The Return to Hogwarts

Harry paced back and forth in the room, half-closing his eyes as he pondered a solution.

It's still the end of July, and there's still a little over a month before school starts. If I wait until then to tell them what happened, I'm afraid nothing will change. So, who should I tell?

There were two birthday cards on the table, sent by Hermione and Ron in advance, even though his birthday was still a few days away.

What advice will Hermione give?

"Your scar hurts? Harry, that's no small matter! Write to Dumbledore or Professor Blaine immediately; they're sure to have some insights! I'll check 'Common Magical Injuries' now. Perhaps it will discuss cursed scars."

Yes, Hermione would definitely suggest that, and Harry could almost perfectly mimic Hermione's loud and boisterous voice.

But to be honest, Harry didn't really believe the book could give a clear explanation of why his scar hurt, or that even the people involved could't explain their relationship with Voldemort.

Tell Professor Dumbledore

The thought lingered in Harry's mind for a dozen seconds before being decisively dismissed. It was too absurd; he couldn't go to the headmaster of Hogwarts just because his scar hurt, even if that person was the trustworthy Professor Dumbledore.

What about Professor Blaine?

Harry was certain that Professor Blaine wouldn't disregard his letter, or think he was overreacting. However, he was still reluctant to write to him. Last summer, one of his letters had dragged Professor Blaine to Privet Drive, and the two of them had witnessed the death of Professor Blaine's father together.

Harry didn't want to cause Professor Blaine any trouble every summer.

Only Sirius is left!

He was his own godfather, an experienced adult wizard.

Harry sat down at the table, his face gloomy.

Consulting Sirius Black is the best option; he genuinely cares about me, and he's with Professor Blaine. If Sirius can't offer an answer, I can consult the learned Professor Blaine.

The only problem is that Sirius Black and Professor Blaine have both disappeared, and Hedwig can't find any trace of Sirius Black.

Late at night, Harry, his expression shifting between eagerness and uncertainty, sat at his desk for a long time. Finally, he picked up his quill and scribbled a few lines on the parchment he had pulled from the box.

Whether it's a person or a bird, being woken up while sleeping is never a pleasant experience.

Hedwig pecked Harry's finger hard, making cooing noises, her eyes full of reproach.

"I'm sorry, Hedwig—"

Harry looked apologetic.

"I'm sorry to disturb your rest, but there's a special situation right now, and I need some guidance. It's a letter for Sirius—"

Hedwig tilted her head and stared at Harry, making a few cooing noises.

“Try again, Hedwig?” Harry sighed. “Try again. If we can find him, that would be great. If not, come back as soon as possible. There’s also a letter for Ron. If Sirius doesn’t appear anytime soon, I hope we can move to the Burrow.”

Fluttering --

We absolutely must find it!

Watching the white shadow rapidly shrink in his field of vision, Harry sighed and muttered something.

Even without wind, waves can be three feet high; this is a true depiction of the deep ocean.

Free from the contamination of Muggle technology, the mysterious starry sky freely displayed its mysteries to Amosta and Sirius on the deck.

The dazzling starlight sprinkled across the undulating sea, dyeing the entire area the color of starlight.

This was the last day of the third week at sea. As expected, the journey to find Azkaban was exceptionally difficult. They did not have the specific coordinates of the island, and their direction of travel relied entirely on Sirius's vague memory of the stars' positions.

The initial excitement of the journey had long since been worn down by the monotonous sound of the waves. Every night when the stars appeared, Sirius stayed up all night, his brow furrowed, gazing at the sky. Amosta, on the other hand, seemed quite calm. He treated the trip as a vacation. During the day, he would read in his cabin or quietly ponder some questions while dozing off. Only in the evening would he emerge from his cabin to enjoy the cool sea breeze and leisurely fish.

They occasionally encounter some problems.

For example, some deep-sea monsters, finding that their songs could not lure human fishing boats that had strayed into their territory, would become enraged and call upon their kind to surround the fishing boats, attempting to pierce the cabins with their strange bone forks and drown the two humans.

Of course, it wasn't Amosta and Sirius who ended up in the belly of the fish.

"How long have we been out?"

The sea before him was laid out before him under the bright moonlight and starlight. Sirius squinted, trying to find a landmark to prove he hadn't gone the wrong way. After a long while, he pursed his salty lips, his voice heavy with emotion.

Sirius didn't expect the journey to be smooth sailing; he anticipated they would drift at sea for a long time. However, in reality, they remained lost for longer than he anticipated.

Before summer vacation, Sirius Black had promised Harry that he would get him out of the Muggle couple's house as soon as possible, but so far, they haven't even caught a glimpse of Azkaban.

"Twenty-one days--"

Lying on a deckchair, admiring the boundless night sky, Amosta pondered for a moment and gave his answer.

This answer sank Sirius's heart. Harry's birthday was just around the corner, Harry's first birthday since he escaped from Azkaban. He had planned to help Harry celebrate properly, but now it seemed that plan was going to fall through.

The night was still bright and cloudless. But the humidity in the air was gradually increasing, and Sirius, who was already somewhat of a navigator, immediately sensed that a storm was approaching.

This is a common occurrence at sea; often, everything is normal a few minutes ago, but a few minutes later, it's pouring rain.

“Go back to your cabin, Amosta—”

Sirius shook his head rather dejectedly.

"I haven't found any new clues. It's about to rain, and I hope old John's ship can hold on—"

With that, Sirius jumped down from the railing at the bow of the ship and turned to walk toward the cabin. As he passed Amosta, who had stood up, he saw Amosta looking at the sea with a puzzled expression, not showing any sign of going into the cabin to take shelter from the rain.

"What's wrong, Amosta?"

After more than twenty days at sea, the two companions had talked about many things. Now, neither of them had much desire to chat, and they spoke in a concise and straightforward tone.

"."

Gazing at the ever-rising waves, Amosta looked somewhat bewildered.

"It's not good to say, but... something just doesn't feel right."

Chapter 426 The Power of Heaven and Earth

2023-08-18

There are no gentle breezes or drizzle on the sea; instead, there are fierce winds and raging waves that sweep across the land like a plowshare.

Having been at sea for nearly a month, Amosta and Sirius had encountered several severe weather events, but each time they had weathered them safely under the protection of magic. Therefore, when the bright starry sky quickly disappeared and the ship's tilt became more and more severe, Sirius did not feel any panic or surprise.

On the contrary, Amosta stood at the cabin door, gazing solemnly at the wailing, ghostly, and gloomy world outside.

"What's going on, Amosta?"

Sirius Black, carrying a glass of red currant rum, swayed and staggered out of the galley as the ship rocked. He saw Amostella leaning against the doorframe, her brow furrowed, facing the roaring sea.

The naturally occurring dark clouds hung very low, as if one could reach out and touch them.

Amosta narrowed his eyes, which seemed to shimmer with a faint purple light in the dim light, and stared intently at the rolling black clouds in the sky that looked almost within reach, and the lightning bolts swirling between the clouds. His hand, gripping the door frame, gradually bulged with veins.

"It's just a rain shower, nothing to worry about."

Sirius came to Amosta's side and noticed the worry in Amosta's eyes. He shrugged and comforted her.

"Doesn't seem like it—"

Amosta said cautiously.

"The magic changes with the natural environment. This flow doesn't seem unusual, but I have a bad feeling about it."

Those who had dealt with Amosta knew his character well; he rarely made nasty jokes. Hearing him say that, Sirius also removed his glass from his lips and wiped his rosy lips. After a moment's thought, he looked outside and hesitated before saying,

"Could it be that when I left the waters near Azkaban, I also encountered a storm and survived by drifting with the current?"

"I have read in relevant records that Azkaban was surrounded by certain defensive measures—"

Amosta said succinctly,

"These defenses are ancient, not left by the Ministry of Magic, but seem to have always been there, like a naturally evolved barrier that cannot be crossed. That's why the Ministry of Magic felt safe imprisoning those vicious criminals here. But how did the Ministry of Magic get through that barrier back then?"

The rain intensified, and the raindrops, caught in the cracks, pattered against the deck as if hundreds of people were pounding on the cabin.

“Perhaps you’re overthinking it, Amosta.” Sirius’s expression also turned a little sour, but he still tried to comfort Amosta. “Even if there is some magic near Azkaban, it’s not insurmountable. Otherwise, how did I get out?”

As he spoke, Sirius's spirits lifted. He stared expectantly at the towering waves above the headboard and said with great interest,

“If we are indeed within the range of magical defenses, Amosta, that means we are getting close to Azkaban, isn’t it? Oh, I was worried we were leading the wrong way!”

"It's too early to be happy—"

Amosta had already gripped his wand, his tone still grave.

"This storm is unusual; it seems to have been orchestrated. However, the gathering and dispersing of magic is perfectly normal. There is a more advanced force resisting our approach. Just because you were able to get out of Azkaban doesn't mean we can invade from the outside. Sirius, perhaps you were just lucky last time."

Sirius wanted to say something more, but—

Clang!

Their ship was propelled forward by the hurricane, when suddenly a huge wave struck, lifting the rusty ship four or five stories high with tremendous force!

Amostella's expression changed drastically. He pointed his wand outwards, and a purple light barrier flowed from its tip like water. The barrier adhered to the ship's walls and rapidly spread, instantly covering the entire ship in a purple cloak. This magical barrier held the ship suspended in mid-air, hovering above the raging sea!

Click!

Perhaps the failure of the giant waves to dismantle the ship's hull angered the sea. The lightning that had been flashing and leaping in the leaden clouds suddenly became violent. As if the thunder god in mythology were wielding his whip, bolts of lightning as thick as a wrist, dazzling and powerful, illuminated the world before striking the ship's roof with a force that instilled despair.

"Get out of the way!"

Sirius roared at the top of his lungs.

Buzz-——