A day at Hogwarts.

Chapter 702 Fragments of History

Outside the stone gate, the atmosphere in the study did not ease with Charles's disappearance; on the contrary, it became even more somber due to the few words revealed by the Sorting Hat.

The cold white candlelight flickered, casting long, distorted shadows of everyone among the dusty bookshelves.

"He wants to resurrect Helena Ravenclaw."

The Sorting Hat's words surprised everyone.

It selects historical fragments that can be told to modern people and continues: "He had always secretly loved that girl, and even the hot-tempered Barrow noticed his feelings."

"That's why, after Barrow accidentally killed Helena, he knew that if he returned to Hogwarts alive, he would face a fate worse than death, so he chose to end his own life."

Harry couldn't help but shudder. Curiosity overcame his fear, and he asked, "What could be more terrifying than death?"

The brim of the Sorting Hat twitched slightly, uttering an almost sinister whisper: "Have you ever heard of the Peeling Curse?"

"It's not instantaneous death, but rather peeling off a person's skin, bit by bit, completely, from head to toe."

It paused, as if recalling some horrific scene, and continued, "And there's the Bone-Removing Curse. I think you can probably imagine the scene just from the name."

Ron's face instantly turned paler than the flour in his cupboard, and he instinctively tried to dispel the chill with a joke: "It...it sounds like it can be used to debone chicken legs, or to remove bones from fish..."

His voice trailed off under the silent gaze of the Sorting Hat and Hermione's disapproving look, until he finally shut his mouth in silence.

While there's some truth to the joke, it doesn't seem very funny in this context.

Dumbledore remained silent, his gaze behind his half-glasses as deep as an ancient well, a layer of gloom shrouding his aged face.

Helena Ravenclaw's tragedy, seemingly concealed beneath the Sorting Hat's understated narrative, appears to hide a more complex entanglement and a darker secret.

However, a thousand years have passed, and those involved have all turned into ghosts or dust, and they themselves no longer pursue the matter.

If we delve deeper, we might uncover astonishing secrets that could shake the very foundations of Hogwarts and even lead to a legal schism within the school.

After weighing the options, he could only sigh inwardly and temporarily suppress his desire to investigate.

Just then, Ron suddenly remembered something else and blurted out, "Right! You guys must have seen the basilisk before, right?"

"It's the one Slytherin kept in the castle!"

The Chamber of Secrets incident caused quite a stir back then, and only now does Ron realize that the old hat in front of him, which has lived for a thousand years, is the most direct witness when Slytherin was alive.

I should have just asked it directly; why go through all that trouble!
Upon hearing this, Dumbledore felt that asking the Sorting Hat was the best option. Moreover, there was a magical creature lurking in the castle that had once broken into the girls' public bathroom and had not yet been found. Perhaps asking someone in the portrait might reveal its whereabouts.

His previously calm expression turned serious as his gaze swept over the blurry portrait on the wall, though it seemed that the portrait had been moved inside the stone gate.

However, to everyone's surprise, the Sorting Hat reacted unusually strongly when it heard the word "basilisk"!
"Let's go! We need to go back to the castle right now! We don't need to wait for Charles!"

He deliberately suppressed his tension, and the hat trembled violently, its tip pointing desperately toward the study's exit, so agitated that Harry almost dropped it.

This unusual panic stunned everyone.

Dumbledore's deep gaze sharpened instantly.

He immediately realized that Ron's seemingly casual question had probably inadvertently touched upon a more dangerous taboo, one that even the Sorting Hat avoided discussing.

Several guesses flashed through his mind: the goblins' attack on this place back then was something that Hogwarts could not tolerate in any era.

However, the fact that the fairies did this suggests that the headmaster must be supporting them. Judging from the Sorting Hat's reaction, the Basilisk might have played a very dishonorable role here, or even been the executioner.

“Go back,” Dumbledore’s voice regained its usual composure, but carried an undeniable seriousness. “Sybil predicts it will rain tonight.”

"It's not too late yet, you can still make it to the masquerade ball."

"Hehe, we've prepared plenty of delicious snacks for this year's ball."

"I can wait for Charles here."

His gaze briefly met Professor McGonagall's, and he gave a barely perceptible nod.

Professor McGonagall immediately understood. She turned to Harry, Ron, and Hermione, her expression as serious as ever: "Potter, Weasley, Granger, return to the castle immediately!"

"Don't mention tonight's events to anyone. Just pretend they never happened!"

Faced with the dean's direct and stern instructions, Harry, Harry, and Meghan immediately deflated.

A local official is more powerful than a county magistrate; a school principal is less powerful than a college dean.

They could try to negotiate with the kind headmaster, but under Professor McGonagall's piercing gaze, any explanation would be futile.

Harry and the others had no choice but to nod obediently, filled with questions and a hint of resentment, and wearing the Sorting Hat, they walked ahead of Professor McGonagall and left the study full of secrets.

Dumbledore was left alone in the study, and silence returned, even deeper than before.

He first walked slowly and curiously to the gradually dimming magic circle on the ground, carefully examining every trace, as if trying to decipher the secret of Charles's successful opening of the stone door.

Then, his gaze shifted to the towering bookshelves that disappeared into the darkness around him.

The ancient books on the bookshelf are not in ideal condition. Although there are no signs of insect damage, the long years have caused the edges of the parchment pages of many books to curl and become brittle, and some covers have even rotted.

Despite the protective magic applied, Dumbledore would never easily touch them; these silent volumes themselves were fragile carriers of history.

He could vaguely make out the titles of the books; these ancient texts were clearly very old, mostly dating back to the 11th century or even earlier.

They did not only originate from Britain, but also from various corners of the distant European continent, and even from the Middle East, the Indian subcontinent, and a few Chinese books bound with silk thread, exuding an air of Eastern mystery.

Some of the book titles Dumbledore had seen mentioned in other ancient books, but most of them were rare or unique copies that he had never heard of before, and which had probably been lost and forgotten in the turbulent years of the past thousand years.

From a purely practical magical perspective, the collection here may be limited, given that magical theories have been updated and iterated over the millennia.

However, their historical value is immeasurable.

Moreover, who can say that hidden among these yellowed pages are not imaginative ideas or different interpretations of the nature of the world that have not been passed down by our predecessors?
Dumbledore's thoughts suddenly drifted away, and he thought of the "Great Library on the Move" project that Charles was pushing hard for.

The ambitious plan aimed to collect, preserve, and share all valuable magical knowledge.

If this project succeeds, will these ancient wisdoms that are on the verge of complete extinction also be included, transcending time and space, and shining with a different kind of brilliance in the new era?

This thought brought him a sense of comfort, but also brought deeper reflection.

The preservation and transmission of knowledge is always accompanied by risks and responsibilities.

(End of this chapter)