw a piece of milk toffee into her mouth, her brows relaxed with sweetness. "You can't hide things on your face. Tell me, did Fred and George find you? I guess Doris is there too."

"...Yes, Professor." Seeing that the little secret she and her companions kept was seen through by Lynn, Hermione lowered her head and walked to him in small steps, "I have a lot of confusion."

She didn't notice the smile in Lynn's eyes - as sly as his patronus.

"About Peter Pettigrew, isn't it?" he said, smiling. "I know you won't be able to resist investigating for yourselves. Tell me what you have come up with, and I'll tell you what I know about this man."

"We have previously found the record of him in the book 'Outstanding Wizards of the 20th Century', but it is not very detailed, especially his life story. Compared with other wizards, he seems..." Hermione was a little embarrassed and didn't know what to say.

"It seems too ordinary, except for the heroic death in battle." Lynn considerately filled in the second half of her sentence for her, "You are right, that is the fact. When he was in school, he was Sirius Black and James Potter, Harry's father, and he followed them around and ran errands, along with Lupin."

"Professor Lupine?"

"Their gang is called the Marauders, and they don't have a very good reputation." Lynn nodded, "But some professors like them, like Professor McGonagall."

The name made Hermione's eyes sparkle.

She knew this was her cue.

Chapter 277 Quidditch, Dementors and Sirius

Quidditch match day arrived in a storm.

On Saturday morning, although it was as dark as ink, the young wizards from the four academies still filled the stands of the stadium. People were crowded together, and the atmosphere was full of joy.

As a national sport for wizards, Quidditch is a major student event at Hogwarts.

Oliver Wood and Cedric stood on the grass in the middle of the field in the rain, with their respective teammates behind them.

This was a match that disrupted the plans of both sides. Neither the defending champion nor the united challenger wanted to meet each other so early.

Two strong hands clasped together.

The suitcase containing the game balls clicked open.

The small and delicate golden elf flapped its wings and disappeared in the rain in a flash, leaving no trace.

With Madam Hooch's high-pitched and sharp whistle, fourteen players from both teams took off at the same time, and the fierce competition in the rain began.

The pouring rain could not extinguish the enthusiasm of the players and spectators, although they could not even see the situation on the court clearly, and only thin silver-white threads could be seen in their field of vision.

The boiling cheers and shouts could not be heard.

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The game was in full swing. On the other side, on the wasteland outside the castle, the Dementors that were supposed to be scattered everywhere gathered together.

Under the intimidation of Dumbledore and Lynn, and the weak orders of the Ministry of Magic, these crazy prison guards were forced to stay in a remote area without any food, and have been enduring for more than two months.

The dying and seriously injured of their own kind, the delicious food that was so close yet out of reach, and the hidden threat that was always a thorn in their side, all made them angry.

Now, an almost unprecedented mood of euphoria was gathering not far away, and this became the last straw that broke the camel's back.

There was no call, and no need to call. All the Dementors near the castle had gathered here.

With the right time and place, they want to take advantage of the heavy rain to have a feast.

The dark mist-like bodies hidden under the rags shook violently, and they rose into the air one after another in the rain, like a group of jackals hunting together.

The sky was gloomy and the raindrops were as small as beans. No one noticed their existence, or even that they had disappeared from their posts.

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In the castle, in the Runes and Ancient Magic Office.

Lin En stood by the windowsill, listening to the "crackling" sound of the rain, feeling the momentum of the raindrops hitting the glass, and closed his eyes slightly.

Behind him was Doris, who was sitting on the sofa playing with a metal ball that was twice as big as a normal floater.

He didn't go to the game, which surprised the little witch.

"Professor, don't you often go to support the Hufflepuff team? Why didn't you go this time?" she asked softly.

"It's raining so hard, I'm too lazy to go out." Lin En looked out the window blurred by the rain with interest, "I don't want to come back soaked like a drowned chicken. Besides, haven't you always wanted to learn [Real Level 5 Magic] from me?"