Hogwarts: The Exemplary Wizard I Am Chapter 917: The Unexpected Crown - Novel Cool

Chapter 917: The Unexpected Crown

Chapter 917: The Unexpected Crown

When Snape learned that Harry had fled Hogwarts overnight to avoid meeting him, his entire face turned a deep purple with anger.

"Good, very good," Snape said, his gaze icy as he looked at Hermione and Ron, his voice carrying a slimy undertone. "Tell me, where did he go?"

"I don't know, Professor," Hermione replied, looking as if she was about to cry. "Last night, a Slytherin student said you were looking for him, and he hasn't returned since he went to see you."

"Headmaster Snape," Hermione suddenly stopped her sobbing, lifted her head, and spoke solemnly. "I know you don't like Harry, but this is Hogwarts. Even if the Headmaster wants to confine a student, they should be informed in advance."

"And since you've kept Harry locked up for a night, shouldn't you let him out now?"

Snape's face darkened even more.

He had indeed wanted to confine Harry Potter, preferably until graduation, but he hadn't even seen the boy. This time, he had come to cause trouble for Potter.

"You're lying," Snape narrowed his eyes and looked back at Hermione.

This time, he noticed something interesting.

The Gryffindor witch seemed to be deliberately avoiding eye contact with him, and when she couldn't avoid it, her neck and forehead would tense up.

It was as if she was straining to hold something heavy with her hand; her head seemed to be exerting effort.

Occlumency?

Snape wondered, but he quickly shook his head.

Occlumency didn't require physical strain; that would be absurd.

However, Hermione had reminded him of something.

Perhaps he could use Legilimency to search for answers in Hermione's memories directly. As Harry's best friend, she must know something.

Snape's hand unconsciously gripped his wand.

Coincidentally or not, all the portraits on the walls of the Headmaster's office opened their eyes and looked over at that moment.

Especially the newest portrait of Dumbledore, with his bright and deep blue eyes, Snape subconsciously recalled the phrase he had said the most.

"Severus, as professors, we should never read students' minds without their consent."

This was what Dumbledore would tell him whenever he suspected Harry of plotting something behind the professors' backs and wanted to find out.

Dumbledore had never allowed him to pry into Harry's mind, even when teaching him Occlumency, they had a strict agreement.

Perhaps because of this, even though Dumbledore was already dead, Snape still released his wand.

"I didn't even see Potter," he even explained before sending Hermione out of the Headmaster's office.

Hermione stood by the stone gargoyle, and after a moment, she turned and left. Once she quickly passed through the portrait of the Fat Lady and returned to the Gryffindor Common Room, she collapsed into an armchair, panting heavily.

Hearing the commotion, Ron rushed over and asked, "Well, did he believe you?"

"He did!" Hermione smiled. "He didn't believe me at first, but then he did. I think Occlumency must have worked."

"Incredible," Ron couldn't help but exclaim. "I didn't expect you to be able to fool Snape right after learning that spell."

"Neither did I," Hermione said happily. "I always felt like I hadn't fully mastered that magic, but now it seems that's not the case.

"I could sense that Snape truly suspected me, and he must have wanted to use Legilimency. But he believed my words and let me leave... This means he didn't see anything about Harry in my thoughts."

There was a hint of excitement in Hermione's voice.

Occlumency, this magic, along with the Patronus Charm, could almost be considered the third Wizarding exam outside of O.W.Ls and N.E.W.Ts.

It was an adult wizard exam beyond Hogwarts.

The Patronus Charm was for sending messages, and Occlumency was for protecting secrets. Only by mastering these two spells could one be considered an above-average adult wizard.

However, there was a difference between the two. Compared to the Patronus Charm, learning Occlumency was more challenging.

Perhaps most Aurors and members of the Order of the Phoenix could successfully summon a Patronus, but among them, there would be some who couldn't perform Occlumency.

At least some Aurors definitely couldn't.

When Kyle taught Harry this spell, she was incredibly envious.

Unfortunately, that method wasn't suitable for her... It was too savage.

After all this time, she had almost read every book on Occlumency in the library and finally learned it.

And she had learned it before graduation.

To be honest, Hermione felt a little proud.

"So, what do we do next?"

Ron's voice brought Hermione back to her senses. She whispered, "Do nothing. Just continue with our classes."

"Classes?"

"Yes, we must act as if we know nothing. We can't show any signs of weakness."

"Good!"

Both of them looked solemn, as if burdened by a tense fate.

Meanwhile, at Number 12 Grimmauld Place.

"I fully support your decision, Harry!" Sirius patted his godson's shoulder forcefully.

"That nosey git as Headmaster... I'd rather not attend Hogwarts at all!"

To be fair, he had also considered this after learning about the incident. He wanted to take Harry out of Hogwarts to prevent Snape from settling personal scores.

That nosey, mistrustful git would definitely do something like that.

But he hadn't expected Harry to run back overnight without waiting for him.

They were truly a family, even their thoughts were in perfect harmony.

"I want to come with you," Harry said.

"No problem," Sirius agreed without hesitation. "You can do whatever you want, even if you do nothing. If you need money, just let me know.

Sirius displayed an air of confidence, and he had good reason to. The Gringotts vault, filled with mountains of gold, was more than enough for him and Harry to squander for centuries, as long as they didn't start any businesses.

Previously, Sirius had opened an ice cream shop in Hogsmeade to protect Harry up close. The business was doing well.

But when he calculated the accounts after the mission, not only did he not make any money, but he also lost nearly eight thousand Galleons, causing Remus Lupin's face to darken in anger.

Eight thousand Galleons! All his expenses from childhood to adulthood might not even add up to this amount.

Sirius wondered how he had managed to lose so much money... He didn't even have to worry about rent.

"Really?" Harry's eyes lit up. "I want to join you in dealing with the Death Eaters."

Sirius hesitated, speechless. He even wanted to take back his words.

"Harry... This... It's not as simple as you think," Sirius stammered, "Dealing with Death Eaters is not a safe job. You could be facing life-threatening situations at any moment."

"I'm not afraid!" Harry declared firmly.

"They are different from the Death Eaters you've encountered before," Sirius continued to persuade him. "They are more brutal."

"I don't care," Harry said seriously. "And I believe the Death Eaters I've seen are far from gentle."

Sirius thought for a moment... It seemed to be true.

Whether it was during the Triwizard Tournament, where Harry was taken to an unknown hillside, or later at the Department of Mysteries, Harry had encountered the true elite Death Eaters. A slight misstep could have led to his death.

But...

Sirius frowned in hesitation, like most parents, he didn't want Harry to face danger, even though he had already experienced a lot.

At this moment, he wished Harry could stay at Hogwarts, where it was still relatively safe, and he wouldn't have to worry about the Death Eaters.

"By the way, is Kyle here?" Harry seemed to sense Sirius's hesitation and proactively changed the topic.

Wanting him to stay in the safe house? Impossible. Don't even think about it. He was determined to find the Death Eaters and Voldemort, and Sirius couldn't stop him.

"Kyle?" Sirius was taken aback by Harry's question. "Isn't he a professor at Hogwarts? You should be closer to him. Why are you asking me?"

"He should have already left the school," Harry explained briefly about his discovery from the day before.

Professor McGonagall had required everyone to be present, even Hagrid had come, except for Kyle, who was absent.

"I guess he must have realized something," Sirius thought aloud. "I seem to recall someone mentioning that the Dark Lord was eager to kill him. Kyle went to Hogwarts because of Dumbledore's protection."

"What did he do to have to hide like this?" Harry exclaimed in surprise.

Based on his understanding of Kyle, ordinary Death Eaters were no match for him, and this could be confirmed by the other members of the Order of the Phoenix.

During Lupin and Tonks' wedding, it was Kyle who saved everyone. His abilities were even stronger than when he was in school, and by a significant margin.

For him to go into hiding, it was likely that Voldemort himself had to take action, but even that seemed a bit exaggerated... He had even killed Voldemort once, and the Dark Lord had never specifically hunted him down.

Of course, it could also be because he had always been at Hogwarts. Nonetheless, Kyle was probably the only member of the Order of the Phoenix who received such treatment.

What had he done to make Voldemort so angry?

Harry was eager to know the answer. If possible, he also wanted to experience it.

As long as it could anger Voldemort, it would be a cause for celebration.

But he was disappointed.

Sirius shook his head. "I don't know. No one has mentioned it, and only Dumbledore might have known, but he's dead."

Sirius wasn't much of a talker, and after this statement, Harry couldn't help but think of the kind old man, and his mood to continue the conversation faded.

The atmosphere became silent for a moment.

Just then, the door outside was opened.

"Oh, come and see, big news!" Lupin rushed in from outside, and when he looked up, he saw Harry's eyes, identical to Lily's.

"Harry?" he couldn't help but ask. "Shouldn't you be at school? Why are you here?"

"Oh, it's nothing. I got expelled from Hogwarts," Harry said, trying to make his words sound humorous.

"What?" Lupin was startled. "Listen to me, Harry, this is no laughing matter. You shouldn't be so impulsive..."

"Come on, Lupin," Sirius stepped forward. "Dumbledore is dead, and that snot-nosed Snape has become the headmaster. Keeping Harry away from Hogwarts is the right choice... You haven't forgotten who his former master was, have you?"

Lupin fell silent, acknowledging Sirius's words.

Indeed, they all knew that Snape was a Death Eater, once, and now...

"Alright, let's not talk about this anymore," Sirius waved his hand. "Tell us about the big news you brought."

"I'm curious. What news could have surprised you so much? Could it be that Headmaster Dumbledore has resurrected?"

"Impossible," Lupin shook his head unconsciously. "But it's also related to Hogwarts."

He spread the Daily Prophet on the table.

Harry curiously leaned over, and his eyes immediately fell on the beautiful crown on the front-page photo. The gem on it was truly stunning.

He looked further up.

"The thousand-year-old Ravenclaw Crown appears in Diagon Alley..." Harry read aloud unconsciously.

"The Ravenclaw Crown?!"

"Yes, that's the one that's said to grant wisdom to the wearer," Lupin clicked his tongue. "I never expected this legend to be true."

Harry continued reading.

"According to an insider, the unnamed wizard had visited the infamous dark magic shop, Borgin and Burkes, to appraise the authenticity of the Ravenclaw Crown."

"I never imagined that such a renowned crown actually existed. I offered all my wealth for it, but was rejected," the article quoted Mr. Borgin as saying, revealing his desire for the Ravenclaw Crown. Unfortunately, the mysterious wizard seemed to be seeking a wealthier buyer than Mr. Borgin could offer.

Perhaps he felt that the shop didn't have enough money, but in any case, he rejected Mr. Borgin's offer, wanting to find a more affluent buyer for the crown.

Harry finished reading the article and couldn't help but purse his lips. "Is this Ravenclaw Crown really that valuable?"

He was familiar with Borgin and Burkes and had unintentionally visited it once. Although it was a dark magic shop, the items inside were not cheap; on the contrary, they were shockingly expensive.

The shop owner's entire wealth must be more than the gold in his vault, yet it wasn't enough to satisfy him?

"It's the Ravenclaw Crown," Sirius said, flipping through the newspaper repeatedly. "If I could meet that person, I'd be willing to give them all the gold in my vault for the crown."

"Remus, do you think we can find them?"

Remus Lupin thought for a moment and then shook his head. "It's difficult."

"Bang!"

Another knock sounded, and Mrs. Weasley and Tonks arrived, along with Auror Kingsley and Mundungus, a petty thief who operated in the gray areas.

"Hey, have you heard?" Mundungus said eagerly. "A big treasure has appeared in Britain, a real big one."

"Of course," Sirius nodded.

He didn't particularly like Mundungus, but he didn't hate him either.

"We were just discussing this."

"Discussing what?"

"Whether we can find this person," Sirius said. "I'm willing to buy the crown with all my gold."

All the gold in the Black family.

Mundungus seemed to have an idea, and his expression became dreamy, almost drooling. But he quickly snapped out of it and shook his head.

"It's impossible. Don't even think about it."

"Why?"

"Because all the wizards in Britain are looking for him now," Tonks added. "I don't know how his whereabouts were leaked, but after this article came out, almost every wizard started searching... Aurors, Death Eaters, and even wizards from other countries. It will be challenging for us to find him before them."

"That's right," Mundungus said. "There's already a price on the black market, and you won't believe how much he's worth."

"So, you were chasing me for information about the Aurors just now, hoping to make a big profit, weren't you?" Tonks narrowed her eyes at Mundungus, and her hair turned fiery red.

"I... I..." Mundungus stammered, unable to speak.

Indeed, he had such intentions. His visit to Number 12 Grimmauld Place was to take advantage of the Order of the Phoenix's intelligence network.

However, it seemed that they didn't know much more than he did.

It made sense; the Order of the Phoenix had been disbanded, and all its members had become Aurors after Dumbledore's death. Only recently had there been signs of a reunion.

Naturally, there wouldn't be any special intelligence in such a short time.

Realizing this, Mundungus quickly found an excuse and rushed out of the house.

Watching his greedy demeanor, Mrs. Weasley disdainfully muttered, "I really don't know why Dumbledore let him join the Order of the Phoenix."

"Perhaps it's because he can provide us with information we can't access," Lupin said casually, not taking it seriously. Instead, he looked at Tonks, as if waiting for her to say something.

"The Dark Lord has appeared."

Sure enough, the next moment, Tonks delivered a shocking piece of news.

"Really?" Harry asked subconsciously.

"Someone witnessed him in Knockturn Alley, and he killed more than one person," Mrs. Weasley said, as if she had just noticed Harry. "Dear, what are you doing here..."

"We'll talk about that later, Molly," Sirius interrupted her. "It's strange. The Dark Lord didn't show up during the three Death Eater attacks on the Ministry, but now he suddenly appears in Knockturn Alley."

"It's probably because of the crown," Kingsley said. "It's the Ravenclaw Crown, and Voldemort would certainly covet it."

"But a crown can't be more important than controlling the Ministry, can it?" Lupin said quietly.

During the Death Eater attacks on the Ministry, he had been worried that Voldemort would join them. If that were the case, the Aurors and Hit Wizards wouldn't be able to stop them.

But that didn't happen.

Even though the Death Eaters had failed three times, Voldemort showed no signs of appearing.

Some speculated that he was working on something more important, forcing him to abandon the plan to capture the Ministry. This speculation gained support from many.

Amelia Bones had even considered moving against the Death Eaters within the Ministry to test Voldemort's limits or capture them all at once.

However, before she could implement her plan, Voldemort appeared because of a crown.

Lupin's words also caused the others to fall into deep thought.

Indeed, no matter how important the crown was, it couldn't compare to controlling the Ministry, which was the greatest obstacle to Voldemort's rule over the British magical world.

"The crown must be very important to him," Kingsley said, lifting his head. "We should also look for it. Regardless, we must not let it fall into the Dark Lord's hands."

"No problem," Harry was the first to respond, indicating that he could team up with Sirius.

"I'll go with you; now you should be at ease," he said.

Sirius moved his lips, indicating reluctant agreement.

...

(End of Chapter)

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