The Old Ones of Hogwarts

Chapter 116, Section 115: A Close-Range Ultimate Attack! A Hissing Sound from the Underground Passag

Chapter 116, Section 115: A Close-Range Ultimate Attack! A Hissing Sound from the Underground Passage!

Professor Lockhart's reaction was perhaps only noticed by Ian and Aurora, who glanced over subconsciously; even the professors sitting next to him didn't realize something was wrong.

They mostly felt that the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor's reaction was due to an inability to control his emotions, which was consistent with everyone's general perception of Gilderoy Lockhart's superficial personality.

In fact, the professors were also stunned by the sudden news. Their expressions were quite agitated, but they maintained a dignified and serious demeanor on the surface.

"quiet!"

Professor McGonagall even tried to quiet the young wizards down, but the young wizards in the Great Hall were all chattering away, and her voice was drowned out by the twins' loud reading of their script.

"Brothers and sisters, the world only knows that I, Gellert Grindelwald, once accomplished something great, and its failure has made me a demon and a traitor in the eyes of countless people."

"But is that really the case?"

"You have portrayed me as an unpardonable criminal, someone you wish you could kill, and you sing praises of your victories every day, but you do not realize that justice is fighting for you."

"As a wizard of my caliber, I can certainly see things that you cannot. The old paths can no longer guide us forward; they have become shackles that bind us, imprisoning our minds in outdated customs and habits. All that I have done in the past was simply to save us all."

"Without breakthroughs and innovations, there will be no progress—this is a truth that even Muggles understand, but I think the long-term comfortable life has prevented too many wizards from seeing this."

"Look at the magical world now. Is it better or worse than it used to be? I think anyone with the ability to think independently can see the truth."

"I am also a person with flesh and blood and feelings. Demonizing me cannot hide this fact, nor can it hide the fact that the magical world is declining and cannot be concealed."

"I have reached the pinnacle of magic, and I left you all behind decades ago."

With great power comes great responsibility, which is why I dedicated myself to the cause I started back then.

"It was a very glorious past for me, and I still don't think I need to bear any responsibility for it."

After all, all I ever wanted was for wizards to become great again!

"A dictator? Dumbledore was the dictator!"

"I simply lost because I wasn't as cunning and treacherous as him!"

"In this retrospective of my years of imprisonment, I gradually came to understand my relationship with Dumbledore."

It's not just a simple case of sworn enemies and fleeting friendship.

"My failure was perhaps destined from the very beginning."

"Perhaps you people can't understand, but I think I lost because I was too sentimental - yes, we had true love, and I think that's why I failed."

"After all, love is the most powerful magic. Even if I could do it all over again, I would still fail, because love always defeats the one who is most deeply in love."

"No, no, no, it's not the kind of love that comes from family, but rather an infatuation that's been exploited. He's British, don't you, a little reporter, understand what I mean?"

"My deduction—no, my summary of the past—is certainly reasonable—believe me, I am Grindelwald, would I lie to you about something like this?"

"Dumbledore exploited this. I've summarized my entire life as I've read it—no, as I recall it—and clearly I've lost to Dumbledore, who had planned everything from the beginning!"

"He's a despicable, vicious, wicked British male succubus who seduced me!"

The twin brothers almost climbed onto the dining table, and their passionate recitation drew gasps of amazement from the young wizards of all ages in the hall.

There was no way around it; the Daily Prophet's headline was simply too explosive, especially the final statement that Dumbledore, seemingly filled with sorrow, was an evil male succubus—it was an absolute bombshell. This was why the professors in the faculty section looked so tense; it even prompted Professor Lockhart to perform his famous feat of spraying milk more than ten meters into the air.

Judging from the professor's expression, he was also extremely bewildered, never expecting this to happen. The powerful prophet was ultimately utterly humiliated by the Daily Prophet.

Fate, who could have foreseen this turn of events?

His reputation is ruined in his later years!

Both Grindelwald and Dumbledore have ruined their reputations in their later years! Just look at the chattering of the young wizards; they have absolutely no doubt about the credibility of the "news media."

Did Dumbledore really have a romantic relationship with Grindelwald?

"Oh my god! I have to write to my parents to tell them this news. No, they probably know even before me, since my family has always subscribed to the Daily Prophet."

"A male succubus! So the Dumbledore family has male succubus blood! Miss Grindelwald! You must know the inside story! Could you tell us more details?"

"Hiss~ No wonder I found the terrifying and evil Ian Prince to have a certain charm! I've found the reason!"

Not only was Aurora subjected to this undeserved harassment, but even Ian, sitting at the Ravenclaw table, received frequent sidelong glances from Gesha Selwin and Daphne Greengrass, who were all exclaiming in surprise.

They have unanimously agreed that Ian has Dumbledore family blood.

Of course, Ian was unaware of this, his gaze fixed on the real Grindelwald in the teachers' seat, the extraordinary prophet disguised as a bumbling writer who looked quite choked on his milk.

"Hiss~ I didn't expect that besides Headmaster Dumbledore, there was someone else who could break Grindelwald's defenses!"

once Upon a time.

When Ian first learned that Grindelwald had replaced Lockhart as the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts, he wondered if Nurmengard had already been abandoned.

He felt the most foolproof plan would be to have a saint impersonate Grindelwald and stay in Nurmengard to confuse the public, thus not only avoiding any disturbance but also confusing many onlookers.

As it turned out, Ian's guess was correct. However, he did not expect that the imposter disguised as Grindelwald was not a saint. He seriously suspected that Grindelwald had switched the real Lockhart with the imposter.

"How dare Old Ge do that? He was even willing to kill Lockhart for his reputation!" Ian felt that his guess and deduction were probably pretty accurate.

Otherwise, this report would never have been published in a British newspaper. And how could the saints dare to smear their leader whom they have followed for so many years? They even came up with things like love and succubi! Perhaps only a writer with a rich imagination like Gilderoy Lockhart could utter such remarks.

Between the lines of the article interview.

All of them bear a striking resemblance to Gilderoy Lockhart's attention-grabbing and sensationalist style.

"What kind of nonsense are these reports! Don't these newspapers have any other news to push out?"

.

It took the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor a while to catch his breath.

As he wiped the table in front of him with a handkerchief, he began to criticize with a tone of speechlessness and annoyance, "The person who writes this kind of report should be burned at the stake. He is completely slandering our principal and that innocent student's parent who is imprisoned in Austria."

This was perhaps a morning that Grindelwald had never anticipated.

"Grindelwald is not innocent, Professor Lockhart. That era is too far removed from us, and you have always lived in England, so you may not know what kind of dark wizard he was." Quirrell was also deeply shocked by the interview in the news, but he still responded to the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor in a low voice.

1. Grindelwald gave this traitor a deep look.

"I bet that what's in this report is definitely not what Grindelwald said himself," the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor insisted, continuing to defend himself to the other professors.

"I know Dumbledore; the Daily Prophet is definitely just sensationalism." Professor McGonagall didn't believe the report either. Sitting next to her were the Ravenclaw Headmaster and the Hufflepuff Headmaster, who were whispering amongst themselves. Neither of them commented on the news; they were simply discussing why Grindelwald had suddenly appeared.

Whether the news is true or false, nobody knows.

But the smiling photo of Grindelwald in the newspaper couldn't be faked.

"Excuse me, I suddenly have a stomachache and have to leave for now." Gilderoy Grindelwald stood up abruptly, clutching a crumpled newspaper tightly.

He hurried towards the auditorium doors, perhaps to rush back to Austria... Grindelwald probably hadn't expected Lockhart to add so much drama to the story.

"Damn idiot! Is he out of his mind?!" Ian could still hear the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor cursing angrily as he passed by.

"I'm sorry, I don't know anything." Aurora saw her grandfather's slightly disheveled back for the first time.

After hesitating for a moment, she put down the food in her hand and followed.

The German girl's face even showed a hint of excitement; it was unclear whether she genuinely wanted to ask Dumbledore and Grindelwald about the untold story.

Or perhaps they felt they had found something to use against their grandfather?

Ian still couldn't quite understand the family's way of treating children with great filial piety.

"Quiet, everyone!"

This time, Professor McGonagall used magic, her voice drowning out all the chattering little wizards.

With a wave of her wand, she confiscated all the newspapers in the Great Hall.

Not just the Daily Prophet.

The copy of Wizards & Muggles Express in Ian's hand also met its end; he was reading a report about a wildfire in Little Hangleton after both Grindelwalds had left.

Because everyone was rushing to read the Daily Prophet, some newspapers were casually tossed onto the table by subscribers. What caught Ian's attention were the photos in the newspaper.

Although the wildfire destroyed almost everything, Ian still recognized the location in the photo as the place where Grindelwald had taken him to retrieve the Resurrection Stone ring.

Voldemort's hometown.

The news report didn't mention this point; it only focused on how the Muggle world couldn't even control a wildfire. The newspaper's editor analyzed various aspects of Britain, including its defense, military, technology, bureaucracy, and people's livelihood, and concluded that the country was not far from extinction.

"There are talented people in the wizarding world too."

After the newspaper was confiscated, Ian praised the tabloid editor for his foresight. The young wizards around him continued to whisper about Dumbledore and Grindelwald, even after Professor McGonagall's warning.

He didn't dare to fit in.

Because he had just sensed that Grindelwald, unable to contain himself, truly wanted to send Quirrell to the stake; this year's Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts was probably more vengeful than Voldemort.

God knows if Old Gorbachev left any eavesdropping devices in the Great Hall, perhaps keeping a record of all the young wizards and professors who spoke ill of him in some little notebook, to settle scores with them one by one in the future.

"Ian, do you think our headmaster is really a male succubus? If so, I understand why my grandmother is still obsessed with Dumbledore."

William attempted to bring Ian into the discussion.

Ian lowered his head and continued eating his meat. Facing the eager young wizards who were waiting for his opinion, he gave his answer almost without blinking.

"I think Hogwarts has a long history and a large number of graduates. I hope that next year we can bring in even more useful wizards to society."

"Hogwarts' elite education program isn't a failure; it's just that the overall curriculum and adjustments..."

We should focus more on improving the living standards and environmental awareness of young wizards.

The answers were irrelevant and nonsensical, leaving the young wizards utterly bewildered.

"Are you still half asleep? Or did you not hear William's question?" Michael waved his hand in front of Ian's eyes, trying to make sure that Ian wasn't sleepwalking.

William also patted Ian on the shoulder.

"Wake up, Ian, this is big news, big news! I only like girls—can I still be a saint?" He lowered his voice, his tone tinged with worry.

"I'm awake."

Ian turned to look at his green-haired roommate, the boy who could print Dumbledore and a bunch of men on his underwear, was actually telling him that he only liked girls and was afraid he wouldn't be able to become a saint because of it.

"Little professor, you've had a lot of contact with Headmaster Dumbledore, could you tell us your thoughts?" The Chocolate Frog boy and a few other kids from the small classroom gathered around.

"What! Indoor flight class is about to start! We can't be late!" Ian put a piece of beef in his mouth one last time, and then jumped up amidst the bewildered stares of everyone who was startled.

His figure disappeared quickly.

He was like a boy who had turned into the wind.

During the indoor flying lesson, the young wizards were not late, nor did they see Ian, who had left the Great Hall five minutes early. When the bell rang, Ian locked himself in the Room of Requirement.

He didn't write the news report, nor was he the one being interviewed, so he didn't want to get involved and become the punching bag for the two old men to vent their frustrations.

"Hogwarts is indeed dangerous!" Ian thought Lockhart was probably in grave danger. He had secretly looked up when he went upstairs and saw the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher frantically writing letters in his office.

Aurora was punished by being made to stand in the corner of the office, looking as disheveled as a quail—it wasn't that Ian didn't want to help his good friend, but rather that he felt Aurora should learn not to rush into becoming a punching bag.

"I feel safest when I'm with you." Ian hugged the Dementor he had pulled out of the cage, and casually smeared some "hair" that looked like tattered rags on the Dementor's body.

The obedient Dementor had learned not to breathe into Ian, probably realizing that breathing wouldn't work anyway, and just stared blankly as Ian wove his "hair" into a handkerchief.

"Could this really be the raw material for the invisibility cloak?" Ian had never even handled the invisibility cloak, one of the three sacred artifacts, nor had he ever touched one made from the hide of an invisibility beast.

Of course, even though he had never seen a real invisibility cloak, it didn't stop Ian from sitting in the middle of the large classroom, munching on beef while studying the Dementors' "fur".

Such alchemical materials have never been recorded in many books, which means that Ian must start from scratch to understand its properties and how many changes it can undergo under the influence of magic.

Only by fully understanding the properties of the materials can Ian attempt to use an invisibility handkerchief. It may not seem like much, but it could verify the truth of Ravenclaw's claims about the Trinity.

Although Ian deeply respects the founders of Hogwarts and expresses his gratitude to them verbally every now and then, he still only truly believes in things that he has verified himself.

"It is indeed a magical material."

As Ian analyzed the properties of the Dementor's "fur," he also noticed that the material had a cooling effect. He looked up thoughtfully at the Dementor not far away.

It was just a casual glance, but unexpectedly, the Dementor was immediately frightened and rushed to the front of the cage, pried open the cage, crawled inside, and then closed the cage again.

"What are you afraid of? It's winter now, and I'm not going to use your fur to make a mat." Ian felt that it wasn't just the Slytherin students at Hogwarts who misunderstood him.

And the same goes for this cowardly Dementor.

"Evil, evil——Wizard"

The Dementor huddled in the corner of the cage, trembling. When cornered, the Dementor seemed to still be able to speak human language.

This Dementor's language system is much more advanced than the first one.

"Have you ever seen an evil wizard give you such a good reward? I'm much better to you than those civil servants in Azkaban!" Ian immediately raised his wand and cast a modified version of the [Fear Descends] spell, [Joy Descends], on the Dementor. He had combined Legilimency and Soul Stealing and had also come up with some new things on his own.

False happiness is still happiness.

Ian let the Dementors experience in their minds the scene of simultaneously sucking the souls of hundreds of wizards—after jumping up and down in the cage for a while, the Dementors happily lay on the ground, belly up.

"I call this good!" Ian ran up and grabbed a few more tattered rags of hair. The Dementor was so engrossed in his pleasure that he didn't move, taking it as a sign that the Dementor had been moved and accepted his actions.

The whole morning.

Ian was engrossed in researching the materials for the invisibility cloak when he felt hungry again. Stepping out of the Room of Requirement, he saw the clear weather outside the window.

"Perfect timing, I also need Phantom Silk and Ghost Ash Powder." Ian prepared to use normal wizarding alchemy to forge the Dementor towel he had woven into an invisibility cloak. Of course, the complete craftsmanship of invisibility cloaks was a secret, and Ian did not possess the complete knowledge related to this monopolistic industry.

However, this did not prevent him from conceiving and pondering on his own.

Alchemy creations are things created from scratch by humans. Since they are things that others can create, Ian felt that why he couldn't figure out a similar forging technique? All he needed was a finished product that could temporarily achieve invisibility.

If the Dementor's "fur" can indeed replace the Invisible Beast's fur, then it should be possible to create alchemical artifacts with invisibility effects.

Even if the invisibility effect is very poor, at least there will be some verification results. If the seemingly simpler invisibility cloak can be successfully used, he will have more confidence in the effectiveness of replicating the resurrection stone.

"I still have to give it a try. If I don't succeed, it's just a failure. My skills are improving, so I won't lose anything either way." Ian looked out of the corridor window at the land outside the castle.

The heavy rain has stopped.

The young wizards were all out breathing fresh air, and a group of Quidditch players were training impatiently, shivering from the cold but still showing the enthusiasm to die of the cold on their flying brooms.

"Hagrid will definitely not allow me into the Forbidden Forest. I need to find a secret passage that leads directly into the Forbidden Forest." Ian took out his Marauder's Map and examined it carefully.

There are countless secret passages hidden throughout the castle, some of which even Dumbledore may not have known. He quickly found a corridor in the basement of Hogwarts.

It was a product of the dangerous context of the Middle Ages.

It is a secret passage that never sees sunlight and is rarely used under normal circumstances, but in an emergency...

Teachers and students can use this corridor to quickly leave the school without being detected by the enemy.

"Perfect timing to go to the Forbidden Forest!" Ian immediately jogged towards the stairs leading to the basement, but it still took him more than ten minutes to reach his destination.

It wasn't that Ian's legs were short, nor that the journey was too long, but rather that he was perhaps a little unlucky today, encountering a boring wait due to a change in the stairs along the way.

The stairs, making a constant clattering sound, changed very slowly, like an old machine. Ian could only wait for them to reassemble and stop before he could continue descending.

This was the first time Ian had ever experienced being "stranded" in mid-air.

"Meow~"

To make matters worse, Ian had just bypassed Snape's office and entered a secluded area when he saw the warden's stinky cat pounce out from a corner.

It harbored a grudge against Ian after he cast [Fear Descends] on it once, and always tried to sneak attack Ian's shoes, but of course, it never succeeded.

Ian reached for his wand.

The mischievous cat immediately fled, running the fastest, disappearing from Ian's sight in the blink of an eye. Its speed made Ian feel as if it possessed the blood of a cheetah.

"That damn cat is definitely going to complain to the manager!" Ian wasn't going to give Filch a chance to play hide-and-seek with him; he simply found the entrance and crawled inside.

It was a passage that wasn't particularly crowded or narrow, but the slope was a bit steep. It was pitch black all around, and Ian raised his wand and lit his illumination spell.

"Fluorescent lights!"

The illumination spell lit up the entire corridor, and Ian saw several rats scurrying about frantically.

There were still some damp water stains on the ground, which was made of hard soil.

The water stains were from water droplets constantly dripping from above. Ian almost didn't escape the disgusting experience of having some unknown liquid slid down his face, perhaps because of the old and dilapidated pipes.

"Could it be Snape's pee?"

Ian figured not many people would urinate in the basement toilet. He didn't know any rain-avoidance spells, so he just conjured up an umbrella to protect his hair and skin.

There were many bumpy stones on the ground, as well as some rotten bones of unknown creatures. Ian walked very slowly along the way, because if he fell in such a place, he would definitely feel nauseous for half a year.

Because no one has cleaned or maintained the place for years, there is a rotten and disgusting smell in the air, which forces Ian to cast a scalp-soaking spell on himself again.

This is magic used for diving.

It forms a protective bubble around the caster's head, allowing the caster to breathe and move normally underwater for extended periods. This is a practical application of the technology to isolate the caster from unpleasant odors.

"The school board members must have embezzled the school's maintenance fund!"

Ian walked through the winding passageway toward the school gates. It took more than an hour for the passageway to begin to ascend, indicating that he was probably close to the Forbidden Forest area.

The Marauder's Map had lost its "network connection" and was silent. Just as Ian was wondering if he should ask the little elves to clean up this secret passage when they had time...

"Hiss hiss hiss~"

As the passageway meanders.

Ian had only turned a corner when, accompanied by a chilling sound, a terrifying scene suddenly unfolded before his eyes.

At the front of the passage.

A deformed creature was curled up, its body twisted and enormous, its skin covered with all sorts of strange patterns and lumps, as if it were a victim of some unknown disease.

The bright light of the Illumination spell illuminated the creature and revealed the disease it was afflicted with: a clearly visible, distorted human face was growing on the side of its head.

Pale, emaciated, and terrifying—this face contrasted sharply with the creature's body, making it look like a foreign object forcibly inserted into the body, sending chills down one's spine.

"I knew I was having bad luck today!"

Ian was startled.

The deformed creature was startled by his illumination spell. The face that occupied the top of its head suddenly opened its eyes, cold and vicious, its icy gaze meeting Ian's.

"A Hogwarts student...it seems fate is on my side." The face revealed a strange smile, the voice hoarse yet filled with excitement and surprise.

A chilling black mist began to spread.

A twisted and fragmented soul controlled a deformed creature to stand up.

"Avada Kedavra!"

The eerie green light seemed to have dyed the entire underground passage green.

It originates from the spellcasting of a magic wand.

The nervous little wizard got the first move.