Everyone is talking about betrayal, that's something that only the weak will care about, if you can crush the betrayer like an ant and make it pay, what is so terrible about betrayal?--- Tom Riddle's theory is certainly very revealing, at least the Dark Lord himself thinks so.

Dumbledore was slightly stunned, but it only lasted for a short time--- Dark Lord obviously didn't think of Andrew Lee's sinister intentions, or that Voldemort wouldn't think in any direction at all, he didn't need anyone, he didn't trust anyone, just let those Death Eaters fear himself, what else did he need?

"You used to hide yourself," said Albus Dumbledore, "and now you don't even need a disguise?"

"Disguise what?" Voldemort sneered, "Pretend that I haven't been rebuked by Arvada, or have I never existed for thirteen years in disguise?"

"Oh-" Dumbledore nodded, "your anger is still not extinguished. That's a good explanation for why you insisted on getting the truth about that prophecy...."

"You think so, you think you already know everything, Albus?" Voldemort asked rhetorically, no joy in his tone.

Dumbledore shook his head, the wrinkles on his face seemed to be a little less, "Anyway, Tom, I still want you to work with me. ”

"Shh

Realizing that his efforts had failed, Albus was not upset, and continued, "In addition to these Yin Corpses, I heard interesting news--- Albus turned to the Dark Lord, whose face was not yet ebb. It seems like something called Ghost Knight, and maybe you've managed to fool your subordinates into thinking that Ghost Knights are a sign of a high-ranking Death Eater, but in reality, they don't know that Death Eaters are dead in name, just as they don't know that the Ghost Knights are just a bunch of puppets completely controlled by you. ”

The taunt froze on Voldemort's serpent-like face, and he tightened his chin and looked down at Albus, "I'm very interested in how you came to this conclusion. ”

"Oh, Tom," Dumbledore sighed, "the truth couldn't have been more obvious, I can't believe that none of the Death Eaters have found out—do you need me to start from the beginning?"

Voldemort was silent, but his hood hung lower.

"When you first came to Hogwarts to apply for a position in Defence Against the Dark Arts, you said that the Rozier men were your friends. But I say no, you don't have friends, they're just your servants. Dumbledore said slowly, "To this day, I still think I was right.

Later, the Death Eaters rose to prominence, and those vicious accidents moved from the underground to the surface. Until your death – or your body is destroyed to be exact – they all disappear together. Some are in jail, but many more claim that they are being seduced and threatened by you, and that they cannot resist...... So they escaped punishment.

"You see, if you want to exert influence on a wider scale, you need to attract more people to support you. You use their magical powers, you use their family wealth, you use their relatives and friends...... All in all, take advantage of whatever works for you. You're good at it and don't care about the consequences they might have to face.

"However, at the same time, they are also taking advantage of you. Some people do have some malice lurking in their hearts, but they don't usually dare to show it, but in the name you give them, they indulge themselves and start doing whatever they want. Even after failure, they can put all the blame on you, claiming that they are still innocent and not responsible for anything.

"So, your relationship with the Death Eaters is neither your professed friend nor your master and servant, but in essence you use each other and take what you need, with only a few differences. This would also explain why almost no Death Eaters are looking for you after you have been bounced off by the Death Curse. ”

After the words fell, Voldemort was silent for a moment. "Brilliant presentation. He said, annoyed and applauded twice without being punctured, "But do you realize that if it's true that mutual exploitation is true, then it doesn't matter, 'I abandon the Death Eaters.'" ”

Dumbledore shook his head slightly. "As I said earlier, the difference is in the majority. I'm very reluctant to admit it, but you're stronger than they are. It puts you firmly in the driver's seat in the relationship – that's exactly what you like, the feeling of power, being above others. ”

"Oh?" Voldemort's tone rose as if he was raising an eyebrow, "Are you genuinely worried about the future of the other Death Eaters right now? ”

Dumbledore shook his head again. "I'm just trying to make it clear that when this fragile connection is broken, you're at greater risk than ever. This danger comes not only from righteousness, but also from the darkness around you... The terror, the darkness, and the pain that you have created with your own hands will come back upon you. ”

Voldemort was stunned, "Albus, I didn't expect you to worry about me? I think you must know my past, my poor mother......" he seemed to laugh, "how can you be afraid of the darkness when you are already in hell?"

For a moment, Albus felt as if the Dark Lord was about to attack - both of them were trying to appease each other and make the other relax their vigilance, just now the Dark Lord had a wonderful performance, for the average wizard, they almost couldn't help but believe the Dark Lord, if that's the case, the next moment, only the green light flashed, leaving a perfect note for the Dark Lord's wonderful performance--- Albus · Dumbledore was unmoved, as if his heart was like a rock, and the elderwood wand was still emitting a faint white light, indicating that the white wizard could deliver a fatal blow at any moment.

"I have to notice that you seem to have changed your attitude towards your servants. "You teach them magic, help them change their faces, and allow them to live with new identities...... It's not your usual style to do so, unless you think you'll get a higher reward for doing so—" he said in a lower tone, "they have no choice but to offer you absolute loyalty." That's why you say 'only fools talk about betrayal'. ”

Loyalty or abandonment...... The latter may well mean death.

This time, Voldemort was silent for a longer period of time. "So in your dictionary, loyalty is the same as a puppet?" he asked emotionlessly, as if the momentary revelation of truth just now did not exist.

Dumbledore stared at the face that had faded back into shadows. "In general, of course not. He said softly, slightly sadly, "But if one person allows another person to do something to his soul, I'm afraid he won't be able to resist after that." As he said this, his gaze fell back to Voldemort's left cuff.

Voldemort sensed it. He shook his wrist, revealing his entire pale, slender hand. Against the backdrop of a gold setting, the black diamond-shaped gemstone is particularly unremarkable. "Do you know this?" he asked, and replied to himself, "No way, you're just guessing." ”

Dumbledore didn't seem to hear, he kept staring at the gem. "It doesn't really bring people back to life, does it?"

"To be honest, I don't know. After all, I'm not like you, and I don't have anyone who wants to be resurrected. Voldemort replied with undisguised malice, "And the one you want to resurrect doesn't necessarily want to see you yet." ”

Dumbledore didn't speak. His expression had never been as hard as a rock.

Voldemort, who had not moved, took two steps forward, as if there was an invisible staircase in the air. "A kind reminder, Dumbledore—" he whispered, suddenly becoming almost gentle, "before you tell anyone about today, think about what you've done." Although the facts are not quite pleasant, I promise that if it comes out of my mouth, it will only be more vicious. ”

As soon as he finished speaking, he swung his left hand violently, and the pale arms retracted into the water, making a louder movement than they had appeared. "If you find this advice useful, I hope to get in return that I will never see you here again. ”

Voldemort flew away with that, and silence suddenly returned, except for the mottled mud marks on the ground that showed what had just happened. Dumbledore stood alone in the white light, closing his eyes as if overwhelmed.

The next morning, Harry was woken up by Hermione filming herself with a newspaper. Without any suspense, the arrest of a Death Eater at Malfoy Manor made headlines on the front page of the Daily Prophet -

“…… Peter Pedro, who was originally presumed dead, is indeed still alive, which means that the Ministry of Magic made a big mistake sixteen years ago. Minister Scrimgeour has expressed extreme shock and grave concern about this matter, and has asked the Division of Magical Law Enforcement to fully reopen the investigation into the case and make sure that it is clear.

"According to preliminary investigations, Peter Pedru is an unregistered Animagus with the form of a rat. At the time, only one of his little fingers was found at the scene of the explosion, but now it seems more likely that the golden cicada was able to break out of its shell. ”

“…… Barty Crouch, the head of the Auror office, said Peter Pedro's track was not the first to be discovered by the Aurors. But he also revealed that he was on the scene when Pedru was caught. The owner of the estate, Lucius Malfoy, told this reporter that he had no knowledge of the incident and that he was very grateful to the Aurors for their timely action, which ensured the safety of him and his family, and helped him strengthen the manor's protection afterwards. ”

“…… While the Ministry of Magic claims that they won't release too many details until the case is heard, unnamed people at the time hinted that Peter Pedru was none other than Harry Potter. ”

"It's worth noting that Peter Pedru and Sirius Black are both friends of the Potters. Blake was sentenced to life in prison for betraying the Potters to a mysterious man and murdering Pedru and a dozen Muggles, but he disappeared during the Azkaban riots and is still missing. How Harry Potter learned about Pedrue's whereabouts is unknown, but it may have something to do with Black......"

The rest was all speculation from reporters, and Harry didn't look any further. "It seems to be okay," he said researchingly, his previous sleepiness gone, "Scrimgeour is much more efficient than Fudge." ”

But Hermione's focus was elsewhere. "Did you notice?" she asked hurriedly, "and there was not a word in it about how you slipped out of the school, or how you caught the tail of the worm." ”

Harry quickly swept over the parts he had overlooked. "Not really," he wondered, "you mean that the Daily Prophet has specifically avoided these two questions?" "Honestly, they weren't exactly perfect, whether it was sneaking out of the school through a secret passage or stunning the worm's tail with a non-stun charm. "Is that one of the too many details that the Ministry of Magic doesn't want to reveal?"

"I also note that Malfoy completely shirked his responsibilities. Ron interjected dissatisfied.

Hermione ignored Ron. "I don't know," she said to Harry, "but it's good news for us – we still have time to think of good reasons to close the holes before the trial." ”

It made sense, and Harry nodded. "I don't know when they'll start, but I'll start preparing for it in a while. He thought for a moment and added, "I may have to borrow Crook Hill for use then." ”

"Of course. Hermione nodded immediately. "The friend of your father you're talking about is Lupin, isn't he? He's a werewolf, and he may not be very advantageous in testifying. She bit her lower lip, "Should we remind him?"

Werewolves aren't being discriminated against in the wizarding world for a day or two, but Harry reckoned he couldn't find a better candidate. "Lupin will help Sirius," he said with certainty, but not so sure, "I guess Dumbledore should know how to solve the stuffy problem?"

Ron was a little angry because he was ignored by the two, but he frowned at this time. "Speaking of Dumbledore," he asked, "was he the one who told McGonagall the news yesterday?

"I guess so......," Hermione hesitated, "if it weren't for that, I can't think of any reason why she shouldn't be angry with us...... I guess even if Professor Dumbledore hasn't returned, he must have made the arrangements. ”

Soon, the weekend came. From Ron's evasive words, Harry realized that his best friend wanted to have a memorable Chinese New Year's Eve, Hermione seemed to be called away by Luna and Ginny, and Harry was left alone. He certainly didn't want to be Ron's light bulb, so he made an excuse after dinner and returned to the tower alone.

Both the common room and the boys' dormitory were empty. Harry didn't want to do his homework, so he moved a chair and sat in front of the window, staring out at the snow. Obviously, this does not drive away the contradiction and emptiness in his heart. About half an hour later, he got up and threw himself on the side of the bed to get the cloak.

When Harry arrived at the swamp, he found that it was snowing too. As it was getting late, and it was dark everywhere, he hurried into the stone house with which he was already acquainted. He was mentally prepared to throw himself into the air, but the tall and thin young wizard was inside, and there was no one else, not even the picture frame was empty.

With his back to him, Harry hesitated for a moment before speaking. “…… Hi Andrew, you're not with Cho?"

Andrew didn't look back. "Something?" his tone was flat.

Harry was a little more apprehensive. Although they analyzed that Voldemort deliberately threw the worm's tail, that was only their analysis for now. "A little?" he hesitated, "about Wormtail......

Andrew didn't wait for him to finish before asking, "Didn't Wormtail get caught?"

"Of course, but it was all too coincidental, wasn't it....." Harry wondered.

"What do you suspect?" Andrew asked again.

Suspicious of Andrew?, Harry immediately denied, "I didn't mean that!" He didn't want Andrew to think he was suspicious of him. "I'm just curious, how did you do that, Barty Crouch Jr., and... Well, maybe Peter. ”

Every time Harry was in front of Andrew, there was a faint pressure, and he put the invisibility cloak away, and Andrew was still busy.

Without waiting for Andrew to reply, Harry walked around. A cauldron rested on the previously blocked table, and bright flames licked the bottom of the pot merrily, but the potion in it was motionless and steamless. "What is this?"

"As you can see. Andrew replied, still stirring the potions in the air, with complicated gestures, "This thing is complicated, I have to keep an eye on it, you can do whatever you want."

It was easy for Harry to notice that the other man was not using a silver spoon or a short knife, and it was easy to notice that Andrew was preoccupied at this time. He flattened his mouth and raised his eyes to look at the other party's face, but was immediately frightened by the bloodshot in those eyes: "You haven't slept for a few days?"

Andrew had finally glanced at Harry since he entered. "This potion will take seven days of continuous brewing," he said, glancing to the side again, "and it will be ready for another night." ”

Harry then noticed a silver hourglass near the cauldron, and the green sand was spitting out of the bald eagle's beak at a very slow pace. "You're saying you haven't slept in six days?!"

Andrew lowered his eyes to look at his potion again, quite unimpressed. "I have great ways to avoid fatigue, such as meditation. ”

"Meditation?" I heard Sister Petyr say," he simply folded his arms up and approached the crucible, trying to see more clearly, "so that you don't get tired?"

"Almost," Andrew muttered under his breath, changing his posture again, as if he was twisting something in his hand, "though I know what they tell you..."