Chapter 385: Dialogue and Plans
Inside the Room of Thought, Felix handed a cup of tea to Dumbledore.
"This place is becoming more real," Dumbledore said curiously, taking a sip of the amber liquid. "What kind of tea is this? I don't recall ever having tasted it."
"Just regular tea; our tastes differ," Felix replied. Seated across from Dumbledore, it was just the two of them.
"How much ti do we have?" Dumbledore asked with a smile.
"Two and a half minutes," Felix rubbed his temple. "If you insist, maybe up to five minutes."
"So, at least a quarter of an hour," Dumbledore nodded slightly.
Felix stared at him, rolled his eyes, propped up his legs, and slowly said, "Two matters: calming the four schools and investigating the puppeteer behind the scenes."
Dumbledore's long fingers crossed in front of him. "Do you have any insights?"
"The first matter is easily resolved; it mainly depends on your opinion."
"My opinion?" Dumbledore smiled.
"The Triwizard Tournant's magical contract cannot be violated. That alone would crush them. But it presents a problem: Hogwarts' reputation would plumt, becoming a laughingstock abroad—"
"That's a scene I'd rather not witness," Dumbledore decisively interrupted. "We need to find a certain compromise."
"There are two approaches: strengthening the competitors or weakening ourselves. The forr isn't viable, considering the distinct aspirations of each school," Felix calmly stated.
"Then the latter is our only option. Let's move on to the second matter; that's where the crux lies," Dumbledore said. "Who do you think their target is?"
"It can only be Harry, the likelihood is greatest." Felix suddenly recalled sothing. "Sirius ntioned during the World Cup that Harry's scar—"
"I'm aware of this, and Sirius wrote to
about it too," Dumbledore shifted the topic. His voice grew solemn. "Speaking of the Triwizard Tournant, I once suspected Harry might have circumvented the Cup's restrictions by so ans. But when Miss Granger appeared, I knew that wasn't possible."
"Is it really possible to bypass those restrictions? I always thought it might be a potent Confundus Charm..." Felix pondered.
Dumbledore chuckled. "Humans set the rules for the Triwizard Cup. And where there are humans, there are flaws. Frankly, I'm sowhat disappointed in those who operate covertly; their thods are far too apparent."
Felix nodded. There was truth in that. If they could find a loophole in the rules, it would confound everyone even more. However, now everyone knew the Cup had been tampered with.
The difference lay in how the other four schools believed it was Hogwarts' doing, which even if it wasn't, still advantaged them.
"So, it's Voldemort?"
"Indeed, Voldemort," Dumbledore softly uttered. "Though, from what I know of him, it's unlikely he's acting directly."
"He must have accomplices. The one who attacked Harry alongside the little dwarf Peter, and perhaps more." Following the headmaster's line of thought, Felix continued, "He once ruled over nearly half of Britain. This should be no difficult feat for him."
At this point, his mind swirled. He had given Lucius Malfoy until Christmas, but things had changed. He couldn't wait any longer, and based on the feedback from the Rain Swallow Patronus, that mysterious antique dealer seed to have intricate ties to Malfoy Manor...
"No, Felix, you don't understand him. Voldemort considers power the cornerstone of his dominion. Without power, he loses control over his underlings." Dumbledore sighed, "During the sumr break, I visited his forr companions and staff from the orphanage, one by one. The more I learned, the clearer his nature beca."
Felix thought for a mont. "So, he spent these years hiding in the Albanian forest. Is that connected?"
"After losing his power, he beca distrustful of everyone. No, it's more accurate to say that those he trusted were imprisoned in Azkaban... until Wormtail found him."
"You're getting to the key point," Felix agreed.
However, he furrowed his brow. "Can we really ascertain who's behind this? Theoretically, all four headmasters and their accompanying professors have opportunities, even the professors at Hogwarts..."
The scope was too broad.
"Igor Karkaroff was once a Death Eater," Dumbledore said calmly, "that's also why I stopped Alastor."
"Could it be him?" Felix was doubtful. Karkaroff's reaction seed too genuine. Even if he wanted to clear his own na, he wouldn't need to be that zealous. Moreover, the emotions of the other three schools were clearly incited by him.
Moody, on the other hand... a series of fast flashes crossed his mind. So suspicions were inconclusive; he couldn't produce any evidence.
"Karkaroff is unlikely. He betrayed his forr master and provided a list of Death Eaters after the war," Dumbledore explained, "Personally, I don't think Voldemort would turn to him."
"Imperius Curse? Polyjuice Potion?" Felix tentatively suggested, though that wasn't who he intended to ntion. He just wanted to gauge Dumbledore's stance.
"You don't yet grasp my point, Felix. If it's Voldemort, he wouldn't expose his weak side to his forr betrayers. He'd rather, after his resurrection, glorify his na, leaving the traitors to live in perpetual fear until they die silently in a dark corner."
Felix nodded; was this Voldemort's pride? He softly said, "From what I know, Professor Moody claid to have been attacked before taking up the post..."
Dumbledore's gaze sharpened.
"… I've also noticed that he always carries a curved bottle with him, but I've never seen him open it. I might be overly suspicious, but wouldn't he get thirsty?"
Dumbledore gazed at him. After several seconds, he calmly replied, "That's just your conjecture. Alastor is quite sensitive, and he never touches anything suspicious. That's a well-known fact. I've known him for over half a century, longer than Voldemort, and I understand him well. Yet, I haven't found anything suspicious about him."
"We shouldn't act against soone based solely on speculation."
"It's 'you' who wouldn't act against soone based on speculation," Felix emphasized deliberately.
Dumbledore fell silent.
"Dumbledore," Felix said, "we shouldn't let potential threats remain close," his tone grew somber, "we should at least probe."
After a mont of solemn quiet —
"What do you intend to do?"
"The Imperius Curse, Polyjuice Potion, mory Modification; those are the three thods I can think of. However, the third thod can't be verified without subduing Professor Moody for the ti being." Felix explained, dragging others into the conversation to make it seem less targeted at Moody, "Of course, it applies to others as well."
"Provided they aren't willingly serving as Voldemort's lapdogs," Dumbledore added.
"Exactly. If they're willing, my options are limited. Wizards daring to cause trouble right in front of you surely have precautions against the mory Charm. Can I simply probe their mories bit by bit? What's the difference from stripping soone bare?"
If he made a mistake, he'd be creating a mortal enemy for himself.
Why do wizards value their mories? Because their concerns are legitimate; wizards do have ways to modify, forge, and erase others' mories.
"I'll handle this, Felix. I'll talk to Alastor," Dumbledore said firmly. "The Imperius Curse, the Polyjuice Potion; I'll verify these two thods. However, the probing of mories, I disagree. It's the greatest humiliation for Alastor."
"But—"
"Until there's clearer evidence, I won't consent to any drastic actions." He stated unwaveringly, "Beyond that, if he's innocent, I plan to have him keep an eye on anyone suspicious around him..."
Felix shrugged, "I'll await your decision." He snapped his fingers, dispersing the magic, and they returned to reality.
Inside the room, Mada Maxi was staring at him, looking rather upset. Her chest, clad in black silk, heaved intensely. It seed like she might throw a punch at him in the next second, but she probably rembered that he also held a position on the board of governors, so she reluctantly held back.
She remained silent, not speaking. Karkaroff finally erged from Moody's shadow at this mont and impatiently said, "What's the problem exactly? How to solve it? You've been staring at each other for a full half-minute without a word. Don't think you can get away with this. If there's no good solution, release the restrictions on Durmstrang and allow them to use any ans—"
"Headmaster Karkaroff," Felix said, looking at him, "the limitations on your students aren't as extensive as you imagine—"
"What did you say?" Karkaroff stared.
"I have a question. Is Durmstrang a school that primarily trains dark wizards?"
"This is defamation! Mr. Crouch, did you hear that?"
"Hear
out," Felix held his gaze, "Durmstrang has the most open attitude toward dark magic. That's a fact. But it doesn't an Durmstrang is a school that 'specializes' in teaching dark magic. Dark magic only constitutes a small part of the curriculum. At least from your textbooks, I don't see much influence of dark magic..."
"Dark magic is most widely applied in the field of dueling. But do you not teach the Disarming Charm? The Stunning Spell? The Full Body-Bind Curse?"
Felix spoke slowly, "Dark magic is rely an effective supplent. But it will never beco the mainstream of a publicly recruiting magic school. Even if you have a strong affinity for dark magic, you should rember this!"
Karkaroff was left speechless.
If he admitted that Durmstrang focused primarily on dark magic, the school's reputation would be thoroughly tarnished. As the headmaster, he had to stand up and clear his na and the school's na.
Karkaroff's face turned red as he said, "Dark magic is only a part of Durmstrang. We have the capability to manage its side effects. The school has specialized professors who assess students' progress and selectively teach dark magic."
Though that was what he said, many professors turned a blind eye to things behind the scenes. This was also why Durmstrang's reputation for embracing dark magic was well-known.
The reason Durmstrang didn't beco a concentration camp for dark wizards was indeed related to the school's system. They did adhere to certain review standards. The benefit of this approach was that even if students practiced dark magic in secret, they didn't dare to use it openly. They didn't practice it frequently, and the impact on their character wasn't severe.
"What about the team of champions from Hogwarts?" Karkaroff awkwardly changed the subject.
"It's simple. Since all of you consider it Hogwarts' advantage, turn it into a disadvantage," Felix floated his words lightly, glancing at the present champions and headmasters. They didn't care whether dark wizards were secretly coveting Harry or the teaching issues at Durmstrang. They only wanted to know how to reasonably weaken the opposing side before the competition.
"Headmaster Dumbledore, Mr. Crouch, Mr. Bagman, I suggest that Hogwarts' scores be calculated based on the an."
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