The Hogwarts Emerald

Chapter 608 Appointment
Over the next week or so, Ada returned to her old ways and lived a stay-at-home lifestyle again, staying in the office day and night, and the farthest she went was to take a walk to the Magic Brothers Fountain.

The open and secret struggles between the Ministry of Magic and the Death Eaters are still going on. The Aurors and the Law Enforcement Team are very busy, while the Memory Deletion Command and the Accidental Magic Reversal Team are following behind to put out fires.

As the number of battles increased, the department's efficiency in handling emergencies also improved.

The Ministry of Magic has been at ease for more than ten years, but after a year of life and death, this blunt knife is finally becoming sharp.

It was not until the summer of 1997 that Ada once again walked out of the Ministry of Magic hidden deep underground and appeared in the Scottish Highlands.

The sky is clear and the lake is crystal clear, making people feel relaxed and happy here. The only pity is that the towering mountains block the castle in the distance, so Ada cannot see the appearance of Hogwarts clearly.

Ada stood on a huge rock, looking at the sky and the clouds, and felt intoxicated without realizing it.

I don't know how long it took, but there was a sound of footsteps, and Dumbledore came from the Black Lake. The headmaster, who was over a hundred years old, looked in good condition and in a good mood, except for his charred and skinny right hand.

"Every time I see your Patronus, I find it very cute and adorable," said Dumbledore. His tone remained the same, and he still treated Ada as his student, not the devil who had occupied the Ministry of Magic.

"Really? I didn't like it at first either. It was so silly and stupid that I didn't even want to summon it." Ada came back to her senses and looked at Dumbledore. "But now I like it very much, especially after seeing so many people and things."

The more people I met, the more I liked dogs.

This sentence was said by George Bernard Shaw of Ireland. Many young people like to quote this sentence, but they give people a feeling of moaning without reason. A year after leaving Hogwarts, Ada also began to quote this sentence.

"It seems that time has taught you a lot." Dumbledore said, he turned and walked towards the shore. The calm surface of the lake just reflected his old face and gray hair and beard.

Ada jumped off the boulder and walked to Dumbledore's side. Her reflection also appeared in the lake. The contrast between the old and the young was strong.

"What a cruel act, Ada," Dumbledore scolded, like an old grandfather playing with his grandchildren.

In fact, considering Dumbledore's age, even having four generations living under one roof would be considered late in marriage and childbearing, let alone grandchildren, but he is still single.

"Time has endowed you with infinite wisdom, professor." Ada said with a smile.

The two of them now don't look like two devil kings at all. Instead, they look like an old child and a young child, and the two children are complimenting each other.

Dumbledore waved his hand and said, "Every time I hear someone praising me, I feel uneasy, fearing that the other person's praise is not good enough. But now is not a good time for us to flatter each other. I am more curious about why you asked me to meet you today."

"I went to Albania a while ago, I think you should know." Ada said, "There, I got the clue of another Horcrux, the lost diadem of Ravenclaw."

Dumbledore showed a bit of surprise on his face. Even he couldn't be omniscient. After listening to Ada's story about Helena and Barrow, the headmaster showed a sad look and sighed.

Most of the memorable loves in this world end in tragedy.

"You destroyed Slytherin's ring and diary, and I destroyed Hufflepuff's gold cup." Ada continued, "The only known Horcruxes left are Ravenclaw's diadem and locket."

Instead of lamenting the tragedy in the Albanian forest, Ada began to take stock of the Horcruxes.

Ada was not a love-sick person and could tell the difference between the important and the unimportant. Although she felt a little sympathetic towards Helena, the tragedy was ultimately caused by her greed. Helena took something that did not belong to her, just like Jane Grey took the throne that belonged to Mary I.

As for the bloody Barrow who committed suicide and repented for a thousand years... To be honest, it was fortunate that Helena rejected his confession at the beginning. If she had accepted Barrow's love, who knows what the future would be like! Barrow could stab Helena to death out of anger, so how could he know that he would not hurt her for other reasons after marriage?
Dumbledore did not dwell on this sad past. He nodded and said, "Thanks to Benedict, we know that there is a Horcrux in Hogwarts. And I already know when Tom hid it in the school."

After quitting Borgin and Burke's, Voldemort disappeared for ten years and devoted himself to studying the Dark Arts.

Ten years later, Voldemort returned and his first stop was Hogwarts, where he applied for the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher again.

The answer was the same as last time. Dumbledore rejected his job application. From then on, the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor became a disposable commodity, with at least one required per school year.

"You mean, Tom Riddle left the Horcrux at the school on the night he applied for a job with you?" Ada asked.

After learning about the Horcrux, Ada tried to search the school, but found nothing. She once suspected that Benedict Foley had been deceived.

Not only Ada, I believe Dumbledore also looked for it, but he found nothing either.

"Yes, the school is a special place for him, and he regards it as his home." Dumbledore said, "Didn't you also regard the castle as your home? You even applied to stay in the castle during the summer vacation."

That was when Ida was in the first grade. She failed and had to leave school with everyone else. Then Ida returned to the orphanage and found that the orphanage was gone.

Voldemort did the same thing to Ada.

Dumbledore continued, "In addition to the Horcruxes hidden in the school, I have found some other clues. Once I sort out these clues, I will be able to find another Horcrux."

If the Horcruxes in the school and the clues mentioned by Dumbledore happened to be the missing tiara and locket, all five known Horcruxes would be destroyed.

It is a difficult thing to split a whole soul into two pieces. It is not just a matter of murder or a spell.

As far as we know, Voldemort divided his soul into at least six pieces, one for the body and one for each of the five Horcruxes. If Voldemort was not satisfied with this and chose the magical "7" or more, it would be difficult to deal with.

The gold cup, ring, locket and crown, these four items came from the four giants of Hogwarts. Only Gryffindor's sword and sorting hat were not damaged.

The destroyed diary was just an ordinary diary. If Lucius Malfoy hadn't brought it to the door, it wouldn't have been obvious. If Voldemort had other Horcruxes in existence, they would probably be similar to the diary.

If that's the case, then it would be very difficult to find, and I wouldn't have any clue at all.

As if he saw Ada's worry, or perhaps he had the same worry, Dumbledore continued: "Harry is doing something for me. Once he finishes it, I will be able to roughly confirm the number of Horcruxes."

"Harry?" Ada was stunned, wondering how Harry could help Dumbledore.

What can a student who stays in school every day and can't leave Hogwarts do? Unless this thing can be done in school, such as something happening with Horace Slughorn.

The only "new guy" in the school was Slughorn, who had returned to teach this school year. It could only be him. Those first-year students who had just enrolled were not considered at all.

Ada nodded. The first thing she had to do when meeting Dumbledore was to exchange the clues about the Horcruxes that they had.

"Professor, I have another question." Ada said, she looked into Dumbledore's blue eyes, "The gem on Slytherin's ring, is it the Deathly Hallows?"

(End of this chapter)