The Return to Hogwarts

"You may not know this, but the Royal Wizarding Society was the predecessor of the Ministry of Magic. A thousand years ago, it almost entirely represented the interests of pure-blood wizarding families. These families controlled the channels of magical inheritance, and in their eyes, the existence of Hogwarts was undoubtedly a thorn in their side."

Lady Ravenclaw's fabrication of a Muggle father for her children reassured the Royal Wizarding Society and the powerful Muggle royal family, who held a prestigious position at the time. Muggle blood was considered synonymous with filth, and Lady Ravenclaw's publicizing her union with a Muggle and the birth of her offspring was undoubtedly a highly effective self-degrading tactic in the wizarding world, a self-inflicted stain on the noble bloodline of the Ravenclaw family.

"But Madam Ravenclaw just said that if Hogwarts doesn't have a suitable successor, then war—"

Professor Blaine's words made Hermione's face turn deathly pale, because she was a little witch of 'dirty blood'.

That's certainly true—

Amosta turned to look at Hermione and smiled at her, a smile that instantly warmed Hermione's icy expression.

The idea that Muggle blood is inferior to pure-blood is utterly a fallacy! In today's wizarding world, which descendant of a pure-blood family has the courage or the right to mention the word 'Mudblood' in front of Professor Blaine? Professor Blaine is practically the role model for all Muggle-born wizards!

"But if the Royal Wizarding Society and the Muggle royal family believed that Hogwarts was very likely to produce an excellent successor, then war would almost immediately break out. Don't doubt the possibility of this happening; the wizarding world back then was far more conflicted than it is today."

Amosta explained.

"They don't need to be afraid of anyone, do they?"

Harry still looked resentful.

"Of the four founders of Hogwarts, three were the greatest wizards of their time. No one could possibly be a match for Gryffindor. Even if Slytherin held them back, they wouldn't be too far behind. Even in the event of war, they wouldn't lose to the Royal Society!"

Amosta glanced at Harry, looking somewhat helpless.

"What the four founders valued most was the survival of Hogwarts, not their own safety, Harry. Moreover, the pure-blood families in the Royal Wizarding Society back then are not the same as those families in the wizarding world today that claim to have a long history. Although they are not as powerful as the four founders, their strength should not be underestimated."

Ron hesitated, to be honest, this topic made him a little awkward.

He wasn't sure if the Weasley family existed when Hogwarts was founded, and if so, whose side did his ancestors stand on?

Helga Hufflepuff wasn't so surprised by Ravenclaw's shocking remark; she simply looked sadly at her friend.

She could imagine how much criticism and ridicule Rowena would endure after the day she announced to the wizarding world that she had married a Muggle and had a child; Rowena would undoubtedly become a laughingstock in Europe. She couldn't console herself that all this pain and torment had been foreseeable since the day the four of them decided to build a magic school for all gifted children in the Slytherin castle.

The office, dating back a thousand years, was filled with a solemn and sorrowful atmosphere.

Out of respect for the two legendary witches, Amostella, who had stepped aside, seemed to sense something. Caught off guard, he strode forward to his office chair, leaned down, and stared intently into Helga Hufflepuff's eyes. He noticed that Hufflepuff's eyes were no longer wine-red, but had transformed into a silvery-white. This silvery-white wasn't static, but rather like a silvery-white river flowing within Hufflepuff's eyes!

Harry, Harry, and the others all looked bewildered. They didn't understand what Professor Blaine was doing all this time, but they didn't dare to make a sound or run up to Hufflepuff, one of the four founding leaders of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, like he did.

In silence, Helga Hufflepuff, with her gentle demeanor that made her feel at ease, exuded a mysterious aura, her hair fluttering as if being caressed by a gentle breeze.

"Don't do that, Helga, it's pointless—"

Lost in maternal bliss, Rowena snapped back to reality. She pressed Helga's hand, which was resting on her shoulder, and shook her head with a smile.

“You understand better than I do that the future is like a river with many branches. In the rushing water, which branch a drop of water will drift towards is always changing. I don’t want to pry into this child’s fate. Let his future be his own. Besides, you have already spent too much energy trying to stop that evil wizard from returning to our world.”

Helga's eyes regained their wine-red hue. She paused slightly, then nodded, tenderly stroking Rowena's hair.

Click——

The office door opened again, and the little elf named Kiki walked in again, carrying a steaming cup of beverage.

"It's best to drink it while it's hot, Ms. Ravenclaw—"

Kiki handed the cup to Ravenclaw, then glanced at the golden cup on the table. When she noticed that the drink in Hufflepuff's cup was untouched, she pouted in dissatisfaction.

“Oh, I’m sorry, Kiki—” Mrs. Hufflepuff said apologetically, “Royna and I were discussing some important matters.”

pat-

Kiki snapped her fingers, and the lukewarm drink in the golden cup immediately started steaming. Then, she tilted her head and looked at Hufflepuff without saying a word.

Unable to withstand Kiki's eager gaze, the two renowned legendary witches returned to their seats, sipping their hot drinks from their cups.

"Please don't hesitate to ask if you need anything else."

Kiki didn't smile brightly until Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff finished their drinks. She took their cups away. Clearly knowing they had something important to discuss, she gave a slight bow and left the office humming a cheerful tune.

The little elf lightened the previously somber atmosphere in the office slightly. The two founders chatted briefly about the recent lessons at the castle, mentioning some student names that Amosta and Harry had never heard of.

"Regarding those terrifying creatures you and Godric discovered on that island in the North Sea, Rowena, you already have an idea on how to control them, don't you?"

After the casual conversation ended, Helga's tone became serious.

Amosta's expression immediately turned serious. He knew that the topic that was about to be discussed was the reason why Helga had left this memory!

Chapter 660 Restrictions

2023-12-23

The conversation between Helga Hufflepuff and Rowena Ravenclaw was already explosive enough for Harry, Hufflepuff, and Rowena from a later era. If scholars a thousand years from now were to learn about this secret relationship between the two founders of Hogwarts, who knows what kind of uproar it would cause.

But for Rowena and Helga, it seemed to be just casual conversation between close friends.

When the islands of the North Sea and the terrifying creatures on them were mentioned, Helga and Rowena's expressions became much more serious. The restrained yet powerful aura surrounding the two witches restored their status as legendary witches and founders in the eyes of Harry and his friends!

But what exactly is it?

Hermione immediately guessed what was going on and looked at Professor Blaine. Unfortunately, this time Professor Blaine did not kindly answer their questions; he himself listened with a solemn expression.

Rowena Ravenclaw remained silent. Under everyone's gaze, a wand quietly appeared in her hand. She left her seat and walked to an empty space in the office. As the wand deftly swept across the space, a silver-white bird emerged from the tip of the wand and hovered under the low ceiling.

"That's a guardian spirit!"

Harry said immediately.

The Patronus Charm is a spell Harry learned from Remus last year to protect himself from Dementors; it is the most advanced spell he has mastered.

"It's exactly the same as the one on the Ravenclaw house crest!"

Ron also puffed out his cheeks in surprise.

Lady Ravenclaw summoned her Patronus—Hermione's brown eyes gleamed slightly, further confirming her guess: the island in the North Sea that Lady Hufflepuff had mentioned was Azkaban, and those terrifying creatures were Dementors!

As Ravenclaw's wand landed, the majestic eagle circling in mid-air suddenly stopped, raised its head and let out a clear cry, and a shadowy figure enveloped in white light shot out from its beak.

Upon contact with air, the shadowy figure rapidly grew larger, transforming into a terrifying creature draped in a black cloak, resembling the Grim Reaper. Just looking at it sent chills down one's spine!

Clang!

Harry's expression changed drastically. As he retreated hastily, his back slammed heavily against the wall. However, he seemed oblivious to the pain and quickly reached for his wand, panting as he aimed it at the Dementor!

"Don't panic, bro, it's fake!"

Ron grabbed Harry's wrist and said quickly.

fake

Harry stared blankly at the Patronus right in front of him, which was enveloped by the milky white light emitted by the mouth of the Ravenclaw Patronus. No matter how much the Patronus charged left or right, the barrier remained unmoved. Then, a look of embarrassment crossed his face.

The Dementors had a profound impact on him. Last year, during the adventure where he and Hermione rescued Sirius from the Forbidden Forest, Sirius was discovered by dozens of Dementors sent by the Ministry of Magic. Sirius and Hermione both fell unconscious, leaving him alone to face those terrifying Dementors. Harry was certain that those were the most desperate two minutes of his life.

Harry watched Professor Blaine nervously, and only when Professor Blaine did not give him a displeased look because of his flustered and ridiculous behavior did he secretly breathe a sigh of relief, clutching his rapidly pounding heart, and continue watching.

"Did you try to continue destroying it, Rowena?"

Lady Hufflepuff also left her seat and came to Ravenclaw's side. Even though it wasn't the first time Rowena had shown them, Lady Hufflepuff's expression was still somber after seeing the Dementors, and her tone carried a hint of anger.

"Made many attempts--"

Ms. Ravenclaw spoke in a voice as clear and cool as an icy spring.

"Consistent with our previous discussions, this ghost-like creature exists between life and death. It is both illusory and real, almost like a rule. Ordinary magic cannot cause it any damage. I have tested it many times, including using some ancient magic. Among the magic that can suppress it, the most effective is the Guardian Deity—"

This was an expected outcome, and Ms. Hufflepuff didn't seem surprised, only saying in a low voice...

"Therefore, the only solution is the one we discussed before—"

Ms. Ravenclaw nodded slightly, while Amosta frowned.

During Amosta's journey to Azkaban, as he followed the memories of Ravenclaw and Gryffindor, the two founders discussed this topic. They stated that the Dementors must be destroyed, a point that Amosta had questioned at the time.

These Dementors are created from the empty shells left behind by wizards who repeatedly split their souls to create Horcruxes. In order to complete themselves, these shells absorb all the good emotions of living beings and use those emotions as food to create more of their kind.

No creature with an independent soul would like Dementors, but Amostella never understood why the four founders of Hogwarts were so obsessed with destroying Dementors.

Is it simply because this creature is evil? The truth is probably not that simple.

In previous memories, Gryffindor and Ravenclaw mentioned that Lady Hufflepuff had received some kind of revelation, and she probably foresaw the possibility that Helbo might return to the world, and if that happened, the disaster it would bring would probably be devastating.

Merlin and the four leaders had made arrangements to prevent this from happening, so there must be a necessary connection between destroying the Dementors and stopping Helbo.

Amosta's mind raced, but a thin membrane remained between him and the truth, one he could never break through!

"We can only leave this important matter to time—"

Ravenclaw said calmly,

“But controlling the number and behavior of these creatures is also very important. I once thought of placing a seal based on soul power around the island, but that would be meaningless. After we die, the soul power will dissipate, and they will immediately lose their restraint. Sooner or later, they will leave the island because they crave to absorb more emotions.”

"What's your plan, Rowena?"

Buzz--

Ravenclaw raised his wand once more, and in a spell so complex that even Amostella had never witnessed it before, Ravenclaw's icy blue pupils shone brightly, and his own body silhouette emitted a faint sky-blue glow. In the void, a phantom piece of paper, enveloped in green light, gradually took shape.

Wow!

Once the paper was formed, suddenly, dozens of chains brimming with green light emerged from it, instantly surrounding the Dementor. The swaying chains, like venomous snakes, glared menacingly at the Dementor.

The already restless Dementor showed fear in the face of these chains. It hovered in the small space within the light screen, its putrid mouth spewing out blasts of cold air from beneath its cloak as it desperately resisted the corrosive influence of the chains!

"what is that?"