Hogwarts: This Wizard is Unscientific 70

Chapter 70: Dumbledore Suddenly Had a Bad Feeling

“Hmm…”

Andy suddenly fell silent.

When Harry realizes that ‘it was because Dumbledore brought the Philosopher’s Stone to Hogwarts that Malfoy was attacked,’ it might indeed create a tiny, insignificant trust crisis between the two.

But the premise of all this is… that Harry can realize this.

Considering Harry and Ron’s intelligence, Andy didn’t hold out any hope.

A brute wouldn’t understand subtle hints.

But if he spoke directly, his intentions would be too obvious.

“But… actually, this is good!” Andy thought to himself.

Andy didn’t want to oppose Dumbledore, and Dumbledore and Harry were indeed fighting Voldemort.

Andy couldn’t actually create a trust crisis between them.

This was just a warning!

Andy disliked being manipulated.

Although all this was just Andy’s speculation, Andy could swear that he had been manipulated by Dumbledore.

Andy carefully recalled it; Dumbledore’s methods of drawing him in were so similar to his methods of drawing Harry in!

Both were so subtle and imperceptible.

First, he utilized Harry’s sense of justice and courage.

Then, he utilized Andy’s caution (cowardice?) and resourcefulness (cunning?).

Snape had previously warned Andy to be careful of Quirrell, and Andy had thought he had some humanity.

But when Harry and Ron came to Andy to ask about Nicolas Flamel, Andy realized something was amiss.

Thinking back now, he was too naive.

Imagine, if Andy were just a normal young wizard, wouldn’t he be terrified and anxious if he knew someone was going to retaliate against him?

And when Harry and Ron brought information about the Philosopher’s Stone, Andy, for self-preservation, would definitely try his best to help them.

Wasn’t this clearly a trap for honest people?

Dumbledore didn’t even leave any evidence; everything seemed so natural.

Harry could even be said to have willingly entered the trap!

If Andy truly focused on self-preservation, he too would ‘willingly’ enter the trap and help Harry fight Quirrell and Voldemort.

The old are really shrewd!

Andy sighed, wondering if Dumbledore had ever manipulated others before.

“Ron, Harry, I’m going to the library to read. Are you coming?” Andy invited.

“Spare us!”

Ron immediately surrendered, “I get a headache just looking at those books. I don’t know how you can read them.”

Harry also wore an apologetic expression, “I have to go practice Quidditch later.”

Andy made a ‘V’ sign in his heart.

The best way to separate from someone without hurting feelings was to invite them to do something they disliked.

“Then I’ll go first.” Andy waved his hand.

…

The owl’s flight wasn’t fast, but it didn’t take long to fly from the Hogwarts owlery to the Headmaster’s office.

In the Headmaster’s office, Snape was giving a work report.

“I’ve checked Malfoy; there’s no problem.”

Both Snape and Dumbledore had suspected that Quirrell would return to Hogwarts through Malfoy.

On Malfoy’s first day back at school, Snape had secretly checked Malfoy’s luggage and even called Malfoy to his office for a talk.

Unfortunately, he found nothing.

“It seems that after the last incident, Voldemort has become much more cautious.” Dumbledore’s tone was calm, as if he wasn’t taking this matter seriously.

That tone again!

Snape considered himself calm, but calmness also had its limits.

Every time he finished talking with Dumbledore, Snape needed a few sips of Felix Felicis to calm down.

“The Dark Lord disappeared in the castle!”

Snape felt he needed to remind Dumbledore how dire their situation was. “We’ve completely lost track of the Dark Lord. He could attack the students at any time.”

“Severus, to deal with Voldemort, we must understand his current mental state.”

Dumbledore’s tone remained calm. He looked at Snape and said, “I should have told you, he was very good at understanding people when he was at school. He had good relationships with many professors and even rallied quite a few students; those people were the forerunners of the Death Eaters.”

Snape frowned upon hearing this.

Dumbledore continued, “But as Voldemort went deeper down the path of dark magic and gained power, he became arrogant.”

“Ten years of precarious survival, plus his last failure, Voldemort will be more cautious, and… he will absolutely not accept a second failure.”

At this point, the eyes behind Dumbledore’s spectacles became much deeper.

“You mean…” Snape’s face changed drastically.

“Yes!”

Dumbledore said, “Once Voldemort fails again, he will retaliate madly. But before that, he will only hide himself more carefully.”

Snape glared at Dumbledore, “You should have killed Quirrell last time.”

“We all know that killing Quirrell wouldn’t solve the problem.”

Dumbledore’s eyes met Snape’s calmly. “Voldemort now needs to regain his strength. Hagrid told me that the Forbidden Forest has been rather restless recently.”

Snape looked at Dumbledore with strange eyes, “And so you let that stupid half-giant investigate the Forbidden Forest?”

If you want to kill Hagrid, just say so. Why use him as a pawn?

Dumbledore didn’t speak; his heart wasn’t as calm as he appeared.

In Dumbledore’s position, many of his decisions would cause him inner pain, but he had to make them.

It’s similar to the saying that a merciful person cannot command troops.

Dumbledore could certainly take action himself, but as long as Voldemort didn’t fight him to the death, Dumbledore would be helpless against him.

So he could only choose to use that prophecy.

Moreover, Dumbledore believed that ever since Voldemort’s Killing Curse was rebounded by Harry ten years ago, Harry had become a thorn in Voldemort’s side.

Tap tap tap!

A few soft sounds suddenly echoed in the silent office.

Dumbledore and Snape turned to look. Three owls were flapping their wings outside the window, each carrying a letter in its beak.

Dumbledore waved gently, and the window opened automatically.

The three owls flew around the office before landing on the desk.

They placed the letters in front of Dumbledore, then stared intently at him.

Feed us, human!

Don’t think that you can break the rules just because you’re the Headmaster of Hogwarts. Believe it or not, we’ll swarm you and peck you to death!

Dumbledore took out some biscuits to feed the owls, then picked up the envelopes and looked at the names.

Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Andy Collins.

Dumbledore suddenly had a bad feeling.

(End of Chapter)

Previous Chapter | TOC | Next Chapter