Neil stood listlessly in front of the stairs leading to the headmaster's office, the two stone beasts in the doorway looking at him with an unpleasant playful expression.

It had been a long time since Neil had learned that the two of them were talkative, and that, like Matt, had the same signs of being overly clever as Matt, and would mockingly treat those who wanted to go in but couldn't answer the order - it was a pity that he didn't hear what the two foxes and tigers said when he was trapped outside the door because he couldn't remember the password, just like going to a tourist city and not buying the local handicrafts that are designed to slaughter tourists.

It's a pity that Neil isn't here to make up for that regret today.

"Cockroaches."

When the two stone beasts heard the command, they immediately jumped to the sides, one left and one right, and gave way to the stairs in the middle.

Dumbledore seemed to know he was coming, and as soon as Neil knocked on the door, a "Please come in" greeting came from inside, and he pushed the door open and walked in.

The headmaster's office was set up in the same way as the last time he came, as if Archimedes had illegally taken over Leonardo da Vinci's studio, and then had a crazy party with Gottlieb Daimler and Alan Turing, piled up with all sorts of foreign objects that didn't know whether to fall under the realm of science or magic.

Dumbledore was still sitting behind his desk, reading a letter. He glanced at Neil, nodded for his own convenience, and then picked up his pen and began to write a reply.

Neil bowed slightly, not disturbing the headmaster's work, and just stood there and looked around silently. The portraits of the headmasters that covered the entire wall were quiet today, and the people inside seemed to be asleep, and it was ridiculous for a large group of witches and witches of at least their prime, crooked eyes, pretending to drool in their dreams—come on, it's only a quarter past three o'clock in the afternoon, and if you want to peep, you should at least think of a better excuse......

Neil didn't bother with them, living a life without privacy was one of the things you had to get used to studying at Hogwarts, at least the portraits were much kinder than the ghosts peeking out of the walls.

His gaze circled around the principal's room, and finally rested on the perch by the window. The last time Neil visited, it was empty, and he thought it was something Dumbledore had for his owl - given how busy the Headmaster was, it was normal to have an owl by his side to deliver letters, but it seemed to be a bit different from what he had envisioned.

Standing on the perch was a big, ugly strange bird, looking old, curled up in a sick clump on the shelf; The hair on his body was almost gone, revealing the shriveled, pimpled skin underneath, like a turkey about to go into the oven. Neil wasn't even sure if it was alive for a moment, because the poor creature was barely breathing.

"Wait, this is ......"

"Phoenix. Good eyes, Mr. Ding." Dumbledore had finished writing his reply at some point, his hands propped on the table, his fingers crossed, and he looked at the half-dead bird peacefully, "Fawkes has been like this for a while, and I think it will last for about half a year to a year, do you think?"

Neil spread his hands as if he didn't know what to say.

Even in the world of magical creatures full of cows, ghosts, snakes, and gods, the degree of wonder of the phoenix is among the top. They are the closest known creatures to the concept of "immortality", and when they die, they turn into a flame, burn their bodies to the ground, and then turn back into fledglings in the ashes and regenerate them - so it's a matter of eating to discuss how much of their life is left.

"I don't know, but it's choking like this now, Mr. Headmaster." Neil said calmly, "If you want me to say, you might as well give it a good time sooner."

"I know some people would choose to do this, and maybe they have a point." Dumbledore smiled and said, "But personally, I don't really appreciate going against the laws of nature - just let it age gracefully."

Neil's eyebrows twitched, and he heard the other's overtones.

"There's no point in paying attention to these things for those who have been out of the natural world, Headmaster." He said, "No matter what the process is, the phoenix will always be reborn eventually, so whether it's old or killed, be right for it

They didn't make a difference – and so did Voldemort.

"Of course, we always respect the opinions of our employers, you know that, but to be honest, I've always been skeptical about the need for Mr. Potter to be involved - we've seen the man linger on Quirrell. Yes, it is indeed surprising that he miraculously did not die eleven years ago, but look at him now, Mr. Headmaster, how weak and pathetic! Do we really need to put Mr. Potter into life and death to get rid of that lonely ghost? Isn't there an easier way for a wizard like you—and perhaps not even a wizard like you?"

Dumbledore looked at the old phoenix and didn't speak for a moment.

"Actually, I don't know how to explain this to you, because there are some things that even I ...... People always see an old man with glasses and a long white beard and think he should know everything, and that doesn't make sense, right?" He spoke slowly, as if every word had to be weighed over and over again, without even a slip of the tongue, "I hope you don't get me wrong, it's a shameful act to put such a dangerous and heavy mission on Harry's shoulders alone, and I'm not going to justify it, and if one day this matter is made public, then I will gladly accept all criticism and punishment against me. But Mr. Ding, I can assure you that I did it solely because I believed it was necessary."

Neil shrugged noncommittally, and Dumbledore ignored him and continued.

"I don't think it's a coincidence that Voldemort didn't die eleven years ago, and as I mentioned last time, I suspect that he may well have used some evil magic on his soul so that it wouldn't dissipate with the destruction of his body—sadly, by the time I realized the danger, it was too late."

"I don't understand - this was the end of our last conversation, and you only vaguely told me that there might not be a way to kill him, and I cooperatively thought it was your worst-case scenario, but...... I beg your pardon, Mr. Headmaster, do you still think so after seeing his fragile ugliness? Think we don't have what it takes to get rid of Mr. Potter without relying on him?"

"Yes." Dumbledore replied calmly but firmly, "I'm more convinced, rightly."

「……」

Neil waited with bated breath, hoping to hear the other party's reasoning, he didn't think that Headmaster Dumbledore was the kind of person who would do useless work out of some kind of paranoia, so he was particularly curious about what had been discovered that made the other party so wary and uneasy. However, Dumbledore ended the conversation and didn't continue.

「…… It's over?"

Dumbledore looked at him dumbfounded and smiled.

"It's over. Like I said, there are some things I don't know how to explain myself - and I'm sure you're not coming to me today for that, are you?"

Neil nodded disapprehusefully.

"I've received a summons letter from the Ministry of Magic."

"Yes, I wrote a letter to Connelly reminding him not to meddle too much in Hogwarts affairs, but he seems reluctant to give up this time." Dumbledore said, "But he did listen to part of what I said, and didn't send anyone directly to the school to arrest him, so he postponed it until the summer vacation. It's smart, isn't it, and I, the principal, can't interfere with where the students are willing to go during the holidays......

"With all due respect, Mr. Headmaster, it's not funny to me at all."

"Relax, Mr. Ding, I'm sure you can handle this." Dumbledore smiled slightly, but the expression on his face still looked pleasant, "They don't know about the Philosopher's Stone, they just don't want to admit that they have done a terrible job in controlling foreign suspicious elements, and they haven't even found a decent suspect so far, and they are trying to hide it—speaking of which, your school...... Elder, have you found any clues about our mysterious friend?"

"No, not at all." Neil shook his head a little annoyed, "To be honest, this isn't too surprising, after all, there aren't many people under the mountain who dare to throw it outside now

The monk who showed his face, our sources are very ...... Occlusion. And given his use of corpse golems, this guy should be at least five times your age - no offense, Mr. Headmaster - it's almost impossible to find someone who has been extinct for so many years."

"Do you think that person could have been recruited by Voldemort? I mean, do you think there will be anyone in your circle who agrees with Voldemort?"

"It's hard to say, Headmaster, but I doubt that a Taoist priest with such cultivation would be willing to work for a junior, I am more inclined to think that it is a cooperation based on interests, and there is a good chance that Quirrell will be cheated in the process, and the quality of those talismans is significantly lower than the level that the maker should have......," Neil replied, "Speaking of which, do you think I should explain this to the people of the Ministry of Magic?"

"I advise you not to do this, Mr. Ding, they will only use this as evidence to increase your suspicion. If necessary, I will find another way to divulge this information to them."

"I think so, thank you for your suggestion, Mr. Headmaster."

Neil thought about it for a moment and decided to say one more word in return for the advice he had just received.

"When a cultivator reaches his level, he usually has a sense of pride, Headmaster. On the one hand, they sit on an equal footing with everyone all day long, and on the other hand, they can't see half of them standing on their heads, and they are very hypocritical...... Just in case, let me state that this is the true words of my master, and I have not made it up to slander my ancestors, okay—though he was drunk when he said this."

There were a few pictures on the wall where the people couldn't hold back their laughter, and when Neil turned his head, he quickly lay down on the table and pretended to be asleep.

Dumbledore didn't seem to hate the joke, but only didn't laugh out of politeness. He nodded and said, "I see, if Voldemort didn't have more allies that easily, it would be good news for us, thank you for informing me, Mr. Ding. I hope to continue to have your help in the future – in every way."

"You're so kind, Mr. Headmaster. Like I said, we've always prioritized the needs of our employers...... That's right, no matter what my personal opinion is."

Dumbledore didn't seem to hear the second half of the sentence.

"It's great to hear you say that. Also, for the Ministry of Magic's questioning, I've got you a helper."

"Helper?"

Dumbledore nodded, "He's an employee of the Ministry of Magic, working in the Office for the Prohibition of the Misuse of Muggle Items, but you can treat him as your own."

"I don't know, it doesn't sound like a job with oil and water."

Dumbledore smiled wryly for the first time.

"You're right. In fact, you would be surprised (and probably not so surprised) to learn that even within the Ministry of Magic, there are many people who look down on this job of dealing with Muggles...... But let's not mention that yet. Anyway, he'll take you to the Ministry of Magic for questioning, and help you say as much as you can in front of your colleagues to make sure the process ends safely — and, if you don't mind, he'll be willing to invite you to stay at his home in the meantime."

"And who is this good-hearted man?"

"His name is Arthur Weasley—a surname that's not unfamiliar to you, is it? If I'm not mistaken, you're getting along well with the four members of their family who are currently in school."

Neil raised an eyebrow.

"Mr. Weasley—I mean Mr. Ron Weasley, do they know about this too?"

"I don't think I know." Dumbledore replied, "I think going to the Ministry of Magic to be questioned might be a cool thing to do, but maybe not so glamorous to the person concerned, so I'm begging Arthur not to spread the word, for the rest of the Weasley family is just a normal student who comes to a friend's house during the summer holidays." Of course, this matter doesn't have to be kept secret, and you can decide who you want to disclose it to."

"Thank you for your thoughtfulness, Mr. Headmaster, this is so thoughtful."

"I'm glad to hear you say that, Mr. Ding, is there anything else you want to ask?"

"In fact, there is a ......"

"It's okay, just say it."

"You haven't told me where that Mr. Weasley lives."

"Oh, look at my memory, I've forgotten about it." Dumbledore tapped his forehead with a smile on his face, "It's in Devon, in the picturesque village of Ottery St. Cachepol, trust me, you're going to love that place."