Hogwarts Raven

Chapter 106: Rewriting the Fate, the Mysterious Man
Nurmengard.

This gloomy castle standing in the valley seems to be a forgotten corner of the magical world, surrounded by thick fog and dense forests for a long time, isolated from the sight of the world. The stone walls of the castle are mottled and in disrepair. Time has left indelible marks on them, and every brick and tile seems to tell the past glory and the present decline.

In the dim and small room, everyone knows that Gellert Grindelwald, who committed heinous crimes, is imprisoned here. Even Voldemort's Death Eaters can't help but feel fear when facing such a person.

"My master asked me to bring you his greetings." The bearded man in a cloak thrust a wand into the room and spoke in a low voice, suppressing his nervousness. "He knows your ideals and agrees with your ideas. Now that the time has come, he hopes that you can show the world how powerful you are once again."

"Dumbledore has poisoned the wizarding world for too long. It needs people like you to stand up and judge Dumbledore. My master hopes you can seize this rare opportunity." The bearded man in the cloak knew how bold his words were, so he immediately took a few steps back when he saw the old man stand up.

to be frank.

If it weren't for the need to repeat his master's original words, the bearded man in the cloak really didn't want to speak like this. He was really worried that Gellert Grindelwald would directly ask him back, "Are you teaching me how to do things?"
There's no way to respond to this!
Perhaps to most wizards in the British wizarding world, Grindelwald is just a character in historical stories, but to the bearded man from the Ministry of Magic, he knows more about him than any other wizard, not to mention that the silent Death Eaters have been studying Dumbledore and his weaknesses over the years.

When it comes to Dumbledore's past, the pure-blood nobles probably don't know as much as the Death Eaters do - of course, since they were able to say that Grindelwald should judge Dumbledore, it was obvious that they didn't know Dumbledore and Grindelwald well enough.

It's actually normal.

After all, the story from a century ago has been buried for too long and was hidden too deeply by Dumbledore himself. Only a handful of people know about the unspeakable past.

Of course, Voldemort and his followers could not have easy access to such secrets.

"Wand?"

A hint of excitement flashed in Gellert Grindelwald's eyes. He quickly approached the door of the cell, his words filled with extremely resentful tone.

"Dumbledore has indeed been sent to the trial seat! He is an extremely sinister and treacherous villain! I have been deceived by him! It was he who caused me to be locked up here and have only some raw pickled vegetables and millet porridge to eat every day!" This was obviously the old man's true feelings, with extreme resentment that came from gritting his teeth.

Perhaps what he said was actually different from what the bearded man thought, but the bearded man couldn't hear the difference. He was only surprised that Gellert Grindelwald's reaction was the reaction they wanted to see.

"Yes, that's right. We are happy to help behind the scenes. If you and your friends need allies, you can cooperate with us after you get out."

"As long as you ask someone around, you will be able to contact us... We share the same demands and desires in killing Dumbledore." The bearded man in the cloak also had a tone full of resentment and hatred. No one hated Dumbledore, who had made them lose their glory, more than these Death Eaters.

"you?"

Gellert Grindelwald frowned and looked up. He picked up the wand on the ground to cushion his weight. Seeing that this guy wanted to cast a spell, the bearded man in the cloak immediately took out the key.

"I look forward to your visit."

The bearded man stared at the wand he had given away, and after leaving just one word, he hurriedly activated the portkey. He looked so timid, as if he was worried that Gellert Grindelwald would use him to test the sharpness of his new wand - facing a dark wizard of this level, even fellow dark wizards had to be careful enough.

The bearded man knew very well what the wizard in the cell was capable of doing and what he had done in the past, including setting fire to half of Paris. He did not want to be used by such a wizard to vent his anger after being imprisoned for decades.

"Whoosh~"

The figure of the mysterious cloaked man disappeared outside the cell. He destroyed the protective measures, causing the shielding here to lose its effect. He ran so fast probably because he was worried that he would be seen by the officials from the Ministry of Magic who came rushing over - he was obviously worrying too much. A group of officials from the Ministry of Magic who were far away, after sensing that the protective measures had lost their effect, actually just stood up abruptly, then everyone looked at each other, and continued to sit down and play another game of wizard chess.

Report it?

What newspapers... Who among the civil servants who can sit here and play chess doesn't know that the people above them are all the opposite of them! Eleven years ago, the saints have once again carried out secret activities. Let's not talk about other places. Just talking about Austria, God knows how many Austrian wizards have secretly joined the party in the past eleven years!
Maybe the ancestors of my colleagues who are guarding the prison here are of good origin!
I can't afford to take the risk, I really can't. You have to know that the saints became active again eleven years ago, and the Austrian Ministry of Magic replaced a large number of senior officials more than ten years ago.

If you shout that the man has escaped from prison, the person who enters the cell will most likely not be the man. Even if you go to check the protective measures, you have to worry about being stabbed in the back. Wise civil servants in the Ministry of Magic know what to do. This kind of question is tested every year in the civil service examination.

"What happened?"

"It must be an illusion."

"Yeah, I think it's an illusion too."

"Since you all think it's an illusion, then I must be having an illusion too."

……

The guards understood each other tacitly, and all sat down to continue drinking tea and playing chess. No one dared to show an expression of excessive concern, and they had to concentrate on trying to win the wizard chess game as usual. They were all smart among wizards, and even if something serious happened, changing from prison guards to security guards would not affect their salaries.

Many of the guards here even have some expectations in their hearts.

And the other side.

In the prison cell of Nurmengard.

What is happening is not what they imagined.

"Where is the man? Why did he run away? I haven't finished talking yet!" Gellert Grindelwald, or should we call him Gellert Lockhart, was still keeping up airs and acting unfathomable. However, after seeing the bearded man in black robe running away using the portkey, his disguise was immediately gone and he became panicked.

"You still haven't told me who you are? Dumbledore's Resistance? Anti-Authority League? Anti-Hogwarts Society?" Gellert Lockhart grabbed the iron bars and shouted at the air.

No one responded.

"Damn it! Can't you just let me out? Open the door for me!" Gellert Lockhart couldn't hold it in any longer, looking at the still locked door with a frustrated expression.

After shouting several times in rage and frustration, Gellert Lockhart realized that the person might have really left. He immediately slapped himself, regretting that he should have asked the other person to open the door for him.

"Let me think, let me think. I am the most powerful dark wizard in the world now. Of course I have a way to get out of here. I have done many more remarkable things before." Gellert Lockhart tightly grasped the wand that was sent to the cell by the Death Eaters. He waved the wand a few times experimentally and a fireball suddenly exploded from it.

It almost set his shoes on fire... This was clearly not a fitting reaction. Wands would rebel against wizards they did not approve of, and many wizards who forcibly used other people's wands would encounter some accidents, and this could be seen from the first time they touched the wand and infused magic into it.

The wand chooses the wizard is not just an advertising slogan. Although Gellert Lockhart is a fool, he still has some knowledge in this area.

of course.

Even so, this did not affect Gellert Lockhart's stubbornness. Even though he knew that he and the wand were not compatible, he really wanted to leave this cage of simple food and drink every day. He just wanted to go back and sue Dumbledore and the damned dark wizard Grindelwald immediately!

These two dark wizards must have staged a play back then, which made Dumbledore a hero among wizards. Lockhart realized this "truth" after being imprisoned here.

He was amazed at such a superb method of gaining fame, but he also felt indignant. Why should he be imprisoned here as a scapegoat to replace Grindelwald?

"I want to go out!"

"It's just a simple unlocking charm. I have a wand now. Even if this wand is inferior, I should be able to use it to force open this simple door."

"Calm down, I have to stay calm, I'm a wizard..." Gellert Lockhart put out the fire in the cell, forced himself to prepare himself mentally, and then immediately walked towards the gate with full confidence.

"It's just an unlocking spell!"

He even adjusted his expression and demeanor, and disguised himself again with the face he was wearing now, as if he felt that doing so could increase his chances of success.

It was hard to imagine that a former outstanding graduate of Ravenclaw could become so nervous and serious just to cast a very simple [Unlocking Charm].

"Open the Alaho hole!"

Gellert Lockhart adhered to the principle that the louder the sound, the stronger the magic. He shouted and cast a spell, and the wand in his hand suddenly emitted a magical light.

"Click, click~"

The lock on the cell door trembled a few times.

If open but not opened.

Gellert Lockhart pulled hard at the cell door, but the situation he imagined he would escape immediately did not happen. This ordinary padlock seemed to be silently mocking him.

"Damn it!"

Gellert Lockhart, who refused to believe in evil, gritted his teeth and tried again.

"Open the Alaho hole!"

The door lock continued to open.

"Open the Alaho hole!"

The gold content of Rukai is still rising.

"Open the Alaho hole!"

"Open the Alaho hole!"

"Open the Alaho hole!"

……

All of a sudden.

The cell was filled with the sound of Gellert Lockhart casting spells with increasing reluctance and anger. Perhaps, as Ian guessed, he had completely lost his magical diversity as a wizard. After trying and failing again and again, even a freshman could probably learn this simple spell.

however.

Gellert Lockhart had only experienced failure. "Open it!"

Gellert Lockhart, who was gradually getting drunk, roared. The magic power in his body, which was actually not a small amount, was surging wildly. The wand, which was unwilling to be used by him, suddenly began to heat up.

"Open the Alaho hole!"

Gellert Lockhart, unaware, continued to cast the Locking Curse.

This time.

Rather than continue to be used in a forced manner, the wand chose a special response.

"Oh!"

It just blew up.

The out-of-control magic that was brewing rushed directly towards Gellert Lockhart's face.

"what!!!"

He let out a scream of extreme pain.

Just like a gun exploding, Gellert Lockhart was hit by the out-of-control magic, but fortunately he only used the unlocking spell, so he didn't suffer a tragic headshot. Of course, even so, the spell that caused his right eye to bleed continuously still made him feel heart-wrenching pain.

"My face! My face!"

What is professionalism? This is the professionalism of an idol. Gellert Lockhart doesn't care about his eyesight, but only cares about whether his face will be disfigured by this out-of-control spell.

He stumbled towards the mirror. Even though he felt dizzy and his head was sweating from the pain, he still forced himself to use his other eye to check his face.

Fortunately, the curse only hit the right eye.

"It's all the fault of that damn anti-Dumbledore alliance!" Gellert Lockhart obviously still didn't understand who was after him, and his IQ in this area clearly hadn't improved due to the biotransfiguration spell he had been subjected to.

"You are Grindelwald now, shouldn't you be against Dumbledore?" Suddenly, Gellert Lockhart heard a chuckle of ridicule coming from behind him.

It's not an illusion.

This gave Gellert Lockhart goosebumps.

"Everything is forgotten!"

At what he thought was a critical moment, Gellert Lockhart turned around and cast his most proud magic, which was also the only magic that could guarantee 100% success.

The surging and swift Forgetfulness Spell was in stark contrast to the previous Unlocking Spell. It was faster and more powerful than the normal Forgetfulness Spell, and it was obvious that it had its own unique understanding and improvement methods.

Many powerful wizards who were caught off guard would surely suffer as a result, however, there was no one standing where the sound came from, only an ancient mirror floating in the air.

It seemed to have predicted where the Oblivion Charm would land, and caught it directly with its mirror surface. Then, Gellert Lockhart's extraordinary Oblivion Charm was immediately bounced back.

It comes very quickly.

The rebound speed is naturally the same.

Gellert Lockhart had no time to dodge and was hit directly in the face by his own Oblivion Charm - he fell to the ground with a thump as if his machine had frozen.

The strange hanging mirror that suddenly appeared slowly disappeared.

After a long time.

Gellert Lockhart got up from the ground, covering his head.

"who am I?"

Gellert Lockhart held onto the dressing table with difficulty, his mind blank. He looked blankly at the mirror in front of him, his injured eye still bleeding slowly.

“I’m a handsome old man?”

"What happened to my eyes..."

Even after losing his memory, he still couldn't change his narcissistic habit. Gellert Lockhart raised his hand and touched his right eye. The bleeding eye looked like a cataract caused by the out-of-control spell.

He narrowed his eyes slightly in confusion.

"Click~"

The lock of the dresser drawer suddenly opened the next moment, scaring Gellert Lockhart so much that he took several steps back and even fell to the ground.

"Scared me!"

After patting his chest to calm down for a while, Gellert Lockhart finally stood up from the ground. He carefully approached the drawer of the dressing table and looked inside.

A thick diary lay quietly in the drawer.

"Gellert Grindelwald..."

Lockhart read the signature from the diary.

"Is this my diary?" Lockhart, who was already in a state of panic and could not remember anything, seemed to have grasped a straw of hope at this moment.

……

Hogsmeade village was quiet and deserted at night.

under the tree.

The middle-aged wizard wearing a funny top hat looked up at the castle in the distance. An antique mirror appeared out of thin air, and then he put it into his robe with an expressionless face.

Then the wandering chess player looked at the chessboard in front of him. Unlike the chessboard he used when he set up a stall during the day, this chessboard was filled with various chess pieces.

The chess pieces have unique shapes and do not belong to any of the wizard chess types. Instead, they look like living sculptures, including Dumbledore, Snape, and Grindelwald.

"Careless prophet, this is the right direction..." The middle-aged wizard muttered to himself while staring at the chess pieces. He raised his hand and gently tapped the black chess piece on the board.

"At least that's the way it is for me."

Quiet night.

The homeless wanderer was whispering in a tired voice. The moonlight shone through the branches, shining on the pure silver ring on his hand.

The old ring gleams with a faint light.

There is a carving of a raven on it.

……

The next day.

Ian wakes up in the Room of Requirement.

He felt a headache and dry mouth, and the pillow he was hugging was too cold. It might be fine in summer, but it was not suitable in winter. After Ian opened his eyes after his mind slowly restarted, the first thing he saw was a hideous face without eyes.

"What did I do last night!"

Ian let out a terrified scream.

He let go of the lifeless Dementor who was dressed up in Halloween costume and tied up like a dumpling, and jumped up from the floor of the Room of Requirement like a frightened deer.

"Yeah, what did you do to us last night?"

Before Ian could look at the Dementor on the floor that looked like a pillow and recall his fragmented memory.

next moment.

Dozens of books made of bones floated over.

They surrounded Ian.

He asked a question full of indignation.

The Parseltongue Book

Ian recognized his own crooked handwriting in the books.

　There are fewer words today because I need to adjust my update time to the world of the living. I really can’t stand staying up all night. I still have to go to work during the day. I feel groggy and there’s nothing I can do. I’ll resume tomorrow!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)