Chapter 273: Chapter 273: Dumbledore's Call (Edited)
At first, Tom didn't pay attention to them. They were so far away, on the other side of the Black Lake, that they appeared no bigger than small black dots to Tom and naturally went unnoticed in this vibrant lake.
But soon, they made some noise and caught Tom's attention.
The four stood by the lake, gesturing around for a while, before one of the burly men walked toward the edge of the Forbidden Forest and stood in front of a large tree as thick as a person. He drew a shining silver sword from his belt and struck it against the trunk, breaking it at the waist.
As the tree fell, he pointed his sword at it, and the fallen trunk floated toward his companions. A witch dressed in a blue robe waved her hand, and the tree turned into a pile of planks that moved on their own, fitting together to form a boat.
Tom saw what they were doing and was surprised: those four could perform magic! He hurriedly tugged at Hermione's sleeve, signaling her to look at these four people.
The story of the four wizards crossing the Black Lake in a boat... it sounded so familiar to him! Tom felt like he was witnessing the story.
Once the boat was assembled, they launched it into the water, and when all four were aboard, the boat started moving on its own, heading toward the opposite shore of the lake.
The distance between the four and Tom began to shrink, and Tom could distinguish their attire: a strong bearded man with a sword at the forefront, and a man dressed in green with a staff standing beside him. Behind them were two women, the one who had transformed the tree trunk, clad in a blue robe and a crown, and the other wearing a gray wizard's robe.
Tom's gaze traveled to the man at the forefront, who raised his head in the next moment and looked toward Tom's direction. The man's movement made them spot Tom and Hermione. Apparently, though, Tom and Hermione hadn't alerted them to their presence. The burly man glanced at Tom and then looked away, more interested in the lake's wildlife than the two passersby.
He had just heard the dragon's roar clearly, and it had excited him a bit: fire-breathing dragons were a treasure, and Salazar could make interesting potions with various parts of the dragon, while Helga could make delicious meat dishes. And while eating, he could ask Rowena to tell everyone stories about that dragon...
But his absent-minded gaze also put Tom under a lot of pressure. For a moment, Tom had the feeling of being observed by a beast. Judging by how the four were dressed, Tom was almost certain they were the Four Founders of Hogwarts. However, he didn't want to talk to them. There was a high chance they wouldn't speak the same language, and if Tom's conversation with them caused any strange butterfly effect, he would get into a big mess. So Tom took a step back, out of sight, and uncovered the hourglass, letting the top layer drip down to the bottom.
When the last grain of sand had also slipped away, the goldfish appeared in his hand, transporting him back to his time.
Godric Gryffindor looked up again and saw that the two on the cliff had disappeared, so he turned to Rowena Ravenclaw, who was behind him, and said, "Rowena, I think if we're going to build a school here, we must find a way to banish the Muggles from the neighborhood."
The witch named Rowena nodded. "No problem, just in time to test my new spell, but this one will only banish wizards."
She said meaningfully.
"No matter, if they're a wizard, we'll surely meet again," Gryffindor didn't worry about this, gently stroking the hilt of his sword. "If they're a friend, then give me the strongest wine..."
...
Tom and Hermione returned to the broom closet, and the goldfish fell into a deep sleep. Hermione checked the clock and saw that it was exactly the same time they had just left, not a second less.
They stepped out of the broom closet.
Hermione was so excited that she felt the walls of Hogwarts and remembered what she had just seen with a sense of absolute unreality.
"Come on, it's time for Muggle Studies." Tom's voice brought Hermione back to reality. She had discovered a terrible truth: they were going to be late.
Her instincts had been right. When she and Tom arrived at Muggle Studies, the students and the professor were already there.
Fortunately, the Muggle Studies professor, Charity Burbage, was so kind that she wasn't bothered by their lateness. Instead, she gestured for them to take a seat.
Tom looked around and saw that almost everyone in the class was a half-blood or pure-blood wizard. Even Ron, who had been raised in the enlightened Weasley family, hadn't attended the class. He had signed up for Divination and Care of Magical Creatures.
Professor Burbage waited for both of them to sit down and began her class.
"Class, let me guess, there are still no pure-bloods among you this year, right?" She stood behind the lectern, and her opening words left the students unsure of what to say.
Instead of continuing on that topic, Professor Burbage pointed to a boy in the front row and asked why he was enrolled in the course.
Tom recognized him as Justin Finch, from Hufflepuff.
Justin Finch seemed a bit confused when he was called upon, but he quickly responded and began to boast.
"Professor, I'm glad you asked me that question. It's a good one, undoubtedly, and I'm happy to answer it. As you know, these are times of change, the world is changing rapidly, magic can make a real difference in people's lives, and the quality of life is becoming increasingly important..."
"It's also a very easy class to get a good grade in," Professor Burbage interjected.
"Well, it's very brief-" Justin Finch continued, accidentally saying what he had in mind.
"Oh no, Hogwarts: The Muggle Studies professor highlighted his main point!" His heart skipped a beat, and he felt a twinge of regret for letting it slip!
But Professor Burbage didn't mind; she simply told him to take a seat.
"I understand perfectly well what this student is thinking, but he has a very true statement: magic can indeed change human life..."
Professor Burbage continued with the topic.
...
After class, Hermione and Tom walked through the hallway, discussing the lesson they had just had.
"The professor's idea is good..." Tom suddenly stopped.
A glove appeared in front of him, floating in the air, moving on its own, pointing towards an empty classroom.
"Dumbledore..."
Chapter 274: Chapter 274: International Magic Guild (Part 1) (Edited)
When he saw the gloves, Tom sighed heavily. The familiar movements, the familiar style... it was Dumbledore! Tom hadn't really thought that every time Dumbledore appeared, he could perform so many tricks.
"Tom, what is this?" Hermione looked at the glove curiously.
"It's just a prank by Peeves."
"Peeves?"
"Yes, Peeves in human form with a long beard." Tom thought that Dumbledore and Peeves were similar in the "skin" department. But Dumbledore was firm in his skin, like dancing in front of an atomic bomb crystal, while Peeves was real skin, a total evil chaos.
After recognizing the owner of the glove, Tom didn't turn away, but followed him to the empty classroom with Hermione in tow.
Upon entering the classroom, Tom saw Professor Dumbledore sitting in a window seat in the back row, staring intently. A breeze entered through the open window, tousling his hair slightly. When the classroom door slammed open, it created a convection current with the window and swept a piece of parchment off Dumbledore's desk.
"Back row by the window, the best seat." Tom couldn't help but blurt out upon seeing this scene. But Dumbledore extended his wand and used a levitation spell to retrieve the parchment and change its style from schoolyard Japanese to fantasy.
"You're here?"
Tom: ...
"I didn't think you would come."
Tom: ...?
"Just now, a new organization was born in the magical world, the International Wizarding Union (IWU)..." (Nickname: Guild)
Dumbledore gave Tom an overview of his summer accomplishments: the International Wizarding Union, an organization dealing with magical events, the international equivalent of the Ministry of Magic's Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes, but for more dangerous events.
Its operation is simple, as wizards from all countries can join the Guild after passing their own Ministry's tests, and then they receive a commission to assist their local Ministry in solving difficult problems.
"Lately, there have been so many magical accidents that it's only a matter of time before the magical world is exposed." Dumbledore said, with some reluctance.
Tom frowned, not understanding why this had happened so suddenly.
"According to the confession of the Trackers, it seems that six years ago, the organization received some mysterious power, and suddenly it started to revive. Since the year before last, the power of the Trackers has been expanding by leaps and bounds. Now, the power of the Trackers has surpassed any other Ministry of Magic in the world. We must unite, first cutting off their tentacles around the world."
Dumbledore said, taking out two badges from his robe and placing them on the table. The badges were shaped like a six-pointed star, with the letter D in the center.
"I have permission for both of you to bypass the Ministry of Magic and become Class D members of the Guild; you can refuse."
Tom looked at the two badges on the table and didn't make a decision on his own. He looked at Hermione and realized that she seemed eager to give it a try.
"Don't you seem to be against it?" Tom felt relieved that Hermione didn't resist the idea. He didn't want Hermione to twist her will to join the guild because of him.
"I would like to be able to do something for the magical world, and if something goes wrong in it, we won't be able to escape, right?"
"How can a bird's egg survive when the nest is overturned?" Tom laughed, grabbed the badge, and placed it on Hermione's chest. Tom had a strong desire to join the guild because, as Dumbledore had just said, the rise of the Trackers was interesting.
Six years ago and the previous year, one when he had awakened to the system, and the other when he had enrolled. Tom's instinct told him that he had something to do with the rise of the Trackers. He had to investigate this mysterious organization. And what easier way to do it than to join the International Wizarding Union?
Dumbledore smiled as he watched the two of them put on the badges.
He took out two crystal balls from his pocket and handed them to Tom and Hermione. "Nicolas made these for the Guild. Place them under your pillows before going to bed, and you'll be able to travel to the International Guild of Wizards. Remember to bind them with a drop of blood before using them, the same goes for the badges."
Tom played with the crystal ball and felt a slight shock: this was real alchemy!
[Dream Crystal Sphere, Subsphere (3 stars): When you enter a dream, the whole world opens up before you.]
[Description: The owner of this crystal ball will share the same dream world and can use the stunning spell or a baseball bat to quickly fall asleep, with a series of functions to be developed.]
[Note: This is a magical creation that connects the owner's dreams and is a product of advanced alchemy. Only a master alchemist who masters the mysteries of alchemy can create it.]
The mother sphere would be a five-star first-class alchemy product, and only Nicolas Flamel, who knew how to make Philosopher's Stones, could have made it.
"I'll leave the two of you to continue with your lessons. If I recall correctly, I think you have to attend Professor McGonagall's Transfiguration class." Dumbledore saw that Tom and Hermione had taken the badge and the crystal ball and didn't feel like continuing the conversation. He stood up from his chair and left the classroom.
With his departure, the series of tests that Tom had received earlier were activated again.
[Dumbledore's Trial (2): Use the dream crystal ball to travel to the International Wizarding Union.]
After the first class in the morning, Tom was supposed to join the Gryffindor students in Professor McGonagall's Transfiguration class. But the students, just coming out of their Divination classes, all the Gryffindor students had signed up for Divination, were not focused on the class, not even with Professor McGonagall standing at the podium.
Harry was like a spotlight, and the students glanced at him.
The lesson was about Animagi, Professor McGonagall's specialty. She was writing on the blackboard about the preparations for Animagus transformation. At that moment, Tom raised his hand.
"What's the matter? Mr. Yodel?" Professor McGonagall pointed at him, gesturing for him to stand up and speak.
Tom stood up. "Professor, people can transform into animals, so can some animals with human intelligence learn to be Animagi? For example, I have a very intelligent cat, can it transform into a human by learning Animagus?"
"An interesting question," Professor McGonagall said with a small smile. "It is true that there are many creatures in the magical world that are as intelligent as humans: Centaurs, goblins, house-elves, merpeople... and so on, but Animagus Transformation is an exclusive skill of wizards."
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