The dwarven ring was extremely dangerous and should not be touched by hand, so Luke quickly produced a Mithril box and locked the ring inside for later disposal.
Luke's gaze then focused on Eamon once more.
"Mr. Eamon, can you tell me where you obtained this ring? Or who gave it to you?"
"Also, who gave you that vial and instructed you to put it in the food?"
Under Luke's sharp gaze, Eamon felt as though he had been completely seen through, with no secrets left hidden.
He was trembling slightly, tears streaming down his face. Besides fear and dread, there was also confusion in his eyes.
"I can't remember who gave it to me. It seemed like a classmate from the same House. I can't recall his appearance at all; I only remember that he seemed to say something to me, and then I became groggy and only wanted to obey him... Then, he gave me the ring and told me to wear it, and also gave me a vial, instructing me to sneak into the kitchen and poison the food and drinks... But the dean required that all students couldn't act alone, so I persuaded my two roommates to sneak to the kitchen with me to grab a snack. Many people in our House do this when they miss meal times or get hungry, so they didn't suspect anything."
"headmaster, I don't know why I did this, but I truly didn't want to harm my classmates, so I used Stupefy to knock them out, *sob*... headmaster, please don't expel me! If you don't expel me, I'll accept any punishment!"
The more Eamon spoke, the more tears he shed; he desperately did not want to be expelled.
Luke possessed the gift of Legilimency and was able to confirm that he was not lying.
Gandalf and Galadriel were naturally also able to distinguish truth from falsehood.
After the three exchanged glances, their expressions grew even more solemn.
Luke looked at Eamon, whose face was etched with fear of expulsion, patted his shoulder, and comforted him gently:
"Don't be nervous, Mr. Eamon. No one here will expel you. I know that none of those actions were your true intention. I presume you felt the seductive power of that ring; even we Professors cannot resist its magic, let alone you, so please don't bear any psychological burden."
He then smiled and turned to the two students next to Eamon, "I imagine your two friends won't blame you either, will they?"
Eamon's two roommates nodded hastily. They had heard the entire account and understood that Eamon had been controlled by that evil ring and the person who gave it to him, so they certainly wouldn't blame him anymore.
"Alright, I'll trouble you two students to take Mr. Eamon to the school infirmary and hand him over to Madam Amanda for treatment," Luke said to the two students. "And please keep this matter confidential, if you would?"
The two students quickly nodded, guaranteeing they would not speak of the matter, and then led their roommate Eamon to the school infirmary for treatment.
Eamon had been severely struck on the back of the head by Peeves using a baseball bat. Although Luke had healed the large lump, the brain is fragile and complex, so Eamon still needed to be examined by a professional physician.
More importantly, Eamon had been exposed to the dwarven ring for a significant period and was already under its influence; the internal effects could not be cured in a short time.
Perhaps they would later need to ask Elrond, the most outstanding physician in Middle-earth, to intervene to completely eradicate the dwarven ring's influence on Eamon.
But the most crucial task right now was finding Saruman, who was hiding among the students!
Luke was filled with rage at this moment. If not for the good fortune that allowed Peeves to discover the controlled Eamon and prevent the incident in time...
...it was likely that all students and Professors would have consumed the food and drinks laced with the black death plague, and the school would have been thrown into chaos.
Therefore, Luke immediately ordered all students in the school to return to their respective dormitories, supervised by their House deans.
At the same time, he, Gandalf, and Galadriel immediately headed to the Dragon House common room.
Although Eamon could not recall the appearance of the person who gave him the ring and the vial, he remembered he was a classmate from the same House.
Following this clue, Luke immediately went to investigate Dragon House first.
Upon arriving at the Dragon House common room, all fifty-odd students, except for Eamon who was still in the school infirmary, were present.
Facing these students, who were all confused and curious, Luke did not say much. He waved his wand to examine the students one by one, while also observing their expressions and inner thoughts.
Shrouded in the white light Luke released, the students were full of confusion yet obediently lined up to be checked.
As the inspection continued, none of the students showed any issues until it was the turn of a first-year young Witch. A residual dark aura appeared on her body, reacting like black smoke against the holy light.
The students all showed surprised expressions upon witnessing this.
The young Witch who was detected, seeing the ominous black gas emerging from her body, was equally confused and surprised.
Luke, Gandalf, and Galadriel all displayed solemn and grim expressions.
This young Witch clearly showed signs of having touched the ring and having been controlled by Dark Arts.
But she was not Saruman himself, whom they were looking for.
Clearly, the student Saruman was disguised as was someone else. He had merely manipulated the young Witch before them to pass the ring and the vial containing the black death plague to Eamon.
While he himself remained hidden in the dark, without exposing a single trace.
After having Dragon House dean Margales send the young Witch to the school infirmary for treatment, Luke turned and went to the other three Houses.
To his shock and anger, he still found no trace of Saruman, yet he discovered several other students who had touched the dwarven ring and been contaminated with dark aura.
These students had all been exposed to the dwarven ring for at least some time, and their minds had suffered a certain degree of erosion.
And they were all young Wizards from his territory!
If not for this major inspection, it was possible that their minds and wills would have been unknowingly twisted, turning them into Dark Wizards!
"What exactly does Saruman want?!" Luke gritted his teeth. Saruman had completely crossed his bottom line. If Saruman appeared before Luke now, he would want to torture him with the most powerful Cruciatus Curse.
Gandalf and Galadriel were also extremely angry. Saruman's use of such vicious methods against children made them feel utterly disgusted.
They could not imagine why this former comrade-in-arms, who once fought alongside them, had now become so evil and unscrupulous.
All the students contaminated with dark aura were sent to the school infirmary for treatment.
Madam Amanda of the school infirmary felt pity for the children's plight and constantly denounced the person operating in the shadows.
Luke, Gandalf, and Galadriel also worked together to dispel the residual dark power on the students.
But for students like Eamon, who had prolonged exposure to the dwarven ring and whose minds were eroded by dark power, even the powerful Galadriel could not completely eradicate the influence.
Therefore, Luke had no choice but to seek help from his father-in-law, Elrond, who was far away in Rivendell, and he deliberately avoided Arwen.
Elrond arrived at Hogwarts. Seeing the students in the infirmary whose minds had been eroded by the magic ring, he couldn't help but frown.
When he heard that the perpetrator was likely Saruman, this usually gentle Elven Lord showed disgust and killing intent in his eyes.
Elrond proved himself to be the most outstanding physician in Middle-earth. Under the blessing of Vilya, the Ring of Air, he largely cured the students affected by the ring, preventing their minds and wills from being further influenced and twisted.
Thanks to Elrond's medical treatment, the students only needed regular check-ups, and otherwise were free to move about, without affecting their classes or participation in activities like Quidditch.
Conservatively speaking, it would only take two months to completely eliminate the effects, leaving no hidden dangers.
Hearing Elrond's response, Luke couldn't help but sigh in relief, expressing his gratitude: "Thank you so much! Lord Elrond, if it weren't for you, I wouldn't know how to explain this to these children's parents!"
Since he had been unable to capture Saruman, who was hiding among the students, Luke had already considered temporarily sending the students home.
Otherwise, every extra day the students spent in the castle meant an increased risk.
After all, Saruman had gone completely mad and was resorting to every extreme, first attempting to infect everyone with the black death plague, and then using the evil power contained within the dwarven ring to corrupt and twist the students' minds and wills.
Elrond shook his head, dismissing Luke's gratitude, and instead asked seriously:
"What is your plan regarding Saruman? Now that he is hiding among the students, the safety of these children is immediately threatened. We cannot let this continue; we need to capture him quickly."
"Otherwise, once he commits some insane act, it may be too late to salvage the situation!"
"Furthermore, Arwen has already sensed the situation at Hogwarts. She only pretended not to know out of respect for your wishes. But I can feel her heart is filled with worry, and if this matter is not resolved quickly, it may not be beneficial for her recovery."
Hearing Elrond mention Arwen, Luke was immediately filled with guilt.
He knew Arwen was very clever and perceptive; she had probably figured it out when he persuaded her to go to Rivendell to rest and await childbirth.
She had only pretended not to know and went to Rivendell so as not to increase his psychological burden.
"Lord Elrond, please rest assured, I will resolve this matter quickly. Saruman won't be able to jump around much longer. The Marauder's Map I am making will be finished in one week, and then I will be able to drag him out no matter where he hides!"
Luke assured Elrond confidently.
Hearing this, Elrond immediately felt relieved. He nodded and said, "In that case, I will also stay and help finish the Marauder's Map as quickly as possible."
Luke was instantly delighted: "That's wonderful! With your help, Lord Elrond, the Marauder's Map can be completed even faster!"
When he helped Luke create the Philosopher's Stone, Elrond had taught himself Runic symbols and Alchemy. It could be said that his level of magic and Alchemy was superior to Luke's.
Therefore, with Elrond's help, the time required to create the Marauder's Map could be cut in half, or even shorter.
Elrond then suggested: "And the most important thing now is to ensure the students' safety as much as possible before the Marauder's Map is finished, and at the same time prevent Saruman from sensing danger and resorting to even more desperate measures."
Luke, Gandalf, and Galadriel all agreed.
Thus, at Elrond's suggestion, Elrond, Gandalf, and Galadriel decided to join forces and use the power of the three rings of the elves to cast the strongest protective magic upon Hogwarts Castle.
Galadriel used the Ring of Water, taking the water of the Black Lake below the mountain as a medium, to cast an extremely powerful magical barrier.
This not only prevented people from entering but also prevented people from leaving.
Gandalf injected the power of the Ring of Fire, narya, into every flame in the castle. Wherever the flames shone, they were filled with light, courage, and hope.
Righteous and good people would feel warmth deep in their hearts before the flames;
While those with evil in their hearts would feel great pain under the illumination of the flames, like the sun to an Orc.
Elrond, on the other hand, utilized the power of the Ring of Air, using the fruit of the white tree in Luke's garden as a medium, to create a powerful protective potion.
He also borrowed from Saruman's previous method of poisoning, blending the potion into the drinks the students frequently consumed.
As the students drank the medicated beverages, without anyone noticing, every student was protected by the power of the Ring of Air, ensuring that evil forces could not corrupt or influence them before the effect wore off.
Furthermore, considering that Saruman was currently in a spectral state and might possess a student, drinking the medicated beverage would cause him great pain.
However, much to Luke's disappointment, he did not see any student show a reaction.
Clearly, Saruman was very cunning and either did not drink the beverage or drank it but did not show any signs.
Nevertheless, even without being exposed, Saruman was probably having a difficult time now.
The castle was now brightly lit. Every corner of the castle was illuminated by lights, the fireplaces in every dormitory and common room were burning, and candles and lights were constantly lit in the Great Hall.
All these flames were infused with the power of the Ring of Fire, narya. Evil people illuminated by them would be filled with pain, becoming extremely weak and powerless.
No matter who Saruman disguised himself as, he could not avoid the light within the castle. Like a light-fearing Vampire, he had to suppress his pain while ensuring he did not display his suffering or weakness.
Outside the castle, there was also the powerful barrier set up by Galadriel, giving Saruman no chance to escape and completely sealing off his retreat.
Meanwhile, Luke, with Elrond's help, focused entirely on creating the Marauder's Map.
Saruman, hiding in the shadows, perhaps sensed the danger.
That night, Professor Luke, the Charms Professor responsible for patrol, arrived on the second floor.
He saw two students lying in a dimly lit corner, their condition unknown.
The portraits on the nearby wall were also unconscious, having been hit by some unknown magic.
Seeing this situation, Luke's expression changed drastically. He hurried over and crouched down to look at the two students.
Seeing that they were both unconscious, clearly having been hit by a spell, Luke pulled out his wand and waved it at the two students: "Rennervate!"
As the spell landed, the eyelids of the two students fluttered, showing signs of waking up.
One of the students opened his eyes first, sitting up with a confused expression.
"Professor Luke? What happened to me?"
Seeing that he was awake, Luke quickly crouched down, helped him stand up, and asked: "Child, what exactly happened? Who attacked you? Did you see him clearly?"
The student opened his mouth to answer, but suddenly his face turned pale with terror as he looked behind Luke.
Luke's expression changed when he saw this. He quickly spun around and cast "Expelliarmus!"
The spell shot out instantly, emitting a dazzling red light that illuminated the entire corridor.
But to Luke's shock and surprise, there was no one in the corridor behind him.
Just as he was about to ask the student what he had seen, a very close spell instantly struck him in the back, petrifying him instantly.
Luke's body was stiff and unable to move, his face frozen in an expression of shock, only his eyes still fluctuating, revealing disbelief and terror.
Then, the student who had first woken up coldly hit the other classmate with a Stupefy, before slowly walking up to the petrified Professor Luke. A malicious intent and cold sneer, inappropriate for his young face, appeared on his features.
He looked at the terrified Professor Luke with the eyes of someone sizing up prey, and said mockingly:
"Professor, I'll be borrowing your body for a while!"