Chapter 700: The Storybook
Chapter 700: The Storybook
Previously, when Hogsmeade constructed these temporary residences, they prepared some basic furniture and performed some treatments. For example, they would cast simple protective spells on the rooms where Wizards needed to work, but the furniture inside was quite minimal, consisting of just a shelf, a table, and a chair.
Now, when Ryan and the others entered, they found a book sitting on the table that should have been empty. The book wasn't very large, about the size of a regular textbook. However, it looked quite old, with a black cover spotted with Scabbers' marks, and several areas where the cover had peeled off.
After checking the book several times with magic from a distance to ensure it wasn't abnormal or harmful, Ryan and the others approached the table and began examining the old book.
"The Tales of Beedle the Bard, why this book?" Hermione had seen this book before. She didn't understand why someone would lead them here and place this book here, especially since it was a common household item in the Wizarding World, similar to "Andersen's Fairy Tales" or "Grimm's Fairy Tales" in the Muggle world. It seemed strange that someone would go to such lengths to bring them here specifically for this book.
"This book is a bit different from ordinary books", Liam said, picking up the book and examining it closely. "The copy we have here appears to be one of the earliest, written in Runes. Many later editions were altered, and I recognize this book because I once saw a similar one in Professor Dumbledore's possession."
"Why would they alter the content of these books?" Hermione was puzzled. "It's just a storybook! While the stories are quite different from the fairy tales we read as children, they are generally positive and uplifting, and suitable for children. I don't see why any of the stories would need to be changed."
"To us, the book might not have any issues, but to the Wizards ruling the magical world, some stories in this book had a clear pro-Muggle bias. Even worse, the book was published in the early 15th century."
"The early 15th century?" Hermione, who had earned an O in History of Magic, immediately thought of the events of that era. "You mean because of the Witch Hunts?"
"Exactly. The persecution of Wizards in Europe was intensifying at that time. Many in the wizarding world felt that casting spells on their Muggle neighbors' pigs was like adding fuel to the fire that would eventually burn them. Therefore, when this book was first published, it seemed somewhat out of place, and some Wizards altered the content to make it more anti-Muggle."
"For example, in the set of books I found at Sirius Black's house, the story about helping ordinary people was changed to one where ordinary people persecute Wizards, and a cauldron that comes to life eats the ordinary people", Liam explained.
"Racial hatred, racial conflict, and a cauldron eating people? I think that story is the one that truly shouldn't be told to children", Hermione commented. "What kind of education do Pureblood families give their children?"
"Moreover, at that time, some believed that any Wizard who chose to be friendly with Muggles was considered weak in magic, lacking the skill to compete. For instance, Brutus Malfoy, a direct ancestor of the Malfoy family, wrote in an anti-Muggle magazine, The Warlock's Magazine: 'We can confidently say that any Wizard who shows affection for Muggle society is intellectually inferior, with weak and pitiful magic, finding only a sense of superiority among Muggle trash.'"
"Of course, we now know he was completely wrong", Liam said, spreading his hands. "I can assure you that I could take on the entire Malfoy family by myself, and our wealth far exceeds what the Malfoys have accumulated over centuries."
Hermione giggled behind her hand at Liam's words, and Liam then lit an oil lamp in the room. Using the light, he began flipping through the pages of the storybook. Hermione soon recovered and joined Liam, looking over the book together.
"The person who left this book is a bit odd", Liam said after flipping through the entire book. "All the messages inside are in ancient Runic, probably to match the cover and content. If I hadn't received a heritage in the past, I wouldn't have understood any of it."
"This suggests that the previous Master of this book was likely a Pure-blood Wizard from a clan with some history", Hermione said. "From what I know, Pure-blood Wizard clans often choose to learn ancient Runic as a way to display their status. It's similar to how British nobility learn Latin or Greek. In our Ancient Runes class, everyone except us two came from Pure-blood families."
"That makes a lot of sense", Liam agreed. He flipped to a page in the book and pointed to a line of Runic. "Look, most of the messages are concentrated on this Wizard and the Jumping Cauldron pages. For example, at the title, he writes: 'Is this just a fairy tale?' The same phrase appears again at the end of 'The Tale of the Three Brothers,' but with the addition of the Deathly Hallows symbol."
"So, this person is trying to tell us that the Jumping Cauldron is real", Hermione said, tapping her chin with her finger. "But what does this have to do with us? In the middle of a war, we can't go on a treasure hunt!"
"The person went to all this trouble, so it's definitely not just an adventure clue", Liam said confidently. "For example, on the Jumping Cauldron story page, there are two other messages. One says, 'Everyone dreams of obtaining such a magical treasure.' The other reads, 'Magic is power.'"
"It seems this is indeed something left for us by a Pure-blood family", Hermione said. "So, what do we do now? Should we use magic to track down that person?"
"Of course, we can't just let someone come to our doorstep without knowing what's happening", Liam shrugged. "I know the person went through all this trouble to avoid being found, but I doubt they know how far our research in Soul and Dimension has progressed. I started tracking them as soon as I got the book and have almost locked onto their position."
"Should we go find that person now?" Hermione asked, her face showing eagerness. In the three months since the war broke out, she had fully mastered her abilities and was starting to feel a bit of a thrill from the influence of the Death Power, making her interested in this potential ambush.
"Let's wait until the day after tomorrow", Liam said. "It's Christmas holiday for the next two days, so I think it's better to rest. Besides, I've already mostly identified the person and their location, so I have a good idea of who it is."
"You've already determined their identity and location? That's great news", Hermione nodded. She could guess that Liam was so confident because he had found the person inside a Pure-blood family's manor.
Although they had attacked several Pure-blood family manors, the main targets were the plantations. Their goal was to cut off the economic resources of their enemies, not to engage in senseless killing.
During the attacks on the manors, Ryan and the others always left a written explanation afterward, detailing their reasons, such as punishing Dark Wizards who killed innocents or rescuing hostages.
As a result, some peripheral Death Eaters who had not participated in the killing of innocents and had no hostages in their manors chose to stay at home. Based on the history of previous attacks, Liam had never wrongfully killed an innocent person.
So, the peripheral Death Eaters who couldn't abandon their homes due to wealth and knowledge now had to rely on Liam's sense of justice to protect their families. The person who sent the anonymous letter, which Liam had tracked through the book and letters, was likely one of these peripheral Death Eaters.
(End of Chapter)
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