A Professor of Magic at Hogwarts

Chapter 68: Enchantment

Felix Harp attempted to deduce the scene from fifty years ago—

A clever and ambitious young wizard, upon entering Hogwarts, chanced upon the legend of Slytherin. So astute was he, that he must have noticed the shared magical talent between himself and Slytherin—parseltongue—almost implying a factual blood connection between them.

He must have been exhilarated, with the same noble Slytherin blood coursing through his veins.

Without a doubt, he would have endeavored to uncover the Chamber of Secrets left behind by his ancestors. This might have taken years, but with his intelligence, and perhaps with the help of some serpentine allies... in any case, he succeeded.

As a descendant of Slytherin, he became the new master of the Basilisk.

He naturally inherited everything within it. For instance, a deeper hidden chamber filled with various forbidden materials of Slytherin's.

Slytherin excelled in bloodline research and possessed a good deal of powerful ancient magic. Crucially, during that era, dark magic was rampant, and Slytherin never shied away from studying and employing such dark arts...

The young wizard received the bequests of his ancestors, secretly assimilating it all, delving deeper into the realm of magic, his ambitions swelling in tandem. Until, after being rejected by Dumbledore, he formed an army of Death Eaters, becoming the fearsome Dark Lord.

...

"Could all this be true? Or is it just my conjecture?" Felix Harp's gaze seemed to pierce through time, witnessing the rise of the second Dark Lord.

He stared motionless at the diary, in the quiet of the night, like a serene painting.

Research material of a masterful legendary wizard, bridging past and future—who wouldn't want it?

"Even a possibility alone is worth my attempt."

"But if Voldemort were to take away or destroy these materials, that would complicate matters."

Felix had a plan forming in his mind.

"The first step is to establish a connection, but the Horcrux seems dormant..."

After contemplating, Felix quickly constructed a short memory and emotional segment in his mind.

In this new memory, he was still a young prodigious wizard with remarkable achievements at an early age. The difference was his extreme arrogance and pride, with no doubt in his ability to control this mysterious diary...

"The art of lies is mixing nine truths with one falsehood. I just need to let him misjudge my character, make him believe I can be of use to him." Felix thought to himself.

He opened the diary, dipped the quill in ink, and wrote fervently on its pages.

"Malevolent presence, reveal your secrets, or I shall utterly obliterate you!"

After contemplating for a moment, his emotions aligned, yet the revealed information wasn't enticing enough. So, he imitated the tone of Lockhart and added another passage—

"I, Felix Harp, the most outstanding graduate of Hogwarts in a century, author of three magical works, in correspondence with over a hundred renowned wizards—but I don't flaunt these achievements; I didn't secure Dumbledore's invitation through powerful connections."

He stopped writing, one second, two seconds...

An extremely subtle Legilimens sweep occurred—a presence that didn't forcibly breach his memories, nor brazenly delve into fabricated information, but rather subtly circulated around the periphery, capturing his emotions.

This actually impressed Felix, as it was a technique employed by many adept Legilimens. Rarely did they barge into others' minds to sift through memories. Instead, they perceived the current emotions and combined them with their own experience, thereby imperceptibly gathering the desired information.

Under Felix's gaze, the ink on the diary's pages was absorbed.

He patiently waited, and sure enough, a line of text appeared on the diary.

"Hello, Felix Harp."

The line of text lingered for a few seconds before swiftly vanishing, replaced by a new set of words—

"I am not some dark magical item. That young wizard misunderstood me. There is someone else entirely who can open the Chamber."

Felix Harp's lips curled into a slight smile as he simply wrote, "Who is it?"

"I can show you."

Dazzling white light surged from the diary, and Felix felt his body being pulled, as if he was about to fall in the next second.

He quickly closed the diary.

"Bang!"

After a few seconds, he opened the diary once more.

The soul within the diary seemed a bit taken aback, hesitating before forming a question mark.

Felix wrote above, "Don't think I'm some unreliable little wizard. I am the brilliant Slytherin, not easily fooled by you!"

A pause of a dozen seconds followed before text reappeared on the diary.

"You are cautious indeed, Felix Harp, but I truly am not a dark magical item. Like you, I graduated from Slytherin. In a way, I'm even your senior. Fifty years ago, it was I who caught the culprit behind the Chamber's opening."

Felix grinned in satisfaction. This was precisely the impression he wanted to create for the Horcrux—a Slytherin image that was arrogant, yet astute.

So, no use trying to bluff him with something mediocre.

Over the next half-hour, the diary filled its pages, explaining the events of fifty years ago in painstaking detail.

As he watched the ink on the diary's pages fading, Felix considerately added a few drops of ink.

"The culprit who opened the Chamber was Rubeus Hagrid," the diary concluded.

"But how do you explain controlling the young wizards in the school?" Felix posed a pointed question.

Rapidly, a lengthy passage appeared on the diary's page.

"The Chamber was reopened..."

"Rubeus Hagrid wasn't sent to Azkaban. He remains at the school as the Keeper of the Forbidden Forest. The danger never abated, and as I expected, there's finally trouble this year. I attempted to warn, but a wizard named Draco Malfoy wasn't interested. In fact, he was more inclined to enjoy the spectacle. I had to manipulate him, attempting to find evidence against Hagrid."

The diary's pages spoke with an emotive tone, "Even though I'm but a memory, my determination to protect Hogwarts remains unchanged. I'm still a part of Hogwarts, with the obligation to prevent all of this from happening."

Felix wrote on the diary, "How do I know your words are true?"

"I come from a Muggle orphanage, unlike those pure-blood families. Their arrogance is practically in their bones. You can check the Trophy Room at Hogwarts, where you should find some of my awards."

"Sounding rather convincing," Felix wrote, yet under the protection of Occlumency, he couldn't help but silently curse, you've probed me seventeen times already, did you really think I wouldn't notice?

"Because it's all true. You're welcome to investigate. But time is of the essence; the next attack could happen anytime. My suggestion is to secretly write to the Ministry of Magic, have them temporarily remove Rubeus Hagrid."

"You want me to inform on him?" Felix "angrily" wrote.

"No, just a test. Trust me, once he's gone, the attacks will cease immediately. Once all is resolved, you can step forward and enjoy the deserved honor. I believe a medal from the Order of Merlin—Knight, as the hero who ended the Chamber attacks, should be in order!"

"However, please keep my existence a secret for now. There are those within the school who protect Hagrid. If he discovers my presence, he won't hesitate to use me as a scapegoat. This is my only request. After everything is settled, you're free to decide what to do."

Felix paused for a moment, then wrote, "I will consider it."

Subsequently, he retrieved an ornate box from the corner of his office, placing the diary inside.

Intricate magical patterns flashed and vanished.

With the diary now completely cut off from the outside world, Felix sat back in his quiet office, pondering the recent exchange of words. Sincerely, he praised,

"You sound as if it's all true."

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