Chapter 895: Trust and Suspicion
Chapter 895: Trust and Suspicion
Late into the night, a blizzard raged outside, yet light still shone from the windows of the headmaster's office. Dumbledore, clad in a snowy white nightgown and a purple robe trimmed with gold, sat in a high-backed chair behind his desk, perusing the latest issue of the "Defense Guide" by candlelight.
"It's quite a surprise," came the lazy voice of Phineas from his portrait. "I never expected that good-for-nothing great-grandson of mine to start a magazine, and it seems to be receiving rather positive reviews."
"Sirius has matured a lot and has become more considerate towards his friends," Dumbledore replied gently.
"I'm not belittling him, but with his personality, I doubt he could have achieved all this on his own. There must be someone helping him." Phineas narrowed his eyes as he asked, "I wonder, what do you think Anderson is up to?"
"I'm not sure," Dumbledore answered.
His gaze lingered on the page that mentioned Karkaroff being a Death Eater, and one could only guess what thoughts were running through his mind.
"You seem to trust him a great deal," Phineas continued before Dumbledore could respond. "To be honest, I've always felt that his personality was more suited to Slytherin. He's not as simple as you think, and I can't shake the feeling that Anderson is plotting something."
"I've never overlooked him," Dumbledore said.
He continued flipping through the magazine, casually chatting with Phineas. "It's too hasty to judge a person based on their house. People are complex, and everyone has their own thoughts and motives."
"You're just stirring up trouble, Phineas!" A large, red-nosed wizard in the portrait beside him bellowed. "Don't forget that he saved your great-grandson."
"I'm stating facts. That fellow is greedy, money-grubbing, and cunning. My poor great-grandson is merely a tool for him to use, and he doesn't even realize it." Phineas wanted to uncover Albert Anderson's true intentions to prevent Sirius from falling into any potential pitfalls.
Phineas had met many people, and he knew that someone like Albert Anderson was definitely one of the most troublesome and dangerous types.
Ever since Sirius Black had become acquainted with Anderson, the wealth in the Black family vault had been dwindling at an alarming rate.
This made Phineas highly suspicious that Albert was plotting to seize the Black family's fortune.
"If I may be blunt, Mr. Anderson is not greedy," Dumbledore corrected, lifting his head. "In fact, he is more generous than most witches and wizards. Phineas, you probably don't know that Mr. Anderson is even wealthier than the Black family."
"That's impossible!" Phineas immediately denied this notion.
"Nothing is impossible; it's just that you're unaware," Dumbledore said calmly as he closed the "Defense Guide." "In Mr. Anderson's heart, there is a scale that weighs every matter, and he has his own considerations for every action he takes."
"Like how he easily exposed the secret of that Karkaroff using your magazine, making him look like a fugitive and taking revenge because Karkaroff gave him a single point?" Phineas couldn't help but sneer. "That fellow is more like a Slytherin than the Slytherins themselves."
This was also what Phineas worried about the most—Mr. Anderson was even more cunning and deceitful than he had anticipated.
"We are already dead, Phineas," the large, red-nosed wizard reminded him. "And here you are, worrying about the living?"
Before Dumbledore could respond, there was a knock on the door of the headmaster's office.
The portraits stopped their conversation and pretended to fall asleep.
"Come in," Dumbledore said.
The wooden door of the headmaster's office opened, and Snape walked in. He got straight to the point: "Karkaroff has left!"
"I'm aware of that," Dumbledore said, as this was within his expectations. Karkaroff had been facing resistance from the entire British wizarding community. Initially, not many people knew about this matter, but after it was exposed in the "Defense Guide" and the Dark Mark appeared at the Quidditch World Cup, Karkaroff had been having a difficult time lately, bombarded with howler letters.
Snape moved his lips as if he wanted to say something, but he seemed hesitant. After a moment of internal struggle, he finally spoke: "Karkaroff's Dark Mark has started to turn black. In recent months, it has become more and more apparent."
As he spoke, Snape pulled up his sleeve to show Dumbledore the Dark Mark on his arm. When Voldemort had lost his power, the Dark Mark had appeared like a scar, but as Voldemort gradually regained his strength, the Dark Mark began to return.
"Voldemort is still alive and gathering strength," Snape said, looking at the shadow on Dumbledore's face. "Karkaroff is well aware of this, so he's anxious and afraid of being punished. You know that after Voldemort's downfall, Karkaroff provided a lot of help to the Ministry of Magic. Obviously, Voldemort won't let a traitor off easily, so he's running away to find a place to hide."
"Is that so?" Dumbledore said softly. "And you're thinking of running away with him?"
"I'm not that much of a coward," Snape said with a hint of self-mockery. "Besides, I don't think Karkaroff can escape. With Voldemort's personality, he will never let a traitor go unpunished."
"You are braver than Igor Karkaroff," Dumbledore comforted him. "Don't worry; the situation is not as bad as you think. It's still within our expectations."
"Within expectations?" Snape expressed his doubt. "You knew he would return?"
"Not exactly," Dumbledore said calmly. "No one knew that. But I knew Voldemort wasn't dead, and his return was only a matter of time. Many signs pointed to this."
"And you're just going to let it happen?" Snape stared at Dumbledore, his eyes wide with disbelief.
"Some things, even if you know about them, cannot be stopped," Dumbledore said, his hands clasped together as he looked up at Snape. "There's a saying: instead of trying desperately to stop it, it's better to think about how to deal with it after it happens. Moreover, the biggest problem is that we don't know how he managed to achieve this."
"You don't know either?"
"I'm just an ordinary man, Severus," Dumbledore said helplessly. "By the way, I hope you can help me keep an eye on Moody."
"I thought you trusted him," Snape said, his tone filled with unmistakable sarcasm. He disliked Moody intensely.
"Yes, I trust him, but someone reminded me that I should be vigilant towards him," Dumbledore said, paying no heed to Snape's astonished expression.
"You actually believed it?" Snape found it incredible, well aware of the friendship between Dumbledore and Mad-Eye Moody. "Did you discover something amiss?"
"Not so far, but I think it's always better to be cautious," Dumbledore said, lowering his eyelids. "I hope you can help me prepare the strongest truth serum."
"He searched my office," Snape said, his face darkening. "Using your name."
"I suspect someone has infiltrated Hogwarts," Dumbledore said in a low voice. "I asked Moody to inspect the offices of all the professors."
"He searched everyone but left you as an exception?" Snape felt he was following Dumbledore's train of thought, but he was more curious about who had warned Dumbledore about Mad-Eye Moody and why Dumbledore was now suspicious of his old friend.
"No, that's not the reason," Dumbledore said. "In any case, please keep an eye on him."
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
