https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-951-The-Order-s-Equal-Punishment-for-Those-Who-Disrespect-Side-Along-Apparition/12946727/
Chapter 950: Proving Your Innocence
Chapter 950: Proving Your Innocence
When Grindelwald chose his followers, what did he value the most?
It was indeed strength.
In this regard, he was similar to Voldemort, who valued talent and pureblood status in his followers, such as Rozier, Barty Crouch Jr., and Bellatrix, all of whom were considered exceptional among their peers.
However, the difference was that Voldemort prioritized loyalty and pureblood status, while Grindelwald valued intelligence and cunning.
He never lacked loyal followers, so he favored those who were clever and had a sharp mind.
The actions of Morris Oren towards Snape perfectly aligned with Grindelwald's criteria.
"You want to see him, but he might not want to see you," Kyle whispered.
"What did you say?" Grindelwald's gaze shifted towards Kyle.
"Nothing, you misheard me," Kyle replied casually, recalling the words Snape had just spoken.
Morris Oren.
The last time he saw the former professor was in Gringotts' vault, where he attempted to control the goblins to enter the Lestrange family's vault, but was stopped by Kyle, who was accompanying him.
Even if he had succeeded in entering, it was unlikely that he would have found what Voldemort was looking for, but Kyle was more than happy to cause trouble for the Death Eaters.
Moreover, he had made a substantial profit from this incident, earning several thousand galleons from Gringotts.
Of course, this was from Kyle's perspective.
If it were from the goblins' perspective, they would have to add the costs of repairing the vault, the tracks, and the adult dragon that was either intentionally or unintentionally released.
The number would only increase.
Bill had heard some gossip from his goblin friends, claiming that the British goblins once wanted to change the warning sign at the entrance of Gringotts.
It was the long cautionary message that every visitor to Gringotts would see.
They wanted to change the third line, "Seeking only to take, he asked to receive," to "Kyle and Death Eaters are forbidden from entering."
Kyle's name was even to be placed at the front.
Of course, this was just gossip from a few drunk goblins, and Gringotts officially denied the authenticity of this news, stating that the warning sign at the entrance had existed for almost a thousand years and could not be changed under any circumstances.
After the news of Voldemort's defeat at Hogwarts spread, they even published a statement in the newspaper three times in a row, assuring Kyle that these were just rumors and that Gringotts would treat all wizards equally.
As for the truth of this statement... Kyle found it as amusing as the claim that Gringotts had existed for almost a thousand years.
Kyle vaguely remembered that Gringotts had not even existed for as long as Niccolo's age, and in the entire British magical world, the only building that had remained unchanged for a thousand years was Hogwarts.
But none of this mattered, and it could only be considered a minor interlude.
Kyle shook his head and refocused his attention on Snape, unable to resist asking, "Hmm... Do you know where Morris went?"
"I don't know," Snape shook his head, "but he should have gone to Hogwarts with the other Death Eaters.
"In this war, the Dark Lord made no reservations or attempts to hide, directly summoning all the Death Eaters to participate."
"No, I don't recall seeing him during the battle at Hogwarts," Kyle searched his memory.
From their previous encounters, it was evident that Morris Oren was already a high-ranking Death Eater, almost on par with Barty Crouch Jr. in status, and his power exceeded that of an ordinary professor.
It was impossible for such a Death Eater to join the battle without anyone noticing.
Moreover, thinking back to the time after the battle, when people chatted, they always mentioned Death Eaters by name. Some claimed to have narrowly escaped death at the hands of Rodolphus, while others boasted of stunning Barty Crouch Jr. from behind.
Yet, Morris Oren, the former Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, was never mentioned.
"Did you see him enter Hogwarts?"
"I... don't think so," Snape also realized something was amiss, "I can only say that he was definitely on the way to Hogwarts.
"As one of the Death Eaters most trusted by Voldemort, if Morris Oren had disappeared, it would have drawn attention.
"But the Dark Lord said nothing, so he must have been with the main force at the time."
"And then he disappeared during the attack on Hogwarts," Kyle suddenly laughed.
"Rodolphus was turned to stone and shattered by Mr. Weasley, Barty Crouch Jr. remained forever on the field by the Black Lake, Mr. Weasley defeated Lucius and hung him from the ceiling, the Malfoy family fled in disarray...
"Even Voldemort died, and only Morris Oren emerged unscathed, possibly even with clean clothes."
"This..." Kyle raised an eyebrow at Snape, "As spies, his outcome was much better than yours."
"Morris Oren, was he a spy?" Snape looked at Dumbledore, his expression displeased, "How come you never told me about something so important?"
"Would you believe me if I said I didn't know?" Dumbledore sighed.
"What do you think..." Snape said indifferently.
He didn't think there was anything wrong with Kyle's statement, and this was also his opinion.
Before the war, they desperately urged others on, but when the battle began, they disappeared without a trace. This fact alone was enough to raise questions.
Moreover, before the fight, none of the Death Eaters, including Snape, believed they would fail. In their eyes, Dumbledore was dead, and Voldemort was invincible. They didn't even need to defeat their opponents; as long as they could stall, Voldemort could kill those troublesome enemies one by one.
It was only a matter of time before they won this war.
As one of Voldemort's most radical Death Eaters, Oren had no reason not to participate in this war, which was an easy way to gain merit.
Unless he had received some prior information... For instance, that Dumbledore wasn't actually dead.
Snape's expression turned stern at this thought.
Kyle knew that Dumbledore wasn't dead, and so did Oren, who had joined them later. Only Snape was kept in the dark.
Was Dumbledore so untrusting?
If that were the case, why did he still send Snape back to Voldemort, risking his life? Oren had done a good job, even better than him.
Dumbledore sighed helplessly as he noticed the changing expressions and the profanities in Snape's eyes.
"I assure you, in the name of the Headmaster of Hogwarts, that Oren is not someone I assigned."
"But you're no longer the Headmaster," Kyle whispered from the side.
"Then, in the name of the Board of Trustees..."
"It's common knowledge that the words of the Hogwarts Board of Trustees are like the potions homework of Michael Corner," Kyle added.
"What do you mean...?"
"They're all rubbish," Snape blurted out.
"Exactly," Kyle shrugged.
The Board of Trustees had indeed made numerous rubbish decisions, such as expelling Dumbledore, exploiting the ghost professor without paying a salary, and more. But when Umbridge and the Ministry of Magic were in control at Hogwarts, they remained silent, acting like cowards.
There was no mistake in calling them rubbish.
Kyle was surprised by Snape's cooperation.
Dumbledore's face stiffened. "Then, in the name of Ariana... That should be enough, right?"
"No problem, it's credible," Kyle nodded without hesitation.
After being interrupted by Kyle twice, it took Dumbledore a while to regain his composure. He continued, "In any case, what Oren did was not my arrangement. I've never had any communication with him in that regard. The only thing I know is that he once wanted to kill all werewolves."
"Werewolves...?" Snape was puzzled. "Does he have a grudge against them? But he wasn't bitten by a werewolf, I can assure you of that."
"Because I've never smelled the scent of Wolfsbane Potion on him, and I've seen him several times during the full moon."
"My father once saved him from the werewolves," Kyle suddenly spoke up. "I remember you telling me about it."
"Yes," Dumbledore nodded. "The werewolves wanted to toy with Oren, making him run in fear until dawn. Later, just before the moon disappeared, they wanted to bite him, but they encountered Chris, who was tracking the werewolves and giants."
"Chris saved him, but only him."
Snape's eyes flickered.
Oren's experience sounded very similar to that of Remus Lupin, both victims of werewolf retaliation.
The only difference was that Remus Lupin became a werewolf, while Oren remained human.
"No wonder he wanted to kill werewolves."
"Yes, perhaps Oren joined the Death Eaters for this very reason," Dumbledore said. "Because he must have guessed that Fenrir Greyback, the leader of the werewolves, would definitely join the Death Eaters."
"But he didn't expect that Greyback would be killed." Dumbledore glanced at Kyle. During the Death Eaters' first attack on Hogwarts, Fenrir Greyback was among them, but he was later killed by Kyle in the castle corridors.
"And he didn't anticipate that the remaining werewolves would withdraw from the Death Eaters soon after, disappearing without a trace. His plan couldn't be carried out as he intended."
Kyle thought about it; this matter seemed to be related to him as well.
After killing the leader of the werewolves, he and Newt had gone to the Black Forest and found the other werewolves.
After some calm and persuasive words from Kyle, and a barbecue feast, the werewolves realized their mistakes and vowed never to help Voldemort again.
The matter was resolved.
From then on, the number of werewolves among the Death Eaters significantly decreased, leaving only two or three who had been recruited from Knockturn Alley.
In the Battle of Hogwarts, there were over a dozen Dementors, even after several rounds of purges, but there seemed to be only one werewolf... who was chased by Lupin and later taken care of by him.
Moreover, that werewolf seemed rather weak; without the full moon's empowerment, he might not even have been a match for Oliver Wood.
After that, Kyle didn't seem to encounter werewolves again... except for Lupin.
"But if it's truly as you say," Snape suddenly spoke up, "why didn't he leave after discovering there were no more werewolves among the Death Eaters? Why did he choose to continue serving the Dark Lord?"
"That, I don't know. As I said earlier, I don't know much about Oren."
Dumbledore shook his head, "Perhaps he wanted to retaliate against Tom, who ordered the werewolves behind his back, or perhaps he truly wanted to start a great war."
"No one can guess what a wandering minstrel will sing next, just as no one knows where the wind will blow next."
"To receive such high praise from you..." Grindelwald narrowed his eyes, "I'm even more interested in that Oren now."
"It's not a praise, just a phrase that came to my mind."
Dumbledore explained, "I read it in a book and thought it fit perfectly here. What do you think? After all, Morris Oren is indeed a wandering minstrel."
"A forced analogy," Grindelwald bluntly stated.
Dumbledore seemed a little disappointed; he quite liked that book.
Grindelwald snorted, "Now that you've asked everything you wanted to know, can we continue the conversation we left unfinished?"
"Wait, just a moment..." He turned to Snape. "Some good news, Tom should not be able to revive this time."
"What did you say..." Snape's expression changed instantly, "But you clearly told me that only if Harry willingly goes to his death, can we truly kill the Dark Lord."
"Severus, I must apologize to you on this matter," Dumbledore said, his expression slightly embarrassed.
"I did believe that only Tom's own Killing Curse could kill the fragment of soul he unintentionally left in Harry's body."
"What do you mean by 'before'?" Snape frowned.
"It means... we found a better way." Dumbledore glanced at Kyle. "After you took Tom away from Hogwarts, Kyle had already solved the problem of Harry's Horcrux, and it didn't even take more than five minutes."
"Impossible," Snape was skeptical, "I've checked countless books, and Horcruxes are not that easy to deal with."
"Does that book mention Dementors?"
"No, I was reading books related to Horcruxes, not dark creatures."
"I'm talking about Horcruxes," Dumbledore said softly, "Kyle used the Dementor's kiss to suck out Voldemort's soul fragment."
Sucked it out...
Huh?
Snape blinked, as if still processing the information, instinctively looking at Kyle beside him.
Grindelwald did the same.
However, unlike Snape, Grindelwald didn't know much about Dementors due to certain reasons. He rarely visited Britain, and other countries didn't have such creatures.
But he had heard of this special creature that feeds on happiness and souls. He even tried to capture a few to keep in Nurmengard, but it was delayed due to an issue.
By the time he remembered, Nurmengard had become his exclusive territory.
Perhaps he should be grateful that other matters had delayed him, preventing the introduction of Dementors here.
However, to utilize the characteristics of magical creatures so skillfully, making them serve a purpose that even left Dumbledore in awe... it was exactly what Grindelwald expected from his followers.
But now, he was even more annoyed with Kyle.
Perhaps it was because, seventy years ago, someone else had also used the characteristics of magical creatures to steal his most precious possession.
And more importantly, whether it was Kyle or that person, they had both gained Dumbledore's trust and favor.
Both were just magical creature enthusiasts, nothing special about them.
Grindelwald stared at Kyle... perhaps he could change his perspective, looking more comprehensively from the inside out.
Kyle, who had been watching Dumbledore, didn't notice Grindelwald's gaze. He only felt a cold breeze pass behind him and subconsciously shrunk his neck.
Strange, why was there wind in his trunk? Could it be blowing down from the snowy mountains behind? That's possible.
Fortunately, this feeling soon disappeared.
Grindelwald was thinking about the photo in Kyle's hand, one he was very concerned about. Before obtaining that photo, he would always be more tolerant of Kyle.
As for what would happen after getting the photo, that would be discussed later.
"Have you said enough? I'm getting impatient," Grindelwald shifted his gaze away from Kyle and urged again.
"Just a moment, I have some more things I must say," Dumbledore said, glancing at Kyle without saying anything before turning back to Snape.
"What do you want to say?" Snape asked, "I know you've already said everything you knew."
"It's not about those things, Severus, it's something else," Dumbledore said, "You should remember that in the Headmaster's Office on the eighth floor, there's a place to store memories where the Pensieve is kept.
"Of course, it doesn't matter if you don't remember. When you get there, you'll find it's a box with three layers. The top and bottom layers are filled with memories, but only the top layer has a single bottle.
"That's the memory from seventeen years ago, when you decided to help us against Tom. Give it to Minerva, and it will prove your innocence."
...
(End of Chapter)
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