Chapter 326 The First Dark Wizard

In the school infirmary, Harry, Ron, and Hermione gathered to look at the blue stone in Evan's hand.

"What's the even more surprising secret Slytherin found?" Ron asked.

"I don't know, the stones are cracked here, the wear and tear are severe, and the words behind are completely unrecognizable," Evan squinted his eyes and tried to identify them diligently.

But no, he couldn't see the letters behind.

"Perhaps if I adjust it like this," Hermione repositioned a piece of debris.

Evan tried to read another passage in the new order, but Harry shook his head and signaled he couldn't understand.

"Darn it, we've put in so much effort and we know nothing except that the monster comes from a temple in ancient Greece dedicated to the dark wizard!" Ron said irritably. "There are no powerful spells, no way to enhance strength, no valuable content."

"These stones are valuable in themselves!" Hermione retorted.

"Yes, perhaps any magic historian or antique collector will need them. They record why the old Slytherin nutcase built a Chamber of Secrets in the depths of the school, leaving behind a terrible monster who wanted to devour the souls of others," Ron furrowed his brow and pointed to the broken stones. "These things are truly valuable and further prove that the Slytherin House is lost. But we already know this. The key points are not here. WHAT IS THAT MONSTER? WHAT AMAZING SECRETS DOES IT HOLD? AND WHERE ARE SLYTHERIN'S RESEARCH FINDINGS?"

Harry and Hermione remained silent, seemingly accepting Ron's words.

It was disappointing that the message on the stones came to an abrupt halt at the most critical point.

"These stones only record the reasons why Slytherin built the underground ruins," Evan said. "The results of his research and the dark magic to create that monster are described on the rock walls. I saw it. Due to the rush, I didn't record it."

"In that case, we could return to the Lair of Aragog..."

"No!" Evan shook his head. "After Salazar's powerful shadow magic, the whole ruin started to collapse, and now they probably no longer exist."

"Alright..." Ron, who had just stood up, sat back down.

Like him, Harry's face was filled with disappointment.

Evan continued to gaze at the stones in his hand, turning them over.

Hermione kept looking down at the notes she had just taken, occasionally picking up her quill and drawing a line on them.

No one spoke; they were all reflecting and digesting the news they had received so far.

"What are we waiting for?"

After a long while, Ron said dispiritedly. "All the clues have led us to nothing. It's a waste of time to continue the investigation. We could discuss..."

"Don't interrupt me," Hermione cut in, waving her quill and analyzing carefully. "The cracked message has given us many clues."

"Hermione, did you find something?" Harry asked eagerly.

"Look at this passage," Hermione pointed to her record. "The temple in ancient Greece honors one of the most powerful and influential dark wizards in magic history. He was considered the last ancient wizard and the first dark wizard. Many of his research findings laid the groundwork for the development of dark magic, and they still have influence!"

"I don't understand, what does this mean?" Ron wondered.

"This tells us who created the monster. We just need to investigate the origin of this dark wizard, and maybe we'll get some clues," Hermione continued.

"But it doesn't say who he is."

"The last ancient wizard and one of the first dark wizards, notorious, developed many curses and dark magic, laying the groundwork for the development of dark magic," Hermione explained. "The wizard who fits these conditions is the one we are looking for, which almost tells us his identity."

"I have no impression of this dark wizard who lived a thousand years ago," Harry shook his head. "You know, I'm not that good at magical history. Honestly, I haven't even been able to distinguish between Emeric the Malevolent and Uric the Odd."

"I don't either. In what year did the Goblin Rebellion of the seventeenth century occur?" Ron frowned and said, "I recall they used one of the inns in Hogsmeade as their headquarters during that rebellion. It was probably the Hog's Head Inn. I've never been there before."

"Hagrid goes there often. It was where he got the dragon egg and Fluffy, the gigantic three-headed dog. He told me it was very interesting, and that it could be..."

"GENTLEMEN, WE ARE NOW TALKING ABOUT MALEVOLENT DARK WIZARDS, NOT DIRTY TAVERNS!" Hermione raised her voice and said seriously, "Do you remember the book I borrowed from the library when the three of us were searching for the Philosopher's Stone and Nicholas Flamel in our first year?"

"Impressive, you said you wanted to read for fun." Ron whispered to Evan, "That book is thicker than all the books I read last year combined."

"Yes, that's the one," Hermione nodded with satisfaction. "That book contains nearly all the famous ancient wizards, including dark wizards."

"REALLY?" Harry and Ron said in unison, "WHO IS IT?"

Evan also dropped the stones and looked at Hermione. If he could uncover the identity of the dark wizard, it would greatly help in understanding the monster and making a breakthrough. He remembered in the underground ruins, the ancient passage before the great cobweb that led to Aragog. On the rock walls on both sides of the passage, the dark wizard, concealing his face in shadow, harvested countless human souls with a single and malevolent dark magic.

"I'm sure it's him, but I can't recall some details. Wait. I'm going to get the book!" Hermione said excitedly, rushing out of the room.

Looking in the direction she took, she seemed to be heading to the library.

"I haven't seen her this excited since she got first place," Harry said. "Surely she's found some key clues."

"In fact, I also made new discoveries on these stones while you were talking," Evan turned over all the stones in his hand.

Harry and Ron looked at him puzzled, wondering what he was doing.

"Look at the dark golden pattern above, I thought it was just a decoration on the stone. I glanced at it and ignored it before," Evan turned over the last stone fragment, "but I just checked it again. This is clearly a map!"