Simultaneously traversing: the pinnacle of all realms

Horcruxes are one of Voldemort's most core secrets, the foundation of his resurrection, and also his most vulnerable point.

Normally, such a thing should be hidden in the most secret and safest place, with layers of defense, and never allowed to be touched by outsiders.

Of course, it's also possible that Voldemort entrusted it to a follower he considered loyal, but this follower didn't seem to be as loyal as he imagined.

Lucius Malfoy eventually gave it to a little girl.

What does this tell us?

This indicates that Lucius Malfoy did not know what the diary was.

All he knew was that it was a dark magic artifact related to the Dark Lord—dangerous and potentially troublesome. After all, Voldemort was officially dead, so he wanted to sever all ties with him.

He shoved it at Ginny Weasley, hoping it would cause trouble for the Weasleys; if nothing happened, at least he'd gotten rid of this hot potato.

At least before Lucius arrived at Flourish and Blotts and met the Weasleys, the black notebook he carried with him should have ended up at Flourish and Blotts, or somewhere in Diagon Alley.

Lucius Malfoy, a shrewd pure-blood nobleman who had been cunning his whole life, was merely a warehouse keeper who helped people store their belongings, and one who didn't even know what he was guarding.

So, what would happen if the diary were left with Ginny?

The troubles that Hogwarts is set to face this year in the original storyline—the opening of the Chamber of Secrets, the petrification of students—all stem from this tattered notebook. The entire Hogwarts will be thrown into chaos.

Xavier hates chaos, so for the sake of his peaceful second year, let Dumbledore handle it.

Xavier lay down on the bed, glanced at the star stickers on the ceiling, and then closed his eyes to calm himself down.

He had never considered opening it. Although he had read countless fanfiction tales of protagonists researching Horcruxes, he hoped to use this notebook to learn knowledge that was difficult to access through normal channels at Hogwarts—such as some dark magic.

But Xavier was unwilling to do so.

A sixteen-year-old Voldemort was able to seal a fragment of his soul into an object, allowing it to control an eleven-year-old girl to open the Chamber of Secrets fifty years later.

He didn't want to touch dark magic items of this caliber.

This thing can communicate with people using words, read memories, and drain life force. He had neither interest in studying dark magic nor any intention of chatting with a fragment of Voldemort's soul.

Moreover, he didn't know what else was inside besides Tom Riddle's soul—perhaps a variant of the Imperius Curse, or some kind of more subtle and insidious bewitching spell.

In short, keep your distance and at least show respect for the power of a legendary wizard.

Handing it directly to Dumbledore was the safest solution he could think of.

He pulled out a letter and a pen—the ordinary kind. Parchment and quills are still common in the wizarding world, since in the Muggle world, parchment and quills are more suitable as collectibles.

Dear Professor Dumbledore:

[At this point, I hope readers will remember our domain name: 20 ...

I stumbled upon an item in Diagon Alley that might be a dark magic artifact. I feel it's dangerous, and for safety reasons, I haven't investigated it further. I will give it to you as soon as school starts.

Have a wonderful summer vacation!

Hufflepuff Academy Ethan Xavier

He thought for a moment and then added another paragraph.

Postscript: This item was left by Mr. Lucius Malfoy in Ginny's—that is, Ginny Weasley's—book pile at Flourish and Blotts.

He sealed the letter and had Popeye deliver it to Hogwarts.

Xavier smiled slightly—he wondered if Voldemort in the diary would be happy to find that the first person he saw was Old Dumbledore when he woke up.

After finishing this task, he wrapped the box containing the notebook in another layer of linen, and finally stuffed it into the bottom of his suitcase, under a few old school robes.

Xavier didn't go to the Leaky Cauldron again during the last few days of summer vacation.

He packed his bags at home and spent the rest of his time with his parents—like a real child.

-

Early morning, King's Cross Station, Platform 9¾, Xavier drags his suitcase through the brick wall.

Ernie was already waving at him from the platform, followed by Hannah and others; their small circle of friends had all arrived.

The crimson Hogwarts Express was puffing out steam, and the platform was packed with students and parents.

First-year students and their parents mostly gathered near the platform entrance. Older students, on the other hand, huddled together in small groups, chatting about their summer experiences and exchanging Chocolate Frog cards they had collected during the holidays.

While searching for the carriage, Ernie peeked out towards the platform entrance, then pulled back in and whispered, "It seems like something went wrong just now."

"What is it?" Justin asked.

"I'm not sure, but there were a few Gryffindors talking about it at the platform entrance, saying that someone got blocked when trying to enter the station."

"Never mind," Hannah pushed Ernie forward, "Hurry up and grab a seat, or we'll end up sitting at the back of the bus again."

The atmosphere inside the carriage was much more relaxed than last year.

Now in second grade, the cautious nervousness of freshmen has disappeared, replaced by a sense of familiarity and ease.

Hannah leaned against the window, watching the crowds seeing them off outside, and sighed from time to time.

Ernie started taking out snacks as soon as he sat down, and his figure was getting rounder and rounder—no wonder Ernie's later guardian spirit was a boar.

Justin flipped through his newly bought book. Come to think of it, Justin might seem a little slow-witted, but his grades were actually quite good. He had once said that he originally planned to attend Eton College, but after receiving his acceptance letter from Hogwarts, he switched to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and was very happy about it.

Although this had always disappointed his mother, she changed her mind after Justin showed her Gilderoy Lockhart's books.

After the train started moving, the conversation gradually shifted to this year's book list.

Lockhart's books made up the majority of the price, after all, each book cost three gallons and nine siscos. Ernie groaned after counting on his fingers, while Justin said with a bitter face that his dad thought the bookstore was doing bundled sales.

Susan was quite pleased. She had been following Lockhart's complete works since summer vacation, and even had a Lockhart badge pinned to her backpack, supposedly a freebie she received at a book signing. As she spoke, she opened a copy of "Breaking Up with the Ghost" to show Hannah Lockhart's flamboyant signature on the title page.

As the train passed through the valley, the sky gradually darkened. Clouds rolled in from the west, obscuring the afternoon sun, and rain began to fall outside the window.

Justin was flipping through a magazine when he suddenly pointed sharply out the window: "My God! Look at that!"

Everyone crowded around.