Dumbledore pondered Artel's cryptic reference to a "wise man," speculating about the identity of the figure referred to as a mouse. Could it be the covert force concealed within the castle?
"A wise man?" Dumbledore offered a wry smile, a habit of his when engaging in conversations. He seldom revealed the entirety of his thoughts, opting to guide others toward revelations while independently delving into the pursuit of truth. At this moment, he could savor the taste of greatness.
In truth, Dumbledore didn't entirely believe that the "mouse" mentioned by Artel was an actual rodent. He sensed there was more to the story.
.....
Back at the Swiss hotel, Artel sighed in relief as he reclined on the soft sofa. Dumbledore's presence had imposed a subtle pressure, especially as Dumbledore, subconsciously recognizing Saruman as an equal wizard, treated him differently from his role as the headmaster.
"Overall, the performance was satisfactory. I believe Dumbledore has bought into the narrative I spun for the wizarding world. Now, it's a matter of how the story evolves."
Artel anticipated that the higher the acceptance of "The Lord of the Rings" characters in the world, the likelier it was for important characters to appear when summoned. He aimed to expedite the summoning of key characters to advance his plans.
"Furthermore, Dumbledore still harbors many unanswered questions. In this scenario, it might prompt him to take action sooner. The seeds have been planted; now, we wait for them to sprout."
After reviewing recent events and confirming nothing was amiss, Artel took a shower, donned his pajamas, and retired for the night.
While Artel slumbered, sleep eluded many in Hogwarts Castle.
In Snape's office, Harry faced Snape's disdain. The consequences were severe—50 points docked from Gryffindor, the confiscation of his invisibility cloak, and a post-holiday punishment: three days of cleaning the prefect's bathroom.
Additionally, the parchment Harry found in the forbidden area was also confiscated by Snape.
Harry, unsure of the content on the parchment, had only managed a quick glance before being interrupted by the howl of the forbidden book. However, he cleverly deduced that the parchment was likely related to what Hermione had discovered—a series of them.
Considering that Professor McGonagall had awarded Hermione bonus points for her find, Harry decided to inquire with Snape about potential bonus points for himself.
To his dismay, Snape sneered and promptly kicked Harry out of the office. Snape had no intention of letting Harry off the hook, especially since he hadn't thoroughly examined the parchment.
Shortly after Harry's departure, Snape received news of Dumbledore's return to the castle. Contemplating the situation, Snape decided to take the parchment and visit Dumbledore's office.
"Principal."
Upon meeting Dumbledore, Snape recounted the events of the night.
Dumbledore's mouth twitched upon learning that Snape had confiscated Harry's invisibility cloak. He had only given it to Harry that morning, and it was already taken away due to a nighttime adventure.
What a remarkable young man!
Dumbledore felt a pang of emotion, a sentiment quite profound for a centenarian.
As Snape continued, Dumbledore's expression shifted once more. Taking the parchment from Snape, he carefully read its contents.
The parchment chronicled the events of the Fellowship of the Ring—the very group that Artel had mentioned earlier that night.
"Severus, a very interesting thing is that I just received information on the parchment from another source tonight," Dumbledore remarked, proceeding to share the events of Christmas Eve at the Ministry of Magic and the night in the Forbidden Forest with Snape.
After ensuring that Snape had absorbed the information, Dumbledore inquired, "What are your thoughts on this?"
"Do you suspect that the man named Saruman has something to do with this sudden appearance of the parchment?" Snape expressed his skepticism.
It all seemed too coincidental—almost as if the parchment materialized out of thin air.
In any case, there was an underlying conspiracy.
It felt as though the man called Saruman had somehow inserted it into the castle.
"But what was his motive? And... how did he know Harry would go on a night tour, and how could he be certain Harry would venture into the forbidden area?"
Snape was perplexed, and so was Dumbledore.
Hence, they were more inclined to believe that this was just a mere coincidence.
.....
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