Chapter 539: The Elder Wand and the Crown
Chapter 539: The Elder Wand and the Crown
By the time Kyle emerged from the Headmaster's Office, it was already evening.
Dumbledore had left in a hurry after obtaining the Nirvana Ashes, eager to prepare for the other items needed for the Philosopher's Stone, according to Niko.
Niko was also ready to leave.
At his request, Kyle accompanied him to the highest point of the school, the Astronomy Tower.
Niko walked slowly, with Kyle by his side, heading towards the tower at a leisurely pace.
Occasionally, they encountered a Gryffindor student or two in the corridor, who curiously asked Kyle what he was doing and why he was walking so slowly, as if they hadn't noticed Niko beside him at all.
"Just a little trick," Niko explained. "I don't want my name to appear in tomorrow's newspaper. It'll save me a lot of trouble."
Kyle nodded in understanding.
The name Niko Lemer seemed to have a magical charm, as if his mere presence in a place would create a sensation throughout the wizarding world.
It was precisely for this reason that he rarely left his estate, and even then, only to visit his old home in France or spend a vacation on a Muggle beach far away from wizards.
As they continued walking, Kyle couldn't help but ask, "Niko, was the help you mentioned the Crown?"
"I knew you'd ask me about it," Niko said. "The soul fragment in the Crown has completely disappeared. As I said earlier, it's as good as new now.
I must say, it's the most perfect alchemical artifact I've ever seen. Even I can't resist the charm it exudes..."
"I thought you'd bring the Crown this time," Kyle suddenly said. "After all, we had agreed on the time."
"I was going to bring it," Niko said without changing his expression. "But I overestimated my memory. We can't expect a six-hundred-year-old man to remember everything, right?
And Tata, you should have reminded me when I left."
Tata, walking behind them, twitched his ears. "Sorry, Master. Tata will remember next time."
Then Tata lowered his head and continued walking silently.
What else could he do? He was just a poor house-elf. All he could do was take the blame and bear the consequences.
Kyle smirked. Now he somewhat understood why Niko had come in person.
Here, he could forget to bring the Crown, but if Kyle had gone to the estate to deliver it, there would be no excuse.
Indeed, a wizard who had lived for over six hundred years had many tricks up his sleeve.
"Enough joking," Niko said with a smile. "I can give you the Crown anytime, but I don't recommend you approach it too early... Do you know the story of the Deathly Hallows?"
"The Deathly Hallows from the Tales of Beedle the Bard?" Kyle replied. "I've read it. It's about the Elder Wand, the Resurrection Stone, and the Invisibility Cloak."
"Exactly," Niko said slowly. "Overwhelming power often leads to a loss of sanity, just like in the story of the three brothers, where Antioch Peverell, who obtained the unbeatable power of the Elder Wand, forgot to be cautious and vigilant. As a result, he was easily killed by someone.
The Crown is another form of the Elder Wand. The wisdom it brings is irresistible, and once you take off the Crown, you feel like you've lost everything.
Without a strong enough heart, you'll never be able to shake off this sense of loss... unless you wear it forever, or rather, become enslaved by it."
Kyle listened silently, and after a long while, he asked, "Niko, can even you be influenced by the Crown?"
"Oh, of course not," Niko said with a laugh. "I've experienced too much, so much that I can't even remember it all. These experiences have constantly changed me, allowing me to face everything calmly after six hundred years."
As they spoke, they had reached the Astronomy Tower.
Tata, who had been following behind, quickly stepped forward and searched around the tower. After a while, he seemed to have found something.
Then, he forcefully pressed down with both hands.
It was as if a large 'Invisibility Cloak' had been pulled away, revealing a... airship hidden underneath.
Yes, an airship, almost as big as the giant squid in the Black Lake. The carriage underneath resembled a small boat turned upside down on the lake's surface.
It was hard to imagine that such a large airship could be parked steadily on the small tower, but when associated with Niko Lemer, it somehow seemed reasonable.
"Here you go." Niko took out a blank piece of parchment and handed it to Kyle.
"If you've made up your mind, write me a letter. Use this parchment, and the owl will be able to find the location of the estate."
"Alright." Kyle took it and thought for a moment before saying, "But do you have more of this parchment? One piece might not be enough."
"What?" Niko was a bit taken aback. "It's just a letter, you don't need to write too much."
Kyle didn't explain, but silently took out a box.
Niko subconsciously took a few steps forward.
He recognized it; this was the box he had given to Kyle, and the Ravenclaw Crown had also been taken out from this box.
So, what was in it this time? He couldn't help but be curious; it couldn't be that Kyle had another Horcrux, could it?
"Just right, I was thinking about when I should go to Devon again, but now it seems unnecessary."
Kyle casually opened the box, and inside was a small double-handled golden cup and a pendant box inlaid with gems.
Seeing the contents of the box, Niko's lips twitched, "This can't be..."
"Ah, this is Hufflepuff's Chalice and Slytherin's Pendant Box."
Kyle said, "It's just that they've both been made into Horcruxes... If there's any leftover ancient potion from before, could you help remove the soul fragments from these two items?
After all, they were left by the Four Founders, and it's a pity to have them made into Horcruxes."
Niko couldn't help but rub his eyes.
In the moment he opened the box, he had already realized that the two items inside were genuine.
But precisely because they were real, he found it hard to believe.
The items left by the Hogwarts Four Founders, and Kyle had collected three of them by himself. How did he manage to do it...
And that Dark Lord, how did he turn them into Horcruxes?
First the Crown, and now the Chalice and Pendant Box. If Niko hadn't known that Gryffindor's Sword was safely in the Headmaster's office, inside the Sorting Hat, he would have suspected that the sword had also been turned into a Horcrux.
"I can promise you." Niko raised his finger and took the two items out of the box, "But you might need to be patient and wait for a while. Before the Philosopher's Stone is completed, I probably won't have the time."
"It's fine, I'm not in a hurry." Kyle said, "But Niko, do you know what these two items do?"
Although the Chalice and Pendant Box weren't as famous as the Crown, they still bore the names of the Four Founders, so they couldn't possibly be mere decorative items with no use.
"Speaking of this, I do know a bit." Niko pondered for a moment before saying, "It was about a hundred and three hundred years ago, I saw them once.
"The Pendant Box is a great container, and the items inside are unaffected by any magical factors.
"And most importantly, it's incredibly sturdy. If you don't know Parseltongue, even with the Elder Wand, you can't destroy this Pendant Box.
"The Chalice always produces an endless supply of delicious wine. I drank it once, and the taste is still fresh in my memory. For wizards who enjoy drinking, it's the most precious treasure."
"Wait, wine comes out of the cup? But the Transfiguration Law..." Kyle frowned in confusion, "Could it be the Permanent Refill Charm?"
"No, I'm certain it's not the Refill Charm or the Transfer Charm." Niko said, "No one knows where the wine in the cup comes from, just like how people can't explain why the Ravenclaw Crown can increase the wearer's wisdom.
But this also fits Helga Hufflepuff's personality.
It's said that Hufflepuff spent her entire life brewing enough wine to fill the entire Hogwarts. But perhaps because the students are all underage wizards, or maybe it's related to Godric Gryffindor's habit of sneaking sips, so in the end, all the wine was poured into her favorite Chalice."
...
(End of Chapter)
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