The days at Hogwarts

Malfoy Manor.

Nearing midnight, the bright lights were still on, and music and bonfires flowed freely in the snowy night. Although the courtyard was snowing, it was not cold at all.

People gathered in twos and threes, divided into groups of different sizes, and talked about different topics.

The women gathered around the white peacock on the pavilion, discussing the style of their evening gowns and the color of their silk scarves; the pure-bloods talked about business and the entry permit from the Magical Congress of the United States; the Quidditch fans talked about betting and the teams...

In a corner of the courtyard, some hypocritical people gathered together. These people were once Death Eaters, but later managed to escape trial.

The same experiences and common interests bring them together. Although the group of people are alienated and full of calculations towards each other in their hearts, they still have a subtle sense of identity.

When the topic of the vulgarity of American wizards came up, Flint, a well-informed pure-blood, looked at Crabbe and raised his goblet to tease:

"I heard that your boy was imprisoned by the Ministry of Magic? The crime that Headmaster Dumbledore brought was manipulating the basilisk and threatening the safety of the mudblood students. Ha, you should be thankful that this happened in Britain. If it was the United States Magical Congress, he would have been executed."

The pure-blood family members surrounding them all burst into laughter.

Seeing that old Crabbe looked unhappy, a middle-aged wizard from the Rosier family patted him on the shoulder and said, "Don't be so serious on Christmas! Spend some money to arrange it, and you can pick him up without waiting for the holiday to end."

Old Crabbe, who had a bear-like figure, was wearing a baggy shirt, his fat still bulging out the fabric. His face was still gloomy, and he stared at Fudge not far away with his bear eyes: "Last time because of the werewolf incident, a lot of money was spent. Vincent, that fool who didn't know how to live or die, just let him die in Azkaban."

Although he said so, everyone around him knew that Vincent was his only son, and he would definitely not allow the Ministry of Magic to lock him up in Azkaban.

Flint glanced around and took a few steps forward. Everyone knew that he was going to whisper something, so they all moved closer and formed a circle.

Flint revealed the information he had gathered: "Vincent was sent to the Ministry of Magic by Dumbledore himself, and that damned Moody is also going to be involved in this case. Many people are paying attention to this matter, and even if you have money, you may not be able to invest in it."

Old Crabbe's face looked even uglier, the fat on his face squeezed together, making him look fierce and ugly. Everyone around him could feel the tyrannical aura from him.

Flint glanced at Fudge again and sincerely suggested to Crabbe, "Don't worry about the law. Find a way to get him out of the Ministry of Magic first, and then send him out. Whether it's the United States or France, it's easy to change his identity."

The people around him echoed:

"Yes, Dumbledore is old."

"His influence is no longer as far-reaching as it was decades ago."

No one cared whether Vincent had really violated the law or threatened the safety of Muggle students...

After all, who among you doesn't have some dark magic items hidden in your home, and who doesn't want to clean up those mudbloods? It's just that there is not enough interest to drive them to put it into practice.

"Things may not be what we think," the middle-aged wizard of the Rosier family spoke up, his voice lowered even more, "There is a secret theory in the Ministry of Magic. When Albus Dumbledore handed Vincent over to the Ministry of Magic, he mentioned that this matter involved that person!"

When he mentioned that person, he calmly touched the outside of his arm with his goblet - the location of the Dark Mark.

The crowd around him understood his meaning at the same time, and the scene became quiet for a moment.

"Is it true...I mean, is that person really back?" Flint looked at old Crabbe and tested cautiously.

Although old Crabbe was not as smart and smooth as Lucius, he was still keenly aware that the way people around him looked at him had changed, and they were vaguely repelled by him.

The obvious fear and suspicion, behind these emotions is fear, fear of the Dark Lord.

However, because he was the first person to come into contact with the Dark Lord, everyone was afraid to break up with him. They were worried that if the Dark Lord really came back to life, Crabbe would use Voldemort's power to retaliate against others.

Old Crabbe felt a sense of absurdity...

They certainly don't want the Dark Lord to return, and don't want to have another supreme master above their heads, a master who can take their lives at any time.

But if the Dark Lord really returns, they will be the most devout and loyal Death Eaters.

"I don't know the details," said Old Crabbe. Everyone around him was quietly waiting for his next words. "But I haven't seen the Dark Lord with my own eyes. It should be that idiot Vincent was bewitched by some dark magic item and attracted a ghost."

Flint stared at his face and asked impatiently, "Is that ghost related to the mysterious man?"

Old Crabbe was silent for a moment, shook his head, and repeated, "It's just that Vincent, that fool, was bewitched by a dark magic item."

The heavy atmosphere suddenly relaxed. Flint drank the wine in the goblet in one gulp and said with a relaxed smile, "Oh, of course! The Hogwarts Castle has existed for thousands of years. It's not surprising to find any kind of dark magic items. In my opinion, the place that the Ministry of Magic should search the most is Hogwarts."

"Yes, yes!" The onlookers responded with fake smiles on their faces.

Of course, they would not easily believe old Crabbe's lies. They had their own calculations in their hearts, but they did not show any abnormality on their faces. After all, he was a Death Eater who escaped trial. If he had not been scheming, he would have died in Azkaban long ago, his soul fed to the Dementors, and his body thrown into the sea to feed the fish.

The middle-aged wizard Rosier seemed more relaxed: "Just like the argument circulating in the Ministry of Magic, this is just an excuse by Dumbledore. He wants to seize Fudge's power and seek the position of Minister of Magic."

"That's right. After all, everyone knows that if the You-Know-Who really comes back, the only one who can compete with him is Dumbledore. As long as the news of that person spreads, someone will definitely nominate Dumbledore to be the Minister of Magic."

"Haha, what a clumsy trick."

"As for me, although Dumbledore's magic is powerful, these tricks are really too crude."

"Yes!"

Flint took another glass of wine from the tray of the passing Veela waiter. Without the psychological pressure, he drank slowly this time, acting like a pure-blood noble. "If you ask me, this matter is easy to solve. After all, Vincent was only controlled by a dark magic item. Of course, he is innocent."

Ambiguous smiles appeared on everyone's faces, because they used this excuse to escape punishment in the past. They were controlled by the curse, affected by the Imperius Curse, and threatened by black magic...

Although they committed many evil deeds as Death Eaters, they themselves are kind and innocent.

Old Crabbe's expression also relaxed, and he discussed with everyone how to use traditional arts on his son.

In the dark corner of the backlit corridor, the house-elf Dobby crept and bent over, trying to hide his figure as much as possible to avoid disturbing the guests' interest with his presence.

If possible, he would rather stay in the kitchen and die than come out.

But it had to deliver the hot food fresh out of the oven to the long table. Fortunately, the first half was smooth, and now it just had to hide back in the kitchen.

Dobby took small and cautious steps, and a thin human-shaped shadow instantly covered it: "It's you!"

Sirius Black grabbed Dobby's slender neck with his big hands, and with the help of the wide robe covering it, he brought it to a remote room without anyone noticing.

"Do you recognize me?" There was a dangerous look in the sunken eye sockets. Strong murderous intent emanated from Blake's body, making Dobby tremble.

Malfoy invited almost all the pure-blood families. As the only remaining bloodline of the Black family, he was almost the only heir, not to mention that Narcissa was his cousin. Black easily got the invitation to the banquet.

After nearly a semester of investigation, Black didn't get any useful clues, but at the banquet, he caught the house-elf, Dobby.

A Christmas present... Blake grinned, revealing his yellow teeth.

Dobby's whole body was shaking uncontrollably, and he stammered, "Yes, I recognize you. You are Mr. Black, the cousin of Master Narcissa..."

"Still not being honest!" Black's face twitched. "Either you tell me everything clearly. Or I'll go and talk to Malfoy. Your master will be happy to chop off your head! I think you will be happy too!"

"No! No, Dobby doesn't want to, Dobby wants to live!" The house-elf cried in a shrill voice, with a look of fear and despair on its face.

Blake loosened his grip on its neck: "Do you recognize me now?"

He was not worried about Dobby escaping. The master of the house-elf was in this manor and it could not escape.

"I know, Dobby knows, you are Mr. Harry Potter's godfather." Dobby said tremblingly.

"Tell me clearly why you intercepted Harry's letters during the summer vacation and why you prevented him from returning to school. Did you know about the Basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets in advance?" Black asked.

"Oh, summer vacation! Summer vacation! Master!" Dobby fell into a state of madness, tears and snot streaming down his face, and he kept hitting his head with his fists.

"Dobby can't tell! Dobby can't tell!"

"Dobby is a bad elf! Dobby is a bad elf!"

The house-elf clenched his fists and hit his own head with all his might, soon breaking the skin. The horrifying dark blood mixed with snot and tears.

Blake's face was full of disgust, and he shouted rudely: "Enough! Shut up!"

Dobby's behavior reminded him of the crazy Kreacher, the house elf in Black's old house. But Black also understood that this was to make the house elf betray its current master, so it was not surprising that Dobby committed these self-harming behaviors.

"Just wait here obediently!" Blake said, then got up and walked out.

A moment later, Black re-entered the room, followed by the hostess of Malfoy Manor, Narcissa, who was wearing a luxurious evening dress.

"Hey, Sirius, the white peacock is about to spread its tail! Why did you call me here?" Narcissa complained dissatisfiedly.

Narcissa was in a good mood tonight, and she even felt more favorable towards her cousin who had been imprisoned in Azkaban for ten years.

A few months ago, old Crabbe led a group of werewolves to make a mess of her living room. For this reason, Lucius deliberately let Malfoy stay in Hogwarts for Christmas. Narcissa thought that the Malfoy family was going to have problems.

But tonight's grand banquet dispelled her worries. Almost all the prominent officials of the Ministry of Magic came, and her husband had a good chat with the Minister of Magic at the banquet...

As for the werewolves, they will be driven out of the British border under the full and in-depth implementation of the Anti-Werewolf Act.

"I want to buy this house-elf from you. You know, the old Black house hasn't been cleaned for more than ten years. It's so dirty that it's almost uninhabitable." Black said, pointing at Dobby on the ground.

Narcissa glanced at the dirty Dobby with disgust, and quickly retracted her gaze. She didn't want her eyes, which had just been admiring the white peacock, to be polluted. "I remember that the Black family had their own house-elf. Is he dead? He couldn't have escaped, right?"

Perhaps Sirius wanted to take Dobby away, and Dobby thought this was a betrayal to his master, so he was punishing himself, Narcissa guessed casually.

House-elves were not rare. As long as one had money, one could always buy or exchange them from other pure-blood families.

But Narcissa was a little hesitant about the sudden idea of ​​selling the servants.

Dobby lay on the ground wailing, snot, tears and blood falling on the carpet. Narcissa's brows were frowned and her eyes flashed with undisguised disgust.

"You mean Kreacher? It's too old. It can't move. It keeps begging me to chop off its head." Black saw that Narcissa's refusal was not firm, so he continued, "I just want to renovate the old house as soon as possible and sort out the jewelry and antiques."

"I don't want to spend time looking for it elsewhere. If you agree, I can offer this much." Black stretched out his hand and gestured a price that made Narcissa excited.

In order to build a relationship with Fudge, the Malfoy family has been spending a lot recently. They donated a large sum of money to the Ministry of Magic, sent a large sum of money to Fudge through secret channels, donated a large sum of money to St. Mungo's, and the expenses of hosting tonight's Christmas banquet...

The price Black offered was enough to make Malfoy pay.

Narcissa suppressed her joy and nodded reservedly: "I have to discuss it with Lucius. Anyway, it will be used in the banquet tonight."

"Of course." Blake smiled with satisfaction.

Neither of them even glanced at Dobby lying on the ground, and they walked out of the room together.

"What are your plans for the future?"

"I don't know. Let's leave it this way for now."

"If you ask me, you should find a pure-blood girl to marry and have some children as soon as possible. You can't let the bloodline of the Black family be cut off."

"Yeah." Blake agreed casually.

"Look at the Weasley family. Although they say they don't care about pure-bloods, their actions are honest. After all, they have given birth to so many children, right? Don't be like Andromeda. I remember she had a daughter with a Muggle named Tonks..."

Chapter 223 Christmas Gift

Hogwarts is equally lively on Christmas Eve.

Hermione hadn't been discharged yet, and no one cared about Percy's opinion. There was no need to worry about affecting others. The Weasley children played Thunderbolt Explosion cards with Harry. After dinner, the explosions in the common room never stopped.

After another explosion, Harry touched his right hand which was numb from the explosion and felt that he could not hold on any longer. He wanted to find someone to take his place, but he looked around and saw no one.

He tilted his head to look at Ron who was sorting the cards: "Where's Loren? He hasn't been seen since dinner."

"Who knows? Just accompany Hermione." Ron said casually. He had a good hand and didn't care about anything now. He only wanted to blow George and Fred to pieces.

Ginny stood behind Harry, looked at the cards in his hand, and sighed softly.

Loren, unaware that he was being talked about, was busy working in the Room of Requirement.

First, cut the basilisk scales into small pieces the size of a palm. Second, use the Divine Edge Shadowless Spell to engrave the patterns and grooves of the magic circle on the scales along the preset trajectory.

Finally, activate the pure unicorn hair and embed the silk thread carrying pure magic into the groove.

This is a method of depicting alchemical circles that Loren has recently optimized, and he got inspiration from Professor Snape.

When dismembering the basilisk, Snape showed a unique skill in controlling the sharp blade of the magic spell, which could guide the blade of the magic spell and cut according to the trajectory he preset.

In subsequent practice, Loren suddenly came up with the idea of ​​using this technique in alchemy. He used the Divine Edge Shadowless Curse to carve out the grooves of the alchemy array, and then inlaid unicorn hair to complete the carving of the array.

This method not only improves accuracy, but also improves fault tolerance.

In the past, the magic power of unicorn hair was directly stimulated by the magic wand, and a high degree of concentration had to be maintained during the carving process. Just like a high-precision surgery, any hesitation, any shaking, uneven carving speed, or even fluctuations in the magic power input into the unicorn hair would lead to the failure of carving the magic circle, and one would have to start all over again.

The optimized method by Loren added the pre-processing of the engraving pattern of the Divine Edge Shadowless Spell before activating the unicorn hair. Even if there is a problem with the engraving, it can be corrected in time.

It doesn't even matter if the carving is wrong, as long as the unicorn hair with magical power is activated and inlaid along the correct pattern.

There was some unicorn hair left, and as for the carrier material, Loren naturally chose basilisk scales.

On the palm-sized basilisk scales, a hexagram base of the magic circle was carved. Less than half of the unicorn hair glued to the tip of the staff was used, and the remaining large piece still emitted strands of silver light, and the magic power contained in it was full and abundant.

"Excellent idea,"

The virtual Flamel floated in the air, staring at Loren's portrayal carefully. He admired it but hesitated to speak, "It's just..."

"Just what?" Loren didn't even raise his head as he easily drew a set of magic runes on the scales. The way he held the magic wand was like he was holding a brush, and the flowing unicorn hair was hair and ink.

Flamel said: "I still believe that improving one's control over magic power and increasing the proficiency and precision of carving magic circles are the correct ways for alchemists to practice."

The second set of runes had been carved, and only one-third of the thin silver thread on the tip of the staff remained. Loren held his breath and carved the third set of runes in one go.

When the last stroke was completed, the three sets of corresponding magic runes flickered slightly, announcing his success. The notches on the scales that were not filled with unicorn hair began to extend and connect into a whole.

The space in the groove began to expand, from the size of a suitcase to the size of a bathroom stall, and finally to the size of a classroom room. But the scales showed no signs of changing.