"Now things seem to be clear."
Dumbledore emphasized the word "seem," but Fudge's expression was far from pleased.
"Wait, wait!" He shook his chubby face, urgently speaking to Cyrus, "According to you, Tom Riddle has been in Hogsmeade all along?"
"I'm afraid so."
Cyrus nodded calmly, which only incited Fudge's anger. He nearly screamed, as if in shock:
"That's impossible! Dementors patrol Hogsmeade twice a day! Twice a DAY! Do you understand what that means? Whether it is Sirius Black or Tom Riddle, if they showed up in Hogsmeade, they'd be caught immediately!"
"Cornelius, the facts prove that the Dementors might not be able to find either of them," Dumbledore said again. "Sirius Black and Tom Riddle escaped from Azkaban; they clearly have a way to evade the Dementors' tracking. Now It seems it is time you remove those creatures from Hogwarts."
"But... but... Albus, if we do that, who will catch those two dangerous fugitives?" Fudge's voice weakened, but he still didn't yield.
Dumbledore had always stressed that the Dementors were not to be trusted. But for Fudge, an unremarkable man who seemed to have stumbled into the position of Minister of Magic, he feared any upheaval and the potential negative repercussions.
"We'll discuss that later, first tell us what happened after you followed them."
They did not dwell on this issue but let Tonks continue.
"Later, I was knocked out by them. When I woke up again, the Dark Wizards and goblin were planning to sacrifice me. That's when Tom Riddle appeared. He subdued the Dark Wizards without even chanting a spell. He knocked me out without using a wand or a gesture. What is certain is that the goblins aimed to get wands, and the Dark Wizards were after ancient magic. Tom Riddle is also interested in ancient magic."
Dumbledore nodded, his beautiful blue eyes turning to Cyrus with a pointed look. "It seems his magical power has increased since last time."
"I didn't expect such a place to hold secrets of ancient magic. But is ancient magic really that powerful?" Moody asked.
Dumbledore pondered for a moment. "It's hard to say, but many ancient spells indeed possess great destructive power."
Magic and technology differ greatly. Technology continuously advances and progresses, with many weapons of destruction that, once invented, can be stored away even if not used.
However, spells vanish with the death of wizards. Even if documented, they are often limited by the wizard's magical power and understanding.
Many powerful spells have been lost due to the lack of suitable successors.
Moreover, with the reduction of large-scale wars in the magical world, more destructive spells have gradually fallen out of use.
Perhaps many years from now, dark magic spells such as Fire and Death Curse will become so-called "ancient magic."
Dumbledore wasn't surprised that Tom Riddle would pursue ancient magic, as more than a decade ago, he was defeated by an ancient magic called "love."
"Ancient magic is indeed formidable. You should know that there's a room in the Department of Mysteries sealed off with ancient magic," Fudge said. "I remember Harry Potter's mother, Lily Potter, worked as an Unspeakable there for a while, didn't she?"
Harry Potter's mother was an Unspeakable?
A flash of surprise crossed Cyrus's eyes.
"Yes, that's true," Dumbledore nodded. "At that time, she hadn't yet married James. She was doing research at the Department of Mysteries. Later, due to Voldemort and the Death Eaters becoming more rampant, she joined the Aurors to fight them alongside the Order of the Phoenix."
"Do you mean the room filled with 'love' that's sealed off?" Cyrus couldn't help but ask. The last time he visited the Department of Mysteries, he entered several rooms, but some locked ones he didn't dare to force open.
After all, locks clearly imply danger.
"Yes," Dumbledore stared at him intently. "And it seems her research was somewhat successful."
Fudge immediately became excited and hastily asked, "Did she leave anything behind—"
"Ahem—" Scrimgeour suddenly coughed, interrupting Fudge. His face remained expressionless, looking like a rugged, greenish stone slab.
"I think we shouldn't discuss the Department of Mysteries' work here, should we?"
"Oh, yes, yes." Fudge realized his mistake, awkwardly wiping sweat with a handkerchief.
This topic stopped, but it was like a seed taking root and sprouting in Cyrus's mind.
Lily Potter had studied ancient magic in the Department of Mysteries and used this magic to defeat Voldemort!
Just as Fudge wanted to ask, Cyrus also wanted to know if Lily Potter had left any manuscripts.
Perhaps she had recorded her research on this magic.
While pondering, Cyrus discreetly glanced at Dumbledore and found the old man smiling at him.
His heart tightened, suspecting it was a bait.
The other party had thrown out the bait of "ancient magic," waiting for him to bite.
But this meant—Dumbledore already knew he wasn't "Delis"?
Or was it just a suspicion?
He instinctively gripped his wand but felt relieved upon realizing that they were all in a hospital. Dumbledore wouldn't duel him here.
"Delis, why are you daydreaming?" Fudge frowned in dissatisfaction, seeing Cyrus remain silent for too long. "We're all waiting for you!"
Only then did Cyrus realize that Dumbledore was looking at him, not because he had seen through his disguise, but because he was waiting for him to describe the subsequent events. He felt a strange sense of relief.
"Then they started fighting. The goblin used a silver whistle to summon a Chinese Fireball, which must have been secretly raised—"
"Those scoundrels!" Moody cursed.
"Then Tom Riddle fought with the dragon, and the dark wizards and goblins joined in. I took the chance to rescue Tonks and didn't dare linger. When I returned, the battle was over. Tom Riddle, the dragon, the dark wizards, and the goblins were all gone. Only the devastated coastline remained."
Moody nodded. "We did find traces of dragon blood in the sea."
"Do you think Tom Riddle was killed by the dragon?" Fudge asked, full of hope.
He wished for Tom Riddle, the fugitive, to be captured as soon as possible. Even his death would be better than further searching for him.
But not only did Dumbledore shake his head, but even Cyrus did the same.
"I'm afraid you'll be disappointed, Cornelius," Dumbledore stood up, looking like he intended to leave. After saying goodbye to Tonks, he walked over to Cyrus and stopped.
He turned his head, his wise eyes meeting Cyrus's, and slowly said:
"Mr. Delis, could we talk in private? I have some other concerns I'd like to discuss with you...."
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12 Advance Chapters- Patreon.com/HornyFBI