From Hogwarts to Sturhaven

The burning pain emanating from the Dark Mark on his left arm told Lucius that the Dark Lord could not have simply vanished.

Regardless of whether the young man named Ivy Doom before him was Voldemort himself, or a young dark wizard with even greater potential than Voldemort, Lucius could not allow himself to remain indifferent.

Whether it was regaining Voldemort's trust or placing the safety of his family back on the shoulders of another "Dark Lord," Lucius knew he had to take action.

The other party showed no intention of accepting the olive branch previously extended, so perhaps the Malfoy family would have to offer something more substantial.

For example, Slytherin's Chamber of Secrets.

When Lucius was one of Voldemort's most trusted Death Eaters, he once received a diary from Voldemort.

His master was plotting an evil scheme, hoping that Lucius would put the diary back into Hogwarts at the right time, use it to open the Chamber of Secrets, release the Basilisk to destroy the Muggle wizards in the castle, and thus undermine Dumbledore's authority as headmaster.

Unfortunately, before the plan could be put into action, Voldemort was killed by his own "Avada Kedavra".

Therefore, Lucius secretly kept this dark magic item that could open the secret room for 11 years, until Arthur Weasley led a raid on Malfoy Manor and searched extensively for dark magic items.

The diary undoubtedly had a better place to go now, and regardless of whether Ivy Doom was Voldemort or not, Lucius believed he would be happy to see this dark magic item with its unusual power and significance.

“Mr. Doom,” Lucius stood up from behind the table and extended an invitation to Ivy, who was still stroking the scales of the little dragon, “I know Draco promised you a few dark magic items, but I believe you must also be interested in the Malfoy family’s other collections. Why don’t we move to the basement and take a look together?”

In the flickering firelight of the fireplace, Ivy's eyes quietly lit up.

Chapter 66 Christmas Gifts

The Malfoy family's secret vault was built beneath the living room, essentially a basement.

It was pitch black here, with no other light source except for the light emanating from the wand.

Although the basement was decorated to the same standard as the above-ground buildings, Ivy's discerning eye found it utterly useless, serving only as a dungeon.

There was no magic to enchant the walls to mitigate the damage caused by dark magic to the building itself; there were no good insulation measures, so the potion ingredients placed here would soon be covered in mold; and there were no measures to counter Apparition, so before throwing a prisoner in, it was a hassle to confiscate his wand to ensure he wouldn't escape.

As for those so-called black magic items, they are just common, ineffective items.

It was either human tissue belonging to Muggles or wizards that was hard to tell, including broken teeth, skulls wrapped in dried flesh, and blackened severed hands.

Or it could be luxurious personal items, including silk scarves embroidered with hydrangeas, blood-red ballet shoes, exquisite tea sets, and armchairs piled high with cushions.

In Ivy's eyes, these little gadgets were nothing more than black magic items.

Because at most, they might blind a few people, break a few bones, or cause a serious illness. As long as the person affected isn't too stubborn and seeks medical attention promptly, they have a good chance of survival.

Ivy even felt that the dark magic items piled up in the basement were not as deadly as his few biting cabbages.

“Look at this, Ivy.” Malfoy walked over holding something that looked like a nightcap. “This is a nightcap that can suffocate your enemies in their sleep! Isn’t it cool!”

“I think…” Ivy carefully considered her words, then sadly realized that no matter what, this nightcap was utter garbage. “No one would be stupid enough to go to bed wearing a nightcap given to them by their rival.”

Malfoy's excited expression froze instantly. After examining the nightcap in his hand again, he threw it aside without hesitation and continued rummaging through the various dark magic items while cursing.

“Mr. Doom,” Lucius approached Ivy cautiously when his son wasn’t looking, “it seems the Malfoy family’s collection hasn’t satisfied you?”

"Perhaps." Ivy remained noncommittal, watching the little dragon on her shoulder plunge headfirst into the nightcap that Malfoy had tossed aside.

"I wonder if you've ever heard of the Chamber of Secrets in Slytherin?" Lucius tried to make his voice sound mysterious, while Narcissa looked terrified upon hearing the word "Chamber of Secrets."

Ivy looked Lucius up and down. He had thought he would have to use the Imperius Curse to get Voldemort's diary, but he didn't expect that the suggestive power of his gaze would be enough to make Lucius bring up the Chamber of Secrets in Slytherin.

“Which Slytherin doesn’t know this?” Ivy smiled. “The most ambitious of the four leaders, the Chamber of Secrets is his most famous legacy at Hogwarts.”

“That’s right,” Lucius followed up, pulling out an ordinary-looking notebook. “It’s said that the secret of Slytherin’s Chamber of Secrets is hidden inside. Unfortunately, it’s a blank book, and I don’t have the ability to decipher it.”

The notebook was given to Lucius by Voldemort himself. While Voldemort was alive, he didn't dare to study it; after Voldemort disappeared, he had no reason to open it. In short, Lucius wisely avoided touching this secret that didn't belong to him.

“But perhaps, as the most outstanding Slytherin of the century, Mr. Doom has the ability to unravel the mystery.” Lucius stepped forward and placed the black-covered notebook in Ivy’s hands.

Ivy didn't speak, but smiled and flipped through the notebook in her hands. Apart from a name written in blurry black letters on the first page, "Tom M. Riddle," there was indeed no other text on it.

The notebook's last page bears the name of its dealer: a newsstand on Vauxhall Road in London. Of all Voldemort's Horcruxes, this notebook appears to be the only one acquired through legitimate channels.

“Very good.” Ivy put the notebook away and stared intently into Lucius’s eyes. “It is indeed the most powerful dark magic artifact in this building.”

Looking into Ivy's dark eyes and his ambiguous smile, Lucius suddenly felt a pang of regret, regretting that he had so easily handed it over to Ivy.

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Early on Christmas morning, Ivy was awakened by the hooting of owls and the sound of their flapping wings.

In a guest room of the Malfoy family mansion, Ivy's ceramic dragon is flying around chasing the owl in the room.

Ivy couldn't understand who would write to her, especially so many letters... There was also a row of owls standing outside the window. Although the window was only slightly ajar, none of them dared to fight the fire dragon, even though the dragon was smaller than them.

Ivy reached out and called back Xiaolong, got up to check the situation, and then let out a soft exclamation of realization.

The owls had come to deliver Christmas presents to him.

In his past life, the most Christmas-related gift Ivy had given or received was an ordinary apple; he never imagined there was a custom of exchanging gifts on this day.

Over a hundred years ago, when he was studying at Hogwarts, he spent most of his time fighting crime and rescuing magical creatures in the Forbidden Forest, and hadn't really noticed that Christmas existed. Because Ivy didn't often return to his dormitory, he usually slept directly in the Room of Requirement.

When he was inside the Room of Requirement, the owl's location spell obviously failed, so Ivy didn't receive any Christmas gifts, let alone give any in return.

Looking back now, his classmates did seem hesitant to speak during those days, but everyone knew Ivy was very busy, so in the end no one told him about the Christmas present.

Most of the gifts brought by the owl came from Slytherin students at Hogwarts, even though Ivy didn't remember each of their names.

There are candy, dresses, tools for maintaining flying brooms, books of dark magic, mirrors that can give outfit advice, and a huge number of greeting cards.

Ivy initially considered returning all the gifts, but the idea of ​​following the rules vanished from his mind in just a second.

Finally, he decided to write a greeting card for everyone in response, though not by hand, of course. Remember? Ivy was a Scribe mage who possessed a magical quill that could write automatically, and the words it produced could freely change color, making it perfect for writing greeting cards.

Chapter 67 Light Wheel 2001

In addition to the gifts from the Slytherin students, Ivy also received gifts from some people he felt it was necessary to return the favor.

Ivy shook the kraft paper package near her ear, confirming that it contained candy. The greeting card was written in a handwriting with nested circles, and it contained only one sentence: "Zzzy Bee Candy, I believe you will like it."

Needless to say, it came from Dumbledore the Old Bee.

Several stacks of books were delivered by owls, all from the same person—Hermione.

Ivy opened it and looked at it. The leather cover of the fine edition had the words "Encyclopædia Britannica – Index I" written in gold lettering.

That's right, this thing has three volumes of catalogs alone. If you gave it to Ron, he could probably use it as a pillow.

"Does he expect me, an old relic from over a hundred years ago, to know more about modern society?" Ivy unpacked them all and put them into the Book of Destruction.

Next came a rough package, the bow tied crookedly, reflecting the owner's not-so-nimble fingers.

Inside the rough package was a small, hastily made statue, but Ivy could still tell it was a hippogriff.

“Without a doubt, from Hagrid.” Ivy nodded, picked up the hastily drawn statue, and set it aside, revealing a packet of candy underneath. Judging from its milky white texture, it might have used cream, but each of these irregularly shaped homemade candies was as hard as a pebble.

"Is Hagrid planning to make some gummy candies?" Ivy was very skeptical. After all, he was a tough guy who could make rock cakes that looked exactly like real rocks, so it would be quite reasonable for him to make some gummy candies that looked like pebbles.

“It’s definitely because it’s too cold that these gummies have frozen into pebbles.” Ivy stopped her unfounded speculation and came up with a plausible reason for Hagrid.

Then came a soft package, the only one not delivered by an owl.

A magnificent nightcap, a generous gift from young Malfoy, accompanied by a note explaining its purpose: "You're right, Ivy. No one would go to bed wearing a nightcap sent by their enemy. But I see your little dragon seems to like it quite a bit, so you can give it to it as a nest! — Draco. PS: Have you thought of a name for the little dragon yet? I recommend Nightsmoke."

The other two members of the trio, Harry and Ron, apparently, like Ivy, hadn't thought to give a gift either.

However, this is also good, as it reduces the burden on the monk's pen to write greeting cards.

Next comes the time for returning the favor.

Ivy opened the Grimoire of Destruction and carefully checked her collection.

There were hundreds of wands belonging to various dark wizards, which certainly couldn't be given away as gifts. This was not only because the quality of these wands varied greatly, but also because their origins were unknown. Ivy himself had destroyed the wand he often used to cast "Avada Kedavra," let alone these others.

However, it would be good to find some time to break them all down into materials. If Ivy can gain enough experience points, turning all of these things into fireball wands would be a good option.

Aside from drops from dark wizards, the Grimoire of Destruction contains a vast amount of magical creature materials, with phoenix feathers being a particularly representative example.

Over a hundred years ago, Ivy rescued a large number of magical creatures in various ways, and later, with the help of the house-elf Dick, kept them all in the Room of Requirement. However, after so many years, the Room of Requirement is now empty. Ivy has not only failed to find a single trace of magical creatures inside, but even the house-elf Dick has vanished without a trace.

In response, Ivy even visited the kitchen next to the Hufflepuff common room. The house-elves working there respected Ivy, but none of them could tell him where Dico was.

Only the various magical creature materials that still exist in the Grimoire of Destruction can prove that Ivy once rescued them.

Giving phoenix feathers as a Christmas return gift was obviously too extravagant, so Ivy prepared a few tail feathers from a bird of prey.

These blue-green birds are also very beautiful, with their blue-green tail feathers shimmering with a rather dreamy color. Furthermore, their feathers can be used to make truth serum and memory potion, giving them some value.

Ivy planned to turn them into quills, add spell-checking magic, and inscribe a first-circle spell, the psychedelic manuscript, into them. This would allow the quill to write unreadable coded messages three times a day, perfect for misbehaving in class.

As for the return gift for Hagrid, that was even simpler.

Ivy drew her wand and conjured a ball of fire out of thin air. Then she directed the fudge that Hagrid had brought to line up and enter the fire. Once they had softened enough, she used magic to reshape them.

"Hmm, my skills are far superior to Hagrid's." Ivy let out a smug hum as she watched the syrup gradually solidify into a lifelike little statue.

Similar to the sculpture Hagrid sent, the statue made of fudge is also a hippogriff, but with an additional person on its back. He wears a mole fur coat and has messy hair and a beard, making him instantly recognizable as Hagrid himself.

Ivy's activating spell also granted them the ability to fly, allowing them to vividly recreate the scene of Buckbeak carrying Hagrid into the sky that day.

As for Dumbledore the Old Bee, Ivy knew that his most desired Christmas present would undoubtedly be Tom Riddle's diary, but that was the one thing Ivy could never give him. After all, it was one of Voldemort's Horcruxes, and Ivy had never played with the soul belonging to the Dark Lord before.

Ivy wouldn't just let go of him without thoroughly investigating him inside and out.

So let's postpone the gift for Dumbledore; perhaps a dozen wool socks would be a good alternative.