Harry Potter and the Burnt Badger

"Of course, Dumbledore, it's at your disposal now."[Note 1]

Sure enough, after Nick Flamel said these words, the memory constructed by the Pensieve could no longer be maintained and completely collapsed.

Moon stood up straight, took a few breaths, and had some bad premonitions in his heart.

He rubbed the other crystal tube in his hand, hesitated for a moment, and finally opened the stopper and poured the memory inside into the pensieve.

With the help of the pensieve, the strands of silver smoke suddenly dispersed, forming scenes of rapidly flashing scenes.Moon sighed, leaned down again, and entered the memory.

The background of this memory is no longer the bedroom of Nick Flamel's house, but the principal's office where Moon is now - Professor Dumbledore is sitting at his desk, looking directly at the gun opposite. The sky above the chair seemed as if Moon was right opposite him at the moment.

"It seems that I still didn't make it back for the first day of school." Professor Dumbledore's smile was still as gentle and kind as ever, but when it fell in Moon's eyes, it immediately made his teeth itch with hatred.

"Now that you have seen this memory, you must have met Nico Flamel. Don't be surprised. He should still be alive and well until now, arranging his own funeral arrangements and completing his work. The last unfulfilled wish.”

"I want to talk to you about the Philosopher's Stone, Moon."

"With your knowledge, I think I don't need to waste my time explaining to you the functions of the magic stone. All I need to talk to you about is my next usage."

"In fact, since the incident between Jacob Thor and Quirinus Quirrell, I have been thinking about Voldemort's true purpose. I can't help but think about it over and over again. What does Voldemort want? What to do, and—how on earth has he managed to survive to this day?”

"Thanks to Nathaniel, you should still remember him, the dark wizard. His appearance gave me a little inspiration. After summarizing the things I have learned so far, I came up with a terrible idea. And Now, I’m probably on the way to testing this idea.”

"The next words are very important, Munn, listen carefully. If I can come back alive, I can do all this myself. But if I really encounter something unfortunate... don't worry, this possibility is very low. , but if you are really so unlucky, you need to find Hagrid and tell him that I asked you to go to 'that place'. With Hagrid's help, you will not encounter any obstacles, and in 'that place' The point is, you’re going to see a mirror.”

"The Philosopher's Stone is hidden in the mirror, and only those who do not want to use the Philosopher's Stone for their own benefit can successfully take the Philosopher's Stone out of the mirror."

"Then, what you have to do is hide the magic stone in a place you think is safe enough-"

Chapter 13 Seeking suicide

In a sense, Dumbledore is no different from those white-haired old men who can be seen everywhere on the roadside. He is very stubborn and stubborn.

Moon looked at his gentle face, feeling as if he was about to have a cerebral hemorrhage at such a young age.

You are responsible, you are wise, and you are so powerful. No one in the two generations of Dark Lords can beat you.

What about the Crow Party, the Snake King Society, what about the Bloodsworn, the Supreme Magic...

You really don't care at all.

Needless to say, Professor Dumbledore must have figured out the Horcrux thing. Maybe he even found Slughorn's old slug in advance, asked some questions, and then started his great and glorious quest. journey of.

If it hadn't been for this last sentence, Moon would have applauded it with both hands and feet. It's great and flattering.

For the sake of a half-dead Voldemort's Horcrux, you risked your life and went into danger. You are great, but if something happens, what will you do next?Even if you kill Voldemort before you die, what will happen next?

Let other dark wizards squeeze them into pieces?They can do as big a thing as they want?Jump out whenever you want?

This is not Europe in another world line, where the dark wizard societies have remained silent in order to wait and see Voldemort's movements.But here, the Crow Party has been pulled out of the mud by Rodriguez.

Moon tried his best to calm down his blood pressure, resisting the urge to "strangle" Dumbledore's memory shadow, and continued to listen.

"I guess you must be blaming me, blaming me for why I do things so carelessly, why don't I discuss it with you, or simply take you with me." The old man laughed.

"You should really blame me, Moon. What I do is equivalent to putting all the pressure on you."

"But... please forgive the selfishness of an old man. I have no way to guarantee what step Voldemort has taken, and I have no way to determine what protection measures Voldemort has left for his backhand. Therefore, I cannot let anyone follow me. I'm in danger - I'm old and I don't regret dying, but you, Harry, you are the future of this world and the real wealth."

Having said this, Professor Dumbledore suddenly smiled and spoke as lightly as usual, as if he was not talking about life and death, but breakfast and dinner, "Of course, even so, I can assure you Two things - first, no matter what I encounter, I have a high probability of returning safely. Even if there is any danger, it is almost impossible for me to die like this. After all, I am still a dying old guy. He has some abilities."

"Second, even if I really die, in addition to the pressure I leave you, I will also leave you something to prevent the turmoil from affecting you too quickly."

"So, promise me, Moon, if I really die, hide the Sorcerer's Stone and protect Harry. Remember, he is probably the only hope to defeat Voldemort."

"I know you will definitely not reject me." The old man winked at Moon slyly, "Then, let me say something in advance."

"Thank you."

The memory collapsed. Moon raised his head from the Pensieve, but he did not put these things away immediately. Instead, he looked at the Pensieve inexplicably and remained silent for a long time.

It's so shameful that my blood pressure, which had just risen, dropped again like this.

With this ability to make people cry, he is truly Albus Dumbledore.

Moon sniffed.

It is true that the professor went alone to explore the traces of Voldemort's past without consulting anyone. It is true that if someone could go with the professor, not only would the trip go much smoother, but many unnecessary risks would also be avoided.

But when he heard the old man say "please forgive his selfishness", Moon suddenly realized, yes, how could Professor Dumbledore know what Voldemort left behind?

From the old man's point of view, if there is any clever handiwork left there, and he only has time to protect himself and is unable to save others, wouldn't the people who came with him be in trouble?

That's why he chose to take risks alone.

Although he was resentful of the professor's lone-hero routine that had not changed for thousands of years, he refused to even discuss it with others.

But in the final analysis, there is no problem with this choice. After all, the person who knows that Voldemort arranged it is Moon Fox, not Albus Dumbledore.

What's more, Professor Dumbledore has also made follow-up arrangements after the danger.

After a while, Moon sighed quietly.

With such a world and such a professor in front of him, what could he do?

Just be angry if you're angry.

The days when we can show off as much as we want are really far away...

Moon returned the two empty crystal tubes to their original positions, then put the pensieve away, and then bowed to Ms. Derwent in the portrait again as a farewell.

At the last moment before he walked out of the principal's office, Ms. Derwent's portrait suddenly spoke softly: "Fox, don't blame him. The burden on his shoulders is too much and too heavy, and there are too many things to consider. Some When the time comes, he has to do that.”

Moon didn't answer, just responded and then closed the door.

In fact, if nothing unexpected happens, Professor Dumbledore will not really encounter any danger to his life - provided that he really finds the "Horcrux" line, and is looking for the soul left by Voldemort. traces of the device.

Under this premise, the only thing that can endanger Professor Dumbledore's life is the ring inlaid with the Resurrection Stone, because there is no doubt that Professor Dumbledore will definitely not be able to help wearing it as soon as he sees the ring.

Other than that, there shouldn't be any other problems.

What made Moon angry was just that Professor Dumbledore refused to discuss it with him even though he had countless opportunities, and the lack of consideration shown in this.

After leaving the spiral staircase, the huge gargoyle jumped back to its original position and returned to its former appearance.Moon glanced back, then stopped thinking about it and walked quickly downstairs.

If you work hard now, you might still be able to make it in time for the sorting ceremony.

…………

It turned out that Moon was overthinking after all - not only did he miss the sorting ceremony, but he also almost missed his dinner.

"You're finally here. If you don't come, I'm going to go to the kitchen to find you something to eat later." After seeing Munn, Gal finally breathed a sigh of relief. None of his luggage was on him. Naturally, it is impossible to carry the lunch box used for food with you. Even if you want to bring Munn a dinner back, you can't do it.

Moon responded, and while accepting everyone's feeding, he turned his head and glanced at the teacher's seat - the staff actually did not change much from last year, except that Professor Dumbledore and Professor Snape were missing. The man who had occupied Professor Greengrass' seat last year had become Gilderoy Lockhart, and that was that.

At the moment, Lockhart is talking happily to Remus who is not far away. He seems to be very happy. Remus has always been quite mild-tempered, even though he has learned the truth from Sirius, You can also accompany Lockhart to relax for a while.It was just a shame that Sirius, who was sitting next to him, looked as if someone owed him millions of galleons.

After noticing that Moon's eyes paused on Gilderoy Lockhart for a moment, Cedric, who was sitting on Moon's right hand, immediately whispered: "That's Gilderoy Lockhart, you should have seen him." Are you ahead of him? To be honest, I think he is pretty good, but the teaching materials he chose for us are really a bit..."

Cedric didn't finish his sentence, but it was clear that it was all there.

"His writing is pretty good." Arlin, who was sitting next to Cedric, curled his lips. "But I still can't like him. This guy is too ostentatious. You don't know, Moon, this guy Just now, while Professor Dumbledore was away, he actually talked nonsense for three minutes after Professor McGonagall introduced him. Merlin's oversized boots, three minutes! Even Professor Dumbledore had never spoken for so long! To be honest, I suddenly started to miss Professor Snape. If Professor Snape were here, this guy would definitely be choked and unable to get off the stage."

Before Moon could reply, Cedric leaned into Moon's ear and whispered: "On the way here, Emma was discussing Gilderoy Lockhart almost the entire time. I think he was jealous."

Moon nodded knowingly, and quickly took the topic in another direction to prevent Yaerlin from getting more and more enthusiastic. "According to what you said, he is actually somewhat useful. If he hadn't been there to delay time. , I might not even have to eat this little dinner."

All the little badgers in the surrounding area laughed, partly because of Munn’s words, and partly because of Munn’s face that suddenly froze after he finished speaking. As soon as he finished speaking, the dinner plate on the long table came with its contents. The food performed a disappearing spell together.And this time the house elves showed no mercy to him, and his own plate disappeared.

Okay, now I really have nothing to eat.

The little badgers laughed more and more cheerfully. Moon laughed at himself and spread his hands, and could only give up and continue eating.

Fortunately, I'm already half full. If I get hungry again later, a few snacks will be enough.

As for the kitchen, I won’t go if I can’t. Although there are no taboos in normal times, today is the first day of school after all, and we can’t let the first-year students get into trouble.

The power of role models is still very important. As one of the top role models in Hogwarts, if he takes the lead in violating school rules and regulations on the first day of school, it will undoubtedly be considered a disaster.

And history has shown us countless times that the artists who collapse the house - no, the seniors who collapse the house, in short, will never end well.

The little wizards sitting around the long table were still talking and laughing loudly. Professor McGonagall on the teacher's seat had quietly stood up, "Everyone! Please pay attention!"

"No one is allowed to cast spells in the corridor without permission. In addition, they are not allowed to approach the Forbidden Forest. Flying lessons for first-year students this semester will still start from the second week, and registration for the college's Quidditch team will also be simultaneous. Expand, interested parties can go to Mrs. Huo Qi for details."

"Now, all students, please follow your college prefects and return to the common room of the college. No one is allowed to run around!"

Sure enough, as long as Professor Dumbledore is not around, other professors will never be interested in leading everyone to sing the school song.

The young wizards on the four long tables stood up one after another and followed the prefects of their college in a polite manner - except for Fred and George, who were currently making faces at Angelina, who was from the same college. , and Percy, who was leading the team from the front, obviously did not see this scene. Otherwise, everyone would inevitably see a "fratricide" staged.

As always, after leaving the Great Hall, the young wizards of Gryffindor and Ravenclaw began to walk upwards, while Hufflepuff and Slytherin ran underground.There were two little first-year Ravenclaw wizards there, muttering to each other and saying strange things like "Will you have to dig holes yourself if you live underground?" while they were reluctantly looking at each other with Cedric. Qiu Zhang almost laughed out loud when he said goodbye.

In less than two days, these freshmen from the same college will know how wonderful it is to live underground.After all, if possible, who wants to have to go down from the tower to the first floor and then climb back up again just to get up and have a meal on the weekend?

On the way to the common room, most of the newly admitted first-grade badgers were like curious babies, looking around non-stop. Everything they looked at felt very fresh, while the old students continued to chat about what happened during the summer vacation. and the current year's course schedule.All of this is no different from previous years, except that Gabriel's voice can no longer be heard in the front row of prefects leading the team.

This made Gal feel nostalgic again, but according to Yaerlin, it seemed that Gal had already missed Gabriel once when the sorting ceremony began.

So Yaerlin felt that Gal's sadness probably wouldn't last long.

Sure enough, before he had gone twenty steps, Gal suddenly turned around and said, "By the way, tomorrow is Tuesday?"

Everyone knew what his real question was, so Cedric answered very decisively: "Yes, tomorrow is Tuesday, and our first class in the morning is Potions class."

Gal immediately became elated. He grinned as if he had learned some shocking news. However, in order not to disturb other students, he lowered his voice and muttered: "That's what I said. We can still miss one potions lesson in the first week!"

"Yes, not only that, but our second class is the Care of Magical Creatures class." Yaerlin patted his shoulder. "This means that we can be very relaxed all morning tomorrow."

Gal clenched his fist hard and said, "Praise Merlin, praise Tuesday. Do you want to go and sit at Hagrid's place at noon tomorrow?"

The other three people agreed immediately. To be honest, they all missed Hagrid after not seeing each other for a summer vacation.

However, during the Potions class the next morning, when the four people rushed to the Potions classroom, the familiar thin face that appeared in front of them made Gal and Yaerlin's beaming expressions suddenly collapse. Come down.

"Huh? Why are you looking at me? Have you reached the point where you would get lost in the classroom?" Professor Snape's words were muffled, sounding as if they were hummed from his nostrils. "Or do you have something special? Do you want to share your happy things with me? Then I can... I'm all ears."

Before the professor could even raise his eyebrows, Gal and Yaerlin had already hurried back to their seats.

Moon was quite amused and pulled Cedric to sit at the table, but before he could finish his fun, Professor Snape followed the old rules and vented all his anger on him.

"Moon...Fox."

Moon could guarantee that there was a strange light in Professor Snape's eyes when his name was called.

It's like the fish in the reading comprehension question of the Chinese language test paper in the previous life, which makes people feel dizzy at first sight.

"tell me……"

Moon, who was full of confidence, looked at Professor Snape calmly. He was not a fool. After being tortured by Professor Snape two or three times with questions from senior textbooks, he had already mastered what he needed to learn in senior classes. Those things are memorized very well.

However, Professor Snape's question was, "Tell me, how do I counteract the side effects of taking the Euphoria, such as singing too much, wringing my nose, and occasionally screaming?"

The corner of Moon's mouth twitched, and then he replied helplessly: "I don't know, Professor."

He really didn't know, but he had a vague impression that this should be Professor Snape's own modification of the joy potion.

Maybe this is the legendary saying that if the Tao is one foot high, the devil is one foot high.

Professor Snape's eyebrows dropped, and his usual sarcastic smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, "Tsk, it seems that endorsing it in advance will not have any effect, right? This will not help your rusty head to spin more. Two laps."

"Absolutely correct, Professor." As the 'loser', Moon was the one who praised him as always.

"Sit down." The victorious Professor Snape turned around magnificently, waved his wand, and the first potion that the fourth graders really had to learn - the method of making antidote potions appeared on the blackboard. " Follow the process on the blackboard, clean out your cauldron, and start trying to make it. Travers, I mean follow the process on the blackboard, not the textbook. Stick that book back in your backpack. , if you can’t see the writing on the blackboard clearly...then hold your crucible and table and go to the front and sit."

Milton smiled, quickly put the textbook into his backpack, and then honestly followed the production process written on the blackboard.

"Ahem-" Cedric raised his elbow and bumped Moon's arm. "Why did you provoke Professor Snape?"

While throwing the chopped herbs into the crucible, Moon muttered sadly: "Not yet, but I plan to send him two bottles of shampoo this Christmas."

Cedric's hand holding the knife froze in mid-air. He looked at Moon dumbfounded, and after a while he said, "I suddenly feel that the Sorting Hat has sorted you into the wrong house."

"Ok?"

"You should be assigned to a separate college with Fred and George." Cedric's eyes were full of sincerity. "Let's call it 'Surprise School.'"

Chapter 14 Top Talent Lockhart

The second period of Care of Magical Creatures class on Tuesday morning was equally uneventful - because it was the first class at the beginning of the semester, Professor Kettleburn did not immediately bring interesting new animals to the little wizards. They reviewed the content from last semester.

In the eyes of many young wizards, this is almost equivalent to torture, especially those who got "not friendly enough" in the exam last semester.For them, this class is a bit like going through the final exam questions they have done before their eyes one by one.

That's right, Professor Kettleburn's review syllabus is the final exam questions from last semester.