The night is getting darker.

Dumbledore sat at the table, his slender fingertips gently twirling Newt's carefully written letter, frowning.

The main content of the letter is actually very simple:

Albania has nothing to do this summer.

Nothing means something, even a bad thing, because in that dark forest, there is a lonely ghost that the world thought was dead a long time ago...... Voldemort.

Dumbledore had always known about it, and even though he had been to Albania several times, he had not been able to find the lonely ghost......

But he just knows!

Over the past decade, the forests of Albania have been plagued by a myriad number of animal deaths, which have become so serious that they have caught the attention of the Ministry of Magic, and over time, the local population has become accustomed to it......

So, when the dark forest suddenly fell silent and death no longer appeared, it meant Voldemort's departure.

But the world is too big, and even if the Dark Lord leaves Albania, there are too many places to go, where will he go?

Dumbledore pulled out two more letters from the drawer, three side by side on the table.

A letter of apology from Gringotts, the elves.

Dumbledore's vault was broken into by wizards, and although nothing was lost, the goblins were eager to pay a reparation, hoping that he would not pursue it and continue to use their absolutely "safe" vaults......

The other letter was from Minister of Magic, Fudge, who was sorry for not catching the wizard who broke into Gringotts, and said he would not give up......

What Dumbledore is best at is gathering intelligence, peeling back the layers of information that are true, false, ineffective or inconspicuous, and connecting them together.

From these three letters, Dumbledore was able to easily draw an obvious conclusion:

After leaving Albania, the Dark Lord returned to England and found a powerful assistant who could infiltrate Gringotts and even evade the Ministry of Magic.

Dumbledore stood up, his hands behind his back, standing by the window, condescending, looking into the distance.

At night, Hogwarts had fallen silent, like a dozing dragon.

But the old man knew that the Dark Lord was hiding in a nearby corner, peeking at the sleeping dragon up close.

The reason is simple, because the Philosopher's Stone is here!

Whether it was the news that the Philosopher's Stone was in the vault or at Hogwarts, it was actually spread by Dumbledore.

Rather than let Voldemort, who left Albania, disappear without a trace, it is better to let him take the initiative to stay under his nose.

Dumbledore might as well take a closer look at the Dark Lord's state, probe the secret of his immortality, and verify some of his guesses.

Of course, you can also use him to cultivate and sharpen the people you want to cultivate, the half-dead Dark Lord is the best whetstone.

Just then, the door was pushed open again, and Snape walked in in a rage.

"I just ran into Scamander on the road and he said you didn't punish him?"

"Punishment?" Dumbledore didn't turn around, but just stood with his hands in his hands and said softly, "Did Mr. Scamander make something wrong?" ”

"What did you do wrong?" Snape said angrily, "He brought a Motla rat and attacked an innocent student......"

"But as far as I know, it was Goyle and Crabbe who were the ones who insulted Longbottom's parents, and Malfoy who broke into someone else's car and tried to throw his luggage off the train." Dumbledore turned around, looked at Snape and said:

"The fault of the three of them seems to be greater."

"Besides, Professor McGonagall has written to the Ministry of Magic to determine if Scamander is carrying the Motra ......"

"We all know what's going on!" Snape interrupted the Headmaster rudely, pacing up and down the room:

"Scamander's chest is dangerous, and there must be a lot of dangerous magical creatures, so you don't worry about the safety of the other students? We've got to keep his boxes in check......"

Dumbledore's face was calm, and he stared at the string of wind chimes on the windowsill that predicted the weather, as if the matter of the box was less important than whether it would rain tomorrow.

"I agreed that Rove could bring a chest to Hogwarts, where he could keep some less dangerous magical creatures."

"You agree?" Snape could scarcely believe it.

"The boy was going to Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where his mother was a professor." Dumbledore reached for the string of wind chimes and smiled:

"For some reason, Hogwarts has a slightly worse reputation in recent years, and the academic atmosphere is slightly less strong than that of Ilvermorny, which has led many parents to prefer their children to go to school there...... Actually, we're not much worse. ”

Hearing this, not to mention the old headmasters hanging on the wall, even Snape felt blush.

A school ranked fourth-to-last, forcibly touching the porcelain top2, right?

"So, Ilvermorny didn't approve of Scamander's raising magical creatures, so you used this condition to attract him to Hogwarts?" Snape's voice was thick with sarcasm.

"Yes."

"Just an ordinary student." Snape scoffed, "It's worth it?" ”

"Every great wizard grows up from an ordinary person." Dumbledore said calmly.

Snape looked annoyed and unconvinced.

"In fact, not only Rove, but all students, I am willing to give appropriate tolerance within a safe and controllable range." Dumbledore sighed:

"It's not just about protecting their nature, but also about allowing them to grow more freely and do what they want to do, rather than being completely bound by the school rules.

Isn't this a teacher's responsibility? ”

Snape looked at Dumbledore, and for some reason, he suddenly remembered the werewolf Lupin, if it weren't for the old man in front of him, he probably wouldn't have come to Hogwarts for the rest of his life.

"Of course, it's not just that, I think more students come to Hogwarts to develop enough talent."

Dumbledore looked at Snape, who was still thinking, and said softly:

"You know, Voldemort will come back sooner or later, and when he comes back, we'll need enough strength to protect everyone."

Snape looked horrified, he hadn't heard the name in almost a decade.

"He's coming back?"

"I don't know." Dumbledore shook his head and said, "But can you keep an eye on Quirrell for me?" ”

"Quirrell?"

When Snape heard the name, he felt a chill down his spine, he didn't notice anything, if Quirrell really had a problem, it was too good at disguise, and he could escape his eyes.

Dumbledore was pretty sure there was something wrong with Quirrell.

He wasn't like this before, and he had been to Albania in the summer, and when he came back to apply, he didn't mention it, only that he had gone to the Black Forest and Africa.

These anomalies were enough for Dumbledore to be wary of, especially since according to his assumption, Voldemort had found a powerful helper.

"By the way, Severus, have you met Harry?" Dumbledore asked.

"See!" Snape shook his head as if he were driving away a pesky fly.

"He really looks like his mediocre, arrogant, arrogant, showy, impudent father, James Potter!!"

"But his eyes were like his mother's, and they were exactly like Lily's." Dumbledore sighed:

"It's been more than a decade, do you remember the shape and color of those eyes?"

"Remember ......"

Snape sat down in his chair abruptly, his hands grasping his tearful face, twisted and hideous.

"All these years...... I've seen it many times in my dreams......"

Dumbledore walked over, patted the middle-aged man's trembling shoulder, and sighed, "Then keep Harry safe." ”

After Snape left, Dumbledore pulled out a stone out of nowhere, and he tapped it lightly with his left and right index fingers, making a crisp sound.

It's just that the blood-red stone, the luster is very dull, and the blood color is almost gone, like a residue.

It was like a bait that hung around the dragon's neck, attracting the Dark Lord lurking in Hogwarts......

It's a game, a game of theft.

Dumbledore knew that Voldemort would come to steal.

Voldemort also knew that Dumbledore knew he was coming to steal.

Dumbledore also knew that Voldemort knew that he knew......

It's a game of stamina and intelligence, and it's up to you who is better.

It just so happened that Dumbledore had never lost in his life, and Voldemort was already a lost dog.

The bell rings in the window, signaling that a heavy rain is coming.

Dumbledore stood by the window, watching the cold wind gradually rise, and looked up at the sky, looking lonely.

……

……