"It's clear you're enjoying your travels," the vagrant-like old man said with a mocking expression.
"I've done my best to do what I should," Dumbledore responded. "Unfortunately, I haven't succeeded, and we've missed the last chance you spoke of. Since failure is inevitable, I think it's better to let go and accept the outcome."
"Do you no longer care about the lives of wizards?" the vagrant challenged.
"I no longer have the strength to lead them," Dumbledore said. "More importantly, I don't know what is truly right. Perhaps my failure is telling me that I've become the stone that needs to be moved aside."
"Besides, you've failed yourself, haven't you?" Grindelwald interjected. "What gives you the right to question us from your high horse? Where are these so-called extra measures you speak of? I haven't heard of any remarkable actions lately. Are you just hiding behind these Muggles, spouting words?"
"I'm under attack," the vagrant said. "Murphy can find me at any moment. I can't afford to waste too much time..."
"Oh, so you're being hunted? And under these circumstances, you still want us to fight Murphy to the death?" Grindelwald glared at him. "Guess what, I think I should have a good talk with Murphy, or maybe capturing you and handing you over to him would be a better choice."
Grindelwald had never liked the Holy Mother; he was merely following Dumbledore's lead, but that was when Dumbledore was firmly intent on getting involved.
Now, seeing Dumbledore ready to let go and enjoy their later years, this guy jumps out causing trouble. How could he tolerate that?!
"Albus Dumbledore, you should take a look at Hogwarts if you want to stop him. There's still one last chance."
Dumbledore was startled. "Hogwarts? What are you planning to do?"
"The other side, it's..."
The vagrant tried to say more but suddenly stared blankly ahead. At the same time, a black spot appeared on the portrait of the Holy Mother he was holding, which then suddenly caught fire.
In no time, the vagrant was convulsing on the table.
The restaurant erupted into chaos, forcing Dumbledore and his companion to leave.
"Albus, don't be fooled," Grindelwald said. "This guy is clearly being hunted by Murphy. You saw it yourself, he can't even protect himself, he just wants to use you as a shield."
"I know." Dumbledore still frowned.
"But you're still going?"
"Hogwarts," Dumbledore mentioned with some concern. "It's not vacation time yet; the students are still in school. If he intends to do something at the school, those students..."
"But if you go, Murphy might see you as an enemy," Grindelwald warned.
"Unless we alert him of this message," Dumbledore said, pulling out a magical stone from his pocket. "Perhaps it's also time to return this to its rightful owner."
...
"The Holy Mother's signal has disappeared," Lucas suddenly reported in the research lab. "It's been four hours without a trace. It must be hiding."
"Has it discovered the satellite operation pattern?" Murphy asked.
"Unlikely," Lucas said. "In fact, I didn't activate all satellites to scan globally but selected a portion based on algorithms to work with some randomness. It would need over a month of samples to find a pattern from previous exposures."
"Where could it hide then?"
"Our satellites mostly avoid the polar regions, where surveillance frequency is low, making it a possible hiding spot. Or it could be in areas with magical signal shielding effects, like magical concentration areas such as Hogwarts, the Ministry of Magic, etc."
With so many wizarding areas worldwide, there are indeed many such places. If they can shield against magical signal scanning, only a physical search would work.
The UK would be manageable, but entering the Ministry of Magic in other countries is not as straightforward.
As Murphy was considering all possibilities, an owl was brought to him by a watcher.
"This owl flew to the Ministry of Magic liaison office, but the letter is addressed to you," the watcher handed over a letter and a bag, assuring, "We've thoroughly inspected it; it's safe."
Murphy, surprised, took the envelope with its flowery script and then pulled a blood-red stone from the bag.
"The Philosopher's Stone?"
Murphy recognized it instantly. He had gone through great lengths only to end up with a fake, and this was the stone Dumbledore had taken.
After four years, the Philosopher's Stone was returned!
I can make my own now, what do I need this for?! But, sending this back, is Dumbledore seeking peace?
He quickly opened the accompanying letter, scanning it rapidly.
"Indeed seeking peace."
In the letter, Dumbledore candidly informed Murphy of his negotiations with the Holy Mother and warned Murphy that the Holy Mother might have set a trap for him at Hogwarts.
Murphy immediately contacted the lightning crows stationed at Hogwarts, only to find their communications had been cut off without knowing when.
These crows, having their own thoughts, found it hard to stay put and monitor; Murphy only required them to report if something happened, so if the enemy was prepared, it was possible to block their communications.
Clearly, the Holy Mother was preparing for a last stand.
Hogwarts might be in danger, but sending ordinary Aurors wouldn't mean much against the Holy Mother.
Murphy glanced at the phoenix feather included with the letter, twirling it between his fingers.
With a thought, a lightning crow was teleported next to a large lake where Dumbledore and Grindelwald were waiting, as expected. Seeing the crow, they knew it was Murphy's pet, without surprise.
"Professor," the crow spoke, "thank you for the warning. Since you've sent a phoenix feather, it seems we've reached an agreement on this matter. Shall we take a look together?"
Dumbledore nodded. "We don't know exactly what the other side intends, but I'm concerned for the students' safety. Their safety will be my top priority."
"Understood," Murphy said. "Just don't interfere with my killing the Holy Mother."
Then, Murphy turned to Lucas, "Come with me."
Lucas's body, even if it were to die, his soul would remain due to the Horcrux, and with his strength far surpassing ordinary Aurors, he was the only one capable of making a difference in a top-tier wizard battle at Murphy's side.
Moments later, the two appeared beside the Black Lake.
Dumbledore glanced at Lucas, guessing but saying nothing. Grindelwald, however, greeted Murphy, "So, kid, figured out how to deal with that guy?"
"I don't yet know what the other side has planned," Murphy said. "But this time, it won't escape."
"Speaking of tactics," Grindelwald pointed towards Hogwarts Castle in the distance, "do you notice anything different there?"
Following Grindelwald's gesture, Murphy saw Hogwarts Castle shrouded in a hazy mist under the setting sun, vaguely obscured.
"Fog?"
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