The Prisoners of Hogwarts

Chapter 22 Self-Reflection and Brainstorming

Lynch walked out of the gates of Hogwarts Castle with a smile on his face.

He looked up at the sky and found that the weather was nice today.

The sun was already setting in the west, shining on the surface of the distant Black Lake, creating shimmering waves.

He turned and walked towards the lake.

A gentle breeze blew across the lake, bringing a slightly damp feeling, and a few strands of hair were ruffled and fell in front of her forehead.

Lin Qi reached out and stroked his head from a distance, and an invisible force precisely returned the strands of hair to their original positions.

His gaze drifted aimlessly to the lake, the shimmering light occasionally seeping into his eyes, flickering in his unfathomable pupils.

Just like his heart.

Just now, in Snape's cold, dark underground office, he used his deceased childhood friend to break down Snape's mental defenses.

He remembered the way Snape had slumped into the chair, his soul shattered, his pain so vividly displayed before him.

Severus Snape's soul died on that night in 1981, and from that moment on, his life became a long torment.

He understood Snape's pain, and even... was able to empathize with it.

But that cannot be a reason for him to let Snape go.

Snape's identity and Snape's skills are things I need.

We must... shatter him, then rebuild him, and finally bring him to our side!

The plan started off smoothly.

Snape has agreed to make potions for himself.

A potion master of his caliber, when paired with rare and high-quality main ingredients, usually brings surprises.

This means that the quality of the finished potion might be better than expected, making the travel plans a few days later go much smoother.

Everything about the Stone Pagoda Chamber of Commerce plays a pivotal role in its future plans.

We must not let it fall into the hands of others!

For that goal that many people are working silently for!

Lin Qi looked up, his gaze sweeping across the lake towards the horizon, his expression hardening once more.

Severus, my old friend, I hope you can find the motivation to keep moving forward in that altered memory...

He turned his head and glanced at Hogwarts Castle standing behind him.

By this time, Snape should already be reporting to Dumbledore.

Finally, the words conveyed by Snape should keep Dumbledore busy for a while.

Go investigate, dear principal, focus on the most important things first...

......

Inside the headmaster's office, Dumbledore watched as Snape walked in, looking utterly dejected.

It was as if yesterday's scene was repeating itself.

He frowned and scrutinized Snape.

No.

He thought, things are different from yesterday.

Although Snape was distraught yesterday, anger still lingered in his eyes, and his fighting spirit remained.

Snape now resembled a candle flickering in the wind, as if he would be extinguished at any moment.

Completely devoid of energy and spirit, he looked lost and pitiful, just like when he was begging me to protect Lily on that cliff, filled with fear of the future.

Lynch had truly hurt Severus, and he wondered if Snape could continue his mission of monitoring Lynch.

He stood up and walked over to Snape.

"Severus..." Dumbledore asked with concern, "Are you alright?"

Awakened by Dumbledore's voice, Snape looked up at the old man in front of him with a blank expression, then quickly lowered his head again.

He didn't want anyone to see his most wretched state at that moment.

The glass bottle held in his outstretched hand gave him courage and reminded him why he had come.

His fragmented thoughts were pieced back together, albeit with difficulty.

"Lynch said that someone visited Paris a few days ago and then went to Devon. He also said you'll understand what that means."

Snape repeated Lynch's words, his voice weak.

But Dumbledore had no time to care about Snape's condition.

The news struck him like a bolt of lightning, jolting him awake.

Devonshire!

Voldemort is searching for the Philosopher's Stone!

He wants to regain his power with the help of the Philosopher's Stone!

That was his goal!

Nick did indeed write to me the day before yesterday requesting that I retrieve the Philosopher's Stone from the Gringotts vault.

He said someone was looking for him, and he was worried that they were after the magic stone, so he wanted to put it in the safest place in the world.

Dumbledore couldn't help but raise his hand and touch the inner pocket of his chest.

The magic stone remained quietly inside.

There is no safer way to keep something than for Dumbledore to carry it on his person.

The person searching for Nick is either Voldemort's henchman or even Voldemort himself!

Nick and himself were led astray by their habitual thinking, assuming that it was the same as before, a dark wizard who had come seeking out the Philosopher's Stone based on rumors and hearsay.

But I never expected it to be the biggest one!

By the way, what else did Nick say in his letter?

He said the situation was actually quite dangerous, as the man was guarding a place he frequented.

I was only able to escape unscathed because I was warned in advance.

Who reminded him?

Before the question had even fully crossed Dumbledore's mind, the answer had already appeared in his heart.

They're Lynch's men!

His friends...

Who exactly are they, that they can track Voldemort's movements and issue advance warnings?

Dumbledore's doubts deepened.

But now is not the time to think about that.

He suppressed this doubt for the time being.

Lynch deceived himself about Voldemort's purpose in appearing, but he was right about one thing: Voldemort would definitely come looking for the child.

Voldemort's current goal is to obtain the Philosopher's Stone, and that child will be attending Hogwarts this year.

In other words, Voldemort will definitely come to Hogwarts!

Therefore, placing Lynch in Hogwarts was the right thing to do, and it was what he wanted.

Lynch will stay at Hogwarts to deal with Voldemort, while he can take some time to go out and look for clues about Horcruxes.

A myriad of thoughts churned in Dumbledore's mind, and he sifted through one possibility after another.

Suddenly, an idea popped into his mind.

A tempting idea.

Voldemort is at his weakest point right now, while Hogwarts has him and Lynch there. So... could they try to capture Voldemort?

Use the Philosopher's Stone as bait to lure Voldemort to the area, and then capture him!

Just like they did with Lynch, they imprisoned Voldemort with stone bricks!

If successful, Voldemort's danger will be greatly reduced, and the threat he poses can be gradually resolved.

Whatever Lin Qi's plan is, he needs time to carry it out.

If Voldemort can be dealt with quickly, leaving only Lynch behind will make things much easier...

Dumbledore's deep blue eyes gleamed with a dazzling light, a rare display of his barely suppressed emotions.

But Snape, standing in front of him, paid no attention to Dumbledore's expression; he didn't care about such things at the moment.

He just wanted to see that memory, to hear Lily's...last words...

Snape reached into his pocket and took out the glass bottle that he had been clutching tightly in his hand.

The silver memory threads inside the bottle emitted a soft glow.

Snape began to speak.