Chapter 67. A Long Talk with Dumbledore
"You mean Kira?" Dumbledore nodded slightly. "Yes, it attacked the young wizards in the castle, and the Ministry of Magic doesn't have any penalties for house-elves causing harm. I think dismissing it is the punishment it deserves."
No way.
Lynn secretly rolled his eyes. He organized his thoughts and continued,
"Professor, I don't know if you know I'm an orphan. I grew up in a Muggle orphanage. My parents died when I was very young, but they left me a considerable fortune.
In my memory, they were perfectly normal ordinary people.
After being accepted into Hogwarts, although I was sorted into Slytherin and discriminated against by my classmates for my bloodline, I never resented or doubted my origins..."
He looked up at Dumbledore, who nodded gently in return, seemingly encouraging him to continue.
"However, Hubert was attacked immediately after insulting my bloodline, and Raphael was attacked as well.
This gave me the feeling that someone was secretly protecting me at Hogwarts.
On the night Professor Fawkes fought the Death Eaters, you told the whole school that the murderer was that dark wizard, and of course I believed you.
But Professor Fawkes told me why that dark wizard was hiding in Hogwarts. Perhaps he really was the culprit, but maybe he had accomplices in the castle?
So I devised a plan with Ian and Cedric.
Ian and I deliberately clashed in the Great Hall.
He insulted me with the same words that Hubert and Raphael used. Two weeks later, just yesterday, a house-elf named Kira attacked Ian.
I caught it on the spot, and it knelt before me, crying and calling me master, and confessed that it was the one who had done the previous two attacks."
I've read many books about the magical world and know that only ancient pure-blood wizarding families keep house-elves.
If he calls me master, it means that one of my parents must be a pure-blood.
I really want to know about my origins, so this morning I went to the castle kitchen to look for him with these questions in mind.
But a house-elf told me that he was expelled by you, so I came here to ask you what my next step should be. "
Lynn's now completely candid approach is essentially handing the buck to Dumbledore.
The attack was all the work of the house-elves; he knew nothing about it and nothing at all.
He just wants to find that house-elf to find out about his origins, and since you just chased it away, Lynn wants to know where it is.
Of course, if all else fails, you can tell him if you know anything.
With the Occlumency skill rewarded by the system, Lynn is fearless as long as Dumbledore can't read his mind. "
The old bee listened quietly to Lynn's story and nodded in praise.
"A very impressive experience, Bellok.
Your decisions and methods after this series of events were impeccable, enough to amaze anyone with your wisdom and composure.
The Sorting Hat's decision to put you in Slytherin is one of its most correct choices.
However, you just got one thing wrong. The dark wizard killed by Adrian wasn't the one who attacked the students. I lied to the entire school that night." "
Of course I know you're lying, but if I just say I don't believe you, wouldn't that be disrespecting you?
You'd probably just write it down in your little notebook, wouldn't you?"
Lynn thought to herself, but outwardly she still cooperated and asked,
"Then... Professor, why did you lie?"
Dumbledore didn't hide anything and directly told Lynn his intentions.
"Because I didn't know who the murderer was at the time, and Adrian happened to have killed the dark wizard hiding in the Forbidden Forest. At the time, he was the prime suspect.
Although I also suspected it wasn't him, I had no other clues, so I simply declared him the murderer.
If it really was him, then of course everyone would be happy. If it wasn't him, it would just lower the real culprit's guard, and maybe he would slip up.
But you gave me a big surprise, Belloc. In the end, I didn't expect it to be you and your friends who lured him out."
Lynn didn't completely believe Dumbledore's words. It seemed like the old bee was being completely open and honest with him, but in reality, the person he really wanted to expose was none other than Lynn himself.
It's estimated that Dumbledore also discovered the connection between Lynn and the two attacks, and also knew about Lynn's relationship with Kira.
After realizing that he and Ian Cedric had staged a play to lure Kira out, he directly caught them red-handed and expelled Kira from Hogwarts.
As for his purpose, Lynn couldn't guess. He felt that if Dumbledore really just wanted to catch the real culprit through him, the result wouldn't be as simple as just expelling Kira from Hogwarts.
A house-elf, who had rebelliously attacked two young wizards with dark magic and even attempted to attack a third, and was only given such a slap on the wrist after being caught?
Dumbledore wasn't some saint, and Lynn had a strong feeling that his motive might very well be him.
"Professor, is it possible that I can still find that house-elf? Should I ask it about my origins?" Lynn asked tentatively.
Dumbledore looked at Lynn seriously.
"Since Kira considers you its master, it will continue to appear by your side; you don't need to worry about that. Whether or not to ask it about your origins is a decision you must make yourself.
I can only offer some advice: sometimes, not knowing can make life easier and more peaceful. But if you want to understand something, then you must be prepared to bear the responsibility that comes with knowing it."
Lynn felt there was something more to Dumbledore's words. He hesitated for a moment, then asked,
"Professor, do you know about my origins? Could you tell me a little about them?"
Dumbledore shook his head.
"I know some things, but I think if you really want to know the truth, it's better to find the answer yourself. Only through personal experience can you understand its meaning."
Lynn was secretly a little annoyed; Dumbledore was clearly playing cryptic games with him.
Dumbledore suddenly looked at Lynn again and said with a smile.
"Actually, you're quite like one of my former students. He also grew up in an orphanage, came from a prestigious family, and was just as intelligent and composed as a Slytherin.
Unfortunately, he later went down the wrong path."
Hearing Dumbledore's words, Lynn's hair stood on end in horror, and a large patch of sweat had appeared on his back, soaking his robes.
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(End of Chapter)