Chapter 200: Harry and Lupin(?)
It took several days for Cyrus to finally receive the special wand from Ollivander.
The wand's material was unidentifiable, but it had a blue crystal embedded in the center. When Cyrus waved it, he felt a dull blockage in his magic, like a clogged sewer filled with filth.
As the guardian had said, this was a wand that could only be used within the secret vault. Rather than calling it a wand, it was more like a key to unlock the door to the vault.
Cyrus was about to head to the underground cavern of the Athenaeum when a new piece of information suddenly stabbed into his mind:
Lupin had betrayed them, and Harry had been captured again.
...
Not long ago, according to the plan, Harry went to see Lupin over the weekend.
Hermione and Ron initially suggested going together, but Harry refused.
It wasn't that Ron and Hermione suspected Lupin, but they were just overly concerned about Harry. The scar was left by Voldemort, and while Remus Lupin was a good professor, he obviously couldn't be compared to the Dark Lord.
"Don't worry, Professor Lupin is just going to check on my scar. If he can't solve it, he will tell Mr. Cyrus or Professor Dumbledore."
"Remember what you said—if he can't solve it, go to Mr. Cyrus!" Hermione was very serious about this matter because, in the past couple of nights, Harry had continued to have nightmares, and the dreams were becoming increasingly terrifying.
At first, he only dreamed of snakes, but now he dreamed of a baby with a snake-like face. The baby's eyes were filled with wisdom and malice, and it could even speak.
They all agreed that this child was Voldemort himself.
Ron made a guess: "If he has turned into a baby, it means he has already been resurrected, but he just needs time. And I don't think he needs to wait decades to grow up. What do you guys think?"
This answer made all three of them, even Ginny, feel very uneasy.
Hermione and Ginny suggested contacting Cyrus directly, but Harry was still hesitant. He wanted to check with Lupin first, thinking that if Voldemort was really planning to resurrect, a few days wouldn't make much difference.
So, with tired eyes and a pale face, Harry knocked on Lupin's office door.
"Come in."
Harry pushed the door open with a creak. The office was darker than usual. He looked up and saw a thin figure leaning against the desk and chair, but he couldn't see the face clearly.
The cold air that hit him woke Harry up a bit. For a moment, he felt something was wrong, but by then, the shadow in the office had already come down, revealing a familiar face to Harry.
It was Professor Remus Lupin, as gentle as ever.
"Sorry, Harry, I forgot to turn on the lights," Lupin said softly. "But we don't need the lights; today, we're going to take a look in the Forbidden Forest."
As he spoke, Lupin walked over to Harry, carrying a suitcase, as if he had already packed everything in advance.
"You look like you're going on a trip," Harry joked with a forced smile.
Unexpectedly, Lupin nodded seriously: "Maybe."
"Take you to see the You-Know-Who and let him see your scar for himself!" Lupin Joked as he walked to Harry's side, reached out and lifted up a few strands of Harry's messy hair, revealing the terrible scar.
Due to the recent pain, the scar looks like swollen gums and is very red. Even the skin around it looks completely injured.
"Still in pain?"
"Never stopped," said Harry.
Lupin released his hand and said seriously, "Based on what you've told me before, I suspect your scar is somehow connected to Voldemort himself. When his emotions fluctuate intensely, your scar reacts. The fact that it's been hurting constantly for some time suggests that the situation might be dire. The Dark Lord must have some plan, and it might be nearing success!"
Harry immediately thought of Ron's guess.
"Do you think he might have already been resurrected?"
"If that's the case, then he must have already summoned the Death Eaters," Lupin shook his head. "But I guess he's probably very close to being resurrected—perhaps just one final step away."
The same answer spoken by different people clearly has a different effect.
When Ron had voiced this suspicion, Harry felt like he was just being alarmist. But when Lupin said the same thing, Harry could sense the gravity of the situation more keenly.
"Maybe we should go find Professor Dumbledore..."
"Unfortunately, the Headmaster is not in the castle right now," Lupin shook his head. "Due to some international matters, he had to leave Hogwarts and go to the Ministry of Magic for discussions."
Dumbledore's absence was, of course, no coincidence.
In fact, it was he and Voldemort together who, using the Triwizard Tournament as a pretext, had tricked Dumbledore into going to the Ministry of Magic. They had used the same trick once before, and it had worked just as well.
Dumbledore wouldn't be at Hogwarts the whole day, and Barty Crouch Jr. had also contacted the Death Eaters, instructing Lucius to use his connections to shut down the Floo Network, effectively cutting off the Ministry of Magic from the outside world for the entire day.
By the time Dumbledore realized what was going on, the Dark Lord would already have been resurrected!
"Then maybe Mr. Cyrus—"
"No, Harry, there's no need to rush," Lupin said quickly.
He didn't want that imposter to find out right away.
In fact, Cyrus was indeed a part of the plan.
Voldemort intended to deal with this "imposter" personally in front of all the Death Eaters once he was resurrected. This was both to demonstrate the terrifying power of the Dark Lord upon his return and to acquire the ancient magic.
"The most pressing matter is to take care of your scar first. Let's go, we're heading to the Forbidden Forest to find some herbs."
Lupin grabbed the suitcase in one hand and held onto Harry with the other as they walked out together.
During this time, the heavy snow around Hogwarts had already melted, and even the surface of the Black Lake was no longer frozen. However, the wind blowing in their faces was still very cold and damp, like a bucket of icy water pouring down their collars.
To be honest, over the past few years, Harry often wandered around at night, but he never dared to venture into the Forbidden Forest alone.
His encounters in the Forbidden Forest during the first two years had already shown him how terrifying it was in there: centaurs, poachers, Acromantulas... who knew what other magical creatures lurked?
However, walking with a professor was a different feeling. He felt very safe now, as if the creatures in the Forbidden Forest were nothing to worry about.
On their way, they ran into Hagrid, the cheerful half-giant who eagerly invited them into his hut for tea and rock cakes.
However, both Lupin and Harry politely declined.
"I'm taking Harry to the Forbidden Forest to find some herbs," Lupin said calmly, showing no sign of the sinister plan he was currently plotting.
The two of them stepped into the damp forest together.
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