I, Hogwarts Second Time Around.

Chapter 211 The Mysticism of Horcruxes

"Should we encourage Sirius to keep up the good work?"

Irving raised his eyebrows.

He said it flippantly.

The sound instantly made Hermione clench her fists.

Those defiant eyes, that arrogant face—I really wanted to punch him.

"That's right, haha!"

But these words resonated strongly with Ron.

Their joyful laughter echoed through the Ravenclaw table and reached the Slytherins.

The little wizard on the other side immediately clenched his fist.

Hermione frowned as she looked at the three arrogant men in front of her. To her, this method of fighting violence with violence was not honorable. Although she herself often found herself involved in it, she had never been proud of it or advocated this approach.

There should be a more advanced way to end the endless cycle of conflict between the four academies.

This is a question she has been pondering.

Ultimately, all she could think of was to use an even bigger crisis to divert attention from internal conflicts.

"The wizarding world is in an unprecedented crisis right now. Voldemort is watching us closely. We've only destroyed one of his Horcruxes, and he certainly has more. We should unite and not continue to fight amongst ourselves," she said.

It was righteous and awe-inspiring, yet absolutely correct.

Hermione's point is valid; the current development of the wizarding world has indeed deviated somewhat from Owen's expectations.

It's even more chaotic than the first playthrough.

After all, the only confusion in the first playthrough was the characters' genders and races. Without much intervention from him, the story remained largely the same as the original work until the sixth grade.

But now—

Everyone already knows that Voldemort has been resurrected.

Given the current situation in the UK, whether it's the Quidditch World Cup this summer or the Triwizard Tournament next year...

It's unlikely that it will be held at all.

After all, other houses and the Ministry of Magic wouldn't allow their students and wizards to be in danger.

The Christmas attacks have proven that Hogwarts is not safe enough.

At least that's the case for foreign wizards.

"Voldemort will not succeed. He was doomed to fail from the start. That's what the history of magic and the history of Muggles tell me," Owen said, then walked toward the Hufflepuff bench.

Everyone else followed.

A short while later, Harry, who was confronting Slytherin, also came over.

The Slytherin wizards, who were slightly more intelligent, probably feared Sirius Black behind Harry, and despite their numbers, they didn't make a move.

After all, everyone in the school knows that Sirius Black is Harry's godfather.

His Black family background drew the attention of many young Slytherin wizards.

Although Sirius Black had long been expelled from the family, he was, after all, the only living male heir of the British Black family.

Harry, as his godson, will inevitably inherit everything from the Black family in the future.

This stirred up the thoughts of children from pure-blood families.

It's important to know that in the entire British wizarding world, if there's any family that can rival the Malfoys in terms of wealth, it's the Blacks.

Moreover, Harry is quite good-looking; the third-year Savior is at the peak of his good looks.

Many of the Slytherin girls harbored some strange thoughts.

Not all pure-blood families were on Voldemort's side.

Most of the pure-blooded families that have survived to this day are seasoned veterans.

How could they possibly put all their eggs in one basket?

The Rozier family's practice of casting a wide net is typical of them.

Aside from Voldemort's die-hard fans, most pure-blood families had an ambiguous attitude towards Harry.

The Potters are an ancient family that has been passed down to this day.

"What are you talking about?" Harry asked happily as he sat down on the bench next to Owen.

"We were talking about Horcruxes," Owen said.

Harry's expression darkened as soon as he said that.

This reminded him of what had happened at the Black family's ancestral home.

"Harry, don't interrupt." Hermione stopped Harry and then asked Owen a question on her own.

"What did you mean by what you just said? What history?" she asked eagerly.

Upon hearing this, Owen didn't answer directly. Instead, he looked at her seriously and asked, "Do you think Voldemort will succeed?"

"Me?" Hermione paused for a moment, then said firmly, "No, of course not."

"Hmm—I hope it doesn't succeed." Owen looked at Hermione's cheek, and for some reason, he remembered a fan fiction novel he had read in his previous life.

That story describes how, after Voldemort's success, in order to promote population growth, all witches who were not born pure-blooded became—tools of production.

A story he didn't like.

"What do you think?" he asked the other young wizards.

"Of course he'll fail." Harry's answer was much more straightforward than Hermione's; it almost came out of his mouth.

As for the others, they were all somewhat hesitant, but they all believed that Voldemort would not succeed.

Because as long as Dumbledore is around, he has no chance of succeeding.

This is what most young wizards believe.

"The tarot cards tell him he won't succeed." At this point, Luna joined the conversation. She mysteriously pulled several tarot cards with dazzling images from her pocket and said very seriously, "The Mysterious Man is destined to fail."

"That's right, I agree with Luna on this point." Owen finally began to explain his theory, "When interpreting Horcruxes, we can't look at it materialistically. After all, the magical world is full of mysticism."

"I wrote a short article, which was originally intended for my cousin, but I can tell you about it first."

He didn't pull out any parchment, but instead stated directly: "A mystical symbol of Horcruxes."

The concepts of seeking, soul, death, immortality, and commitment are unique to Horcruxes and Voldemort.

Let's analyze the dual symbolic meaning of Horcruxes: on the one hand, they symbolize the authority of a monarch, and on the other hand, they symbolize the immortality possessed only by gods.

Voldemort's quest for the Horcruxes was an unprecedented endeavor, much like the Muggle quest for the Holy Grail. The Holy Grail, like the Horcruxes he chose to house and the relics of their founders, possessed a certain mystical quality, whether in a religious or political sense.

Like Muggle monarchs throughout history, he attached his faith to relics of the past, which embodied and symbolized the monarch's authority. Kings took pride in their ancestors, coats of arms, and bloodlines, thus proclaiming the legitimacy of their accession and rule. Voldemort, who also proclaimed himself "the noble heir of Slaterlin," was no exception to this principle.

Professor Dumbledore knew this very well, so he could guess the number of Horcruxes Voldemort possessed and what they would likely be.

When he learned that there was more than one Horcrux, the number 'seven' naturally came to mind, because in medieval times, the number seven symbolized 'completeness and perfection.' After that, all he needed was evidence to prove his guess.

Owen picked up the silver cup on the long table, took a sip of pumpkin juice, and said, "As for the relic that became a Horcrux, that's even easier to guess."

Voldemort's pride and sense of superiority, as well as his determination to occupy an astonishing place in the history of magic, make us believe that it was inevitable that he would choose the relics of the four houses as his Horcruxes.

When I discovered the first one, the other three naturally came to mind.

In addition, the characters are placed in the roles of ancient Muggle monarchs.

On each coronation, a monarch is required to wear a ring to signify the exalted status of the royal family. Like other symbols of royal power, the ring serves to demonstrate supreme status and authority, so there must be a ring among his Horcruxes.

Furthermore, what you may not know is that there is a secret room in Hogwarts Castle, which Salazar Slytherin left to his successors to purge those in the house whom he believed, or whose descendants believed, should not learn magic.

The weapon Salazar left behind was a basilisk, but don't worry, Professor Dumbledore has already dealt with it.

"Merlin's beard!"

"Oh my God!"

"Unbelievable."

When they heard that there was a basilisk in the castle, the young wizards around them all gasped in horror.

This shocked them greatly.

"Don't interrupt." Owen glared at Ron, who had the strongest reaction, and then continued, "The Basilisk is already in a jar by Snape, in his private collection room. If you're interested, you can go and steal it, rob it, and indulge yourselves like the second-years. Just don't get caught."

He had just spoken.

Hermione's face showed an embarrassed expression.

Then she coughed twice, feigning discomfort, to cover up her inner turmoil.

Yes, that's right, Irving was talking about her.

She was the second-year student who, wearing an invisibility cloak, sneaked into Snape's private collection to steal the ingredients for Polyjuice Potion.

Snape never found out who the killer was until the very end.

Although he had a feeling that that damn Poet knew something, he had no proof. It was a pity he wasn't the principal at the time, otherwise he would have given Poet some truth serum.

"The word 'basilisk' is very interesting. Rooted in the word, it is related to 'king and royal power' (Basileus), but after all, it is a basilisk. Voldemort was probably not very old when he opened the Chamber of Secrets."

Therefore, we can speculate that there should be a snake in his Horcrux, but it is not a basilisk, but perhaps some other kind of snake.

In this way, we can deduce almost all of its Horcruxes.

As for why he failed—”

"From a mystical perspective, it's because he didn't obtain the Gryffindor sword."

"He lacks the ultimate symbol of supreme power."

This is one of the most important symbols of royal power; the sword represents justice and military authority.

Its absence implies the imperfection of monarchical power, making failure inevitable.

Irving finally stopped talking.

This long list was originally intended for Dumbledore.

This was used to appease the old headmaster, explaining why he always managed to find Voldemort's Horcruxes, and why he seemed to know what Voldemort's Horcruxes were.

Strangely, the old headmaster never asked him about this matter.

He recently wrote this down, intending to share it with the captured Death Eaters, especially his cousin, Bella.

He knew it was useless, but maybe it would be useful.

As you might ask, what he just said makes no sense.

Well—it still makes some sense, so let's squeeze in!

As for how much, that depends on how strong you are.

Irving's rambling is over.

The young wizards standing nearby were completely bewildered.

Looking at the clear stupidity in their eyes, Irving could only shake his head.

It's not their fault; the key is that schools don't teach about the occult!

However—although the young wizards disagreed with him, they were astonished that Owen could deduce exactly how many Horcruxes Voldemort had and what they were.

"If Voldemort turned the relics of the four founders into Horcruxes, then where is your Hufflepuff's Golden Cup? How could you deduce that?" Hermione expressed skepticism about Owen's statement.

In her view, Irving, who could say such a thing, was already very close to Professor Sybil Trelawney.

The same kind of rambling and nonsensical behavior.

"Testing me, isn't it?" Owen turned his head and smiled at her. "The golden cup and the golden crown are both symbols of the pope, signifying the representative of God on earth. Voldemort used these two relics to enhance his mystery. In Celtic mythology, the golden cup is also a symbol of the highest power, usually held by a woman."

This makes it easy to find a direction, because there aren't many witches among the Death Eaters, and Voldemort can only trust one person.

"Bellatrix?" Hermione said the name immediately.

"As for its location!" Owen looked at her with a smile.

Hermione felt a chill run down her spine from his gaze.

"Bella couldn't possibly dig a hole and bury the golden cup, nor would she entrust it to someone else for safekeeping, because it represents the Dark Lord's trust and is a 'reward' for her loyalty. There aren't many places in the magical world capable of protecting such an important treasure. Apart from Hogwarts, the safest place, that other place is practically within reach."

"Gringotts!" Harry immediately realized, because Hagrid had told him that Gringotts was the safest place in the entire wizarding world, except for Hogwarts.

In its first year, it protected the Philosopher's Stone.

"She put the golden cup in her vault!" Even Ron realized.

"Obviously." Owen raised his head, a look of "you're a promising student" on his face.

"Everyone's behavior has its own unique characteristics. Take Tom Riddle, for example. Everything he does is simply rebuilding a new, contemporary myth based on the myths of the past. Every action leaves a trace. If you can understand one point, you can see the whole picture."

It's so stupid it's laughable, because it's so easy to guess.

Professor Dumbledore could almost instantly guess the gist of all his plans. The only variable that made him wary was…” Owen said, looking at Harry with a strange expression.

If it weren't for Harry's presence.

Voldemort had already been torn into seven pieces by Dumbledore.

Old Deng was able to play this boring game with Tom for a full seven years, not only because of his prudent nature, but also because although he could guess everything, he always sought confirmation, which wasted time.

The remaining concern is simply that Harry might become the next Dark Lord.

He could not tolerate the emergence of another new demon king in this world.

Unfortunately, it seems that the birth of a new Demon King is only a matter of time.

Harry felt a little intimidated by Owen's gaze.

Hermione, however, felt more of a sense of horror than shock!

Kyrie Irving is terrifying.

It's not just his talent in magic.

Rather, it was his completely different way of thinking compared to wizards; it was a Muggle way of thinking, purely rational and devoid of any personal emotions.

She absolutely refused to believe that what Owen had just said was something Professor Dumbledore had told him.

It's likely that most of it was his own speculation.

This fact is what frightens her.

Because if Irving becomes the next Voldemort.

She really couldn't think of anyone else who could defeat him.

Gradually, a sense of apprehension grew in her heart.

There was also a sense of impatience.

Irving's gaze grew increasingly complex. I felt bewildered by his complexity, and also helpless about the unresolved, lingering fantasies in my own heart.

She began to miss her first-grade self.

That's because Owen wasn't showing his full side; although she disliked him, but—

Now, she is even afraid to have those feelings.

Harry, his eyes darting around nervously, glanced away to avoid eye contact with Owen. He then forced a smile and said, "We should hurry and tell Professor Dumbledore this!"

"What's the rush? The Jinbei isn't going anywhere!"

"Talking about Voldemort's Horcruxes is less interesting than discussing what Snape ate that's making him so upset. What did Sirius do to cause such a strong reaction?"

"You didn't know?" Ron looked at him in shock.

As a well-known troublemaker at Hogwarts, he was completely unaware of this!

That's really quite unbelievable.

"It's all over school, Sirius and Snape had a duel," Hermione whispered, avoiding eye contact with Owen.

"A duel?" Owen was taken aback. "Who won?"

"."

"Your focus shouldn't be on the fact that the professor is setting a good example for the young wizards. Shouldn't you be less impulsive?" She gripped her sleeves tightly, but maintained a calm demeanor as she retorted as always.

It's as if she's still the same person she always was.

"Yes! The professors certainly need to set a good example for the young wizards." Owen nodded, then asked, "So who won?"

"No one wins."

"Professor McGonagall separated them as soon as they started fighting."

"But after class, Sirius told us that if he had just a few more minutes, he could beat Snape."

"Ha—then I'd rather believe Harry gets an O on his Potions exam."

"More than a decade ago, they might have been evenly matched. But Sirius Black had spent thirteen years in Azkaban, and his magic and combat skills had declined. Snape, on the other hand, had improved significantly in those ten years. It's no wonder he couldn't win!"

However, Sirius could call on Professor Lupin for a righteous two-on-one match.

"Then I might as well take you with me. I see you've been holding a grudge against that old snotty guy for a long time." Just as Irving was about to give a brief explanation of the difference in strength between the two sides.

A familiar voice suddenly came from behind them.

Turning around, they saw Sirius Black, dressed in a brown robe, right behind them.

(End of this chapter)