Chapter 1314: Someone Leaks a Spoiler
Chapter 1314: Someone Leaks a Spoiler
After trying a few of Dumbledore's old passwords to no avail on the stone beast guarding the entrance, Harry gave up on that idea. Ron, Hermione, and Harry all realized that Snape must have changed the password, and their emotions were complicated. It almost seemed to imply that Snape had become the new Headmaster of Hogwarts.
Only the headmaster had the authority to make such changes.
With no other choice, they stood patiently in front of the stone beast, waiting for Albert to come and let them in.
"Why don't you ask Albert for the password?" Ron suggested to Hermione as he kept a watchful eye on their surroundings with the help of the Marauder's Map.
"It's unlikely that he'd know," Hermione speculated. "Perhaps a spell was used instead."
"What kind of spell?" Ron asked.
"You can ask him about it later," Hermione replied.
"Do you think Albert might have already found the Ravenclaw Diadem?" Harry interrupted their conversation, voicing his suspicion. "He's very clever, and if we could find these clues, he definitely could too. It shouldn't be difficult for him to get the truth out of the Grey Lady."
"Albert isn't the kind of person who lies," Hermione said, giving Harry a sideways glance. "And what would be the point of doing that anyway?"
"So, Dumbledore knew about this as well?"
"That's inevitable."
Harry had similar thoughts, but he quickly suppressed them. As Hermione said, Dumbledore had no reason to hide the location of the Horcruxes. He wanted to destroy Voldemort's Horcruxes more than anyone.
"But they must have known that the Grey Lady was Ravenclaw's daughter," Ron reminded them. "That guy's brain is sharper than the three of us combined."
"While I appreciate your compliment, I think you're being too hard on yourself," Albert said as he descended the spiral stone staircase above them. He greeted the trio with a smile. "It looks like you've had quite the adventure."
"You knew about this already, didn't you?" Harry asked, maintaining a calm demeanor, but Albert could tell that he was eager to learn more about the diadem.
"This isn't a good place to talk. Follow me," Albert said, gesturing for them to enter the spiral staircase and head directly to the Headmaster's office.
"How did you do it?" Ron couldn't help but ask, his curiosity getting the better of him. "I mean..."
"Of course, I didn't know the password," Albert explained. "But that wasn't a big deal at all. All I needed to do was use a Confundus Charm, and the stone beast guarding the entrance was easily dealt with."
Harry expressed his skepticism at the idea that the Confundus Charm could be used to such a degree. "Can the Confundus Charm really be that effective?"
"Don't forget that Barty Crouch Jr. used an advanced Confundus Charm to deceive the Goblet of Fire," Hermione reminded him.
"But we just tried using the Confundus Charm on the stone beast, and it had no effect at all," Ron argued, not because he thought Albert was lying, but because he had just attempted it himself.
"That's because your skill level isn't high enough," Albert explained to the three of them. "Only a masterfully cast Confundus Charm can achieve that effect. Magic isn't just about reciting spells rigidly, as you've seen with how I used my wand. It can also be flexible, like how Hermione used the Patronus Charm to send messages."
"Extraordinary wizards often wield more sophisticated magic, which I call advanced or high-level magic," Albert continued, giving a slight flick of his wand. A glowing orb emerged from the tip of his wand and floated beside them.
"While it's essentially the same as Lumos, its application has evolved beyond the need for a wand," Albert explained, introducing the concept to the trio. "You could consider this an advanced form of the Lumos spell."
"I've seen Dumbledore use that before," Harry said suddenly, his eyes narrowing. "Can it also emit a dazzling light to illuminate the surroundings?"
"Yes, it can be used to blind enemies in the dark," Albert confirmed.
"We're here," Albert said, causing the floating orb to disappear. He reached out, turned the doorknob, and pushed open the door to the Headmaster's office.
"Why have you brought us here?" Harry asked, his confusion evident.
Albert paused in his steps and turned to face them. "Harry, you should know that the portraits in the Headmaster's office can speak and have their own consciousness."
The trio, who were following closely behind, bumped into him.
"Of course, I know that," Harry replied.
"Professor Dumbledore?" Harry rubbed his head and looked up at the portrait of Dumbledore behind the desk, who was smiling at him with his lips slightly parted. Harry finally understood why Albert had brought them here.
"It's good to see you, Harry," Dumbledore's portrait said warmly.
"Sir," Harry acknowledged, his expression complex as he regarded Dumbledore. He then proceeded to share the day's discoveries at Hogwarts, "I suspect that the Ravenclaw Diadem might be the last Horcrux we're searching for."
"It seems you've found some valuable clues," Dumbledore said, sounding pleased.
"I've confirmed with Professor Binns that the Grey Lady is indeed Ravenclaw's daughter," Harry continued. "I suspect she knows the whereabouts of the diadem, but she doesn't seem willing to divulge that information to me."
"If the Grey Lady knows where the diadem is, there's a high probability that the mysterious person obtained it from her," Dumbledore mused. "After all, he is skilled at using honeyed words to bewitch others, and persuading a ghost to reveal the location of the diadem wouldn't be difficult for him."
As he spoke, Harry stole a glance at Albert, his suspicion growing. "And I suspect that the mysterious person hid the diadem somewhere in Hogwarts."
"Hagrid once told me that the safest places to hide something are Gringotts and Hogwarts," Harry added.
Standing before Dumbledore's portrait, Harry eagerly shared his analysis. "So, that's why you initially kept the Philosopher's Stone in a vault at Gringotts and later transferred it to Hogwarts. I think the mysterious person might have had a similar idea."
"You make a compelling argument, Harry," Dumbledore acknowledged, nodding in agreement after hearing Harry's analysis. "So, where do you think Tom Riddle would have hidden the diadem?"
"The Room of Requirement," Harry stated confidently, his gaze shifting between Albert and the portrait. His intuition told him that both Albert and Dumbledore were already aware of this. "He most likely hid the diadem in that magical room on the eighth floor, which is perfect for hiding things."
"It was probably on the same day that Tom Riddle came to Hogwarts to apply for a job and asked you to let him stay and teach here that he hid the diadem in the Room of Requirement on the eighth floor," Harry continued, noticing Ron's confused expression. "Tom Riddle knew many secrets of Hogwarts, and the Room of Requirement is undoubtedly one of those secret places. If we hadn't revealed its location to so many people, not many students would have known about the Room of Requirement."
"But we don't have any evidence to prove that the mysterious person obtained the Ravenclaw Diadem," Ron pointed out, addressing the premise of Harry's entire analysis.
"Not everything requires evidence," Harry countered, his greatest curiosity now being why they hadn't shared this information with him sooner. Or perhaps Albert had only recently discovered this himself, which was why he was now guiding Harry to find the Ravenclaw Diadem? That seemed to be the only explanation that made sense.
"Keep going, Harry. Your time is limited," Albert reminded him gently.
"Time is limited?" Dumbledore echoed, his brow furrowed in confusion.
"The Felix Felicis," Albert clarified.
"Oh, I see."
"The Room of Requirement can easily be transformed into a hiding place, per the mysterious man's request." Harry also realized that his time was limited and intended to sort out all his thoughts at once. "Tom Riddle believed that few people could find it and locate the hidden diadem. In fact, I suspect he wouldn't mind if someone found the Ravenclaw Diadem."
"At that time, Tom Riddle probably hadn't gathered all six Horcruxes yet, so he still wanted to secure the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher because only then would he have the opportunity to stay at Hogwarts and get his hands on the Sword of Gryffindor." Harry added softly, "Later, he turned his pet snake, Nagini, into a Horcrux."
"Brilliant, Harry!" Albert clapped lightly. "So, why don't you tell us where you think the Hufflepuff Cup might be hidden?"
"Gringotts," Harry said, feeling that Albert was hinting at something. "I don't know if Tom Riddle had a vault at Gringotts, but I think he might have envied those who had a key to a Gringotts vault when he was younger."
As he spoke, he glanced at Albert.
"Don't look at me like that. I also have my own Gringotts vault, bought with five hundred galleons, if I remember correctly." Albert shrugged. "However, I think you're right. The mysterious man probably didn't have a key to a Gringotts vault. When he was young, he didn't have piles of galleons to store in Gringotts, and by the time he became a notorious Dark Wizard, he probably wouldn't dare step into a place like Gringotts."
In fact, Albert, more than anyone, could confirm that Voldemort did not have a Gringotts vault, as he had inherited most of Voldemort's remaining assets.
"Perhaps Tom Riddle didn't have a Gringotts vault, but I believe he would most likely have placed the cup in another Death Eater's vault. After all, he did have a case of entrusting the Malfoy family with his diary (Horcrux),"
Harry excitedly shared his conclusions and analysis. "However, given that he never told Lucius Malfoy the truth about the diary, he probably wouldn't have revealed the secret of the Horcruxes to the Death Eaters. He would have only said that the cup was a valuable item that needed to be stored in their vault."
After finishing his sentence, Harry looked up at Dumbledore's portrait and asked, "Do you know which Death Eaters Tom Riddle trusted the most back then?"
"Excellent speculation, Harry."
Dumbledore looked at Harry with the warm gaze of a parent watching their child grow.
"Back then, Tom Riddle had quite a few loyal followers. If we're talking about those who were most qualified... it would probably be the Malfoy, Lestrange, Yaxley, and Carrow families."
"Mr. Anderson, what do you think?" Dumbledore asked with a smile.
"This isn't actually difficult," Anderson replied. "You just need to flip through Cantankerus Nott's Pure-Blood Directory, and you'll know that most of the so-called Twenty-Eight Sacred Families became Death Eaters, and the most influential and loyal among them are probably your targets."
As the Malfoy family already had the diary, they could be ruled out first.
"Bellatrix is from the Lestrange family, and Yaxley gained Tom Riddle's trust by helping him control the Ministry of Magic," Harry said, glancing at Albert inquisitively. "Which family do you think it is? Do you want to make a prediction?"
"Lestrange," Albert revealed.
"I also think it's the Lestrange family," Harry agreed, feeling that it should be the Lestranges since their entire family had spent many years in Azkaban. "That crazy woman was extremely loyal to Tom Riddle."
"By the way, are they rich?" Harry asked suddenly.
"The Lestrange family originated in France, and their British branch is equally ancient and wealthy," Phineas remarked, sizing up the group of Harry Potter and his friends. It was truly hard to imagine that this group had just been discussing breaking into Gringotts to rob someone else's vault.
"That won't be easy," Ron chimed in, feeling that sneaking into Gringotts to obtain the Hufflepuff Cup without a sound would be an impossible task. "I've never heard of a successful case of robbing Gringotts."
"We have time to come up with a perfect plan, but before that, perhaps we should go to the Room of Requirement to search for the diadem's whereabouts." Harry asked curiously, "Have you guys not tried looking for the diadem in the Room of Requirement?"
"If you want to find a hiding place through the Room of Requirement, it will inevitably turn into a garbage dump, filled with discarded items from Hogwarts throughout the ages." Albert kindly reminded them, indicating that he was indeed aware of these matters. "It won't be easy to find the diadem or the cup in the pile of trash, and you can't exactly hide in Hogwarts to search for them. Doing so would alert the mysterious man."
"So, Miss Grey really revealed the secret of the diadem to the mysterious man, but why isn't she willing to tell us?" Hermione asked, puzzled.
"Perhaps she feels ashamed because she stole her mother's diadem and hid it," Albert replied.
"What should we do, then?"
Harry turned to Albert, bringing the topic back, feeling that he had a solution.
"I have a rather unconventional solution." Albert did not disappoint.
"What solution?" Ron asked.
"Use Fiendfyre to burn everything in the Room of Requirement to ashes," Albert suggested. "The Fiendfyre curse can also destroy Horcruxes."
"That's too dangerous." Hermione said anxiously. "Many wizards who have used Fiendfyre in the past have been burned to death by their own spell."
"Compared to the diadem, breaking into Gringotts is even more troublesome." Albert steered the topic in a different direction. "You will only have one chance. Once you break into Gringotts, the mysterious man will likely realize what you're up to."
"You will not only need to convince a goblin to guide you, but you will also have to get past Gringotts' heavy defenses. You'll have to find and destroy the Horcrux before the mysterious man catches on."
"If you're willing to help, our chances of success will definitely increase significantly." Hermione looked at Albert with anticipation.
"I'm afraid you'll be disappointed."
Albert shook his head in refusal, a little worried that his involvement would make this endeavor hellishly difficult.
"However, I'll send Dobby to help you. If you succeed, Dobby will be able to help you leave safely."
"Okay." Harry suddenly remembered something else. "Professor, can I take the Sword of Gryffindor? I need a weapon to destroy the Horcruxes, and I also want to use it to convince the goblin at Gringotts."
"You intend to use the Sword of Gryffindor to persuade the goblin?"
Ron and Hermione stared at him wide-eyed, hardly believing that Harry planned to bribe the goblin with the Sword of Gryffindor.
"That's a clever idea." Albert nodded in approval. "The Sword of Gryffindor belongs to Hogwarts, so even a goblin can't take it away."
"You're going to be disappointed," Phineas said in a somewhat mocking tone. "Snape took away that sword, and it's said to be stored in the Yaxley family vault now."
"The sword Snape took was a fake. The real Sword of Gryffindor is still hidden here." Dumbledore spoke gently, "Right behind my portrait."
Harry breathed a sigh of relief. He stepped closer to Dumbledore's portrait, pulled it aside, and revealed a hidden hole behind it, where the Sword of Gryffindor lay quietly.
(End of Chapter)
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