The Return to Hogwarts

Gryffindor, head tilted back, circled the pillar. Upon hearing Ravenclaw's words, he stopped, tapped the pillar with his finger, and said with great interest,

"So, it seems that Merlin was the one who left it behind?"

"It should be so."

Ravenclaw gave the same opinion.

Merlin—

Sirius stared, mouth agape, at the calm Amostella, his face blank. He felt he knew far too much he shouldn't have known.

“I can open it, Godric—”

Ravenclaw glanced at Gryffindor, whose hand was resting on the hilt of his sword, and said at the opportune moment,

"However, I'm not sure if I should do it."

“We were guided to this place, Rowena,” Gryffindor said in a deep voice. “He should know what we’re going to do.”

Ravenclaw clearly agreed with Gryffindor's point of view; she didn't say much, only nodding slightly.

Buzz--

The Crown of Wisdom then left Ravenclaw's head and floated above the stone pillar.

A beam of white light shone from the crystalline Crown of Wisdom onto the ancient stone pillar. As the light shone, a 'star curtain' suddenly appeared on the ancient stone pillar. The stars, which had been moving along their predetermined trajectories, suddenly accelerated under the white light, dazzling the eyes of all who saw them.

As the stars moved faster, the entire massive stone pillar trembled, causing the island to shake slightly.

"What is this?"

Sirius asked, frowning.

"Magic Node--"

This time, it was Amosta's turn to turn pale.

Amosta was quite knowledgeable, and he was also a wizard skilled in alchemy. However, in all the alchemical tools he had seen over the years, none of the magical items or nodes of the Magic Corridor could compare to this stone pillar, and there wasn't even one that could be used to cheat.

Not to mention Merlin who left a seal on the stone pillar, Rowena Ravenclaw was able to find a way to break the seal in the starry magical nodes after only a glance, which seemed unbelievable to Amosta.

No wonder he is hailed as the most intelligent wizard!

"Those Dementors are surrounding us again!"

Amostella was marveling at Rowena Ravenclaw's wisdom when Sirius Black suddenly cried out.

Indeed, after being tormented by Gryffindor, the Dementors, who had been hiding far away, swarmed back. They lingered a little distance away, faintly emitting signals of anxiety, but under Gryffindor's sharp gaze, none of them dared to approach.

"It seems there's something particularly important hidden beneath the seal, especially for the Dementors."

Amosta said softly.

Boom!

Suddenly, the stone pillar shone brightly, the starry sky above it disappeared, and the stone pillar, its rough surface restored, was slowly pulled up by Ravenclaw. As it gradually rose into the air, the island trembled more and more violently, and the black reef beneath its feet cracked open, with an ominous power lurking beneath its feet.

On the ground, a hole appeared in front of everyone.

This dark, bottomless opening resembled the mouth of hell, spewing out an aura of darkness and death. Even Gryffindor, feeling this aura on their faces, slightly narrowed their eyes.

"This is a terrible feeling—"

Gryffindor's anger was barely contained in his words.

How many lives are buried beneath this surface?

"Be mentally prepared--"

Before jumping into the black hole, Amosta said solemnly,

"We will likely see some shockingly brutal scenes."

"What I just saw is enough to amaze me for a lifetime--"

Sirius Black had a completely nonchalant attitude, like a dead pig that's not afraid of boiling water.

Chapter 434 Lair

2023-08-22

As the world's foremost wizards, there were few things left that Godric Gryffindor and Rowena Ravenclaw would fear, especially since the two were working together. Facing the abyss-like entrance to hell, the two did not hesitate much, leaping up and decisively disappearing into the opening.

Amosta and Sirius, immersed in the world of memories, had no more inhibitions and jumped down.

This is a winding passage leading to the deepest part of the earth. The air is extremely humid and eerie. Amostella can faintly smell the salty smell of the sea. Logically speaking, they shouldn't have such a specific feeling while they are in the midst of the memory. Perhaps it is because of the way this memory was preserved that some of the information they feel is what Ravenclaw and Gryffindor felt back then.

The descent lasted for about two minutes. The unimpeded descent made them move as fast as shooting stars. The lower they went, the cool air became scorching, leading Amosta to wonder if the passage would lead them directly to the Earth's core.

hula-

The curve at the end of the passage successfully slowed them down. Gryffindor landed nimbly on the ground, grabbed Ravenclaw's wrist with his strong hand, and helped her up.

They stood in an unremarkable stone chamber, but Amosta could still discern the approximate age of the building from the carvings on the stone walls. The passageway in front of the chamber emitted a faint reddish light, appearing like magical radiance, but considering the unbearably hot atmosphere in the air, it wasn't difficult to determine what was emitting this light.

"A crazy guy!"

Gryffindor's gaze lingered for a moment, then he clicked his tongue in admiration.

“He built his lair in a lava lake, and with so much magic shielding it from detection, I don’t think we would have ever found it without guidance.”

Ravenclaw placed the crown back on her head, her icy blue eyes piercing through the walls, seeing through many secrets.

"The magical concentration in the environment is extremely high, far exceeding that of Hogwarts—"

Ravenclaw spoke calmly.

"It's a good place. Anyone who needs to break through the final barrier can come here—"

Breaking through the final barrier?

Amostella's eyes narrowed slightly as she glanced at Ravenclaw with a hint of surprise and suspicion, before carefully surveying her surroundings.

If he were truly there, Amosta would likely have discovered more, but unfortunately, all that was presented to him was a memory, a portrait, which he could not perceive. Helpless, he could only firmly remember Ravenclaw's words.

“Let’s go, Godric. There’s something here that interests me, and I need to see it for myself—”

Ravenclaw did not linger in the stone chamber for long and left immediately.

An ominous aura permeated the desolate passageway, making Sirius uneasy. Instinctively, he grabbed Amosta's robe.

"what happened?"

Feeling the force pulling him down, Amosta turned around and asked in surprise.

"nothing!"

Hearing the question, Sirius snapped out of his reverie. He quickly let go of her hand and shook his head, but after hesitating for a moment, he couldn't help but ask,

“Aren’t you scared? I know we’re watching a memory, Amosta, but—”

Sirius frowned and stared at the narrow, reddish-brown orbit.

After a moment's thought, Amosta understood what Sirius was trying to say. He pursed his lips and smiled inexplicably.

"You mean the environment here? Hmm. Well, most of the magical ruins from ancient Greece are like this. A few years ago—I mean before I returned to teach at Hogwarts—I explored some tombs and ruins, and they were all like this."

Explore the ruins

Sirius Black scratched his head, looked at Amosta's back, and his expression was a little strange.

It's just digging up graves!

Just as Amostella had predicted, the ruins buried deep beneath Azkaban were not fundamentally different from those he had explored before. They walked for a long time along the long, winding passageway. Along the way, they passed many rooms similar to the first stone chamber, shrouded in darkness, their interiors obscured. However, Gryffindor and Ravenclaw did not stop for a moment, presumably because the rooms were nothing special.

There were obvious signs of protective magic in some parts of the passageway, but all of it had been destroyed. It's easy to guess who was responsible.

As they moved forward, the red light in the passageway intensified. Although the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw students remained calm and walked briskly, beads of sweat appeared on their foreheads.

The oppressive atmosphere prevented Sirius from uttering a single word, while Amosta remained lost in thought the entire way.

The wizard who splits souls—Horoscopes—Dementors—

On Avalon Island, Amosta had been speculating about the true identity of the phantom lurking within Morgan le Fay's body in the nine murals for the past year. Therefore, when Gryffindor remarked with emotion that it was 'the despicable Helbo,' Amosta was not particularly surprised.

However, the hidden messages in the other exchanges between Ravenclaw and Gryffindor were something he should ponder deeply.

Rumble!

Just then, a faint rumbling sound came from ahead in the passageway. Gryffindor and Ravenclaw quickened their pace and walked towards the light.

"Amosta--"

Sirius had already foreseen what he was about to see; his face was filled with indescribable emotion, and he called out with difficulty.

"crazy--"

Amosta simply shook his head, uttered those two words, and then said nothing more.

As they stepped through the door, the world suddenly burst into crimson light before their eyes. After walking through the long corridor, the group, unable to adjust to the brightness, instinctively squinted. Once their pupils adjusted, the sight before them not only left Amosta and Sirius speechless, but even the two founders of Hogwarts found their breathing quickening.

This is an enormous cave, much larger than the cave in Amosta where the door to the Chamber of Secrets in Slytherin is hidden!

Everything in sight was a blinding crimson, and the air within the field of vision was violently distorted.

Both Gryffindor and Ravenclaw cast spells on themselves to resist the high temperatures in the environment.