I had Linus do some research for me (I didn't tell him why). But, there's a spell or a rite or something that lets an older, powerful wizard take over the body of a younger wizard. Completely take it over, like -- he'd kill me, but keep my body alive, somehow, and move in. Like he moved into Buckingham.

It explains a lot. Like why he adopted me, because you need the younger person to be a relative.

And why he never let anyone do anything to me that might cause real damage.