The Return to Hogwarts

Gryffindor pondered for a moment, then glanced around the island.

“The island itself is surrounded by magic left by Helbo to repel outsiders. We can do the same, Rowena, leave some measures to prevent these creatures from breaking out of the island.”

"Ordinary methods are useless against them. Only the direct suppression of their soul power can prevent them from leaving this island. And if we die one day, these methods will become ineffective."

"how do you want to do it?"

Gryffindor asked, frowning.

This was a tricky question, and Ravenclaw didn't immediately provide an answer.

"I need to think about it. When I get back to Hogwarts, I'll study these creatures again. Although Helpo didn't create them for torture and slaughter, we must make sure they don't get out of control."

Boom!

The stone pillar slowly descended, sealing the deep opening in the ground once again.

Ravenclaw's fingertips touched the stone pillar as he spoke thoughtfully.

"I can sense that there is something on land that is the same as this magical fluctuation."

"Leave it to me next time!"

Gryffindor tossed his fiery red hair, which was ruffled by the sea breeze, and said with great interest,

“To be honest, Rowena, I find that going on adventures with you isn’t very fun. You always figure things out, and going on adventures with you lacks challenge.”

“I hope you can face reality, Godric—” Ravenclaw’s icy blue eyes swept over Gryffindor, a hint of displeasure in them. “We are not taking risks. Ever since Helga sensed those images and made the prophecy, everything we have done has been to prevent this world from one day falling into eternal darkness.”

cuckoo-

Suddenly, a clear bird song rang out from the dark and oppressive surroundings. At the same time, the darkness around them quickly faded away. Gryffindor and Ravenclaw were still talking under the stone pillar, but their voices were like babbling, hazy and indistinct, and the sound quickly faded into the distance.

"What's going on, Amosta?"

Azkaban rapidly disintegrated in Sirius's field of vision, and he screamed in panic.

"As we anticipated, we have been existing in the memories of Ravenclaw or Gryffindor, and now that memory has come to an end, it's time for us to go back."

Amosta watched with a complex expression as the two founders of Hogwarts transformed into luminous silver threads and gradually disappeared.

Amosta's voice was also muffled in Sirius's ears. He wanted to ask more, but suddenly a thunderclap rang out, and Sirius's vision went black, as if he had suddenly sunk into the deep sea. He could feel nothing but suffocation and fear. He struggled desperately, and then—

"Oh!"

Clap!

Sirius, who had suddenly sat up on the deck, slammed open the door panel that was pressing down on him. The unexpected impact caused his vision, which had just regained its light, to go black for a moment, and he almost fainted again. After a while, Sirius covered his swollen forehead, struggled to push away the bent cabin door panel that was pressing on his legs, and stood up unsteadily.

Looking up, the starlight overhead was graceful and gentle.

The sea was calm, and several seabirds perched on the broken mast, tilting their heads and staring curiously at Sirius, whose face looked bewildered.

It took Sirius a while to figure out the situation. He turned to look at Amosta, who had woken up a few steps earlier than him, and found him gazing into the distance. Following his gaze, he saw an island under a single cloud in the pure starry sky.

"Are we in?" Sirius asked instinctively.

Amostella turned around, and only then did Sirius notice that Amostella was holding something in her hand.

It is the Ravenclaw crown and the Gryffindor sword!

Sirius Black's eyes widened as he stared at the two legendary alchemical artifacts that shimmered under the starlight, his breath catching in his throat.

"This is from memory."

Sirius's breathing gradually calmed, and he smiled nonchalantly.

“I bet, Amosta, if people find out you have these two things, you’ll never have a peaceful life again.”

"Hmph, there aren't many wizards capable of snatching things from me."

Amosta smiled gently.

A seabird perched on the mast flapped its wings and flew to Amosta's hand, gently pecking at his fingers. Its slightly dim eyes held a pleading look, as if it wanted something to eat. So Amosta moved his fingers, and several small fish, about the size of a finger, splashed from the cascading waves and landed on the ship's side.

The seabirds immediately let out cheerful chirps and scrambled to grab the food.

“I will keep what I saw a secret, Amosta—”

Watching the seabirds flapping their wings and fiercely vying for food, Sirius, who had been silent, suddenly spoke. Amostah raised an eyebrow and looked at him directly; Sirius was also looking at him intently.

Tuk Tuk——

Amosta smiled and looked away, gently tapping the hull of the ship in the direction of Azkaban, his eyes darting around.

No, I want you to tell everyone—

Before Sirius could ask his bewildered question, Amosta continued.

His voice was calm, and his deep gaze seemed to pierce through space and time, glimpsing certain visions of the future.

"But not now, but in the future. If one day I suddenly disappear, and you desperately need to find me, then please tell Dumbledore everything you have seen—"

Chapter 440 Parting

2023-08-25

In the gentle, comfortable sea breeze, Amosta's calm words startled Sirius.

"What do you mean, Amosta?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Sirius realized he seemed to have asked Amostella this question many times that evening, but then he dismissed the question from his mind, his expression solemn.

"You disappeared so suddenly. What are you planning?"

Amosta did not answer the question; he simply smiled slightly and turned his gaze back to Azkaban.

Seeing his expression, Sirius knew he probably wouldn't get anything out of him. He stared at Amosta's profile; the young man was only in his early twenties, yet his eyes held a determination beyond his years. And the 'depth' in his gaze was something he couldn't fathom.

"You're amazing, Amosta—"

Sirius sighed, patted Amostella on the shoulder, and said...

"I can't think of any wizard your age who possesses such powerful magic, not even Dumbledore, but I want you to understand—this is also what my twelve years of imprisonment in Azkaban taught me. Me, Remus, Dumbledore, oh, and Snape, we are all your friends. Even Voldemort has a bunch of Death Eaters, understand, Amosta, if you need help."

The soft starlight shone on Amosta, softening the contours of his profile.

"I don't want to be lectured by you, Sirius."

Amosta jokingly changed the subject, interrupting Sirius Black's next words.

“I’m going to Azkaban. That place has too much influence on you. You wait for me here.”

"Are you still going up?"

Sirius frowned.

"Could it be that the memory we just experienced didn't resolve your doubts? You want to go and see that underground ruin, but how do you plan to get in? Oh, the Ravenclaw crown is in your hands."

Under Sirius's worried gaze, Amosta took to the air and disappeared from his sight.

Waiting always feels incredibly long.

For several hours, Sirius stood on the dilapidated deck, staring worriedly in the direction of Azkaban, but there was no sound, as silent as an abyss.

Indeed, Amostella's skills were extraordinary. If they were exploring other places, Sirius wouldn't have been so worried. But after wandering through the memories of the two Hogwarts leaders, Sirius realized that Azkaban was far more dangerous than people thought.

Sirius breathed a sigh of relief only when the starlight faded and the distant dawn was about to break, as a shadow rapidly approached, skimming the surface of the sea.

"How are you? Did anything unexpected happen?"

When the shadowy figure materialized back to its original form on the deck, Sirius immediately went to meet it. He glanced at Amostella a few times, and only breathed a sigh of relief after finding no signs of harm. But when Sirius looked into Amostella's eyes, he suddenly froze.

"Your eyes--"

"It's turned back to its original color, hasn't it?"

Amosta seemed to be in a good mood; he touched the corner of his eye with his fingertip and said with a smile.

"Okay, it's good that you're alright—"

Sirius didn't press Amostra on whether he truly had the reason Ravenclaw's crown opened the underground realm, nor did he inquire about what Amostra had been doing for the past few hours. Seeing that Amostra was alright, he shrugged and said...

But suddenly, Sirius's spirits lifted again.

"The business is done, right? Does that mean we can go back now? Oh, Harry must be waiting for me to pick him up to go to the Quidditch World Cup. How about it, Amosta, want to come along? Let's go pick up Harry first. Remus is probably getting impatient waiting at the old house. He and Kreacher don't get along at all. We agreed before summer vacation that we would stay at the Weasleys' house for a few days and then take these kids to the Quidditch World Cup!"

Sirius looked at Amosta expectantly, hoping he would agree, but to his disappointment, Amosta slowly shook his head.

“I don’t like noisy places. For the rest of the summer vacation, barring any unforeseen circumstances, I will probably stay in the old house. I need time to reflect on the memories we’ve shared.”

Amosta and Sirius took more than twenty days to reach this sea area. Their return journey would not be so complicated. They could use the door key to teleport to Old John's house, and then Amosta could Apparate back to London with Sirius.

They were currently within the magical range protecting Azkaban, where powerful magic rendered all teleportation spells ineffective. Amosta used magic to control the wrecked ship, which was now completely unable to move on its own, and slowly drifted out of this area.

Just as he had anticipated.

Although breaking through the barrier again caused some commotion, it was nothing compared to the earth-shattering scene when they broke in.

Once he was completely free from Azkaban, the last trace of gloom on Sirius's face disappeared. He lay on the ship's railing, enjoying the pleasant sea breeze, while waiting for Amosta to retrieve the key from the cabin.

Suddenly, a snowy owl that had been circling high in the sky swooped down, leaving a sharp afterimage in mid-air. By the time Sirius realized that the bird might be coming for him, the snowy owl had already pounced on him, flapping its wings against his cheeks.

"Oh, don't do that—"

Sirius stumbled back a few steps, frowning as he looked at the snow owl that had suffered so much and was now glaring at him angrily, as if it were about to pounce and peck him hard. After a careful look, he suddenly cried out in surprise.