The Old Ones of Hogwarts

Chapter 80, Section 79: Does it exist, that possibility?

Suddenly, the Sorting Hat's snoring began.

On the wall.

The portraits of the headmasters throughout the ages originally intended to continue serving as their eternal audience, but the recent headmaster of Hogwarts, Armando Dippet, quietly led everyone to visit other picture frames in the school.

Even the most unpopular headmaster in Hogwarts history, the hot-tempered Phineas Black, disappeared silently from the headmaster's office without a word.

"ah?""

The clever Ravenclaw prefect Penelope didn't notice this, but she still sensed that something was wrong and couldn't help but look at Fox, who had brought her to the headmaster's office.

High on the gilded perch.

The phoenix named Fox is losing its feathers. Although the reason is unknown, its graceful figure is still incredibly beautiful and dazzling.

"I was asking around about something, and it got to you so quickly?" Penelope, the kind senior, was simply putting her helpfulness into action.

She never expected that the ghost would complain to the principal.

"Miss Crevatt, there are no secrets at Hogwarts." Dumbledore chuckled softly as he poured himself a cup of tea, the honey tea steaming in the exquisite porcelain cup.

"Would you like some?"

The Ravenclaw prefects didn't seem to be able to get Dumbledore to bring out the snacks he kept in his office, however...

At this moment, Penelope, filled with doubt and a little forgetfulness, had no interest in drinking tea.

"No, thank you, Headmaster Dumbledore. I don't think I've broken any school rules, have I?" Penelope was only concerned about whether she would be punished for the inexplicable attention. She was merely inquiring about a pair of twins who seemed to not exist; how could it be so serious as to be called to the headmaster's office for a private talk?

Under normal circumstances.

The selfless Dumbledore didn't like being alone with the young wizards.

"Of course."

Dumbledore slowly sipped his warm black tea. "But, Miss Creward, have you considered that painful memories that the person involved doesn't want to have are being casually reopened?"

His voice remained gentle.

"Because of the two brothers I inquired about, and their deceased sister?" Penelope frowned. "I searched through all the Hogwarts roster from recent years, but I couldn't find a student named Ariana, nor could I get any information from the professors about twins who lost their sister."

"Of course, the Weasley brothers do have a sister, but she's perfectly healthy. Percy even showed me a picture of the little girl."

The enthusiastic senior student described her dedication and hard work.

"Since I couldn't find my target among those from recent years, I wondered if the person I was looking for was someone from a long time ago, which is why I chose to consult the ghosts."

"I've had no success with most of the ghosts, but some seem to be quite wary of my attacks..."

Penelope hadn't finished speaking.

The loud description abruptly ended at that moment.

She noticed that Dumbledore's hand was trembling as he held the teacup, a tiny detail that would never happen to a powerful wizard, especially Dumbledore.

"beat----

Unable to pronounce the last syllable of the word, a sudden realization flashed through Penelope's mind, and the exceptionally clever young wizard connected some information in her head.

One minute ago.

Dumbledore's words still seemed to echo in my ears.

"Because that child has never attended school, Miss Crevat, of course you won't find her name." Dumbledore put down his teacup.

His tone remained calm.

just.

Behind the crescent-shaped frame.

Those eyes, as deep as a vast ocean, were swaying uncontrollably.

It contains fragmented emotions.

Upon seeing this, Penelope's pupils suddenly contracted violently, and her pretty face, which had previously had a rosy youthful glow, turned deathly pale in the blink of an eye.

My head was buzzing and exploding.

It was even more intense than when I saw the fragments of the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher's body.

"I don't know, Principal!"

The enthusiastic senior student looked flustered and at a loss. She finally realized why she was here. It turned out that what she was exploring was a taboo in the hearts of wizards who only dared to look up to it.

Dumbledore was actually a twin?

This is no longer a matter that Penelope dares to gossip about.

If she had known earlier that the "little trouble" Ian mentioned was related to Dumbledore, she would have sat in the Ravenclaw seat furthest from Ian at the dinner party!

"This is something Ian asked me to find out, right before enrollment, at the Sorting Ceremony dinner." Penelope, while shocked, immediately revealed the identity of her well-behaved junior.

amount.

Now it seems...

They don't seem that well-behaved!

At that moment, Penelope was extremely uncomfortable.

"I'm sorry, Headmaster Dumbledore—" Penelope's voice trembled as she lowered her head. Across from her, the Headmaster of Hogwarts smiled and gently shook his head. "At first, I did feel a little offended, but I quickly realized that I should actually thank you."

"Miss Krivat, you've brought me closer to the truth of some things."

Dumbledore's words puzzled Penelope. Her mind raced, filled with speculation.

However, they were still unable to make sense of Dumbledore's words.

"What?"

Penelope couldn't help but ask a question.

Dumbledore smiled politely. "I haven't spoken of Ariana to anyone in a long time."

I hope this won't affect the studies of the other young wizards.

A very obvious hint.

Penelope could certainly understand.

"I promise I won't tell anyone, not even Ian."

Penelope nodded frantically.

"No need for that. I'd actually like to see the child's reaction too," Dumbledore said with a smile.

The emotions that had been in his eyes were now hidden.

"Okay, okay."

Penelope nodded frantically again.

She secretly breathed a sigh of relief, thinking she had survived this terrible torture, but the next moment...

The poor senior's pupils reflected a scene that stunned her—Albus Dumbledore, the most powerful wizard of the 20th century, the nemesis of the Dark Lord, the invincible one, pulled out the wand that had killed countless people.

"As the headmaster of Hogwarts, I think no one understands the nature of young wizards better than I do," Dumbledore said softly, amidst Penelope's anxious gaze.

"Miss Crivat, would you mind if I personally taught you some material that's taught in sixth grade, and showed you a little-known aspect of Hogwarts?"

It appears to be a polite inquiry.

Dumbledore's expression was also full of gentleness.

just.

Penelope, sitting opposite like a quail, had a strange feeling—what would happen if she refused? Would she end up in the same coffin as Professor Ronnie Ehrlich tonight?

A Century of Lies: The White King.

For some reason, a book that Singing the Dissenting Voice had once recommended was now vividly in Penelope's mind, and she dared not utter a single word of dissent.

Dumbledore was still Dumbledore, his personality was still the same, nothing had changed, but Penelope felt that he was more... frightening than usual. "It is my honor to receive your guidance." Penelope dared not delve deeper into those terrifying questions, and she quickly adopted the most humble attitude she had ever had.

It wasn't exactly a lie.

Countless wizards in the world yearn to be personally taught by Dumbledore.

"An unbreakable oath is a magical spell used to form a covenant between wizards. If the oath is broken by one party, that party will die."

"It is very useful in terms of keeping secrets, and it has been used since ancient times to this day." Dumbledore explained and patiently taught Penelope in front of Hogwarts as they signed the oath.

"Thank you for your guidance."

Penelope was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief.

She did learn something.

"I also want to thank you for your tolerance. As your irresponsible and selfish headmaster, I think this can give you some compensation." Dumbledore took a book off the shelf and handed it to Penelope.

Those were his notes from when he was young.

Although Dumbledore had given him his best instruction, the unbreakable vow was clearly unfair to Penelope, and he wore a look of genuine remorse.

"！！！！！"

Penelope was overjoyed, her apprehension instantly vanishing. The record of the Great Ones was an absolute treasure, something even pure-blooded families would covet.

"Thank you for your gift—."

This time, the tremor in Penelope's voice stemmed entirely from excitement.

"Don't miss your afternoon classes."

Dumbledore escorted the excited Penelope to the door of the Headmaster's office. When he returned to his office hall, the past headmasters who had left earlier were once again depicted in the paintings.

The Sorting Hat is still pretending to be dozing off.

The phoenix has lost even more feathers.

It seems to have made some kind of decision.

It burned itself after a cry.

When the flames died down, the red tea on the desk had gone cold. Dumbledore sat quietly in his chair, watching the fledgling emerge from the ashes, revealing its newborn form.

"Albus, forcing a minor wizard to sign an unbreakable oath to you is a desecration of your position," the portrait of Armando Dippert suddenly spoke.

"This is the safest option."

A hint of shame flashed in Dumbledore's eyes.

"Your current mindset is extremely dangerous; it will only plunge you into an abyss of no return. You're merely weaving yourself a beautiful dream destined to shatter!"

"Your sister is dead! There is no turning back on that path!" Armando Dippert's portrait shouted sternly, while the other portraits also offered their advice.

"Yes, I think the Severus kids must have just heard your story somewhere, after all..."

There are always people who know your family's secrets, aren't there?

17

"Hogwarts has no secrets. Perhaps some ghost told him that. Children are always curious and want to get to the bottom of things."

"I think this Gryffindor fool is utterly senile and ridiculous! No one could do that! Not even the great Slytherin!"

The portraits may have been inspired by Armando Dippet, after all, he was the headmaster who witnessed Dumbledore's rise to power and subsequent decline.

"Fellow principals, aren't you all being a little too noisy?"

Dumbledore's voice was eerily calm.

"I may really be getting old, but I think I'm far from being senile. In fact, I don't think I've ever been this clear-headed in all these years."

He murmured softly.

Their gaze fell upon the office.

Hidden by the teacups and teapot was a library borrowing list.

A Brief History of Hogwarts Students

A Detailed History of Medieval Wizards

The Legend of the Mysterious Realm

Land of Illusions: Limbo