Hogwarts' Golden Glory

The crystal chandelier in the banquet hall suddenly flickered a few times.

House-elves pushed a display stand covered in deep red velvet into the venue.

A crystal dome stands on the table, refracting seven colors of light under the lamp.

Fudge, with his round belly sticking out, gently tapped the champagne glass with his wand.

"ladies and gentlemen!"

Fudge's voice trembled slightly because he had raised it too high.

"Tonight I am honored to present to you a precious artifact from the French Ministry of Magic—"

With a wave of his wand, the crystal dome slowly rose, revealing a fist-sized sapphire floating inside.

Inside the gemstone, it seems as if a galaxy is flowing, with starlight slowly rotating in the deep blue, emitting a dreamlike halo.

"Starry Sapphire!" Fudge exclaimed, spreading his arms wide.

"This is a treasure forged by the Fairy King during the Second Fairy Rebellion!"

A gasp of amazement immediately filled the banquet hall.

The girls in the room covered their mouths, while the boys stared wide-eyed.

The blue glow emanating from the gemstones reflected on everyone's faces, casting a mysterious veil over the entire hall.

"It's said that this gem can store memories and magic!"

Fudge wiped the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief.

"The holder can store all their life's learning into it; even the master Nicolas Flamel studied its mysteries!"

The crowd gasped in amazement once again.

A female official from the French Ministry of Magic excitedly told her colleague, "My grandfather mentioned this gem in his notes! It's said to be able to preserve a person's entire memory!"

In the corner, Kane Malfoy's grey-blue eyes narrowed slightly.

He noticed that the facets of the gemstone were too regular, clearly indicating modern craftsmanship.

The flowing starlight inside is beautiful, but its unique wave pattern is also striking.

He had seen bioluminescent jellyfish in Black Lake with the exact same bioluminescence pattern.

Dumbledore stood beside Kane, a knowing glint in his blue eyes behind his crescent-shaped spectacles.

He took a small sip of mead and whispered to Kane beside him, "An interesting choice, using bioluminescent jellyfish extract. At least more creative than the dyed moonstone from last time."

"That's amazing!" An exaggerated voice suddenly broke the solemn atmosphere.

Gilderoy Lockhart squeezed to the front row, his golden braids swinging back and forth with his movements.

"I described the exact same treasure in my book, *Dancing with Memories*!"

He waved his hands exaggeratedly, almost hitting an elderly witch next to him.

"Minister Fudge!" Lockhart exclaimed excitedly, his voice loud enough to be heard throughout the banquet hall.

"To ensure the safety of this item, please allow me to personally guard this precious treasure! Back in Tibet, I successfully stopped the Yeti from stealing my treasure using my unique 'Anti-Theft Golden Light Mantra'!"

A few snickers came from the crowd.

Director Montclair of the French Ministry of Magic and several other officials exchanged uneasy glances.

Clearly, Lockhart's sudden disruption ruined their plans.

"This... thank you very much for your kindness, Gilderoy."

Fudge chuckled and took a half-step back, the beads of sweat on his forehead becoming even more pronounced. "However, the Ministry of Magic has already arranged for professional Aurors..."

"But my protective spells are battle-tested!" Lockhart insisted, pulling out his wand.

"For example, the 'Memory Guardian Charm' I invented in Peru is so powerful that even the most cunning memory thieves..."

His words were interrupted by an even louder gasp of surprise.

Suddenly, the gemstone emitted an even stronger blue light, and the starlight flowed faster.

Blurry images were projected into the air—ancient castles, flying dragons, fighting wizards...

"Look!" exclaimed a wizard, "The gem is displaying the memories it stores!"

"This is amazing!" The girls excitedly tugged at each other's sleeves.

A cold smile appeared on Kane's lips.

These so-called "memory images" are nothing more than simple projection magic that any fifth-grade student could perform.

But the crowd, captivated by the beauty of the gemstones, clearly believed it to be true.

Fleur Delacour stood at the edge of the crowd, her silver hair gleaming coolly in the blue light of the jewels.

Her gaze swept back and forth between Fudge, Jewel, and Kane.

When she saw the undisguised sarcasm on Kane's face, she raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" Fudge raised his voice, "Please move to the rose garden on the north side! We will officially launch the gemstone display ceremony under the starry sky!"

The crowd began to move toward the garden, everyone wanting to get closer to that enchanting gem.

Lockhart squeezed to the front, constantly telling his fictional adventure stories to those around him.

"I saw similar treasures when I was in Egypt,"

He shouted to a French witch, "I used a simple anti-curse to..."

Kane did not follow the crowd; instead, he retreated to a darker corner.

His gaze was fixed on the gemstone base.

There is an almost invisible engraving of the Ministry of Magic's insignia, a typical tracker mounting location.

"You've spotted the problem?"

Furong's voice suddenly rang out beside her.

She had somehow disappeared from the crowd and was now elegantly concealing her lips with a wine glass.

Kane didn't turn around, his voice so soft only she could hear: "A 1987 Venice replica. Filled with glowing jellyfish liquid, worth no more than fifty Galleons. Anyone who buys it will lose out, anyone who buys it will be ripped off."

Hibiscus's eyelashes trembled slightly: "But everyone believed it was true."

"Because people only want to see what they want to see."

Kane's gaze swept over the fascinated crowd, "Just like they believe Lockhart's ridiculous adventure stories."

In the rose garden, the gemstones are displayed on a specially made display stand.

Against the backdrop of the night sky, it appeared even more mysterious and enchanting. Lockhart continued his incessant boasting, and a group of admirers had already gathered around him.

"When I was in Tibet..."

"The best way to deal with memory thieves..."

"Chapter 37 of my book, *Dancing with Memories*, details..."

Dumbledore stood on the periphery of the crowd, his eyes behind his half-moon spectacles gleaming with wisdom.

Fudge wiped the sweat from his brow, his face beaming. "Now, I'd like to invite a lucky guest to activate the gem's full power!"

Fudge's smile froze for a moment.

Then he pointed his rounded finger in Kane's direction, deliberately raising his voice by an octave:

"Let's welcome young Mr. Malfoy to demonstrate the magical power of this gem!"

All eyes turned to Kane in the corner.

The other person looked like a young wizard, and there was nothing strange about him.

"I appreciate the minister's kindness," Kane said, refusing outright. After all, what was the point of showing off a fake?

"But it is more appropriate for such a precious treasure to be displayed by someone who knows it better."

Lucius's eyes were now narrowed into slits.

His years of political acumen made him immediately realize that something was amiss.

In stark contrast to the two of them was Draco.

The blond boy's eyes lit up, and his face was full of eagerness.

"Kane!" He couldn't help but tug at his brother's sleeve. "If you're not going up, let me go up!"