"So you've made your decision?"
After Glenn sent the letter, he and Hermione came to Dumbledore's office to inform him of their choice. Dumbledore's reaction clearly showed he already knew their purpose for coming. When Glenn and Hermione pushed open the door, the elderly wizard was seated at his desk handling a large pile of documents. Seeing the two young visitors, he set aside his work and spoke.
"Did Grandmother Lin tell you in advance?"
Hermione walked to the sofa and sat down gently, leaning against the soft backrest as she looked at Dumbledore, waiting for his answer.
"Naturally. Two of our students will be traveling alone to a magical school in the Dragon Kingdom to participate in another school's activities, camping outdoors and being self-sufficient for two full months. I must understand the situation beforehand—it's my responsibility as headmaster."
"Of course, setting aside my position as headmaster, I consider myself a close elder and friend to you both. Caring about you, worrying for you, and providing whatever help I can is perfectly normal."
Winking at Hermione with a smile, Dumbledore set down his quill, pushed back his chair, and stood from behind his desk. He stretched slightly, then walked over to sit on the sofa opposite Hermione.
"We're deeply honored by that. Thank you, Professor. Come on, Glenn, say thank you with me."
Graciously accepting Dumbledore's expression of concern for both her and Glenn, Hermione straightened up and patted Glenn, who was standing beside her, indicating he should also express polite gratitude to Dumbledore.
"Professor Dumbledore, Grandmother mentioned in her letter that you might know why this beast-seeking expedition was moved up, and what troubles we might encounter during the activity..."
"Glenn, what about 'thank you'?"
"...Thank you. So what's this all about?"
Glenn cut straight to the question he wanted answered, as always. Hermione threw herself back helplessly and gave up. Dumbledore chuckled and waved his hand to show Hermione it was fine, then looked at Glenn and spoke:
"Just some personal speculation, which might not be accurate, so please take it as reference only."
"Baseless speculation impedes people's observation and deduction of facts—it's unnecessary in logical thinking. Based on your personality, Professor, your approach to handling matters, and your way of thinking, your use of the word 'speculation' isn't accurate."
Hearing this, Hermione pressed her lips together and quietly pulled Glenn down until she could whisper in his ear.
"Glenn, Professor Dumbledore is just being modest. You don't need to be so literal."
"This concerns both our personal safety. I must take this matter seriously. Wrong information will greatly affect the course of events. If what Professor Dumbledore wants to tell us is merely 'speculation,' then I think we'd be better off not hearing this information at all."
"Alright, alright, Glenn. Let me use a different word—this is my 'deduction.' Surely that's acceptable?"
Dumbledore smiled helplessly. Any normal person could tell his earlier words were just habitual modesty, but he'd forgotten that Glenn was far from ordinary.
Dumbledore had been so busy lately dealing with various people and troublesome matters that he hadn't had time to adjust his communication style. Otherwise, his previous interactions with Glenn weren't like this—usually their exchanges were comfortably direct, without unnecessary complications.
"Please continue."
Glenn nodded, finally deciding not to speak further. He just stood by the sofa without saying anything, so Hermione pulled him to her side and pressed him down to sit on the sofa.
"This matter begins with your recent operation."
Dumbledore waved his hand, and tea and fruit appeared on the table—apparently he planned to give them as detailed an explanation as possible.
"Glenn, on that night, the Dark Mark you and Severus created was witnessed by many wizards. Although the Ministry of Magic quickly suppressed the news, the information still leaked out and spread rapidly and widely through the dark corners of the wizarding world. Under deliberate guidance and information leaks by unknown individuals, dark wizards who worship Voldemort have all begun to stir restlessly."
"Of course, I'm pleased that the Ministry of Magic officials finally showed some reaction and vigilance to this, though they still refuse to take appropriate measures and continue burying their heads in the sand. But your purpose was indeed achieved."
Dumbledore picked up his tea and took a delightful sip. Just as he was about to comment on the tea to lighten the mood, he noticed Glenn had somehow removed his eyepatch and was staring at him with dark, hollow eyes. He could only give a dry laugh and continue with business.
"Those unorganized dark wizards are one thing, but Voldemort's former followers—the Death Eaters—have naturally begun to take action as well. Under someone's leadership—whose identity you surely know best—many Death Eaters who had been hiding since Voldemort's death from the rebounded Killing Curse have reappeared in public view and begun secretly expanding their influence, recruiting followers."
"However, regarding Britain's Death Eaters, based on what you've described, we needn't worry too much for now. What's more concerning are the Death Eaters who fled to other countries—in foreign lands, those people's actions become much harder to predict."
"So the trouble we might encounter during the beast-seeking expedition would be certain Death Eaters who escaped to the Dragon Kingdom?"
Hermione felt somewhat shocked by her deduction based on Dumbledore's information, blurting out her thoughts.
Dumbledore nodded, looking at Hermione with approval.
"Exactly so."
"The Dragon Kingdom is vast, and over ten years ago, when their magical techniques and methods were still imperfect and they couldn't establish defenses and warning arrays everywhere along their borders, many Death Eaters took the opportunity to hide in the Dragon Kingdom, completely concealing themselves under false identities. Finding these cunning individuals in that vast territory is like searching for a needle in the ocean. The Dragon Kingdom's authorities have been working for years to root out these criminals, but ultimately had no leads to follow."
"But recently things have changed. With the spread of the message you deliberately circulated about 'Voldemort's imminent return,' the Dragon Kingdom's authorities have finally detected some movement from the Death Eaters hiding within their borders."
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
🔥 Want to read the next150+ chapters RIGHT NOW?
💎 Patreon members get instant access!
⚡ Limited-time offer currently running...
👉 [Join on Patreon - patreon.com/DarkGolds]