Chapter 949: The Forgotten Orren
Chapter 949: The Forgotten Orren
The atmosphere in the room grew tense again as Snape took a step back, remaining silent and looking at Dumbledore with a complex expression.
"You're not dead..." His voice was dry, filled with a sense of betrayal. "So that funeral was also a lie, and you deceived everyone, including me."
Grindelwald frowned, displeased with Snape's offensive tone.
"I don't like that professor."
"Albus is too kind. At least in Durmstrang, no teacher would dare speak to the Headmaster in such a manner."
If anyone else were present, they would be surprised by Grindelwald's words.
He was actually speaking in defense of the man who had defeated him instead of letting Snape, who had been imprisoned in Nurmengard, leave.
However, Kyle didn't find it strange at all.
The last time he visited Nurmengard, he had seen a letter written on a piece of bedsheet in the top corner, a letter that had not been sent.
"You know I'll reply when you want me to, just as you know I love you, from the day we first met."
It was clear that there was a reason why that letter had not been sent... Of course, it could also be that Nurmengard lacked owls.
This was also why Kyle could make Grindelwald squirm with just a few photographs.
The images he had brought out were carefully selected treasures from the past few years.
For example, there was a photo of Dumbledore with tears streaming down his face when he met Ariana, a moment that only Kyle had captured.
Dumbledore, overwhelmed with joy, showed his vulnerable side to an outsider for the first time, and the value of such a moment was immeasurable. Aside from Kyle, no one might ever see Dumbledore like this.
There was also a photo from 1899, showing the young, ambitious Grindelwald and the energetic young Headmaster in Godric's Hollow, a precious memory of their friendship.
Yes, Kyle had more than three photographs, and far more than that... After all, his original plan was to fill an entire album, and three photos were not nearly enough.
Kyle subconsciously touched the lizard-skin bag he wore, but his movement immediately caught Grindelwald's attention.
As a... well, a master manipulator, even after being imprisoned in Nurmengard for seventy years, Grindelwald's insight was not something ordinary people could match.
However, he merely watched with interest, saying nothing.
"I'm sorry, Severus," Dumbledore said after a moment of silence. "I know you don't want to hear any explanations from me right now, but I can assure you that the funeral was not entirely fake."
The soft tone, laced with a hint of self-reproach, only made Grindelwald angrier.
But with Dumbledore still present, he managed to restrain himself and maintained his silence.
"Not entirely fake... What does that mean?" Snape asked, unaware that someone beside him was itching to kill him.
"I believe seeing me now should give you an idea of what that means," Dumbledore said.
Dumbledore spread his arms, and a gust of wind carrying a few fallen leaves blew through his body.
"A ghost..." Snape said, then shook his head. "No, it's impossible. Dumbledore couldn't have become a ghost."
"I'm glad you hold me in such high regard," Dumbledore laughed.
The term 'ghost' was just a name; they were wizards who feared death and left their mark in the places they had once lived.
In other words, ghosts were in opposition to the brave Gryffindor.
Dumbledore probably felt that Snape had just acknowledged him as a courageous and true Gryffindor.
To be honest, he was quite pleased.
"I'm not a ghost," Dumbledore smiled. "To be precise, I am a memory that has been placed into the Pensieve."
Snape subconsciously looked down at Dumbledore's feet, but there was nothing there, not even a rough stone basin engraved with magical runes.
"It's just a metaphor, Severus," Dumbledore explained. "A special kind of magic has replaced the function of the Pensieve, allowing this memory of mine to appear here intact."
"You weren't like this before," Snape shook his head.
Although he had been unconscious for a while, he still remembered Dumbledore's initial appearance... serious-faced and casting powerful weather magic that startled Voldemort into cursing.
Voldemort screamed at Dumbledore for his lack of martial ethics and secretly preparing a Horcrux for himself.
Using magic... that couldn't be something a mere memory could do.
"Severus, I shouldn't be here; I should be at Hogwarts, explaining this to all the students and professors."
Dumbledore sighed, "I have to admit that I made a mistake. I should have trusted you more, or at least given you more obvious hints when I sent Draco to you."
"Draco... was that you?"
"Yes," Dumbledore nodded. "I thought that if I left that child locked in the classroom, he would surely be taken away by the Ministry of Magic, and that wouldn't be fair to him."
"Was it fair to me, then?"
"I'm sorry, Severus."
"Oh, is that so..." Snape gave a cold laugh, and it was clear that he still held some resentment.
Grindelwald subconsciously took a step forward.
"Don't be impulsive, don't be impulsive..." Kyle whispered as he approached, "This is indeed a shady move by Professor Dumbledore, and it's understandable for Snape to hold a grudge."
"Oh?" Grindelwald glanced at Kyle with a sideways look, "First, feign death, then hide and prepare for a sneak attack... I don't feel like this is an idea that Albus could have come up with."
"Maybe... Well, Professor Dumbledore has kept up with the times." Kyle spoke solemnly, "After all, it's been seventy years since you last saw each other."
"So what? Even if it's been a hundred years, I still understand him..."
Kyle fell silent, feeling a bit awkward under Grindelwald's intense gaze.
"Let's take a step back," he said stiffly, changing the subject, "I think you should also be grateful to Snape."
"Do you really think that tower could hold me captive?" Grindelwald said meaningfully, "Or do you think that without my wand, I'm at the mercy of others?"
"I didn't mean it that way," Kyle shook his head.
This was indeed his genuine thought. Wandless magic was one of the most challenging techniques, but the opponent was Grindelwald; how could he not know it?
"You know, he told me that Dumbledore is dead..." Grindelwald waved the wand in his hand, the one that originally belonged to Snape.
"He should be grateful that he's still alive after telling such a blatant lie to me."
Unlike Kyle, Grindelwald didn't suppress his voice, so everyone present heard his words.
No one thought Grindelwald was joking, especially Snape. From the moment the two of them entered, Snape knew that the other wanted to kill him.
Grindelwald's gaze felt like he was looking at a burnt steak.
The invisible pressure made him feel very uncomfortable, and it had only eased a little when he and Kyle were fighting over the item earlier.
But now, that feeling had returned.
"This is all my fault," Dumbledore stepped forward and said, "Severus doesn't know that I'm still alive, so in a sense, he didn't lie to you either."
Kyle scoffed and took a step back.
To be honest, if Dumbledore truly cared for Snape, he should have kept quiet and said nothing at this moment, instead of speaking up for Snape.
Didn't they see that Grindelwald's grip on his wand tightened after Dumbledore spoke up? But Kyle couldn't bring himself to point it out; what if Grindelwald felt embarrassed, and the first person he'd take it out on was Kyle? He didn't want to be in that position.
However, the silence that followed made the atmosphere increasingly awkward.
"I just wanted to kill the Dark Lord in my own way," Snape finally spoke up, "We had agreed on this before..."
"Harry Potter can't kill the Dark Lord."
Snape interrupted him, "I trusted you at first and believed that the Dark Lord would lose to Potter as he had before, until I personally participated in the battle at Hogwarts.
"I don't know how Potter can kill the Dark Lord, and this time, no one will use ancient protective magic on him."
"But what does that have to do with you coming to Nurmengard?"
"To find an enemy who can kill the Dark Lord for him," Snape looked at Grindelwald, "I remember you saying that as long as Harry is alive, no one can kill the Dark Lord."
"That's right..." Dumbledore said, "Because Harry is also one of the Horcruxes... Oh, I think I understand."
Dumbledore suddenly said, "So when you were at Hogwarts, you saved Tom because you didn't want him to perish with the professors. But now it seems that you didn't want others to know that Harry is a Horcrux.
"Were you worried that if others found out the truth, they would kill Harry?"
Snape remained silent, turning his head away to avoid eye contact.
"Even if this matter is discovered, Minerva wouldn't do such a thing," Dumbledore sighed.
"What about others, Dumbledore? You can't guarantee that everyone shares your bias towards students." Snape spoke up,
"And I understand the Dark Lord. He won't fight to the death. Even if I don't save him, he'll definitely find a way to escape. Instead of waiting for him to hide after his escape, why not try my method?"
"Your method, Grindelwald?"
"Yes," Snape said, "I didn't intend to come here until that one time when you and the Dark Lord had a major battle in a foreign land... in Austria, very close to here."
"I've always wondered why the Dark Lord chose to fight you here. Then one day, I accidentally saw an old newspaper, and its contents cleared up my confusion.
"Everyone knows that Dumbledore defeated Grindelwald and saved Europe... but very few know that the two of them were once close friends in their youth."
Both Dumbledore and Grindelwald fell silent.
Indeed, very few people knew this, even though it was a fact. But it sounded too much like a rumor... Dumbledore received the Merlin First-Class Medal for defeating Grindelwald. Were they really close friends?
How could that be possible?
After so many years, even if someone spoke the truth, no one would believe it.
"At that time, I didn't pay much attention to this matter." Snape looked at Dumbledore, "But later, when you were suddenly killed, I happened to learn about the legend of the Elder Wand by chance."
"So, at the most critical moment, a plan emerged."
"You want me to deal with that guy named Tom?" Grindelwald raised an eyebrow.
"Exactly." Snape said, "If you two were truly close friends, perhaps after learning the truth, you would have chosen to avenge Dumbledore."
"You also said it was in the past." Grindelwald shook his head, "He defeated me and got me locked up in Nurmengard for seventy years. Maybe we've long turned from friends to foes, how could I avenge him?"
For some reason, after hearing Grindelwald's words, Snape froze, as if he hadn't considered this possibility at all.
Grindelwald stared at him for a moment and then suddenly smiled, "What a clever Confusion Charm."
"What do you mean?" Kyle looked at Grindelwald in confusion, "Did someone cast a Confusion Charm on him?"
"Want to know?" Grindelwald extended three fingers.
Kyle's mouth twitched, and he took out a photo. "This is all I have. You can choose to tell me or not."
"Deal." Grindelwald glanced at the photo and put it away with satisfaction.
"You can talk now."
"You can let that fool think it over." Grindelwald spoke slowly, "The so-called unintentional and coincidental encounters he mentioned, did they all involve a specific person?"
"Maybe not direct contact, but they must have met."
A specific person?
Snape lowered his head in thought, and a moment later, his pupils suddenly contracted.
"It seems you've figured it out." Grindelwald continued, "I can assure you that either the newspaper or the Elder Wand, at least one of them, was shown to you by that person.
"In other words, your undercover identity was exposed long ago."
"Who is that person?" Kyle asked.
"That's a question you should ask him."
Kyle and Dumbledore both looked at Snape.
"Orren," Snape said in a hoarse voice, uttering a name that both of them knew but were about to forget.
Snape sank into his memories.
"Orren was the first to notice that the Dark Lord's wand had changed. He seemed to know the origin of the Elder Wand and enthusiastically shared the legend of that wand with others."
"Later, when the Dark Lord realized his wand was not entirely under his control, I remembered what Orren had said about the Elder Wand once serving Grindelwald.
"So, this trip to Nurmengard became a natural occurrence. If everything went smoothly, I would have unintentionally revealed the news of Dumbledore's death and accidentally dropped a wand."
"Wait, hold on." Kyle extended his hand.
"According to what you said, did Orren know a long time ago that Voldemort hadn't fully mastered the Elder Wand?"
"That's a bit too incredible."
"I don't know." Snape shook his head, "But if we follow Mr. Grindelwald's theory, Orren is indeed the most suspicious one."
"The Elder Wand's rejection of a wizard is quite noticeable." At this moment, Grindelwald suddenly spoke up, "If that person you mentioned has sufficient knowledge about the Holy Trinity, it is possible to tell."
"Is that so?" It was the first time Kyle had heard of such a thing.
"Want to know?" This time, Grindelwald extended his entire palm, indicating five photos.
"No, I don't want to know." Kyle firmly rejected his excessive request.
"Alright, what a pity." Grindelwald didn't insist.
"You're like most wizards, unwilling to spend time and energy searching for clues related to fairy tales like the Holy Trinity.
"Some details about the Elder Wand are hidden in the unrecorded corners of these fairy tales."
"Orren used his identity as a bard to travel to various countries, which facilitated his smuggling of magical creatures. And bards are the ones who come into contact with fairy tales the most."
Dumbledore spoke softly from the side, "He played the role so well that he was never exposed."
"That's not surprising." Grindelwald stared at Snape, "Oh, and I think I made a mistake. The magical traces on you seem to be not from a Confusion Charm, but more like a form of hypnotic suggestion."
"What does that mean?"
"It's a way to make certain people aware of my existence through some kind of linguistic suggestion, like him." Grindelwald pointed at Snape.
"Before this, he might have never known about me, let alone ask me to deal with that Tom."
"How interesting." Grindelwald suddenly laughed, "He must have used this special suggestion on many people, ensuring that when the wand had issues, someone would draw that Tom's attention to me."
"I'd like to meet him, that clever and cunning wizard."
...
(End of Chapter)
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