Chapter 363: Guardian Relph
Chapter 363: Guardian Relph
Before the curfew, Vold led Carrel to the Gryffindor Tower, taking the opportunity to point out the various classrooms along the way.
At the entrance to the Gryffindor common room, a plump lady in a pink dress stood guard. As they approached, the Fat Lady asked, "Password?"
"I don't have the Gryffindor password, but I can find someone to let you in," Vold said.
"No need," Carrel smiled and waved his hand. "Percy told me the password, and I can go in by myself."
"Oh." Vold looked at him and said, "I should be heading back too. Get some rest early so you don't oversleep tomorrow."
"Okay." Carrel nodded.
Vold left, and as he turned around, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Although he had agreed to Dumbledore's request out of kindness, Vold soon realized that he was not the right person for the task Dumbledore had entrusted him with.
Vold felt that he wasn't as adept at socializing as Michael, as kind-hearted as Theo, or as sincere as Ryan. He also lacked the enthusiasm and liveliness of the Gryffindors.
Dumbledore's expectation for him to influence Carrel was truly misplaced.
"I should go find Violet for a chat. Either tell me the password or get out of my way!"
As Vold walked away, he faintly heard the Fat Lady's complaints.
He turned back and saw Carrel still standing in front of the Fat Lady's portrait, waving happily when he noticed Vold looking back.
The torches in the corridor always seemed dim, making people in the distance appear to be standing in darkness.
Vold waved goodbye, and this time, he truly walked away.
"Password?" the Fat Lady asked impatiently again.
"Good luck," Carrel finally responded to her.
He watched in surprise as the portrait swung forward, revealing a large hole in the wall. Carrel stepped through the doorway into the circular common room, where soft armchairs were scattered around, and a cozy fire burned in the fireplace. Golden and red silk hung from the ceiling.
The common room was bustling with students doing homework, playing chess, petting their magical creatures, and practicing spells. It was a lively scene.
Carrel stood at the entrance for a while, his eyes fixed on the scene before him.
It wasn't until Percy Weasley finally spotted him.
"Johnson!" Percy's eyes lit up, and he pushed through the crowd to approach.
"What?" Angelina asked loudly.
"Not you!"
Percy responded just as loudly, then changed his tone:
"Carrel, you're finally here! I'll give you your class schedule for tomorrow, and the school has assigned you a dormitory on the upper floor. Follow me..."
Carrel followed silently, his eyes scanning the necks of the people around him. He licked his lips as if he were very thirsty, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down.
"Here we are, this is your dormitory," Percy said, opening a small door to reveal a relatively spacious single room.
The room had an orange-yellow wooden desk, an armchair, a thick, soft bed, and deep red curtains hanging from the ceiling. A long-handled charcoal burner for warming the bed was placed in the middle of the bed.
Although it was only early autumn, the castle was already chilly at night, and many students had wrapped themselves in scarves.
"If you're missing anything, you can find me or one of the prefects, or you can write to Davies and Bans Shop in Hogsmeade. They sell all sorts of magical equipment."
"If you need Muggle items, the shop can also help with the purchase."
"Alright, thank you." Carrel said.
After Percy left, he entered his room and carefully examined it. On his desk, he noticed a small vial of fresh blood inside what he had initially thought was a vase.
Carrel sniffed and muttered to himself, "Goat."
He paused for a moment, then suddenly laughed again.
"Hogwarts."
...
In the corridor, after walking for a distance, Vold couldn't help but turn back to look again.
This time, there was no one behind him.
The long corridor resembled a deep, dark tunnel, and the interior of this ancient castle always seemed eerily quiet and still when there were no students around.
He recalled what Dumbledore had told him before—
The Headmaster had disguised himself as an ordinary Auror to hunt down a few vampires, even pretending to be defeated by them to lower their guard.
After a series of kite-like tugs and pulls, the vampires thought they had shaken off their pursuer. They then made their way to a temporary base in Britain to rest and replenish their energy.
Soon after, the base was gone.
The vampires panicked and fled, and after another chase, they brought the Headmaster to another base in France.
This base also disappeared.
But this time, two of the three adult vampires were killed, one escaped, and the remaining young one was captured by Dumbledore.
Carrel was still a minor, which gave him a significant advantage when facing a wizard like Dumbledore. Although he struggled to resist, in Dumbledore's eyes, it was probably no different from a child throwing a tantrum.
However, among a group of equally underage wizards who also didn't possess the Sunlight Charm, the threat of a vampire was self-evident.
"Don't worry, he won't bite anyone."
Suddenly, a voice spoke up from nearby.
An extremely old House Elf stood at a distance, with moonlight shining through the window, illuminating his silver-white eyebrows.
"Mr. Relph," Vold paused and said, "Good evening."
He recognized this House Elf, who, despite appearing frail and aged, possessed immense magical power, capable of transporting Vold across the Atlantic Ocean.
When the Ministry of Magic wanted to capture Sirius, it was Relph who brought Vold back to Britain from America.
Additionally, his age and wisdom earned him the respect and admiration of many House Elves at Hogwarts. Vold had heard his name mentioned by Zoe and others on numerous occasions.
He was a "Dumbledore" among House Elves.
"Good evening," Relph said in a slightly hoarse voice. "If Dumbledore dares to bring him into the school, he must have arranged comprehensive measures to ensure the students' safety. You need not worry."
"May I ask, what kind of measures?" Vold inquired.
Feeding is an instinct for vampires, and even magical contracts may not be able to fully restrain such behavior.
Take the Unbreakable Vow, for example; it is not actually unbreakable, but breaking it will result in death.
With enough determination, nothing in the world can truly bind a person.
Soon after, Vold heard the House Elf in front of him say, "It's me."
He was taken aback.
Relph raised his eyes and looked at him gently, saying, "I once watched a werewolf leave the school through the secret passage at night, and I also saw you spend almost an entire evening outside the terrace."
"I follow Dumbledore's instructions and am the guardian of you children."
(End of Chapter)
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