The Return to Hogwarts

"I must be dreaming!"

Sirius Black spoke with unwavering conviction, but then, as if on the verge of a breakdown, he roared excitedly, pointing shakily at the man.

“That’s Gryffindor, Godric Gryffindor!”

Sirius, now a middle-aged man, had tears welling in his eyes. He was behaving just like some of the young witches had when they saw Gilderoy Lockhart in class last year when Amosta had just started teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts!

"What would James say if he saw this?--"

Sirius's lips trembled. He suddenly let go of Amostella's arm, jumped up, and waved his hands, trying to get the attention of the wizard at the bow of the ship.

“Hey, great Godric Gryffindor, I am Sirius Black, a graduate of the school you founded, a wizard of Gryffindor House!”

Gryffindor continued to gaze intently at the distant island of Azkaban, oblivious to Sirius Black, who was now dazed and confused on the sea.

Don't bother.

Without Sirius's help, Amosta, too weak to even stand, sat on the rippling sea and said listlessly,

"Can't you see? He can't see us at all."

"Invisible"

Sirius glanced blankly at Amostella, then at Gryffindor a few times, before his expression turned wistful.

"We can't see it, but haven't we traveled through time? What's going on, Amosta, Gryffindor? Is this an illusion?"

What kind of power allows us to travel through a thousand years?

Amostella said irritably, struggling to his feet by pulling on Sirius's trousers. When his gaze returned to the wizard who had caused him endless confusion, Amostella's expression was complex.

"An illusion. Maybe, I don't know either, but without a doubt, the most important thing for us to do now is to get on this ship."

“We weren’t invited, Amosta. Wouldn’t that seem a bit impolite?”

Sirius hesitated as he spoke, still unable to shake off the shock this person had instilled in him.

But isn't that normal? What wizard who graduated from Gryffindor doesn't have great respect for Godric Gryffindor? Sirius is certain that if James had that opportunity, he would faint from excitement, and Remus would react almost the same way!

Finally, at Amosta's repeated insistence, Sirius had no choice but to take him aboard the ship.

Sirius Black dared not approach Gryffindor, or even look at them for long, seemingly considering it a desecration of the wizard before him. But when he finally noticed the flag hanging by the cabin door, Sirius excitedly roared at Amostella, who was drinking a potion to regain his strength.

"The lion's banner, the Gryffindor banner, that's right, Amostall, this man is Godric Gryffindor. Good heavens, this trip was totally worth it!"

Sirius was too excited to notice that Amosta was unusually calm, and he also failed to notice that a dark blue flag with bronze trim was hanging on the other side of the hatch.

Suddenly, the Gryffindors at the bow turned around and stared at Sirius and Amosta. This immediately froze Sirius, as if he had been petrified, and he couldn't utter a single word.

Gryffindor glanced towards the cabin, his smile softening the rugged features of his broad face and adding a touch of tenderness to his expression.

"It's just changing clothes, Rowena, you could do it with a flick of your finger, but you took so long. See that island? We've finally found the right place!"

Amosta's eyebrows twitched slightly as he looked toward the hatch.

In the dimly lit cabin, the outline of a beautiful figure gradually became clear, and she walked step by step towards the light.

When the face of the person reflected in the azure waves appeared, Sirius on the deck gasped in shock. Even Amosta's heart pounded faster, and his gaze became fixed.

Rowena Ravenclaw!

The office of the headmaster of Ravenclaw House has always displayed a portrait of this equally legendary witch. She was a witch with a beautiful yet somewhat melancholic air, but she was not known for her appearance. When people talked about her, they praised Rowena Ravenclaw's wisdom more.

Upon seeing her today, Sirius Black and Amosta were both struck by a realization—people should not overlook Rowena Ravenclaw's appearance.

Rowena, who appeared before the two, looked younger than Godric, around twenty years old. Of course, these were just inferences; powerful magic has a certain effect of slowing down aging, and no one could confirm what stage of life the two of the four Hogwarts leaders present were in.

Not to mention Rowena's comforting appearance, as gentle as snow melting in the spring breeze, her pair of ice-blue eyes, set in her perfect face, seemed to contain boundless wisdom. Even if the person in front of her was most likely an illusion, when her gaze fell upon him, Amosta felt a sudden sense of soul sinking into her illusion.

Rowena, dressed in a sky-blue, vintage-style wizard's robe, slowly stepped out of the cabin. She was unadorned except for the crown of wisdom that made her famous, which shone brightly in the warm sunlight. Her ethereal aura made her seem like a goddess descended from heaven to earth.

Sirius stumbled to one side, instinctively avoiding Rowena Ravenclaw, who was walking toward Godric, even though Amosta had already said that what they saw was not real.

"We are first and foremost human beings, and only then wizards, Godric. The power of magic should not be abused, otherwise, we will one day face the day when we forget ourselves—"

Chapter 430 A bright future

2023-08-20

Rowena Ravenclaw walked with a leisurely gait past Amostella and Sirius Black, toward Godric Gryffindor at the bow. Her voice was so clear and crisp that Amostella almost heard it as a mountain stream, unfrozen, babbling in the wind.

This is a wizard whose reason outweighs his emotions—Amosta made this judgment.

Suddenly, Amosta felt that Rowena Ravenclaw's aura was somewhat similar to Luna Lovegood's. They had an ethereal quality and indifferent eyes, as if nothing in the world could stir their emotions. But what was most remarkable was that their indifferent eyes did not make them feel cold.

Sirius finally regained some of his senses and began trying to understand how everything was happening.

"What exactly happened, Amosta?"

As if afraid his voice might disturb the two legends, Sirius lowered his voice and cautiously approached Amosta.

"Gryffindor and Ravenclaw, wow, this feels like a dream, but how did they even appear before us?"

Amostella glanced at Sirius Black, then stared at Ravenclaw's retreating figure with a hint of hesitation in his eyes.

"No one can give you the answer, Sirius, but I do have a guess—"

Amosta said softly.

"Clearly, the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw we see are not real. What we are seeing is a memory. A thousand years ago, the two founders of Hogwarts should have been searching for Azkaban, just like us."

"You mean-"

Sirius asked eagerly, "You mean, this memory was preserved in this sea by some kind of magic, and everyone who tries to enter Azkaban can see it?"

"This memory isn't preserved in this sea area. I suspect it's kept in Ravenclaw's crown, or... that crown is now in my hands. The crown sensed our attempt to break into Azkaban, and some magic was activated, which is why we saw this memory."

Sirius Black hadn't yet processed the astonishing fact that Amostella possessed the Ravenclaw's heirloom tiara when he saw Amostella 'boldly' approaching Gryffindor and Ravenclaw, and eagerly asked,

"But what are they doing here? Oh, Azkaban wasn't a wizarding prison a thousand years ago, huh. Could it be that Azkaban was actually founded by Gryffindor and Ravenclaw?!"

“I’m curious about that too—” Amosta murmured. “What are they doing here? We can only get the answer from them.”

"The scenery here is quite nice—"

Gryffindor—a wizard as fiery as a flame and as majestic as a lion. Amosta had seen him on Avalon Island. He was also a wizard who was unforgettable at first sight. His cheerful smile and resolute eyes seemed to tell the world that no difficulty could defeat him.

But this time, when he was with his close friend Ravenclaw, one of the founders of Hogwarts, his demeanor was much gentler than before, making it hard not to suspect that he had some other thoughts about his companion.

This is indeed a question worth exploring.

Clear historical records show that both Salazar Slytherin and Helga Hufflepuff had surviving direct blood relatives, Rowena Ravenclaw had a daughter, but the father of this child is unknown, and Gryffindors never married.

The dramatic stories between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw have been passed down through generations at Hogwarts, with countless versions existing, and now it seems that they may not all be entirely unfounded.

“When we get back, we can talk to Salazar and Helga about moving Hogwarts here. Look, this sea is protected by powerful magic. If those children learn magic here, no one will be able to harm them!”

Even a wizard as powerful as Godric Gryffindor would use childish jokes to amuse his female companions.

Ravenclaw didn't criticize Gryffindor's ridiculous suggestion, but she did continue the conversation on the topic.

"Before we set off, another tragic massacre occurred in Kelder. Three gifted children accidentally revealed their magical abilities to the public. When the Church learned of this, the executioners quickly arrived, and the three children were executed in front of their parents."

"what?!"

Even though it was just a memory, Gryffindor's furious gaze made Sirius, who was also focused on the conversation, shrink back.

"Where did you hear this news, Rowena?"

“Abbott informed me of this news, and she told me that the Royal Wizarding Society had blocked the matter.”

Rowena's tone was completely calm, but her eyes were filled with a faint sadness.

"The Royal Wizarding Society!" Gryffindor roared in fury. "They actually helped the Holy See harm our own kind! These despicable wizarding families will do anything to prevent magic from spreading to children of ordinary birth!"

Gryffindor brandished his fist, which was as big as a sandbag, and said fiercely, "They must be taught a lesson, whether it's the Holy See or the Royal Wizarding Society!"

Gryffindor was furious, seemingly eager to storm the door and settle scores, but Ravenclaw remained calm throughout.

“You and I both know that force cannot eliminate prejudice in people’s hearts, Godric.”

“But we can’t just stand by and watch those children be persecuted!” Gryffindor said sharply. “We must do something to change this.”

"The founding of Hogwarts is precisely our effort towards this goal. When the wizarding world is filled with wizards of Muggle blood, then discrimination against them will naturally disappear."

A shooting star streaked across Ravenclaw's icy blue eyes, as if he were envisioning a harmonious and just magical world.

As one of the four founders of Hogwarts, Gryffindor, praised by countless people, was certainly not a brainless fool. In fact, he also possessed extraordinary intelligence.

"That will take many years, Rowena--"

Gryffindor blinked wearily. He knew perfectly well how much wizards valued bloodlines and magical heritage. Even Salazar, after countless arguments, although he agreed to found Hogwarts and teach magic to Muggle children, was still known to be very cold towards them at school.

Yes, it will indeed take many years.

Gradually, Amosta and Sirius became engrossed in the conversation. Even in today's wizarding world, there are still many who clamor for the extermination of Muggle-blooded wizards.

"Before that happens, we must find a way to prevent these tragedies from happening!"

"Gryffindor said firmly."

"I've discussed this issue with Helga before—"

Looking at the indignant Godric, the slight smile on Rowena's lips seemed to brighten the sky.

"The magical outbursts of young wizards are uncontrollable and we cannot predict them in advance. However, once a magical outburst occurs, we must discover and locate them faster than the Holy See and the Royal Wizarding Association. I believe we can design a spell that covers the entire country. Once a magical outburst is detected in a gifted child, his information will automatically appear in a book. We can then arrange for people to reach this child before anyone else."