The Ancient Wizards of Hogwarts

September 1st, King's Cross Station.

Cassandra felt that the summer vacation ended too quickly. Although there was nothing wrong with going back to Hogwarts, the month at 12 Grimmauld Place was the happiest time of her life. She can live with her friends, share each other's happiness and sorrows, and fully experience what Muggle technology is.

Although the life of Muggles is not as convenient as that of wizards, for example, their daily travel is very troublesome, and they don't even have Floo fans.

But in terms of entertainment, Muggle life is richer for wizards. For example, Muggle movies interest Cassandra very much.

Although Muggles don't know magic, the technology called 'special effects' used in the movie presents pictures that are even more magical than magic. Especially the Star Wars trilogy, that's Cassandra's favorite work.

In the carriage at the rear of the Hogwarts Express, Cassandra was excitedly discussing the details and Easter eggs in "Star Wars" with Harley. Hermione was holding a copy of the Daily Prophet that had just been published this morning. The front page read The two men shaking hands and the boy standing in the middle all had smiles on their faces, but the smiles of the two adults were somewhat gritted.

The headline of the news read:

"The three major pure-blood families have made a huge contribution, and the BMW Magic Store is officially opened!"

"Anti-curse cloak, the best choice for wizard duels, you deserve it!"

"The Ministry of Magic urgently ordered 1,000 spell-proof cloaks! The deposit is as high as 10,000 Galleons!"

If in Ash's opinion, such a slogan is still too conservative, for example, some Muggles in a large eastern country might change the title to 'Shocking, three major pure-blood families are actually doing this kind of thing secretly! ’, but for most wizards, this is eye-catching enough.

Because this is a store opened by the three major pure-blood families, as long as they purchase any goods from the store, they can become customers of the three major pure-blood families. I have three major pure-blood families serving me alone. How could this blessing be so small?

Of course, since they are served by three major pure-blood families, the higher price is very reasonable. The BMW Magic Shop is undoubtedly taking a high-end route, with a spell-proof cloak priced at as high as 120 Galleons!

The salary of an ordinary employee of the Ministry of Magic is only 20 Galleons per week, and the salary of a Squib is even lower, only 10 Galleons per week. In other words, it would cost an average wizard six weeks' wages to buy a spell-proof cloak!

"1,000 curse-proof cloaks, that's a total of 120,000 galleons!"

Hermione did a little calculation, and was inevitably a little shocked. How many books can this buy?

Harley asked in surprise:

"1,000 pieces? Isn't it 500 pieces?"

Kassandra obviously knew the inside story better than them, and explained seriously:

"Mr. Weasley must have played some role in this, but the key is that the Ministry of Magic realized the importance of these anti-curse cloaks, so it suddenly increased orders. But the production of anti-curse cloaks is only 100 pieces per month, which is why This means that Ash and Dad must give priority to supplying orders from the Ministry of Magic within the next ten months."

Harry nodded in understanding. The Ministry of Magic was equivalent to the government agency in the wizarding world. In order to safeguard its own political power and interests, the government will of course choose to arm itself with the most advanced 'weapons' and 'armor'. Only when the Ministry of Magic completes the installation of anti-spell cloaks will it be the turn of ordinary wizards.

Dong dong dong~!

Following the crisp knocking sound, the girl in the corridor opened the door, looked at the three people in the car, and asked softly:

"Can I sit here? Everywhere else is full."

Hermione looked towards the corridor. There was a girl wearing a Hogwarts school robe. She had messy golden hair that reached her waist. She was wearing a necklace made of Butterbeer corks and The carrot-shaped earrings exude a weird temperament.

Hermione smiled slightly:

"sure."

Because Ash was attending the opening ceremony of the BMW Magic Store, the seat opposite them was empty this time.

"Thank you." The little girl thanked her politely and walked into the car with her suitcase with some difficulty.

Hermione asked curiously:

"Are you a freshman?"

The little girl also looked a little dazed, as if her attention was not here at all. After two seconds, she nodded slightly.

Hermione took the initiative to reach out to her and smiled:

"Hermione Granger, this is my friend, Harry Potter, Cassandra Malfoy."

Facing Hermione's outstretched hand, the little girl hesitated slightly and stretched out her hand, saying softly:

"Luna Lovegood."

"Lovegood?"

Kassandra's eyes were a little surprised, "Is your father Xenophilius Lovegood?"

Luna nodded slightly, her voice was small but very clear:

"I know you, your father is Lucius Malfoy."

Harley recalled it carefully for a while and suddenly realized:

"Your father is the editor-in-chief of The Quibbler?"

During the summer vacation, although they had been living in the Muggle world, they were also exposed to news from the wizarding world.

The mainstream in the wizarding world is of course the Daily Prophet, while the Quibbler is just a less famous tabloid. The reason why Harry was so impressed was that Mr. Weasley specifically asked the editor-in-chief of "The Quibbler" to promote the BMW Magic Store, in order to compete with Mr. Malfoy who asked the "Daily Prophet" to promote it.

As for why "The Quibbler" is sung, it is said to be because Mr. Malfoy and Mr. Lovegood are neighbors.

"Sorry to bother you."

A fat lady opened the door of the box and apologized:

"Ginny doesn't seem to want to be with her brothers. Can she stay here?"

Hermione smiled lightly and said:

"Of course, Mrs. Weasley."

——

No. 269 Diagon Alley, inside Black Malfoy Weasley's magic shop.

Arthur Weasley handed Ash a glass of water and asked with concern:

"How do you feel, Ash?"

"To be honest, it's very tiring."

Ash looked a little tired and sighed, "I think I will definitely miss this year's sorting ceremony."

"don’t worry."

Arthur patted his shoulder, smiled and comforted, "We have written a letter to Hogwarts. In the afternoon, you can go directly to Hogsmeade from the Floo powder, and then go to Hogwarts from Hogsmeade." , which is much faster than the train.”

"Not in the afternoon."

Lucius came over with a glass of red wine in his hand. He slowly said, "Ash, you have to go to the dinner party with me tonight. I have contacted all the guests, including the Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge. Most of the senior officials from the Ministry of Magic will attend."

"Lucius, he's still a child!"

"He is also the master of the Black family!"

Even though Arthur was glaring angrily, Lucius still had an icy calmness on his expression, with a hint of sarcasm in his tone, "He must inherit the Black family's connections in the wizarding world, and frequent attendance at high-society banquets is the best way. . Oh, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t tell you this, after all, people from the Weasley family are rarely invited to banquets of this level.”

Seeing that the two of them almost started fighting without saying a word, Ash felt dumbfounded and hurriedly comforted:

"Mr. Weasley, that's not necessary. It's really not necessary."

"Mr. Malfoy is right. I must attend these banquets. This is a responsibility I must bear."

Arthur snorted, and Lucius sneered back.

But no matter what, at least they didn't fight.

And this is exactly what Ash wants to see. Isn't it for this purpose that he brought Malfoy and Weasley together to create this store?

On the one hand, the huge profits brought by this store are attractive enough to both Lucius and Arthur. Of course Arthur doesn't need to mention that his family does need such an extra income to supplement their family income. Although Lucius has inherited the wealth of the Malfoy family for thousands of years, this does not mean that he can regard money as dirt. Who would think that he has too much money?

On the other hand, both Lucius and Arthur can see more things from this store, such as connections and influence.

If you want to ask which pure-blood family is the oldest among the twenty-eight holy clans, you will definitely get different answers. Some people think that the Black family is the oldest, but others will give examples of the Malfoy family, or the Gaunt family. It is difficult to reach a consensus in the wizarding world on this point.

But if you want to ask which pure-blood family has the most extensive connections in the British wizarding world, the answer must be Ollivander!

The reason is also very simple. There are nearly 20,000 wizards in the UK. They have different origins, different places of origin, different customs, different ideas, and different genders. But one thing is the same, that is, their wands all come from Ollivander's wands. Bought in the store for the bargain price of 7 galleons!

And if these wizards' wands need repair, or if they want to buy a new wand, their only choice is Ollivander. This means that almost all wizards in Britain owe Ollivander a favor.

It's a pity that the Ollivander family has only focused on making wands for thousands of years. They have no concern for the politics of the wizarding world and have not maintained or utilized the connections they have. This has led to The Ollivander family has always been inconspicuous.

But Lucius is different. As a radical in the pure-blood family, he has always been very keen on enjoying his own rights and connections. The reason why he was able to get away with being a 'Death Eater' back then was precisely because of this connection.

The emergence of the 'BMW Magic Shop' is almost the same as the second Ollivander's Wand Shop in Lucius' eyes!

Ollivander's Wand Shop specializes in wizards' first wands, and its customers are mainly underage wizards. The BMW Magic Shop is just the opposite. Their main customers are adult wizards, and they are wealthy adult wizards. Therefore, Lucius can win over these wizards while making money.

For those Muggles and ordinary mixed-blood wizards, of course, they can earn as much as they can, or even double their earnings. And if it was a pure-blood wizard or a high-ranking pure-blood wizard, Lucius would not only make no money, but would even take the initiative to offer them the anti-curse cloak.

Of course, Arthur can also see through things that Lucius can see through, but his main direction of attack is different.

Lucius wanted to win over pure-blood wizards, while Arthur, on the contrary, wanted to make friends with half-blood wizards and Muggle wizards. The two routes do not conflict, but can complement each other. It's a pity that they will not complement each other, but will stab each other.

But for Ash, he has no such worries, he wants all the connections on both sides!

It is true that there are three BMW Magic Stores, but the core technology is always in the hands of only one person. He took most of the store's profits, and the connections Lucius and Arthur accumulated were used to make wedding dresses for him.

To put it mildly, Ash could kick Lucius and Arthur out at any time and re-invite the other two pure-blood families. Because the only core of this store is Ash himself.

What is this called? This is called a triple win! ——

Evening, Hogsmeade Station.

The first years, including Luna and Ginny, were led by Hagrid to the docks of the Black Lake, where they would take a boat to Hogwarts.

Harry, Cassandra and Hermione followed the other students of the school to the muddy path outside the station, where a hundred carriages were waiting for the remaining students.

"what is that?"

Harley asked with surprise in her eyes as she looked at the two black creatures being pulled together.

"What?" Hermione was confused.

"That, the puller, the black horse..." Harry tried to describe the creature he saw, although it only made Hermione more confused.

Cassandra explained:

"It's the Thestral."

"But I didn't see anything!" Hermione couldn't help shouting.

"Actually, I didn't see it either."

Kassandra hugged the bag in her arms tightly and whispered, "This is a magical magical creature. Only people who have seen death can see the Thestral, so some wizards think the Thestral is an ominous symbol. "

"Harry, what do they look like?" Hermione shrank her neck and asked in a low voice, feeling a little scared.

Harley looked at the two Thestrals on the carriage. They shook their reptile-like heads and threw their long black manes back.

"Well, their heads look a bit like dragons, and their eyes are white with no pupils. Their wings are featherless and leathery. They look scrawny, with no flesh at all on their bodies, and their black fur clings tightly to their skeletons. Every bone is clearly visible.”

Harry tried hard to describe the Thestral's appearance, but Hermione shuddered. She climbed into the carriage and said with a trembling voice:

"That sounds scary."

Harley blinked:

"How could that be? I think it's quite cute."

"I don't believe you think snakes are cute!"

"Aren't snakes cute?" Cassandra tilted her head and asked with a smile.

"I'm going to be angry, come up here!" Hermione almost cried in anger. How could a snake be so cute?

They climbed into the carriage, which smelled faintly of musty and straw. As soon as Harry closed the door, the Thestral pulled the carriage to follow the convoy, creaking and swaying along the path leading to Hogwarts towards the castle.

The carriage rolled forward, with a pair of majestic cast-iron doors in front of it, and many stone pillars on both sides, with winged wild boars at the end. On the long uphill drive leading to the castle, the Thestral suddenly began to speed up and did not stop until it reached the stone steps leading to the oak door of the castle entrance.

Leaving their luggage outside, the three little ones walked into the auditorium with other students.

Bai Zi and Setsuna rushed up almost immediately, but failed to smell the familiar smell. Bai Zi frowned and asked:

"Didn't the master come back with you?"

Hermione explained:

"He has to attend the opening ceremony of the 'BMW Magic Store' and may not come back until tomorrow."

Harley asked curiously:

"Setsuna, Shiroko, how was your summer vacation?"

"It's terrible. This is the darkest moment of my life!"

Instantly, she raised her fists angrily, and her snow-white hair was exposed in her sleeves that had fallen off, which forced Hermione to quickly pull up her sleeves to cover her up.

Harley recalled it and nodded empathetically:

"Professor McGonagall is very strict. If she had to control me all summer, I would rather study with Hermione!"

"Is it that bad to study with me?" Hermione couldn't help but roll her eyes when she heard this.

They did not wait long in the auditorium. Professor McGonagall quickly led the first-year students into the auditorium.

Seeing the confused, fearful or expectant expressions of the new students, Harley felt inexplicably excited.

She was also one of the new students last year, and now she can sit here with other old students and watch the sorting ceremony.

"Luna Lovegood."

"Ravenclaw!"

"..."

"Ginny Weasley."

"Gryffindor!"

"..."

Cassandra didn't care about the sorting ceremony. She just took advantage of everyone else's concentration and secretly put the barbecue on the table into the bag with the help of Harley.

——

At the same time, a grand dinner was being held at Malfoy Manor.

"Minister Fudge."

Lucius held a glass of wine and led Ash to a short, fat middle-aged man with a smile on his face:

"Allow me to introduce you to Mr. Ash Black, the heir to the Black family, the school director of Hogwarts, the founder of the BMW Magic Shop, and the inventor of the anti-curse cloak."

After he finished the introduction, he introduced Ash again with a smile:

"This is Cornelius Fudge, our wonderful British Minister for Magic."

Cornelius Fudge was an unattractive man, short and plump in stature, with messy gray hair. The clothes he wore were a hodgepodge: a pinstriped suit, a bright red tie, a long black cloak, purple pointed boots, and a dark green top hat under his arm.

Fudge immediately showed a slightly attentive smile, leaned over and stretched out his hand to Ash:

"Oh, hello, Mr. Black."

He didn't look down on Ash because of his age, because Lucius' introduction explained everything.

Even putting aside the series of titles, the invention of the curse-resistant cloak alone deserves Fudge's serious attention, although this may not be true.

Because many people speculate that this is just Lucius's way of subsidizing Ash. They think that the inventor of the anti-curse cloak is someone else, maybe even someone from the Weasley family, otherwise Lucius cannot be explained. He actually opened a store jointly with Arthur.

For Cornelius Fudge, Ash's other identities are even more terrifying.

Among the twenty-eight holy families, few families can remain prosperous all the time, but the Black family and the Malfoy family happen to be two of them. Even today, they still have a huge influence in the wizarding world, and can even determine the political direction of the wizarding world to a certain extent.

Take Lucius as an example. He is one of the twelve governors of Hogwarts and the biggest supporter of the Ministry of Magic.

The title of Hogwarts Headmaster originally came from the four founders of Hogwarts, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Gryffindor. Because Hogwarts is essentially a private school, although it is also the only school in the UK.

Initially, only direct descendants of the four founders were eligible to become governors of Hogwarts. But today, their direct bloodline has almost been severed. Through continuous marriages, their descendants have gradually integrated into other pure-blood families, and this is how the twelve school directors came to be today.

To some extent, Lucius could even decide whether or not to be the headmaster of Hogwarts, as long as he had the support of other school directors.

In the Ministry of Magic, the influence of the Malfoy family is equally huge.

Unlike pure-blood families such as the Crouch family, the Malfoy family rarely stands directly on the stage. They prefer to operate behind the scenes, using their influence and financial resources to support their preferred candidates, or It's to do evil things to people they don't like.

For example, Nobby Leach, the first Muggle-born Minister of Magic in history, was forced to resign due to a mysterious disease. The person who planned all this was Lucius's father, Abraxas Malfoy. .

Everyone knows he did it, but no one has proof. This is the genius of the Malfoy family.

No matter what heinous crime they commit, they can always get away with it.

Cornelius Fudge was actually different from other candidates in that he did not receive the support of a pure-blood family at the beginning. On the contrary, Dumbledore was his most powerful supporter. However, when Fudge became Minister, his attitude towards Dumbledore also changed.

Although he still respected Dumbledore and occasionally consulted Dumbledore humbly.

But he had become enamored with the feeling of being the Minister of Magic and everything that this position brought to him. In order to seek re-election, he began to tend to gain the support of pure-blood families. This also leads to Cornelius Fudge giving priority to pure-blood families when dealing with many matters.

As the heir to the Black family, Ash has almost the same status and influence as Lucius in the wizarding world. For Fudge, who hopes to win re-election, this is definitely a more worthy target than Lucius!

After all, compared to the wily Lucius, young Ash Black looks obviously more deceptive.

Ash stretched out his hand and shook Fudge's hand, then smiled and said:

"Minister Fudge, I often hear Dumbledore say that the wizarding world is lucky to have such an excellent Minister of Magic like you."

"Hahaha."

Fudge tried his best to appear humble, but he still couldn't help but smile on his face, "This is exactly my duty, and I'm just doing what any minister would do."

Although he has gradually turned away from Dumbledore, being able to receive praise from the most powerful wizard in history still greatly satisfies his vanity, even if he knows that these words are unlikely to come from Dumbledore. speak out.

"You are too modest."

Faced with Fudge's pretense of modesty, Ash continued to boast with a smile: "Before I came to the banquet, Mr. Malfoy reminded me that I must be like you in the future and learn more from you. Now it seems that it is indeed In this way, I hope one day I can be as humble as you.”

Fudge was already smiling from ear to ear, and the more he looked at Ash, the more he liked him.

What? Are you saying Ash is flattering?

impossible! What bad intentions can a child have? Say, who sent you? Why are you trying to drive a wedge between us? !

"Idiot." A trace of disdain flashed in Lucius's eyes. Fudge was almost the weakest, most incompetent, and most power-hungry Minister of Magic he had ever seen. He could even abandon Dumbledore, who supported him with one hand, to seek refuge with pure Blood family.

Although this was a good thing that the pure-blood family wished for, it still did not prevent Lucius from showing disdain for Fudge.

Of course, this is also a good thing.

Because the weaker and power-hungry a person is, the easier they are to be manipulated.

Arthur Weasley stood in the corner of the hall, pulled his tie and muttered:

"Honestly, I really don't want to be here."

Mrs. Weasley said softly:

"Arthur, I also know you don't like it here, but you have to learn to be patient, not just for yourself."

"I know, I know." Arthur sighed, picking up a glass of butterbeer from the passing waiter.

It is said to be wine, but butterbeer is actually sweet. It is more like a special flavored drink that is very popular in the wizarding world.

"Arthur."

As soon as Arthur took a sip of wine, he heard someone calling him.

As soon as Arthur turned around, he saw a dark-skinned, tall, bald wizard wearing a purple coat walking towards him.

"Kingsley."

Arthur smiled and raised his glass to say hello.

Kingsley Shacklebolt, the Auror of the Ministry of Magic, is one of his few friends in the Ministry of Magic. Because Kingsley is one of the few pure-blood wizards who does not discriminate against Muggles, this is the basis for their friendship.

Although the Shacklebolt family is also one of the Twenty-Eight Saints, Kingsley looks more like a black man because his mother is a black man. Unlike Muggles, the wizarding world does not have racial discrimination. Therefore, skin color is not the only criterion for wizards to judge ability, blood is.

Kingsley's mother was also born into a black pure-blood family, which was enough to ensure that Kingsley's blood was pure.

The two chatted for a while before Kingsley gradually got to the point and asked in his deep and slow voice:

"Arthur, can you get me a spell-proof item?"

Arthur was a little surprised:

"The Ministry of Magic has ordered a thousand anti-curse cloaks, and we have already delivered a hundred in advance. Aurors should be the first batch of wizards to be equipped? Don't you have one?"

Kingsley observed the circle without leaving a trace and lowered his voice:

"There is one piece, but I need extra ones, such as the curse-proof tie that Minister Fudge received from Lucius. It doesn't matter if the price is higher."

The anti-spell cloak is very good, Kingsley is also a powerful wizard himself and can cast a complete armor for protection. But no one would mind having too many lives. It would be best to have an extra anti-curse item for self-defense.

What's more, Kingsley is also an Auror. Although Auror sounds majestic, it is also the most dangerous profession in the wizarding world, because they deal with extremely vicious dark wizards, starting with Avada Thor. There are not a few who die.

Arthur's expression moved slightly, and he soon smiled:

"No problem, but I don't think the tie suits you. How about a hat? I happen to have a purple hat."

"This is better." Kingsley also smiled and clinked a drink with Arthur.

Kingsley took a sip of wine and suddenly asked:

"What's your impression of that kid?"

"You mean Ash?"

Arthur raised his eyebrows and said with praise, "He is a good boy, extremely talented, humble and polite, and very friendly to Muggles. He does not see the bad habits of pure-blood families at all. Tsk,"

As Arthur said, he suddenly clicked his tongue in displeasure and said regretfully, "The only pity is that he and Lucius are too close, but this can't be blamed on him. After all, Lucius is Signus's son-in-law. He If a child wants to support the huge Black family, he can only rely on Lucius, a distant relative."

Kingsley took a sip of wine and asked thoughtfully:

"Lucius must be trying to indirectly control the Black family by influencing Ash. Aren't you worried at all?"

"worry about what?"

Arthur couldn't help laughing. Under Kingsley's strange eyes, Arthur patted him on the shoulder, "Don't underestimate him because of his age. He is more independent than we think. Lucius Si wants to influence him? Ha, the other way round is more or less the same."

"Can he still influence Lucius?" Kingsley raised his eyebrows, inevitably feeling that Arthur was exaggerating.

Arthur drank the remaining beer in the glass and whispered:

"No, she is Lucius's daughter. You may not know that Lucius's daughter is very close to Ash and is deeply influenced by Ash. I have seen that child before, and she is pure blood like her father. But the last time I saw her, I found that she had changed a lot, and she even became friends with a Muggle wizard named Hermione."

Arthur gloated: "Lucius probably doesn't know it yet. When he finds out this, I really want to know what his expression will be."

Kingsley looked surprised:

"Lucius doesn't even know, so how do you know?"

"Percy told me."

Arthur explained, his expression a little depressed, "Originally Ron and Ash had a chance to become friends. Although they are still now, they are still far from real friends. Because Ron once laughed at that guy when he was in school. A Muggle witch named Hermione almost got into a fight with Lucius's daughter, and the reason was because Hermione tried to correct his mispronunciation in Charms class!"

"Merlin's beard! Doesn't he realize how poor his talent is? Others are willing to teach him, which is a good thing that many people can only ask for? He actually talks bad things about others behind their backs!"

Arthur's tone was somewhat hateful. He thought that George and Fred were the children who least worried him, but he didn't expect Ron to be!

Kingsley thought thoughtfully and half-jokingly suggested:

"Don't you have a daughter? Maybe it can make their relationship closer."

"That's exactly what I thought."

Instead, Arthur looked like he had met someone of the same kind, and said happily, "Ginny had a lot of fun with them during the summer vacation. This is a good start. Molly and I are looking forward to it. After all, Ginny will never be with them." Ron will also cause too much trouble for us, right?"

Arthur also used a half-joking tone in the second half. He didn't think his best-behaved daughter would do anything outrageous.

——

In the Slytherin common room, Harry, who was sitting on the sofa, said in a depressed mood:

"Looks like Ash won't be going back to school today."

Cassandra looked out the window at the dark lake and whispered:

"Ash should be attending the dinner held at the manor now. It is said that the Minister of Magic will also attend. Making friends with those wizards in high positions will be of great help to Ash's revival of the Black family. We should be happy for him."

"Okay, you're right." It's not that Harley can't understand this truth, but she is inevitably a little depressed.

Cassandra asked in a low voice:

"Harry, do you still have your invisibility cloak? We have to put Ravshini and Abrana back tonight, they've been in the bag all day!"

"no problem!"

Harry perked up and suddenly asked out of curiosity, "Cassandra, should we go to the Ravenclaw common room?"

"Can."

Cassandra's eyes flashed slightly. She remembered Ash saying that to enter the Ravenclaw common room, you only need to answer the questions asked by the Eagle Ring correctly. No password or mechanism is required. It is almost the easiest among all houses. .

We’re going on a night tour anyway, so why not just look around?

Moreover, they might need to go to the Ravenclaw common room in the middle of the night.

As for what the needs are...

Cassandra's pretty face flushed slightly, and she patted her face, trying to forget the contents of those Muggle books.

——

Hogsmeade, Hog's Head Pub.

Outside the burning stove, a green flame ignited out of thin air, followed by Ash's figure.

Under the dim light, Albus Dumbledore was sitting in front of a small table, raising his glass to Ash and smiling:

"Welcome back, Ash."

"Dumbledore."

Ash sat down opposite Dumbledore, frowned and asked, "Do we need to meet here?"

The environment of the Pig's Head Bar is really bad, it's small, dark, and dirty. There was a strong smell of mutton in the air, and the several bay windows were covered with thick dirt. Light could hardly penetrate, and only some candles were lit on the rough wooden tables.

At first glance, guests may mistakenly think that the ground is compacted mud, but when they step on it, they realize that centuries of dirt have accumulated on the originally stone-paved floor.

Dumbledore laughed dumbly:

"I guess you're going to ask why you didn't go to the Three Broomsticks, where the bar is bright, clean, and warm, but here it's dirty and shabby, right? In fact, you're not the first person to ask me that. But I have to tell you. , it’s quiet enough here…”

Ash interrupted:

"I have to remind you too, Dumbledore."

"Quiet doesn't mean safe. Hagrid is drinking with others here to reveal Lu Wei's weakness for a dragon egg."

Dumbledore's face froze, and he pointed helplessly at the counter:

"Aberforth Dumbledore, he is my brother."

Ash looked at the tall, thin old man behind the counter. His long hair and gray beard rivaled that of Dumbledore.

Ash pointed out something else:

"It does look similar, the hair and the beard."

Dumbledore smiled helplessly and then asked:

"Okay, Ash, tell me first, what did you find out?"

Ash pondered for a moment, then slowly said:

"Your analysis is correct. At least I haven't found any connection between the Malfoy family and Voldemort now. As for other pure-blood families, I saw most of them at tonight's banquet, and I didn't find anything unusual."

After a pause, Ash asked doubtfully: "Dumbledore, are you sure Voldemort will turn to a pure-blood family for help?"

"uncertain,"

Dumbledore took a sip of wine and said calmly, "Voldemort is a cautious person, and it is indeed possible that he will not ask anyone for help. But we cannot take any chances, and we must not let go of any suspects."

Ash asked thoughtfully:

"Does anyone else know about this? I mean your supporters."

"No."

Dumbledore said cautiously, "We are the only ones who know about this for now."

After a pause, he added, "There is also my brother, but he will not interfere or leak it. Even Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape only know a little about it. If this matter is publicized, it will probably causing panic."

"It's still hard for me to understand."

Ash frowned and asked in a deep voice, "I have investigated a lot of things about Voldemort in the past two months. Almost everyone is silent about him and dare not even mention his name. Even in the eyes of most people, he is He died ten years ago."

"What did he do to make you so scared?"

Dumbledore shook his head slightly:

"He's not scary, Ash."

"The world today is very different from a hundred years ago, and I think you are clearly aware of this. But please don't blame them for their cowardice, Ash, it's not their fault."

"People are afraid of him because there is fear in people's hearts. Because of this, your presence is so precious."

Dumbledore stood up, patted Ash on the shoulder, and said in a deep voice:

"Only by completely eliminating Voldemort can the fear in people's hearts be eliminated."

Ash didn't answer, just remained silent.

Dumbledore's expression became relaxed again, and he said with a smile:

"Okay, you go back to school first, Aberforth and I have to have a good chat."

Ash turned around and walked out of the Hog's Head Bar, still seemingly immersed in what Dumbledore had just said.

But no.

He had a clear idea of ​​Voldemort's current situation. Voldemort should still be possessed by a mouse and was slowly crawling towards London.

It was impossible for him to ask pure-blood families for help, because Voldemort never believed in the loyalty of these people. He will only wait for Peter Pettigrew and Barty Crouch Jr. to meet up like in the original book. Peter Pettigrew will not care about it for the time being, but Barty Crouch Jr. is so loyal to Voldemort!

With these two people, Voldemort had the capital to make a comeback.

Before that, instead of expecting Voldemort to come back, it's better to expect Tom to give him some fun.

——

In the Gryffindor common room, under Percy's guidance, Ginny returned to her dormitory with the other freshmen, and her luggage was piled beside the bed. Ginny opened the box and took out her textbooks. Except for Gilderoy Lockhart's, the textbooks were all bought from second-hand shops, and even her robes were old.

Snapped!

As she moved the book to the table, a diary fell out.

Ginny was stunned for a moment and opened the diary. It was blank. Except that it looked a little old, it was basically the same as brand new.

"What luck," Ginny whispered to herself.

Buying old textbooks and getting a diary as a gift was one of the few good things she encountered.

Ginny pursed her lips, took out her quill and wrote a date on it:

September 1, 1992.

Since she had a diary, she didn't plan to waste it, so maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to develop the habit of writing a diary from now on.

She was about to continue writing when she suddenly found that the line of words she had just written disappeared completely.

And another line of words appeared out of thin air in the middle of the diary:

"Hello."

Ginny, who grew up in a wizarding family, was not frightened. Instead, she was a little excited, thinking it was some kind of strange magic.

After the writing on the diary disappeared, Ginny wrote another line:

"Hello, I'm Ginny Weasley, who are you?"

"Tom Riddle."