Archaeologists at Hogwarts

Chapter 288 Toby and Dumbledore

Screaming Shack.

Everything is proceeding in an orderly manner.

Two skeletons came into the hallway connected by the stairs, one with a head and one without a head.

"Al." Toby ordered, "Go get Harry's skull necklace back. Remember, don't let anyone find you, and don't let anyone know that we took it. That's how everything is safe." Cover it up."

Al nodded earnestly, and took out a small flying carpet from his belly pocket, and quietly took out a wand at the same time.

It was Lupine's wand, and he hadn't noticed that it had been stolen by Al.

Toby watched Al fly into the cave, he took out the Marauder's Map in his pocket, and silently observed the location of each name in the castle.

The range on the map was only around the Whomping Willow at most, and the Shrieking Shack was long past the distance it covered.

While Toby was silently waiting for Al's name to appear on the map, he suddenly heard a noise from the hole, which made him quietly clenched the wand in his cuff—but when the visitor showed up, Toby let go of his palm silently.

"Principal, why are you here, aren't you?"

It was Albus Dumbledore.

He was wearing his signature witch robes with stars and moons on it, and he held Al in one hand and a familiar wand in the other—it was Lupine's wand.

"Can you explain what you're going to use it for?" Dumbledore asked seriously. "Stealing someone else's wand, do you know what it reminds me of, Toby?"

"This time, who do you want to kill?"

Toby's long hair blocked his eyes, making it impossible to see his eyes and gaze clearly.

"What are you talking about, Headmaster. I've made a deal with Remus to keep an eye on him tonight in case the prophesied attack happens. You don't want to have to find a new professor every year either. Bar?"

Dumbledore released Al, but Lupine's wand was still in his hand.

Al rushed back to Toby's side non-stop. He described in horror how he was caught by a figure that suddenly jumped out in the dark. His hands were so powerful that he couldn't calm down now.

"Don't worry, don't worry." Toby comforted: "The principal won't do anything to you, will he?" He finally asked Dumbledore this question.

"If it's just Al." Dumbledore said calmly, "It's indeed much more honest than my restless student."

Toby clapped his hands and said, "I knew Severus was dishonest. Do you want me to help you teach him a lesson? How about going now?"

However, Dumbledore stood guard in front of the cave, and had no intention of moving at all.

"Okay, okay." Toby said helplessly: "I can tell you the reason, this time it's true. Remember the thing I told you before? It was in the memory I erased, Remus was there at the time. Later I advised you to check him carefully to see if there was anything wrong with him. But I couldn't wait for your news, so it turned out like this ——I can only check it myself, and by the way, I can avoid the prophecy—I mean the prophecy that he will be attacked."

"I know this prophecy." Dumbledore said slowly: "But don't you feel, Toby, you seem to be slowly becoming the attacker in the prophecy now? What will you plan to do in a while?"

"How is it possible." Toby said disdainfully, "This method——"

Dumbledore stared at him intently.

"Okay," Toby had to change his words, "I do know how to use it. I use it a lot. Is that okay? Why don't you show up at the Shrieking Shack tonight? I remember you should On the way to Nurmengard. And"

Toby opened the Marauder's Map, pointed to the old parchment and said, "Why isn't your name on it? It's not in the castle, and it's not in the secret passage. You couldn't have been hiding here for a whole day, right?"

Facing Toby's question, Dumbledore was silent for a while, and then said: "You are not the only one who communicated with Barrow, and I have held the Book of Access longer than you."

Half of Dumbledore's body was illuminated by the moonlight penetrating through the gap in the window, while the other half was hidden in the darkness.His eyes passed through the curly hair on Toby's forehead, and his eyes gradually changed on Toby.

At this moment, the expression on Dumbledore's face could not be called friendly.

"Not only these, but more."

He said with dignity: "I think we all know what you plan to do since you returned to Hogwarts. Now I don't know what your purpose is, but your actions this year are very different."

"From the beginning, before the celebration was about to take place, you have been suggesting to me that without the magic ball, you seem to be unable to do anything. Even if you want to do anything, you will have to wait until the Ministry of Magic returns the false A corpse will do."

"And then there's one more thing, which is quite different—the Time-Turner. You know that the Time-Turner exists, and I thought that was another hint—that made me think you were going to use it for yourself. But then I found out that It's a little bit different, you never thought about using the Time-Turner, but planned to keep an eye on it lest I spoil your good deed."

"For example, knowing that I have left Hogwarts, and there is another me staying at the school."

"So, I can tell you very clearly, Toby, I haven't left Hogwarts, neither today nor before. The reason I've been waiting is tonight, to have a good look at what you plan to do. what to do."

Finally, he asked seriously: "The influence of that memory has never disappeared, right?"

"Why do you have to do this?"

From the beginning to the end, Toby just listened to Dumbledore in silence.

"You don't understand, principal." He said slowly, "You know me very well, and you have pierced all my thoughts, but you still can't understand."

"Do you really think so?" Dumbledore suddenly interrupted loudly: "Do you really think that I will pay attention to you for no reason? Take it, just try it on."

He threw something at Toby.

It's the sorting hat.

It looked a lot cleaner now, and Toby didn't break his word, he did clean the hat.

"It seems that my forgetting spell is not that useful." Toby took the hat helplessly and said, "You restored the memory of the Sorting Hat, and are you going to discuss my teaching method at this time? You should be very clear, That was Harry's own decision. He has the right to choose, and he must be responsible for himself. You can't just treat him as a child. I was also a little wizard who didn't understand anything, so I can understand him very well."

"Boy." The Sorting Hat said suddenly: "I advise you to do what Dumbledore said. Compared with what will happen next, Harry Potter is nothing at all. In the secret between me and Dumbledore, you are the only third person who is different. Now, put me on quickly, before I waste my time creating songs."

Toby gave Dumbledore another look, but he saw nothing.

After putting the sorting hat on his head, Toby heard two voices appearing next to his ears.

"You have talent, there is no doubt that you are very suitable to be sorted into Slytherin, don't underestimate yourself."

"But, Mr. Sorting Hat." Toby could imagine it was a little boy's voice, but his tone was unusually calm: "I can't get involved with any evil things, and I should avoid this situation anyway, so as not to cause any harm. There are possible speculations and suspicions. You know very well what the reason is—my sister, she must be hidden."

"Since you insist on Gryffindor!"

Toby's eyes finally began to change. He looked in surprise at the old man whose body was half hidden in the darkness.

Dumbledore finally revealed the secret that no one knew all this time.

"You are not the only one who feels that you are more Slytherin than Slytherin."

He stepped out of the shadows and came into the moonlight. His face was divided into many different parts by streaks of light, and his blue eyes were fixed on Toby.

"So, I know exactly how much damage you're going to cause, because I've done the same stupid things. Now, come with me, Toby. I can act like nothing happened, and after tonight, everything will be alright .”

At this moment, an unexpected voice came to mind.

"Do you really think so, Albus Dumbledore?"

Lupine, he walked out of the bedroom on the second floor at some point, and stood in the hall, appearing silently.

"Why didn't you become a werewolf?" Toby asked, staring at him closely.

There was a completely different smile on Lupine's face than his usual, neither reserved nor gentle.

"Because no amount of hot chocolate can really turn me into a werewolf. Polyjuice Potion doesn't have this effect yet. Maybe you can invent it later, Toby Highmore."

Whether it was Toby or Dumbledore, they immediately guessed who the person in front of them was, and they raised their wands almost at the same time, aiming at him from afar.

"Relax."

"Lupin's" face began to change, and so did his voice.

Eventually, Gellert Grindelwald appeared before them.

"The real Remus Lupine is alive and well. Of course, tonight is a full moon, and he may be very sad."

"You shouldn't be here." Dumbledore looked at him and said, "Sure enough, during the days when you trapped me in Azkaban, it was not without gain. At that time you had already Did Lupine take his place?"

"You guessed right, Albus." Grindelwald looked confident, and he said leisurely, "I think it's your turn to ask questions, Toby Highmore, and the Marauder's Map again." Is it relevant? Are you wondering why my name isn't on it?"

"Soul, haven't you been studying the soul, have you guessed anything?"

"Don't believe what he says, Toby." Dumbledore reminded: "Don't believe a word, he is best at—"

"Is it deceptive?" Grindelwald interrupted suddenly: "Do you want to use your old tricks to teach your students again? But this is what I learned from you-learning how to make others trust yourself, this It's always been something you've been good at, hasn't it?"

Toby looked at the two men in surprise, and he backed away slowly, leaning against the wall.Al carefully lay on his shoulders, his eyes kept rolling.

"I just want to confirm some things." Toby said in a low voice: "Why are there so many situations for such a simple thing? Sure enough, I shouldn't come back."

"But what about the skeleton?" he asked suddenly, causing Dumbledore to turn his eyes to him immediately, but Toby ignored him, and he insisted on asking: "The so-called third skeleton, that's all—you did it on purpose." Used to divert attention?"

"I knew you would ask that." Grindelwald said in a tone as if he knew everything: "However, it is not. It is indeed a gift from me. I think I know you, Toby. Highmore, unlike Dumbledore, I know you better than him. Ancient magic has always been your pursuit, hasn't it? You have ambitions, so I have brought you more gifts."

A necklace floated out of his pocket automatically, and at the end of the necklace hung a skull ring.

It was also the head of one of the skeletons in the hall, which was supposed to be on Harry.

"It's you—" Toby understood what was going on at a glance: "At that time, the three of them made the same prediction, and it was you who made trouble. Because you know I won't let Blake go, you must Will put this head next to Harry again, so you can get it."

Only more powerful wizards have the ability to influence the results of ritual magic divinations.

There is no doubt that Grindelwald is this kind of wizard.

"I know you need it urgently now." Grindelwald still said in the same tone, "But, why don't you let me give you the third gift first--the Book of Access, which contains some things you have never seen before." Something that I hadn't thought of. I guess, this is probably related to why Albus was unwilling to give it to you in the first place."

"Don't listen to him," repeated Dumbledore emphatically.

Toby turned to look at him.

"Al." He said without hesitation, "Take out the access book."

Al was also looking at Dumbledore, it spread its paws helplessly, and then immediately did as it did, took out the old books from its belly pocket, and opened them page by page.

"Number." Grindelwald reminded again: "Look carefully at the number of wizards recorded on it. You have to look at it in time. From the past to the present, the number of newly born wizards is becoming more and more in each period of time. few."

Toby listened silently to Grindelwald's narration, his eyes quickly swept across the rows of different names, and it didn't take long before he raised his head again, first glanced at Grindelwald, and then focused on the compassionate Dumbledore body.

"The magic world is dying at an accelerated rate," Grindelwald said finally.

"I'm right, principal." Toby also murmured in a low voice: "My research has always been right. Whether it's blood, or the reason for the decline of ancient magic, it's all right. The magic world is gradually disappearing. One day, wizards will cease to exist altogether. You already knew that, didn't you?"

Dumbledore looked at Toby with complicated eyes.

Under the moonlight, without knowing it, Toby has turned his target from Grindelwald to himself.

This was something Dumbledore knew very well could happen, and it was something he had been trying to avoid.

"Sorry, Toby." He said sadly, "War, there must be no more war."

(End of this chapter)