A certain broken Hogwarts

Chapter 25 The Mischievous Fax Machine

The atmosphere during the four of them studying in the library was generally quite harmonious.

At least when someone raises a question about learning, the other three people can express their opinions and won't be speechless.

Irving jokingly called the scene a "student brainstorming session," which was unanimously rejected by the other three. Such an embarrassingly ridiculous name is just plain stupid.

"By the way, have you heard about that rumor lately?" Hermione suddenly whispered, "It's coming from Hufflepuff..."

Owen suddenly looked up at her, his gaze fixed intently on her, waiting for her to continue. Hmm, it felt like he'd finally encountered an NPC who would give him a quest!

Under Owen's eager gaze, Hermione slightly raised her chin and said quickly, "It's actually just an unconfirmed rumor. I heard that someone found an all-knowing fax machine in the castle, well, it's a Muggle machine..."

"It only appears and disappears suddenly around midnight. When someone finds it, they can ask it a question and always get the correct answer."

Upon hearing this, Owen slammed the book in his hand onto the table with a thud, the sound echoing in the quiet library and drawing a warning glare from Mrs. Pince.

But he couldn't care less about any of that... If this rumor were true, who knows what kind of trouble it would cause!

If this fax machine could really answer all questions, it could very well make a complete mess of everything, especially since there's still a Voldemort hiding in Hogwarts!

If Dumbledore gets some answers from this, that's fine, but what about Voldemort? If he knows how to overcome the side effects of Horcruxes and restore his brain that was split into an idiot's, he will become very troublesome in the future... Or, if he knows how to kill Harry, or even knows that Harry is actually half of his Horcrux, then the Savior will be completely ruined.

Or perhaps Voldemort could find a better way to perfectly acquire a physical body, or discover that Professor Snape was actually an undercover agent... The answers to some of these questions might even allow him to find a way to kill Dumbledore!

Although these events don't actually have a huge impact on Irving, given his inherent right to choose, he clearly doesn't like a dark future mired in endless war, and he needs time to grow in a stable environment.

Irving didn't know the extent to which the fax machine could do anything. What if it really knew everything? That would mean the beginning of a collapse of everything Irving knew!

If it were to say something like "Owen Shafik is a key figure who knows a lot of inside information" to someone with ulterior motives, Owen could imagine the enormous trouble he would face.

"This jinx is really brewing something big, this time it's really going to kill us!" For the first time, Irving was so frustrated that he wanted to slam his fist on the table.

He took a few deep breaths to calm himself down: "Phew, the most urgent thing is to find a way to retrieve that damn fax machine before it causes something irreparable!"

"Next, we need to mobilize all available resources..." He unconsciously moved his fingers, and a playing card quickly appeared and disappeared in his hand. "There is some good news, though. This fax machine is not as well hidden as the previous sources of anomalies. Once we find it, the problem will be solved."

"Anyway, just do your best." If you really can't do anything about it, then you'll just have to give up.

The three people nearby were unaware of Owen's internal monologue. Hermione continued her rambling, muttering, "Actually, I think this rumor is complete nonsense. You know, Muggle machines malfunction after entering Hogwarts, though it's possible they've been magically modified..."

"I've read many books about Hogwarts, including 'A History of Hogwarts,' and none of them mention anything like this in the castle. It's obviously new, but how can something be omniscient? Perhaps it's an evil thing that makes those who see it think it knows everything..."

Irving nodded to himself; he hoped so too, so he wouldn't have to worry about it so much.

"I don't think that's true either. Behind every incomprehensible thing, there may be unfathomable risks," Daphne said calmly. Coming from an ancient wizarding family, she was more knowledgeable than others about the dangers of those strange things.

"But since the rumor is so clear, it must have some credibility." Harry seemed a little excited. "I mean, there must be magic that can do this, right? Even if it only knows part of it..."

"No magic can do that!" Hermione said sternly, her voice rising involuntarily. "Don't even think about going for it, Harry. That thing could be dangerous. You could be deceived, misled, or tempted to do something wrong! And it's against school rules!"

“Hermione is right, Harry. Many dark magical items always seem incredibly tempting, and when you desperately crave them, it means you've already fallen into their trap,” Daphne said slowly, appearing calm and composed. “They will lure you deeper and deeper until it's all irreversible.”

"Okay, but I don't think Hogwarts could possibly have anything that dangerous, right?" Harry argued. "Every book I've read says that. Hogwarts is the safest place in the wizarding world!"

"Hogwarts isn't exactly peaceful, Harry," Owen gave him a meaningful look. "Have you forgotten about the Sorting Ceremony?"

When there's nothing to worry about, they're suspicious; when something happens, it becomes the safest place. Sure enough, when the savior gets reckless, his brain becomes useless.

"I wonder if your protagonist's halo will still be useful in the future..." Owen muttered to himself. If that fax machine were to explode with a bombshell, everything he knew about the future could collapse.

"I haven't forgotten, but the two are different!" Harry said.

"Sorting? What's that?" Hermione asked.

“That’s not what we’re talking about!” Harry said. “The point is, if there’s even the slightest chance that the fax machine is real…”

"Wandering around at night is against the rules! You could get caught, get points deducted, or be put in solitary confinement!" Hermione's eyes widened.

"I know, but think about it, if we can get an answer, breaking the rules for it is..." Harry said nonchalantly.

Hermione took a deep breath, crossed her arms, and angrily turned her head away, her cheeks slightly puffed out: "Fine, whatever. You're not Gryffindor anyway..."

They were talking so loudly that Mrs. Pince, her face ashen, stood by their table and swung her feather duster to chase them out of the library.

……

The auditorium was bustling with noise at lunchtime. Rumors of the fax machine had spread, and Hufflepuff students were the center of attention for once. A large group of people surrounded the Hufflepuff long table, trying to get information from familiar classmates.

"I, I was the first to discover it! That rumor is absolutely true!" Zacharys Smith, captain of the Hufflepuff Quidditch team, said, his face flushed. "I was the one who asked the first question..." He looked like he was about to cry.

"What did you ask?"

"I asked it, 'What are you?'" Smith pulled a piece of white paper from his bag, on which were neatly printed words in ink.

A group of curious young wizards passed it around, and Owen also peeked over and saw what was on it:

"I am the Truth Transmitter Machine. You ask, I answer. The rules are as follows:"

"1. The Truth Fax Machine only appears between 11 PM and 1 AM every night, at random locations."

"Second, whoever finds the Truth Fax Machine can ask one question. Each person can only receive the answer to one question per year, and only one person can make the question each night. After the question and answer are completed, the fax machine will enter a hidden state, waiting for the next night to arrive."

"Third, the Truth Fax Machine never lies. If the inquirer asks a question that the fax machine cannot answer, the fax machine will not provide an answer, and the inquirer can continue to ask the next question."

Owen narrowed his eyes and rubbed his chin with his index finger: "The Truth Machine? It seems it's not omniscient after all, and still has many limitations... It's a little better than I imagined, but only a little."

The fax machine disappears after answering one question each night, which obviously makes it more difficult for Irving to find it, as he has to make sure he finds it before anyone else!

The little wizards chattered excitedly, and one Hufflepuff witch exclaimed, "I guarantee it'll work! I asked her the Transfiguration test questions this week, and it was perfect!"

"Anyway, I found a secret passage using the fax machine!" a male student said smugly, then nudged his companion next to him, "Marco, didn't you ask it about your crush... umm..." His companion covered his mouth.

Irving listened to these comments, his eyebrows twitching slightly. Such a powerful fax machine, and you use it to ask these kinds of questions? Kids really are still quite naive.

He returned to the Slytherin table and carefully considered his next move.

(End of this chapter)