Hogwarts: This professor is too Muggle.

Chapter 363 Bewitchment
A crystal chandelier hung upside down from the ceiling, and several white porcelain cups reflected the candlelight.

Three wizards and a little elf sat around the long table on either side, their faces hidden in the darkness where the light did not reach, their heads bowed. There was a rustling sound behind the curtains of the hall, as a vixen and a mouse scurried past in the shadows.

No one spoke for a long time, and the silence carried a hint of sadness.

Dumbledore bent down and examined the locket closely. He wasn't wearing his reading glasses. "Admirable," he said. "As a Death Eater, having discovered Voldemort's secret, Regulus didn't collude with him. Instead, he charged forward with his life and courage, turning the Dark Lord into a mortal being that could be killed..."

"Fool! Why did he drink the potion himself to replace the locket? Does he think no one but himself can deal with Voldemort?"

"Idiot! You've been an idiot since you were a child!"

As a relative of the warrior, Sirius clearly could not accept such praise, nor did he approve of his brother's actions. He sat in the main seat wiping away tears.

As a traitor to the Black family, and considered an ungrateful son by his parents since childhood, Sirius Black has always held the Black family members in contempt, believing them to be stubborn, incorrigible, and vile.

Having lived with such resentment for over a decade, he suddenly discovered that his brother was not a Death Eater, nor did he die in a pointless fight; rather, he had used his life to launch an attack on Voldemort.

His sorrowful tone was tinged with resentment as he turned his anger toward Kreacher.

"It's all your fault, you incompetent servant! Regulus entrusted you with destroying the locket, but you've spent fourteen years and haven't even managed to chip a single corner... Even now that I've returned to this old house, you still want to hide it from me!"

Sirius Black grew angrier and angrier: "Damn it! You really need to get some clothes! Get out of Black's old house!"

Beside him, Kreacher, his eyes red and swollen from crying, sobbed softly.
“Kreacher tried everything, every single method, but none of them worked. He tried everything he could, but he couldn’t leave a single mark on it. Kreacher knew there was dark magic on it, and that it could only be destroyed from the inside, but it couldn’t be opened.”

"Kreacher punished himself, tried again, punished himself again, and tried again."

"Kreacher failed to carry out the order; Kreacher couldn't destroy the locket!"

The house-elf became increasingly remorseful as it spoke, banging its head against the table and crying out:
“Don’t send Kreacher away. Kreacher didn’t mean to hide it. The mistress is going crazy with grief, and Kreacher is in great pain too, but Master Regulus forbids… forbids Kreacher from telling his family about what happened in the cave…”

"Including me?" Sirius shouted angrily, "If it weren't for Melvin, how long were you planning to keep this from me!"

"Ahem... Regulus hasn't been buried yet, has he? Could you save your eulogies for the funeral?"

Melvin cleared his throat, not looking up, and examined the locket: "What we should do now is fulfill Regulus's last wish, destroy this locket, and comfort his soul."

The pendant box is about the size of an egg, easily fits in the palm of your hand, and is inconspicuous when worn around the neck. The gorgeous "S" shaped logo is made up of many small green gemstones, the gemstone surfaces reflecting the crystal chandelier and gleaming with a dim light.

Calm your mind and try to activate your soul's perception. In another dimension of vision, the locket shimmers with a crystal-clear magical light, the alchemical array is dazzling, and the symbols of the runes are nested in layers. But deep inside the locket, a ball of evil and twisted magic resides.

Like a dusty, sealed heart beating at an extremely low frequency, or like a hibernating venomous snake, undulating and writhing slightly, it seemed as if one could feel the slow and long breaths of that evil soul even through the blockage.

Dumbledore took out his wand, pressed the tip against the slit on the side of the locket, and with a slight pressure, magic shot out:
The Alaho Cave Opens

Open Sesame

【…】

A series of spells were used to unlock the lock. A faint sound of a clasp turning came from inside the locket, as if the metal teeth inside were slowly closing, waiting to spring open a crack. But dark magic flowed along the crack, the hibernating venomous snake curled its scales, and the locket, which had loosened slightly, closed again.

This is because the Elder Wand is working; if a regular wand were used for the test, the locket wouldn't react at all.

The headmaster put away his wand and said in a low voice, "This Horcrux is quite special compared to the others."

Sirius and Kreacher were both seeing Horcruxes for the first time, and they both craned their necks, staring longingly at them.

Only Melvin understood what he meant. The craftsmanship of this Horcrux was more refined than the previous ones. The chosen vessel and soul fragment were perfectly matched, and the two kinds of magic blended together and circulated freely.

The consciousness of the soul fragments became more active, almost coming to life.

As Voldemort's first Horcrux, the Diary Horcrux carries the soul that was first split, and communication requires writing.

The next items, the Gauntlet Ring and the Hufflepuff Cup, can only be obtained by using potions to make Voldemort's consciousness manifest. The Ravenclaw tiara contains intelligent magic and can reside in the phantom of a raven.

The locket that was made last was the most successful work. Melvin had no doubt that as long as the box was opened, without any ink or potion as a medium, the soul fragments sealed inside could manifest, and the young Riddle could float out and chat at any time.

"Even the two of you can't open it?" Sirius clenched his fist and slammed it hard on the pendant.

“Young Master Sirius, no…” Kreacher quickly grabbed his wrist, causing the frail little elf to stumble, but he held onto Sirius’s hand to prevent his fist from touching the surface of the locket.

"Hmm?" Sirius frowned.

Kreacher opened his mouth, but then hesitated and didn't say anything.

“Of all of us, you were the first to come into contact with the locket, Kreacher…” The principal smiled gently, his eyes warm. “Your research will be of great help to us in fulfilling Regulus’s last wish and destroying the locket.”

Meeting the gaze of those deep blue eyes, Kreacher unconsciously turned his head away and murmured softly, "Kreacher didn't have any research results. It was only after Mr. Levent took the locket that Kreacher noticed it."

"What did you notice?" Sirius asked impatiently.

"This substance is harmful to those who come into contact with it."

"A curse or poison?"

Kreacher's words startled Sirius.

“It’s not poison, it’s not poison!” Kreacher quickly explained. “It’s a strange emotion that’s stirring up my mind, making me think things, making me sensitive and irritable, resentful of Sirius Black, resentful of the friends he brought back, and even thinking about…”

Kreacher shook his head, then suddenly jumped up and started banging his head against the corner of the table, muttering, "Damn Kreacher! Disloyal Kreacher!"

“Kreacher had those thoughts too, but he never betrayed Black, young master!”

Sirius pulled him back; the elf's face was a mixture of blood, tears, and green slime.

"But the locket filled Kreacher's mind with these thoughts. I thought Kreacher was getting old and should have his head cut off and hung up, but Kreacher hadn't completed Master Regulus's orders, so he was just barely clinging to life."

He sobbed incoherently, “But when Mr. Levent had Kreacher hand it over, and after a day and a night without contact with it, Kreacher came to his senses.”

Sirius remained silent.

Dumbledore examined the locket, then reached out with some skepticism and grasped it. His large hand easily enveloped the entire locket; the old wizard's hand had distinct knuckles and bulging veins, revealing a strength beyond his years.

The people present stared at Dumbledore's expression. They saw that his breathing was becoming heavy and his brows were slightly furrowed, as if he was suffering some kind of torment.

Half a minute later, the principal released the locket, his expression immediately relaxed, and he let out a long breath, as if relieved of a heavy burden. He reopened his eyes, staring at the "S" logo made of emeralds, with a thoughtful expression.

"What curse is on it?" Sirius reached out and poked the locket.

Melvin took the locket and held it in his palm to feel it. The box was slightly cool, and the hidden magic inside reached out like tentacles, evil and secretive, similar to Legilimency, silently probing into the soul and plucking at the heartstrings.

"The alchemical circle above is at work, exerting influence through the connection between the soul and emotions. Voldemort's dark magic couldn't achieve such subtlety; it's Slytherin's research."

With a soft click, Melvin placed the locket on the table.
"In his later years, Slytherin began to explore the deepest mysteries of magic. His soul was not imprisoned by dark magic, and his study of emotions was not limited to the darker aspects such as anger and hatred. It was Voldemort's dark magic that tainted this locket."

"If it's from Slytherin..."

Dumbledore bent down and leaned closer, almost pressing his face against the locket, his lips moving slightly in a hissing sound.

"Parsleyan! Didn't Harry say that only he could speak Parsley?" Sirius asked in surprise.

"Oh, I just copied it randomly."

Dumbledore smiled gently: "I heard it a few times when I opened the Chamber of Secrets and memorized the tone. Melvin should be familiar with it too."

“In Snakesong, it means ‘open’,” Melvin glanced at the principal.

The locket vibrated with a buzzing sound, as if a hibernating rattlesnake had been awakened. The gold chain twisted along with it, making a rustling sound. With a crisp click, the gold lid suddenly popped open.

Kreacher opened his eyes wide and held his breath.

There was a pair of eyes inside the locket staring back at them.

Originally, there were two miniature glass windows, intended to hold the photos in place and keep them from getting dusty. But there were no photos inside the box. Behind each window, there was a living eye blinking, with a bright black pupil, like Riddle's eyes before they completely transformed into snake eyes.

A thick, grayish-black mist billowed out, instantly filling the entire room.

"I saw your heart, and it is mine." A voice hissed from the Horcrux, hoarse and cold.

“I see your past, Albus Dumbledore, and I see your regret. What you feared has already happened, but what you dare not face is the truth…”

The faint light of the crystal chandelier was swallowed by the gray fog, and the light, after refraction, revealed a familiar figure.

He was a handsome and elegant young wizard with a slender face and neatly combed black hair. His smile was just right, making everyone feel friendly, just like an excellent student greeting a professor.

Dumbledore met those eyes calmly: "Long time no see, Tom."

"Professor Dumbledore..."

Riddle bowed, his manners polite yet respectful, not at all humble, like an heir raised by a pure-blooded family:

“I saw your heart, I saw your past. You always hid in your Hogwarts office, afraid to even recall, all to escape the mistakes you made… I saw the real culprit in your memories.”

"It's you."

Riddle stared directly into those deep blue eyes, tearing open the old headmaster's deepest wounds: "It was your curse that killed Ariana, your sister."

"Dumbledore..."

Sirius cried out in concern, and the room fell silent as Riddle's phantom stared directly at Dumbledore.

"In my youth, I was distressed that my talents could not be fully utilized, and that I was burdened by my seriously ill sister and young brother, never able to leave Godric's Hollow and see the wonderful world..."

“Ariana is dead, and you’re actually happy about it. You’re glad that the burden is finally gone, and there’s no one in that valley to stop you from realizing your dreams…”

"But your closest friend has left, and you have gone down completely opposite paths. You are in pain because of his depravity and the sins he has committed."

"If you hadn't killed Ariana, you could have changed the world together in the right way. You're the one who caused all of this..."

Melvin frowned slightly as he watched him go further and further: "Occlumency, Dumbledore."

Dumbledore remained calmly focused on the eyes of Riddle's phantom, as if peering through a gray mist at the pair of lively eyes inside the locket.

Seeing that the old headmaster remained unmoved, Riddle's face grew more annoyed. The phantom began to ripple, splitting into two bizarre things that looked like soap bubbles—two heads.

A bright fourteen-year-old girl and a seventeen-year-old blond boy.

It was the heads of Ariana and Grindelwald, swaying and shaking like reflections in a funhouse mirror, while the remaining parts of their bodies gradually filled in, finally resembling two branches of a tree, swaying and shaking.

Dumbledore's gaze finally changed. He looked at the two young faces with a complex expression, a mixture of reminiscence and sadness.

"Why kill Ariana? Albus, Ariana is a good girl. Ariana didn't stop you from traveling. You can take Ariana with you, hide her in the carriage, hide her in the suitcase, as long as you let me out to bask in the sun occasionally."

[Ariana] stared at the headmaster with a mournful expression: "The Unseen Stretching Charm is easy for you, isn't it? You won't even cast such a spell for me? Or do you think I'm a burden to you? Preventing you from traveling?"

"Dumbledore," Sirius couldn't help but call out.

"Do you know why I ran away, Albus?"

Grindelwald's lips curled into a mocking smile: "Because I saw clearly that you killed her, I don't want you to feel guilty. I'd rather you pin the murder on me. We're best friends, Albus."

"You betrayed me! You imprisoned me in the tower!" His voice suddenly turned shrill, and the blond boy's face trembled violently, quickly transforming into a withered old man, glaring angrily at the old wizard.

"Albus!"

Like a ghost who died unjustly, it sends chills down your spine.

(End of this chapter)