Chapter 1830: Old Traditions
Chapter 1830: Old Traditions
"Have you ever been to the Durmstrang Institute?"
In the Thestral-drawn carriage flying north, Daphne leaned curiously by the window, watching the scenery rush by, and asked Alice, who was reading a book beside her.
"Never."
Alice closed her Swedish Language Primer and recalled, "However, when we went on a family trip to the Scandinavian Peninsula, I asked about it. He said the Durmstrang Institute does not welcome outsiders."
"Hogwarts School doesn't allow outsiders to enter freely either, right?" Daphne couldn't quite understand where Alice's aversion was coming from.
"No, it's different. Durmstrang is a very unfriendly school", Alice said with a tone of distaste. "That's one of the main reasons I didn't want to participate in the Triwizard Tournament."
"Cough."
Headmistress Mcgonagall cleared her throat, trying to interrupt Alice's unkind remarks.
To be honest, she never expected to hear such an evaluation from Alice.
"The Durmstrang Institute is quite welcoming to other guests..."
Feeling that her words lacked some persuasiveness, Headmistress Mcgonagall paused for a moment before asking, "Did Albert really say that? I remember he's never been to the Durmstrang Institute, right?"
"I don't know, but he rarely speaks so bluntly about a place", Alice glanced at Headmistress Mcgonagall and shared her thoughts, "I think his comments are probably related to their traditions."
"What traditions?" Daphne asked curiously.
"Visitors to the school are required to use the Obliviate spell to erase their memories upon leaving, so they forget how they got there", Alice said without hiding her disapproval.
"Are they that afraid of people knowing the school's location?" Daphne suddenly understood why Alice didn't want to participate in the Triwizard Tournament.
It was definitely one of the main reasons.
Someone as brilliant as Alice would never want anyone to tamper with her mind, let alone have a memory charm mess with her brain.
Daphne thought of something and couldn't help but ask, "What about us?"
"I don't need it, I'm not sure about you!" Alice looked at Headmistress Mcgonagall and said, "The Ministry of Magic has repeatedly assured me on this point!"
"I remember you often saying the Ministry of Magic's assurances aren't reliable!" Daphne didn't care about Headmistress Mcgonagall's expression, knowing all too well how much her best friend distrusted the Ministry.
"It should be fine, after all, it's just a small matter, and Hermione and Harry have also assured me of this."
As she spoke, Alice, who had been polishing her wand, paused and pulled out a parchment from her Undetectable Extension Charm Bag.
"We've signed a contract."
"Is this thing effective?"
Daphne noticed it was only part of a contract, with a bunch of signatures, including the Minister of Magic's.
"Is this thing effective?" Daphne asked, puzzled. "And isn't this a bit too much for you?"
"Not really. My family doesn't care, as long as they don't ignore our interests."
"What if they don't fulfill it? You know those people at the Ministry of Magic..."
"They won't. Besides, it includes a modified Unbreakable Vow, and the consequences of breaking it are too severe for anyone to bear."
Alice trusted Harry and Hermione's integrity, but she still took precautions. She had also made her conditions clear to everyone beforehand and received their agreement.
The Unbreakable Vow was actually quite lenient; as long as they weren't foolish enough to try to claim the part that wasn't rightfully theirs, they wouldn't face the Vow's repercussions.
"Did they also guarantee not to use the Memory Charm on you by the Durmstrang students?"
Headmistress Mcgonagall was taken aback. She knew all too well the nature of the Ministry of Magic's officials.
"That should just be a minor formality."
At first, Alice was puzzled by Headmistress Mcgonagall's strong reaction, but she quickly understood, her expression suddenly becoming peculiarly strange.
"So, they forgot about it again?"
Daphne thought that if the Ministry's high-ranking officials were wiped out because of this, they would certainly go down in history, perhaps even making it onto the Chocolate Frog cards that month.
"If that's the case, then it's truly unfortunate."
"Hagrid, stop the car for a moment." Headmistress Mcgonagall opened the small window and shouted to Hagrid, who was driving.
"Alright, Minerva, but we might be late", Hagrid's voice came from outside, sounding a bit puzzled about the sudden need to stop.
"Wait here, and don't let anyone wander off." With that, Headmistress Mcgonagall hurriedly Apparated away.
"Why did the Headmistress leave?"
"Who knows?"
"Is everything really okay?"
Daphne watched Headmistress Mcgonagall's departing figure, her eyes full of worry.
"What could possibly go wrong?" Alice countered, "It's just a minor issue."
"But, I mean, what if it offends—"
Daphne knew the consequences of breaking an Unbreakable Vow. Even though the modified contract wasn't as powerful, the outcome of a breach would still be dire.
"So what if it offends them? I don't necessarily have to develop my career in Britain." Alice was completely unconcerned. To her, if the Ministry officials were killed by the Vow's backlash, it would be purely their own fault.
When Headmistress Mcgonagall returned, her face was as dark as a thundercloud, clearly having just experienced something unpleasant.
"So, they really forgot?" Alice was very surprised. "I distinctly remember reminding them repeatedly to remember this, and they assured me multiple times. You know, it was just a minor thing for them."
Headmistress Mcgonagall didn't answer, but the answer was obvious.
They "forgot", or rather, ignored it from the beginning.
Once the Ministry officials "forgot", it was uncertain how many people would die.
Those who had promised and signed the contract wouldn't escape, including Minister of Magic Kingsley.
The sudden and collective deaths of Britain's Ministry of Magic officials due to breaking an Unbreakable Vow would shock the world and go down in history.
"If you think it's inappropriate, I suggest letting James take my place in the competition. As long as I don't go to the Durmstrang Institute, that part of the contract won't be triggered", Alice suggested kindly.
"The issue has been resolved. Is the Unbreakable Vow real?" Headmistress Mcgonagall couldn't help but ask, as Harry and Hermione were also involved.
"Yes, it is."
For a genius like Alice, modifying a spell was never particularly difficult.
"We might be late", Alice said stiffly, changing the subject.
"So what if we're late?"
Headmistress Mcgonagall was growing increasingly disdainful of this year's Triwizard Tournament. (End of Chapter)
Chapter end
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