I, Hogwarts Second Time Around.

Chapter 199: The Centaur Chapter Ends

"Hey! I see you're still a bit hesitant, young lady. You know, geniuses always live in groups, because that sparks more inspiration. So, how about joining us?"

Irving's languid voice echoed through the snow-covered Forbidden Forest.

Roy, however, did not hear the sound of the blizzard at all.

She looked at the boy with a slightly intense gaze.

It's been so many years, so many years since I last heard that familiar, languid, off-key voice.

It's been so many years since I've heard that tender whisper amidst laughter.

Roy Sylph looked at Owen in front of her.

Watching him gesticulate wildly and try his best to fool Victor, who looked embarrassed, wanted to dodge, wanted to speak but was constantly interrupted by him.

For a moment, the image in her memory almost overlapped with the boy in front of her.

"Undine. Your last name is Undine?" She stepped forward and pulled Victor, who was already getting annoyed, behind her.

"Don't you know that we are saints?" she continued.

"Forehead"

What?

Are you saints?

So what am I?

Is it a fake?

Um—it seems I really am an imposter!

That's fine.

"Ahem, I'm an clerk for Director Dumbledore, the Saints' office at Hogwarts in the Scottish Highlands, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It's normal that you people from other locations don't recognize me." The atmosphere grew increasingly awkward, but Owen showed no shame whatsoever. He still held his head high and continued rambling, "I'm part of a highly secret front, you know? Directly under Mr. Grindelwald. My main responsibility is spying on and monitoring important figures."

"It's all for the greater good!"

As he spoke, he strode forward without a care for his image, grabbed Roy's hand tightly, and said, "It's a pleasure to meet you all, comrades from other positions. Now you know, we're family."

"."

A smile welled up in Roy's gentle, watery eyes.

Then a smile appeared on her face, like a flower bud unfolding.

Wow! Auntie, you have such a beautiful smile.

"Oh! By the way, my last name is Undine. My mom's last name is Undine, and she just changed it," he said.

"Call me 'sister'!" Roy gently tapped Owen's head, then asked softly, "What's your mother's name?"

"My mom?"

"My mom's name is really long, it's Gabrielle Undine. What? You know her?" Owen was also surprised. He had just learned that he had a mother, that he wasn't born from a rock, and then he turned around and met an acquaintance of his own mother.

What a coincidence!

"Hmm—then you really should call me Auntie." Roy nodded, then looked at Owen happily.

"I didn't expect you to be alive. Back then—I thought, Ms. Rosier—no—it doesn't matter anymore, you shouldn't be living in England now. You—" She suddenly became a little urgent, and then, as she spoke, her eyes glanced slightly and finally noticed Owen's Hogwarts uniform.

"You're a junior wizard at Hogwarts? Oh! Yes! Wizards in England should of course study at Hogwarts. Good heavens! Then you must have already met her."

"Wenda?" Owen bluntly uttered the name Roy had hesitated to say several times.

"So you've already seen her?" Roy sighed.

"Yes, I've met her, she's my maternal grandmother!"

A hollow sound travels through the forest.

Roy's expression froze.

She stared in shock at the boy in front of her, at his ambiguous, half-smiling expression.

"You know?" she asked.

"Know what?" Irving replied with a smile.

There was no hostility in his tone.

Roy could clearly sense that a thick barrier had suddenly been erected between them.

And just then...

The fallen leaves carried the news.

The sudden snapping sound of the tree branch was particularly loud in the night.

Someone has Apparated here.

Unsurprisingly, it was the figure Irving knew best.

Gellert Grindelwald and his head butler, Wenda Rozier.

The two stood side by side on the snow.

He watched Irving from afar.

"About your mother." Grindelwald gestured for Wenda to stay put.

I walked over there alone.

"No need to say anything more," Owen interrupted his grandfather.

"I do have that much imagination. After all, I went to school and know what 'Gabriel' means."

"God is my strength"

Someone poured their heart and soul into it, and then it became a cliché story: wizards and Muggles, half-bloods, Outer Gods, androids, and so on.

"My mother, forgive her mother for her mistakes," Owen said calmly, as if he were talking about something insignificant and unimportant.

He squinted, standing as lazily as ever.

Balk was playfully biting his collar at his shoulder.

However, the way those two feet stood upright and the two little hands grabbed his collar on either side looked particularly comical.

Perhaps it forgot that it wasn't a cat, but a dragon!

In the vast, dark, and cold Forbidden Forest, Owen displayed a level of tolerance that was hard for ordinary people to imagine. He spread his hands and calmly looked at Wenda. "My mother died for me, and she has forgiven you."

Hearing this, Grindelwald breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Then he quickened his pace.

The surroundings were cold on Christmas Eve, and the weather grew even colder.

The heavy snow showed no signs of stopping.

Instead, it's getting bigger and bigger.

The sound of their voices was already accompanied by thick white steam.

Only Irving's breathing remained extremely steady.

Almost no white mist was visible at the tip of the nose.

Grindelwald narrowed his eyes, his lips barely moving. He gripped his wand tightly.

He understands his "grandson".

He's not like this when he's truly calm.

When he is truly calm, a faint hint of arrogance appears on his face.

And disbelief exists, a terrifying calm.

"Now, her mother has forgiven her mother for the mistakes she made."

Irving smiled and glanced sideways at Wenda in front of him.

Just then, a gust of wind blew by, lifting his hair.

His eyes suddenly flickered a few times.

Then, she said kindly, "So, should I forgive you?"

"I don't think I'm qualified to say that."

His smile grew wider and wider.

"Shall I take you to meet her?"

"Avada!"

His speed was extremely fast.

Or rather, he never put his wand down.

A dazzling green light, accompanied by a jumble of noises, seemed as if an unseen Grim Reaper flew through the air.

"Take my life!"

The Killing Curse lit up.

Amidst the horrified gazes of the crowd.

Heading toward the excitement of Vynda Rozier.

Seeing this, Grindelwald, who was already on guard, silently and rapidly flicked his wand. His face was full of caution.

Sanchez's stance, emboldened by the azure blue, was instantly upheld.

He knew that the child in front of him was a vengeful person.

His initial act of generosity was merely an attempt to lower others' guard.

The killing curse was deflected by the force field.

The explosion blasted a century-old tree in half.

"Hmm," Irving's expression remained calm.

He did indeed promise his mother to forgive the woman in front of him, her mother.

But he didn't say what the way of forgiving would be.

Kyrie Irving's way of forgiving was simple.

Since Mom has forgiven you, I'll send you to see her.

"Grandpa~" he said lazily.

The wand in his hand was swung out even faster, this time not as a spell, but more like a wave.

"You shouldn't have used the magic I deduced to deflect my spell."

—Sanchez force field.

This magic was proposed by seven-year-old Owen. It is a global gravitational field with spacetime properties. Its field principle is based on the Infinite Stretch Charm and the Apparition Charm to create a force field that extends spacetime and can be used to dispel all spells and physical attacks.

This spell seems almost foolproof.

However, Owen, the originator of the theory, knew that this spell had a fatal flaw: it must not be interfered with by a spacetime force field of the same kind when it is cast. Otherwise, the wizard would not be able to determine where the dispelled spell was going, and the spell might even disintegrate on the spot, causing space to collapse and causing uncontrollable damage to the wizard.

It's somewhat similar to a failed Apparition Charm.

Limb separation is a blessing in disguise.

If you're unlucky, an out-of-control spacecraft could throw you off Earth or crush you into pieces.

The next second, just as Irving had predicted, happened.

A hint of surprise flashed in Grindelwald's eyes.

The swirling force field before him seemed to have been pierced by something, and the next moment, a dazzling green light, like a serpent, attacked again.

The speed was so fast that if Auror were present, he would definitely not have had time to defend himself.

But that wasn't an Auror.

That's Grindelwald, one of the greatest wizards in the world.

He reacted almost the instant the force field shattered.

The necklace adorned with the three sacred artifacts on her chest unfurled like flowing water, and from within the ripples emerged a nimble golden eagle.

It shook its head and flapped its wings in the direction Grindelwald's wand was pointing.

It charged into the green light like a valiant warrior.

Then the ghastly green curse exploded instantly.

The golden eagle crashed to the ground with a loud thud, like a falling fighter jet.

It then transformed back into a broken necklace.

"Phew~"

Irving raised his left hand.

Gray pupils, the green that existed in the outline converged towards the center, and short black hair, boiling in the wind.

A strand of silver hair fell from his ear.

Just now, he managed to withstand a curse from his grandfather with his bare hands.

As a world-leading dueling master, he unleashed a gray petrification spell when he transformed into a golden eagle; the spell appeared almost simultaneously with the eagle.

There wasn't a single trace to be found with the naked eye.

By the time Irving realized it, the curse was already less than inches away from him.

He instinctively raised his hand to block.

"Child." His voice was never gentle.

Like an elderly, serious grandfather.

As they spoke, tree roots, which had been wriggling in the ground, bound Owen's legs.

Grindelwald's feet sank into the snow.

He always exudes a magnificent aura reminiscent of the Alps.

Cool and aloof yet full of charm.

Dressed in Bavarian attire, with perforated leather and exquisite embroidery.

Leather pants, a wide trench coat, and high boots.

A sexy, sophisticated, rock-and-roll, and rebellious vibe is immediately apparent.

But Grindelwald himself was not as flamboyant as a rock star; his every move was more like that of a romantic poet.

If Dumbledore is the most traditional, classical type of wizard in Europe...

So Grindelwald is, in the writer's words, a warrior who charged ahead during the French Revolution.

A blend of romance and aloofness.

Passion and courage.

He stood ramrod straight.

A hand covered in scars and wrinkles landed on Irving's cheek.

"The past and what was once can't compare to the future," he said elegantly, his eyes filled with regret and seriousness.

"I apologize to you, Kyrie."

The scenery before him seemed to have aged, and Irving felt a slight tremor in his heart.

His once-sharp eyes lost their sharpness.

His face clearly showed his fatigue.

Even those hands, those hands looked as if they had been attacked by some kind of permanent black magic, covered with clear scars.

His maternal grandfather wasn't like this in the past.

They lived a secluded life in England.

He had previously lived in the Welsh countryside, which was the most carefree period of his life.

A gentle breeze, mountain streams, and soft meadows.

Back then, his grandfather often took him hunting in the surrounding forests.

Many of his strange and wonderful magical inspirations sprouted during that period.

Grandpa always managed to turn his ideas into reality.

Although his grandfather was stern and rarely smiled, Irving could feel something like home that he had never experienced before.

Later, they moved to London.

He still remembers that one afternoon in Diagon Alley, he taught the arrogant Draco a lesson, while his grandfather taught Lucius a lesson for coming to avenge his son.

That afternoon when the sun wasn't too harsh.

His mocking laughter echoed through the corridors of Diagon Alley.

In an instant, it was as if everything from the past was vividly before my eyes.

"You should take a break." Grindelwald noticed the complex emotions churning in Irving's eyes.

Like the layers of dragon scales with a pearly luster that suddenly grew on his arm.

Something is reviving within him.

At this moment, what he really needs is rest and a good night's sleep.

"Today is Christmas," he said.

The snow was still falling in the woods.

"happy holidays."

Grindelwald lightly touched Owen's forehead, and a strange magic wove together a spell.

Gradually, he suddenly felt a great wave of drowsiness.

It swept in like an overwhelming wave.

Irving still wanted to struggle.

He blinked rapidly, but the drowsiness was just too intense.

He even heard some kind of whisper in his ear.

"Let go, Owen!"

"Bang"

He collapsed into his grandfather's arms.

The world closes its eyes.

------------

Inside the Hogwarts Headmaster's office.

An unprecedented commotion was coming from inside.

"Voldemort, Death Eaters, Deathborn, and whatever other dark bugs there are." Sirius Black and Professor McGonagall stood together.

His tone was strong and agitated.

"In the blink of an eye, it seems we're surrounded!"

"Without a doubt, there must be some greater evil supporting everything behind the scenes. In the past few months, those evil guys have all started to cooperate."

"This is a huge threat to us!" Professor McGonagall said, frowning and looking worried.

"Wait, we still have to wait." Dumbledore sat down in his chair.

Tom's diary and the Muggle fantasy epic "The Lord of the Rings" were still beside him.

He calmly said, "Let's wait for Severus to return."

"We need some intelligence."

"That slug!" Sirius roared in fury. He still couldn't understand why Dumbledore would let a Death Eater be a professor at the school.

Isn't this like raising a tiger to cause future trouble?

Will he come back?

"At this point, he would probably be kneeling before his master, kissing his feet."

"Hehe~~~" Sirius had barely finished speaking.

The door to the principal's office was then pushed open.

There were two people who came.

One of them is Snape.

He wore a mocking expression. "Someone like you, with an empty head who only knows how to foolishly wave a wand, naturally wouldn't understand what true power is."

The other one is Grindelwald.

He looked perfectly normal, and after entering, he only said one sentence.

"Has the child not woken up yet?"

Dumbledore glanced at him sideways.

His eyes were quite complex.

"no."

Everyone turned to look; at that moment, Irving was lying in his office, sleeping in an armchair near the cabinet where the Pensieve was placed.

A curtain was drawn around the armchair to block out sound.

Dumbledore took a deep breath, then turned back to Snape. "How is he?"

"Dead!" Snape said coldly.

"Dead?"

"He's not happy with his new body," Snape said in his signature drawn-out, sarcastic tone. "He hates his youthful face, and—"

As he spoke, his expression suddenly became somewhat moved.

Then, while hesitating, he whispered, "Having been defeated by that curse twice, his purpose is now very clear."

"Really?" A hint of delight flashed in Dumbledore's eyes.

This was one of the few pieces of good news he had heard.

However, he still needs to study the plan in this regard further.

"What about the Ministry of Magic?"

"Fudge is dead." Mad-Eye Moody stood beside Professor Flitwick, leaning on his cane.

"The guy we locked up in the basement of the Pighead Bar is dead too."

"She's dead?" Dumbledore was taken aback; this was something he hadn't expected.

"In the final battle, the dark wizard and a group of strange wizards launched a frenzied attack on the Hog's Head Bar. Our people suffered heavy losses, and in the chaos, she had her soul sucked away by a monster. At that time, our people were all evacuating, and we don't know what happened afterward. We found her body at the scene after the battle."

Moody's magic eye spun wildly. "I can confirm that it is her corpse, and not something in disguise."

"Well, this is bad news," Dumbledore said calmly.

His gaze then fell on Grindelwald, who seemed oblivious to everyone around him, sitting in his chair with his head tilted back as if he were resting with his eyes closed.

The atmosphere in the office suddenly froze.

Everyone present looked at this former, most evil dark wizard.

If Voldemort hadn't risen to prominence, the title of the world's most powerful dark wizard would still be his at this moment.

"Venda is going back to Durmstrang," he said calmly.

"Some idiot abandoned his students; she's going back to be the principal."

(End of this chapter)