Hogwarts: This professor is too Muggle.

Chapter 118 Opening the Diary

"The underground vault has a magic door made of a special clay. Only certified goblins can knock it open. Anyone else who touches the magic door will be sucked in and trapped in the wall. For vaults that haven't been used for a long time, we check them every ten years to see if there are any thieves' bodies trapped inside.

"Storage items can also be subjected to duplication and fire spells. If a thief touches the property, it will burn and replicate endlessly. If the thief persists, he will eventually be crushed and scalded to death."

Griphook came to a vault without any signs, raised his hand and pressed it against the metal door, whose material was unknown, and knocked twice.

The dusty green rust peeled off layer by layer, revealing some vague reliefs. Melvin carefully identified them for a moment and confirmed that they were not any familiar runes.

It should be the casting technique of the Fairy Kingdom.

The vault opened with a bang, revealing a color of iron blue mixed with dust. The air inside and outside circulated, and a cold, dry, rusty smell hit me in the face, like a concrete floor on a rainy day. The walls and dome looked solid and heavy, and it was impossible to tell what material they were made of. Some faint remnants of alchemical runes glowed.

It was a fairly spacious space, about the same size as the main hall of Hogwarts Great Hall, but not as large as the storage room in the Room of Requirement.

"Don't you want to clean up?" Melvin turned and asked.

"Leave it to me, sir." Griphook bowed slightly.

The room was spacious and free of clutter, and the dust wasn't too bad. There weren't any cobwebs or spiders, so a large area could be cleared out very quickly with just a few snaps of the fingers.

While the goblin staff was cleaning, Melvin looked around at the walls and the vault door. They were made of a mixture of obsidian and fine iron, with some strange powders mixed into the mortar. It looked very reliable, and he wondered how many spells it could withstand.

Melvin glanced at the goblin staff from the corner of his eye. The vault cleaning was almost finished. "Do we need to register the items we're storing for the first time?"

"Yes, sir!"

Griphook's shrill voice echoed in the empty room. As he cleaned the last area, he answered the customer's questions. "Please rest assured. This is for a longer-term cooperation. Gringotts only keeps a list as a precaution. We won't investigate the origins of the collection. Ordinary goblins, not even managers, can't access the files."

"Really... I'm planning to store these things. Can you help me count them?"

Melvin tossed the linen bag over, and the pile of Galleons made a crisp sound. "Also, I'm a little worried about the protection of these walls. Can I try to attack them?"

"This one……"

It's just a test from a young wizard, there shouldn't be any problems...right?

There was a scale in Griphook's heart, with light hesitation on one side and heavy Galleons on the other. The needle tilted towards the latter without any suspense: "Well, Gringotts has an obligation to eliminate the doubts of its customers."

“Great service.”

Melvin smiled and murmured in praise, before he finished speaking, he threw a thick beam of magic light at the wall.

【Thunderbolt Explosion】

There was a loud rumbling sound like the collapse of heaven and earth, as if the floor of the vault was shaking slightly. The lamps and torches swayed, illuminating the vault with dim shadows.

"..."

Pull the ring was a little dumbfounded, with his mouth wide open and a dull expression. He looked at the wall with the shallow pit, and then at the young customer, as if the spell was not cast on the wall, but on him.

Even when the fire dragon exhaled its dragon breath at full strength, there was no such noise.

"It's really strong, isn't it?" Melvin asked in an admiring tone.

Griphook came back to his senses, covered his face and wailed, "It's over, it's over... my performance for this month is completely ruined!"

"Don't say that, Griphook... You've shown me the reliable protection of Gringotts. If that can dispel my last bit of concern, I'm willing to pay the maximum deposit." Melvin advised patiently, like an excellent professor who patiently guides students in class.

Griphook looked up at him and murmured, "One last concern?"

Melvin nodded solemnly, "The experiment just now proved that the vault can withstand explosive spells, but I'm still a little worried about whether it can withstand cutting and penetrating spells."

"..."

"If the last doubts can be dispelled, Gringotts will gain a loyal customer. This is all thanks to you, Griphook. Perhaps when I leave later, I should convey your sincere service to your manager."

Griphook looked at the shallow pit with a bitter face, thinking about the possibility of being promoted to sit at the counter, and gritted his teeth and agreed: "Okay, this is the last time."

"You will be promoted to manager sooner or later!"

Melvin offered heartfelt praise, then turned back to face the shallow pit and cast the spell again.

【Split into pieces】

There was a loud bang, and the vault seemed to be rammed by a full-grown poison-horned beast. Griphook's body shook twice, and the impact and penetration of the spell caused stones to fly. A piece of gravel hit his forehead, and he immediately saw stars and became a little unsteady.

"It's really strong and reliable. Now I feel relieved." Melvin's surprised voice sounded in its ears.

Griphook's face was pale. Thinking of the storage he had just counted and registered, and thinking of Gringotts's big customers, he felt a little relieved. "Professor Lewynter, the Galleons are all stacked. Let's go upstairs. We still need to sign some contracts and hand over the vault keys."

"of course."

Melvin nodded and smiled.

Riding the cart back the same way, the old fire dragon was still lying weakly in the cave. The water of the anti-thief waterfall was icy cold. Lahuan let out a long breath, and his stiff and tense body relaxed.

All that remained was a series of procedures, including signing a contract, paying a deposit, and handing over the vault key. For the sake of Gold Galleon, the fairies were thoughtful and considerate.

In the end, he even sent two goblins to escort Melvin out of Gringotts personally.

Melvin, holding the vault key, glanced at the slogan on the silver door, his dark eyes full of meaning.

……

Diagon Alley is especially crowded during the start of the school year.

The previous purchases went smoothly. The Weasley family and Harry happened to meet Hermione on the road. The team grew again, and if they walked side by side on the street, it would cause traffic jams.

The little wizards each held an ice cream in their hands, eating as they walked, chattering, their innocent laughter was particularly crisp, and then they were cursed by passers-by, who cursed:

"A family of redheads! What are you doing blocking the road? Are you the undigested nutshells in the anus of a fire dragon!?"

"..."

Harry and Ron looked at the nut ice cream in their hands and suddenly felt that it was not tasty anymore.

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley looked at each other and had to consider acting separately.

They parted ways outside Eeylops Owl Shop, Percy mumbling about buying a new quill, George and Fred chasing Lee Jordan to the joke shop, and Arthur planning to go for a drink at the Leaky Cauldron with the Grangers, but Ron insisted on coming because the Shadow Mirror was showing a Charlie Cannons game.

Molly took the others to Flourish and Blotts Bookstore to purchase textbooks for the new school year.

The bookstore was so crowded it could cause a dragon to get constipated. Flourish and Blotts was hosting a book signing today, with the legendary adventurer Gilderoy Lockhart in attendance. Almost every housewife who came to Diagon Alley for back-to-school shopping lined up. Looking at the banners unfurled on the second floor and the standees in the bookstore window, the line of wizards stretched from inside the store all the way to the corner of the street.

The tired-looking bookstore manager stood at the door and called out in a hoarse voice, "Ladies, be quiet! Mr. Lockhart won't run away. Don't crowd!"

Harry and Ginny quickly regretted that they should have gone to the Leaky Cauldron with Ron instead of standing in line listening to Mrs. Weasley and Hermione talk about Lockhart's legendary adventures.

Harry and his friends would occasionally meet strange wizards who would greet them.

In the eyes of these wizards, Harry's reputation is no less than Lockhart's. The little witch with messy curly hair next to him is also the protagonist who appears in the mirror. The story in school last year is even more exciting than Lockhart's adventure. It's a pity that there are no books and posters, otherwise she would come up and ask for autographs.

Harry and Hermione would respond normally to those who were friendly, but if there were some extreme pure-bloods who made rude faces and said strange things to Hermione, Molly would take the initiative to stand up and scold them away.

When it comes to pure bloodline, only the twenty-eight pure-blood clans can compare with Weasley.

As I walked into the bookstore, my ears immediately became quiet.

"Hermione..." Harry looked up at the long line in front of him and asked in a low voice, "Guess who I saw in Borgin and Burke's?"

Hermione, without looking up from her desk, buried in Lockhart's book, quickly replied, "Professor Lewynter? That's nothing strange."

Harry was a little stuck. Thinking about it carefully, Professor Lewyn was indeed different from other professors. He was not the stereotypical good wizard who would drown trolls and use Norbert to scare them to achieve his goals, not to mention those dark magic items when dealing with Quirrell.

"Not just Professor Levent, but also the Malfoys."

"What did they buy?"

“They’re going to sell things…”

Harry answered subconsciously, then reacted and whispered, "That's not important. What's important is that Professor Lewynter met with Malfoy and talked alone for a long time!"

Hermione looked up from her book. "You mean, maybe they made some kind of deal?"

"Yeah!" Harry nodded heavily.

"..."

The two of them frowned and fell into deep thought.

Ginny, who was in the front row, held her mother's hand and pretended to look around aimlessly, but she was actually glancing at Harry behind her with her peripheral vision, and occasionally glanced at Hermione. This was a very skill-tested move.

Harry lowered his head in thought, completely unaware.

"..."

Ginny's face scrunched up and her fists clenched slightly.

Are the two of them whispering to each other?
Why are your heads so close together?

……

As night falls, Charing Cross Street is brightly lit.

Melvin sat by the window of the hotel room, observing Gringotts in Diagon Alley from afar, recalling what he had observed and learned during the day.

The vault deep underground was indeed heavily guarded, with goblins guarding it, and an old fire dragon on the road preventing thieves from falling. These problems could still be solved. He had tried it during the day. Although the anti-thief waterfall could break magic and penetrate the armor spell, it could be resisted by using the mind.

The real difficulty is finding the vault.

Through rough observation during the day, there are about four or five vaults deep underground. It is unclear whether there are other core areas, and it is impossible to locate which vault is the Lestrange family's.

Breaking into the vault is also very difficult.

Melvin's magical powers far exceeded those of an average adult wizard. The powerful spells he cast had an effect on the walls, but they made too much noise and took too long. At full strength, it would take at least half an hour to break through all the vaults.

You also need to consider accurately finding the golden cup among the treasures piled up in the vault.

This time is enough for the goblins to ask the Ministry of Magic for help. Whether they can defeat the Aurors is another matter. The main concern is that the situation will become too ugly. He is a young professor with a great reputation, and he can't make himself look like a dark wizard.

The main concern is that it will have a bad impact on Hogwarts.

After comprehensive consideration, if a forceful attack is not possible, the solution is to pass through the thief-proof waterfall smoothly, or find a way to get the key to the Lestrange family vault, then use Polyjuice Potion to disguise himself, and let the goblin lead the way to open the door.

"Lestrange..."

This family is similar to the Rosier family. It is also a pure-blood family with branches in many countries. It originated in France. The branch in Britain began to grow in the 19th century and became one of the twenty-eight families. It is a strict patriarchal family that only recognizes male members. However, under the influence of Voldemort, Bellatrix became the one in power.

The Lestranges in the UK are currently in Azkaban.

There is no breakthrough in a short time.

Since we are not able to see Tom Riddle as an adult for the time being, let’s take a look at Riddle as a student.

Melvin withdrew his gaze and fixed his eyes on the diary on the table, a glimmer flickering in his pupils.

It looks like an ordinary diary, about 13 inches in size. The date on the black cover has faded and is blurry. Apart from being a bit old, there is nothing special about it.

The diary has changed hands several times. Lucius Malfoy touched it himself, and in the original story it was still circulating among several students. There should not be any curse or poison in it.

The impression I have is that Horcruxes can read people's minds, in other words, Legilimency. However, I am not sure whether the diary can read through text or some other secret magic.

Melvin lowered his eyes slightly, pressed his index finger between his eyebrows, and activated his brain occlumency at full power.

At the same time, a false identity was constructed using a fake memory charm.

"I'm Melvin Levent, a new teaching assistant at Hogwarts. My course is Care of Magical Creatures. I found this diary in a cupboard in an abandoned classroom at school..."

He lived in a remote town before the age of 11, and entered a magic school after the age of 11. After graduating and working for a year, Professor Kettleburn was about to retire, so he returned to Hogwarts to become an assistant teacher.

Half true and half false, a combination of reality and fiction, this kind of memory can gain the trust of others to the greatest extent.

Thanks to last year's film production, hundreds of hours of editing and splicing memories, it's hard to find a wizard in the entire wizarding world who is more adept at this than Melvin. In just three minutes, he has constructed twenty years of the life experience of an ordinary wizard, all based on real life experiences.

After making full preparations, Melvin opened his eyes and reached out to open the diary.

There was no trace of anything on the title page. The paper had oxidized and turned yellow due to the passage of time. There were some dried water stains on the edges, as if it had been soaked.

Turning the page further back, it was written in blurry ink: TM Riddle.

The ink had spread after being wetted by water, and the front half had become a mass of ink, and Tom's handwriting was no longer clear. The following pages were blank, except for the back cover of the last page, which was printed with the name of a newsagent in Vauxhall Road, London.

(End of this chapter)