Mysterious Journey
Chapter 1242 The Cornerstone and Change
However, from another perspective, Xenophilius successfully rescued Ellena and the others from their parents' interrogation, at least temporarily.
With the semi-reveal of the "Secret Organization," Mr. Granger and Mrs. Abbott's attention instantly shifted from the holiday sneaking-out to the story described by Lovegood.
"They're just children, Mr. Lovegood, you—"
Mrs. Abbott frowned deeply, looking at the middle-aged wizard with somewhat disheveled hair with a disapproving expression.
If it weren't for the fact that they were currently at Hogwarts, and Hannah seemed to be in no danger, she would have even considered drawing her wand and interrogating him directly.
You see, as the landlady of the Leaky Cauldron, Mrs. Abbott had heard too many stories about "Secret Organizations" over the years – most of which were fraudulent cults.
The expression on Mr. Granger's face beside her was even gloomier, almost dripping with water, while Mr. Benitez, who had taken the lead in questioning Ellena earlier, suddenly wore a strange look.
As he had guessed, Mr. Lovegood and that girl, Ellena, knew each other beforehand.
Combining the information about that "cheap father" and the "ghost of Cromwell," Mr. Benitez quickly pieced together a rough line of logic in his mind.
Mr. Lovegood was likely another Major Arcana, and if those two weren't lying, Ellena, as the founder, could never be a "Junior Investigator."
Reasoning along this line of thought, what Mr. Lovegood said was mostly a temporary fabrication to divert attention. Instead of spending energy listening to it, it would be better to ask Ellena alone later.
"Junior Investigators don't encounter too much danger. Most of their work involves surveying and photographing... you can think of them as special correspondents?"
Xenophilius Lovegood explained calmly, showing no sign of panic or fabrication.
Unlike the original timeline, the current Xenophilius is the editor-in-chief of the *Quibbler* joint publishing house, and these reasons come naturally to him.
"You may have noticed the new publications that were well-received last year. Many of them were taken by them. The purer the children, the easier it is for them to capture beauty that is not easily noticed."
"Hogwarts is the cornerstone of the magical world. Everything that happens here may evolve into a giant wave that engulfs the world and civilization at some point in the future."
"I admit that their age is a bit young, but my Luna also..."
Xenophilius paused for half a second, glanced at the little moon hiding behind the dangerous witch, and continued in a complex tone.
"...My Luna has also joined the 'Secret Organization,' so I think that instead of simply blaming and evading, it's better to do everything I can to help her grow better and faster..."
"Besides, at a time when Hogwarts is eliminating campus crises, isn't it a very exciting thing to have reliable historical data preserved?"
Xenophilius recalled the Foundation's creed he had seen in Lockhart's work notes as he explained.
"All imprints of civilization, important history, record, witness, participate... these are civilization."
"Perhaps there are some small dangers, but there is never absolute safety in living in this world—no matter where you hide or what you do, when disaster targets you, there is no escape."
Ever since the owl letter he sent to Hogwarts the year before last was intercepted, the peaceful life of the Lovegood family had completely disappeared.
If he could choose again, Xenophilius would rather strangle that little owl with his own hands than let it lead the demon to his beloved little moon.
In the beginning, he still fantasized about "laying flat" and retiring early, but as the job title of "Reserve Major Arcana - High Priestess" was confirmed, he only had one path left before him:
To assist Ellena and those old monsters in reaching that "ideal country" as much and as quickly as possible. If it was not completed in their generation, it would inevitably fall on Luna and the others.
What frightened Xenophilius Lovegood even more was that, as time went by, he gradually began to look forward to the absurd and dreamlike future depicted by Ellena.
This change did not only happen to him.
Albus Dumbledore, Newt Scamander, Gilderoy Lockhart...
As an observer, Xenophilius clearly noticed the changes that had taken place in the other "Major Arcana."
"The 'Basilisk Siege' of Hogwarts Castle is a historical dividing point. Perhaps people will not realize it for many years, but we must prepare in advance."
Xenophilius looked at the parents of the other "minor Major Arcana" beside him, took a deep breath, and said meaningfully.
"We are not the protagonists of the era, the new era belongs to them... Therefore, I think the more of this kind of 'opportunity,' the better—"
However, Mr. Granger and Mrs. Abbott obviously couldn't understand the complex emotions in Mr. Lovegood's words.
This explanation did not alleviate their anxiety, but instead made them even angrier.
"What are you talking about? That's a Basilisk! A Basilisk!"
Mrs. Abbott looked at Xenophilius with an incredulous expression, her eyes becoming increasingly unkind.
"Uh, the situation is not as dangerous as you think. The Basilisk couldn't even see their shadows—"
Xenophilius shrugged and explained, glancing at the quiet Ellena not far away, trying to recall the plan he had read before.
"The Basilisk is in a secret chamber several kilometers below the castle, and Luna and the others have been staying in..."
As the father of a formal Major Arcana and "reserve High Priestess," he naturally knew very well about the battle that took place at Hogwarts during Christmas.
In fact, before formally implementing the relevant plan, Xenophilius had carefully read the plan many times.
The steel behemoth commanded by Ellena and the others was not only the command center, but also the final weapon to seal the deal.
Without considering the damage to the surrounding environment, the firepower of the Hyperion could easily kill dozens of Basilisks, or even ten or a hundred times more.
After all, the Basilisk was ultimately a killing weapon cultivated by dark wizards thousands of years ago, and it was inevitably limited by the poor knowledge of the ancients.
Compared to the Hyperion, which combines various technologies from the non-magical and magical worlds and has been developed through several wars, the Basilisk is as harmless as a goblin causing trouble in the mud.
However, these things obviously could not be explained to the other parents. Xenophilius did not want to have to cast the "Obliviate" spell one day.
——Whether he was the enforcer or the one whose memory was being cleared.
"Leaking the Hyperion, Foundation S-level secret... very dangerous—"
A voice as thin as a mosquito suddenly sounded in Mr. Lovegood's ear, making him freeze like a statue.
Dark lords and white lords have superb magical skills and can accurately send their voices to a certain person. Xenophilius had heard this more than once from other people.
Perhaps at other times, he would have doubted whether he was having some kind of auditory hallucination, but now...
"Don't worry, I'm just giving you a reminder, so that you don't cross the relevant red line—"
Ellena's voice sounded in Xenophilius's ear again, mixed with a hint of playful tone.
"Your explanation just now was wonderful, just keep going—you wouldn't want me to introduce the follow-up, would you?"
Red, red line?!
Xenophilius's cold sweat instantly seeped from his back.
As the temporary head of the black-robed group replacing Lockhart, he knew very well what this thing represented.
The middle-aged wizard opened his mouth, as if he had been subjected to a silent spell, and almost no meaningful words continued to float out of his mouth.
"Uh... um..."
"Actually..."
Mr. Granger frowned and repeated softly, looking confusedly at the middle-aged wizard who suddenly stalled.
"Actually—"
Xenophilius smiled awkwardly and blinked at Ellena.
Just as Xenophilius was thinking about how to continue fabricating, a burst of clamor suddenly came from not far away.
Everyone subconsciously turned their heads and saw a light gray tabby cat suddenly jumping out of the crowd.
Tabby cat?
This is…
Before they could react, the tabby cat crossed over the dense crowd of parents and landed lightly on the podium in the center of the classroom.
Then, it leaped lightly forward.
Professor McGonagall's figure appeared in the spot where the tabby cat had originally landed.
"Now, could everyone please be quiet—"
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Goo ah!