Hogwarts: Bourne Returns from Warhammer

Chapter 212 "With you bunch of insects"

After the start of school, in addition to wandering in the ocean of knowledge every day, Bourne devoted most of his energy to finding "informal purchasing channels" for magic portraits.

Ever since that vision in that Mundungus guy's head: a magical portrait that transformed into something monstrous like a "Candle Man" and was killing people at the Dominatrix's auction.

Byrne put figuring it out high on his mental to-do list.

In the story of Harry Potter in his memory, in the second year of school, Voldemort had a Horcrux in the form of a diary causing trouble, and in the end he created a basilisk and gave it to the protagonist group to "gain experience."

At the beginning, because the power of that thing was weak, it was not able to use many tricks.

Therefore, although it is impossible for Byrne to leave Voldemort's Horcrux unpurified, for now, he has not devoted all his energy to this matter.

However, regarding the informal channels for purchasing magic portraits, even with the investigation direction pointed out by Mr. Holmes, Bourne had a difficult time finding clues.

The reason is also very simple. He now has to go to school at Hogwarts Castle every day and has no time to go to Knockturn Alley to check the water meters of those black market merchants.

Finally, he thought of a way.

He wrote a letter to the famous Borgin's Bock's store in Knockturn Alley, expressing his willingness to pay a high price for a magical portrait of unknown origin, and hoping to place a purchase notice in the store.

Bourne paid 13 gold galleons for this letter as a pit fee to win the letter from the shop owner.

The money was drawn from all the remuneration he received from working as a librarian's assistant and participating in patrols in the Forbidden Forest throughout the last year.

As for why he was given 13 gold galleons as a pit fee, that was just his personal habit, and it was definitely not because he wanted to be loyal to anyone (rubbing hands).

Moreover, while doing these things, Bourne also had to be careful not to be seen.

Because those Aurors who were dispatched by the Ministry of Magic and stationed in Hogwarts Castle are now secretly "protecting" Bourne and Harry Potter.

They are well disguised.

At least, judging from ordinary people's standards, not to mention Tonks' ability to "change his appearance" anytime and anywhere, even using the very skillful Disguise Charm can prevent other young wizards from realizing that there is something new in the school. Several Aurors.

However, it is obviously impossible for these people to obtain the true inheritance of the Raven Guard, and Bourne can still easily notice their stealth.

But precisely because of this, he could only endure this unpleasant "feeling of being spied on" for the time being. When he went to places like the Owlery, he had to go around the castle corridors and entrance halls every time, relying on groups of small wizards as cover, and then getting rid of the secret protection of those people.

"Why do you always follow me?" Bourne thought about this question several times helplessly. "Even if others don't know, but Kingsley, who is responsible for giving orders to other Aurors, doesn't he know that even if Peter Pettigrew sneaks in? Back at Hogwarts, that guy's first target should be Harry Potter."

Later, he finally figured out the answer to this question: because Harry was always accompanied by a professor.

Gilderoy Lockhart has been having a seizure lately, pestering Harry whenever he has nothing to do.

He might have been able to break into the Gryffindor common room if he hadn't been unable to figure out the password that changed at least once a day for the portrait of the Fat Lady guarding Gryffindor Tower.

The reason why he did this was that there was always Colin Creevey around Harry Potter. The first-year kid particularly liked photography, and Gilderoy Lockhart himself liked being photographed very much; Secondly, although he was given up on the idea of ​​starting "Hogwarts Weekly", he still wanted to drag Harry Potter along with him to write replies to his loyal readers.

Almost every night from Monday to Friday, Lockhart would ask Harry to help him write replies.

"I don't even have time for night walks!" Harry Potter complained to Bourne and his roommates more than once in the dormitory.

If Lockhart hadn't promised him a few extra points every week, Harry would have thought he would have given up on writing a reply in a day.

According to Harry, the Defense Against the Dark Arts office on the third floor had been "horribly" altered by Lockhart: there were countless frames of Lockhart's pictures hanging on the walls, illuminated very brightly by many candles; There was even his signature on it; there was also a large stack of developed photos on the table.

"And that lady 'Gladys'!" Harry had memorized the names of the fans who wrote to Lockhart the most. "The first reply of the day was always to Lady Gladys, God bless her - she was possessed."

The time spent in Lockhart's office felt as if Harry was crawling on a giant conch.

And he had to let Lockhart talk endlessly, only occasionally answering "Me", "Ah", and "Yes".

Sometimes, Lockhart would have one or two words blowing into his ears like a harsh wind, such as "Fame is a fickle friend, Harry", or "Remember, a celebrity must have the airs of a celebrity." .

As the candle burned shorter and shorter, the flame danced on the many animated Lockhart faces that watched them.

"That feeling is terrifying," Harry told his roommate. "It's comparable to having Snape standing behind you watching you play with the cauldron in Potions class."

Neville felt this too.

On a Friday night, Harry was writing the address of "Veronica Smythely" with his sore hands - incidentally, he felt that this was the thousandth envelope he had written. ——"The time is coming soon," Harry thought painfully, "Please come soon..."

Suddenly he heard a sound, a sound entirely different from the crackling of the candles or Lockhart's chattering.

It was a voice, a voice that was bone-chilling, breath-stopping, cold and vicious.

"Come... come... let me tear you apart... tear you apart... kill you..."

Harry suddenly stood up from his chair, and a large lilac-colored ink stain appeared on the street name of the address "Veronica Smythely".

"What?" Harry looked back at Professor Lockhart.

"I know!" said Lockhart. "It's been at the top of the bestseller list for six months! An unprecedented record!"

"No," said Harry frantically, "that voice!"

"Excuse me," Lockhart asked, confused. "What was that sound?"

"That...that voice said...didn't you hear it?"

Lockhart looked at Harry in shock, apparently not hearing anything.

"What are you talking about, Harry? You're probably a little sleepy, aren't you? God - look what time it is! We've been here for almost four hours! I can't believe it - time flies, yes no?"

Harry didn't answer. He strained his ears to hear the voice, but it was no longer there, only Lockhart was still nagging him.

In the end, Harry walked towards Gryffindor's tower alone with full of doubts.

At the same time, Bourne also happened to have completed today's patrol in the Forbidden Forest. After bidding farewell to Hagrid, he walked into the castle with the exhausted twins.

"There's something wrong with our patrol route today," George scratched his messy hair. He decided to wash his hair soon. "We didn't go as deep into the Forbidden Forest as before. It was like we made a circle around the outside of the Forbidden Forest. "

Fred: "Yes, but the journey is much longer - there are no roads in many places - and Hagrid has to open the way for us ahead."

"Maybe something happened in the Forbidden Forest, and Hagrid didn't want us to get too involved." Bourne knew more than the twins.

He even got some evidence in his hand, which was some spider silk rolled into the shape of steamed buns. A spider that could spit out so much silk thread was not small.

According to his understanding, there is a group of Acromantulas living deep in the Forbidden Forest. Those terrifying arthropods were originally released into the depths of the Forbidden Forest by Hagrid.

Nowadays, they have also become an important part of the ecological chain of the forbidden forest. Just like the centaurs, these Acromantulas also signed a magical contract with Hogwarts Castle, and they are not allowed to take the initiative to provoke the little wizards of Hogwarts. Moreover, they have to protect the castle from dangerous magical animals in the deepest part of the Forbidden Forest, in exchange for the protection of Hogwarts and the right to live in the Forbidden Forest.

Acromantulas are highly intelligent, and their intelligence is no less than that of humans. The oldest and wisest Acromantula can even speak human language.

And they are not like other solitary arthropods. Instead, they are like lions in the African savanna, able to thrive in groups and resist risks brought by the external environment.

However, it is precisely because of this that the Acromantula group is like the lion group, and there will be a "New and Old King Challenge" every few years (or ten years). Those young Acromantulas that are mature and strong enough will try to challenge their leader (father or grandfather) to seek opportunities to be promoted to leader of the pack.

More than 30 years have passed since Hagrid released his pet Aragog into the Forbidden Forest. That Aragog has produced at least seven or eight generations of descendants. Now, I'm afraid it will be challenged every once in a while to maintain its dominance over the ethnic group.

Compared to those young Acromantulas, although Aragog is older and wiser, his life is probably coming to an end, and his physical strength is probably no longer as good as those of those challengers.

According to Byrne's estimation, when facing those descendants who challenge him, Aragog now will probably not be as kind as he was when he was young (direct descendants separated by seven or eight generations will probably not be able to talk about it) family affection). After defeating the challenger, Aragog will probably end the opponent's life in an extremely cruel way. It will use this to establish its authority in the group and deter other potential challengers who are looming.

Regarding this situation, even Hagrid, Aragog's former master, probably couldn't say anything more. After all, this is the destiny of the Acromantula race, and interference from others can only bring worse consequences. Therefore, the hybrid giant ranger could only try to avoid the living area of ​​the Acromantula when Aragog accepted the challenge, so as to avoid his appearance becoming Aragog's weakness and being criticized by his descendants (other Acromantulas) Spiders don't have a good impression of humanoid creatures).

And Aragog didn't need to specifically inform Hagrid about the opportunity for this new and old challenge to occur.

When traces of Acromantula activity appear near the outside of the Forbidden Forest—that is, spider webs like the ones Bourne picked up today—it means that their population has expanded to a certain size. Aragog must have been Busy dealing with challengers (more than one).

When all the challengers are killed, the number of the group will basically return to its original size, and the remaining Acromantulas will return to the depths of the Forbidden Forest.

Of course, he did not share these speculations with the twins. This was not mainly because the customs about Acromantulas (which seemed a bit cruel to outsiders) were inconvenient to be disclosed to minors, but because as soon as he entered the castle, Bourne noticed that someone had attached them.

"Take out your notes!"

There was a coughing sound in the shadows of the corridor at the entrance of the castle. Filch, wearing a leather coat with many patches, holding a windproof kerosene lamp that had not yet been lit, quietly walked out of the shadows with his beloved Mrs. Lorris.

Even though Bourne and the three of them took on the job of rangers of the Forbidden Forest and had to go out at night every few days, every time they returned to the castle, Filch had to charge them with the Care of Magical Creatures professor. The note issued. Otherwise, the castle administrator will assume that they are out for a night out, and if caught, he will take them to see Professor McGonagall, and then severely deduct some points.

As for why Bourne knew about Filch's operating procedures, it was because he heard the twins complain to him; and why the twins knew about this procedure was because they really went out for a night out under the guise of "Forbidden Forest Patrol", and then He was caught by the persistent Filch...

"Hmph, if you are honest, go back to Gryffindor Tower as soon as possible." After carefully checking the professor's signature, Filch roughly handed the three notes to Bourne and the others, and then he didn't forget to threaten him. : "The effect of this note has been invalidated. If I see you again while patrolling upstairs, you will still be caught as a night wanderer tonight!"

After the old man turned around and left, the twins immediately made faces at his back at the same time, showing that they were in unison.

Bourne is not that disgusted with Filch. He thinks that the old man is just doing his job, but in a somewhat annoying way.

In the Warhammer universe, Byrne has worked with many people like Filch, most of whom are loyalists to the Human Empire - except for one time when he couldn't bear it anymore and played a "company elimination game" with some malicious warriors. "Besides - the results of cooperation can basically be regarded as satisfying to everyone.

"Don't be so harsh," Bourne advised the Weasley twins, before glancing discreetly towards the corner of the hall.

There is also a man hiding there.

The man was wearing an invisibility cloak. Not only was he looking at the three of them with a harsh look, but he also used the sketching quill hidden under the cloak to add something to a small notebook from time to time.

"What a terrible school spirit and discipline!" Cobain Yaxley thought to himself: "Back then, when we were in school, it was absolutely impossible for little wizards to stay up all night, and they actually had notes approved by the professor."

He decided to make a note of it, and when he returned to the Ministry of Magic in London, he would use it as a supplement to report to his superior, Umbridge.

"Back then, under the management of 'that' senior, the little wizards at Hogwarts all kept their own rules. Even the stupid lion of Gryffindor, who was the most stubborn and unable to hold up the wall, did not dare to make any mistakes. That is,' That senior left Hogwarts, and those nasty guys started to show up..."

As he wrote, Yaxley couldn't help but recall the scene when senior Tom was still "in charge" of Hogwarts.

At that time, he was actually just a freshman in Slytherin, and Voldemort (that is, Tom Riddle) was already the Head Boy of the seventh year. Logically speaking, there would be no intersection between them at all. However, this did not prevent him from worshiping that man like other Slytherins.

So, when Voldemort set off the dark terror that swept the British wizarding world for ten years, Cobain Yaxley immediately followed the trend without even thinking, and eventually became an "honorable" eater. Dead Apostle.

However, when Voldemort fell, Cobain Yaxley, who realized something was wrong, immediately cut himself off from that period. He even resorted to dangerous self-hypnosis repeatedly to prevent himself from inadvertently mentioning the hidden dangers of those glorious days to others. After surviving the difficult review period, Cobain Yaxley took a clerical job in the Department of Legal Enforcement of the Ministry of Magic, and has been fishing until now.

Today, after more than ten years of hard work, he finally got another chance to stand out: the mediocre Cornelius Fudge became the Minister of Magic, and Ms. Umbridge, who was trusted by the Minister, became the Minister of Magic. Then he became the chief secretary to the minister.

Without any hesitation, just like when she obtained the status of a Death Eater, Umbridge became a dog under Yaxley without even asking for a treat.

Not long ago, because Umbridge gave him a few words, he immediately borrowed his identity as a civilian employee of the Legal Enforcement Department of the Ministry of Magic, pretending to be a substitute for the Aurors who "only use brute force but are not good at using their brains" Under the guise of being a communication bridge, he forced himself into the team assigned by the Auror Office to Hogwarts Castle.

Because of his understanding of Minister Fudge and Umbridge, he knew exactly what he should do on this trip. Capturing Peter Pettigrew or whatever, honestly, he didn't care at all. He was actually more concerned with finding fault with Hogwarts and the "White Devil" principal.

In particular, when No. 1 failed to intimidate Bourne in person (but was knocked unconscious by Bourne's pinch), Yaxley had more motivation to find trouble.

"When the time comes, I will let everyone know..." Seeing the Bourne and Weasley brothers walking up the moving stairs, and their figures gradually disappearing on the way to Gryffindor Tower, he closed his eyes. little notebook. "...With you bunch of insects, Hogwarts is getting worse and worse!"

There was a cold snort in his nose, and Cobain Yaxley turned his head towards the basement. Although Principal Dumbledore prepared accommodation for the team of Aurors and Yaxley, the accommodation conditions were not very good. They were only assigned two small rooms at the end of the underground corridor where the Potions classroom was located. One of them was reserved for Tonks, the only female member of the team.

(End of this chapter)