"Severus, what about the two children?"
"Draco was frightened. He was bitten by an Acromantula. The venom spread to his whole body. There is a trace of dark magic in his soul, not one that I'm familiar with. He's in a very bad state, but he won't die!" Snape said stiffly. "Lucius just took him away. He asked me to tell you that this is not going to end like this. He will complain to the Board of Governors and the Ministry of Magic about it."
"It's really bad, I feel sorry for Mr. Malfoy's experience." Dumbledore said calmly; his eyes did not shift from the red nameplate in front of him. "About this matter, I do have an inescapable responsibility. I should have discovered what was hidden in the spider's Lair earlier, so it won't…"
"What on earth is that monster?" Snape asked. "Why did Salazar Slytherin leave this thing around school?"
"I don't know, we can only speculate now!" Dumbledore gently tapped the nameplate in front of him with his wand, and it didn't seem to react, "Probably the same as last year's Basilisk, Salazar was supposed to leave a legacy for his Heir."
Snape's face was heavy, and he apparently disagreed with Dumbledore's assessment.
"The ruins in the deepest part of the underground have collapsed, and no one can go in anymore." He said cunningly, "Only Mr. Know-It-All himself said that he had seen the monster, would he…?"
"The trace left on this is very evil, not something that a young wizard can make!" Dumbledore explained, "And why would he lie?"
"Obviously, it would be because…"
"All right, Severus!" Dumbledore said, with a hint of warning in his voice, "I believe in him, just as I believe in you completely. Instead of discussing such vague things, you should tell me how Mr. Mason is doing at the moment?"
"It's a great honour to have your trust!" Snape said sarcastically, "He doesn't seem to be in any serious trouble. He has no trace of black magic. On the contrary, his internal magic is very strong, much stronger than what I saw when he arrived this morning. His magic is increasing rapidly, far exceeding that of a young wizard. At this rate, it will soon be similar to mine. I wanted to examine him, but Black didn't let me touch him, presumably because he thought I would take the opportunity to kill him."
Dumbledore nodded and did not speak.
"Headmaster, this is too abnormal. No one's magic will increase without any reason. I think it is necessary to check Mr. Know-It-All's wand and see what kind of spells he's been using. If necessary, you can even use Veritaserum to test the validity of his words." Snape hesitated for a moment, and said unbending. "You have been to that cave too. You should know what happened inside."
"Magic is wonderful, Severus!" Dumbledore looked up and said, "The world is full of unknown secrets. No one can guarantee that he has mastered everything."
"You're shifting the topic. You know what magic he used in it. It is Fiendfyre." Snape said angrily. "This is not a magic that a young wizard should master. We should take immediate action."
"What do you think I should do?" "Dumbledore asked, "Get him expelled, or sent to Azkaban? If it wasn't for him saving Mr. Malfoy, triggering Salazar's magic in the ruins to defeat the unknown creature, the consequences would be unimaginable."
"But…" Snape was reluctant.
"What matters is the heart, not the magic itself." Dumbledore said gently, "You should understand this, Severus, after so many years…"
"I don't understand, I promised to help you, just for Lily and her son." Snape turned and paused before he frowned and said, "I'll keep an eye on him for you. If he makes any other mad dangerous move, I suggest that everything would be wiped out in the bud, while we can."
He finished and left Dumbledore's Office without turning back.
Dumbledore sat in his chair, thinking of things that only he knew. The portraits on the wall moved again and continued the discussion on the topic that Snape had just mentioned.
............…. ................
As Snape said, Evan felt his magic was growing rapidly.
For more than half a month after returning to Hogwarts, a lot of magic was being poured into him from Slytherin's Locket hanging on his chest.
With the entrance of this magical power, Evan's own magic level increased rapidly.
Most of the exotic magic eventually dissipated, but there was still a small part that was merged with Evan's own magic, and that was permanently preserved.
Now, his body was full of strength, and there was no sign of any side effects.
It was clear what the specific principle was, and he knew what was going on.
After all, when through with using that powerful magic to kill the monster, Salazar's shadow eventually turned into countless silver Planktons, all collecting in his Locket.
All of the Planktons possessed powerful magic; Evan had only inhaled a little of them before, and he recovered all the magic he had consumed.
The strong power accumulated over the past thousand years had been poured into Evan's body from Slytherin's Locket, and his body had been transformed.
And these magic powers could only be absorbed by Evan alone. He tried to hand over the Locket to Harry and Hermione who came to see him before, but there was no reaction.
Dumbledore, Professors McGonagall, Snape, and Sirius all knew about it. Although they were shocked, they all thought it was a good thing.
Snape cooked potions for Evan every day, which could help him absorb this magic as much as possible.
With Sirius checking the potions, Evan didn't worry that Snape would put some strange things in it, even if Snape's gazes becoming more and more strange.
The benefits of increased magic were obvious. Many spells that Evan could not master before could now be easily used. He felt that he had never been as strong as he was now. With his current combat ability, if he was to duel Snape again, he might manage to not lose.
Now, Dumbledore visited Evan in the school Hospital almost every night.
He inquired about Evan's health and taught him many tricks on how to use magic and some rare spells.
Of course, he talked more about his views on life, hoping that Evan would not be corrupted by powerful forces.
Thanks to Dumbledore's personal tutoring, Evan's recent gains had been enormous.
On every level, he was more confident about the future.