Hogwarts: Third Dark Lord

Wentworth glanced at the wizard hunter sitting on the ground and said slowly:

"If what he says is true, then we hand him over to the law. If it's false, then I ask the Headmaster to leave him to me!"

Dumbledore nodded lightly at these words and drew his wand.

The wizard hunter, who was already pale from blood loss, looked at Dumbledore approaching with his wand out, pressing it gently to his forehead. Terror flickered in the hunter's eyes, but he still found the strength to mutter:

"If you're going to use Legilimency, then just do it! Why bother asking anything at all?"

Wentworth replied matter-of-factly, "It's called cross-verification, you dolt!"

"Legilimens."

After a moment, Dumbledore lowered his wand, nodded slightly at Wentworth, and said, "He appears to be telling the truth. There are no signs that his memories have been tampered with."

Suddenly, the air around them cracked with the sound of multiple Apparitions. In an instant, several witches and wizards appeared, dressed either in suits or long coats, all holding their wands at the ready.

As soon as they arrived, they moved with practiced precision. Some trained their wands directly on Dumbledore and Wentworth, while others scanned the perimeter, taking up defensive positions. It was evident they were Aurors from the British Ministry of Magic.

"Head… Headmaster? Headmaster Dumbledore!"

The Aurors quickly recognized Dumbledore. A few younger ones immediately lowered their wands, greeting him with great respect.

This, however, earned them a stern reprimand from the senior Aurors.

"Maintain vigilance! How many times have I told you rookies? During a mission, even if it's your own father, you mustn't drop your guard! How do you know this is really Dumbledore?"

As the scolding echoed, a wizard with tawny hair, thick eyebrows, and the commanding presence of a lion strode forward.

"Oh, Rufus, it's you! I heard from Fudge that you've succeeded Thomas Vole as the new head of the Auror Office?"

Dumbledore greeted the approaching wizard warmly, his face full of smiles.

The wizard, whom Dumbledore had called Rufus, approached cautiously, his wand still held tightly in his hand. He said, "Headmaster Dumbledore, forgive my impertinence, but I must verify your identity."

Dumbledore chuckled heartily, completely unbothered.

"Of course, Rufus. You're as cautious as ever—a commendable trait. Just like back in the day, when you'd cast protective spells all around the Black Lake before meeting that girl. Although, if I recall, those spells were rather rudimentary. What was her name again? Oh yes, it was—"

Before Dumbledore could finish, Rufus hastily interrupted, his tone flustered.

"Headmaster, please! This is protocol—we must prevent anyone from using Polyjuice Potion to impersonate you and tarnish your honor!"

Despite his awkward smile, Rufus lowered his wand.

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled mischievously. "Judging by your reaction, I take it the girl by the Black Lake didn't end up being the one you married?"

Rufus's face turned an even deeper shade of crimson. Clearly embarrassed, he quickly shifted his focus to the wizard hunter slumped against the tree and asked curiously, "Headmaster Dumbledore, what happened here tonight?"

Dumbledore pulled Wentworth closer to him and introduced them.

"Let me make the introductions. Rufus Scrimgeour, the new head of the Auror Office at the Ministry of Magic. And this is Wentworth, a new student at Hogwarts."

Wentworth exchanged polite smiles and nods with Rufus.

Rufus's gaze then fell on the wizard hunter, who suddenly leapt to his feet, his eyes darting around wildly.

"Who are you? Where am I? What happened to my hand? What's going on?!"

Wentworth looked surprised, but when he turned to Dumbledore, he saw the Headmaster gazing at him meaningfully. Wentworth understood immediately—this was Dumbledore's doing. For a wizard of Dumbledore's caliber, erasing the memories of an already incapacitated hunter was child's play.

After a few probing questions, it became clear that the hunter had no recollection of the night's events. Rufus frowned slightly, clearly unsure how to proceed, and turned back to Dumbledore for guidance.

Dumbledore didn't leave him in suspense.

"Oh, it's quite simple, Rufus. I had taken Wentworth out on an errand tonight. On our way back, we were ambushed by a group of wizards. I believe they were wizard hunters. After a brief skirmish, they attempted to flee. Since I needed to look after Wentworth, I didn't give chase. Instead, I detained one for questioning. But before I could get much out of him, someone cast a Memory Charm on him remotely. And, well, here we are."

Wentworth stood at Dumbledore's side, feigning fear and nodding emphatically to support the Headmaster's story.

Rufus glanced between Wentworth and the wizard hunter, his expression unreadable. After a pause, he muttered almost to himself, "According to our investigation, my predecessor, Thomas Vole, also went missing under circumstances involving wizard hunters…"

Wentworth's heart skipped a beat at this revelation, but he kept his face composed. Dumbledore, however, looked pensive.

"Well then, Headmaster Dumbledore, we'll handle things from here. I'll take this hunter back to see if we can restore his memory. If we uncover anything new, I'll inform you at once."

Dumbledore nodded with a smile. "Of course, Rufus. Thank you for taking care of this. Come along, Wentworth."

As Dumbledore took Wentworth's hand, preparing to Apparate away, Rufus suddenly called out, "Headmaster Dumbledore, you seem to take quite a liking to Wentworth. First, you brought him to the Quidditch World Cup, and now you're taking him out late at night. By the way, whose child is Wentworth? What's his family name?"

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