Archaeologists at Hogwarts

Chapter 205 Ritual Magic

Slytherin's locket deeply aroused Toby's interest.

As a senior archaeologist, Toby can tell the authenticity of antiques at a glance. There is no doubt that this locket is genuine and priceless.

In addition, the characteristics similar to the diary and the crown made Toby even more excited. Dumbledore guarded those two things very strictly and had been reluctant to let Toby have more contact with them, but he finally had a long-term study of Voldemort.

channels.

Yes, Voldemort, he values ​​​​both the diary and the crown. After possessing the plant Animagus, the first thing he wanted to find was those two things in order to reduce his burden.

Moreover, Toby believed that Slytherin's relics were also of great significance to Voldemort, and should even be taken more seriously.

After all, in the previous Chamber of Secrets incident, Toby had already learned that Voldemort was the heir of Slytherin.

So what is so special about this locket?

In addition to being unable to open the box easily, after only wearing it for a few days, Toby discovered something unusual at Al's prompt.

His temper became worse and worse.

At first, Toby and Al still suspected that the hidden danger had worsened again, but they found that this was not the case at all, because just after taking off the locket, Toby found that his emotions began to ease.

"Related to emotions and can affect the wearer's mood"

Toby stared at the locket, and Al rubbed his chin and started thinking.

"This is a bit like ritual magic. Maybe it evolved from ritual magic."

Toby's guess is not groundless. He has long discovered that many of today's curses are somewhat similar to ritual magic, especially in terms of emotions - when casting the Unforgivable Curse, one must be malicious or even ruthless.

Determined to torture others; but if you want to successfully summon a patron saint, you must be full of hope and be able to recall happy things first.

Emotions and rituals are the most important key points of ritual magic.

Sometimes, emotions are more important than rituals, such as the more obvious example of Obscurus - being bullied, or suppressing oneself from using magic. This is not a universal ritual, and every Obscurus

The experiences may all be completely different.

Researching the locket is destined to be a long-term process. Even Dumbledore cannot get the results immediately. It is impossible for Toby to spend the entire holiday on this matter.

He has more equally important things to do.

For example, officially start teaching Harry Potter so that he can learn ritual magic as soon as possible.

——

No. 4 Privet Drive received an incredible phone call.

"Hello? Hello? Can you hear me? I'm looking for Harry Potter!"

Ron was shouting so loudly that Uncle Vernon was startled, held the receiver a foot away from his ear, and stared at it with anger and horror.

"Who is it?" he yelled into the phone, "Who are you?"

"Ron Weasley!" Ron shouted, as if he and Uncle Vernon were shouting across the football field, "I'm Harry's friend from school.

"

Uncle Vernon's little eyes turned to glare at Harry who was frozen in place.

"There's no Harry Potter here!" he roared, holding the microphone upright as if afraid it would explode.

"Wait a minute!" Harry had an idea, and he quickly interrupted: "What if it's Professor Highmore? Professor Highmore asked Ron to help deliver the message? Do you really not want me to answer this call?"

This is of course impossible, but Harry has never told the story about the skull, and it is impossible for him to say it. This will definitely frighten the Vernon family. Even in the wizard's view, the connection between the skull and the skull is

The method is also quite extraordinary, even more so than the Muggles who know nothing about it.

Uncle Vernon immediately flinched in front of Harry's "little shrewdness". He threw the microphone away, looking more like a bomb about to explode.

"Here you go!" He said hurriedly: "Take it quickly!"

Harry tried hard not to laugh, he walked to the phone, picked it up, and whispered: "I'm Harry, you won't believe what just happened - oh, by the way, you don't need to shout so loudly.

"

After some narration, Ron on the other side of the phone laughed loudly, and then excitedly talked about the good news: "I finally saved enough money to buy a new wand. My mother was shocked when she heard this. She originally

They wanted to teach George and Fred a lesson, but they were speechless after discovering that the multi-flavor juice was assigned by Professor Heimer - wait, what's going on over there? It's in your room.

Are there also pipe-beating ghouls?”

A familiar yet frightening voice came from the microphone.

"Mr. Weasley?" Toby took the phone naturally and asked, "Have you finished your holiday homework?"

Like a conditioned reflex, Ron was shocked and immediately returned: "Written - finished, Professor! It was finished a long time ago. Percy took us to write it together - no, I didn't mean that we were copying each other.

Mom is always watching us during our homework."

Ron didn't know why Professor Heimer suddenly appeared on the other end of the phone. He just wanted to get away as soon as possible. In a daze, he heard a disgusted smacking of the mouth coming from the other side of the phone.

Maybe he heard it wrong?

Could it be that Professor Heimer is deliberately making things difficult for himself?

No, Professor Heimer wouldn't do that, right?

"Then you've wasted your vacation?"

Ron heard Professor Heimer say in a serious tone: "With so much free time, you don't have to review ancient magic, but you still have time to make phone calls?"

Before Ron could react, Toby continued: "Forget it, let's do this. I happen to have time. I will go to the Burrow to find you in a while and give you tutoring courses for the next semester. The tuition fee is fine. No need.

Thank me."

Ron was trembling all over. He couldn't figure out where he had offended Professor Highmore?

At this moment, Ron heard a burst of enthusiastic shouting from downstairs.

"It's a hit! We're a hit!"

Fred and George were so excited that they ran into the bedroom and hugged Ron tightly: "The Daily Prophet's grand prize - the Golden Galleons! Dad actually won the prize!"

Ron looked at them blankly, not putting down the phone yet.

George continued to shout: "Egypt! We can finally travel to Egypt! We can also meet Bill - oh, by the way, there are also the pyramids that Professor Hemmer has archaeologically discovered, and maybe we can find inspiration from the mummies.

, coming up with a new recipe for multi-flavored juice - wait a minute, who are you talking to on the phone, Harry? Harry! Hey!"

Ron was about to explain, but found that the call had been hung up.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk." Toby shook his head regretfully and put down the phone: "It seems that Mr. Weasley is not going to make it. Let me think about it, Mr. Potter!"

"Huh?" Harry asked confused.

"Call Miss Granger. Do you have her home phone number?"

Harry remembered Hermione's home phone number, and he called it blankly: "Hermione, is that you?"

"Harry!" On the other end of the phone, Hermione said in surprise: "It's really you? Can you use that family's phone? You should have told me earlier - Mom, it's Harry Potter!

I'll pack my luggage later. Harry, what can you do? I'm preparing to travel to France with my family."

"It's nothing." Harry said, still in a daze: "Professor Heimer probably wants to ask you to help with next semester's homework, but since you don't have time, forget it."

"What? Wait, Harry, what did you say?! Don't! Don't hang up, don't!"

But the call was still hung up.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk." Toby took his palm away from the microphone, looked at Harry and said, "I originally wanted to find you two helpers, but it's a pity. Do you envy them, Mr. Potter?"

Although he really didn't want to do this, Harry couldn't help but feel bitter in his heart.

Comparing two by two, the contrast between the three of them was really too great. Harry could only stay with the Dursleys. While he was happy about his new bedroom, his two good friends could travel with their families.

.

This is an opportunity he will never get.

"Remember, Mr. Potter."

Toby had no intention of comforting Harry at all, but instead said more harshly: "Write down all your feelings at this moment. It will be of great use when you seek revenge. Remember, this is all because of Sirius.

Blake, because of him you lost your parents."

"Is it because of ritual magic?" Harry raised his head and asked.

"That's right." Toby said, "You have ten minutes to pack your luggage, as soon as possible."

Harry's eyes widened. He thought he heard wrongly at first. It wasn't until Al urged him that he started to move quickly. He accidentally fell down, but ignored the pain on his knee and hurriedly got up and headed towards the bedroom.

Run away.

"Hedwig!" he shouted all the way: "Come back quickly, Hedwig!"

Toby seemed to have returned to his own home. He sat on the sofa naturally and glanced at Dudley, who was motionless - he had been staying in the living room, and the ice cream in his hand was almost melted.

"Is this how you entertain guests?"

Toby snapped: "Milk, tea, whiskey, nothing?"

I can only say that he is exactly the same as Al.

In just five minutes, Harry dragged his heavy suitcase back to the living room, where he placed Hedwig's cage.

"Where are we going, Professor?" Harry asked excitedly.

He even guessed that he might go on an adventure with Professor Heimer, go to various ancient ruins for archeology or something - although this is not as stable as Ron and Hermione, but who knows for sure!

Harry couldn't wait any longer.

Toby put down the empty ice cream cup and shattered all Harry's illusions with one sentence: "Hogwarts."

"Where else do you think we are going, Mr. Potter? Of course we should be learning this kind of thing in the classroom."

Harry's mouth opened wide.

All right.

He comforted himself silently.

Even Hogwarts is better than the Dursleys.

The way back to school is to use floo powder. When Uncle Vernon, who was secretly standing at the door and watching, saw the flames rising high in the fireplace, he almost lost his mind and wanted to come out to stop it. Fortunately, Aunt Petunia and Darius

She pulled him hard. Otherwise, the sofa might not be the only one that was split in half this time.

Holding his breath, Harry appeared in the Ancient Magic Office. He immediately saw two skeletons standing behind the desk. Only one had a head, and the other one was with him.

Just when he was wondering why the ice cubes in the corner hadn't melted yet, he heard Professor Heimer, who was following closely behind, saying sternly: "You have fifteen - let's say ten minutes. You have ten minutes to return to the dormitory and put your luggage in."

Put it away, immediately, go now!"

Harry left the office in a hurry. He ran anxiously and saw no one in the corridor. Suddenly, Harry realized that it was a holiday and there were no other students in the school except himself. He didn't know what happened to Professor Heimer.

Get this done.

Soon, Harry had no time to think about this problem.

He encountered another problem.

"Password." The fat lady, who was about to find other portraits for an outing, said impatiently.

"What password?" Harry was stunned: "It's a holiday now, I don't know-"

"You can't go in without a password." The fat lady hurried away: "Wait for me! My skirt is too long, I can't run - I know it's very inconvenient, but don't you think this outfit looks good?

?”

Harry watched helplessly as the Fat Lady walked further and further away. He stood there in disbelief and glanced at Hedwig, who was making a lot of noise in the cage. He opened the cage in a daze and watched as it slowly flew away.

"So I'm the only one without a place to live?"

Harry finally shouted.

"I actually forgot about it."

Toby didn't know when he appeared behind Harry, and he said casually: "If you don't mind, I can take you to the Slytherin dormitory."

"No!" Harry shouted subconsciously, but he soon couldn't help but regret it - otherwise, where else could he live? Should he find a flush toilet next to Myrtle?

Looking at it this way, the corridor seems to be a good choice, but what if Bloody Barro passes by?

Harry looked at Professor Heimer with pleading eyes. Even though he knew it was impossible, he still planned to give it a try.

Toby saw Harry's thoughts at a glance, and he said disgustedly: "You want to live in my office? Don't be ridiculous, whether you can wake up alive the next day is a question. There is no way I can take Al's

I'll give you the bed."

Al nodded seriously.

Harry looked very hurt.

"But Severus' office is free."

"No!" Harry shouted again, and this time he didn't regret it at all: "Don't, Professor."

He was surprised to see a smile appear on Professor Heimer's face, and he felt as if his prank had succeeded.

"Don't worry." Toby patted Harry's shoulder hard.

Harry leaned forward and heard Professor Heimer continue: "How could I really leave you alone? You don't really think I'm that kind of inhumane professor, do you?"

The shrewdness worked, and Harry shook his head quickly, with a sincere look on his face.

"Follow me." Toby turned and said, walking in the opposite direction of the corridor.

Harry dragged his luggage and followed behind. He asked curiously: "Professor, is it really okay for me to live in the school? Don't I need to submit an application to the school?"

"That's really what I planned from the beginning."

Toby said without looking back: "But to be on the safe side, I didn't go to the principal at all to avoid being rejected by him. In other words, you'd better be careful during this period of receiving counseling, and don't be rejected by the principal."

Found it. Even if it is discovered, don't say it was me who brought you back, just blame it on Severus."

Harry shrewdly ended the topic, silently preparing to be driven back to the Dursleys at any time.

It can't be worse anyway, right?

However, it soon turned out that Harry was wrong.

Not only is it not bad, it is simply perfect!

He followed Professor Heimer to a blank wall and saw Professor Heimer walking around in place for a few times, and then a door suddenly appeared on the wall.

At first, Harry was worried that this was the special classroom that caused Skeeter and Guffy to disappear, but when the door opened, the room was filled with a bright beach scenery, surrounded by the endless sea, and a small small room under the umbrella.

Dobby was standing behind the truck, wearing an exaggerated sun hat.

Upon seeing Harry, Dobby immediately ran over to hug him excitedly, and Harry felt as if the air in his lungs had been squeezed out.

"The great Harry Potter!"

Dobby said with tears flashing: "Dobby finally sees you again, Dobby——"

At this time, Toby waved his hand impatiently: "Okay, okay, you have plenty of time to chat, now listen to me."

Dobby suppressed his excitement and obeyed. He seemed to be very respectful to Toby and walked back to the back of the stall with a big smile.

Harry looked around in surprise. He heard Professor Heimer continue: "As you can see, this is the classroom used for tutoring this time. It should be no worse than the place where Miss Granger and Mr. Weasley traveled -

—But don’t try to go outside the confines of the beach, the sea is fake, it’s just an illusion, it looks very real.”

"alright."

Before Harry could express his excited thanks, Toby quickly continued: "Ritual magic - where should I start? This is somewhat different from the magic you have learned before. Let me explain it to you in detail.

speak."

"First of all, there is the relationship between ritual magic and modern magic. It is very likely that it evolved from ritual magic. In addition to these two, there are also very rare magic circles."

"Let's not talk about today's magic. There is a big difference between magic circle and ritual magic. You have already initially studied magic circle. You should understand that it is very rigorous. Even if it is different from today's magic, it is more logical.

.”

"As for ritual magic, you can think of it as the most superficial way to use magic power, but it is very powerful. A little carelessness can lead to very serious consequences."

"So in the first two semesters of classes, I have been preparing for you to learn ritual magic."

"The first is the scepter. It's a pity that the scepter made for Miss Lovegood failed. Not to mention how much money it will cost me. Fortunately, I have considered the consequences in advance - the magic circle item, which will

It will be the [scepter] you use next semester. Although each is different and the material is not very precious, it is easier to control. Moreover, the magic circle and ritual magic are two extremes, but if they are involved to a certain extent, they will

You brought me back from the brink of losing control."

"But magic circle items alone are not enough. After all, you are still students, so I arranged a preliminary course for learning the Patronus Charm in the second semester. Students who pass the first level will be eligible to learn ritual magic. Of course,

Under my wise teachings, there were no students who failed - those who were placed in solitary confinement did not count, they still passed the exam anyway."

"And then there's all this you see, Mr. Potter - the beach, the food, keeping you in a good mood as much as possible, away from the hatred of Black - hatred, this is very important, is the emotion in ritual magic

a part of.”

"And the other part is the ritual."

"Don't make this too complicated. The key depends on your magic circle items. I remember yours is a recorder. Just blow it and play it with the hatred in your heart."

"Then, let me see what kind of devil you can summon."

"That's pretty much it."

Toby casually took the ice cream ball from Al, which was made by Doby.

He said to the stunned Harry:

"Take out the recorder and start playing."