I, Hogwarts Second Time Around.

Chapter 350 First Encounter with the Gods—The Hidden Key

"The younger generation is truly formidable!" Mrs. Maxim murmured.

A strong sense of urgency arose in my heart.

In addition, Professor Lu Ping also looked shocked.

How come he's become this powerful in less than a year since he left Hogwarts?

Look—

Harry used a summoning charm to control rocks on the snowy mountain and hurled them at the Slander Legion with a skill almost on par with that of a novice Auror.

He frequently interacts with those apprentice Aurors.

Because of his werewolf identity, he was forced to wander in places like Knockturn Alley, where dark creatures roam, and the most common Aurors patrolling there were apprentice Aurors still in training, usually an older Auror leading a new one.

It's fair to say that Harry's current performance is enough for him to enter the Auror training camp and receive systematic training.

Of course—to become a true Auror, simply knowing how to cast spells is far from enough; Harry must at least achieve an 'Excellent' or 'Good' grade in the Ultimate Wizarding Exam (NEWT) in Herbology, Potions, Charms, and Transfiguration.

It's very difficult. The NEWT exam is extremely challenging. There are so many Hogwarts graduates, but only a handful can be considered truly outstanding.

But on the other hand, it's not difficult.

Because Harry has already met NEWT's requirements for some subjects, such as Defense Against the Dark Arts.

He'll only be in fifth grade in the second half of the year, so he'll have plenty of time to study.

I believe that in another year or two, by seventh grade, Harry might surpass her mother's seven excellences.

Unbeknownst to him, Professor Lu Ping's thoughts had drifted away.

Sirius Black also drifted away.

Actually, none of the four raiders had the best academic performance. They were only proficient in Defense Against the Dark Arts, Polymorph, and Charms. As for other subjects, let's not even mention them.

Lily was the best student. She was the prefect of Gryffindor and the president of the girls' council. She had nine excellent grades in OWL and passed seven NEWT courses. Apart from Barty Crouch Jr., she was probably the best graduate of Hogwarts since Tom.

It now seems that Harry has completely inherited his mother's talent.

For a moment, both professors felt somewhat gratified.

As for Ron, to be honest, he didn't perform much worse than Harry. His new wand, Dragon Nerve, was also suitable for casting powerful spells, but—how should I put it—he was still a bit clumsy. The frequency of his spellcasting and the angles of his attacks were not as skillful and tricky as Harry's. But in the whole of Hogwarts, there weren't many young wizards who could beat him.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

It was getting dark.

The seemingly endless army of ominous signs eventually succumbed to the combined power of the giants and wizards.

This is thanks to their dull and monotonous attack methods.

They either threw fire or spears, and their close combat was lackluster. Although their bodies were highly resistant to spells, the main attackers this time were giants, who used pure physical force, with each punch landing squarely.

This renders the high magic resistance of those ominous children completely useless.

Taking advantage of their size, the giants fought like wolves among sheep. Although they suffered casualties, they ultimately won the battle.

Follow up.

Irving did not participate in the cleanup of the battlefield.

He was exhausted, using the Origin Spell extensively, even though his magic was abundant and he couldn't stand it anymore, he was using a water pump to suck it out.

The potion you drink is just a tonic; the body isn't a dam that you can just fill up when it runs out of water.

The potion only relieves the symptoms; it doesn't really replenish magic power much.

After a quick dinner, he went to find Miss Granger to share a bed with, but she wasn't too keen. She blushed slightly and glared at him before running off to help clean up the battlefield amidst the amused smiles of the surrounding wizards.

Feeling bored, Irving returned to his tent alone and fell asleep as soon as he closed his eyes on the bed.

He was really exhausted.

Before I knew it, it was already the next morning.

The sunlight streaming in through the window dazzled his eyes.

He rolled over in a daze, as if he had pressed down on something warm and soft, and he instinctively leaned against it. He hugged that thing and fell asleep again.

Some time later...

Irving slowly opened his incredibly sore eyes.

"I'm going blind—I'm going to go blind!" he cried out in pain.

My eyes are so sore, I can't even open them.

Each time you try to control your eyelids to lift, it takes immense courage and strength.

He tossed and turned for quite a while before finally getting out of bed.

The bedside was empty, with only a faint lingering fragrance.

The wind outside the window blew through his full head of silver hair.

He remained in a daze for a long time before he came to his senses.

I got out of bed, washed up, and opened the bedroom door.

Downstairs, a few people who had already finished breakfast were sitting around the sofa.

A cold, stiff, headless corpse lay on the floor.

"Tch—that's really bad luck."

Slowly, Irving walked down the spiral staircase.

This is the tent Sirius Black used at the Quidditch World Cup.

It had several floors and was filled with all sorts of things: food, potions, and even items that could create illusions.

"Good morning," said Mrs. Maxim, her tone much gentler. "Breakfast is in the kitchen; I think it should still be warm."

"Oh!" Irving turned around and went into the kitchen.

Sure enough, a few pumpkin pancakes were found in the pot.

Eating his pancake, he swaggered into the living room, glanced down at the pale, stiff corpse on the floor.

He took another bite of the biscuit.

Really fragrant!

"The giantess of the Volcano tribe has confessed," Sirius said coldly.

He had no interest in commenting on Irving's good appetite.

"I brought Moody and Kingsley here last night, and they're trying to pry open the Titan's mouth."

"Oh?" Owen looked around but didn't see Professor Lupin, Hagrid, or Harry. They must be outside helping the giants repair their home.

"According to the giantess's testimony, these people are called: Godskin Messengers."

"The messenger of the gods?" Owen took another bite of the pumpkin pie.

Then he solemnly examined the corpse in front of him.

A long robe made from plump skin.

The peeled skin still retains oil, making it soft and elastic.

The apron has seven faces on it, symbolizing a poor soul that can withstand seven deadly curses.

The various forms of the furnace reside on its back.

The fleshy buds look very similar to the previous Forge Life.

But it's not that big yet, it's just in its nascent stage.

The person before me seemed like a successful experiment, while the ominous army that roamed the mountains yesterday was a failed experiment.

"The giants say that people wearing such skin existed thousands of years ago and sought them out."

They wield a terrifying black flame and corruption magic. The former can instantly kill a giant, while the latter can bring plague and physical mutations to the entire tribe.

Sirius continued with a worried expression, "In ancient times, they called themselves messengers of the gods, spreading the gospel of the spirits."

"Hmph—still the same old excuse, not a single word changed. Don't they want to sell the Indulgence Scroll?" Owen scoffed, but unfortunately, neither of the two wizards present understood the joke in his words.

"However, we didn't see them use black flames or corruption magic yesterday. Has the Outer Gods' technology declined over the past thousand years?"

"I've already heard about this from Harry. Indeed, this 'messenger' is different from the previous ones. Compared to mythology, it's much weaker," Sirius said with a serious expression. "Well, now it's Dumbledore's turn to worry."

He waved his hand, and the carpet on the ground suddenly moved, then wrapped the body and tied the four corners together.

"Indeed, the headmaster is too leisurely. We do everything for him, so what's the point of having him? Hmm—we need to find him something to do!" Owen nodded and said solemnly, "However, what I'm more concerned about now is how these creatures got here?"

"What do you mean?" Sirius asked.

"The giants have been trapped on this sky island for fifty or sixty years now. In those fifty or sixty years, nothing like this has ever happened before. So—why today? Why now?"

Irving's voice wasn't loud, but he immediately got to the point.

"You mean, someone brought this creature here? And recently?" Sirius understood immediately. "It's the Death Eaters! It must be them; they're the only ones who've come to the island recently."

"That's possible—but don't forget about the Italian Ministry of Magic!" Owen sneered, speaking bluntly. "Look at those bastards at the British Ministry of Magic; you shouldn't trust the officials at the Italian Ministry of Magic."

"No—no way," Mrs. Maxim hesitated. "The Ministry of Magic?"

"The British Ministry of Magic was able to hand Azkaban over to the Death Eaters and knew nothing about their conquest. What do you think the Italian Ministry of Magic, with its similar lineage, can do? In what way are they superior to the British wizarding officials? Do they have horns on their heads or tails behind them?"

He gave a cold laugh, then suppressed his sneer. "Alright, none of that matters. What matters now is that with such a large-scale operation, the Evil Stigma Legion couldn't have climbed onto the island. So the only possibility is that they were teleported there using a portal key."

"You mean there's a key on the island specifically for teleporting these monsters?" Sirius frowned slightly. He hadn't thought of that before, but now—thinking carefully about what Owen said.

That's certainly true—with such a large number of demons, numbering over ten thousand, it's clearly impossible for them to have climbed up the vines.

Even a door key is unlikely.

Such magical items have limitations, unless they are specifically designed for teleportation.

Like the replica of the Shangri-La gown in Hogwarts.

If that's really the case.

Their alliance with the giants will definitely fall through, because they can't possibly send people to guard this place, while the other side can continuously send large armies.

He didn't believe that with an army present, the giants would honor their agreement with them.

So now, their first priority is to destroy the possible key to the door. And they must do it as quickly as possible, without letting the enemy know that one legion has been wiped out, because they might send a second one.

"We have to find it," Sirius said seriously.

"We have to find it," Owen continued. "We'll have to spend some time turning the area upside down."

"No need," he refused. "You and Harry should go back to Hogwarts first; it's too dangerous here."

Hearing this, Owen rolled his eyes at him. "You talk like you can beat me. Besides, without me, you'd be lucky if you found the key."

He was the only one present who could sense the magical fluctuations.

He is the wizard most likely to find the door key as soon as possible.

Even if Sirius Black himself, along with other wizards, were to wander around like headless flies, he still wouldn't be able to find the key in a hundred years. The other side could easily find any cave; could they really tear the mountain apart and turn it upside down?

"Let's go check out the snow mountain first," Owen said, then got up and walked out of the tent without giving Sirius a chance to object.

Outside, there was an endless stream of giants.

The injured giants were all put together in a temporary tent.

Fortunately, the trees here are all very tall.

From afar, Owen could see Professor Lupin studying the injuries of the giants.

He was helpless. The decay left behind by the flames was like the withering of flowers in December, an instinctive decay of matter. He had no way to slow down this decay, and the only fate awaiting these wounded giants was to wither away.

Perhaps someone will save them, but they will have to pay the price themselves.

Irving shifted his gaze. The lush grassland had vanished, leaving only volcanic rock formed from cooled lava.

The clear lake was gone; his magic had caused unspeakable scars on the land. Water seeped into the cracks and evaporated, leaving the once oval lake with no discernible shape.

More importantly, the corpses of the Ominous Legion came from the snow-capped mountains. They flowed into the lake along with the snowmelt that had been evaporated by magic. The lake had now turned orange-yellow, like sewage, and emitted a faint stench.

The surrounding forests were also severely damaged; the fire of decay had burned most of them, leaving behind broken trees and ruins everywhere. The green curtain had disappeared, replaced by a desolate scene reminiscent of late autumn.

"Irving!"

A clear voice rang out from his side.

He turned his head away.

It's Hermione.

She was helping the giants move things; those must have been supplies brought by Sirius.

"Um—" Her cheeks flushed slightly, and she avoided his gaze, her whole body radiating a strange shyness.

"Ahem—do you have a way to restore the environment here? They don't even have fresh water."

At this moment, Miss Granger had become the commander of the giants. She raised her wand and controlled the supplies to fall onto their shoulders.

She didn't come over while she was saying these words.

Instead, she stood still and did not leave her work.

"No—maybe." Owen rubbed his head, his silver hair brushing against his fingertips. A faint floral scent wafted in the air, which he found familiar.

"This will take time."

Using the fundamental principles of ancient magic, it would be possible to eradicate this corruption, but—he actually had no intention of caring about the giants at all.

The moment the furnace life appeared, his first thought was to leave this place.

Honestly, what does it matter to him whether the giants live or die?

He doesn't even have time to fight for the giants yet.

Later, it was because of Miss Granger's sudden arrival and the Outer God that he chose to resist. Now, even if he had the ability to repair the surrounding environment, he would not take action, especially since he doesn't have any quick and permanent solution right now.

To expect him to spend time studying the corruption and expend energy restoring the environment here is simply wishful thinking.

"Is that so?" Hermione said in a low voice, then nodded and continued distributing supplies.

There was no hint of disappointment in her voice.

This is because having no other choice is normal.

She never imagined that Irving was omniscient and omnipotent; she just asked the question out of habit.

After all, he always manages to bring miracles to people, doesn't he?

Meanwhile, Harry and Ron were also helping the giants with various repairs to the camp.

Owen did not see Moody and Kingsley, as Sirius had mentioned, nor did he see the Volcano Tribe Titans.

It seems that their interrogation cannot be conducted in front of the young wizard.

Owen walked calmly past the young wizards around him.

He headed towards the snow-capped mountain, towards the other side of the mountain.

Along the way, whenever he passed a giant, no matter what the giant was doing, they would stop what they were doing and stare at him intently. Some of the older ones would even prostrate themselves on the ground, looking at him as if he were a god.

This is normal. Owen used Origin Magic, which summoned countless stars to fall. Such a scene would be so spectacular that even some conservative wizards would worship him as a god, let alone giants.

Along the way, the uneven earth was ablaze with filthy fire.

The orange-yellow flames corroded the earth.

Generally speaking, the fire will not go out until all the wood has burned.

As he continued deeper, a small beast suddenly appeared in his arms, seemingly defying time and space.

It's Sirocco.

Golden light flowed around its neck. Owen teased it, and then Sirocco took him and teleported directly to the summit of the snow-capped mountain.

"call."

"That's really high."

Standing here, it felt as if he could reach out and touch the sky. The mountain mist flowed from his fingertips, and everything looked so magical.

Looking out into the distance.

On the other side of the snow-capped mountain, there is also a desolate wasteland.

The Legion of Ominousness burned all life to ashes, leaving only a scarred earth.

In fact, just as he had sensed yesterday, these lives, shrouded in desolation, must have been the failed products of some kind of experiment; the feeling of that attempt was too strong.

This might be good news for Irving, indicating that the Outer Gods' invasion isn't that powerful yet, and he still has a chance of winning.

"Sirocco." He rubbed the kitten's belly.

Irving once again Apparated and disappeared from the spot.

Next, with Sirocco's help, he began a frantic search for the possible door key.

In the process, he also discovered giants from many other tribes.

Those giants, however, did not have the same lineage as the British giants who watched over civilization.

Their true nature is savage cruelty.

By noon, having found nothing, Irving returned to the camp.

(End of this chapter)