Hogwarts: Hermione and I switched identities!

Lucius's tone was icy: "I don't know. Who can know what Dumbledore is thinking? He never does anything logical, and he never explains it to us... You know about Lockhart?"

“I’ve seen him.” Tom nodded. “I’m a very perceptive person. The moment I saw Professor Quirrell, I realized that he wasn’t a normal, qualified wizard professor. I even noticed the person behind his head staring at me.”

Lockhart was the same. I saw him briefly at Flourish and Blotts, flipped through some of his books, and felt that someone capable of doing those kinds of things... shouldn't be so high-profile.

Tom stared intently at Lucius.

Deep, pitch black.

For a moment, Lucius even forgot that the guy's pupils were green, and felt as if he were being stared at by a giant dragon.

Swallowing hard, Lucius felt a surge of fear.

"Anyway, don't tell anyone about these things... Oh right, you don't seem to need to go back to school, so it shouldn't concern you. Before the next semester starts, I hope you don't waste your time and enjoy the wizarding life. That's your top priority."

Tom, as an elder, I'm telling you from my own experience that wizards have their limits. No matter how powerful a wizard is, they can never reach Merlin's level.

Moreover... even though Merlin was already the greatest wizard in the world, there were things he didn't know. In the end, what did Merlin gain? Fame, praise, and becoming an idol. But what did he lose? He lost his entire life.

It's pathetic to dedicate your life to magic. I hope you cherish your life and your childhood, and don't pursue magic too much.

Tom bowed respectfully and said, "I will, sir."

Tom really wanted to tell Lucius that he was experiencing the wizarding life to the fullest.

But fearing it would upset Lucius, the guy went to his son to complain, and Tom swallowed back the words he was about to say.

"By the way, sir, I have another question."

Lucius clicked his tongue.

This guy just won't stop; how many questions does he have?

Is he a walking encyclopedia of questions?

“Sir, do you know anything about dragons… um, I mean, dragon writing. I’ve been learning about those things lately, and I find them very interesting.”

Lucius was startled, and the scepter in his hand fell to the ground with a dull thud.

"Where...did you know that dragons have writing?"

Chapter 106 Merlin (4k)

"It's just a guess, sir."

For some reason, Tom noticed that Lucius's expression changed abruptly the moment he heard the dragon-related words.

That was a terror he had never seen before.

Tom guessed that Lucius wouldn't even show that expression if he saw Voldemort.

What else is behind Long Wen?

“It can’t be a guess!” Lucius grabbed Tom’s shoulders with both hands. “Dragon writing has been sealed off and will not appear in any books or restricted areas… You can’t possibly learn about it from anywhere else unless you’ve already seen the dragon writing!”

Tom, listen to me. I don't know what you've discovered, or what you know, but whatever you do, the moment you see Long Wen, you must leave. Don't let curiosity kill you!

Lucius suddenly realized something and muttered to himself, "Mount Momo? You're above Mount Momo... the dragon you and Draco saw before, where you discovered the dragon runes?"

“Mr. Lucius, I hope you remember our previous agreement and don’t tell anyone about this.”

Lucius knew he had guessed correctly. He sighed, picked up the scepter that had fallen to the ground, and sat down to one side.

Lucius poured himself a glass of wine, took a sip, and looked at Tom: "Absolutely do not come into contact with dragon runes. Everyone who comes into contact with dragon runes ends up in a very tragic end."

Did you know that many people throughout history have come into contact with dragon runes, but... none of them met a good end? Do you know who was the first person to come into contact with dragon runes?

Tom shook his head and guessed, "Is it the mysterious person?"

"No, he didn't come into contact with the dragon runes. He discovered them, but was driven away by the giant dragon guarding the area and almost lost his life there."

Yes, even though he was the most powerful dark wizard in the wizarding world, even though he had mastered all magic to its fullest extent, he still didn't dare... no, he couldn't even come into contact with it. He didn't even have the qualifications to come into contact with dragon runes.

The first person to come into contact with dragon markings was Merlin.

Tom was surprised: "It's him?"

"Merlin was so obsessed with learning dragon script that he found the best teacher..." Lucius chuckled bitterly. "No one could have imagined that Merlin would capture several dragons just to have them teach him dragon script. Even now, it's absurd. Luckily, Merlin was stronger."

Tom thought of Gara, and his lips twitched involuntarily.

So, Gara was one of the dragons Merlin captured to learn dragon runes.

Judging from Lucius's words, Merlin captured quite a few dragons back then?

Unfortunately, if I were strong enough, I wouldn't need to be so subservient to Gara; I could conquer her with my strength and have her teach me dragon script.

If I teach you, we'll be friends. If I don't, I'll make you my friend first, and then you can teach me.

"Have you ever heard a legend? Every wizarding family's adults tell this story to their children, so... you can see that nowadays, every child feels fear when facing a dragon."

"Appreciate further details."

Draco raised his glass, wanting to take another sip, but found it was empty.

Tom, ever the quick-witted one, immediately picked up the flask that was lying nearby and poured Lucius a full glass: "Perhaps, sir, would you like me to have a drink with you?"

“No need, you’re not old enough for that. Besides, these wines are very expensive. You’d need to drink them for at least two years to appreciate their value. I only drink because… I can’t bear to think about that story.”

Lucius downed the wine in his glass in one gulp and let out a long sigh.

"Legends are called legends because they contain a lot of artistic embellishment, but at the same time, it also means that... part of the legend is true. What I'm about to tell you is the real story."

This story has been lost for a long time. Unless it's a very ancient, pure-blood wizarding family, they wouldn't even have the chance to hear about it… or rather, they wouldn't even have the chance to know the truth.

Lucius tapped his scepter: "First, I want to tell you about Merlin's past. As you should know, he came from Hogwarts, Slytherin House."

That was back in the Middle Ages. Merlin was famous all over the world at that time, and everyone had heard of his name... In fact, Merlin had already shown his talent at Hogwarts.

Merlin could learn any kind of magic within a week. Some simple first-year spells, such as the Levitation Charm, he could master after just a glance.

He was undoubtedly a genius wizard, but this wizard went mad.

Tom frowned. "Are you crazy?"

"Yes, after graduating from Hogwarts, Merlin entered the court and became the court's chief wizard. After that, he frantically searched for knowledge."

At this point, Lucius chuckled self-deprecatingly: "Can you imagine? A wizard desperately seeking knowledge... because the knowledge in this world can no longer satisfy him."

He could learn everything, and he dedicated his life to magic. In the end, he went mad because of magic. At that time, Merlin wanted to leave the court. He wanted to go out and find all kinds of magic that he had not learned. Until... the king gave Merlin a stone tablet with a language that Merlin had never seen before.

The moment Merlin saw the language, he was completely captivated. As clever as you are, you should be able to guess what Merlin received back then, right?

Tom's lips moved, and he uttered two words: "Dragon Pattern".

“Yes, dragon runes, dragon runes…” Lucius looked up at the ceiling. “Dragon runes, what a mysterious thing, and what’s written on them is a kind of magic.”

Merlin was a mysterious, powerful, and extremely talented wizard. He recognized the contents of the stone tablet at first glance. He didn't know what kind of magic it was, but he could feel the power within the tablet. So he began to desperately search for other stone tablet fragments in order to find the origin of this language.

Later, Merlin searched the entire continent. He was nearing the end of his life, and his mind was beginning to become somewhat clouded.

Tom couldn't help but ask, "Did he find it?"

"He found it, but he didn't find it. He found something else... a magic mirror, a magic mirror that could fulfill his fantasies."

At this point, Lucius put down his cup completely, picked up the wine jug beside him, and started chugging it down his throat.

Tom stroked his chin, and the image of a magic mirror came to mind.

But that magic mirror...

"What came to mind?" Lucius asked.

"The Mirror of Eris".

"Yes," Lucius admitted directly, this time without keeping Tom in suspense. "You should have already seen the Mirror of Erised, right? The function of that mirror is actually..."

Lucius stopped mid-sentence.

This frustrated Tom, but he couldn't do anything about it, so he could only indulge Lucius's wicked sense of humor and continue asking, "That magic mirror isn't ordinary, is it? What other mysterious powers does it possess?"

Lucius, delighted that Tom had finally guessed wrong, laughed and said, "No, quite the opposite!"

Unexpectedly, even this child made a wrong guess!

Cool!

Lucius had a kind of tormenting feeling towards geniuses.

He had to admit that Tom was better than his son in every way… even better than himself.

Regardless of that steadfast heart—after all, he was someone who didn't run away from the dragon, but instead thought about how to befriend it.

And then there's Tom's talent. Needless to say, as long as Tom is alive, who would dare to claim that they are number one in magical talent?

Merlin? Merlin is dead.

"The magic mirror originally had only one function... After all, it is a mirror, used to let its owner see their own appearance."

“But the magic mirror’s power…” Tom stammered, “isn’t it supposed to let people see what they most want to see?”

"What if the owner of the mirror doesn't want to see anything? Or what if he has no desires at all deep down? The magic mirror's power is aimed at those who have greed. As long as he has no greed, he is just an ordinary magic mirror."

As for why he didn't make an ordinary mirror... it's because the owner of the magic mirror didn't want his things to be too ordinary. He was a wizard, and therefore he needed something that reflected his identity.

Tom wiped his brow: "So... what's the connection between the Mirror of Erised and Merlin?"

Lucius shook his head: "Merlin gave the magic mirror to the king after he got it, and then he never used it again. The magic mirror itself is not important; what is important is the place where it was found."

Don't forget, Merlin initially went there to find the Dragon Rune—at that time, Merlin didn't know it was the Dragon Rune; he just wanted to decipher it.

As a result, Merlin found the magic mirror in a place filled with dragon runes.

He found the remains again, the remains of the dragon runes, and pieced them together with the fragment he already had.

Lucius paused again at this point.

Tom sighed: "Mr. Lucius, no need to keep me in suspense. I know the story isn't over yet. After all, Merlin still has to capture the dragons. It's not time for that yet. He doesn't even know this thing is dragon script."

Lucius, realizing his thoughts had been guessed, coughed and said, "You really have no sense of humor. I was just joking."

Under Tom's gaze, Lucius could only continue speaking: "Merlin studied the Mirror of Eris for a long time and discovered its magic."

In other words, he was able to see the deepest desires of humanity, which is why he was also called a demon and was thus sealed away.

The king also noticed Merlin's strange transformation; the court's chief wizard had become a grotesque, inhuman figure. Wanting to calm Merlin down, the king organized a competition solely for Merlin, a competition called…