Everyday Life of a Top Student at Hogwarts

Chapter 261 Strategic Shift and Ancient Echoes

Chapter 261 Strategic Shift and Ancient Echoes

Inside the Eagle's Nest workshop, the air was thick with focused concentration. Karen lay open in front of him, surrounded by several sheets of parchment filled with questions and blank sheets of paper for note-taking. His fingertips tapped unconsciously on the table, his eyes fixed on the blank pages, his mind racing with calculations.

For several days, Karen had been extracting profound knowledge of dark magic and ancient runes from Tom Riddle. While the gains were enormous, the risks were also increasing daily. This knowledge was like poison coated in honey; each verification required a great deal of Karen's energy, and the traps hidden within were becoming increasingly sophisticated, even exhibiting a subtle, almost imperceptible, tendency to manipulate. Karen could sense that the diary was adapting to his demands and attempting to set up even more ingenious traps.

We must change our strategy.

Karen picked up her quill and slowly wrote down a new question on the blank page:

Did the four founders of Hogwarts Castle leave behind any unknown shared heritage or hidden spaces besides their respective house common rooms and the Chamber of Secrets? Besides the four well-known artifacts, are there any other similar spaces or knowledge repositories left behind?

As the pen touched the paper, ink seeped slightly. Karen could clearly sense a faint yet chilling magical fluctuation, like a slippery tentacle, attempting to probe his consciousness once more through the quill. The barrier of his Occlumency spell silently reinforced, firmly blocking this probe and maintaining the calm and curiosity on the surface of his mind.

The diary remained silent for slightly longer than when answering specific magical questions. After a moment, the beautiful cursive script began to appear, seemingly at a slightly slower pace:

[A shared legacy? An interesting yet naive topic. Great wizards always tend to leave their own unique imprints, rather than mediocre "shared" creations. However—according to some forgotten records, in the heart of the castle, there may have been a secret chamber originally used for negotiation and decision-making, but it was long abandoned and lost due to their ideological differences. Its entrance is said to be closely related to the magical flow of the castle itself, rather than a fixed physical entity. This is just a vague legend, its authenticity questionable.]

Karen read each word carefully. Riddle's tone carried its usual contempt and arrogance, but the information itself seemed—relatively "safe"? It didn't directly involve dangerous magic; it was more like telling an ancient story.

He continued writing: "[Related to the flow of magic? Could you describe it specifically? Are there any distinctive magical symbols or frequencies that can be identified?]"

[Specifically? Time has long since erased most of the details.] The diary responded quickly, with a hint of impatience, [Perhaps it resonates somewhat with the castle's defensive system, or perhaps it shares origins with some of the castle's internal magic used by the house-elves. The house-elves in the castle primarily originated from Slytherin and Hufflepuff, and something may have been passed down among them. As for the symbol—the shared emblem of the four great masters? Perhaps it's a composite heraldry containing the four elements or house symbols? I've never seen it with my own eyes; these are merely unverified old folks' musings and marginal notes in some ancient manuscripts.]

"House-elves—castle interior magic—composite emblems—" Karen repeated these keywords in a low voice, quickly scribbling them down on the blank parchment beside her. Riddle had provided the information, but cleverly obscured it, attributing it to an unreliable source. However, the points about "castle defense system" and "house-elves' magic" vaguely matched some of the castle's characteristics that Karen knew.

"So, regarding Salazar Slytherin himself," Cullen changed her perspective, "besides the well-known Chamber of Secrets and the Basilisk, did he leave behind any unique magical structures elsewhere? For example, some kind of occult site based on Parseltongue or bloodlines, different from common wizarding magic systems?"

This question was more sensitive, pointing directly to the secrets of Slytherin. The ink on the diary seemed to freeze for a few seconds.

Lord Slytherin's wisdom is unfathomable; his legacy is beyond the comprehension of all ordinary people.

The handwriting carried a sense of preservation and pride: "Indeed, some—miniature magical nodes—do exist, usually hidden near water sources or deep underground, used to gather specific magical energy or conduct certain intricate magical experiments. They are typically activated by noble Parseltongue and marked with a variant of the rune 'S' combined with a serpentine pattern. However, most of these nodes have become ineffective over time, their exact locations and uses long lost. Searching for them is futile."

"Near the water source—deep underground—Parabolic Activation—S" variant with a serpentine mark. Karen recorded again, her heart racing slightly. This information seemed more valuable. Although Riddle reiterated "invalid" and "lost," it provided a relatively specific indicator, and while it was useless to Voldemort, it might bring unexpected benefits to Karen, who possessed the Eye of Truth.

"What are the magical energy characteristics of these nodes? Which type do they lean towards?" Karen pressed.

[Mostly for enhancement, concealment, or communication with certain—ancient beings.] The diary's answer became brief and vague, [The energy properties were cold and condensed. Details are lost to time. Stop dwelling on these useless historical dust; your time should be devoted to the study of more powerful and readily available magic.]

This was a typical attempt to change the subject and tempt her. Karen ignored it and instead steered the conversation in another direction: "It's said that Rowena Ravenclaw's lost crown possesses the ability to enhance the wearer's intellect. Is this related to some kind of ancient technique, such as the Niven array or alchemy, rather than simply mental magic?"

[Ravenclaw's tiara?] The handwriting in the diary revealed a subtle, almost imperceptible, fluctuation, seemingly mockery, or something else entirely. [A tragic, lost legend. Enhancing intelligence? Perhaps. But more likely, it's a form of mental suggestion and potential activation. As for the specific techniques—humph, even if they existed, they were long lost with that lady's early death. Gryffindor's sword carries the secrets of goblin forging, Hufflepuff's cup contains the magic of life and blessing, Slytherin's locket—holds a far deeper power. And the tiara? Perhaps the most impractical of all.]

Karen astutely picked up on the word "locker box." Riddle brought it up himself, describing it as "containing a deeper power." The 16-year-old Riddle in the diary shouldn't have received his crown yet, so perhaps he obtained some related information from somewhere?

He didn't immediately press for details about the locket; that would be too obvious. He simply noted down "Sword - Fairy Mysticism," "Golden Cup - Blessing of Life," "Locket - Profound Power," and "Crown - Mental Suggestion/Potential Activation." This information also needed cross-verification, and Cullen should have a high probability of collecting them all later. Of course, the sword might be the most troublesome, since it belonged to Hogwarts. Perhaps he could consider becoming the headmaster someday, Cullen thought to himself, considering that the treasures of the four great masters had never actually been combined.

[Thank you for your answer; these historical anecdotes are very interesting.] Karen finally wrote her closing remarks, ending the inquiry.

The diary remained silent, offering no response.

Karen put down her pen, let out a long breath, and rubbed her temples. This time, turning her attention to history and legends, she clearly sensed a lower level of resistance from Riddle. Of course, this could also be a facade; while the amount of information provided was still a mix of truth and falsehood, the sense of a hidden deadly trap had diminished considerably. Instead, there was more ambiguity, misleading information, and attributing key details to "legends," "lost traditions," and "unverifiable facts."

He picked up the parchment containing keywords and clues and fell into deep thought.

"The castle's original heart chamber—related to the flow of magic—house-elf magic—the four-elemental composite emblem—"

"Slytherin's Ritual Node - Near Water, Underground - Parseltongue Activation - S" and the Serpent Mark - Enhancement, Concealment, Communication with Ancient Creatures -

"The possible magical tendencies of the relics of the four great figures—"

These pieces of information are like scattered puzzle pieces. He needs to compare them with the known information.

His first thought was the Room of Requirement. It fit the characteristics of being "related to the flow of magical energy in the castle" and having an "entrance that is not a fixed physical entity," but it seemed more inclined to respond to strong individual needs, which didn't quite align with the legend of "joint decision-making by the four leaders," and appeared more like something left behind by Ravenclaw personally. House-elves, on the other hand, did possess a unique kind of magic related to the castle's covenant.

The Slytherin node—"near or underground water"—reminded him of the bottom of the Black Lake, the castle basement, and even some areas near the kitchen. The "Paramecium activation" and specific markings were consistent with the style of the Chamber of Secrets entrance.

As for the information about the Four Greats' relics, it partially coincides with what he learned from Nico and some veiled references in the forbidden books, but Riddle clearly embellished Slytherin's locket and downplayed Ravenclaw's tiara—which is consistent with his stance.

Karen carefully filed these clues. They couldn't be verified immediately, but they provided new directions and possibilities for his future exploration of the castle. More importantly, this method of inquiry seemed to reduce the risks, allowing him to extract another form of "nutrients" from the dangerous "knowledge base" of the diary.

He decided that for the next period of time, he would continue to explore the ancient secrets of Hogwarts and the history of the four great masters.