Days at Hogwarts

Chapter 812 The Time of Transition

When the ginger-colored kitten pushed open the door again, it was already winter a year later.

At the end of 1999, London was still covered in heavy snow.

Loren took over the Christmas dinner, which has been the case since last year, and the whole family has no objections.

As night fell, the lights in each house became dim, and a green Christmas tree stood in the courtyard. Mistletoe and holly branches hung on the walls, adorned with red ribbons.

Unlike previous years, the festive atmosphere wasn't as strong this year. Compared to Christmas Eve, which happens every year, New Year's Eve, a week later, was the main event—the end of one century and the beginning of a new one, a once-in-a-century event that most people only experience once in their lifetime. News reports said a grand fireworks show was planned along the Thames, and although the television station announced it would be broadcast live, more residents preferred to go to the venue to join the fun. Tickets for the central area sold out two weeks ago.

Loren and the others didn't join in the fun; they had other things to do on New Year's Eve.

The combined power of wizards and magical creatures from around the world is beyond imagination, and the magical migration plan is progressing faster than expected. It's as if a hidden and powerful force is driving the plan. Everything is going incredibly smoothly. In just a year and a half, all preparations are complete, awaiting the arrival of the new era.

A very small number of die-hard wizards attempted to sabotage the plan.

A few hours ago, someone released a Class 5X dangerous animal into Diagon Alley. Hermione, as a staff member of the Department of Magical Creatures Control, had to interrupt her Christmas holiday and return to her post to control the situation. If all goes well, she should be able to make it to dinner.

Dinner was at Granger's house.

A few months ago, Monica renovated the restaurant. The fireplace was refurbished and is no longer just a useless decoration. Now, a blue flame is burning quietly in the firebox, with a comfortable temperature that is warm but not scorching. The gas stove was upgraded, an old-fashioned oven was added, and the dining table was replaced with a solid wood round table, which is slightly smaller than the original one and just right for the family of five to sit together.

A soup pot sat in the center of the table, bubbling away, carrots and white radishes swirling, white steam rising, and an aroma filling the air. This was the highlight of his meal—a pot of snow-white mutton soup. As for the dry roasted turkey, it was merely a perfunctory arrangement to appease traditional customs.

"Loren, did you sneak some food?"

"Um!?"

Loren's eyes widened, clearly indignant: "What do you mean by 'stealing food'? I was just adding seasoning, it's the chef's job, how can that be considered stealing food?"

"Does pumpkin pie need seasoning too?"

"Let me taste it to see if it's cooked through."

As the last few dishes were served, the family sat down near the table. This was a common gathering for them this winter, something the Grangers and Grandpa Bates had grown accustomed to. The fireplace burned quietly, keeping out the chill of the deep winter.

"When is Hermione coming back?" Wendell muttered.

Loren took out his communicator, glanced at it, and handed them the cutlery: "The accident isn't serious, you just need to cooperate with the Auror investigation. Fill out the registration form and you'll be back."

As soon as he finished speaking, a sound came from the fireplace, the flames flickered, and a few clusters of emerald green sparks flew out.

Hermione had been promoted to team leader a few months ago, and her winter perk included a standard long robe, thick but not bulky. At this moment, a layer of snowflakes had settled on her shoulders. She stepped out of the fireplace, paused for a few seconds to adjust to the warm air inside, and smelled the rich and enticing aroma, taking a deep sniff.

Loren stepped forward, casually patting her robe to brush away the ashes and snowflakes: "Why are you only just getting back?"

Hermione stood there, letting him pat her, her expression obedient: "Among the animals that ran around was a horned beast that knocked down the door of Gringotts. The goblins are demanding compensation for the damage with the horned beast, but I disagree."

"and then?"

"And so the negotiations have continued until now."

"Wash your hands before eating."

"Oh……"

The three parents at the dining table looked at the two people over there and smiled. Even Wendell didn't seem to mind. Not long ago, he received a gift: a special fishing rod made by an alchemist. It was the kind that could reel in the line and adjust the hook by itself, and it was very easy to use.

"Merry Christmas!"

"Bang!"

Glasses clinked together, bubbles rose from the champagne and cola, making a soft hissing sound, and the mutton soup in the pot was still bubbling, the steaming white vapor blurring the windowpane.

"Loren, Hermione," Grandpa Bates glanced at the two of them.

"Um?"

When do you plan to get engaged?

"Cough cough..."

Hermione lowered her head, sipped her soup in small sips, and remained silent.

Loren thought for a moment: "Next autumn, the scenery will be beautiful, the weather will be nice, not too hot or too cold."

"Has your...your relocation plan had any impact?"

"The migration plan isn't about isolating wizards from ordinary people all at once; it's a gradual process," Loren explained in a language they could understand. "The first step is to tighten secrecy laws. A group of pure-blood wizards and isolated magical creatures will move there first—that's Ron and his group, Wheat and his group. Next will be half-blood wizards and Muggle-born wizards. We'll slowly reduce the number of magical creatures on Earth. It will take more than ten or even several decades to completely eradicate them."

"I see..."

Bates seemed to understand but not quite.

"Besides, it's not like we can't come back after we migrate. At least for a short time, we can live normal lives. We can eat when we're supposed to eat, go to work when we're supposed to go to work, and get married when we're supposed to get married," Loren said.

Hermione lowered her head and fell into a deep silence, sipping the piping hot mutton soup slowly, her cheeks slightly flushed.

Meanwhile, Monica and Wendell were enjoying their food, exchanging glances and knowing each other perfectly, with smiles always on their faces.

Under the table, Crookshan buried his face in his rice bowl, making happy slurping noises.

The heavy snow outside had not stopped falling.

……

The Scottish Highlands were colder than usual at the end of 1999.

Perhaps because the snowflakes were larger and heavier, and arrived earlier than usual, the forest next to Hogwarts was already covered in snow and ice as January approached, the ground was frozen, and the vegetation was covered in a layer of frost. In the heart of the forest, at the boundary between the centaur and unicorn settlements, lay a bare clearing, surrounded by towering trees and a simply constructed tower.

A group of wizards ascended the tower one by one, dressed in long robes, their expressions solemn. The badges pinned to their chests identified them as members of the British Ministry of Magic, the Magical Congress of the United States, the French Ministry of Magic, and so on.

The centaur Ferenze followed closely behind.

In addition, the open space was surrounded by a number of centaurs kicking their hooves, unicorns pacing back and forth, and drowsy eight-eyed giant spiders... with Wheat and other house-elves maintaining order at the scene.

Some of the Pukki and the fairies realized what was about to happen, their hearts pounding faster and faster, their expressions of excitement visible to the naked eye, their thin fingers clenched together, trembling slightly.

The Hogwarts professors were also entitled to go up the tower to observe, but they didn't want to get too close; the tower was too crowded.

Many wizards knew in their hearts that a new era was about to begin, a new world was about to unfold, and they were the witnesses who would see the curtain rise on this new era, the future created by the entire magical world.

Headmaster McGonagall and Vice-Headmaster Snape gazed intently at the young wizard standing atop the tower. Professors Flitwick and Sprout, somewhat wistfully, whispered about the amusing anecdotes their students had shared while studying.

Night gradually fell.

News came from the merfolk tribes scattered across various waters that they were ready. Representatives of pure-blooded families who volunteered to be the first explorers took out their communicators and also expressed that they were ready.

All the creatures present knew that everything was ready.

There was no exciting speech or complicated and lengthy activation ceremony. The rune array was activated, and preparations were made to link the space teleportation devices scattered all over the world.

Representatives of wizarding governments and magical creatures from various countries slowed their breathing.

"The Egyptian Alchemy Research Center has terrible aesthetic sense; they only consider functionality when creating things, and they're not beautiful at all."

Loren muttered to himself.

Many images flashed through my mind: Abraham, the Book of Fantasy, the other side of the starry sky, and the Fountain of Good Fortune...

I felt slightly dazed, but not nervous or wistful.

With a flick of his wrists across the pendant, the magic stone was embedded in the center of the magic circle. The magic of time and space flowed and poured in, instantly illuminating the entire tower. The crystalline and dazzling light shone through, illuminating the entire forest.

A vast magical force swept out, instantly distorting dimensions beyond reality and spreading across the entire planet.

Suddenly, a constellation of stars appeared in the night sky, as if the entire sky had been lit up, their starlight dazzling. On the ground, the space teleportation devices gradually glowed, as if responding to the stars.

Amidst the starlight and the dazzling, dreamlike light and shadow, it seemed as if several pairs of eyes were watching this scene through endless time and space. One pair was somewhat familiar, belonging to Ms. Daisy Dodridge from the space-time rift, and the other pair was also somewhat familiar, with black eyes shimmering with crystal blue light and a gentle gaze.

Loren was stunned, his eyes shining.

"That is..."

"Thanks."

In a daze, an aged voice came through the space, indistinguishable between male and female; it might be Merlin, or it might be the fairy Morgan.

The next moment, countless magical creatures from all over the world transformed into glimmers of light, flowing silently into the dazzling sea of ​​stars, traversing endless distances to reach a new world.

……

Fireworks lit up the banks of the Thames, making it as bright as day.

Dumbledore looked up at the magnificent sky, a smile on his face, and murmured to himself:

"The blue-black figures, stirring up waves at the turn of the old and new... So that's how it is."

(End of this chapter)