After a few days of fierce wind and rain, it finally became mild, but the dim moonlight still flickered in the thick clouds.
Perhaps it was due to the Dementors that guarded the entrance to Hogwarts being subdued by Amortentia, the cold wind swirling around the school grounds seemed to carry a hint of freshness.
The night was not yet deep, and many young witches and wizards were still discussing the events of the day in the common room or their dormitories, but the professors would not forget that Sirius Black was lurking in the shadows, watching a particular student in the school with sinister intent.
Before entering Dumbledore's office, Amortentia had already prepared himself. Tonight, Hagrid and Professor Flitwick would both be on guard at the school gate, while Filch and Professor Snape would also patrol the castle to prevent any unexpected incidents.
"Yes, Harry must die..."
Dumbledore's voice was calm, yet it sent a chill down Amortentia's heart.
"So--"
Amortentia sniffed a cold laugh.
"You're treating Harry like a pig--so ridiculous. I thought you were hoping that Harry would one day defeat Voldemort, and now you need me to help you? I can rush into the school infirmary right now to learn about his life."
"Please don't misunderstand--"
Amortentia's attitude did not threaten Dumbledore at all; instead, he nodded and smiled in satisfaction.
"I have some thoughts...of course, they're not perfect, as there are still some crucial safeguards missing."
"What safeguards are you talking about?"
"Guarantees for Harry's 'safe' death," Dumbledore said. "Please forgive me for not being able to share my brilliant ideas with you just yet, Amortentia, but I can assure you that defeating Voldemort is never at the cost of Harry's sacrifice."
That truly is a contradictory thing.
If everything Dumbledore said is true, Harry is indeed one of Voldemort's Horcruxes, so in order to completely kill Voldemort, Harry must be eliminated first. However, Dumbledore's words...
Amortentia's gaze dropped, fixated on the tea leaves swirling in the cup's disturbed surface, now a faded brown... sigh, even the tea is old and stale. The heartless old creature...
"So--"
After a while, Amortentia frowned slightly and said.
"In fact, there is a way to separate Voldemort's soul from Harry's, a method that involves Harry being... 'killed'?"
"Allow me to retain a touch of mystery, Amortentia."
Dumbledore took a deep breath, refusing to delve back into this question.
Since the incident at the Quidditch pitch during the day was settled, and the two of them walked into the headmaster's office, several hours have passed. Moreover, they have been discussing these mentally taxing issues, so both Dumbledore and Amortentia are exhausted.
Seeing Amortentia reinsert the bottle that seals the Dementors into his cloak, Dumbledore hesitated for a moment but did not stop him. Like all of the staff, he was also very averse to the unwanted creatures placed around the school by the Ministry of Magic.
"By the way, Amortentia--"
As Amortentia bid farewell and prepared to stand up to greet Dumbledore, he suddenly stopped him.
"If anything were to happen while I'm away from Hogwarts--if Black--"
"Rest assured, Headmaster Dumbledore, I will not let him harm any life within this school, not even a rat."
"Of course, I believe in your ability, Amortentia, but..."
"What?"
"Just that... Before we take Harry to the real secret chamber Slughorn has mentioned, your words gave me some insight, Amortentia, so--"
Dumbledore hesitated, saying.
"So... I hope that if you happen to discover any clue about Black, I would appreciate it if you could let Harry and his friends participate in the capture of Black to some extent... Of course, only under the premise of ensuring safety."
Amortentia raised an eyebrow. Letting the three of them participate in the capture of Black?
After a moment of consideration, Amortentia agreed, as long as it didn't interfere with his payment, it was no problem to bring the little guys along for a bit of fun.
"I'll take care of it, Headmaster Dumbledore."
Amortentia pushed open the gleaming oak door of Dumbledore's office, glanced at the two stone creatures outside, who were softly snoring, only to open his eyes wide for show as he exited, and was met with a refreshing breeze that cleared his slightly foggy thoughts.
Suddenly, Amortentia remembered that he had forgotten to ask Dumbledore about the knowledge of the 'soul perspective', as well as the clues related to the Horcrux.
"Hmm, one Horcrux is worth eight thousand."
Amortentia turned and walked down the tower, muttering to himself in admiration and pondering how he would sell Voldemort's Horcruxes to Dumbledore at this price... if he could find a hundred or so of them...
"Hmm, to retire on the spot and reach the peak of life... just thinking about it is a bit exciting!"
Dumbledore's office was located in a separate small tower. After descending the spiral staircase, Amortentia walked towards the foyer to head back to his post...
"No, my office has been keeping an eye on those monitors all night because if Sirius Black is still lurking around the castle, he should have already noticed that the Dementors guarding the school's entrance have disappeared. Normal people wouldn't think that Hogwarts has lost its defenses, but for a madman who was tormented by Dementors for twelve years in Azkaban, maybe he would consider this night as a good opportunity to strike."
"Lies!"
Amortentia was mulling over his thoughts when, from a distance, he heard an angry roar from the foyer. It was the sound of his only proper subordinate, Aggie Finnitch... Hagrid was Dumbledore's "dog."
"What's going on, Aggie?" Amortentia quickened his pace into the shadows and asked.
Unexpectedly, standing in the foyer were not only Filch, but also Professor Snape, who stood there with a mocking expression. When he saw Amortentia suddenly appear, the gloom surrounding him visibly lessened.
"We are interrogating this empty-headed Rompington,"
Snape cocked his chin in a mocking manner,
"Breaking the school rules by wandering around the castle and attempting to break through the main gate, we caught him in the act, Amortentia. Would you like to listen to his absurdly comical defense?"
"Professor Byrne!"
"Filch happily said,"
"I believe the reason why this young wizard wants to leave the castle may be because he wants to secretly send a message to Black... as you know, all the Dementors have been locked up by you. Tonight, that criminal may try to break into the castle and commit murder."
Are you just making trouble for fun?
Amortentia rolled his eyes at Filch and spoke to Rompington, whose every cell was shivering.
"What is your explanation, Mr. Rompington?"
"He claimed to have lost his wand."
Snape looked Amortentia up and down carefully, and stared into his eyes for a moment. Then, barely noticeable, he sighed and lazily said.
"I didn't... Professor--"
Rompington's lips were trembling, his face showed desperation as if surrounded by ravenous wolves.
"That's my dad's wand... If I lost it, my grandmother would kill me..."
"No wizard would be so foolish as to lose their wand anywhere, Professor Breakey. Just look at this little liar trying to evade responsibility!"
Filch's shout echoed in the empty castle, and he watched his leader eagerly with enthusiasm, saying.
"My office has some instruments of torture, Professor Breakey. If you need them, I can fetch them now... of course, you can question him in my office as well!"
"Lost his wand?"
Amortentia sighed and placed a hand on his forehead. This little guy was truly muddled-minded most of the time.
"So, you think you lost your wand on the Quidditch field?"
Harry pitifully nodded.
"Alright..."
Glancing at the deep night and Rompington's arm scratched by his Hippogriff, Amortentia thought for a moment and said,
"Tomorrow morning, you can search for your wand together with Aggie on the playground, but for now, I think it's best for you, Mr. Rompington, to rest properly on your four-poster bed."
Hearing what he said, Filch looked as though a wizard had just heard that the Halloween feast had been canceled, his expression was blank and ridiculous. Before he could express his true feelings, he heard his boss speak in an unrefusable tone, saying,
"Aggie, would you please escort Mr. Rompington safely back to where he should be."
"..."
Reading Room
