The Return to Hogwarts

"What exactly happened, Albus, Amosta?"

Even the well-mannered Mrs. Maxim was losing her temper and questioned the two men.

"Is that so, Madam—"

Amosta said with a smile

"Initially, we planned to decorate the auditorium to celebrate this memorable day. But then I realized that seemed a bit unoriginal, and I learned about some of Beauxbatons' Christmas traditions, as well as the icy environment of Durmstrang, so I had an idea—"

"Stop beating around the bush, Amosta--"

Karkaroff rarely spoke a fair word, "Otherwise, I'm afraid Hogwarts' hospital wouldn't be able to accommodate so many young wizards!"

Just you wait and see—

Amosta nodded, then looked at Dumbledore.

"Let's go together, Principal. It's a bit too much for me to do alone—"

"Oh, of course--"

Dumbledore, his silver beard flowing, nodded and smiled.

Immediately afterward, to everyone's astonishment, Amosta and Dumbledore nimbly leaped off the ice. Without giving anyone a chance to ask further questions, they each took out their wands, turned their backs to the crowd, and walked towards the center of the lake. In no time, they disappeared into the swirling snow.

"Don't they want to live?!"

Ron stared in astonishment at the oppressive darkness that filled the lake.

"In this cold weather, if they fall into the lake, they're doomed. What are they trying to do?"

No one could answer Ron's question, not even Hermione. She huddled in Ron's robes, shivering with cold, her eyelashes frosted over.

"Listen!"

The five minutes of waiting were more agonizing than ever before. Although he was reluctant to get too close to Fleur, Harry, shivering from the cold, instinctively moved closer to her. Of course, he had no romantic thoughts at all; he only hoped that Professor Dumbledore and Professor Blaine could finish as soon as possible, no matter what outlandish ideas they had.

Just as the young wizards were about to give up, Neville, who was supporting Ginny, seemed to sense something and suddenly cried out.

Neville's voice was extremely jarring amidst the dry howling of the wind and snow, and the young wizards immediately strained their ears to inquire about the situation at the Black Lake.

"Look, the ground is shaking!"

Dean pointed to his feet and exclaimed in surprise.

More and more young wizards noticed that the ground they were standing on was shaking slightly. On the lake shore, the row of weeping willows swayed under the increasingly strong tremors, and the snow that had accumulated on the willow tips fell down in a rustling sound as the tremors occurred!

"What exactly is going on, Severus? What are they planning to do?"

The world was now trembling violently in everyone's sight, as if a violent earthquake was taking place. Karkaroff even took out his wand and questioned Professor Snape sharply, but Snape ignored him completely and squinted at the center of the Black Lake!

Suddenly, in the center of the Black Lake, in a place invisible and shrouded in darkness, a flash of icy blue light appeared. Then, like summer thunder, a rumbling sound spread outwards from the Black Lake in all directions, and strong winds surging from the center of the Black Lake disrupted the original trajectory of the snowstorm.

Rumble!

The deafening roar intensified the icy blue light in the center of the Black Lake. People could vaguely see the outlines of two figures, one tall and one short, holding up glowing wands, about a hundred feet apart on the lake surface!

There's a pillar—

Cedric held Cho Chang tightly, shielding her from the fierce wind, as he shouted across the lake.

"A pillar has even grown out of the ice!"

"Not a pillar--"

Harry, with his exceptional eyesight, was also trying to see through the darkness. He refuted Cedric's claim and called out to Hermione and Ron beside him,

"It's a tower, the spire of a castle, growing out of the ice!"

As soon as Harry finished speaking, the commotion suddenly intensified.

As if the universe had just been created, a bright, icy blue light suddenly shone before Professor Blaine and Professor Dumbledore. The light, as if it were a tangible substance, rolled in from all directions, and this incomparably dazzling and mesmerizing icy blue light made the cold, desolate night as bright as day for a moment.

Rumble!

The entire Black Lake was shaking, but now no young wizards were exclaiming in surprise, because they were numb with shock at the unimaginable sight before them!

Another castle, identical in design to Hogwarts' main castle, seemed to grow out of the ice like crops.

With almost every breath, the castle on the lake rises dozens of feet higher. The castle's walls are entirely made of deformed ice blocks. It is not as intricate as the real Hogwarts Castle, with its many carvings and windows, but its design is still breathtakingly beautiful!

The ice blocks that make up every wall of this ice castle are incredibly pure, and they shimmer with an icy blue light, making them seem almost unreal.

Rumble--

The tremors continued, and the young wizards' eyes followed the 'emerging' castle, their heads unknowingly raised high.

Meanwhile, the other Hogwarts staff on the shore also took action.

Professor McGonagall smiled proudly as she took out her wand. With a deft flick of her wrist, the ice on the lakeshore began to melt, forming exquisitely crafted animals: a lion representing Gryffindor, an eagle representing Ravenclaw, a badger representing Hufflepuff, and a snake representing Slytherin, one after another.

In addition, Professor McGonagall created many creatures such as reindeer, squirrels, and unicorns. These ice creatures, once formed, immediately set off towards the ice castle, and animal calls, some clear, some high-pitched, and some low, echoed across the lake.

"Oh, it's my turn!"

Professor Flitwick exclaimed excitedly in a sharp voice. He had somehow produced a pocket, and when he opened it, little fairies wrapped in pink light and little elves in the shape of Cupid gathered in mid-air to form a galaxy and rushed towards the ice castle.

"Go, go!"

Professor Sprout said with a smile that she sprinkled something that looked like plant seeds onto the ice. As soon as these seeds touched the ice, they began to grow. As if sensing the powerful magic emanating from the main body of the castle, they rushed towards the castle, clung to the ice walls, and then bloomed into many bright purple flowers.

Reluctantly, Snape pulled a glass bottle from his robes. Inside was a silvery-gray liquid. He tapped the bottle opening with his wand, and the silvery-gray liquid suddenly expanded, continuously squeezing out of the bottle and forming a vast ocean in mid-air.

These silvery-gray liquids emitted a pleasant aroma, and they flowed towards the castle, forming a fountain in front of the castle gate.

Almost every professor brought out their best skills.

Professor Sinister conjured shooting stars with his wand. These stars streaked across the night sky and embedded themselves in the castle's flawless sky-blue ice walls. The shimmering golden stars made the magnificent ice castle even more dreamlike.

hula-

At that moment, at the real Hogwarts Castle, a whole host of ghosts emerged from the entrance hall. Peeves, almost headless Nick, the fat monk, Lady Grey, and many other ghosts who never left the castle flew over the grounds and over the heads of the young wizards, laughing happily as they darted into the Ice Castle.

The tremors finally subsided, but the little wizard, gazing up at the castle on the ice that had painted the night sky ice-blue, remained speechless, lost in thought.

It's so beautiful, so amazing!

Everyone who witnessed this scene, including the castle's creators, felt the same way. This ice castle was simply a masterpiece of art. Looking at it, it was as if the brilliance of a fairy tale had come to life!

"I absolutely love magic."

As Professors Dumbledore and Blaine walked back into view with smiles on their faces, Harry let out a heartfelt sigh.

Chapter 708 An Unexpected Hint

2024-01-23

Casting a spell on the ice surface, using exquisite transfiguration and immense magical power to create a giant ice castle, would be somewhat difficult for Amostella to do alone. However, with Dumbledore by his side, it would be no problem.

Back in the crowd, Amosta saw the dreamlike expressions on the faces of the people on the shore and smiled with satisfaction.

"How is it? Not bad, right?"

Karkarov, who had been expressing his dissatisfaction earlier, was speechless. Faced with Amosta's question, he could only nod hesitantly.

"That's amazing, Albus!"

Mrs. Maxim exclaimed in genuine amazement, "It's nothing short of a miracle."

"It is a great honor to receive your recognition, dear Olim--"

Dumbledore said cheerfully.

"So--"

Amostella turned her gaze to the speechless, shocked young wizards and beckoned to them.

"What are you waiting for, everyone? Go warm up in your castles!"

The expected heated discussion did not occur. One by one, the young wizards descended onto the ice, their eyes fixed on the castle, their expressions dazed. It wasn't until they stood before this magnificent ice castle that the young wizards finally came to their senses.

The students discovered that the lifelike little animals that Professor McGonagall had just created were already frolicking inside and outside the open gates of the ice castle. Several reindeer were running around the silver fountain created by Professor Snape, their hooves clattering happily.

Fairies and Cupids, in groups, passed through the majestic, ice-blue palace gates, following the wandering ghosts.

The young wizards followed the professor's footsteps, hesitantly stepping into the magnificent palace, and then once again letting out exclamations of amazement.

The palace interior was incredibly vast, forming a huge auditorium.

Although it was an ice castle, it wasn't as cold as he had imagined; on the contrary, it was quite bright and warm. Harry looked up at the sky and saw clusters of golden flames, each about the size of a fist, forming the emblems of the four houses, floating above their heads. The warmth in the palace came from those four flaming banners.

Above the four flaming banners stood a magnificent crystal chandelier. It was composed of thousands of diamond-shaped ice blocks, purer than the finest crystal, radiating an icy blue glow. Even Draco, who was used to seeing luxurious decorations, was momentarily stunned when he saw it.

The palace interior was also adorned with numerous ice sculptures in the shape of plants, all remarkably lifelike. Many of the little squirrels Professor McGonagall had created were perched on these ice plant sculptures, tilting their heads and blinking their eyes at the young wizards. This adorable scene caused many girls to lose their composure and whisper excitedly.

"It's amazing!"

Hermione covered her lips, gazing at the world before her, tears welling in her excited eyes.

"I simply can't believe that magic could achieve this!"

Similar comments gradually spread, and the students slowly came to their senses. Furong's younger sister, the little girl named Gabrielle, excitedly left Beauxbatons' group, sometimes touching the mane of the lion strolling in the hall, sometimes rushing to the tree to tease the little squirrel on the icicle, letting out a series of clear, bell-like laughs.

Colin, who had unexpectedly gotten the chance to attend the banquet, was practically shooting his camera off the floor. For the first time, he felt there was something more worthy of photographing than Harry Potter.

Standing next to Harry, Fleur stared blankly at Amosta Blaine, who was chatting and laughing with Madam Maxim and Professor Karkaroff, her blue eyes filled with deep infatuation.