Hogwarts Archaeologist Toby

427 Ancient Magic and Black Magic

Office of Ancient Magic.

An owl flew in from the window and landed on the desk covered with manuscript papers.

Toby conjured up a small dish of water and handed it to the owl, then took the letter it carried, unfolded it and read it carefully.

After a while, another person came into the office - Angela opened the door and walked in. She shook the dirt off her shoes and complained: "The centaurs in the Forbidden Forest still don't welcome you, even if Hagrid is with you." It’s useless for me to say nice things - they can’t accept the fact that you will become the principal - I’m talking to you, do you hear me?”

Toby's reaction was very calm, he said without raising his head: "I heard, but even Firenze doesn't welcome me? He should be the horseman who has the best impression on me."

"Firenz?"

Angela turned her head in doubt, and Al, who was whimpering and sitting on the small flying carpet, floated in, put the small shovel used for posturing back into her belly pocket, and said in a sullen tone: "Yeah. "

【Firenze is very aware of your temper. He knows that if you don't like them, they will be kicked out of the Forbidden Forest, but he can't completely become your tool and become the next centaur leader.He's not so tolerant yet. 】

Angela's eyes gradually became strange: "When did you talk about these things? Why did you talk about them secretly behind my back?"

Al gave her a very simple response: If I tell you, how can I use you as a shield, what if everything is exposed.

"How could I..." Angela couldn't help but feel guilty as soon as she made up her mind. She glared at Al angrily, then simply walked up to Toby and snatched the letter from his hand. ——There are only two lines of words on it, but Toby has been reading it for several minutes.

"Severus Snape?" Angela looked at Toby and asked after finishing reading, "He declined your invitation, and he doesn't want to return to Hogwarts?"

Toby leaned back on the chair, turning around unconsciously.

"I guess he's had enough." Toby said softly, as if talking to himself.

"No matter what Severus has experienced, he has now fulfilled his ultimate wish, which is to get Lily back. But Lily is destined to never belong to him, so Severus has no need to live well. , he is free, completely free."

"But besides Lily, there is one thing that he loves deeply - dark magic. Severus has always refused to give up dark magic, just like I refused to give up ancient magic - and unlike me, I see ancient magic more as a tool to become more powerful, but he really loves it... and igniting evil fits him perfectly."

"Severus will not abandon this path unless he can live his life again."

Angela blinked curiously.

"So what's he going to do?" she asked.

"I don't know." Toby shook his head slowly and said, "And to be honest, I don't really want to know, lest after he dies, I won't be able to help but feel guilty because I couldn't stop him in time. .....It’s very contradictory, but I can’t help it, after all, he was the one who rejected me first.”

Angela stared at Toby silently for a while, and Al quietly jumped on Toby's shoulder, flicking his hair once and for all.

"You care about Snape?"

"So... I didn't have many friends when I was in school. He was also one of the few people I would be willing to help plan a murder. The other one was Lily."

"It seems that your popularity is not very good."

"At least everyone else is afraid of me, and that's enough for me."

"You are really cold-blooded."

Toby opened his eyes and stared at Angela: "Otherwise, what do you think I rely on to be unwilling to reunite Dumbledore's family? It's really cold-blooded."

"Just don't be cold-blooded to me." Angela sighed and said, "Don't lie to me anymore. You deceived me so badly last semester."

"But we still know your true identity." Toby also sighed and said: "Although the result is not good, at least we know it."

"Right, one more thing."

Toby stood up with a headache.

"I have to visit our old Head of House. He doesn't trust me much since McGonagall decided to leave Hogwarts."

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Slughorn sat on the comfortable sofa, and he too had a headache.

On the coffee table in front of him lay the latest issue of the Daily Prophet that had just been delivered this morning, as well as the Quibbler, which had been turned to the first page—the front page.

The two most influential newspapers and magazines published the same article - "Toby Highmore - the new headmaster of Hogwarts".

Judging from the specific content of the articles, it is difficult to say whether their editor-in-chief has passed the gas in advance - although the content of the description is slightly different, but the method is extremely concise - McGonagall is leaving Hogwarts, and her position Toby will officially take over.

This is definitely not good news for Slughorn.

He would be happy to see his favorite student in a high position, as long as it wasn't Toby.

In other words, as long as it wasn't someone who would bother to revive Voldemort.

He was one of the very few people who knew the news last year, because he recognized the man trapped in the armor, and Toby later admitted as much.

The results of it?

The result was that after Toby told Dumbledore not to act rashly, even McGonagall was kicked out of Hogwarts.

No need to ask who is next?

He is the only one with the oldest qualifications.

Although Slughorn himself was reluctant to leave the campus that made him feel good, but just to be on the safe side, he submitted his resignation immediately, hoping to retire safely.

Don't involve him, don't involve him...

The doorbell rang.

Slughorn turned his head in horror, he heard a very familiar voice coming from outside the door.

"Dean, are you home? It's me, Toby Highmore, and your favorite student is here to see you."

Toby, Angela, and Al were waiting outside the door.

There was no movement from inside the door.

Angela asked Toby with her eyes if he had come at the wrong time.

Toby shook his head, a strand of black mist spread from his fingertips, and stretched in along the crack of the door like a spider web.

"Don't greet me with this thing!"

The door was finally opened, and Slughorn stood angrily at the door, glaring hard at Toby who had taken the devil back.

"Okay, now you are in a hurry to attack me." Slughorn yelled angrily: "Can't you even let me leave decently? Must force me to choose between you and Albus One can satisfy you?"

"Look at what you're talking about." Toby was as comfortable as returning to his own home. He walked into the room and stretched out his hand to invite Angela and Al to come in together.

"I wouldn't treat my old dean like this - why haven't you touched the mead I gave you last time?"

Toby pointed to the bottle in the corner of the room and asked, "Didn't you say you wanted to keep it for yourself?"

"Because I regret it." Slughorn completely regarded Toby as a broom star: "Take it away quickly, and you won't need to give me any gifts in the future-it's best not to have any dealings."

The expression on Toby's face became more and more queer.

"You didn't react so badly last semester. What happened? Did someone say something bad? Tell me that person's name—"

"There is no such person at all." Slughorn interrupted: "Never. I only saw you driving McGonagall away - first Albus, then McGonagall, and then there will be ——”

"By the way." Toby also interrupted: "Do you know that Lily is still alive?"

"What?" Slughorn froze for a moment. "How could she be alive?"

Toby picked up the magazine on the coffee table and opened it a few times: "There is another news that has not been reported. Dumbledore will return to Hogwarts next semester. It is probably because he has not yet reached an agreement with the ministry. The announcement of the news has been postponed to a later date, but this is something that Dumbledore and I have already discussed."

"What's the matter?" Slughorn froze again.

"That's right." Toby said with a long sigh: "In addition, Severus also refused the invitation for the position of vice principal for some reason - this position will be vacant as soon as I take office, I don't know - —”

"I'm not interested." Slughorn shook his head like a rattle, and his belly shook violently: "I'm not interested in power at all. Don't try to pull me into the gang."

"That's enough!"

Before Slughorn could react, Toby stepped forward and grabbed his hand and shook it firmly: "Then you can go back and be a Potions teacher, if you are really so uninterested in power, I will You can also serve as the head of Slytherin - I just pretend I haven't seen the resignation letter, and I hope to see you again when the term starts."

"Hey!" Slughorn shouted at Toby's back: "I didn't promise you!"

"I know." Toby said with a relentless back, "But you said that you don't want to have to choose someone to stand by, so if you don't want to be recruited by the Order of the Phoenix, you have to go back to Hogwarts. Believe me, no one will force you to do anything there, and Dumbledore can't run my school anymore."

After they walked a little further away from the house, Toby explained to Angela: "The old headmaster felt the same way, he thought he would be treated the same as McGonagall. From this point of view, Dumbledore still It's a good thing that I didn't contact him in advance, let him retire safely at Hogwarts."

Angela didn't care much about school affairs.

"Where are we going next?" she asked nonchalantly: "Are we going to visit Flitwick or Dean Sprout?"

"They have Mag to comfort them, so I don't need to worry about it."

Toby turned his head and looked at Al: "You should remember what I said when I first returned to school?"

Al felt the thoughts in Toby's heart, and it couldn't help but become excited.

"It is to explore this school well."

Toby tilted his head and showed a satisfied smile to Angela: "The castle has existed for thousands of years, and has gathered so many great wizards and students. Now, I can finally return to my old profession... ...But before that, we have to go to Gringotts."

“I remember that I only had two of my most precious collections left there, and it was time to get one of them out.”

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Gringotts.

Five of Toby's seven collections have been taken out - the magic ball, the Pharaoh's mask, the scepter, the devil transformed by Andros, and the Goblet of Fire.

It is worth mentioning that although Haierbo and Voldemort managed to escape at the end of last semester, they were eager to destroy the resurrection stone and did not spend time in the secret room, so they did not lose a few things inside ——Except for the plant Animagus, which has become Haierbo's temporary body, no one knows where he is hiding.

When Toby and his party came to Gringotts, they were warmly welcomed.

Toby recognized the goblin Griphook.

At this time last year, Griphook also briefly chatted with him about the law of conservation of magic, and was especially worried about the future situation of the goblin.

This time the state of Griphook seemed much calmer.

"Dear guest, come with me."

He jumped into the narrow trolley first, and then made room for Toby and Angela to sit in. Al was covered by Toby's collar to prevent it from being blown away or stealing something. thing.

The cart started moving down the aisle.

"Can I ask the last time in the Lestrange family vault—"

"No."

Facing Griphook's temptation, Toby resolutely refused, "You'd better not inquire about anything."

It's about the Gold Cup.

In order to easily get Hufflepuff's golden cup, Toby made a deal with the goblin Griphook on the news about the law of conservation of magic - telling them that the news was correct.

By the way, Toby also told Griphook a fact - under the influence of this law, it would be very difficult for the goblins to find allies to join forces with.

Griphook was silent for a while, he grabbed the handle of the cart, turned around suddenly and shouted: "The elders think we can cooperate with you, but you must show your sincerity and ability to match in advance, otherwise we will not be able to trust you."

Toby said sarcastically: "This is the last idea you came up with? Asking for help from a curse-breaker who has resigned?"

"It's cooperation." Griphook corrected firmly: "And we have already inquired. All the elves who have cooperated with you have said that your professional ethics is very good, and you will never let us do business that loses money."

Angela, who was sitting in the back, laughed and said, "I didn't expect you to spend all your popularity on this kind of place."

"Money is always better than feelings." Toby stared at Griphook and said, "But how can you pay me? I have never been cheap, and to you I am no longer just An ace spellbreaker, and an ace wizard."

Griphook paused, but he didn't pause for long.

He seemed to have negotiated a suitable price with the other goblins long ago.

"William, we know that he is yours, and we are willing to give him a seat at the elder's seat."

"No, this is not enough." Toby immediately refused: "You have no idea what I want... I died once, Griphook, and I almost died willingly. But he couldn’t die.”

"I also have a good friend who chose to pursue his own ideals, which inspired me a lot - let me tell you now, Griphook, what I want is to make the wizarding world what I like look."

"At that time, it will be up to me to decide whether or not there will be a place for you."

"Do you understand?"

Griphook shouted angrily, "You're crazy!"

Toby looked at him coldly.

"Otherwise, why do you think I didn't die?"