Chapter 377: Dumbledore and Snape's Secret Conversation

Mr. Xiao came quickly and left quickly. When Dumbledore was still popularizing the secrets of the Tusing Cult, he had already packed up all the captives and took them away. Hagrid was also sent to the infirmary for temporary observation. There were exams after dawn, so Yang Tian and Professor McGonagall hurried back to rest. Only Snape and Dumbledore were left walking slowly, and in the end they went directly to the principal's office...

In the headmaster's office, the two men sat opposite each other. Snape's face was terribly gloomy, while Dumbledore looked at him calmly.

"Dumbledore, aren't you being too indulgent to this child and the forces behind him?" Snape asked impatiently as soon as he sat down.

"Have I explained the Tussin Church very clearly just now?" Dumbledore was not annoyed. He asked casually while inviting the other party to have some dessert.

"So what? I know that Tussin's affairs should be difficult to deal with, but that's no reason for us to compromise!" Snape was very emotional. He slammed the table hard. "Hogwarts needs completely independent thinking. No one is allowed to interfere."

"Severus, a lot has happened in the past two years." Dumbledore did not answer his question directly, but fell into memories, "Evil organizations, Voldemort, the Mystic Circus and the Museum of Freaks, the Tusin Cult..." Dumbledore spoke slowly, and every word seemed to carry a heavy memory.

"But their plot has been shattered!" Snape roared in a low voice, but his tone was full of unwillingness. Obviously, he remembered how these troubles were solved one by one.

As if realizing that he was lacking in confidence, Snape raised his voice and continued, "That's why we have to change. We should set up stronger departments and recruit more professional personnel..." Snape talked incessantly about his future plans for Hogwarts, as if he wanted to ease his inner anxiety in this way.

"I understand what you're thinking, Severus." Dumbledore interrupted his chattering: "But you obviously haven't realized where the problem lies. Didn't you notice that the Mystic Circus Museum of Freaks and the Tusin Cult acted simultaneously, one openly and one secretly? These are two completely unrelated organizations, but why can they work closely together without suspicion?"

Snape was visibly stunned when he heard this: "I don't quite understand what you mean."

"I don't really understand it either." Dumbledore smiled self-deprecatingly. "Just like the war with Voldemort at the beginning, we arranged everything, but later we found out that he and the evil organization were inextricably linked. After the Albanian War, the evil organization withdrew, but the circus and the Tusin Cult immediately intervened. Do you think there is some kind of connection between them? For example, an alliance?"

Snape was speechless and didn't know how to answer for a moment. He fell into deep thought, various clues and information kept flashing through his mind, trying to sort out this complicated situation.

But Dumbledore did not give him more time to think. He continued tiredly, "And what about us? We have been fighting alone. Even with Yang Tian's intervention, we and he were doing our own things and lacked trust. Remember when the attack first happened? I also got some information from old friends. For example, the Mystery Circus has become popular again in Europe, and several old families have invested in supporting the circus's global tour."

Snape, who had been silent the whole time, finally spoke: "Yes, you also said at that time that the circus could come back again, and the story behind it must be complicated. You also asked us to investigate."

"Yes, but the result is that we do not have enough reconnaissance means and time. Until Yang Tian caught the culprit in one fell swoop, our investigation still stagnated." Dumbledore said with a bitter expression: "Moreover, Yang Tian does not completely trust us. If he told us the general progress before closing the net, the leader and his circus members would definitely not be able to escape. But now? All clues are interrupted again!"

"Severus." Dumbledore's tone remained gentle. "I don't deny that your method will be of some help to Hogwarts, but how long will it take? And how much effect will it have? The enemy has already acted together. They are strong enough and they are eyeing us covetously. They are even willing to work closely with each other to bring us down. So why can't we cooperate for the common good?"

Snape took a deep breath and tried to control his emotions. But in the end, he couldn't help but say, "Dumbledore, I understand your anxiety now, but have you ever considered that when we try our best and open our hearts, we may be ruthlessly betrayed? If things develop to that point, then Hogwarts will lose its original meaning and value."

Snape's voice was trembling, but he still tried to persist: "Like today, I don't know how you felt when you witnessed the tragedy on the battlefield, but my scalp still tingled. He was just a twelve-year-old child, and more than a dozen lives were gone. Did you notice the expression of that child? He was calm, as if everything had nothing to do with him. To be honest, I can always feel his indifference to life."

If it were any other time, Snape's words might have touched the old headmaster, and even made him feel entangled again, but today Dumbledore was particularly firm: "Severus, you should think about what this child has done in the past two years. He did not deliberately perform brilliantly to win our favor; he did not hide his bad temper of not wanting to suffer any loss and never giving up; nor did he forget to show his mercenary and carelessness. The reading rights of all the books in the restricted section, the second-class medal of the Order of Merlin... One transaction after another has benefited both parties..."

Dumbledore smiled and continued, "But when something happened at Hogwarts, it was this child and the forces behind him who appeared again and again, completing the almost impossible tasks again and again... It was also until recently that when I heard that Yang Tian was following up on something, I would subconsciously feel relieved and naturally shift my attention to other things; and this child has never let me down even once. I think it is the experience of the past two years that has made me trust and have a tacit understanding with him..."

Snape listened quietly, with a complicated light flashing in his eyes.

"So, Severus." Dumbledore said seriously again: "In the future, I will deepen my cooperation with this little guy and the forces behind him. As for the things you are worried about, I can only say that I trust him and he will not let me down."

Snape was stunned by such a long speech. He had never thought that Dumbledore would have such a high evaluation and trust in a person. After thinking seriously for a long time, he finally said, "Okay, I understand." After that, he turned around and left quickly.

What Snape didn't realize was that when he heard Dumbledore's answer, even his steps became much lighter... as if a huge stone had fallen from his heart...