"Hahahahaha..."
The maniacal laughter echoed in the Headmaster's Office. The mist in the Pensieve was churning, reflecting the face of Ryan Smith, twisted with excitement.
He raised his head, nose bleeding, laughing madly as if he had already mastered supreme power.
Then, the figure plunged into the Pensieve, merging with the slowly swirling silver mist.
Dumbledore took off his glasses, rubbed his forehead, and felt that the scene wouldn't vanish from his mind anytime soon.
"I have to ask, Vid—"
Dumbledore looked at the boy opposite him: "Did you cast a Confundus Charm that makes him arrogant, or did you give him an overdose of Felix Felicis?"
"Neither." Vid shook his head and said, "Giving him Felix Felicis might end up bringing me bad luck. As for my Confundus Charm, it only made him believe he gained Ravenclaw's knowledge. The rest was all Ryan Smith's own doing."
"So, that was his true desire within—assisting Voldemort in unifying the Magic World and even using Voldemort as a tool to achieve his ambition?"
Even Dumbledore, with all his knowledge and experience, didn't know how to evaluate this behavior, a hint of bewilderment subconsciously emerging in his eyes.
Even if Ryan Smith had truly gained Rowena Ravenclaw's knowledge and wisdom, how could he be so sure he could turn that knowledge into power?
Magic Power, combat skills, adaptability... Does he think he surpasses Voldemort in any of these?
Even over a thousand years ago, Rowena Ravenclaw wasn't the most powerful person of her time!
For someone as accustomed to thorough thinking as Dumbledore, it was difficult to understand Ryan's unbelievably shallow ideas.
"I'm also quite surprised," Vid said calmly. "A person who appears calm, wise, and friendly shows an uglier face than many Death Eaters once he believes he's gained power."
Dumbledore tapped the Pensieve lightly and asked, "So... Vid, what's your plan?"
—How do you plan to use this ambitious young man?
Vid didn't avoid Dumbledore's gaze. He leaned forward slightly, his eyes bright.
"Professor, do you think... If Voldemort discovered Ryan's shallowness and ambition, would he stop using him?"
"No," Dumbledore said without hesitation. "Tom is a young man more self-confident than anyone; he wouldn't fear the ambition of his subordinates."
"So, the more superficial Ryan Smith appears, the more Voldemort will believe he can control him."
Vid said, "He can't trust his former Death Eaters, yet he might disclose some secrets to Ryan, such as his hiding place, which Death Eaters around him are still usable... and his next move."
Dumbledore nodded slightly.
Vid couldn't continuously use a Confundus Charm to make Ryan believe he'd gained Ravenclaw's wisdom. During that brief time, the knowledge Vid implanted in Ryan's mind with memory-modifying magic wasn't as much as Ryan thought.
Moreover, there's a nuanced aspect here—Ryan thought he had gained ancient wisdom, while Voldemort believed Ryan was bewitched by his soul fragment.
Through the Communication Pea, Voldemort couldn't ascertain Ryan's state and could still be deceived by Vid's magic. But if they met secretly, the truth might soon be exposed.
Not to mention, if Ryan gave the "Diadem" to Voldemort, he would immediately recognize it as a fake.
Only Dumbledore could piece this plan together, making it truly what Vid desired.
After discussing the plan, Vid returned to the dormitory to catch up on sleep. Last night's Christmas ball had drained the usually abundant energy of the students. When he got back to the common room, most people hadn't yet woken up.
Meanwhile, Dumbledore didn't put away the Pensieve, but instead immersed himself in it, experiencing Ryan's quest for the Diadem the previous night up close.
In Vid's memory, he had already cast the Disillusionment Charm. Thus, even Dumbledore couldn't pinpoint Vid from the surrounding air.
But he knew that the Vid in the memory was by his side.
Dumbledore watched Ryan rummaging around, covered in sweat, his expression faintly serious and worried, finally turning into a silent sigh.
…
Although many things had greatly changed with Vid's involvement, some minor events seemed to unfold at their destined time as if manipulated by fate.
For example, Ron and Hermione had yet another fight, Hagrid infuriated Madam Maxime by admitting he was a Half-Blood Giant, and Harry overheard Snape and Karkaroff arguing in the garden.
"Those two definitely have some secrets!" he assured Vid, "They're addressing each other by first names!"
"So what?" Vid said. "Harry, professors, besides being our teachers, also have friends and ordinary social interactions. Isn't it just normal?"
"It's normal for others, but very odd for Snape!" Harry stubbornly said. "I can't imagine him making friends—"
After thinking about it, he added, "If he has friends, they must be potion ingredients lying well-prepared in a cauldron."
"Harry, don't concern yourself with Professor Snape's social life," Hermione said, tapping Harry's shoulder with a quill, asking, "Haven't you cracked the secret of that Golden Egg yet?"
Vid was taken aback.
"No, I'm working on it..."
Harry, instinctively dismissive, paused for a moment, then reluctantly added, "Last night, Cedric suggested I—bring the Golden Egg to the House Prefects' Washroom for a bath."
Hermione was stunned: "…A bath?"
Then she noticed Vid's expression was somewhat peculiar, asking, "Do you have any thoughts, Vid?"
"I…" Vid looked at Harry, asking, "Didn't I tell you? I already figured out the clue from the Golden Egg?"
"What?" Harry grabbed Vid's arm suddenly, said in surprise, "You cracked it? When? What does that screeching mean?"
He remembered Vid's question, adding, "You never told me."
"Well, I thought I told you..."
Vid touched his nose, recounted the song he heard, then said,
"Put the Golden Egg in water, and the screaming will turn into the Merperson's song. I suggest you listen to it yourself too, just in case our clues are different."
Harry nodded, silently noting down the clue Vid just gave.
He wasn't willing to accept help from Cedric, since Cedric was the person he disliked most at the moment, but if it was Vid's advice, then there was no problem.