Listening to Angber's halting explanation, Sylas's expression grew darker and more severe.
He had already used Legilimency. He knew Angber wasn't lying.
"Alright, Angber. Don't be afraid, I believe you." Sylas softened his tone, offering reassurance. "But to understand exactly what happened, I need to examine you with magic. Whatever happens, don't resist. Can you do that?"
Angber nodded tearfully.
Sylas lifted his wand and murmured an incantation.
A soft white radiance enveloped Angber's body, scanning for abnormalities.
Within moments, a faint thread of black mist surfaced from Angber's chest, stark and poisonous against the holy white glow.
Along with that dark wisp came a familiar aura of seduction, corruption, and decay. Sylas, Gandalf, and Galadriel instantly stiffened.
It was only a residue of dark magic, barely enough to influence a grown wizard, yet the three immediately recognized the signature.
That stench of corruption…That whispering malevolence…
There was only one being in Middle-earth who wielded darkness in that particular way.
Sauron.
Sylas's eyes chilled at once. He had already suspected the infiltrator's origin, but seeing this residue confirmed it beyond a doubt. Fury boiled in the depths of his chest.
But Angber's trembling shoulders, his tear-stained face and terror-filled eyes, forced Sylas to swallow that rage. With a deep breath, he raised his wand again.
"Patronus."
A radiant phoenix soared from the tip of Sylas's wand, its wings shimmering with pure white fire. It circled Angber once, then dove, its light engulfing him completely, burning away the black residue in a burst of cleansing brilliance.
Ever since Sylas's Animagus had become a phoenix, his Patronus had assumed the same sacred form. Phoenix light, pure hope and divine purity, was the greatest bane of Sauron's corruption.
Within seconds, the foul aura evaporated.
A visible weight fell off Angber's shoulders. His breathing steadied. The whispering voice inside him vanished.
He didn't understand what Sylas had done, but he knew the Headmaster had saved him. His eyes brimmed with fear, shame, and gratitude.
"H-Headmaster… please… please don't expel me," Angber sobbed helplessly. "I'll accept any punishment, just please don't expel me… I don't even know why I did it… it was like someone else was inside my head…"
Sylas gently placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Angber, I believe you. I know you acted under outside influence. You will not be expelled."
He let the reassurance settle before continuing:
"But Angber… did you come into contact with anything unusual? Something that attracted you strongly? Anything… strange?"
Angber blinked, confused at first, then shame flickered across his face. His gaze dropped.
"A few days ago… I found a gold ring," he whispered. "It looked expensive. I… don't know why, but I wanted to keep it."
A ring.
Sylas, Gandalf, and Galadriel exchanged immediate, silent alarm.
Every nerve in their bodies tensed.
"Where is the ring now?" Sylas asked in a controlled voice. "Can you show us?"
But Angber only shook his head miserably.
"I lost it… before the Quidditch match," he said, voice thick with guilt. "The voice in my head… it went silent once the ring disappeared. I...I was so scared that someone would find out what I did, I couldn't focus… I don't know when it fell… I'm sorry…"
Sylas could tell he was telling the truth.
And his heart sank.
Just when they had finally found a lead, it vanished.
The shadowed infiltrator was cunning. Extremely cautious.
But Sylas wasn't ready to give up. He crouched to meet Angber's eyes.
"Angber… think carefully. Where did you find the ring? And… did anyone else see you pick it up? A roommate? A classmate?"
Angber shook his head in confusion.
"I found the ring on the sink in the second-floor bathroom. It was just… there. I thought a student or a professor had forgotten it. Since I kept it, I didn't dare show anyone, so no one knows."
Sylas's brows tightened.
The second-floor bathroom was public, students, professors, even ghosts passed through constantly. It was impossible to trace who had left the ring there.
And Sylas suspected the truth was far simpler.
The ring hadn't been "forgotten."
It had been placed there, deliberately, right where Angber would find it.
Even if Angber later lost it, the infiltrator had almost certainly retrieved it long before anyone else noticed.
Gandalf and Galadriel clearly came to the same conclusion; both wore matching frowns.
In the next moment, Galadriel's calm, melodic voice entered Sylas's mind:
"Sylas, what do you think that ring truly was?"
Gandalf, having also heard her thought, turned toward him, waiting.
Sylas didn't move his lips. His reply echoed silently into both their minds:
"The ring carried a bewitching power. It must be one of Sauron's Rings of Power."
He continued:
"Of the nine human rings, I've already destroyed two.The remaining seven are tied directly to the Ringwraiths' existence. Sauron wouldn't casually hand one over or send a Ringwraith here, far too great a loss."
"Of the seven dwarven rings, three were in Sauron's possession. I destroyed one already, which leaves two. The most likely possibility is that Sauron entrusted one of those dwarven rings to the infiltrator."
Gandalf's thought pressed in:
"Then who is this hidden figure? One of the Nazgûl?"
Sylas shook his head.
"No. A Ringwraith's corruption leaks through every crack of its disguise. Even if it concealed its form, it could never hide its aura from the three of us."
He exhaled slowly, eyes hardening.
"The infiltrator is almost certainly Saruman. Only he could evade our detection for months."
"When I destroyed his physical body, his spirit fled toward Mordor. With Sauron's aid, he must have regained strength, enough to possess or mimic a child and slip among the students unnoticed."
Gandalf and Galadriel exchanged a grim, silent agreement.
Galadriel's voice rang gently but sharply in both their minds:
"Then what is Saruman's purpose in infiltrating the school?"
Sylas and Gandalf shared a knowing look.
Sylas answered:
"From beginning to end, Sauron's greatest desire is the One Ring. He must suspect I know its whereabouts, perhaps even believe I possess it. He sent Saruman to search from within the student body, hoping to find it."
Gandalf added quietly:
"And let's not forget the Philosopher's Stone. A relic that can restore flesh and spirit? Neither Sauron nor Saruman would ignore an opportunity to seize it."
Sylas nodded.
"The Stone never leaves my person. Saruman will not get his hands on it."
Worry glimmered in Galadriel's eyes.
"And that Ring, we must find it quickly. Sauron poured his malice into it. Even we would be corrupted by long exposure… let alone children."
...
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