"You're not here to—"
Professor Flitwick stood up, holding onto his desk, and stared at Dylan as if he'd just seen an Acromantula scuttling into his office.
"I recall that tutoring sessions have been suspended, haven't they? Could it be the notebook you left here before? But I had someone bring it to you."
Dylan's lips twitched, seeing Professor Flitwick's strong reaction.
"Professor, I'm not here for a tutoring session this time. You know, I don't really need to consult you for normal magic knowledge anymore. It's only when I occasionally encounter some problems that I'd like to ask for your guidance."
"And I always make sure to ask if you have time in advance."
Professor Flitwick visibly relaxed a little, hearing that Dylan wasn't there for extra lessons.
It wasn't that he reacted so strongly for no reason.
The truth was, Dylan's current magical level was already quite high.
All he could teach the boy now was the experience he had accumulated over many years.
As for textbook knowledge, Dylan could naturally acquire it by reading.
And at this moment, every time Dylan came to him with a question, it was always something extremely tricky and obscure, something even he couldn't grasp a hundred percent.
If he told Dylan what he understood, it wouldn't necessarily be 100% correct.
And if he faced Dylan's questions but didn't provide an answer, it would make him, a professor, seem rather useless.
As Dylan came more often, he now had that familiar scalp-tingling sensation he used to get in school when a professor suddenly asked him about a spell he hadn't fully mastered.
Just who is the professor here?!
Professor Flitwick let out a dry chuckle. "So, why have you come now...?"
"Regarding Vera's current address, I was hoping you might know it, Professor."
"Vera's address?"
Professor Flitwick was momentarily stunned. "What about that girl? Why are you looking for her? I thought you two exchanged contact information before?"
Dylan nodded. "We did exchange it, but I'm not sure if the address she gave me before is still valid for contact."
"What happened?"
"It's Mr. Florian. He wrote to me, asking me to relay a 'Merry Christmas' to his daughter, Vera."
"Oh, has he argued with Vera again?"
Flitwick clearly knew the exact situation of his former student.
Dylan nodded. "You could say it was an argument. Vera got injured while the Ministry of Magic was pursuing Karsas."
"Then Mr. Florian lectured her a bit, and according to him, Senior Sister Vera threw a tantrum at him again."
"I see, sigh..."
Upon hearing this, Professor Flitwick nodded gently, then sighed.
"That Karsas, I wonder who he is. I've never heard his name before, yet he seems to have an extremely high mastery of the Unforgivable Curses."
Professor Flitwick's brow was slightly furrowed with worry.
"The Ministry of Magic has been chasing him, but it's as if he's vanished into thin air; he's never been found. It's truly unimaginable what evil deeds he's doing behind the scenes."
Dylan blinked.
"Perhaps he's just an ordinary wizard who happens to have mastered the Unforgivable Curses to the highest level?"
Professor Flitwick took a breath, then waved a hand.
"My boy, Unforgivable Curses are not ordinary dark magic. In fact, even some magic far less powerful than the Unforgivable Curses can influence the mind of an adult wizard, let alone the Unforgivable Curses themselves."
"Such incredibly evil curses are forbidden throughout the wizarding world. And this Karsas, not only can he learn them, but his proficiency is so high that his mind is probably more twisted than Devil's Snare."
Dylan: "...Hmm, I suppose so. I've read many cases in books about dark wizards turning into bloodthirsty lunatics who only kill after using dark magic."
"Exactly! It's too dangerous, and the fact that he hasn't been caught yet is a huge hidden danger!"
Professor Flitwick sighed again. "I don't know what's gotten into this term; criminals are trying to evade the Ministry of Magic's pursuit everywhere."
Dylan shrugged. "It can't be helped; the world will never be truly peaceful. Thankfully, Hogwarts has all of you professors. I'm sure the professors won't let these ruthless criminals harm the students."
Professor Flitwick chuckled. "You're right! While they are dangerous, could they be more dangerous than the Dark Lord? I think that Karsas is probably just someone trying to claim the title of a new Dark Lord, gather all the Dark Lord's former subordinates, and then establish an evil organization for his own enjoyment!"
Dylan:
How can he describe it so precisely?
Professor Flitwick, do you also dabble in divination?
Reflecting on his current situation, Dylan found that it seemed exactly as Professor Flitwick had described.
He didn't intend to use the identity of Karsas to achieve some kind of wizarding world unification—that kind of thankless task.
Looking at all stories, characters like Voldemort are just like Lord Sheng.
They can never last.
No matter how strong a creature is, can it be stronger than the world that created it?
Of course, if this creature is strong enough to escape this world, it would only enter an even more powerful world, and that world would still restrict it.
Of course, of course.
—Then again.
It's not to say that characters like Voldemort can't ultimately achieve great things.
It's just that such characters...
Usually encounter the most terrifying "River Crab God," who can directly destroy an entire world.
Dylan only wanted to study magic diligently now; there was no need to overthink anything else.
So, regarding Karsas's identity, he would only use it to gather Voldemort's scattered forces.
He'd make them collect resources and wealth to help him reach a higher level.
Or do things that he wouldn't be convenient for him to do openly.
He wouldn't let these former Voldemort followers unite the wizarding world for him.
What would be the point of unifying the wizarding world?
When he could already live a rich and satisfying life, taking on the responsibility of an emperor would be the most troublesome thing.
"If Vera was injured, I imagine the Ministry of Magic would arrange for her to go home and rest for a while. However, since she's not going back to Florian's place, it can only be her own home."
Dylan nodded. "It seems I came to the right place, Professor. Please give me Vera's home address then. She only told me her Ministry of Magic location last time."
"Of course." Professor Flitwick happened to have a quill in hand. He pulled out a fresh piece of parchment, quickly wrote down the address, and handed it to Dylan.
"If you're writing to her, please give Vera my regards and ask about her condition for me," Professor Flitwick said.
Dylan nodded again. "No problem, I'll make sure to write it clearly in the letter."
Professor Flitwick mumbled, "That child, why is she working so hard? Even if she's an outstanding Hogwarts graduate, she probably wouldn't stand a chance against that Karsas. Someone else should go and deplete his magic first."
Dylan blinked, surprised that Professor Flitwick would suggest such a "cowardly" fighting style.
It seemed he wasn't entirely a rigid, small professor after all.
"Mr. Florian told me that Senior Sister Vera was injured by other Death Eaters, and she didn't encounter Karsas."
"Death Eaters? Are there still Death Eaters at large?"
"I suppose there are always some who slip through the net, but I heard that Death Eater has been caught now."
"Mmm," Professor Flitwick nodded his big head. "These are turbulent times. You need to be extra careful, especially once you're outside the school grounds, to ensure your safety."
"Don't worry, Professor, I will," Dylan replied.
Of course, he'd ensure his own safety.
But if someone were to cross paths with him, it'd be hard to say who would really need to watch out.
Taking the address Professor Fred had given him, Dylan left the office and headed towards the Gryffindor common room.
"The unicorns in the Forbidden Forest have disappeared again recently. After getting the blood diamond, I wanted to research them, but these guys are nowhere to be found." Dylan mused to himself.
These unicorns disappear every other day, and when they're gone, they're gone for a long time. Do they even remember his life-saving grace? If it weren't for his intervention back then – well, they might not have died, but they certainly would have suffered a lot more.
"Also, I remember that Slytherin's locket should still be kept within the Black family, right?" Dylan stroked his chin.
Slytherin's locket, after Voldemort made it into a Horcrux, was hidden in a sea cave on a lonely island, guarded by Inferi and potent magic. Regulus Black, upon learning of the locket's existence, went to this cave with the house-elf Kreacher. After drinking the potion, he had Kreacher take the real locket and put a fake one in the potion's container. In the end, Regulus was dragged into the water by Inferi and likely became one of them.
Currently, the locket shouldn't have been stolen by Mundungus Fletcher yet, nor should it have fallen into Umbridge's hands. It should still be with Kreacher.
"It's one of the four founders' relics, after all, and also a Horcrux. If I can get my hands on it..." Dylan felt he might unlock a new achievement. Plus, he could get another piece of Voldemort's soul. No matter how you look at it, it's a pretty good deal.
"Voldemort certainly knows how to pick items for his Horcruxes; several of them seem to be relics of the four founders, don't they?"
Hufflepuff's Cup, Slytherin's Locket, Ravenclaw's Diadem. The Cup and the Locket were originally collected by Hepzibah Smith. Voldemort saw her collection, then simply murdered her. Not only did he kill her and steal her treasures, but he also used her soul to make a Horcrux. Utterly inhumane!
"Tsk, Voldemort is truly an unadulterated villain. I'll have to make him endure a few more Unforgivable Curses tonight."
Besides Slytherin's locket and Gryffindor's sword, the relics of the other two founders are in the Room of Requirement and Bellatrix Lestrange's Gringotts vault, respectively.
The Ravenclaw Diadem is in the Room of Requirement. In fact, Dylan had discovered the Room of Requirement a while ago. So, he should have gotten his hands on this diadem much earlier. The reason he hasn't obtained Ravenclaw's diadem yet is because that storeroom, perhaps due to being untouched for so long, is incredibly dirty and vast.
Dylan isn't in a desperate rush to find Horcruxes. Spending time rummaging through a pile of junk for a diadem seems less productive than conducting more experiments. After all, a Horcrux is a Horcrux. All the containers are essentially the same when it comes to the Horcrux's core. Having two Horcruxes versus one doesn't make a huge difference.
It's certainly best if he can get it. After all, if he's going to keep tormenting the soul in one Horcrux, he'll need more time for it to recuperate. But if he has to go through a great deal of trouble just to get a Horcrux, then he might as well forget it. The relics of the four founders, having already been fashioned into Horcruxes by Voldemort, probably wouldn't trigger any treasures left by the founders anyway.
"Maybe I should have called Harry to the Room of Requirement earlier and made him rummage through that trash." Dylan smacked his lips. If only the Summoning Charm could affect Horcruxes, he could just use one to find Ravenclaw's diadem, and that would be nice.
"Never mind, Harry's busy with other things these days. I might as well ask Peeves for help." Dylan's eyes darted, and he suddenly had a good idea.
He's known about the Room of Requirement for so long. It's about time he retrieved Ravenclaw's diadem from that pile of rubbish.
Dylan quietly returned to his dorm. He read for a bit, then lay down before curfew to get some sleep. What Harry was doing tonight wasn't really his concern; he had his own plans.
Late at night.
Hogwarts was silent.
Dylan slowly opened his eyes in bed. He turned his head, sensing some movement from Harry's side. Raising an eyebrow, Dylan silently cast a Muffling Charm on himself. Then, his form instantly transformed into a dark shadow, passing through the wall.
He flew out of the Gryffindor common room and arrived at a secluded corner of the castle. Dylan closed his eyes slightly, concentrating, and a faint wisp of magic emanated from him. A barely perceptible magical energy was at work.
In winter, Hogwarts was always enveloped in thick darkness late at night. Moonlight filtered through the stained-glass windows, casting faint, mottled shadows on the floor. Dylan gently twirled his wand, allowing the magical wisp to spread along the wall, extending into the distance.
He didn't have to wait long. Soon, Dylan felt a ripple in the air above his head. A figure shiveringly dropped from the ceiling.
"Master Dylan, you summoned me..."
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