Archaeologists at Hogwarts

Chapter 276 Memory in the Ice Cube
The long-term holding of the teacher commendation meeting, at least this year, means that the students have another course, and all the content of this course is related to ancient magic.

This is already considered a very eccentric care, even if it doesn't really take up the students' class time, but with the encouragement of the college points, the students will have to pay attention to this long-term activity.

Therefore, Harry's guess is actually reasonable.

If Professor Highmore hadn't controlled Dumbledore, how could the Headmaster announce such a decision?

But in fact, Harry still looked up to Toby and underestimated Headmaster Dumbledore.

The facts are completely different from what he imagined.
-
Just earlier today, there was a knock on the principal's office door.

"Please come in."

Toby walked in happily, alone, with an uncontrollable smile on his face, but the witch robe looked messy and didn't look good.

Dumbledore didn't know who he was writing to. He looked up at Toby, then lowered his head again, and asked him, "Don't tell me that the first thing you do after waking up is to find Sif Les’s trouble. Even when you were in school, the two of you never had so many conflicts, at most, you didn’t like to see each other.”

"It's not all my fault." Toby pushed back the same messy hair and said, "I just asked about the content of the article he will publish, and I made some comments by the way, who would have thought He would be so angry."

Dumbledore asked without raising his head: "Then what is your opinion?"

"About ancient magic and shampoo." Toby said proudly: "Speed ​​smoothing hair lotion, if I'm guessing right, this shampoo also uses an ancient potion formula, it's perfect. "

Dumbledore raised his head again, and he stared at Toby quietly for a while, seeing Toby slowly restrain his smile, he had no choice but to say: "Well, I want to know how he learned how to be a devil. What was going on in his head when he summoned the devil. Although he has already said that it was all because of me, it was because my act of trying to kill Petunia taught Lily to love, otherwise Lily might have survived , but—these reasons alone can’t convince me, I have to figure it out.”

"Your curiosity is too strong." Dumbledore shook his head slowly and said, "I hope you can understand that not everyone is willing to take the initiative to reveal the scars in their hearts, and not every wizard can do it like you. Deceive yourself."

"That's why I look down on him." Toby pouted, but soon smiled again: "By the way, principal, have you heard? All the professors, I mean all the professors in the school, they all I am willing to share articles related to ancient magic, these students are really not in vain for me to teach."

"Fresh things always arouse people's interest." Dumbledore said in an appreciative tone: "In this regard, you have indeed brought a lot of changes to Hogwarts, and it is a good one. This is really rare."

"I'll just pretend you're not mocking me." Toby looked at the portraits on the wall with an indifferent attitude, frowning secretly.

Just when Dumbledore was about to continue writing letters, he suddenly found that Toby was still in the office, and he had no intention of leaving at all.

"Do you want to have a glass of the most delicious lemonade?" Dumbledore asked calmly, "Or do you have other troubles waiting for me?"

"How can you say it's troublesome?" Toby waited for Dumbledore to take the initiative to ask questions, and he immediately said, "Principal, I came up with a good idea—"

"Wait a minute," Dumbledore interrupted before Toby had the idea, "don't tell me you're going to start teaching the students devils right now. I think we should all agree on this— —this kind of magic shouldn't be at Hogwarts, let alone exposed to students—unless we really understand it, understand the devil."

Dumbledore's guess wasn't too wrong, Toby immediately said: "But who else knows the devil better than me? Don't you believe me until now? In order to teach students ritual magic, I let They have prepared two full years in advance, isn't that enough?"

"If it's a devil, it's not enough." Dumbledore said decisively.

Unexpectedly, Toby did not continue to persevere.

"Okay." He returned to his indifferent attitude: "I don't want to argue with you at a time like this, lest I get kicked out of school again, and I don't want to have another glass of Gamp ——But these are not important, and my idea has nothing to do with the devil, but time."

He explained seriously: "According to the original plan, the results are usually announced before Christmas, and it can't be later, such as the Easter holiday, which is close to the exam, and it is also the place where students complain the most to the professor. At that time, it was difficult to get a normal result. So, I wondered if I could continue to procrastinate and arrange the time for the dinner at the end of the semester. Anyway, the champion of the College Cup will be announced at that time, and there will be another most popular professor It's nothing. And this activity happens to be related to the students' extra points, so it would be more appropriate to announce it together."

After listening to Toby's idea, Dumbledore was silent for a while.

It sounds like a good idea, and if it were to be announced at Christmas, it would indeed shorten the time for students to vote at the end.Until then, few students have actually been able to learn anything from this event.

However, the man who came up with the idea was Toby Highmore, who was Dumbledore's best student.

"Let me think about it." Dumbledore said slowly, "Toby, I know you are not willing to give up ancient magic, and are even willing to make students prepare for two years in advance before formally teaching ritual magic. So, can I now think that this is also a preparation for you to teach students about devils? After all, all the reports published by the professor are related to ancient magic, and this can be regarded as an extra course for you. "

"If you think about it carefully, can this also be counted as an exam? When any student passes the exam content in all the articles, are they eligible to study the devil?"

Under Dumbledore's gaze, Toby suddenly fiddled with the spinning top on the table. He lowered his head and fiddled with his fingers back and forth without saying a word.

It seems that Dumbledore guessed right, this is what Toby really thinks.

The devil is a magic that should not be exposed to students, but if it is Toby to teach, then as long as you can prepare well, nothing is impossible.

Even if you don't have to guess, you know that this is very different from Dumbledore's educational philosophy. He will not expose students to this dangerous magic at all-of course, Harry and Cedric are two exceptions.

One of them is related to horcruxes, while the other.
When he learned that Cedric was going to study the devil, Dumbledore had personally talked to the student and told him all the pros and cons.

But Cedric rejected the principal's persuasion.

It could be seen that he was very flustered at the time, but unexpectedly persisted.

"Professor Highmore also told me that the idea of ​​making an automatic casting wand is completely unfeasible. He has tried many times, and every time he failed."

"Then why do you insist on it?"

"Because Professor Haimer is doing the same thing. Some of his ideas are very scary, but I don't see that he has the idea of ​​giving up, never once. And the price paid by Professor Haimer is much more serious than mine Now, all the students in the school think it's a miracle that he survived. But I haven't even encountered a miracle yet."

At this moment, still in the same position, Dumbledore and Toby fell into a stalemate.

Fox turned his head uneasily, all the portraits fell silent, only the sound of the spinning top was left in the room.

After a while, the spinning top suddenly floated up by itself and landed on the shelf beside it.

"can."

After Toby looked up, Dumbledore looked into his eyes and said, "I can grant your request. But before that, there is one thing I must clarify."

"What is it?" Toby asked, suppressing the corners of his raised lips.

"A cube of ice that never melts."

Dumbledore didn't intend to procrastinate any longer. He mentioned Toby's most important collection: "I need to see for myself what is the memory in it. I think you should be able to understand that everything is It started with that memory, and that's the only reason I don't know why you've changed so much. I have to keep the students safe, Toby, and you too."

Toby froze, and then he actually laughed.

"You know, before I came back, I made a bet with Al on how long it would take you to ask me to release that memory. It lasted four years, and I almost won. It was more than half a year away, but looking at it now, tsk tsk tsk."

Toby put on that smug expression again: "Now it can't talk about being a professor anymore."

"Is there such a thing?" Dumbledore asked interestedly: "Have you promised Al to make him a professor in the school? You should know that this is the power of the headmaster, right?"

"Of course I know." Toby raised his eyebrows and said: "But I know better that you will not be able to bear it. That's all right, principal, you will announce this decision at breakfast later, and then I will take you Let's see what that memory is. It's not a big deal, but the way to get it out will be more troublesome."

"I'm looking forward to it," Dumbledore said slowly.
-
At this moment, after eating breakfast, Toby, Dumbledore, and Al, who was lying on the flying carpet with his stomach upright, walked back to the ancient magic office.

On the way, Toby kept talking to Al: "Why did you eat so much just now? Are you trying to feed yourself to death? It's just a bet and you'll have another chance in the future."

Al struggled to turn over, ignoring him.

At this time, Dumbledore suddenly said: "I found a very interesting thing, and maybe I should tell you about it - look at Al's appearance now, it is not much different from yours before, and you all have the desire to teach. Toby, could such a similar performance be a coincidence? Speaking carefully, I still don’t know about Al’s origin.”

Toby immediately strode forward and kept yelling, "We're about to arrive at the principal, just wait and see, that memory will definitely surprise you."

Almost at the same time, Al stopped losing his temper, and the flying carpet under his body flew away, quickly surpassing Toby, and getting farther and farther away from Dumbledore.

Fortunately, Dumbledore did not continue to ask, which made both of them heave a sigh of relief.

Soon, they rushed to the ancient magic office together, and the two skeletons were guarding the ice, one on the left and the other on the right.One of the skeletons has no head yet, because it was made into a necklace for connection, and it was placed with Harry. This is what happened after the trio had predicted that something would happen to Sirius, so that Harry could be in Sirius. Notify Toby in time when it reappears.

As for what happened later, what I didn't expect was that Sirius was really found, and was groped to the fireplace of Hogwarts by the later pursuers. This made Toby very annoyed, and he simply planned to catch him Kingsley, interrogate him well.

Then Toby was stopped by Dumbledore, and the news of Kingsley's death was published in the "Evening Prophet" that night. This was obviously a trick used by Kingsley to get out, just like Sirius' "corpse" "It's the same, it's all fake.

But Dumbledore also hinted at Toby that he sent his younger brother Aberforth to investigate this clue, but he didn't know when he would get a reply.

Now, Dumbledore is standing in front of the ice that will never melt, looking at the cold air that radiates from its surface, and the dark shadow inside—that is Toby's memory.

"How are you going to take it out?" Dumbledore asked, "Do you need help?"

"It's not that I underestimate you, Principal." Toby said, "It's impossible to retrieve this memory with flames alone. This is an ice cube that will never melt. Although I haven't tried it myself, I guess it will be Lianhuo doesn't work either."

"Are you sure?" Dumbledore asked, "Have you really not tried it yourself?"

"I thought you would ask whether the story about Diemfire is true, but it is a flame that can burn everything." Toby said dissatisfiedly: "But I really haven't tried it, and I really don't know how to use Diemfire. Otherwise, once I can't help using it, wouldn't those ancient ruins be burned? What is archaeology? This is a very careful job, and ordinary wizards cannot do it unless it is Ace Spellbreaker."

"Only the ace spellbreaker knows how to remove this memory from the ice that will never melt."

As soon as the words fell, the armor that imprisoned the devil stomped into the office, facing the two of them.

Toby walked over and patted the devil on the shoulder and said, "It's not it, but the devil it trapped. It's almost shapeless, and I used it as a key to take away my memory."

"Fortunately, you are here, principal, otherwise I don't plan to release it completely."

"Through?" Dumbledore keenly noticed the words Toby used: "You mean, more thorough than in the class where you confronted Severus?"

"I knew I couldn't hide this from you." Toby said, "Yes, that's right. Although I released the devil in that class, I also left some restrictions so that it could not escape to It's too far away. But this time it's different, it has to be unreserved, let it out completely."

"Besides, I said that this is an ice cube that will never melt. Ordinary devils cannot become keys. They must be humanoid devils. It is also the only key in the entire magic world."

After saying this, the two looked at each other silently, and Al had long since secretly hid while they were not paying attention.

"You know I won't agree." Dumbledore said wearily: "I will not allow such a dangerous existence to appear in the school, especially if you have clearly reminded me—the only humanoid The devil, no one knows what it can do."

"You're right about that." Toby said slowly, "Even I didn't know—because I had passed out at that time, and it was Al and Angela who rescued me. In addition , It is worth mentioning that it was not me who trapped this humanoid devil in the armor, but the magic that existed in the temple. The experience that time was really dangerous, and I almost didn't survive."

The armor stood motionless, and it was unknown whether it would respond to the conversation between the two.Perhaps only Al understood - it was Toby who had teased Dumbledore.

He could indeed retrieve the memory, but the price he would pay would be unimaginable. No one knew what this humanoid devil would do in Hogwarts, and whether it would be able to be imprisoned again smoothly.

"So you never thought about taking this memory out?"

"Yes, principal, I never thought about it, it's better to forget about it."

"Compared with this devil? Who is more dangerous?"

Facing this question, Toby said without hesitation: "Of course it is memory. In front of it, no amount of devils is worth mentioning."

(End of this chapter)