The Return to Hogwarts

Amosta approached Sirius silently, maintaining quiet and restraint.

“I’ve seen this pillar before.”

After a long wait, Sirius, who looked rather unwell, finally gave his answer.

"Oh, really?"

The trip to Avalon Island brought Amosta endless confusion and worry. He had been thinking about finding Vitia Kriona, hoping to confirm some of his guesses and resolve his unanswered questions. To this end, he went to great lengths to place a commission with Kakus, just to find traces of Kriona or the Druids, but so far, Kakus had not given him any information.

Unexpectedly, today I received some clues from Sirius Black.

Amosta's eyelids twitched violently, but he remained calm and asked softly, "..."

Where is it?

"Azkaban."

Sirius's tone was tinged with gloom, and he spoke bluntly and directly.

This answer is both surprising and seemingly reasonable.

Sirius spent twelve years in Azkaban, and before that, he couldn't possibly have had much of an impression of an ordinary-looking stone pillar.

Before Amosta could ask, Sirius Black began to explain himself.

"I'm sure you've heard that Azkaban is an isolated island in the sea. You won't find a place more desolate than that island. Apart from prisoners and those monstrous creatures that guard the prison, there is nothing alive on the island."

Sirius's tone was full of disgust.

"At the center of the island is a spiral tower that extends deep underground. The rooms inside are the prison cells for holding criminals. Because of those monstrous things, the island is never sunny. The only way we can see outside is through a small hole in the wall, barely the size of a palm."

Most of the wizards imprisoned there had their minds ruined by Dementors. I was one of the few who could occasionally regain my senses, but you know, Amosta, there aren't any books, newspapers, wizard chess, or other forms of exercise to keep you occupied. So, being conscious was actually a greater form of torture for the prisoners there.”

Amostella briefly imagined the environment there and couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy for Sirius.

"Then where is the stone pillar you mentioned?"

"Right on the edge of the island, where it meets the sea."

Sirius said sullenly,

"There used to be other buildings on the edge of the island, but they were probably washed away by the waves, leaving only a large area of ​​ruins. Those ruins are submerged underwater most of the year, but every now and then they are exposed to the air. At that time, you can see a stone pillar in the ruins that looks similar to the one in this book. Of course, that stone pillar may have just been used to support the original building, but it was fixed very firmly so that it was not washed away by the sea—"

Chapter 274 Meet

2023-05-01

Stone pillars and ruins. Amosta narrowed his eyes, his gaze becoming deep.

This is really an interesting thing.

In the center of Avalon Island stands an ancient and magnificent temple in the Greek style. When Amosta saw it, he quickly determined that it was not an original building on the island, but most likely moved from elsewhere by Merlin.

But why would Merlin do that?

Amosta lowered his eyes, focusing his gaze on the cover of the picture book. Based on the information he had, it was highly likely to be related to the Twin Serpents Staff.

According to the nine murals in the center of the island, Morgan le Fay and the shadow within him, when defeated by Merlin and King Arthur, intended to throw the Staff of the Serpents in an unknown direction. The shadow's exaggerated distance led the staff to a remote island far from the mainland, where Merlin, after a long search, found the Staff of the Serpents within the temple.

Why didn't Merlin take the scythe of serpents, but instead uprooted the temple?

Grimmauld Place, far from central London, was deserted again after the Muggle morning rush hour. The huge rift that Amostra had created in the center of the square had been repaired by the Department of Magical Accidents and Disasters of the Ministry of Magic, and now it was a lush green lawn. A few sparrows on the telephone poles fluttered down to the lawn, aimlessly pecking at the grass roots.

"unless--"

Amosta murmured softly in a voice only she could hear.

"Unless Merlin himself cannot lift that staff."

Godric Gryffindor, one of the four great masters of Hogwarts, couldn't lift the Staff of the Twin Serpents, nor could Merlin, who had almost become a mythical figure. Yet Amostella himself could lift it, and he felt no pride in this.

He never forgot what happened in early November when Gryffindor and Hufflepuff were playing Quidditch.

Attracted by the young wizards' joyful mood, the Dementors guarding the school gate lost control and swarmed into the campus, intending to drain the young wizards of their happiness. To drive them away, Amosta used the Patronus Charm on the Dementors for the first time, and what happened next is self-evident.

According to Dumbledore, the changes in the Patronus Charm stemmed from an influence on the soul level. When he used the Patronus Charm, something in his soul that was not his own resonated with the Dementors, leading to those changes.

Stone pillars — Temple — Ruins — Dementor — Twin Serpent Staff —

These seemingly unrelated things are actually deeply connected, and at the heart of all the secrets lies the shadow within Morgan le Fay's body.

There was something that had been puzzling Amosta ever since he saw the nine murals in the temple.

Since Morgan le Fay and the shadow within her had already lost the earth-shattering war that caused immense damage to the magical environment centuries ago, and since they both knew Merlin had no reason to show mercy, why did they go to such lengths to hide the scepter?

What exactly does that Staff of the Twin Snakes signify? And what does it mean that I can wield it? Why did the four great masters of Hogwarts a thousand years ago get involved in this matter, and why did they go to such lengths to leave behind such a revelation?

"Amosta?"

After a while, Sirius finally shook off the bad mood brought on by the memories. When he looked up, he saw Amosta looking lost in thought, with a look of confusion and bewilderment in his eyes.

"Is there something wrong with these stone pillars? Are you wondering why the stone pillars in Azkaban are exactly the same as those in Muggle tourist attractions?"

"Oh--"

Amostella snapped out of her daze and smiled at Sirius, who was looking at her with concern, but did not answer her question. This made Sirius realize that things were probably not so simple, and that the broken pillar on Azkaban Island might be hiding some incredible secret.

But that stone pillar has been there for so many years, and the Ministry of Magic, which has always controlled the Dementors, has studied it. The final conclusion must be that the stone pillar is worthless; otherwise, they would have pulled it out and brought it back for careful study long ago.

Because of Amosta's attitude, Sirius looked at the cover of the sketchbook in his hand again, and then, Amosta suddenly asked,

"The stone pillar in the ruins, hmm. Have you looked at it closely? I mean, is there anything particularly unusual about it?"

Does it look rather unusual?

This question stumped Sirius. During his years in Azkaban, he was tormented by regret and hatred; every day was pure torture. He had no interest in investigating the special abilities of an ordinary stone pillar. Besides, those Dementors—

Dementors!

Sirius's eyes widened suddenly, revealing a look of surprise and uncertainty. Seeing his expression, Amosta immediately knew that something was wrong.

"What, did you remember something?"

Amosta asked in a deep voice.

"I'm not quite sure,"

Sirius hesitated, seemingly unsure of his own statement.

"On the island where Azkaban is located, there are at least several hundred Dementors. Those disgusting creatures don't stay in the prison all day. If they did, there probably wouldn't be a single living person in the tower. Most of the time, the Dementors are outside, only feeding when they feel hungry."

The Dementors turned the island into a scene of utter devastation. They roamed the island, keeping out any daring wizards who might try to sneak ashore from the sea. They even turned the sky a dark gray. But... well, I'm not so sure, Amosta, but in our recollection, they didn't seem too keen on getting near that pillar, I mean, when the ruins and the pillar emerged from the tide—”

Amosta nodded, then fell silent.

Sirius remained silent. He knew that Amosta might have some secrets, which was to be expected—everyone has secrets, after all. However, the secrets this young wizard knew were probably extraordinary, and he also guessed what Amosta might say next.

Sirius was torn by this.

Azkaban is a nightmare that no wizard in the British wizarding world wants to face. He spent so many years there and knew all too well that the prison's reputation was well-deserved. Many wizards who had committed crimes escaped from there and never wanted to mention a word about their lives there to anyone else.

Sirius wasn't stupid; he saw Amostella's hesitation. After a soft sigh, Sirius said quietly...

"You want to sneak into Azkaban to see that pillar, is that it?"

Before Amosta could respond, he continued,

"To be honest, I don't quite remember the exact location. After I escaped from there, I swam north towards the mainland. It took me at least twenty days before I saw land. If it weren't for my belief in avenging Peter, I wouldn't have been able to hold on."

But if that pillar is really important to you, Amosta, I can go with you to take a look. I can probably figure out the direction by observing the positions of the stars.”

"Just take me to where you got ashore and point me in the right direction—"

Now that Sirius had brought it up directly, Amosta decided to stop hiding it.

“Azkaban is no pleasant paradise for you, Sirius. You don’t need to take the risk with me.”

"You helped me find Regulus, Amosta, and I would repay you with my life—"

Sirius said with a smile

"Furthermore, if possible, I hope you will treat that island the same way you treated that cave last night. Believe me, many wizards would be happy to see Azkaban and those wretched things guarding it sink into the sea together!"

Chapter 275 Lucius's Visit

2023-05-02

With only two days left until the start of the second semester, most faculty and staff have already returned to their posts to begin preparations for teaching. Meanwhile, a few of the young wizards who went home for Christmas have also returned to school, making the castle, which had been quiet for two weeks, gradually come alive again.

Amosta and Remus also returned to school on the morning of the second day before the start of the semester.

Sirius Black temporarily placed Regulus's body in the family's old house. He ordered Kreacher to take good care of Regulus, and then, in his Lennox form, he returned to Hogwarts with Remus.

Perhaps the wonderful Christmas holidays made the young wizards lazy. It should have been breakfast time, but the Great Hall was empty, with not a single student in sight. Only Professor Sprout, who was used to getting up early, and Mrs. Pines were chatting idly at the faculty and staff table.

"This scene is truly rare to see in recent years--"

As Amosta and Remus walked side-by-side through the foyer into the castle, wishing their two colleagues a Happy New Year from afar, Professor Sprout, wearing a wizard's hat covered in wet mud, chuckled and said...

"I mean, both Defense Against the Dark Arts professors showed up at the same time."

“I’m probably not the special one, Pomona—”

Remus, who had been smiling more and more lately, laughed heartily. He looked at Amosta and said...