Hogwarts: Even Voldemort Can't Stop Me From Studying

”Um... for a young wizard like you, I believe those in power would not refuse. You can start by reading and organizing materials...” Mr. Bode said hesitantly.

”Whether I join or not, let’s talk about it after I graduate from school.” Vid declined, ”I think by then I will have a clearer view of my path.”

The research at the Department of Mysteries is certainly alluring, but in the original story, the mysterious Unspeakables couldn’t prevent Voldemort from controlling the Ministry of Magic, and Mr. Bode before them seems to have met an unfortunate end.

These people are the mathematicians, theoretical physicists, or cosmologists of the Magic World, studying things that are profound and fascinating, reaching the boundaries of human cognition, yet offering little help for the upcoming war or for protecting the lives of oneself and others.

Why should Vid hurry to join such an organization? He currently has Dumbledore, McGonagall, Flitwick, Snape, Morry... even Grindelwald as his professors!

Bode looked at the young wizard’s formulaic polite smile, hesitated for a moment, then tentatively asked, ”How about the Poppet...”

Vid blinked and asked, ”You wouldn’t mean... I should pay for it myself?”

”Of course... of course not.” Bode blushed slightly, coughed, then after thinking for a moment said, ”The funds I can apply for probably amount to only half... if there’s a discount...”

Bode glanced at Vid and added:

”Of course, I won’t let you pay for nothing. Carrel Johnson’s unauthorized use of the Time Turner ends here, we won’t pursue it further. Besides...”

Thinking of Vid’s identity as an Alchemist, Bode gritted his teeth and said, ”I can give you an ancient Alchemy Work... though it’s broken. But it comes from a very old tomb, and the runes on it are very ancient, quite valuable for research.”

”What is it?” Vid asked curiously.

”A necklace.”

Bode tapped on the table with his Magic Wand, and a spectral image of the necklace appeared. It looked like it was strung with oddly shaped stones, indeed engraved with ancient mysterious runes.

Vid was just about to study it carefully when the spectral image dissipated into mist. Bode looked at him and said, ”Deal?”

Vid smiled and said, ”Deal.”

Though he suspected the necklace might be the kind stored in the Department of Mysteries’ warehouse gathering dust, completely overlooked, Vid indeed had a keen interest in these ancient artifacts.

Generally, technology is always advancing. For example, many modern life-related, healing, and curse-related spells were completely unheard of by ancient wizards.

But magic is not entirely like that.

Long ago, there might have been an era where divine beings could walk the earth, or magic energy was so abundant that some wizards were as powerful as terrestrial gods.

No matter the possibility, wizards of that time were closer to the essence of the world, thus mastering immense power, creating items with unimaginable functions.

...

Crafting a Poppet capable of assisting in magical research isn’t something that can be completed in one or two days, especially since Bode hoped the Poppet would possess the requisite knowledge and research quality, which required an Unspeakable to inject it with thought personally.

Therefore, Vid set the delivery time for the Poppet to the last weekend at Hogsmeade of this semester. Before then, he picked a good weather afternoon to accompany Mabel to meet Hayley.

Hayley was adopted by a relative of Professor Sprout, living in Muggle Town. When Vid and his companions arrived, they saw a group of children calling for friends and running through the street, seemingly playing a cops-and-robbers game.

Hayley was among them, her cheeks flushed as she ran, constantly panting, yet she was excitedly amidst the crowd.

Her lively appearance was starkly different from the frail, pale girl who once lived in a dungeon, like a phantom.

Mabel, having taken Polyjuice Potion, sat on a bench by the street, watched for a long while, and couldn’t help but lower her head to wipe her eyes.

”It’s wonderful... she looks so happy,” Mabel said with a smile, ”Let’s go.”

”You are still a child too, you can completely join them in playing their games,” Lupin reminded, ”No need to rush, we have plenty of time today.”

”No, no,” Mabel shook her head and said, ”If I meet her today, she’ll likely want to see me from now on, every time she passes this place she’ll look for me... But if she forgets all about that experience, she can live a better life.”

Most importantly, she’s aware that Obscurials rarely have long lifespans, even if she wants to visit Hayley regularly, there’s no way to do it.

Rather than go through the pain of parting again in the future, it’s better to completely withdraw from Hayley’s life. The child is still young, likely as she grows older she’ll gradually forget about her too.

The girl’s determination was firm, so Lupin and Vid didn’t say much more. They went to a hidden place, Lupin took out his Magic Wand and stretched it into the air, and soon, the Knight Bus appeared with a ”bang” like a giant frog jumping out of the air.

Mabel glanced once more at Hayley playing in the park before she boarded the bus.

In the blink of an eye, the purple bus squeezed between two large trees, soon arriving in another city.

Lupin paid the fare, and Vid expertly used magic to fix both him and Mabel to their seats, lest they be thrown off by the bouncing bus.

”Magic Bus,” Mabel gripped the handrail tightly and asked, ”Can it take us anywhere?”

”Within the United Kingdom, it should be able to,” Vid replied.

”How do you ride it?” Mabel asked again.

”Extend your Magic Wand and prepare eleven Silver Sickles,” Vid glanced at Mabel and said, ”But traveling with it is not a good idea, you also feel it, this comfort is about the same as a drum washing machine.”

Mabel chuckled and said, ”Remus has taken me through the Floo Network, it also felt uncomfortable. Is the comfort of wizarding travel methods always overlooked? Even though magic is so magical.”

”That’s true,” Vid said, rubbing his chin, ”Portkeys and Apparition aren’t comfortable either, riding brooms is too cold, and after a long time your whole body hurts. Flying Carpets are much better, but they’re banned within the UK.”

Lupin laughed and said to Mabel, ”Sirius has a Flying Motorcycle, once he returns, let him take you to experience it.”

”A Flying Motorcycle?” Mabel said longingly, ”It would be wonderful to have the chance.”

”There certainly is,” Vid said, ”Mr. Scamander is returning soon, he will definitely have a way to help your situation.”

Even if he doesn’t, finding a way to suppress the Obscurus should help keep Mabel’s body from collapsing too quickly.

Vid thought as he looked at the girl’s pale face.

Mabel held no real hope, acting as if she was encouraged, she smiled and nodded.

...

As the weather grew hotter, the sunlight became more intense. However, a cloud always hovered over the UK, drifting from south to north, from east to west, for half a year, never dissipating.

Those were the Dementors sent out to capture criminals.

Under the Ministry of Magic’s restrictions, unless they found their target, Dementors were not allowed to approach humans. They could only occasionally go to the skies above cities to absorb some joyous emotions from afar, staying for half a day at most before having to move elsewhere.

If otherwise, even without Dementors nearby, people within a certain range would become pessimistic, despairing, and could even lead to suicides.

These Dementors floated for a long time and then rested at a location monitored by Aurors. Several hundred meters away behind some woods was a playground, and sounds of screams and laughter drifted over.

A Dementor couldn’t resist stretching its neck toward there and took a deep inhale, freezing the surrounding land into patches of white frost.

The Auror monitoring from afar descended on his broom and saw they were staying obediently without approaching the crowd rashly. So he relaxed and took a sip from his flask.

Suddenly, the frozen stiff grass bent down piece by piece, forming footprints.

Several Dementors turned, facing the direction where the footprints appeared.

Soon, a figure emerged from the air.

Barty Crouch Jr. lifted his hood and said with a smile, ”Good afternoon, friends.”