Harry Potter: I am the Legend

Riddle was discharged from the hospital a week later, but after his release, he never spoke to anyone about the events of Halloween night.

Rumors spread that he had severely beaten up a few nosy Gryffindor "junior reporters," leaving them bruised and battered, unable to walk properly.

After that, no one dared to ask him about what had happened that night.

Hoffa, meanwhile, also had no further interactions with Riddle. However, he spent his days deeply engrossed in studying spells that could grant immunity to magic. He wanted to uncover what made that half-human king impervious to all curses.

Despite his extensive research and even consulting Aglaia, he found no information whatsoever about magic immunity.

Time slipped away amidst Hoffa's studies and his tireless pursuit of knowledge. He was eager to return to the Ravenclaw tower to retrieve his Transfiguration manual, but the school seemed determined to keep the tower closed until the half-human king was captured.

This left the Ravenclaw students in a difficult situation. They had to wear school-issued clothing and use school-provided items.

This state of affairs persisted until Christmas, with little improvement.

On Christmas morning, the weather was bitterly cold, and the landscape was blanketed in snow.

At least the temporary common room had its advantages: it was much warmer than the tower, and being near the kitchen meant it was easy to summon a few house-elves for snacks.

Hoffa woke up early as usual. Sitting by the fireplace, he sipped coffee brought by a house-elf while reading A Hundred Curses and a Hundred Counter-Curses, a book he had borrowed from the library.

At eight o'clock, his two friends arrived, yawning and carrying paper boxes.

Seeing Hoffa still reading, Aglaia tossed a box into his lap. "You're still at it, Hoffa? I've told you over a hundred times, no one can be immune to magic."

"Christmas present?" Hoffa asked, looking at the box in front of him.

"What do you think?" Aglaia retorted with mock annoyance. "I randomly picked one from the 137 gifts I received. Let's hope it's not a box of Nose-Biting Teacakes."

"I thought you'd go home for the holiday," Hoffa said.

"Didn't want to. Couldn't, either."

Aglaia shrugged. "Have you been so consumed by your curse research that you missed the school announcement last week? The Muggle world is in chaos out there, fighting like mad. For safety reasons, all students must stay at Hogwarts this year."

"That explains it."

Hoffa muttered as he opened the large box. Fortunately, it wasn't Nose-Biting Teacakes—it was a beautifully crafted light blue scarf for men.

Miranda handed him a smaller box. "I've given up hope that you'd ever get me a gift."

"I'll make it up to you someday," Hoffa replied sheepishly.

He really hadn't prepared any gifts. His mind had been preoccupied with the Forbidden Section and the half-human king, to the point that he hardly noticed Christmas approaching.

"Make it up? You don't even know my birthday!" Aglaia snapped.

"I don't even know my own birthday," Hoffa said self-deprecatingly.

"That's just sad."

Miranda laughed and poked the fireplace with her wand, making the flames roar to life.

Hoffa opened Miranda's gift and found a beautifully bound book titled The Complete Guide to Shield Spells.

"Hmph!"

Aglaia's mood suddenly brightened as she leaned eagerly on the table. "My birthday's in July. Why don't you both come over then?"

"That's ages away. Let's just get through this year first," Hoffa said gloomily, flipping through the book.

He still hadn't mastered the Shield Charm.

That night, at the Christmas feast, the Great Hall looked magnificent.

Dozens of silver-frosted Christmas trees stood along the corridors, their tops adorned with intertwining mistletoe and holly. Golden owls flitted about, chirping softly.

Despite the chaos raging outside in the Muggle world and the lingering dangers within Hogwarts, none of it seemed to dampen the festive spirit.

Hoffa arrived early. The hall was filled with glittering golden plates and goblets.

At the center of the hall, a few students were gathered around the dazzling Hogwarts Orb, pointing and whispering. Among them were some Gryffindors and a few Ravenclaws.

The Gryffindors were likely there out of curiosity, while the Ravenclaws seemed to be praying for the chance to return to their common room soon.

But their hopes were destined to be dashed—the Orb remained unresponsive.

The trio took their seats.

Just before the feast began, Miranda nudged Hoffa.

"Look," she whispered, gesturing toward the entrance to the hall.

Following her gaze, Hoffa saw Headmaster Dippet standing there.

Accompanied by the school healer, Lina, Headmaster Dippet entered the hall. His condition had improved significantly since the start of the school year. He sat at the faculty table and even had two glasses of fruit wine with Dumbledore.

This was something Hoffa had never seen before. To most students, the elderly headmaster rarely attended feasts due to health reasons, and the only time they saw him was usually at the start-of-term banquet.

After a few words of greeting from Headmaster Dippet, his voice was much stronger than it had been at the start of the year.

Once he finished, Deputy Headmaster Dumbledore led the students in singing Christmas carols.

However, from the beginning of the feast until the desserts were served, Hoffa noticed that the seat for the Transfiguration professor remained empty.

Osivia had not come to the Christmas feast.

Hoffa was not the only one to notice this.

"Your boss didn't show up," Aglaia murmured, chewing on her pudding. "Doesn't anyone in the Soviet Union celebrate Christmas?"

Miranda replied, "I heard that socialism doesn't have Christmas."

"What boss?" Hoffa frowned. "She's a professor, and I'm her assistant."

"Tch," Aglaia shrugged.

"I think it's more like a partnership," Miranda teased. "Dr. Watson."

"Ha?" Hoffa raised an eyebrow.

"I've never seen you so invested in any other subject," Aglaia remarked, smirking.

"What's going on in your head?" Hoffa knocked on Aglaia's fluffy silver hair. "Do you think I really want to be a teaching assistant?"

Miranda became more serious, her smile fading. "Hoffa, I really think Osivia is too driven. Being with her isn't safe."

Hoffa smiled. "Like it was with you last year?"

Miranda leaned closer. "Listen, people with strong goals don't allow anyone to get in their way. What if you and she end up in conflict?"

"I know." Hoffa put down his knife and fork, cutting her off. "I'm more aware than anyone of what kind of person this Transfiguration professor is."

Miranda sighed, cutting a piece of steak and eating it, not saying anything further.

Aglaia, on the other hand, looked confused. "What are you two talking about?"

Before they could continue, a senior girl hurried over to Hoffa, bending to hand him a note.

Miranda raised an eyebrow. "Oh~?"

Aglaia immediately leaned over to take a look.

"How interesting," Hoffa muttered, pushing her fluffy head aside as he unfolded the note.

The note contained only one line:

"Come to the hunting grounds, I've found the White Stone Tomb."

It was a letter from Osivia. Hoffa stood up immediately, startling Aglaia.

"What's going on?" Aglaia asked.

Hoffa quickly stuffed the note into his pocket and said, "You two can keep eating. I'll tell you when I return."

He walked briskly out of the hall.

Miranda watched Hoffa's retreating figure and said to Aglaia, "Looks like Sherlock Holmes' letter arrived."

"What Sherlock Holmes?" Aglaia frowned. "I think I've heard of that before."

"You haven't seen it?" Miranda asked.

"Seen what?"

Hoffa quickly left the cheerful Christmas hall, heading toward the castle exit.

If Osivia had found the White Stone Tomb, it meant they were just one step away from the Forbidden Knowledge Library.

As he was about to exit the castle, Hoffa saw Headmaster Dippet, accompanied by the school healer, Lina, slowly leaving the hall from the second-floor corridor.

He didn't need Lina's assistance, but he seemed unsteady, swaying as he walked.

Hoffa paused and shook his head, watching them until they disappeared around a corner, before slowly heading out of the castle.

Walking through the mistletoe-filled corridors, Hoffa spotted the snow-covered hunting grounds, glistening under the moonlight through the Roman columns.

Osivia was not wearing a wizard's robe; instead, she wore a black cloak and hunting attire, standing in the snowy landscape outside the castle.

She felt Hoffa's gaze and turned to look at him.

Hoffa stepped over the snow-covered marble fence and into the ankle-deep snow.

"Did you find it?" Hoffa asked.

"Mm, let's go," Osivia nodded briefly.

The Transfiguration professor walked ahead, with Hoffa following beside her. Their boots crunched in the snow with every step.

"What exactly is the White Stone Tomb? Is it at Hogwarts?" Hoffa asked eagerly.

"Mm, it should be here," Osivia answered.

"Should be? You don't seem very sure."

"I can't be a hundred percent certain."

Osivia explained, "But since the information is engraved on the base of the first headmaster's statue, I believe the White Stone Tomb must be the first headmaster's grave."

"Have you really found it?" Hoffa pressed.

Osivia shook her head. "No, I haven't found any concrete information about the grave."

"Then how can you say you found it?"

"Though I haven't found the exact location, I've been researching information on the burial sites of Hogwarts headmasters. I discovered that every headmaster after death is buried on an island in the Black Lake."

"Is that a rule?" Hoffa exclaimed.

"Yes."

"So, the place we're going tonight," Hoffa asked in surprise, "Is the graveyard of all the Hogwarts headmasters?"

"That's right."

Osivia seemed unusually calm.

Looking at her composed expression, Hoffa felt as though he had lost his mind.

Spending Christmas night not at the feast but visiting the ancient headmasters' graves.

(End of Chapter)

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