Hogwarts: Even Voldemort Can't Stop Me From Studying-Chapter 596 - 198: Masking Spell (Part 2)

"Of course, I believe when you return to school in September, you'll surely surprise me. Whether successful or not, I'm proud of your efforts and foresight. But Vid—"

Dumbledore looked at him deeply, and gently said, "You came to me, not just for advice on this temporary idea, did you?"

"There must be another reason for your repeated visits here, trying to tell me… Think carefully, what do you truly want to tell me?"

Vid: "…"

He froze, sensing something amiss, furrowing his brows in recollection.

Various scenes flashed through his mind: walking down corridors… talking with Theo and Leach… the scent of food from the hall… Morphis… Ravenclaw Tower… Luna looking up and saying, "What do you need me to do?"… He pulled out a piece of parchment paper from his pocket…

Suddenly, Vid noticed Dumbledore's gaze at him was somewhat unusual… a little cautious… as if he were a patient with an undisclosed ailment, which made Vid inexplicably angry.

Just as he was about to speak, his robe shook slightly—Luna reached into Vid's pocket for the newspaper and handed it to Dumbledore.

"He wants to show you this newspaper." Luna said in a drifting and sorrowful tone, "Please don't blame Vid, he's been entangled by a creature that devours memories, which is why he keeps losing them."

Dumbledore took it over and found it to be an old report from years ago. He pushed his glasses and lowered his head to read it meticulously.

Vid looked at the newspaper, the confusion and realization mingling in his eyes.

Luna looked at him with a compassionate gaze and consoled, "Vid, if your brain is broken and not as smart as before, don't be sad—everything in the heavens is arranged with a reason."

Vid sighed helplessly, "Thank you, Luna. But I think it's not my brain that's malfunctioning, rather it's some strange magic."

He walked to Dumbledore's side, eyes fixed on the face in the newspaper, Vid found only then did he not suddenly lose memories related to this person.

"This is what I wanted to tell you, Professor Dumbledore." Vid said seriously, "During the Divination Class exam, I saw this person in the Crystal Ball—Barty Crouch Jr."

"Did you?" Dumbledore paused for a moment and suddenly said, "Miss Lovegood, dinner should have begun, please go to the hall for a meal now. Oh, tonight's roasted lamb chops are tender and juicy, don't miss them."

"Okay." Luna glanced at the two, stood up and left the Headmaster's Office.

Only then did Dumbledore ask, "Vid, what did you see him doing?"

"He was holding a baby with a snake face, and eyes glowing red." Vid said truthfully, "As soon as I saw that baby, I felt he was… he was…"

"Voldemort."

At Vid's sudden silence, Dumbledore picked up the words, speaking the name both had already linked to.

Afterward, Dumbledore rubbed his throat and then rubbed his head, slowly saying, "Indeed quite strange."

"What's strange, Professor?" Vid asked.

Then he saw Dumbledore gently waving his magic wand in small gestures like orchestrating a tune, chanting a long spell in an unfamiliar language, as many slender, mist-like golden threads suddenly emerged in the room.

After a while, the emerging golden threads nearly filled the whole space, suddenly retracting inward, Vid instinctively stepped back, but the dense golden threads already entwined around him, then suddenly disappeared.

Similarly, some golden threads disappeared on Dumbledore, for a moment his beard shone goldenly.

Suddenly, Vid felt as if a veil in his mind had been wiped away, recalling the various information about Voldemort and Barty Crouch Jr, and remembering his previous muddle-headed behaviors as if drunk.

Also recalling what Professor Morry once said—

"Legend has it certain magical items can influence the minds of everyone globally."

"Was my mind influenced, Professor?" Vid said, "Did someone silently curse me?"

"I don't think he was deliberately targeting you." Dumbledore said, "Because even I experienced some influence. And I'm confident it's unlikely for someone to curse me face-to-face without me being aware."

Vid asked, "So this is…"

"This should be a spell targeting the world, at least the entire United Kingdom, a Masking Spell."

Dumbledore said, "Voldemort wishes no one to discover his revival attempts, hence casting a very powerful and broad spell—The more you focus on thinking about things related to him, the quicker memories are forgotten, even interfering with unrelated thoughts."

"No wonder earlier, my memory seemed to decline, even forgetting it was me who wanted to find you, not Luna… " Vid murmured, "But… is such a spell really possible?"

"Voldemort is perhaps the world's most skilled in curses. But… surely, relying solely on himself, even post-revival cannot reach such magnitude."

Dumbledore casually said, "I think he probably used some dangerous implements… Just recently I received news that the Brain Hall in the Ministry of Magic's Department of Mysteries was infiltrated…"

Vid looked at Dumbledore's expression and said, "Professor, you don't seem worried at all. Do you have a way to completely undo this spell?"

"If it's simply shielding certain individuals from its effects, yes, I can." Dumbledore said, "But to entirely lift the spell, unless we kill the caster himself, it's very difficult."

As Vid felt some concern, he heard Dumbledore lightly chuckle, saying, "Besides, why attempt to undo it?"

Vid: "Professor?"

"Think carefully, Vid." Dumbledore encouraged, looking at him, "This spell isn't as terrifying as it seems. It's a double-edged sword, with one blade facing Voldemort himself."

Vid left the Headmaster's Office with confusion, but as he walked through the corridor and saw those groups of students laughing and talking, he suddenly understood what Dumbledore meant.

A terrifying enemy lurking in the shadows, everyone unintentionally forgetting his threat, granting him ample time to grow, indeed feels unsettling.

But relatively, such indiscriminate spells might not precisely bypass certain individuals, like—the Death Eaters.

Voldemort is indeed ambitious and power-hungry. Since his student days, he gathered a group around him, becoming the Dark Lord, and even post-resurrection, maintained a large number of followers.

Although among them many were traitors, cowards, thugs, and lunatics, Voldemort neither cares nor trusts those followers, yet he continually recruits wizards into the Death Eater ranks and uses harsh means to control them, aiming to transcend death and control the Magic World.

But if… when revived, Voldemort confidently summoned his subordinates, only for the Death Eaters to completely forget their "master" under the spell's influence…

If he resumed entangling werewolves, giants, Dementors and Acromantulas like before, would they still acknowledge and follow?

Understanding why Dumbledore laughed, Vid now felt amused too.