Get comfortable, turn the page, and let’s see what this story has been hiding 🔥 ✦ Dumbledore looked at Elias with some displeasure.
“What is it, Professor Vale?
Disturbing an old man’s sleep is rather impolite.” Elias did not respond to that.
Instead, he gravely told Dumbledore what he had discovered: Harry was a Parselmouth.
Dumbledore’s expression immediately grew serious.
He sat behind his desk and interlaced his fingers, a habit he had when thinking.
The fact that Harry Potter was a Parselmouth greatly surprised Dumbledore.
It made him think of Tom Riddle.
He realized that the connection between Voldemort and Harry might run far deeper than he had expected.
“Thank you very much for your help, Professor Vale.” After a long silence, Dumbledore came back to himself and thanked Elias.
“Would you like to hear a story, Elias?” Now thoroughly awake, Dumbledore settled into a comfortable position in the Headmaster’s chair and invited him to listen.
“I would be glad to.” Elias did not refuse.
He sat opposite Dumbledore’s desk.
Dumbledore turned, took two glass mugs from a cabinet, and snapped his fingers.
The mugs filled themselves with butterbeer.
Elias picked one up and took a large drink.
It really did taste good.
Dumbledore then told Elias about what had happened at Hogwarts fifty years earlier.
After hearing the story, Elias looked solemn.
“So the previous person to use the Chamber was Tom?
He used a Basilisk that had lived for more than a thousand years?
And then he framed Hagrid?” Dumbledore nodded gravely.
“I had originally made a plan to defeat Voldemort,” he said.
“Now I find the matter may be far more complicated than I imagined.” Dumbledore rubbed his temples.
In that moment, he truly looked like a very old man.
“Elias, I would like to ask you, when necessary, to protect Harry.
Harry is extremely…” “Even if you said nothing, protecting Harry would be my duty as a professor.
It is late, so I will not disturb your rest any longer.” Elias suddenly stood, cutting off what Dumbledore had been about to say.
Dumbledore was somewhat surprised by Elias’s reaction, but he still agreed and indicated that Elias could leave.
After stepping out of the Headmaster’s office, Elias let out a long breath.
For a moment, he had even feared Dumbledore would invite him to join the Order of the Phoenix.
He had no desire to become part of Dumbledore’s grand plan.
In the original story, the most loyal members of the Order of the Phoenix had suffered heavy casualties because of Dumbledore’s plans.
Elias had no intention of joining their ranks.
What Elias wanted now was to survive in this world and, as much as possible, carry on the witcher legacy.
As for why he had told Dumbledore that Harry was a Parselmouth, the reason was simple.
Even if Harry did not want to tell Dumbledore, Dumbledore’s exceptional Legilimency would allow him to obtain Harry’s memories easily.
If Dumbledore discovered through Legilimency that Elias had hidden the fact that he knew Harry was a Parselmouth, it would certainly arouse the Headmaster’s suspicion.
Time passed quickly.
Hogwarts would soon welcome the first Quidditch match of the year.
During this period, another major event occurred at the school: the Hogwarts Student Journal was finally released.
The journal did not only publish the outstanding student essays Elias had mentioned.
It also added a number of interesting stories and anecdotes from inside the school.
Professor Flitwick appreciated the journal very much.
He persuaded several other professors to submit pieces to it without payment.
Elias read them carefully.
Professor Flitwick submitted an adventure from his youth.
Professor McGonagall contributed a guide to choosing broomsticks.
Professor Sprout wrote about her experience caring for magical plants.
Professor Snape submitted what was clearly an old paper on the use of African horned toads in potions.
To everyone’s surprise, Dumbledore also submitted an article about tasting every sweet currently on the market.
He thoughtfully rated every sweet with stars, and Cockroach Clusters and Liquorice Wands received his special recommendation.
For the end section, Elias chose several jokes he found amusing.
When Professor McGonagall reviewed the journal, she firmly required Elias to cut several jokes he considered especially fine.
According to Professor McGonagall, this was for Elias’s own good.
Those jokes would enrage the British Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge.
Then Professor McGonagall forcibly “borrowed” Elias’s joke collection.
Over the next few days, the Gryffindor students found it strange that Professor McGonagall seemed to be in a rather good mood.
Those with sharp ears could often hear laughter coming from her office.
Once the Hogwarts Student Journal went on sale, it quickly became popular throughout Hogwarts.
It was priced at fifteen Sickles a copy.
These days, students could often be seen holding a copy of the journal and reading it carefully.
The journal provided different conveniences for many students.
Excellent students such as Percy, Hermione, and Penelope earned generous payments through their published essays.
The Hufflepuffs especially liked Dumbledore’s article reviewing sweets.
Quite a few even ordered sweets from Honeydukes according to Dumbledore’s ratings.
The Gryffindors particularly enjoyed Professor Flitwick’s adventure story.
The current hot topic among them was whether Professor Vale or Professor Flitwick was stronger.
The Quidditch players cared most about Professor McGonagall’s guide to choosing broomsticks.
It described the features, strengths, and weaknesses of the broomsticks currently available on the market in great detail.
Oliver Wood, captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, even copied the information into his notebook.
He felt it might become the key to turning a match around under the right circumstances.
Hermione loved the Hogwarts Student Journal.
Recently, she could often be seen leaning against a single armchair in the Gryffindor common room, reading the journal with great enjoyment.
When Ron and Harry approached her, they were astonished to find that she was reading Snape’s paper on African horned toads in potions.
According to Hermione, although Snape was a thoroughly unpleasant person, his knowledge was indeed extensive.
As a Hogwarts professor, he was fully qualified.
For Ron, the jokes at the end were the greatest highlight of the journal.
He often laughed so hard he doubled over, and whenever that happened, Hermione would look at him with deep disdain.
Even Neville became fascinated by the journal.
Neville was very talented at Herbology.
Recently, he could often be found sitting alone at a table, carefully reading Professor Sprout’s experiences and notes on caring for magical plants.
If anyone disliked the Hogwarts Student Journal, it was Lockhart.
At first, Lockhart had not thought much of the journal Elias wanted to publish.
But when he discovered how warmly it had been received, he began to regret missing such an excellent chance to show his face.
✦ ✦ ✦ Ready for more?
CREATORS’ THOUGHTS EmberHollow Thank you for reading.
I hope this chapter pulled you deeper into the story.
Stick around, because there’s still a lot waiting just ahead.