prynovel Chapter 122 Origin
Chapter 122 Origin
Chapter 122 Origin
A brief silence fell over the office, broken only by the soft hissing of silverware and the occasional subtle sound of Fox preening his feathers with his beak.
The former principals are nestled in their respective photo frames on the wall, secretly glancing at the crown on the table.
Lin Qi's gaze fell once again on the crown that exuded an ominous aura. His fingertips unconsciously tapped on the cool desk surface, his brain racing.
Without a doubt, this is a Horcrux.
Moreover, it is a Horcrux made from the founder's relics.
The item's special significance to Hogwarts sparked Lynch's imagination.
His gaze lifted from the cold metal to the principal, and he asked the first crucial question: "Where did you find it?"
Dumbledore leaned back slightly in his chair, his fingertips touching, and a complex light flashed in his blue eyes behind his crescent-shaped spectacles, a light that mixed admiration and worry.
"I have to thank you for that, Professor Lynch," Dumbledore said gently. "Ever since you showed me with the facts that there was a... ingenious yet dangerous flaw in the magical defenses protecting the core of the castle, I have tried many times to investigate and understand that flaw."
"I want to see if, with the wisdom of later generations, we can bridge the gap that even Ms. Rowena Ravenclaw failed to perfectly fill back then."
He paused, his gaze seemingly piercing through the walls, seeing the invisible magical veins of the castle.
"After all, you successfully exploited this loophole and touched the core of Hogwarts, which in itself proves that even the defenses set up by the founders are not invincible after thousands of years and countless generations of wizards' magic. Its defenses... can be broken."
"In the process," Dumbledore's tone became increasingly focused, "as I extended my senses, trying to trace the full form of that breach and its connection to the other magical nodes of the castle, I unexpectedly touched upon something unusual."
"Near the ever-changing source of the elusive space of the Room of Requirement, which fills the gaps, I sensed an extremely faint yet carefully concealed evil force."
"It is hidden so well that it is almost integrated with the chaotic magic accumulated in the castle over a thousand years, like a venomous snake lurking beneath the densest grass."
"If my method of investigation hadn't directly touched upon the ancient contractual law that allows the House of Requirement to 'grant every wish,' I would never have discovered its existence."
The old principal's face showed a look of reminiscence: "It felt like tracking a specific slick of oil in a dark ocean."
"By relying on the contract, I entered that wondrous house multiple times, making different 'demands' and guiding it to change its form."
"Finally, in a room—well, to use a more apt description, a room piled high with clutter that seemed to contain all the personal belongings that Hogwarts students had hidden over the centuries—I pinpointed its source."
"It was there, inconspicuously mixed among countless tattered textbooks, rusty scales, abandoned crucibles, and statues whose original appearance was no longer discernible, as if it were just a long-forgotten old object."
"But I was able to identify its origin—the legendary Ravenclaw Crown of Wisdom."
His gaze fell on the crown again: "At the same time, it also confirms its unsettling true identity: a Horcrux."
+
Lynch listened quietly, his mind racing as he recalled the legends he knew: "Legend has it that this tiara was stolen by Rowena Ravenclaw's daughter, Helena—the Grey—in her later years, and disappeared without a trace. How did it end up in the Room of Requirement at Hogwarts?"
"Legends often have a basis in reality," Dumbledore nodded slightly. "In the story, Ravenclaw's daughter, Helena, who was jealous of her mother's wisdom and longed to possess the crown to surpass her mother's talent, did indeed steal the crown and escape from Hogwarts, ultimately perishing in the outside world."
At this point, a hint of helplessness rose in his deep blue eyes: "The place Ms. Helena went to was a place that you and I were both very familiar with."
Lynch raised an eyebrow: "It involves Voldemort, whom we both know... Could it be?"
"That's right." Dumbledore nodded. "The place she went to is the Dark Forest of present-day Albania."
"The Dark Forest..." Lynch repeated the name of the place, chuckled softly, "Now we know why Voldemort's broken soul chose to cross the ocean and hide in the Dark Forest of Albania after he lost his physical body in Godric's Hollow."
"He didn't choose a desolate place randomly; he chose it because he was familiar with it."
"He may have spent a long time there—searching for the lost Ravenclaw tiara."
"A very reasonable speculation," Dumbledore agreed. "He found it in that forest and cruelly murdered it, turning the tiara into one of his Horcruxes."
"So, the next question," Lynch raised his hand to stroke his chin, continuing to press, "why did he go to all that trouble to bring it back from Albania and hide it at Hogwarts? It seems unnecessary and increases the risk of exposure."
Dumbledore placed his hands on the table and gave his answer, based on his long-standing understanding of Tom Riddle: "Because Hogwarts was a special place for Voldemort. You may know that when Voldemort—whose name was Tom Riddle at the time—graduated, he returned to Hogwarts and applied to me for the position of Defence Against the Dark Arts professor."
Lin Qi raised an eyebrow slightly, signaling him to continue.
"I refused him," Dumbledore said calmly. "I thought it would be no good for the students to have him back at that time, especially to teach a course like that."
"I believe that his purpose in seeking employment was not merely to get a job. Hogwarts held extraordinary significance for him."
This was the first place he called "home," the starting point of his power and charisma, and the domain he deeply desired to completely control and prove himself in.
"He hid a Horcrux here," Dumbledore said slowly, his gaze becoming incredibly profound, "most likely as a symbolic act."
"He placed a piece of his soul in what he considered the safest place, and where his strength could be best manifested—the heart of his alma mater."
This is an extremely arrogant display, and also a distorted declaration of possession.
"The Room of Requirement is extremely secretive, having swallowed countless secrets over the centuries. Hiding the crown within it, among countless forgotten objects, might be a foolproof plan in his eyes."