https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-748-Six-Hundred-Years-of-Character-Is-That-It-/12539326/
Chapter 749: The Trio's New Target, In Search of a Horcrux
Chapter 749: The Trio's New Target, In Search of a Horcrux
"I'm sorry, Kyle..." After leaving Dumbledore's office, Harry suddenly spoke up, his voice tinged with regret.
"What?" Kyle looked at him, puzzled, not quite understanding what he meant.
"It's about the golden cup," Harry explained in a low voice. "I was the one who told Dumbledore that you had it. But at first, I didn't realize it was the Hufflepuff Cup. I thought it was just an ordinary golden cup."
"So?" Kyle looked at him, "You're right about that. It was with me, and there's no need to apologize."
"It's my fault you lost that important cup," Harry said, filled with self-reproach. "I've seen the memories related to it; it's an incredible magical artifact left by the four Hogwarts founders, and even Voldemort was fascinated by it."
"If I hadn't mentioned it, Professor Dumbledore wouldn't have taken it away, and you could have kept it until graduation."
"Oh, that," Kyle shook his head nonchalantly. "It doesn't matter. Even if you hadn't said anything, I would have found an opportunity to tell Professor Dumbledore about it.
"And didn't you hear him say that he won't keep it for long and will return it to me soon?"
Hearing Kyle's words, Harry finally felt a little better. In truth, when he had heard Dumbledore mention keeping the cup, he had started to feel guilty, so much so that he hadn't paid attention to what was said afterward.
"To be honest, I kind of hope Professor Dumbledore doesn't give the cup back to me," Kyle murmured as he stroked the fox-like red feathers of the phoenix in his arms.
It was only then that Harry noticed that Kyle was holding Dumbledore's phoenix, and strangely enough, it seemed to be obediently allowing him to do so without any signs of resistance.
Were phoenixes usually this docile?
Unconsciously, Harry also reached out, wanting to stroke the phoenix... or perhaps he had wanted to do so for a while now.
As expected, the next second, Harry found himself pecked by the phoenix.
"Ouch!" He cried out, quickly withdrawing his hand.
Unlike an owl, a peck from a phoenix wasn't something you could just rub away. Harry looked down at his hand, which had quickly swollen into a large lump, as if it had been burned by a red-hot iron. The slightest movement sent a sharp pain through his hand.
"Looks like it doesn't like me," Harry said through gritted teeth.
"No, Fox is just a little shy," Kyle said, "If a stranger reached out to touch your hair without saying hello, you'd punch them too, it's normal."
"Is that so?" Harry blinked, suddenly feeling that it made perfect sense.
Phoenixes weren't ordinary magical creatures; they were highly intelligent, almost on par with wizards. It didn't seem strange that they would value manners.
However, looking at the fresh lump on his hand, Harry had lost all desire to touch the phoenix again and could only look at Kyle with envy.
It really hurt, and he certainly didn't want a second peck.
The two continued walking, with Harry deliberately lagging behind, glancing up at Kyle from time to time.
He suddenly felt a strange sense of frustration. Kyle had found a Horcrux, something so important, so easily, as if he had simply picked up a stone from the ground.
Meanwhile, Dumbledore had only asked him to inquire about a memory from Slughorn, a task that was undoubtedly far simpler than searching for a Horcrux, yet Harry still had no idea where to start.
In fact, he didn't even know how to begin.
Harry had tried Ron's approach before, asking Slughorn directly after a Potions class.
But the result had been a curt response from Slughorn: "You lot must have put him up to this!"
After that, Slughorn had stormed out, and for several days afterward, he hadn't spoken a word to Harry. Harry had been looking for an excuse to mend their relationship ever since.
That was why, when he learned that Ron had been affected by the love potion, he had immediately thought of going to Slughorn.
After all, it was somewhat related.
And then the events of the previous night had unfolded.
While the incident had helped ease the tension between them, Harry still didn't know what to do next.
Finally, as they approached the portrait of the Fat Lady, Harry couldn't help but ask, "Kyle, where did you get that mead you gave to Professor Slughorn in the hospital wing? Was it from the Three Broomsticks?"
"That..." Kyle looked at Harry, "I remember you're not seventeen yet. How about some butterbeer instead?"
"No, it's not for me," Harry quickly shook his head. "I saw that Professor Slughorn liked it, so I thought I'd buy a bottle. Maybe it could help with what I need to do next."
"Then you won't be able to get any, because the mead comes from the Hufflepuff Cup," Kyle thought for a moment. "If you're in a hurry, you can go back and ask Professor Dumbledore to pour you a glass now.
"If you can wait, you can have it in a few days."
"I can wait, I'm not in a hurry!" Harry quickly replied, not wanting to go back to Dumbledore.
"Okay then."
As usual, the two parted ways at the corridor next to the portrait of the Fat Lady.
However, Kyle did not immediately return to the common room because he couldn't very well walk around the castle carrying a phoenix, even if it was nighttime.
So, Kyle could only find an empty room and place Fox in a box with Norbet for company.
The next day.
The atmosphere in the school always seemed to become exceptionally dull after the weekend, a stark contrast to the lively Great Hall the day before. During mealtimes, most people looked abnormally listless and kept yawning.
"Are you saying that Kyle found a Horcrux, and it's the famous Hufflepuff Cup?
"Of course I know," Hermione replied casually. "It's the symbol of Hufflepuff. And there are a total of four of those - the Gryffindor sword, the Ravenclaw diadem, the Hufflepuff cup, and the Slytherin locket, each representing one of the four founders of Hogwarts.
"It's clearly written in Hogwarts: A History. I dare say many people are aware of this."
"Then you're wrong." Ron, sitting beside them, took a big gulp of pumpkin juice. "Only you would read that entire five-inch thick book. Most others would just skim through the parts they're interested in."
"Thanks for letting me know how interesting I find that book," Hermione retorted sarcastically.
As the two started to bicker, Harry remained calm and indifferent. In the past, he might have tried to change the subject, but now... to be honest, he had grown accustomed to it.
Since they would just argue again later anyway, as long as they didn't start casting spells at each other, Harry would simply pretend he didn't see anything.
With his head down, he carefully recalled what Hermione had just said.
"What did you say the Ravenclaw symbol was?"
"Huh? Oh, it's a diadem." Hermione snapped out of her thoughts. "It's said to bestow wisdom upon its wearer. It's something anyone would covet."
"Increase wisdom?" Ron exclaimed, his eyes sparkling with a peculiar light.
"I bet a lot of people would want to get their hands on it..."
"Probably." Hermione continued eating her breakfast nonchalantly. "But I think it's just a legend. It's the books that grant wisdom, not some diadem."
"But that's the diadem of Ravenclaw, the witch acknowledged as the most intelligent in her time."
"It was Ravenclaw who was intelligent, not her diadem," Hermione said flatly. "If you want to gain wisdom, you're better off reading a few more books."
"But the books say the diadem can bestow wisdom, don't they?" Ron argued.
Hermione opened her mouth but didn't retort.
Because Ron was right; that was indeed what the books stated.
During their conversation, Harry remained silent, deep in thought.
"Harry..." Ron nudged him. "What are you thinking about?"
"Something I overlooked before." Harry looked up and lowered his voice. "Yesterday, in the Headmaster's office, Kyle said something... He mentioned that the cup was just like the diadem, a Horcrux that Voldemort had made, and that he had handed it over to Mr. Nicodemus after finding it."
"Nicodemus!" Ron exclaimed, his voice rising. "Is that the same Nicodemus who had the Philosopher's Stone?"
"I believe so, but that's not the point." Harry spoke seriously. "The key part is the bit about 'just like the diadem.' This implies... "
"The Ravenclaw diadem has also been turned into a Horcrux by Voldemort!" Hermione finished his sentence.
"Exactly." Harry nodded. "And Kyle found it, even before he discovered the golden cup."
The surroundings fell silent.
Harry didn't know what else to say. He had thought it was impressive that Kyle had found a Horcrux, but now he realized that Kyle had found not one, but two Horcruxes!
"So..." Ron asked, "Does that mean Kyle already has the Ravenclaw helmet?"
"It's a diadem, not a helmet!" Hermione corrected him.
"If it hasn't been taken away by Professor Dumbledore like the golden cup, then I think he does." Harry replied.
Neither Kyle nor Professor Dumbledore had said much about this matter, so Harry wasn't sure about the details and could only speculate.
At this point, Ron seemed to have a sudden realization, and he asked tentatively, "Do you think Kyle's intelligence might have something to do with the helmet... I mean, the diadem?"
"Absolutely not!" Hermione refuted decisively. "Even if the so-called diadem truly enhances the wearer's wisdom, have you ever seen Kyle wear it?"
"Well, no." Ron thought for a moment and shook his head.
Harry hadn't either.
As one of the most talked-about students in school, if Kyle had suddenly started wearing a diadem, it would have drawn attention, but so far, they hadn't heard any rumors about it.
"And most importantly," Hermione continued, "Kyle has consistently been at the top of the year since enrollment. His performance has been stable, unlike your sudden improvement in Potions class one day."
"What does that have to do with us?" Ron muttered under his breath, pretending not to understand Hermione's implication.
Thanks to that notebook, he had been shining in Slughorn's Potions class, almost always receiving an 'Outstanding' grade. It was a feeling he had never experienced before.
Unfortunately, there was only one notebook, and he wished he had something similar for the other classes.
Ron thought for a moment and asked quietly, "Do you think Kyle would be willing to lend us the diadem to take a look?"
"I know what you're thinking..." Hermione looked at him sternly. "But I advise you to give up that idea. You can't rely on a diadem to increase your wisdom."
Ron remained silent, but from the way he shifted his gaze, it was clear he didn't fully agree with Hermione.
"I..." Hermione wanted to say that she wasn't curious, but she couldn't bring herself to say those words and could only nod reluctantly, "Fine, I'm curious too."
"But there's no way Kyle would lend something like the diadem of Ravenclaw to others." Harry looked at Ron and said, "Would you lend it to others if it were yours?"
"No." Ron blurted out, "Of course, except for the two of you."
"Well, thank you very much." Hermione replied perfunctorily.
"You're welcome."
"I have an idea." Harry suddenly turned to Hermione and said, "You just said that each of the four founders left behind a magical artifact, right?"
"Mm." Hermione nodded.
"In that case..." Harry said, "Is it possible that the remaining sword and locket have also been turned into Horcruxes by Voldemort..."
Hearing the name, Ron shuddered slightly, then began to ponder Harry's words.
"You're right." Hermione also reacted, lifting her head to say, "Since the cup and the diadem have been made into Horcruxes, there's no reason for Voldemort to give up on the other two."
"Let's go find them." Harry said solemnly, "Let's find the sword and the locket. Kyle found two of them on his own, and there are three of us."
"You're right." Ron visibly became excited, but soon he looked a little deflated.
"How are we going to find them... The Gryffindor sword can't possibly be in the dormitory, and as for the locket, we can't exactly go into the Slytherin common room, can we?"
"We'll find a way." Harry said, "And we won't know until we try."
As if suddenly shouldering a sacred mission, he felt a surge of boundless energy within him.
"I'm going to the library, it should be recorded in Hogwarts: A History!" Hermione jumped up abruptly, not even finishing her breakfast, and strode straight out of the Great Hall.
"I'll help too." Harry followed closely behind.
Ron thought for a moment, then trailed after them.
...
As Kyle arrived for breakfast, he happened to bump into them at the door. They were running so fast that he almost collided with them, but luckily, Connor pulled him back in time.
"Sorry..."
All Kyle heard was Harry's apology before the three of them ran off.
"You startled me." Kyle turned to look, "What's with them?"
"I don't know, maybe they forgot something." Connor said.
"All three of them?" Kyle was a little puzzled, but he didn't think too much about it, only feeling that they were... well, quite energetic.
...
"By the way, what were we talking about?" Kyle asked.
"Horcruxes." Connor replied.
"Here, this is for you." She handed him an exquisite locket, "So, is this why the mysterious wizard was able to resurrect himself?"
"Yes." Kyle said, "He split his soul into several parts, so if you want to kill him, you have to deal with these first."
"I remember you asked Slughorn about Horcruxes before. Do you think he taught the mysterious wizard how to make them?"
"It's very likely." Kyle said, "Professor Dumbledore showed me a memory of him asking Slughorn about how to make Horcruxes.
"But that memory had been altered, obviously, Slughorn felt guilty about it."
"It's incredible to think that such magic exists." Connor looked at the locket in Kyle's hand, "So, what about the soul fragment inside..."
"It's been dealt with." Kyle said, "Nico used an ancient potion, which was quite convenient, although it took a long time."
"What ancient potion?"
"I don't know." Kyle said, "I didn't ask at the time. I just handed over the item and left."
"There's also a section about ancient potions in the book Nico gave me, but I might not be able to brew it yet." Connor said, "But I can try, maybe I can help you. If not, I can also ask Professor Snape for help."
"No need." Kyle shook his head, "The Horcrux is almost destroyed, and what's left won't be that troublesome."
"It's completely destroyed?" Connor asked in surprise, "The diadem, the cup, and the locket... shouldn't there still be a sword? The Gryffindor sword."
"That one." Kyle laughed, "It hasn't been lost, it's always been in the school, so Voldemort never had the chance to turn it into a Horcrux."
"The sword is in the school?"
"Yes, it's in the Headmaster's office, under the Headmaster's care." Kyle said, "If you're interested, I can get it for you, but to be honest, it's not that impressive. It's just a weapon forged by fairies.
"Aside from looking nice and being sharp, its biggest feature is that it can absorb any power that strengthens itself. It sounds powerful, but for most people, a wand would definitely be more convenient."
"Just a fairy's weapon?" Connor looked a little disappointed, "I thought it would be a sword-shaped wand."
"Haha." Kyle laughed.
If it were really like that, no, even if it were just possible to slot a wand into the sword, he would be willing to trade everything he had for it, including the cup and the locket.
...
(End of Chapter)
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