From Hogwarts to Sturhaven

"A salvo of ten thousand bullets!"

"A senior student with a huge clump of snow stuffed down his neck retaliated, and many snowballs spontaneously formed, flying towards the red-haired children."

Ivy recognized the Weasley siblings, and the one who pulled out his wand to retaliate was also a redhead, Percy, who had become a prefect last year. It seems his younger siblings don't have much affection for this hypocritical older brother.

"I'm sorry, Professor McGonagall!" Percy's ears turned bright red.

A snowball hit Professor McGonagall right in the face as she went outside to breathe in the cold winter air.

Professor McGonagall glared at Percy, spat out the snow from her mouth, and then mercilessly commanded the snowman to launch an attack.

"Oh!" Harry and Hermione were startled; their snowman had suddenly come to life. The round creature used Filch's broom as arms, and its two short, pillar-like legs raced across the snow, quickly catching up with the Weasleys.

Then, the snowman pulled up his crooked head, used his pointed carrot nose as a sight, and swung his broom arm to throw it out.

"Ouch!" With Ginny Weasley's scream, Ron was hit squarely on the back of the head and fell face-first onto the thick, blanket-like snow.

His two older brothers breathed a sigh of relief and immediately started laughing at their younger brother.

But before they could even laugh a second time, the snowman pounced on them, pinning them down and burying them in the snow.

Percy, the instigator on the other side, wasn't faring any better; a snowman, also with its head raised, was chasing him all over the place. The Gryffindor prefect, who hadn't been exercising, was clearly no match for the snowman in running, and thus became the third graveyard in the snow.

"Gryffindor gets 10 points," Ivy heard Professor McGonagall say proudly.

Ivy is starting to think about joining them; maybe he can create an avalanche and bury everyone in it?

Just as Ivy was pondering what pattern to carve on the snow waves, a phoenix-shaped guardian spirit brought a message: "Get ready, we're setting off for Little Hangleton today."

That was Dumbledore's voice. Using Patronus to deliver messages was his unique invention.

Ivy had planned to check what gifts he had received today, but it was clearly not the right time, so he prepared his prayer list and left the empty classroom.

Today he specifically added some Protection spells to his preparation spells, including 1st-level Protection against Evil, 3rd-level Removal of Curses, and 6th-level Spell Nullification Ward.

Because he remembered that Voldemort had placed a deadly curse on Marvolo Gaunt's gold ring.

Although Ivy herself is a master of curses, it's always good to be prepared.

The 6th-ring spell nullification barrier can continuously negate all spell effects within a 10-foot radius and can last for one minute.

The third ring's removal spell can terminate the curse's effect and sever the cursed item's connection to the wearer. In the unlikely event that Dumbledore irrationally puts on the ring, this spell could save him from losing an arm.

As for the first-level protective spell, which gives the protected target an advantage against certain types of creatures, Ivy thinks that Voldemort should be considered an undead creature at this point, so the spell should be effective.

Chapter 186 Little Hangleton

Little Hangerton fits all the stereotypes people have about rural villages.

Ignorant villagers, sparsely clean streets, rude accents, and watchdogs that bark occasionally.

Aside from the church and cemetery, the only public facility left in the village is a tavern with an ominous name, "Hanger Tavern." But there are no hanged ghosts in the tavern; there are only rumors, gossip, and everyday chatter.

Little Hangleton doesn't even have a police station.

If a murder occurs in the village, you have to go to the town of Big Hangleton, which is 6 miles away, to report it.

However, small places also have their advantages, namely, it is difficult for some public security cases to occur.

The last time the village had an incident requiring a police investigation was fifty years ago.

The murder occurred on a hillside outside the village, where there was a grand mansion called Riddle House.

On a summer dawn, when a maid entered the living room, she found the entire Riddle family of three dead.

The Riddle family of three did not die from poisoning, nor did they have any wounds from sharp weapons or bullets, nor were they suffocated or strangled. They were simply "dead," lifeless, or rather, their souls were taken by Death.

Because the Riddle family's deaths were so bizarre and rare, even fifty years later, the villagers still frequently bring it up for discussion. Through generations of embellishment and repeated retellings, the original story has long been forgotten, and many different versions have even emerged.

Christmas is a time for the whole family to sit together, and it's also the best time to tell stories. Ivy, who was passing through Little Hangleton, had already heard at least three different versions.

The most interesting one he found was that young Riddle had a one-night stand in a big city, which led to a pregnant girl committing suicide for him. His unborn child then became a vengeful spirit, which took fifteen years to find the place where his biological father lived. The old Riddle family of three died at the hands of this vengeful spirit.

Ivy and Dumbledore passed by one cabin after another, listening to the laughter and chatter coming from inside.

The fresh snow left no dark tire tracks or footprints, and each step made a crunching sound. However, due to the illusion spell, the villagers did not notice the passersby outside the window.

Riddle House is located on a nearby hillside, overlooking the entire village.

Several windows were sealed off, the roof tiles were broken and incomplete, and the withered ivy still refused to loosen its roots stuck in the cracks between the bricks, even when it was covered with white snow.

Old gardener Frank Bryce was warming himself by the fire in his little cabin, his leg, injured in the war, aching terribly in the weather. Anyway, the wealthy man who had bought Riddle House never cared about it, so old Frank could sleep peacefully in his cabin.

Ivy tapped the lock with her wand, and with a click, Riddle House opened its doors to them.

The floor and stone steps were covered with a thick layer of dust. Old Frank couldn't even handle the weeds in the yard, so how could he possibly deal with this ubiquitous dust?

Besides Dumbledore's high-top boots and Ivy's deerskin boots, there were a few footprints in the dust.

They were smaller than the two people's footprints, and were probably some adventurous teenagers from the village.

“This isn’t exactly a remote place,” Ivy said, looking around at the dusty old house.

“Tom has always been a child who loves collecting souvenirs.” Dumbledore’s blue eyes scanned every inch of space with sharp eyes.

“He started bullying his classmates when he was still in the orphanage,” Dumbledore said, using magic to move the sofa in the living room and turn over the carpet that had been gnawed by insects several times. “Not only that, he would collect ‘trophies’ as if they were proof of his past achievements.”

“This is where he murdered his biological father. For him, it’s like saying goodbye to the Muggle blood in his veins. It should have enough significance.” Dumbledore waved his wand, restoring all the furniture in the living room to its original positions.

Flames rose from the fireplace, which was completely devoid of ash, bringing a touch of warmth to the empty, dilapidated, and cold room.

“Since he’s determined to completely sever ties with his Muggle father and Muggle blood, it’s unlikely he’d leave the Horcrux here,” Ivy analyzed. “Perhaps he’d prefer to leave the ring in the messy Gaunt mansion?”

“Oh…” Dumbledore raised his face and smiled slightly. “You’re right, Ivy! Voldemort hates his Muggle blood, so how could he possibly leave a part of his soul here? I’m even more confident that I can find his Horcrux today. I hope Voldemort won’t let us leave empty-handed.”

Through the stained window, Ivy noticed that it was snowing again outside.

Dumbledore noticed this as well. He used his wand to clear the dust from the room and conjured two chairs. "We'd better wait until the snow stops before we move on. The road to Gaunt's Old House isn't easy to travel."

Seeing Ivy sit down in the chair, Dumbledore said softly, "Perhaps we can talk about Voldemort's Horcruxes? That diary?"

“There’s a memory of Tom’s in that diary,” Ivy paused before continuing, “a memory disguised by magic. Voldemort planned to use it to cause chaos at Hogwarts. But the plan ultimately failed because Lucius gave it to me.”

"It seems Voldemort possessed a great many Horcruxes..." Dumbledore said. "Horcruxes are objects that dark wizards should carefully preserve, but Voldemort treated them as weapons, perhaps preparing to lose them all along. I just wonder how many Horcruxes he actually made..."

The Riddle House fell silent, with only the faint sound of snowflakes falling to the ground.

“Last time you went to Azkaban…” Ivy didn’t finish her sentence.

"Visiting a house-elf." Dumbledore made no attempt to hide anything. "Voldemort has never taken house-elves seriously."

“I thought Azkaban was a place to imprison wizards,” Ivy said. He already knew who the house-elf was, though he didn’t remember her name, but he knew she had served the descendants of Helga Hufflepuff.

“Some intelligent non-human beings were also imprisoned there, including werewolves and goblins.” Dumbledore adjusted his posture. “The house-elf was named Hodge, and her family had served the Hepzba family for generations. Through her memories, I have almost confirmed Voldemort’s other two Horcruxes.”

Hufflepuff's golden cup, and Slytherin's locket.

Sure enough, Dumbledore said, "The relics of the four great masters of Hogwarts: Hufflepuff's golden cup and Slytherin's locket. The former is a family heirloom of the Hepzba family, and the latter was once owned by Voldemort's mother. If you remember the memories we saw before, you should recall that Morfin Gaunt mentioned it."

Ivy nodded slightly without saying a word.

Dumbledore's gaze lingered above his head; Ivy had felt a similar gaze whenever he saw Dumbledore in recent weeks.

“I think… since two of the Four Great Relics’ relics have already been turned into Horcruxes by Voldemort, could he also be eyeing the other relics?” Dumbledore sat up straight, his fingertips touching, a gesture he often used when thinking. “The Gryffindor Sorting Hat and sword have been kept in the Headmaster’s office, so he hasn’t had a chance to get them. What about Ravenclaw’s tiara?”

Ivy rubbed a ring on his finger, a recently created marvel—the Caution Ring.

The effect is very simple: the Caution Ring can magically conceal the armor worn by the wearer and the weapons they have hidden, either making them invisible or creating the illusion of ordinary clothing.

As Ivy moved, the Ravenclaw tiara, hidden by the Careful Ring, reappeared, its sapphire refracting starlight and making the whole room look dreamlike.

“Nothing can escape your eyes, Dumbledore,” Ivy chuckled.

“I don’t think you have any intention of hiding it at all.” Dumbledore’s white beard twitched and he laughed. “There are quite a few Ministry of Magic officials who have seen Professor Victor wearing a crown.”

"So...it's not a Horcrux?" Dumbledore stared at the points of light refracted from the sapphire. "Such beautiful light...is this the result of the magical ritual you performed at the school last time?"

“It used to be a Horcrux.” Ivy rubbed the ring on her hand again, and the dazzling crown disappeared again. “But even I couldn’t eliminate its Horcrux nature while ensuring that the crown itself wouldn’t be destroyed. The crown you saw before was the result of my restoration.”

"The reason you didn't tell me about the Ravenclaw tiara is because you're afraid I'll make you return it?" Dumbledore asked with great interest.

Ivy curled her lip: "I did have those concerns, but even if you really said that this crown should belong to Hogwarts, I wouldn't give it to you."

Dumbledore laughed, knowing that Voldemort was missing two Horcruxes, which made him very happy: "Where did you find it?"

"The Room of Requirement. Voldemort placed it on top of a bust." Ivy didn't tell him that it was Cassandra who discovered the crown.

“No wonder… It seems Voldemort really did place the Horcruxes in places that held extraordinary significance for him. If we can confirm that Marvolo’s gold ring is in Gaunt’s old house, the rest of the Horcruxes will be easier to find.” Dumbledore’s wrinkles smoothed out; since becoming the headmaster of Hogwarts, no Christmas had made him so happy.

"The diary, the crown, the golden cup and the locket, and the remaining gold ring..." Dumbledore recounted each of Voldemort's Horcruxes, sighing and shaking his head. "His depravity and horror terrify me, but I wonder if Voldemort created any more Horcruxes besides these five..."

“Not five items.” Ivy stood up from her chair, noticing that the snow outside had stopped. “You forgot about Harry.”

Dumbledore's expression vanished, and after a long silence, he said, "Harry... he's still just a child..."

“He is also my friend.” Ivy began to restore every item in the Riddle mansion to its original state, striving to leave no trace.

“If…” Dumbledore hesitated greatly, “If we find Marvolo’s gold ring… I have something to tell you about Harry…”

Having said this, Dumbledore rose from his chair and joined Ivy in restoring the furnishings of Riddle Hall.

Under the manipulation of the two magical masters, Riddle House quickly returned to its original state of disrepair, with thick dust covering the ground again, and all traces indicating that Ivy and Dumbledore had ever visited disappeared.

Walking along the snow-covered country lanes again, all the footprints Ivy and Dumbledore had left not long ago had disappeared.

The two turned at a gap in the fence and entered a hedge full of withered branches.