Chapter 681: Who is He?
Chapter 681: Who is He?
Knock, knock, knock.
The sound of knocking echoed through the door, left ajar.
"Come in," called out Dumbledore, lifting his head from his desk in the headmaster's office as Snape entered.
"What brings you here?" asked Dumbledore.
"The Magical Gardens will be hosting the Magic School Potion Championship this year," Snape said, cutting straight to the chase. "Have you any suitable candidates in mind?"
"Miss Isabelle McDougall would be an excellent choice. If she agrees to participate, I believe she could achieve remarkable results," Snape replied.
"What about Mr. Anderson?" Dumbledore asked suddenly.
"Anderson is still a minor, if I recall correctly," Snape remarked, raising an eyebrow. "I don't believe there's a precedent for underage witches and wizards taking part in the Potion Championship. It would be far too dangerous."
Indeed, the potential risks involved in underage participants were often used as a valid excuse, and most of the time, it worked to deter students from considering it. After all, the upper-grade students' potion-making skills were noticeably more advanced than those of their junior peers, so this situation rarely arose.
However, even Snape couldn't be sure if this excuse would hold any weight when it came to Anderson.
"I've received a recommendation for Mr. Anderson," Dumbledore said, setting down the letter he had been holding.
"From whom?" Snape asked skeptically, his tone conveying his doubt. The truth was, he didn't particularly like Anderson, and to be frank, he didn't have a soft spot for most students in general.
"From none other than Mr. Hector Dagworth-Granger," Dumbledore replied without hesitation. "He believes that it has been decades since Hogwarts last laid claim to the championship trophy, and it's high time we showed the other schools that our potion-making skills are not as lackluster as they presume."
"Why would Mr. Dagworth-Granger recommend an underage participant for such a competition?" Snape inquired, his skepticism growing.
"They've been corresponding," Dumbledore explained. "Hector has mentioned that Mr. Anderson has already passed the assessment of the Extraordinary Potion-Making Association, and he believes he has a strong chance of winning. Could you shed some light on Mr. Anderson's potion-making abilities?"
"His skills are indeed impressive," Snape conceded. "However, I remain doubtful about his eligibility due to his age. As you know, he hasn't come of age yet."
"I don't foresee that being an issue," Dumbledore said calmly. "There are no age restrictions for the Magic School Potion Championship. The age requirement is more of an unspoken rule among the schools, similar to the previous Triwizard Tournament, where the goal was to avoid any casualties during the competition."
Participants were required to venture deep into the Magical Gardens to collect the necessary potion ingredients and return within a specified time frame to brew their potions.
Hence, it was imperative that they possess a certain level of self-protection capability to avoid injuries while gathering these ingredients.
"Very well, then. I shall set aside time to instruct them on the techniques for handling those raw materials," Snape agreed.
"Is something the matter?" Dumbledore asked, noticing Snape's hesitation.
Snape paused for a moment before asking, "Are you truly considering allowing that...?"
"You refer to Professor Lupin," Dumbledore interjected.
"They used to be close friends," Snape continued. "In my opinion, Professor Lupin is unreliable, especially at this juncture. We cannot afford to take that risk. Moreover, he is exceptionally dangerous. One wrong move, and... Well, we simply cannot take chances, even if it means brewing the Wolfsbane Potion, which is costly."
"You will brew the potion for him, won't you?" Dumbledore said, looking directly at Snape.
"Very well, I shall yield to your wishes," Snape relented. "However, I stand firm in my belief that we should not take such risks, even if it means appointing me as the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor." With that, he turned and left the office.
As Dumbledore watched Snape's retreating figure, he made his way to the cabinet where the Pensieve was kept and continued to review his memories of Black.
Ever since receiving the news that Black's escape from prison was targeted at Harry, Dumbledore had been frequently using the Pensieve to organize his thoughts and memories concerning Black.
Over a decade ago, Black had been captured by the Ministry of Magic and sent directly to prison without a trial, accused of betraying James Potter and murdering Peter, along with a street full of Muggles.
Fudge claimed that Black's target was Harry Potter, but Dumbledore expressed skepticism. The Dementors reported that Black kept muttering, "He's at Hogwarts," before his escape.
But who was this "he"? Was it truly referring to Harry?
Dumbledore took out the Pensieve and poured in his memory of the newspaper that Fudge had given to Black. The only thing related to Hogwarts that he could find was a family photo of the Weasleys vacationing in Egypt after winning the Galleon prize. It mentioned that the Weasley children attended Hogwarts.
It was clear that "he" couldn't be referring to the Weasley family, so what had Black seen in that newspaper?
This was the question that puzzled Dumbledore. He was certain that Black had seen something in that newspaper, which had spurred him to escape.
As for Fudge's claim that Black was not in his right mind, Dumbledore disagreed. How could someone who managed to escape from Azkaban be of unsound mind?
Moreover, how had he escaped that prison? That remained a mystery, even to the Ministry.
"Have I overlooked something?"
Dumbledore placed his wand on his temple and extracted a memory, dropping it into the Pensieve. It was the memory of him convincing James Potter to use the Fidelius Charm.
The Secret-Keeper was Black.
Only if Black had leaked the information could Voldemort have found the Potters.
Dumbledore added another memory to the Pensieve, this time of the four friends at school.
James was dead.
Lupin's life hadn't been going well.
Black was imprisoned.
As for Peter, all that was left of him after Black killed him was a finger.
The largest remnant of Peter that the Ministry could find was a finger? Dumbledore knew of many Dark Arts that could reduce a body to ashes, but... He took out another memory and dropped it into the Pensieve, this time of the Aurors capturing Black.
There was a huge pit in the middle of the street, so deep that it ruptured the sewer pipes below. Muggles lay dead everywhere, and their screams filled the air. Black stood there, laughing hysterically, with a pile of bloodstained robes in front of him.
At this point in the memory, Dumbledore narrowed his eyes.
Just then, a knock on the door snapped him out of his reverie.
Opening the door, he found Snape standing outside, accompanied by an Auror.
"The Ministry has sent someone to see you," Snape said, gesturing to the Auror at his side.
"Come in," Dumbledore said, addressing the Auror. "What brings you here, Dawlish?"
The Auror named Dawlish replied expressionlessly, "The Ministry is ready to proceed. Starting tomorrow, Dementors will be stationed around Hogwarts. Are you certain you do not want them within the school grounds?"
"No," Dumbledore said firmly. "As long as I am Headmaster, I will never allow them to set foot inside. Moreover, they let Black slip right under their noses, and I doubt their ability to recapture him."
"Dementors have no eyes," Dawlish reminded him dryly.
"I am aware," Dumbledore said coldly. "My concern now is the safety of my students. You, of all people, should be well aware of the nature of Dementors. They are not known for their benevolence, and I fear they may harm my students, mistaking them for Black..."
"The Dementors are under the Ministry's control," Dawlish said, sounding a bit embarrassed. It was clear that Dumbledore's distrust of the Dementors made Fudge unhappy.
"So I've always hoped," Dumbledore said. "You, who deal with them regularly, should understand the threat they pose to students. I do not want them stepping onto Hogwarts grounds without my consent, endangering my students."
(End of Chapter)
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