At the entrance to the Headmaster's office, in front of the stone gargoyle, Adam held a paintbrush, dipping it in luminous paint. He was standing to the side of the statue, looking it over and considering how to start his work.
The gargoyle's eyelids suddenly twitched a few times, and it silently hopped to the other side. The wall behind it split in two, revealing the spiral staircase.
"I finally caught you! You really have a mind of your own!" Adam stood on his tiptoes and patted the gargoyle's head, whispering. "Since you've been at Hogwarts for so long, do you know where Helga Hufflepuff's Chamber is? Did Salazar Slytherin give Godric a good thrashing before he left? Are those stone statues that guard the castle the same as you...?"
Dumbledore's exasperated voice came from the passage. "Come in, Adam."
Adam sighed regretfully and turned to walk toward the spiral staircase. Before stepping in, he paused for a moment and said loudly, "Pumpkin pie!"
As he entered the Headmaster's office, all the portraits were crammed into the frames closest to the door, looking at him with strange expressions, as if they were observing some rare magical creature.
"Good evening, Headmasters. Is there something you need?"
"I believe your name is Adam, correct?" a kind-looking witch motioned for him to come closer to the portrait. "How exactly did you open the office door? Is there something wrong with that gargoyle?"
The other Headmasters also nodded, asking questions all at once.
Dumbledore waved his wand, and the curtains in front of the portraits closed, bringing the chaotic noise to an abrupt stop.
"Good evening, Adam. Would you like a glass of watermelon juice? It's quite cold outside, but it seems you're not a fan of tea."
"Thank you, Professor. A little less ice in the watermelon juice, please." Adam sat down politely and looked at the thick files on the desk, which were covered in names and timestamps.
Dumbledore lightly tapped a silver platter to his left, and several exquisite desserts appeared in front of them. Seeing Adam's curiosity about the files, he pushed them toward him.
"This is... the Ministry of Magic's travel list?" Adam picked up the file, carefully comparing the data listed on it. This list also had some important people circled, including the names of representatives from various countries and many famous people who had been awarded the Order of Merlin. Newt's name was particularly prominent, marked in red ink, even more so than Dumbledore's.
The old man in front of him nodded slightly, and his deep gaze fell upon the teacup he was holding as he took a light sip. The quill on the desk floated up and circled an inconspicuous name on the list: Hogge Lancaster.
"You suspect Professor Hogge used a fake identity?" Adam immediately understood what Dumbledore meant, but he still felt a few doubts. "But this list details his entry and exit times quite thoroughly. And since it made it to your desk, his travel documents should be real and legal. Is this list your only basis for suspicion?"
A look of admiration flashed in the blue eyes behind the half-moon glasses. Dumbledore said gently, "I actually thought the same thing at first and didn't pay much attention to this list. But someone reminded me that there was a major problem with his travel route."
Dumbledore unrolled a map of the wizarding world, picked up a quill, and said to Adam, "The first place he arrived at after leaving his studies was Vatican City. He then followed the coastline through many countries, all the way to Romania."
His old hand held the quill and drew a not-so-complex route on the map.
Adam frowned, confused. "But what does that prove?"
Dumbledore smiled and took another sip of tea. Following the entry times on the list, he used different colored ink to mark Hogge's subsequent route. "He's been wandering around the eastern Mediterranean, from Vatican City to Romania, and finally to Greece. Then, in less than a few months, he used a Portkey to return to Vatican City. If those one or two trips were a coincidence, it wouldn't be so strange that he traveled between these countries multiple times over the next two years."
As the quill outlined the route, it formed a closed loop, a path that deliberately avoided one specific location. When Adam saw the only blank area within this loop, his pupils narrowed slightly, and he whispered, "Albania..."
Dumbledore put down his teacup, his expression grave. He took out another file and placed it in front of Adam, motioning for him to compare the two carefully. There was a name, Nikina, whose entry and exit times perfectly corresponded with Hogge's departure from the other countries.
Adam's eye twitched, and he turned to Dumbledore. "So you suspect that Professor Hogge is actually a Death Eater?"
"I'm not ruling out the idea..." Dumbledore's gaze fell on the map, as if he were looking at a former student. After a moment of silence, he said, "But as far as I know, Tom didn't have anyone like that on his side back then."
"What if you've misremembered? After all, you've been through so much," Adam asked.
"That is a possibility," Dumbledore said, walking behind his desk and taking out a Pensieve from a black cabinet. "So I re-examined my past memories, and I found something very interesting."
"Can't you just tell me directly?" Adam tilted his head, his eyes clear and innocent.
"Some things are better seen with your own eyes. Most importantly, I'm not entirely sure myself if it's a real memory."
Dumbledore's calm words sent a chill down Adam's spine. Adam looked up at the blue eyes behind the half-moon glasses and saw that he wasn't winking as he usually would. Instead, he was looking at Adam with a grave expression and said, "I need you to help me confirm the authenticity of this memory."
After Dumbledore finished speaking, he reached out and touched the silvery substance in the shallow basin. Adam, with doubt in his heart, followed him into this memory from the past.
It was 1946, on the second floor of Hogwarts Castle, at the door of the Transfiguration classroom.
"Professor Dumbledore!" a young voice called out to them.
Adam found the voice very familiar. When he turned around, he saw a familiar face. The person was thin, with slightly messy brown hair, and was wearing a fitted, single-breasted, peacock-blue overcoat. He was carrying a brown leather suitcase.
Dumbledore, who had just walked out of the classroom, turned and nodded to him gently. "Have your friends gone back to America?"
The young Newt was about to answer but caught sight of the young wizards walking out of the classroom, who were looking at him with curiosity. He instinctively moved toward the corner of the corridor and stammered, "They said they weren't used to the environment at Hogwarts and wanted to go back to a place they were familiar with."
Adam turned to the older Dumbledore beside him and whispered, "Was Professor Newt like that when he was young?"
"He hasn't changed much over the years..." Dumbledore's words were cut short when Adam's eyes widened. He ran to a small witch's side.
Adam looked at the square glasses and cat-shaped hairpin the little witch was wearing, and could faintly make out the outline of her face, which he recognized from another memory. "Could this be Professor McGonagall?"
"That is indeed Minerva, but that's not what I need you to confirm."
He raised his wand, and the memory space around them instantly froze. The younger Dumbledore and Newt were suspended in place. Dumbledore led Adam to the other side of the corridor. At the edge of the memory, at the end of the young professor's peripheral vision, a figure appeared. The person seemed to have just come down from upstairs, wearing a dark red robe and a well-trimmed beard, and their gaze was as sharp as an eagle's.
"Professor Hogge!?"
Support me by leaving a comment, voting, and visiting myPatr-eon at ilham20
Check out another story about Hogwarts in my profile original works