Chapter 325: Sleepless Night
Chapter 325: Sleepless Night
Late into the night, lights still shone from the headmaster's office. Albus Dumbledore sat at his desk, perusing and signing documents that had accumulated over the past few days. Though Deputy Headmistress Professor McGonagall helped him manage most of the school's affairs, there were still some matters that required his personal attention and signature.
"Quite a lot has happened recently."
Dumbledore finished the last document, took a sip from his cup of tea—sweetened with several lumps of sugar—and his gaze fell upon a stack of envelopes.
Voldemort was after the Philosopher's Stone, Professor Rowena Smith had mysteriously disappeared, and there were internal reforms underway at the Ministry of Magic.
Dumbledore was certain that Voldemort had secretly returned to Britain and was after Nicolas Flamel's Philosopher's Stone. However, the biggest question now was: where was Voldemort hiding?
Initially, Dumbledore had wanted to use the Philosopher's Stone to lure Voldemort out. After all, it was difficult to deal with an enemy hiding in the shadows.
Unfortunately, Voldemort had remained inactive, still carefully concealing his whereabouts, even when spying on Nicolas Flamel. He was being extremely cautious, afraid of being discovered, and it would be challenging to capture him any time soon.
Dumbledore didn't want to play a game of hide-and-seek with Voldemort. He was getting old, his energy was not what it used to be, and he couldn't afford to be recklessly disturbed.
There was another matter that concerned Dumbledore greatly: the sudden disappearance of Professor Rowena Smith, without a trace, as if she had vanished into thin air.
Dumbledore suspected that Smith's disappearance was related to Voldemort.
Given Voldemort's current situation, it was likely that he had help from someone, otherwise, Dumbledore would have been able to find him by now.
It was understandable that Dumbledore would have such suspicions, given that the person in question was Voldemort. No matter what, he had to be approached with caution.
Could it be Rowena Smith?
Dumbledore paced back and forth in his office, considering the possibility. If it were true, the likelihood was actually quite low. If he were Voldemort and wanted to keep his whereabouts completely hidden, he probably wouldn't have let Rowena Smith disappear mysteriously. After all, the Smith family's bounty had been consistently advertised in the Daily Prophet.
"These two matters are probably unrelated."
After clarifying his thoughts, Dumbledore returned to his seat at the headmaster's desk and began to open the recently received envelopes with a letter opener, responding to each one.
Ever since Cornelius Fudge became the Minister of Magic, he had been sending numerous owls with requests for Dumbledore's assistance in formulating policies for the Ministry of Magic.
The matter of the Pepper-Up Potion had caused quite a stir, and the Ministry was considering formulating new examination bills.
Although Dumbledore was not a potions expert, he was well aware of the difficulty of creating the Pepper-Up Potion. There was no need to make a fuss about this matter, as the ingredients for this potion were extremely expensive and the process highly challenging, such that very few skilled potions masters could successfully brew it.
Thinking of the Slytherin student who had ended up in the school hospital after drinking the Pepper-Up Potion, Dumbledore sighed softly. In his reply to Fudge, he suggested that they should inform the public about the dangers of the Pepper-Up Potion through potions experts, to prevent more people from risking their lives by consuming the potion.
After all, every Pepper-Up Potion available on the market was 100% toxic, even if diluted.
There was no need to impose strict laws; what was important was for people to understand the risks. With a precedent like this, surely not many would dare to tamper with the Pepper-Up Potion.
Would anyone still drink it knowing it was toxic?
Definitely not! After dealing with these matters, Dumbledore began to open the other letters, carefully considering each one before responding.
However, when he saw the sender's name, he paused.
Albert Anderson?
Dumbledore murmured the sender's name softly, then used the letter opener to slit open the envelope. Inside was a piece of parchment and a... photograph.
The photograph showed the upper half of an ugly old wizard's body, peeking out from atop a crate. On his head was a dusty old wig and a tarnished crown.
Dumbledore stared at the photo for a moment, not quite understanding its meaning, and because it was taken from a distance, it wasn't very clear.
He picked up the parchment and quickly read through it. The letter mentioned that Albert had accidentally discovered a suspected Dark artifact in a mysterious room at school.
The tarnished crown on the wizard's head in the photograph was the suspected Dark artifact. Whenever someone approached it, they could hear evil whispers.
He suspected that this object might also be the long-lost crown of Ravenclaw House.
These were his two suspicions: a dangerous Dark artifact or the Ravenclaw crown, and the basis for his judgment was the whispers he had heard.
Dumbledore narrowed his eyes and picked up the not-so-clear photograph again, examining it carefully before turning to look at the portraits behind him.
"Armando, do you think the crown in the photo resembles the Ravenclaw crown?" Dumbledore held up the photo and showed it to the portrait of Armando Dippet.
"Armando Dippet was a Ravenclaw, so he would be more familiar with the crown."
"The Ravenclaw crown?" Armando Dippet pushed up his glasses and craned his neck to get a better look. The other headmasters and headmistresses in the office also opened their eyes and crowded around nearby portraits to get a glimpse.
They wanted to see the famous Ravenclaw crown, which had been missing for a long time. Generations of students had not lacked attempts to find the crown to earn extra points for their house.
"The shape is somewhat similar, but as you know, that thing has been missing for several centuries, and no one has ever seen it," Armando Dippet said, unable to confirm. He had seen the crown on the Ravenclaw statue, but this one was rusty...
"Just a moment!"
Saying this, he disappeared from his portrait and soon reappeared, breathless. He had just visited the Ravenclaw common room. "The shape is similar, of course, but it could also be a replica. By the way, where did you get this photo from?"
"From a student," Dumbledore replied. "He believes that the crown is most likely a Dark artifact because he heard a strange voice coming from it. As you know, hearing strange voices is never a good sign in the wizarding world."
In the magical world, anything capable of independent thought warranted caution. Dumbledore wasn't sure if the Ravenclaw crown, like the Sorting Hat, possessed similar sentience, but Albert's judgment and actions were undoubtedly wise. He had directly informed Dumbledore about this matter instead of trying to investigate it himself.
"I suggest you retrieve the object in the photo and study it," Armando Dippet urged. "Although the possibility is slim, it should still be taken seriously."
"I will, Armando," Dumbledore said, glancing at his pocket watch. It was already the wee hours of the morning, and it would be impossible to go looking for it now, even though Albert had mentioned where it was... The treasure vault of the Room of Requirement was simply too vast, filled with items from Hogwarts throughout the ages. Without Albert's guidance, it would be challenging to find it in a short time.
"It looks like this matter will have to wait until tomorrow," he muttered, his eyes fixed on the photograph.
(End of Chapter)
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