The Return to Hogwarts

"What, Amosta?"

Dumbledore frowned slightly and asked in a deep voice.

"Is something wrong?"

"It's nothing. This locket looks familiar, like mine."

After rummaging around in his pocket for a while, Amosta pulled out a gold chain.

The swaying locket reflected the pale morning light onto Dumbledore's utterly astonished, aged face.

"Still the old price, Principal?"

Amosta blinked and asked seriously.

Chapter 320 Same Symbols

2023-06-10

Dawn was approaching, but the halo of light that hung in the sky suddenly became dull.

A faint, piercing whistling sound drifted from outside the window, the sound of a rising gale passing through the towering buildings and the covered walkways with their window openings. Dumbledore's silver beard was whipped by the wind that rushed into the room, and his slightly open mouth was exposed to Amostall.

"This is true."

Behind his half-moon lenses, his deep blue eyes were fixed on the swaying locket, and Dumbledore murmured to himself.

"It's the real deal, I practically emptied my savings to buy it!"

Amosta said with 'deep sorrow'.

"Amosta--"

Dumbledore shut his mouth, a hint of helplessness flashing in his eyes, but in an instant, his attention was drawn back to the locket.

"Without a doubt. Yes, the Slytherin family crest, no doubt about it—I saw it, incredibly powerful dark magic, there's something hidden inside, but—"

Dumbledore's inquiring gaze fell upon Amos Tower, his shock and confusion undisguised.

"Where did you find this from?!"

Dumbledore paused for a moment,

"Could it be Lucius Malfoy again? You just told me you did him a favor."

Amosta was already satisfied to see Dumbledore, who was usually calm and collected, looking so bewildered.

When Lucius came to him for help in finding the 'Golden Viper', he generously gave him a gem worth 10,000 Galleons. Fudge also told him a few hours earlier that the Ministry of Magic would not forget his contributions and efforts. It is conceivable that he will receive another generous reward.

After years of hard work, Amosta can finally stand up straight and say he's a 'successful person'. He can now disregard 'mere' eight thousand Galleons!

Boom!

The thick clouds high in the sky seemed to be about to collapse, and lightning, accompanied by thunder, swept in all directions. The arrogant thunder seemed to be splitting the sky, while the torrential rain, like a waterfall, also ravaged the earth. Amidst the rumbling sounds that filled the whole world, the cracking sounds of trees breaking could be heard from time to time.

The sudden downpour disturbed the peace of the world, but made the empty castle even more tranquil. The young wizards and the hardworking faculty and staff were still asleep. In the entire Hogwarts, only Amostella's office was flickering with firelight.

"--I destroyed Voldemort's cave and, together with Remus and the others, brought Regulus back. Sirius believed his brother deserved a proper funeral, but given his circumstances, he obviously couldn't afford it, so he temporarily placed Regulus in the old house."

The fake locket contained a note left by Regulus.

To the Dark Lord

I know I will be dead by the time you read this letter, but I want you to know that I discovered your secret, and I have taken the real Horcrux and will destroy it as soon as possible.

I'd risk my life for you, to meet your destined opponent who is merely a mortal of flesh and blood.

Amosta's calm voice disappeared, leaving only the patter of rain and the rumble of thunder in the office.

Dumbledore didn't speak. Judging from his expression, he was just as shocked as when he first saw the locket, and he seemed to be deeply moved.

Dumbledore's eyes widened, his azure pupils becoming misty. He blew his nose hard and exclaimed in amazement.

"What a noble person, a true warrior, worthy of respect--"

Immediately, Dumbledore became invigorated again. He jumped to his feet and strode around Amossta's office, his excited demeanor like that of an inspired warrior.

“Look at this, Amosta—”

Dumbledore said loudly,

"The story of this locket, the story of Regulus, they prove once again how ignorant and pathetic Voldemort is!"

He thought his power could subdue everyone, he thought fear and the threat of death could make everyone submit. But in reality, those souls with love and courage will ultimately shine, and wise men will always see through him; a wizard like him is humble and powerless!

Amostella remained unmoved, even glancing disdainfully at the glistening stain on the sofa—the residue left by Dumbledore when he blew his nose.

"We've taken another giant leap forward!"

Dumbledore said excitedly,

"The notebook, Ravenclaw's tiara, Slytherin's locket, and Hufflepuff's cup—we've destroyed two, acquired one, and I at least know the last one is a Horcrux. But how much do we not know? How many times has Tom split his soul? Oh, I don't think there's much we don't know, right, Amosta? Theoretically, a soul can split an infinite number of times, but even I can't guarantee that I'll still have a complete personality after splitting my soul ten times!"

Amosta's brow twitched slightly. In terms of the soul, his knowledge was far inferior to Dumbledore's. After all, Dumbledore had crossed some kind of boundary; he could look directly into the soul.

Since returning to Hogwarts last year and meeting Dumbledore, the sense of threat posed by the greatest wizard of our time has been decreasing, especially after the second transformation of magic on the Island of Avalon, when the difference in magical strength between the two became less obvious. However, this sense of threat has never been completely eliminated.

The strength of the soul.

This is information inadvertently revealed in Dumbledore's words.

Suddenly, Amosta remembered the 'Jellyfish World' depicted in the murals he had seen in the central temple of Avalon Island.

Theoretically speaking, Merlin from over a dozen years ago, the four founding leaders of Hogwarts a thousand years ago, and Dumbledore today should all be in the same rank. However, over time, the power they have displayed has been vastly different.

“Let me see this locket, Amosta—”

Dumbledore finally calmed down a bit. He strode over, took the locket from Amostella, and examined it more closely.

"Did you try to destroy it, Amosta?"

"Voldemort's soul fragment is hidden inside the locket, and I don't want to destroy the locket by destroying the soul fragment."

Amosta said calmly.

"Oh, yes, I understand—"

Dumbledore twitched his beard and laughed.

"It belongs to Salazar Slytherin, and it holds great significance for wizards from Slytherin House."

Dumbledore misunderstood, Amosta shook his head and explained.

“I’m not concerned with its historical value, but rather—do you see that runic symbol on it, Principal? I think I’ve seen the same one on the crown. I’ve looked up some information, but I still can’t figure out what the character means. I was planning to ask Professor Baburin; she’s an expert in this field—”

"what--"

His excessive focus on Horcruxes caused Dumbledore to lose some of his observational skills and scholarly curiosity. He had had the diadem for some time, but he had never paid attention to the symbols.

"Come to think of it, I do seem to have overlooked something important—"

Dumbledore frowned, narrowed his eyes, and pondered, as if recalling something.

"Ancient runes are divided into two categories. One category is the script used by ancient wizards for recording, and the magical world still retains most of these rune systems today. The other category..."

"Even more mysterious."

Amosta continued.

"The image is merely the most superficial feature of these runes. Their true nature is composed of patterns formed by magic from various dimensions. Therefore, these runes cannot be learned from books; they can only be mastered through hands-on learning. Today, these runes are almost completely lost. However, I have no intention of mastering the magic represented by these runes, Headmaster Dumbledore. I only want to understand their meaning. Perhaps there will be annotations in some book."

Chapter 321 Unseen Magic

2023-06-10

Dumbledore temporarily shifted his focus from the Horcrux to the locket itself. He examined the exquisitely crafted, gleaming locket in solemn silence, while Amostella remained silent, also deep in thought.

The vision of Godric Gryffindor that appeared on the island of Avalon, and the vision's final words—that the answer to all questions lies in Salazar's Chamber of Secrets—made Amostella realize that the four founding masters of Hogwarts knew about some events that would occur a thousand years in the future.

So, did Voldemort know anything about how he turned their respective families' important legendary magical artifacts into evil Horcruxes?

"Follow me, Amosta—"

Dumbledore spoke without warning, his voice serious.

"Any discoveries, Principal?"

Amosta got up as instructed and casually asked a question, but Dumbledore did not give any reply. He hurried along, leading Amosta through several corridors, and then brought him to the low tower where the headmaster's office was located.

A row of torches on both sides of the corridor in front of the principal's office dispelled the darkness and cold, but could not dispel the ancient and mysterious atmosphere that permeated the air.

The stone monster guarding the door jumped away on its own when it saw Dumbledore, without even waiting for him to give the order.

“Wait for me here, Amosta—”

After hastily uttering those words, Dumbledore went upstairs along a row of stairs along the wall to his bedroom, where he was going to retrieve something.

"Tsk tsk, am I being too hard on myself?"

Amosta strolled around the huge headmaster's office with his hands behind his back, sometimes teasing Fawkes on the golden branch, sometimes turning to the bookshelf, browsing through Dumbledore's collection of books.

"Hey, little guy!"

Suddenly, voices broke out in the quiet principal's office, their voices filled with suppressed excitement.