Chapter 534 – He Also Wants to Be Outside the Door!!
Darren accepted the task with a solemn expression.
He secretly observed the faces of the people around him and noticed that they all looked calm and confident.
Clearly, this mission had been carefully selected. There shouldn't be any danger.
…No danger.
That thought made Darren conflicted.
How could a place the little Holy Father was sent to be free of danger?
There had to be danger—serious danger—so that these people would finally understand that he was still just a child.
He wanted to enjoy his school life.
He wasn't here to grind through missions for the Order of the Phoenix!
But outwardly, he still said seriously,
"Don't worry. I won't die."
"Don't think like that," Dumbledore replied calmly.
"You must come back no matter what—even if the mission fails.
"Darren, you must remember how important you are.
"You have to live. I am already very old. The Order of the Phoenix needs a younger leader, and I believe you are the right choice.
"What you lack now is the ability to weigh gains and losses. I would rather you never have to understand this—but what I must teach you in these two years is that you yourself are the most important thing in any mission.
"Of course, you can fight desperately for Harry, because he is the meaning of the Order of the Phoenix's current existence.
"But in other situations… I hope you can even abandon Moody."
Dumbledore spoke seriously.
Moody nodded and said in his hoarse voice,
"No matter who it is, you can give them up. That's the quality of a qualified Auror. I hope you grow into someone like that."
Darren's face gradually turned pale.
Yet no one tried to comfort him.
Because they all thought the same.
If Darren wanted to live, this was something he had to learn.
He was too kind. If he ever truly took over the Order of the Phoenix, he might end up dying for it.
"Yes… I'll try my best."
Darren forced out the words, pain evident on his face. Many people couldn't bear to look.
But Dumbledore didn't change his expression at all and simply moved on to the next topic.
In any case, it was something Darren wasn't interested in.
Darren could clearly sense Fred and George eavesdropping outside the door with Extendable Ears, and he felt deeply envious.
He also wanted to be outside the door.
He didn't want to be sitting here.
He was still a child—why did he have to be involved in matters this important?
"So, Darren, what do you think should be done about this?"
Dumbledore suddenly asked.
Darren froze.
He had been distracted just now.
On the surface, he looked like he was listening attentively, but in reality, everything had gone in one ear and out the other.
To avoid completely embarrassing himself, Darren quickly spent five hundred Holy Father points to consult the system.
Only then did he realize that Dumbledore had just mentioned Snape acting as a double agent.
Voldemort had given Snape a mission—to "brainwash" Darren into believing that Dumbledore was not a good person.
…Right.
Old Fu really thought he had been brainwashed by Dumbledore?
Darren almost felt a bit sorry for Voldemort.
The moment the mission was issued, Dumbledore already knew about it.
Darren believed Voldemort's order was genuine.
He put on a thoughtful expression, then smiled and said:
"Voldemort has two purposes.
"First, to test Professor Snape's loyalty. After all, Professor Snape has been pretending for so long, and someone as suspicious as Voldemort would never fully trust that. So he assigned him this task.
"Second, under the premise of that test, he wants Professor Snape to truly try to brainwash me.
"If it succeeds, Voldemort gains my help. Everything I know would become known to him, and the Order of the Phoenix would be wiped out.
"Of course, there may be a third purpose.
"Voldemort might be trying to kill me.
"Professor Snape is known to appear as though he hates me in front of others. Asking someone who 'hates' me to brainwash me would naturally be very difficult.
"That in itself suggests Voldemort may suspect that the relationship between the professor and me is an act.
"Brainwashing is the first step—a test of the true relationship between the professor and me.
"If Professor Snape can truly communicate with me, the next step would be to lure me out… and kill me outside.
"As long as he kills me, Voldemort would believe he has eliminated the future of the Order of the Phoenix."
As Darren finished speaking, applause broke out around the room.
Dumbledore looked at him solemnly.
"At first, I only considered the first two points. But after hearing you, the third may indeed be the most important."
Darren smiled sheepishly.
In his heart, he thought Dumbledore was clearly pretending.
If Dumbledore hadn't already thought of this, Darren would eat the table.
It was obvious he was being given a stage to analyze things.
Dumbledore really was pushing him forward step by step.
Of course, as a little Holy Father, Darren couldn't say that out loud. He hurriedly waved his hand.
"Maybe… I'm just overthinking things because of my dark mindset…"
That sentence almost made the wizards spray saliva.
Dark mindset? Darren?
He wasn't gloomy—he was just too smart. Yes, too smart.
"So, Darren, what do you think Severus should do?"
Someone asked seriously amid the noise.
Darren thought for a moment, then said:
"First, starting from the beginning of term, the professor can use last year's group fight as an excuse to keep me under detention or supervision.
"Second, let the professor teach my brother Occlumency.
"Then, let my brother 'accidentally' see some of the professor's memories—memories of trying to get along with me, and of secretly speaking ill of Headmaster Dumbledore.
"The headmaster once said that my brother has something special in his mind that could connect him to Voldemort.
"So sooner or later, Voldemort will discover this and read my brother's memories. Then these things will naturally be planted in his mind.
"The only downside is that the professor's image in my brother's heart may worsen even more.
"At that point, he might suspect that the professor has truly fallen to Voldemort and deceived the headmaster."
Darren looked at Snape apologetically.
Snape was staring at him in a daze, but when he noticed Darren's gaze, he nodded without hesitation.
Then he said disdainfully,
"Potter's misunderstanding means nothing to me. His brain has never been able to hold such complicated things."
"No, my brother is just a bit slow. He has never had a bad heart. Professor, I apologize to you on his behalf, I—"
[Ding, Holy Father value +100]
[Ding, Holy Father value +100]
[Ding, Holy Father value +100]
[Ding… ]
"Who asked you to apologize for him?"
Snape interrupted impatiently.
"You should be thinking about how to coordinate with my performance.
"With acting skills like yours, I was worried you wouldn't be able to fool the Dark Lord."