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Chapter 178 – Using Truth Serum Again!!
Darren truly could not believe what he was seeing.
Dumbledore actually trusted him after just that one round of Legilimency?
Wasn't he supposed to pull out Veritaserum next? Snape was right there, wasn't he supposed to pounce with a cauldron?
Or had Darren misjudged Dumbledore?
Was the old man… not as suspicious as everyone assumed?
While Darren's mind ran in circles, his expression remained innocent. He frowned, thought hard, and then shook his head.
"No, Headmaster… I've never had thoughts like that."
How could a little Holy Father like him possibly have "evil impulses"?
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[Ding—Host is being exposed to a new type of Truth Serum. Use 500 Father Value to counteract?]
Five hundred?!
It used to be one hundred!
What kind of cursed "new type" was this?
He hadn't even touched anything. Was it in the air?
Did Snape upgrade his potions?
In the original timeline, there was no such thing!
But the system never lied. And as soon as the warning appeared, Darren felt his consciousness start to drift.
[Use Father Value to counteract]
He sighed and chose to resist.
Just great.
Snape was truly unbearable. What was wrong with the old Veritaserum?
Was it not fashionable enough?
Would the old truth serum ever get its dignity back?
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Snape watched the boy's eyes go unfocused.
A mocking smile curled at the corner of his mouth.
See?
The idiot boy trusted him again.
Trusted the man who was drugging him on Dumbledore's orders.
Snape leaned forward, examining Darren's dazed expression.
Yes—easily affected.
Cubs were always like this.
Reckless.
Defenseless.
Able to hear voices no one else could hear—and still blabbing about it like nothing was wrong.
Even if it aroused suspicion, couldn't he learn from Harry Potter and keep his mouth shut?
But Snape knew why Darren confessed everything.
Dumbledore's concern for the boy practically radiated from him.
That meant Darren, like Harry, was already one of Dumbledore's "projects."
Hiding things in front of the greatest white wizard was simply foolish.
Snape still agreed to administer the serum.
Dumbledore had asked. Snape would obey.
Thinking this, Snape's expression grew darker.
He snapped at Dumbledore:
"Three minutes. Hurry up. I only made a very small amount of the new formulation."
His tone implied:
This was all for your Potter brood.
Snape's sneer deepened.
Even his already severe face somehow looked more terrifying.
"Oh, Severus, must we be so tense… But tell me—why not use the earlier formula?"
Dumbledore asked lightly.
Darren wanted to ask the same thing.
The old one worked fine—and was so cheap!
Snape scoffed.
"For Darren Potter—who had barely entered the wizarding world a year ago—the old Veritaserum could deceive him easily."
"But now? A year later?
You think the boy who developed an antidote to that same serum wouldn't know how to counter it?"
Darren sighed internally.
This was the tragedy of being too talented.
"Well, Severus, that is impressive. You really are the finest Potions Master of the age—"
Snape cut him off sharply.
"Thanks to the Potter brat's new antidote, I gained inspiration.
I doubt he ever imagined—
that inspiration could be used against him."
Snape's voice dripped with cold amusement.
He stared into Darren's vacant eyes for a long, silent moment.
Finally, he snapped:
"Headmaster. Get on with it. Don't waste my time."
"Oh, very well, Severus. Always in a hurry…"
Dumbledore chuckled.
Snape did not.
He wrapped himself deeper in his black cloak, looking even more ominous.
---
"Now then, Darren…"
After a few gentle probes, Dumbledore finally asked:
"Darren… do you sense any malicious presence around you?"
Malice?
Darren shook his head.
"None."
He was too popular at Hogwarts.
Malice? What malice?
Snape spat coldly:
"This little fool probably sees the man standing in front of him—the evil one—and assumes he's a saint."
His eyes flicked to Dumbledore.
It was obvious who "the evil one" meant.
Dumbledore pretended he hadn't heard.
He continued calmly:
"Darren… do you feel that you and Harry are drawn to each other?"
…What??
Was Dumbledore projecting his own preferences?!
But Darren quickly realized what the question truly implied.
Dumbledore suspected he also carried a fragment of Voldemort's soul—like Harry.
Which… technically… he did.
He could even remove it at any time.
Should he milk this?
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[Ding—Holy Father System Event Detected. Temporary mission triggered:]
Say in a calm, emotionless tone:
> "My brother is my family—my only family.
I do not feel any 'attraction' toward him.
I simply want to protect him so he can grow safely.
My brother always encounters danger—too much danger—so anything that happens to him affects me deeply.
He is the savior. Many Death Eaters want him dead.
I must be careful."
[Mission Reward: Soul Fragment Lottery ×1]
Accept mission?
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