The Old Ones of Hogwarts

Chapter 277, Section 276: Two Identical People

Deep in the forbidden forest.

The distorted shadows of the trees groveled and writhed in the moonlight.

It was as if the entire forest was being controlled by some invisible force.

Perhaps it was because of the involvement of legendary wizards that Snape and Hermione were no longer trapped in the cycle of time. Wizards of this rank can always dispel some unseen mysteries.

Dumbledore led Snape and Hermione on a search, eventually stopping before the imposing bronze gate. The traces of battle left by Ian had not been "refreshed and overwritten".

Perhaps there is something special in the power of legend that can hinder the regeneration of these environments that can be constantly "reset," just like the footprints left by Albus Dumbledore.

All I saw was...

The place was a mess.

A fierce wind swept through, carrying ash and completely erasing vast swathes of the forbidden forest. The once towering trees and lush green grass were now nothing but charred black ground covered in cracks.

The ravines, varying in depth, crisscross the landscape.

No birds flew by, no insects chirped, and even the air was frozen in a suffocating stillness. Only this scorched earth silently testified to the ferocity of the battle.

"There are strong magical fluctuations remaining here." Snape's black cloak swept across the charred ground. Perhaps the reason he liked to wear black was because black didn't show dirt?

"Perhaps Ian was here before." Albus Dumbledore's tone was certain; he could discern from the residual magical fluctuations who had fought here before.

Well, how should I put it?

In fact, any powerful wizard can do this. If Snape's level were not so far below Ian's, perhaps Snape could have sensed Ian's unique magical fluctuations as well.

"Then, where are Ian's men?" Snape frowned and looked around, but couldn't find a trace of any corpses, or even the creature that had made his heart pound.

It seems that there are traces of massive biological activity in all directions.

"I think..." Albus Dumbledore's words were cut short as his gaze turned to the valley not far away, where a bronze gate stood out starkly against the valley's seemingly split limb. The gate soared into the clouds, its surface covered with ancient runes, and a chaotic mist flowed through its cracks, emanating an unsettling aura.

"Did he go inside?"

Snape looked very unhappy.

"What is that?"

Hermione was stunned by the towering bronze door. She had never seen such a magnificent alchemical artifact before, and the shimmering runes on it were completely incomprehensible to her.

but.

This doesn't stop the little witch from feeling her megalophobia about to flare up—humans do indeed have this instinct in their genes, and they always instinctively feel fear when faced with things that are too magnificent and huge.

Very normal.

Humans didn't start out at the top of the food chain during the evolutionary process; the skinny monkeys we're talking about are ancient humans. So this sensitivity to "huge threats" was preserved as a survival instinct.

When faced with objects that are larger than we usually perceive, such as giant sculptures or tall buildings, the brain may misjudge them as potential dangers, triggering anxiety or an avoidance response.

The same applies to wizards.

They used to be skinny little monkeys too.

No one can say for sure where the magic of wizards comes from. The idea that wizards are born from the hybridization of humans and magical creatures actually originated from the theories of wizards in India.

"I think that's what caused the changes in the Forbidden Forest." Actually, Albus Dumbledore wasn't entirely sure either; although he was learned, he wasn't omniscient.

The current situation is clearly beyond the knowledge of this century's greatest white wizard; he may only be slightly better than Ian.

This is true in terms of runes.

"What caused us to be trapped in the Forbidden Forest? Did Ian go in?" Snape's pupils contracted slightly, his voice low and deep. "What exactly is going on?"

"He's not here, so either he's left or he's gone in—I'm more inclined to believe the latter." Dumbledore's gaze lingered on the bronze door for a moment, a thoughtful glint in his blue eyes. "Clearly, we've been drawn into this space distorted by the alchemical construct."

"A distorted space?" Hermione frowned, trying to understand the meaning of the sentence. "You mean... we're trapped in some kind of magically constructed illusion?"

"It's not entirely an illusion."

Dumbledore explained softly.

"It's more like reality has been folded, copied, or even... altered." He certainly understood what had happened better than Ian and had roughly figured out the reason for the current anomalies in the Forbidden Forest.

"How could such a thing happen?"

Snape's expression grew increasingly grim, and his sensitive heart was now extremely vigilant. "Albus, such a change in the Forbidden Forest is definitely not normal."

"Didn't you notice anything? Someone put this thing in the Forbidden Forest." He looked at the huge bronze door and found it hard to imagine that such a huge thing could be transported without anyone noticing—even if magic was used to transport it, the magical fluctuations generated would probably be felt by him.

"I think it must have been here long before we came to Hogwarts—no one can fully understand the secrets of the Forbidden Forest, and perhaps even the Four Lords don't know all the secrets here." For some reason, Albus Dumbledore made such a judgment that was somewhat disrespectful to the Four Lords.

As the headmaster of Hogwarts.

He might actually know something that Snape doesn't.

"What do you mean?"

Snape frowned.

Knowing she had no say, Hermione pricked up her ears. She loved hearing about the secrets of the magical world, and Dumbledore's appearance had eased her anxiety.

"You have to understand, the four great masters found this place, they didn't create it... The Forbidden Forest has existed for a much, much longer time than Hogwarts."

"As far as I know, the reason why the four giants were able to find this place..." Albus Dumbledore was about to answer when suddenly, the chaotic vortex on the bronze door surged violently!

The three immediately took a step back alertly, Snape and Dumbledore's wands pointing at the door in unison—even the slow-witted Hermione quickly tried to fit in.

Although it's pretty useless.

But at least it kept pace with the two professors—amidst the roar, the thick fog inside the bronze gate swirled, writhing like a living thing, like boiling milk.

"It does seem like there are living things?"

Hermione rubbed her eyes.

Albus Dumbledore and Snape both stared intently at the bronze door, their faces grim. In the hazy mist, shadowy figures appeared and disappeared. One figure, clad in a wide black robe, moved slowly with a hunched back; another, upright, seemed to be gazing towards the door.

A child-like phantom leaped past, disappearing in an instant.

The fog obscured their faces, revealing only their blurry figures. They drifted with the fog, sometimes gathering, sometimes dispersing, as if trapped in the fog, or perhaps waiting for something.

"A time portal?"

Snape's incredible guess.

"wrong."

Albus Dumbledore has been studying time and space extensively lately, so he was able to determine the situation of the Bronze Gate. He looked at the things inside the Bronze Gate with a mixture of surprise and uncertainty.

A rare display of emotion.

However, he didn't explain to Snape what he was thinking or what he had guessed. And so, the vortex spun, and the bronze gate began its strange operation once more.

However, what emerged from the door this time was not a dragon, but a figure that sent chills down their spines, even causing Hermione's gasp to catch in her throat, her face contorted with dread.

Snape also felt a chill run down his spine.

There is no other reason.

From the center of the vortex, a figure with flowing silver hair slowly emerged, the star pattern on his purple robe identical to that of Dumbledore before him.

He's actually another Albus Dumbledore!

"This is impossible." Snape's wand trembled slightly, and the Potions professor's usually calm face was filled with horror. He couldn't control his hand holding the wand at all.

no way.

It probably wouldn't matter who came.

He couldn't believe his eyes—the long, silvery beard, the crescent-shaped glasses, even the purple robe embroidered with stars and moons were exactly the same.

"What's going on, Headmaster Dumbledore!"

Hermione gasped.

Dumbledore, standing beside them, did not answer, but merely narrowed his eyes slightly.

"This is so much fun!"

"Dumbledore is inside the door," he said softly, his voice identical to the real Dumbledore's. Without further ado, Dumbledore suddenly raised his hand.

No incantation was chanted.

He launched an attack on the three—violent orange flames erupted from his Elder Wand, transforming into a ferocious fire dragon that hurtled towards them.

The real Dumbledore also reacted extremely quickly.

Places without rivers.

He created a surging giant wave out of thin air.

A colossal wave, seemingly appearing out of nowhere, collided with the raging flames, creating a billowing white mist that blotted out the sky. Within the mist, Dumbledore, inside the door, had already flown high into the air, his wand pointing towards the heavens.

"Boom!"

He was like Thor.

Countless bolts of lightning surged down.

The blinding lightning cleaved through the fog, striking the real Dumbledore, Snape, and Hermione.

"This doesn't seem like something I would do."

The real Dumbledore waved his wand, and a semi-transparent barrier instantly formed. Lightning exploded on the barrier, the blinding light forcing Hermione to close her eyes. When she opened them again, the two Dumbledores were locked in combat, the light and shadow of spells weaving a web of death across the night sky.

"There's nothing I can't do—I'll take your place." Dumbledore emerged from the doorway with a smirk, but his words were utterly cold.

"Only in this way can I live."

He seemed far more "intelligent" than the dragon Ian had just encountered, knew more, spoke with certainty, and was determined to replace Albus Dumbledore outside the door.

As for Snape and Hermione.

They too must die.

Could this be considered silencing someone?

In any case, his magic was intended to kill both of them without the slightest hesitation or pity, causing Albus Dumbledore, who was protecting the two, to have a flicker in his eyes.

"I see."

He seemed to understand something too.

Only Snape and Hermione were still not quite sure what had happened.

"What on earth is going on?!" Snape's wand remained in a defensive stance, his knuckles white from excessive force, and he couldn't find any opportunity to intervene.

Well, how should I put it?

Snape was genuinely trembling with fear.

Unaware that Dumbledore's power had far surpassed his usual strength during this period, he had assumed he had some understanding of Dumbledore's abilities. However, it now seemed that his shock at Dumbledore's power was no less than that of the little witch next to him, who was terrified and pale. Such terrifying magic was simply like a god descending to earth!

"How can Voldemort keep jumping around for so long..."

He couldn't understand.

He wasn't unaware of his former employer's strength. The clash of spells shook the entire Forbidden Forest, as if the world was shattering, with deep fissures appearing in the ground. Hermione and Snape could only watch in shock from within Dumbledore's protective magic, witnessing a battle beyond their comprehension.

"This...this is Professor Dumbledore's true power?" Hermione's voice trembled. At this moment, she finally had a clear understanding of the strongest wizard in the wizarding world.

Snape did not respond.

His eyes held an unusually complex expression.

My mood is the same.

His imagination ran wild, and he couldn't help but wonder if Dumbledore, with his immense power, was using Voldemort's long-term survival as a strategy of "nurturing a bandit for his own benefit."

It's no wonder Snape thought that way.

He truly couldn't find any explanation for why two people with such unequal strength could remain locked in a stalemate for so many years. In the past, Snape even thought that Voldemort and Dumbledore were at least 40/60 evenly matched!

"Avada Kedavra!"

Dumbledore emerged from the door and unleashed a chilling and terrifying spell. The battle had reached a fever pitch, and he was going all out. Meanwhile, the real Dumbledore's gaze darkened as he twirled the Elder Wand.

He seized control of the magic.

next moment.

"Legendary one..."

As Dumbledore sighed regretfully from inside the door, the green magic was reflected back at him, and he began to slowly fall, turning to ashes and disappearing from the world.

Dumbledore inside the door had vanished without a trace, and the vortex on the bronze door had temporarily returned to calm.

"Albus, you..." Snape's breathing was rapid, his voice trembling unusually. "This... was that person who looked just like you a copy of yourself?"

His guess was also quite imaginative. Hermione's face turned pale, her gaze shifting back and forth between Dumbledore and the bronze door, her lips trembling but unable to utter a word.

Just at this time.

"I am not so much a copy of myself as I am a copy of myself as I am a copy of myself, but rather one that has been annihilated by fate... those possible errors." Dumbledore gently dusted off his robes.

"But...it's amazing, isn't it?"

He did indeed have a fairly certain guess.

These words were spoken.

This made the little witch's lips tremble even more violently.

Snape's eyes sharpened. She and Hermione probably shared the same thought: "In this situation, how can we believe... you didn't come out of that door?"

The air froze instantly.

Dumbledore was silent for a moment.

His gaze fell on the bronze door, and he slowly spoke.

"I'm not sure either."

He paused for a moment, a deep light flashing in his blue eyes.

"However, the one who survives will be the real me." The night wind blew across the scorched earth, bringing a touch of coolness, and Dumbledore's voice was filled with strong confidence.

(End of this chapter)