The lights were still on in Dumbledore's office late at night, long after the students had gone to sleep.
He held the Hogwarts acceptance letter and a train ticket for Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. Professor McGonagall, wearing her witch's hat, was also present, as were the other three Heads of Houses.
"Professor Dumbledore, about that last child today."
Dumbledore put down the two items in his hands. "I know, Professor McGonagall, I know. But the acceptance letter and train ticket are real."
Tom from the Leaky Cauldron had written to Dumbledore about something.
A child named Ray Fasty had been robbed in Knockturn Alley but had managed to escape. In the process, traces of dark magic had inexplicably appeared.
This made Dumbledore somewhat suspicious, wondering if it was a sign of Voldemort, Tom Riddle's return.
Despite his suspicions, Dumbledore hadn't expected Ray Fasty to be a child unrecorded by The Quill and the Parchment.
"Really? Hogwarts students have been recorded by The Quill and the Parchment since they first showed signs of magical ability, and there has never been a mistake in all these years. Why would this child suddenly appear?"
Filius Flitwick, a short man with white hair, and the current Ravenclaw Head of House, was naturally concerned about this matter.
The Quill and the Parchment were both managed by Professor McGonagall, the Deputy Headmistress; he naturally didn't believe that there was a mistake on her part.
"Perhaps someone used a spell to erase the child's name?"
Snape's face betrayed no extra emotion; he simply put forward this possibility.
"The Quill and the Parchment are objects created by the four founders of the houses, using magic, with the purpose of recording all children born in this country who possess magical abilities."
"Regardless of who has the ability, even if they did, what would be the purpose of erasing this child's name? Furthermore, even if his name wasn't on the parchment, he still received an acceptance letter."
The words of Dumbledore caused everyone to fall into deep thought.
"Professors, we've forgotten someone else who has the right to issue acceptance letters."
Dumbledore's words after a moment of silence immediately caused everyone to be puzzled.
New student admissions had always been recorded by The Quill and the Parchment and handled by Professor McGonagall. It had never gone wrong in all these years, but now Dumbledore said that there was another person who had this qualification, which indeed surprised the professors.
"The person I'm talking about is our Hogwarts."
The Hogwarts castle was a living entity born of magic. It wasn't an exaggeration to say that it possessed its own consciousness.
As soon as Dumbledore said this, the four people, including Professor McGonagall, found it incredible, but Dumbledore was right. From a certain perspective, Hogwarts did indeed have the right to issue its own acceptance letters.
Although the Hogwarts castle was a living being, issuing acceptance letters on its own was still somewhat unbelievable.
However, since they are magical beings, no matter how bizarre, it proves that the four founders who gave life to Hogwarts were extraordinary wizards.
Late at night, the four heads of houses at Hogwarts were in the headmaster's office analyzing the possibility of Hogwarts sending out admission letters. Meanwhile, in Borgin and Burkes in Knockturn Alley, someone was also working tirelessly, studying the dark magic items they had just obtained.
Caractacus Burke, an old man, the real owner of Borgin and Burkes.
He hadn't appeared in the shop for a long time. The last time he was there was when he recruited Tom Riddle as a shop assistant, and he had appeared once before that. That was when he bought Slytherin's Locket from Tom Riddle's mother.
Now, in general, his servant, Burke, handled all the affairs of the shop.
Of course, most people would only think that Burke was also one of the owners of the shop.
At this moment, Caractacus Burke was sitting in a basement lit only by a single candle, looking at five incomplete corpses placed in front of him.
Corpses, and very fresh ones at that. Their facial expressions were filled with fear, and even as corpses, one could tell at a glance that they had died in a terrifying manner.
The hand reached upwards, desperately, like someone drowning.
Caractacus Burke read this information from the desiccated corpse. A drowned corpse, it seemed contradictory, yet here it was, truly before him, and there were five of them.
They weren't whole. They had been discovered half a month ago, lying in an alleyway in Knockturn Alley. They remained in that position, but parts of their bodies had melded into the hard ground.
Completely vanished. No matter how much the clean-up crew dug, they couldn't find the missing parts. Therefore, none of the five corpses were complete.
This was the result of dark magic, but even he, a man familiar with dark magic and having seen much of it, didn't know what specific dark magic had caused it.
"Did you find out who they were trying to rob?"
Caractacus Burke's voice was devoid of emotion, which made Burke, standing respectfully to the side, tremble.
"No, Master. It was getting late, and only these few vagrants were in that alleyway. By the time the others arrived at the scene, only their corpses remained."
Trembling, Burke's answer clearly didn't satisfy the old man Burke. "Burke, I haven't been here in the shop for a long time, but don't forget, you're just a servant in this shop."
The hoarse, cold voice made Burke, who loved to take advantage, fall to his knees with a thud. "Master, the Seer's divination didn't give any hints. They robbed, and no matter what kind of magic was used, the incident didn't flash back."
"Damn it! You greedy mongrel! These people are just trash in the alley. Who else but children would have the guts to rob?"
Caractacus Burke roared, and Burke leaned back, terrified of his master, terrified to the extreme.
And the short Caractacus Burke, kneeling on the ground, wasn't much taller than him.
But it was this old man who always gave him a sense of the abyss. His life seemed to be at the whim of Caractacus Burke.
"So, Master, what do you mean?"
"Damn it, Burke, don't you want this job anymore? Get that head full of shit working! Since it's a child, they'll definitely be attending Hogwarts. If you still don't know what to do next, I'll have to end your redundant life. After all, as a Muggle, your life has seriously exceeded its original limit."
Terrified, Burke crawled onto the ground and kissed Caractacus Burke's shoes like a dog. The submissive look on his face was truly that of an obedient pet.
"Master, please rest assured. I will definitely find that child, just as I lured Tom Riddle back then, and bring him before you."
"Heh, you worthless cur, Tom is not someone you can simply lure. He came to me willingly. If you are still so useless this time, then I don't mind replacing you with another Muggle. After all, Muggles are not a scarce commodity in this world. Moreover, there are plenty of Muggles who want to live long enough."
Caractacus Burke kicked Burke away and then turned and left. His black robes fluttered, like ink and mist, and vanished in a daze.
In the vast basement, only Burke, the nominal owner, was left kneeling on the ground. He stared fearfully at the place where Caractacus Burke had disappeared, and after confirming several times that he had indeed left, he slowly got up.
At this moment, a knock sounded from the shop above.
The sudden knocking scared Burke half to death.
Borgin and Burkes' truly profitable transactions were usually conducted at night.
Because the things traded here are mostly dark magic items that people don't want to be seen.
....
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