Chapter 158 Lucius: Did you call me here to insult me?
"Do you know that Lockhart is missing?" Dumbledore's gaze fell on Dylan.
"Missing? In what sense?" Dylan countered.
"Ron was ambushed, and then I saw a black-robed person calling himself Kael'thas. He did almost nothing, just stood there, but he made the Basilisk tremble in fear!" Harry explained for Dylan. "And, most importantly, that person actually used an Unforgivable Curse on the diary! That power was truly evil; I swear, even the dark aura emanating from Tom couldn't compare!"
"But what's strange is that the person's spell glow was white, very holy, yet evil."
Dumbledore opened his mouth, but his words were interrupted by Harry. He then chuckled and nodded: "I didn't know what happened last night. It was only this morning when Vera sent me a message inviting me back to Hogwarts that I realized such a thing had happened at the school."
"Kael'thas?" Dylan sounded surprised. "Why would he be at Hogwarts?"
"Dylan, you know Kael'thas too?" Harry was stunned. How does Dylan seem to know everything?
"Mm, Aunt Vera had posted a wanted poster at Uncle Florean's ice cream parlor, and I happened to see it." He looked up at Vera.
Vera nodded, a few strands of her chestnut hair glinting like gold in the light, her bangs sweeping across her brow but unable to hide the coolness in her eyes.
"Oh, I see," Harry nodded blankly.
"Do you know anything more about him?" Dumbledore asked.
Dylan shook his head: "I only heard Aunt Vera say that this person is very dangerous, and if I ever meet him, I should run away quickly."
Vera curved her lips: "Perhaps you wouldn't be able to run away at all, but running is always the right thing to do."
Dumbledore nodded: "I'm surprised Kael'thas would actually come to the school. Perhaps Mr. Malfoy was right; the school really should raise its security level, otherwise, many students will face evil they shouldn't have to." Dumbledore paused here, then looked up: "What were we originally talking about?"
"Lockhart, Headmaster. You were asking where he went," Dylan said. "So, what happened to him?"
"Let Harry tell it. I called you here to also have you listen to Harry's adventure," Dumbledore looked at Harry. "After all, he and Mr. Weasley are too restless; they need a calm young wizard like you to keep them in check."
A hint of embarrassment flashed across Harry's face: "Actually, it was nothing. Ron and I overheard the professors discussing things. To save Ginny, we went to Lockhart for help."
"I didn't expect him to be completely unlike his reputation; he's just a bad guy who only uses memory charms on others!"
"Wow, how unexpected," Dylan said flatly.
"Right? I didn't expect it either," Harry wrinkled his nose and continued, "Later, he snatched Ron's wand and tried to attack me, but his own spell backfired—you know, Ron's wand was broken."
Dylan nodded.
"And then, the path was blocked by rocks, so I went to find Ginny, leaving Ron to move the rocks. But later, that Kael'thas appeared and took Tom and the Basilisk. When I went back, I found Ron knocked out." Harry looked troubled: "After I sent him and Ginny to the infirmary, I told the professors about it. As for where Lockhart went, Ron doesn't know either."
"Perhaps he knew he had no real abilities and ran away beforehand?" Dylan suggested.
"That's very possible!" Harry suddenly brightened. "When Ron and I went to his office to find him, he was already getting ready to flee!"
"By the way, why did you go to Lockhart for help instead of Professor McGonagall or the others? With professors there, the Basilisk wouldn't have caused much trouble, would it?" Dylan asked.
"Huh? This..." Harry was startled. "I don't know. At the time, I just felt like I should go to Lockhart. Professor McGonagall and the others also said to let Lockhart go to the Chamber to rescue people first."
Dylan pursed his lips: "Since you overheard it, you and Ron must have heard it in the staff room. Didn't you hear what we said afterward? The professors said that precisely to get Lockhart out of the way beforehand, didn't they?"
Harry's face reddened further, and he raised a hand to scratch his head: "Well, the situation was too urgent; I wasn't thinking that much."
Dylan clicked his tongue.
Vera picked up the conversation: "Kael'thas, judging by the situation, doesn't seem to be allied with the Dark Lord. I suspect he might want to become the new Dark Lord himself!"
Dumbledore raised an eyebrow, intrigued: "Oh? Why do you say that?"
Vera's expression was grim: "Recently, the Ministry of Magic has received more and more reports. At first, it wasn't obvious, but now, many wizards seem to be supporting Kael'thas, who calls himself 'The Fool,' to ascend and replace Voldemort as the new Dark Lord."
Dylan turned to look at her: "Aunt Vera, have the people you arrested last time all been released?"
Vera nodded: "Most of them have been released. They were under Kael'thas's Imperius Curse at the time—I really don't know how he managed to use the Imperius Curse on so many people simultaneously." Vera's tone was serious, then she sighed softly.
"So, apart from a few individuals who genuinely wanted to become followers of 'The Fool' and threatened to cause havoc everywhere once released, whom we can continue to detain, I couldn't keep the others locked up in the Ministry of Magic indefinitely. It's not legal."
"That's truly hard work," Dylan said with concern.
"No, it's nothing hard. It's just my job," Vera shook her head. "I searched the Chamber of Secrets last night and confirmed there's no danger there."
"This morning, I informed the Ministry of Magic of the situation here. Headmaster Dumbledore's reinstatement order was already on its way back, so I invited the Headmaster back ahead of time."
Upon hearing this, Dylan couldn't help but feel surprised. Vera's authority seemed quite considerable. Even though the matter was concluded, strictly speaking, Dumbledore would still have to wait for the school board's appointment to resume his position. However, she took a step ahead, bypassing the procedure, and directly called Dumbledore back.
This little girl... Dylan felt that perhaps—there was no need to save Cedric anymore? After all, Vera gave him the impression that she could be promoted and get a raise at any time, going from Auror to Department Head, and then to Minister for Magic. With this connection, did he still need to save Cedric and then get in touch with his father? Completely unnecessary!
"And it's all thanks to you, otherwise, this old bag of bones wouldn't know how much longer I'd be sunning myself outside," Dumbledore said with a beaming smile. He detected no hint of dishonesty from Dylan.
Since he couldn't get anything out of Dylan's mouth, he had to give up. Malfoy would be arriving soon. He heard that both Malfoy and his son had conflicts with Dylan. It was probably better not to let them interact.
"Since that's the case, then Dylan, why don't you..."
However, before he could finish his sentence, Lucius pushed the door open, his face grim.
Dumbledore raised an eyebrow in surprise: "Do you know the password? I don't recall having time to tell you."
"Gryffindor. Such a foolish password, I didn't need to ask to know it." Lucius scanned the people in the room, his gaze suddenly locking onto Dylan. He narrowed his eyes and scoffed: "Why is this brat here?"
Vera looked at him, frowning with some displeasure: "He's Harry's friend, and an excellent student at Hogwarts. Perhaps he knows something about the Chamber of Secrets, so I asked the Headmaster to call him over."
Lucius cast a cold glance at Vera, then paused: "Look who it is, a subordinate of the Head of the Auror Office. Do you think you have a place to interject right now?"
Vera's frown deepened, but remembering her superior's instructions before she came, she ultimately said nothing.
Dumbledore, however, chuckled: "Rufus is also a very experienced and capable wizard. As the Head of the Auror Office, he has resolved many troubles caused by dark wizards. Perhaps Vera will soon inherit his mantle."
"Dream on!" Lucius sneered. "Even if it's just a mere Head of Office, it's not something a little girl like her can handle!" His gaze swept over Harry, a sharp glint in his eyes.
Facing this idiot, Dylan pursed his lips. "Malfoy.."
"What did you call me?" Lucius's eyes widened instantly. "Insolent fellow!"
Despite being suddenly reprimanded, Dylan remained unhurried: "What? I mean, Mr. Malfoy, you shouldn't always hold such great prejudice against everyone."
"Remember Slytherin's Rule of Conduct thirty-nine? Respect those who love us, protect those we love. Your behavior is not what a gentleman should do."
Lucius: ?
"So, you think I would love you, or this yellow-haired girl, or that you would love me?" Lucius narrowed his eyes.
"Pfft!" Harry couldn't hold back and burst out laughing. Lucius glared at him again.
Dylan shrugged: "You truly are an eloquent gentleman."
Lucius: ??? He felt a vein throbbing in his forehead, about to burst. He took a deep breath.
He knew it. Being called over this early meant nothing good!
"Dylan, don't speak to an elder like that," Dumbledore said, laughing heartily without restraint. "Hahahahahahahahaha!"
Dylan looked innocently at Dumbledore. Laughing that loudly, do you think your words hold any persuasion?
Lucius clenched his fists, endured for a moment, then slowly released them, maintaining his noble composure.
"Hmph, a new Dark Lord is being born, Dumbledore. I heard he even appeared in the Slytherin Chamber last night, and you, you had no idea.."
"Yes...yes, at that time, I was locked outside Hogwarts because of the order you brought." Dumbledore nodded repeatedly, directly cutting off Lucius's words.
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