Chapter 102: The Wardrobe Chamber
Chapter 102: The Wardrobe Chamber
The space within the wardrobe was far from the miniature world that Ved had envisioned. It was only slightly larger than the umbrella room and was sparse and devoid of any decorations.
Of course, Professor Mori intended to "see" more than just the superficial aspects.
He may not have had the same eyes as Ved, but he had his own methods to inspect the magical rune circuits within—
The ancient magical scripts, intricately layered and forming a honeycomb-like structure of exquisite and perfect balance;
The Chain-like Stretch Charm, seamlessly stretching and intertwining like a complex yet orderly, simple yet neat lattice;
Hundreds upon hundreds of spells swirled like vortices, ensuring structural stability while leaving ample room for expansion.
This was merely a prototype.
Yet, it had taken root and sprouted in the most perfect form, growing tender leaves, and as Professor Mori examined its veins, he could almost envision the moment it would become a towering tree.
After exiting, Professor Mori turned to Ved, a smile of admiration on his face. "There's little left for me to teach you about the Traceless Stretch Charm, Ved."
Ved made no attempt to hide his joy, his face lit up with a delighted smile.
This made him look even younger than his actual age.
"Any plans for the summer vacation?" Professor Mori asked.
"Just reading and studying, nothing else," Ved replied.
Professor Mori pondered for a moment, a furrow forming between his brows. "Students are not allowed to use magic during the summer holidays, which will be quite inconvenient for your studies. And living in a Muggle neighborhood means any spellcasting will immediately attract the attention of the Ministry of Magic..."
Ved explained, "Actually, I plan to stay at home for a few days and then rent a room at the Leaky Cauldron. That way, I can bypass the Ministry's trace detection."
Professor Mori nodded slightly. "That's one way to do it... but it's not ideal. Old Tom is a decent fellow, but that place is often frequented by unsavory characters. It's neither safe nor suitable for a young boy like you to reside in a pub."
"Mr. Lupin will accompany me, and he's going to teach me Dark Magic Defense!" Ved said.
"Lupin?" Professor Mori huffed. "That's precisely what concerns me!"
His opinion of werewolves was deeply rooted, and he would never grant them his full trust.
"How about this," Professor Mori suggested after a moment's thought. "Go home first, and I'll discuss it with Mr. Scamander. Perhaps he'll be willing to let you visit him."
"Mr. Newt Scamander?" Ved's eyes lit up. "You mean—?"
"Yes, I suspect you're eager to see his remarkable suitcase for yourself." Professor Mori smiled. "When it comes to the application of space and weather charms, no one surpasses him."
As Ved's eyes sparkled with excitement, Professor Mori continued, "It's quite timely, too. He's rather fond of Steven, and Steven has mentioned you to him on several occasions—yes, more than once—and Mr. Scamander has formed a favorable impression of you as well."
Even as he left Professor Mori's office, Ved's heart was still racing, his eyes sparkling with enthusiasm, and his steps felt lighter than air.
Newt Scamander.
To Ved, this name once belonged only to the protagonist of the 'Fantastic Beasts' film series—a kind and gentle soul who rarely looked others in the eye. He was passionate about magical creatures, loyal to Dumbledore, and would go to any lengths for his former headmaster.
But now, in the world of magic, Ved had discovered that Newt had left an indelible mark on modern magical history. His remarkable case, his outstanding contributions during the two Wizarding Wars, and his lifelong dedication to protecting magical creatures had all earned him a place in the history books.
Even including... he had once captured Gellert Grindelwald.
This was a man full of legends, although he himself might not have wanted such fame.
...
Leaving the Astronomy Tower, Ved finally opened his contact book.
The earlier messages had disappeared—of course, after all, he had been in Professor Mori's class for nearly two hours.
The most recent message was from Padma.
【Padma: They went to the fourth-floor restricted area.】
【Ved: Padma? Where are you?】
【Padma: Merlin! You finally saw the message!】
【Padma: I'm outside the fourth-floor corridor.】
【Padma: It's almost curfew, Filch's cat has been staring at me, and I think I just saw Peeves... What should I do? Dumbledore isn't here... No one has come back...】
Just from the messy text, Ved could feel the girl's fear and worry.
【Ved: Wait for me.】
Ved quickly walked to the main tower, and on his way through the entrance hall, he detoured to the Great Hall to pack some bread and roast meat. Filch was standing at the entrance of the hall, glaring somewhat unhappily at the students who were still having dinner.
Ved nodded to him and said, "Good afternoon, Mr. Filch."
Filch was a bit surprised, and he stared suspiciously at Ved as if trying to figure out what mischief he was up to.
But Ved had already walked quickly past him.
All the way to the fourth-floor corridor, Padma was pacing back and forth outside the restricted area, occasionally poking her head out to look, as if afraid that her movements would be too big and attract attention.
At the corner not far away, the thin Mrs. Norris was squatting on the ground, staring at her quietly. Hearing Ved's footsteps, she turned her head to look at him.
Ved threw a couple of dried fish to Mrs. Norris and came to Padma's side.
"Ved!" Padma looked as if she was about to cry, and the hem of her dress was crumpled from her nervous fiddling.
"Don't worry." Ved handed her a sandwich and asked, "Eat something... Did you notify the professors?"
"Michael found Professor Flitwick, and he said the Sorcerer's Stone was safe and told us not to worry and to enjoy the exam-free days."
Padma's tone unavoidably carried a hint of resentment towards the professors.
"Professor McGonagall told Harry the same thing, and she also warned us not to cause trouble or else we'd lose a lot of points. Professor Sprout is teaching the fifth years, so we didn't get a chance to talk to her."
Padma spoke quickly, holding the sandwich but unable to eat.
"What about Professor Dumbledore?"
"He received an urgent letter from the Ministry of Magic and went to London."
Padma said with tearful eyes, "We don't have his contact book, so we can only send messages by owl, and who knows when he'll receive them... Maybe by the time he comes back, it'll be too late."
"Don't worry, remember what we talked about before—when it comes to Hogwarts, Dumbledore knows everything."
Ved reassured her.
After regaining his memories through the Pensieve, Ved was even more certain that Dumbledore's control over the school during Harry's first year had been comprehensive, and the opportunities that Quirrell thought he had were merely loopholes deliberately left by Dumbledore.
—The "dungeon game" underground was the real "final exam" that Dumbledore had prepared for Harry and his friends.
(End of Chapter)
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