The Hogwarts Emerald

Chapter 564: Dark Clouds over Hogwarts

As the black mist dissipated, the Horcrux was finally destroyed, and the Hufflepuff golden cup was destroyed.

When Ada saw the big crack on the golden cup, her heart was bleeding. Regardless of how much the golden cup was worth, the significance of the golden cup was extraordinary.

This is the cup left by Helga Hufflepuff, one of the Big Four. It contains Hufflepuff's magical magic. If you can learn a thing or two from it, you will definitely benefit a lot.

Such a unique cup, a treasure of Hufflepuff, was made into a Horcrux by the bastard Voldemort to hold the fragments of his soul. It is an understatement to say that he was wasting a natural resource.

In addition to Hufflepuff's gold cup, the ring and locket belonging to Salazar Slytherin were also made into Horcruxes. Voldemort's behavior was so cowardly that Ada really wanted to slap him hard in the face.

In addition to these three treasures, the known heirlooms of the Big Four include the Sword of Gryffindor and the Diadem of Ravenclaw. It is said that the Diadem of Ravenclaw can make the wearer smarter, but the Diadem has long been lost and its whereabouts are unknown. Although the Sword of Gryffindor occasionally appears in the world, its whereabouts are also unknown.

Ada desperately hoped that these two treasures had not fallen into Voldemort's hands. She did not want the relics of the four giants to be ruined by this lunatic. Such valuable treasures are worth keeping, and the magic left by the four giants is also worth studying.

After destroying the gold cup, Ada and the twins returned to London. Fred and George returned to Diagon Alley, while Ada returned to the Ministry of Magic. Before parting, the twins agreed with Ada to meet up often and not to forget to inform them of any action.

Ada had no objection to this. Starting with things that were relatively less dangerous would also be a way to temper the twins and promote their growth.

Fred and George's abilities surpass those of their peers, but compared to those experienced people who have been working in the industry for many years, the twin brothers are still too green.

……

It is said that time flies like an arrow. September has passed in a flash, and London has entered deep autumn. This is not the first time that Ada has spent autumn in the foggy city, but it is the coldest autumn in London she has ever experienced.

I don’t know if it’s because of the abnormal weather or the Dementors always wandering around in the city, but strong winds and sleet filled this bleak autumn, and the dark sky made people feel very depressed.

In the past month or so, Ada has been visiting old people in the magic world. She is following Dumbledore's example and trying to get some information about Tom Riddle's past from these old people so as to find clues about the Horcruxes.

But after so many days of searching, Ada was unable to draw any useful conclusions. She also failed several times due to some wrong information. She came with high hopes but left with disappointment.

The only good news is that the connection between Voldemort and the Horcrux does not seem to be close, and he may not even know that the soul fragment hidden in the golden cup has been destroyed by Ada.

When Salazar Slytherin's ring was destroyed, Voldemort did not show any abnormality and continued to do as he pleased. He even went to Diagon Alley in person and kidnapped the wand-making master Garrick Ollivander.

After the destruction of Helga Hufflepuff's gold cup, Voldemort neither restricted the Death Eaters' destruction of the wizarding world nor suddenly changed his strategy to wreak havoc, but remained as it was.

The Death Eaters were still the same, sometimes causing chaos in the wizarding world, sometimes wreaking havoc in Muggle society, and occasionally people went missing or died. Overall, there was no difference from the summer.

If it happens once, it might be a coincidence, but twice in a row can't be a coincidence, right?

Compared to Voldemort's extraordinary calmness, Ada would rather believe that Voldemort did not know whether the Horcrux was destroyed by someone.

Voldemort was so afraid of death that he sliced ​​himself up. The Horcrux was an important thing that ensured his immortality. Once he knew that the Horcrux was destroyed, it would be impossible for him to remain calm.

Being beaten but not fighting back is not Voldemort's style. Even if he suddenly became cautious and brave, he should have changed the location of the Horcrux after knowing that there was a safety problem with the Horcrux.

If someone confiscated all of Ada's property, she would definitely fight to the death. Similarly, there was no reason for Voldemort to have no reaction to the destruction of the Horcruxes, unless he had no idea and thought his Horcruxes were safe. Apart from that, Ada really couldn't think of any other possibility.

It was mid-October, the wind outside was as sharp as a knife, and the heavy rain was like a slash in the sky. The weather outside was terrible, but the sun was shining brightly in the office of the Ministry of Magic.

The people in the Magical Maintenance Department dare not let the Minister's place be overshadowed by the dark clouds. You know, since Thicknesse took office, the small-scale purges within the Ministry of Magic have never stopped, not only to find out Voldemort's hidden agents, but also to purge the Ministry of Magic and improve its quality.

In this case, the employees of the maintenance department are not likely to be investigated for swinging their left arm first when walking. If they are accidentally accused of being a Death Eater, then everything will be over.

Virtual sunlight poured in through the window, and Ada shook her hands a little irritably. She had received bad news earlier today - Katie Bell was cursed.

The day this happened was the first Hogsmeade weekend of the current semester at Hogwarts, and Katie and Lini went to Hogsmeade together.

While touring the village, Katie, who had gone empty-handed, returned from the bathroom and suddenly found a gift in her hands. She said it was a gift for someone in Hogwarts and she was the one who would deliver it.

At that time, Katie's expression was a little strange and her tone of voice was not right, which aroused Lini's vigilance, and the two quarreled over this gift of unknown origin.

During the argument, the gift package was torn open, revealing an opal necklace hidden inside. Katie touched the necklace, and then she lay on the hospital bed.

It was obvious that someone wanted to use Katie to hurt others, and Katie was hospitalized to take the blame for others. But to whom should Katie give the opal necklace? This was the key to the problem.

The person who received the opal necklace would not be Ada. Although she lived in the same dormitory with Katie during school, almost everyone knew that she was not in school now, and Katie had no way to bring the opal necklace to her.

If it wasn't Ada, who else could it be? Dumbledore, but Katie couldn't get in touch with Dumbledore either!
As the headmaster of Hogwarts and the greatest white wizard, Dumbledore was not available to everyone who wanted to see him. Moreover, the opal necklace had a powerful curse, which could be easily seen through by the experienced Dumbledore.

If the target is really Albus Dumbledore, this method is really bad. How much does this mean to despise Dumbledore! Or is it that the person who controls Katie is not very smart?

At this moment, the opal necklace was placed on Ada's desk. She cast a spell to make the luxurious necklace float up and observed it carefully. The more she looked at it, the more familiar it looked. Ada felt as if she had seen it somewhere before.

After looking at it for a while, Ada finally remembered where she had seen this necklace and why it felt familiar.

The first time I saw the necklace was in the display case of Borgin and Burke's during the summer of 1993. The second time was when Ada visited Borgin and Burke again this summer, when the opal necklace was still in the window.

If Ada remembered correctly, there was a sign next to the necklace that read: Caution: Do not touch, cursed - has claimed the lives of nineteen Muggles.

This shows the danger of the opal necklace. It is a blessing in disguise that Katie did not die from touching the necklace.

Ada canceled the levitation spell, and the opal necklace fell back onto the table with a clang. Now that she knew where the necklace came from, it became much easier to find the person who cast the spell on Katie.

As long as Borgin and Burke reveal who bought the necklace in the store, the person who controlled Katie with the Imperius Curse will surface and find out who Katie wanted to give the necklace to.

Once you find this person, all problems will be solved without wasting your brain trying to figure out why the other person is doing this.

Ada really needs to go to Borgin and Burke's again. The wind is blowing, let Mr. Borgin go bankrupt!

(End of this chapter)