"Freedom."
Lynch uttered a single word, his tone flat.
Dumbledore's brow furrowed slightly.
Before he could reply, Lynch continued, "But I understand that's impossible."
"My permanent stay at Hogwarts is a fact, established by the Wizengamot, the highest wizarding court, and confirmed by the Ministry of Magic, as unchangeable as the stone foundations beneath Hogwarts Castle. The Auror from the Ministry of Magic who announced the verdict outside the Stone house that day made it very clear."
"If I wanted to regain my freedom, I would have to go through the trial process again. Given how the people at the Ministry of Magic view me, my trial would only result in the original verdict being upheld, so I gave up that unrealistic fantasy a long time ago."
"Then what is it you truly desire?" Dumbledore continued, picking up on Lynch's words. "You know freedom is an unattainable thing."
Lynch turned to Dumbledore, not answering his question, but instead asked, "Headmaster Dumbledore, why am I imprisoned here?"
"Because you studied Dark Arts and murdered hundreds of Wizards!"
Dumbledore looked seriously at Lynch, meeting his gaze.
"Dark Wizards."
Lynch held up a finger.
"This is very important; every Wizard I killed was an incorrigible Dark Wizard."
"In fact, every single one of them was a wanted criminal with a bounty on their head from the Ministry of Magic," he added.
"The Ministry of Magic's requirement was to apprehend them for trial! If they were guilty, then their destination should have been Azkaban, not to be summarily executed by you!"
Dumbledore's voice inadvertently rose slightly. He leaned away from the back of the sofa, his back ramrod straight, his gaze at Lynch carrying a hint of anger, but more so a regret, like one who sees potential unfulfilled.
"Why, Lynch, why did you have to kill them?"
Dumbledore's voice was loud; as if sensing his anger, the flames in the fireplace also flared up.
"Because only death can repay death."
Lynch's voice remained calm, his expression as serene as his voice. He didn't avert his gaze to the fireplace flames, but looked directly into Dumbledore's azure eyes, continuing, "Azkaban is bad, the Dementor's Kiss is terrifying, but these are not enough. Only the dual destruction of body and soul is the best punishment for them."
Dumbledore looked into Lynch's calm and resolute eyes, knowing, without needing to use Legilimency, that these were Lynch's truest thoughts.
Dumbledore closed his eyes. His back once again rested against the sofa's backrest, and the flames in the fireplace receded to their original state.
After a long while, he opened his eyes again, his gaze once more as unruffled as an ancient well. He looked into Lynch's eyes and said, "Because of your father's death, I understand why you would hate Death Eaters and Dark Wizards. But for six years, as the 'Mist Executioner', you continuously took the lives of hundreds of Dark Wizards. Such persistent slaughter has far exceeded mere revenge; there must be a deeper reason behind it. Since we are openly expressing our views here today, please tell me, why, why was so much slaughter necessary?"
"Because I am a good person."
Lynch's answer surprised Dumbledore.
He continued, "And I can do it."
Lynch tilted his head slightly, looking upwards, but he wasn't really looking at any specific object.
His gaze became distant, looking back at a long-buried scene in his memory.
"After that Christmas dinner, you found me and told me that Death Eaters had attacked my father, that my father had died on the spot, and that my home had been destroyed. I was simply extremely heartbroken; grief prevented me from thinking about anything else."
"But after my father's funeral, standing on the land I once called home but which had become ruins, I swore to avenge him."
"Travers Crabbe and Everard Nott, the two culprits behind my father's death, finding their names wasn't difficult at all. These two idiots were bragging everywhere about what they had done, as if they wanted the whole world to know."
"Taking them down wouldn't be difficult either, Principal, as you know, I was born with immense magic, and the power of my spells is much greater than others. Charms Class was my favorite subject, and even though it was only my first year, I knew more spells than many older students. So, as long as I fought rationally and calmly, I was fully capable of defeating adult Wizards."
"The difficult part was finding them. These Dark Wizards were always elusive, and many times, by the time I got there after hearing about them, they were already gone."
"Until one night, I heard they had appeared by Windermere Lake. I hastily disguised myself and rushed over."
"By the lake, I encountered two groups of people."
"The first group was several Dark Wizards gathered by the lake, roasting marshmallows and drinking. I recognized every one of them from the Ministry of Magic's wanted list. Their crimes included spreading and using Dark Arts, torturing others, murder, and so on; they were all utterly rotten individuals."
"But none of that concerned me. I had my own goal to accomplish. My mind was only focused on completing my revenge. Attacking them was completely unnecessary. Those two bastards might be leaving the area soon, and I needed to find them quickly."
"Thinking this, I hid my presence and slipped past them."
"After walking a few hundred more meters, I encountered the second group: three Muggles, young parents with a three or four-year-old girl. The family of three had come to Windermere Lake for a trip, crossing the lake in one of those all-red wooden boats, a very classic way to tour back then."
"Unfortunately, they stayed on the lake admiring the scenery for too long, and the speed at which it got dark after sunset exceeded their expectations. After hastily docking the boat, they realized they couldn't tell where they were."
"When I met them, they had just come ashore. The young father was looking around to get his bearings, while the mother was softly comforting the little girl, who was afraid of the dark. I heard her call the little girl Lucy. The three of them formed a very ordinary Muggle family."
"Because I had been hiding my presence the whole time, they didn't notice me. With only thoughts of revenge in my mind, I didn't pay attention to their plight, and quickly passed them by, leaving them far behind."
"After that, fortunately, I successfully found those two scoundrels just before they left. I attacked from the darkness, catching them off guard, and they were quickly subdued by me."
"Then, I had my revenge."
"Having completed my revenge, I felt as if a heavy shackles had been removed from my body, feeling light all over, and the journey back was incredibly carefree."
"But just at that moment, the most elated and ecstatic of my life, I heard a child's cries. I approached to investigate and saw the Muggle family of three I had seen earlier, along with those Dark Wizards."
"The young father had already fallen in a pool of blood, lifeless. The mother was still alive, but seeing her body and limbs twisted like a pretzel, death might come at any moment. The little girl was suspended in the air, like a puppet with her limbs dangling from invisible strings."
"That group of beasts was laughing wildly, immersed in immense pleasure."
"I attacked from the darkness again, first extinguishing the campfire, then, while they were panicked and couldn't see clearly, I defeated them. The simple spell Petrificus Totalus was exceptionally useful at that moment."
"After subduing the Dark Wizards, I checked on the three Muggles. Both the father and mother had already lost their breath. The little girl, who had been crying moments ago, also became faintly breathing. Those wretches had already cast deadly Dark Arts on her, and everything just now was merely a final flicker of life."
"I held the little girl, grasping her small hand, remembering her name was Lucy. Her last whisper was 'so cold'."
"At that moment, her small hand gradually lost its warmth, and the blood flowing in my veins also turned cold."
"I could have avoided all of this. If only I had subdued these Dark Wizards when I first saw them, or if I had warned little Lucy's family not to come this way when I encountered them, then none of this would have happened."
"But I didn't. Fate gave me two chances, and I missed both."
"I desperately kicked and hit those Dark Wizards, but what had already happened could not be changed. My anger seemed so powerless."
"Finally, I used invisible ropes to hang them next to little Lucy's body."
"The same spell was used by me on every Dark Wizard I captured afterwards. I called it 'Soul Reaping Rope'."
"That was the first appearance of the Mist Executioner. No mist, only hanging."
"From that moment on, I swore not to let any Dark Wizard I encountered go, ensuring that each of them would receive the punishment they deserved!"
Lynch withdrew his gaze from the ceiling and looked back at Dumbledore. He stared into those azure eyes and asked, "Tell me, Headmaster Dumbledore, if you had been there at that time, what would you have done?"