Dumbledore shifted his focus from the Horcrux to the shimmering locket, examining its exquisite craftsmanship in solemn silence. Bryan, too, remained silent, lost in thought.
The appearance of Godric Gryffindor on the island of Avalon and his cryptic parting words—"In Salazar's Chamber of Secrets, all the answers to your questions lie"—had left Bryan pondering. The four founders of Hogwarts seemed to possess knowledge of events that would unfold a thousand years later.
But did they also know about Voldemort and his malevolent act of turning their respective House's legendary magical relics into evil Horcruxes—anchors for his fragmented soul?
"Follow me, Bryan," Dumbledore's sudden command broke the silence. His tone was serious, hinting at the gravity of what lay ahead.
"What have you discovered, Headmaster?" Bryan asked as he stood up, curiosity piqued. Dumbledore didn't respond but hurriedly led him through winding corridors, eventually arriving at a separate tower—the location of the Headmaster's office.
In the corridor in front of the Headmaster's office, the row of torches on both sides dispelled the darkness and cold, but could not drive away the ancient and mysterious atmosphere permeating the air.
The gargoyle guarding the entrance moved aside when it saw Dumbledore, without waiting for him to utter the password.
"Wait here, Bryan," Dumbledore said, leaving this sentence behind and hurriedly ascending the stairs along the wall. Upstairs was his bedroom, and he was going there to fetch something.
"Hmm, am I being too harsh on myself?" Bryan wandered around the spacious Headmaster's office, sometimes teasing Fawkes on the golden perch, sometimes turning to the bookshelf and skimming through Dumbledore's collection of books.
"Hey, Young one"
Suddenly, a voice spoke quietly in the quiet Headmaster's office, filled with suppressed excitement.
Bryan turned his head towards the sound, his gaze wandering for a few moments before finally settling on a row of magical portraits on the wall.
"What guidance do you have for me, Headmaster Black?" Bryan smiled slightly and nodded when he saw the name engraved below the frame.
"Shut up, you fool!" snapped an old wizard in the adjacent portrait to the Sirius Black's great-great-grandfather. "Didn't you hear Dumbledore's command? Don't discuss your foolish grandson's affairs until his honor is restored!"
Armando Dippet, Dumbledore's predecessor.
Bryan raised an eyebrow, knowing little about this historical figure though, he knew about the famous female journalist from the Daily Prophet who wrote a book titled "Armando Dippet: Genius or Fool?" depicting the true nature of Armando Dippet.
During those years in school, in order to improve his strength, he wished he could have forty-eight hours a day. and had no time for such "trivial books."
"You're just jealous," came the retort from Phineas Nigellus Black, whose portrait bore the same defiant pride that had characterized his lineage. A "war" of words would typically ensue following such an exchange, but today, Phineas was in high spirits, choosing to ignore Dippet's customary disdain.
"Don't be shy, young one, come over here, let's talk!" Phineas beckoned to Bryan with a smiling face.
"What can I do for you, Headmaster Black?" Bryan smiled and asked politely, his hands behind his back.
"Oh, what a modest and polite young fellow, truly befitting a great wizard graduated from Slytherin! I have to thank you, young one, for many years, I have been trying to convince certain fools around me that the noble Black lineage couldn't produce a vile traitor, but some people have chosen to ignore the truth due to their terrible prejudice. But now, they have nothing to say!"
Phineas rubbed his goatee, looking proud.
"We all know about my upright great-great-grandson's affair, and it's all thanks to you, Bryan, I have decided that once Dumbledore and I grace the walls together, I shall advocate for you as the next Headmaster of Hogwarts, as a token of my appreciation."
"Thank you for your generous proposition, Headmaster Black," Bryan replied with a chuckle, his tone light and amiable. "But rest assured, your grandson Sirius has already compensated me quite handsomely, so there's no need for concern on your part."
"Oh, he has already bestowed upon you a reward?" Phineas inquired, his painted eyebrows arching in surprise before his expression shifted to one of keen interest. "Pray tell, what did my useless great-great-grandson pledge to you?"
"Well, he mortgaged the Black Manor to me," Bryan replied.
"What!" Phineas erupted in outrage, his portrait's visage contorting with fury. "That reckless prodigal dared to do such a thing without my consent!"
"He has no obligation to seek permission from a portrait hanging on the wall to sell a house, you old fool!"
Dippet, who had been frowning, immediately became happy when he saw Phineas becoming anxious.
Dumbledore appeared at the corner of the stairs. Bryan walked towards the desk, while Phineas anxiously patted the frame.
"Wait, young one, we need to talk about the house!"
"What are you discussing?" Dumbledore asked cheerfully, descending the last step with a box in hand.
"Ah, Headmaster Black was helping me plan how to become the next Headmaster of Hogwarts!" Bryan said with a smile. "He provided some very constructive suggestions."
"It's too early to discuss that now, Phineas," Dumbledore said, looking at Black's portrait, raising his voice with a smiling face. "At least for the next two years, I haven't thought about hanging myself on the wall."
After a little joke, the two returned to the main topic.
Dumbledore handed the box he had retrieved to Bryan and gestured for him to open it. As Bryan saw the contents of the box, his eyes widened in astonishment.
"You repaired it?"
Inside the box was the damaged Ravenclaw's Diadem, destroyed by Bryan himself. But now, the crown was no longer broken into two pieces with black burn marks, but restored to its smoothness. Under the candlelight, a magnificent sky-blue gem was embedded in the center of the crown, radiating a dazzling light.
It's not that Bryan himself didn't try to repair the diadem, but Ravenclaw's diadem is not a simple ornament, but a legendary magic artifact with magical effects. You cannot simply use "reparo" spell and The diadem would be restored.
"Yes, it had to be done, after all, the diadem is a precious artifact bearing the history of Hogwarts. As the Headmaster, it is my duty to preserve it for the school," Dumbledore said calmly.
Bryan shook his head slightly, not bothering with Dumbledore's pretense of ignorance. He turned the crown over and stared at the mysterious runes engraved behind the raven.
After a while, Bryan suddenly spoke, "Is it true, as the rumors say, that this diadem bestows incredible wisdom upon its wearer? Have you tried it, Headmaster Dumbledore?"
"Of course," Dumbledore replied with a childish smile. "But perhaps I am so stubbornly foolish that even Ravenclaw's Diadem cannot bring me any significant improvement. You can try it, Bryan. Maybe it will give you some inspiration."
Dumbledore's teasing made Bryan roll his eyes, but he calmly asked, "So, why did you bring out this diadem?"
"Just now, when you asked me about the runes on the Slytherin Locket, I suddenly realized something - how did Ravenclaw's Diadem survive in your hands?"
Dumbledore lowered his head and looked at the diadem in Bryan's hand and said in a light voice,
"You understand what I mean, Bryan. After Tom's soul vanished, What kind of metal can withstand intense heat without melting and only break into two pieces? I can't think of any metal that can do that unless there is magic protecting it that we cannot perceive."
Without relying on magic, but solely on the material characteristics, Bryan's mind flashed through many magical metals in an instant, but couldn't find one that could withstand intense heat. So, when his gaze fell on the crown again, Bryan's eyes became even more focused.
Just like how Dumbledore overlooked the runes because of the Horcruxes, Bryan also didn't notice this detail.
"Some kind of magic that we cannot perceive is protecting these things, even intense heat and Horcruxes cannot corrode them."
Bryan murmured with lowered eyebrows.
"So, What about the relics of Helga Hufflepuff and Godric Gryffindor?"
"Please wait a moment--"
Dumbledore said, then quickly walked to the bookshelf under the portraits of the past headmasters. He started searching through the rows of books with gold-embossed spines. It didn't take long for him to find what he was looking for. Then, he hurriedly went to the wall behind his desk and took down Gryffindor's sword hanging on the wall.
Bryan had seen this sword once before, In the Slytherin's Chamber of Secrets Harry had used it to fight a melee battle with the basilisk.
Bryan also knew some information about this sword that would cause a huge uproar if revealed.
The sword before him was not the original blade of Godric Gryffindor. His original sword was actually in Bryan's suitcase. The sword that Dumbledore now carefully removed from its mount was none other than Excalibur, the fabled blade of King Arthur, a symbol of Camelot's might and majesty.
Bryan understood Dumbledore's intention in taking it out. He lifted the heavy relic, and examined it, its silver surface gleaming as if lit by an inner fire, and his eyes were drawn to the runes etched into the hilt— Runes—similar to those on the diadem and the locket!
"This sword has always been in your possession, Headmaster Dumbledore. Haven't you noticed it before?" Bryan asked, after examining the sword and feeling nothing out of the ordinary, he placed it back on the table and said to Dumbledore, who was still searching through the books.
"I am aware of it, in fact--"
Dumbledore gave an unexpected answer.
"I noticed the true runes engraved on the sword's hilt a long time ago. The Sword can be taken out from the Sorting Hat only by a true Gryffindor-- I thought that the ancient magic inscribed on it was this, oh, here it is."
Dumbledore opened the book on the table and pointed to the image on the yellowed pages.
"Compared to the crown that belonged to Rowena Ravenclaw and the unknown locket left by Salazar Slytherin, it is not too difficult to find out who had possession of Helga Hufflepuff's cup. It has been passed down in an orderly manner and has remained in the hands of Hufflepuff's descendants for centuries, until it fell into Voldemort's hands. Although we haven't figured out the whereabouts of the cup yet, luckily, we can find some reliable information--"
The book contained images of the cup from various angles. Most people would be drawn to the vivid badger on the front, but Bryan's eyes were immediately drawn to the inconspicuous magical runes at the base of the cup.
"I suspect that we may not find the annotations for these magical inscriptions in any rune book--"
Dumbledore said to Bryan, who was lost in thought.
"These magical inscriptions and runes are likely the magic created by the four founders of Hogwarts themselves and left on their respective artifacts."
"A reasonable speculation--"
Bryan nodded slightly, his gaze shifting between the Locket, the diadem, Gryffindor's sword, and the books.
"What do you think--"
After a while, Bryan raised his head, his eyes burning.
"If we find Helga Hufflepuff's cup and have all four items, what interesting things do you think will happen?"
"There is no evidence or record to confirm this speculation--"
Dumbledore calmly said, his eyes showing a hint of curiosity as he looked at Bryan, who showed an interest beyond the normal range in these engraved runes, but in the end, he didn't attempt to inquire further.
Phew--
After a long time, Bryan let out a heavy sigh.
Since that Druid woman appeared hurriedly in front of him and then disappeared, the "normal" Wizarding world suddenly became eerie and mysterious. Many things were inadvertently connected to an unknown conspiracy, involving Merlin and Morgan Le Fay from centuries ago, and the rumored "Death" within Morgan's body, as well as the four founding giants of Hogwarts.
Each of these people had a renowned reputation in history and was not someone that the current Bryan could contend with, yet they had entangled him in their affairs.
"Well, let's leave it at that--" Bryan pushed these thoughts back into his mind and regained his focus.
"Headmaster Dumbledore, what do you plan to do with this soul fragment in the Locket? Destroy it or temporarily keep it?"
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