Basil wasn't just watching others receive packages and letters and feeling sour about it.
In reality, he was secretly doing something else.
Something he did every morning.
His left hand loosely gripped the air, and his Magic Field rotated slowly with the help of the faintly appearing [Dragon Knight] influence.
Basil had discovered that when his personal data panel's Magic stat converted into Attack Power and his Magic Field rotated... his Mental Power also slowly permeated into the more physical Magic Field.
To use Professor Flitwick's words from Charms class: in this state, his Magic Field could resist spells infused with Mental Power.
A.k.a. Advanced Spells.
His unique ability in this world—[Basic Attack]—represented an Attack Power that also possessed the properties of an Advanced Spell.
Without time to cast a Shield Charm or dodge, an ordinary wizard would have to tank the hit with their measly 10 Health.
And his Attack Power right now, boosted by the Magic Book, was 16.
For Basil, a [Basic Attack] just required waving his wand.
As long as his arm didn't get tired, he could keep it up forever.
"Basil, your package." Hermione's voice made Basil, immersed in his training, look up.
Indeed, a dusty grey owl was flying towards him.
Tied to its leg was a package shaped like a square box.
The moment his hand touched the box.
[Ding-Dong! Congratulations Player! Obtained 10,000 Gems!]
"Ten thousand? When did the plot change again?"
"I'm close to 30,000 now!"
Basil forced himself to stay calm.
In front of Hermione, Harry, and the others who had gathered around, he opened it.
It was a silver-white book.
He examined it closely. The cover was woven from silver-white Unicorn tail hairs, emitting a holy magnetic field.
The pages inside were blank.
Tucked inside was a note, written in a thin, loopy script:
Your father left this in my possession before he died. It is time it was returned to you. Use it well.
"You have Unicorn tail hairs too?"
"Woven into a book cover?"
"How luxurious."
"Do you really still need us to sell Bubotuber pus?"
Fred and George walked over, eyeing the book in Basil's hand up and down.
"It's a memento from his father!" Ron leaned into his brothers' ears and whispered, "Also, why didn't you include me in your money-making schemes? I'm your brother!"
Ron and the twins started a fierce whispering match.
Hermione looked at Basil with concern.
As if he were some precious, fragile object.
Basil laughed brightly. "I'm not that fragile."
Besides, this wasn't necessarily his father's memento.
Just now, while still in his "Magic Field Rotation" state, beneath that holy magnetic field, he clearly sensed a very hidden, cold, and evil magnetic field.
He was all too familiar with this field. It was just like the one hidden beneath the wise, wind-like aura of Ravenclaw's Diadem.
And 10,000 Gems meant it was definitely a Key Plot Item.
Without a doubt.
This was a Horcrux. And it was Voldemort's Horcrux.
Considering the World Deviation was attributed to him...
The only connection was his killing of Fenrir Greyback.
Basil didn't even have time to thank Fenrir before he started analyzing the situation.
Lucius Malfoy was targeting him again?
Why?
Ron mentioning the Malfoy family's shops being seized, losing their Board seats, and Draco's recent wretched state... Basil connected all the dots.
To get revenge on Dumbledore and show Malfoy's power, Lucius was dumping a Dark Magic item while simultaneously taking his anger out on Basil.
The owl was probably disposable.
The loopy handwriting was likely imitating Dumbledore.
The cover was probably added by Lucius to ensure it safely entered Hogwarts.
Thinking this, he quickly opened the first page, but the name T.M. Riddle wasn't there.
Impossible.
The twin sister he dated had a 1:1 movie replica prop in her bedroom.
She loved it. She made him wear Slytherin robes and call her "Lord Riddle."
He knew that book as well as he knew where every mole on her body was.
Is the novel version different?
Or is the Unicorn hair cover suppressing its power?
"You say you're fine, but you're frowning." Hermione looked at Basil's furrowed brow with heartache.
Basil held Hermione's right hand.
After sacrificing a bit of his charm (flirting), Hermione quieted down.
Basil finally could do his own thing.
He blinked.
Click!
[Obtained Photo: Horcrux · Sealed Diary. Spend 3000 Gems to create Summon Card?]
"As expected, the main body is just an ordinary diary, so it's cheaper than the Diadem!"
"The Diadem costs 10,000!"
"Yes!"
Gems: 29538.289 (-3000)
[Horcrux · Sealed Diary]
Mana Cost: 7
Effect: Summons a diary sealed by a Unicorn hair cover. Injecting 100 Life Force summons [Voldemort: Echo of the Past]. Ignores damage below 50.
Unseal: Can bind to an enemy unit; cannot be discarded. Requires only 90 Life Force to summon [Voldemort: Echo of the Past]. Injecting liquid allows communication with [Voldemort: Echo of the Past] and entry into his memories. If trust is established with the enemy unit, can actively drain enemy Life Force and briefly possess the enemy unit's body. Possession duration depends on enemy unit's willpower and trust level.
Weakness: Holy Magic.
Health: 100
[Voldemort: Echo of the Past]
Health: 0.1 ~ 90
Note: As long as the Diary is not destroyed, Health will not drop to 0.
Magic: 7
Family Traits: Parseltongue (Awakened), Dark Arts Proficiency (Strong) (Awakened).
"Now, the Level 3 [Magic Book] EXP bar is at 200."
"Strong? That level of Dark Arts Proficiency? As expected of the Dark Lord, even his younger self."
"No Luck stat? Not considered a Player Unit?"
"But most importantly, Voldemort's knowledge base is open to me!"
"It seems destroying a Horcrux doesn't require Fiendfyre, Basilisk fangs, or the Sword of Gryffindor (which absorbed Basilisk venom). Instant damage greater than 50 works too."
"Does the Diary deal no damage in its normal state? In the movie, Ginny established trust with the Diary at the start of school and kept it until the end of the year—almost a full year."
"Let's count it as one year."
"90 Life Force divided by 365 is approximately 0.2."
"Only 0.2 damage per day? Ridiculous."
Basil was speechless internally.
Nearby, Neville was showing off his newly obtained Remembrall.
Everyone's attention shifted to him.
Basil seized the opportunity to use Spatial Displacement. The Diary in his hand appeared in the Chamber of Secrets.
Inside the mouth of Slytherin's statue—where Harry never stepped in the original plot, and where the Basilisk couldn't reach—on an empty bookshelf.
A page in the [Magic Book] lit up, and a new Diary appeared in his empty hands.
With a thought, the holy magic of the cover faded.
The name T.M. Riddle began to surface on the first page.
Life Force from the [Fenrir Wolf] Echo poured madly into the Diary.
When his False Health dropped to 52,347, the silver text [Voldemort: Echo of the Past] on the [Horcrux · Sealed Diary] data panel turned Gold.
Youth Version Voldemort GET!
Thanks, Fenrir! ( ^ω^ )
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