Science students at Hogwarts

August 1991, Hogwarts, Headmaster's Office.

This is a large, beautiful room, with past principals snoring in their photo frames, and there are many exquisite silverware on the table with slender legs, spinning and spraying white mist.

The hosts and guests in the room fell into silence after the routine greetings. An old man with a long silver-white beard quietly stared at the visitor through half-moon eyes.

After a long time, the man with light blond hair took out a box and slowly but firmly handed it to the old man - Principal Dumbledore.

There was only a diary and a locket in the box. However, the moment he opened the box, even the experienced principal could not hide his shock.

He stood up uncontrollably and stared at his former student.Soon he realized his gaffe, sat down again and began to ask Lucius about the origin of these things.

How did Lucius discover the Horcrux?Things have to start with Regulus.

Regulus Black and Catherine Black, a keen couple who had an insight into the Dark Lord's crazy plan, stole the Horcrux with unimaginable courage.

Regulus was vaguely aware of the negative impact of Horcruxes. In order to protect his family, he asked the elf to tell his wife that the Horcruxes had been destroyed before he died, so that Kreacher could find an opportunity to destroy them on his own.

Kreacher's many attempts failed.

After the little master was busy learning potions with Snape, he returned to the old house and tried to destroy this evil thing again, but failed again.

Kreacher thought that his little master had recently told him that he planned to settle in the United States in the near future and asked him to bring important belongings, so he decided to take it with him.

Unexpectedly, he was caught by Elios when he returned to the manor. At this time, Draco was excitedly describing the learning process of the two brothers to his parents.

Kreacher stammered about the origin of the Horcrux to the Malfoy family, and even screamed and harmed himself when he said that he failed to complete the master's task. Elios stopped it and asked him to leave the matter to him. deal with.

Since no one expected that this inconspicuous elf could conceal such an astonishing inside story, Lucius didn't even have time to tell the children to avoid the matter.

Narcissa cried almost fainting after learning the cause of death of her beloved brother. This was also the first time she faced the Dark Lord's cruelty.

Draco didn't speak. He looked pale and held Elios' hand tightly, as if this could comfort his younger brother.

Although Elios had known this history for a long time, he was still moved by his parents' bravery.

Perhaps because of his blood connection, he felt bursts of heartache. In order to hide his strangeness, he lowered his head. It was not until Narcissa hugged him that he realized that tears were already streaming down his face.

As the head of the family, Lucius also admires the couple, but he is much more rational.He comforted his wife and children and persuaded them to go down and rest first and handle the matter themselves.

After they left, however, Lucius frowned as he realized he seemed to have something similar.

The Malfoy family only had a few records about Horcruxes, and he searched through the ancient books at home but could not find a definite answer.

So he took Elios and Kreacher to the Black Mansion, where they not only found detailed records but also an alchemical device used to detect souls.

Now he finally confirmed that the diary in his hand was also Voldemort's Horcrux.

Lucius fell into a state of anxiety, convinced that the Dark Lord was still alive.That lunatic doesn't care whether you are a pure-blood or not. As long as you don't agree with him, you will die, not to mention that Lucius has betrayed the Death Eaters.

Lucius knew very well that with his versatility and family's reputation, it would be easy for the Malfoy family to survive.

But what about Elios?Regulus' behavior has seriously touched the bottom line. Once the Dark Lord returns, Elios' life will definitely be in danger.

Moreover, at this time, Narcissa and Draco hated the Dark Lord so much that if they wanted to join him again, they might become alone soon.

What's more, Lucius himself didn't want to return to the Death Eaters. He had really had enough of that kind of precarious life.

After much thought, Lucius decided that he must not destroy these two Horcruxes easily, otherwise his family would be in catastrophe.

What about Dumbledore?He also felt that Dumbledore would not sincerely protect a family that had been Death Eaters.

Lucius was at a loss and decided to ask Elios for his opinion.

Logically speaking, this kind of thing should not be asked of a child, but the matter itself was related to Elios, coupled with Elios' intelligence and particularly innovative ideas, Lucius decided to try his luck.

Unexpectedly, Elios woke up the dreamer with one word. He looked at Lucius in confusion and said, "We can't destroy it. Can't we just give it to the Death Eaters to destroy it?"

The plan was quite simple and crude. He planned to store them in the second safest place in the world - Gringotts.When Voldemort returns, he inadvertently leaks the news and asks betrayers who are eager to express their loyalty to surrender to him. Then he sends people to ambush them and disappear with them and their belongings.

Lucius felt that this plan was quite feasible. Most of the Death Eaters he knew had no brains and it would be easy to fool them.If it works properly, it might help Elios escape punishment.

And his ambitions were even greater. In his opinion, the news had to be sold to the white wizard at a good price to make up for the family's fear.

So Lucius deliberately came to Dumbledore with a look of fear and told this thrilling history.

After hearing this story, the indestructible white wizard's face looked a little tired. He leaned back on the chair and sighed softly.

"Regulus is a true hero. I remember him. He was a lovable child. He was not as fanatical as most of his classmates. He always looked gentle and polite at all times. Unexpectedly, …”

He sighed again and looked at the Horcrux in front of him.

"Things are worse than I imagined. Obviously, Voldemort's evil deeds succeeded more than once. Fortunately, we understand the real reason why he does not die."

Lucius's pale face showed a trace of fear at the right time, and he murmured: "He is not dead, he must still be alive! He will definitely come back for revenge, and we are all finished!"

"Calm down, Lucius!" Dumbledore yelled, and he softened his tone to comfort, "Leave them to me and I will handle them properly."

"They can't be destroyed, at least they can't be destroyed in our hands!" Lucius was excited and shouted loudly.

Dumbledore frowned. He felt that this student's performance today was too emotional. On second thought, it would be difficult for anyone who discovered that person's conspiracy to stay calm.

"No, I won't destroy it yet. It will be placed in the safest place in the world. Lucius, do you still doubt the safety of Hogwarts?" The old man smiled gently.

"Put it in Gringotts, Headmaster, go yourself, I don't trust anyone but you. Once the Dark Lord finds out his Horcrux is in Hogwarts, he won't let Elios go, Only in Gringotts can things be saved." Lucius looked at the old man sincerely.

Dumbledore looked at Lucius with a sharp gaze. He was very aware of the double-dealing behavior of these pure-blood families, and he also understood Lucius's intentions.After a long time, he still nodded and agreed to the request.

However, he made one final test.

"Elrios, is he the same as his father? People in the Black family are born with a kind of obsession, just like Regulus."

Lucius felt a moment of astonishment. He thought that Dumbledore would test the position of the Malfoy family next, and he only needed to show his loyalty. Unexpectedly, he asked Elios.

Then he understood Dumbledore's temptation, and he felt truly angry.

"He is still a child, Dumbledore! He is not your pawn and should not be involved in such a dangerous thing! Even if he has a blood feud with the Dark Lord!" A faint blush appeared on Lucius's pale face.

"I only care about the interests of this school and its students, and you, Dumbledore, want to turn it into the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix." He looked directly into Dumbledore's eyes without flinching.

"You will just watch them indifferently! Then evaluate the use of each one! You don't care about others. You turn a blind eye to the long-term bullying, but the sharp conflicts only add fuel to the fire." He sneered.

"Hogwarts is not as good as a Muggle school in this regard! It was me who provided bursaries for Muggle wizards, and it was I who ended John's experience."

Dumbledore took off his glasses tiredly. Although the views of this student from a pure-blood family were extremely biased, part of them still hurt his heart.

"You have never wavered from the idea that Slytherins are all Death Eaters' reserves and Gryffindor is the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix."

"You are wrong! Only people can decide their own destiny! There will be shameless traitors in Gryffindor, and there will also be resolute lone warriors in Slytherin."

"Elrios is a born Slytherin, but he will never become a Death Eater!" Lucius added softly but without doubt.

"Professor, the Dark Lord is still alive, do you want to push them further and further until they become his subordinates? Before the sorting, we were students of Hogwarts first. Unfortunately, most people are not aware of this. "

Even if Dumbledore didn't speak, he still had a strong sense of oppression. No one understood Lucius's character better than him, or in other words, no one understood Slytherin better than him.He waited for Lucius to state his terms.

"Dumbledore, please take a look at this plan." He took out a few pieces of parchment and placed them on the table.

Finally here, Dumbledore thought, these Slytherins keep saying they are for Hogwarts, but in fact they never think about themselves.There was a trace of boredom in his eyes, and he slowly opened the document.

This document surprised Dumbledore. He put on his glasses and blinked his blue eyes. This time it was Dumbledore's turn to be surprised.

Lucius chuckled slightly proudly, remembering Elios's advice: asking for benefits is only a bad idea, but giving benefits is the best way.The sooner you are accepted by the White Wizard, the greater your chances of receiving asylum.What's more, this investment is not a complete loss.

Malfoy proposed that Hogwarts and other schools send exchange students to each other for academic exchanges.Not only would he persuade the Board of Directors to agree to the proposal, but he would also promise that the Malfoy and Black families would provide funds to incentivize the best exchange students.

"Hogwarts is of course the best wizarding school in the world. But their lack of knowledge can lead to extreme views." He winked like Dumbledore.

"Give them some opportunities to broaden their horizons, and those children will eventually know that Hogwarts is the best home."

Dumbledore understood his intention.

The difficulties brought about by a foreign country will make these children miss Hogwarts even more, and they will continue to beautify their memories. Even those from different colleges will join the group to keep warm.

Competitors from other schools not only bring ideological collision to Hogwarts, but also promote the cohesion of students.Obviously, it can effectively alleviate the hostility and disputes among the four colleges.

The offer was favorable in every way and was difficult for Dumbledore to refuse.

"This year's exchange quota should start with Durmstrang. Many affiliated families of the Malfoy family have expressed their willingness to let their children become exchange students." Lucius casually picked up the black tea in front of him, "By the way, there is too much sugar. .”

"Please forgive an old man. He doesn't have much time left. If he can't even satisfy the last happiness, then life will be meaningless." Dumbledore looked at the former student kindly.

Afterwards, they had a heated discussion about the exchange student plan.

After figuring out all the details, Dumbledore finally asked him the question he had expected.

"Lucius, have you really decided?"

Lucius should have shown his loyalty to the white wizard according to the prepared answer, but he hesitated and told the truth.

"Actually not yet. I don't know how many Horcruxes that person has. I'm afraid of him. Maybe I will join him again one day in the future, but I will do everything I can to protect Narcissa and Draco. And Elios.”

Dumbledore laughed, his gentle blue eyes flashed, and he made a promise, "I will do my best to deal with that man's remaining Horcruxes."

"Speaking of which, Elios has a proposal for these Horcruxes." Lucius's face became very strange. "He said that we should keep in close contact with the masses and give full play to their advantages."

"Lucius, I hope no old things of Voldemort's fall into the hands of innocent people." The old man looked at him seriously.

"Of course, I promise."

Two big things happened in August.

Hogwarts owls are heading to the homes of third, fourth and fifth graders with new letters.

The other is a widespread rumor among dark wizards: when that person fell, he gathered all the treasures and buried them, and used evil black magic to protect them.

The dark wizards in Knockturn Alley are very enthusiastic about this matter. Although rumors claim that the Dark Lord's treasure is dangerous to death and demagogues, they still set up many teams to search for the treasure. Even the Burke family is not immune. .