I, Hogwarts Second Time Around.

Chapter 369 Reincarnation Time! (7,000 words, plus 1,000 words from yesterday)

Inside the curtain—Irving is still confronting the gods.

The golden sword pierced through the dark clouds.

As the sun's rays shone down, the Tyndall effect was amplified due to the segmentation effect of the clouds.

The light shone down like a pillar.

By this time, the sky was gradually darkening. It was already close to noon when he left Giant Island, so it was normal for the sky to be gloomy after several hours.

Beneath Owen, the woman's voice continued to chatter incessantly, probably because she hadn't spoken to anyone for thousands of years.

She talked even more than him.

He was quite aloof at first.

As I was thinking, the woman's voice came over.

She was already fed up with the silver dragon buzzing around her like a fly, especially since Owen's strange magic could deflect all her attacks.

The physical spells had no effect, and the mental pollution had little effect, which made the woman gradually realize that things seemed to be getting out of her control.

"I am the highest mountain, the longest river, the end of all roads, and the destiny you can never escape."

"Face me, Starfire!" This time, the woman's voice carried a hint of anger, and her human emotions became even more pronounced.

"I won't bite you!"

Irving, basking in the sunlight, wore a roguish expression.

Before his greatness and glory, it's nice to be able to bask in the sun and get rid of the dampness.

He crouched on Bakal's back, squinting at the distant sun.

The golden sun clung to the clouds.

It was radiating its last rays of light.

However, it was the last rays of sunlight; its light could no longer obscure the entire sky.

On the other side of the sky, the sky had already darkened, and a few stars dotted the deep blue firmament, with even the moon's outline faintly visible.

Suddenly—suddenly a shooting star entered Irving's field of vision.

It trailed a bright plume of smoke as it streaked across the deep blue sky, performing some kind of maneuver.

?

Maneuver?

Irving blinked, confirming that the meteor was indeed constantly changing its orbit, right above him, and from his perspective, it was getting brighter and brighter.

"Oh—the east wind is coming."

Owen still held his wand, and with his other hand, he grabbed Sirocco from his arms and quickly threw him back into his backpack. Then he touched Bakal's back, and the dragon seemed to have a telepathic connection with him, and began to shrink rapidly until it was the size of a palm. Then it turned its head in confusion, flapped its wings, and looked at Owen, who was free-falling. Its eyes, which reflected the Milky Way, showed confusion.

"Go in."

He grabbed the dragon and threw it into his backpack.

After thinking for a moment, he stretched out his left hand to cast a force field spell without a wand, even stuffing the wand into his backpack.

Then, a spell was cast, and magic enveloped the brown pouch, propelling it vertically into the sea like a cannonball.

"Time to be reincarnated—"

Owen used his final flight technique to land next to the giant's eyeball and grab its eyelashes.

"Is it firm enough?"

He began to speak.

The giant, hundreds of meters tall, bent over, and countless rocks and the flesh behind them enveloped Owen.

The woman could see clearly that the spark in front of her had reached the end of its burning.

He no longer possessed any magic that could fight against himself.

She wanted to capture him alive.

"Yes—that's it!"

Irving watched as the flesh and blood gradually enveloped him, a look of pleasure spreading across his face.

"I once saw a hazy, dreamlike sea in my dream, a pale purple sea, in the gaps of the void, even the sun was fake, made up of a glowing mass of flesh and blood."

I wonder if you, boss, can withstand the real sun!

Go for it! Magical older sister—Go for it! Another version of myself in this world!

"Keep going! I have 100% faith that you can withstand this!"

"???" Owen's nonsense made the woman in his eyes look puzzled.

Did it go mad knowing it was about to be devoured?

As she looked on with a puzzled expression, Owen's rambling continued. He released his grip, the bloody fragments of flesh clinging tightly to his back; there was no need to hold onto her eyelashes anymore.

His eyes shone, and he continued in the tone of someone who had been through it all: "It's okay if you can't handle it."

"At worst, I'll just reincarnate! I'm an expert in this area. I've reincarnated several times already, and each time it's been better than the last—well—it's just that the time it takes to reincarnate keeps getting shorter—from my early twenties to eighteen and now to fifteen—I've been really unlucky—but, next time, who knows? And I can take you with me. You can be my cushion, a cushion to use up my bad luck, and then I'll probably be able to reincarnate into a better one."

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm giving you some pointers, you idiot!" Owen gave the woman in his eyes the middle finger, and as he was being swallowed up, he said, "Praise the sun!"

"Buzz!"

No sooner had Irving finished speaking than a second sun rose high in the sky.

In an instant—the golden curtain crumbled.

The blocked holes in the space have reappeared, and wizards and magical creatures can once again use Apparition.

In that instant—everyone forgot to cast the spell.

He just stared blankly at the sky, at the sun that illuminates all things in the world!

"Ah~~~"

"Ah—my eyes."

And then—they went blind.

The intense heat instantly burned their corneas. Only then did the wizard realize what was happening and quickly Apparated away.

Professor McGonagall arrived with Hermione, and Sirius Black arrived leisurely with Harry and Ron, who had just served as the backdrop for the starry sky.

They teleported directly dozens of miles away from this area of ​​the sea.

The sailboat piloted by the Gemini was quite unlucky.

The ship cannot teleport.

Fortunately, Tonks, who had rushed over to deliver an order for the wizards to evacuate immediately, discovered them.

At her suggestion.

A dozen or so wizards boarded the ship.

They submerged the boat.

After being enchanted with countless layers of protective spells, it was propelled several nautical miles away in the instant it was tossed and turned in the seawater.

The end of the world has come.

In an instant, the temperature of the sun's surface descended upon the sea, and the giant, hundreds of meters tall, didn't even have time to struggle. Whether it was rock or flesh, it was vaporized in almost half a second.

The deity suffered a severe blow, yet she was still trying to repair her body. The immense magical power and flesh accumulated over a thousand years surged wildly into her limbs as she fought against—against the sun.

This was her most foolish choice—for millennia, the struggle with her heirs had consumed all her energy on magic and wizards, leaving her with little knowledge of Muggles, especially Muggle weapons in recent decades.

If she had known, she would never have poured out her magic to try and preserve her physical body like she is now; instead, she should have concentrated her magic to preserve her core.

A single thought can determine life or death.

The temperature of hundreds of millions of kilos surged forth, igniting her entire being, even her soul.

And then—that was the end of it.

To those in the distance, it appeared as if a huge cloud of water vapor was rising from the sea.

Then, a shockwave, as powerful as a tidal wave, spread out at supersonic speeds. Countless water vapors were lifted by the explosion and flew thousands of meters into the air.

A layer of water vapor, resembling thick clouds, appeared in the sky.

The moisture was still expanding and spreading, looking just like clouds and mist from a distance.

Then—that spectacular scene unfolded.

A giant mushroom cloud encompassed every corner of the sky.

The spectacular mushroom cloud could be seen from dozens of nautical miles away.

The shockwave traveled for dozens of nautical miles, and a scorching wind could be felt throughout Sicily, the Yanin Plain, and the Greek coast.

More than an hour after the explosion ended.

People only reappeared on the nearby sea.

They dared not approach the epicenter of the explosion.

It can only reveal its true form at a distance greater than five nautical miles (nine kilometers).

It was Hermione and the others—the little witch wouldn't allow Sirius to get close to the center of the explosion.

There is still a very high concentration of radiation there that has not dissipated.

Even now, she's still maintaining the protective spell—I don't know if it's effective.

But in any case, she had to find out where the Gemini's sailboat was.

They wouldn't—

Miss Granger dared not think about it further.

They could only nervously gaze at the fog-shrouded sea.

"Curtain."

"The curtain has disappeared."

Although the sea was shrouded in mist, the fog was dissipating rapidly thanks to the power of the hurricane. In a way, it was a good hurricane—it limited the spread of the explosion to some extent. Even nuclear weapons could not destroy the creations of nature.

Now—without the intervention of the Outer God's power, the hurricane began to disintegrate on its own, its intensity rapidly decreasing, dissipating at a speed almost visible to the naked eye, and the remaining wind force—began to move slowly in a southeast direction.

It's likely that its intensity will decrease to a normal storm level within a day, and then continue to decrease, eventually making landfall in the region where Egypt meets the Middle East.

As the rain and mist thinned, the most obvious sign was the disappearance of the pale golden curtain.

This is what everyone notices at first glance.

"That kind of power—" the Dog Godfather said in a deep voice, "it's only right that it disappeared."

"Were the Outer Gods destroyed?" Harry asked.

"I think so."

Looking at the sea, Sirius couldn't imagine what could possibly survive such an attack.

As they were speaking, a lump of broken iron suddenly squeezed out from the sea.

When the wrecked iron piece surfaced and unfolded like flower petals, they realized it was actually a ship.

"By Merlin! We were almost dead!"

"Thanks to the guy who invented the Infinite Stretch Spell, otherwise we would have been turned into mincemeat." The twins' voices came from the sailboat that was no longer a ship.

The water pressure at the bottom of the sea almost crushed them, but thanks to the magic spell and the Infinite Stretch Charm, they didn't turn into sea cans.

"Thank God you're still alive!" Ron rushed over.

They were shouting and yelling.

"What are you saying! How could we die?" The twins cheered—then one of them punched Ron.

At the time of the explosion, they were about two nautical miles (3.7 km) away from the curtain.

The curtain itself extends over a nautical mile (1.85 km).

In total, they were more than 4.5 km away from the explosion. This is the biggest reason why they were lucky enough to survive.

Of course—compared to the excitement of the young wizards.

The others—especially Sirius Black, Professor McGonagall, and the others—didn't show the slightest bit of joy on their faces.

Because someone was directly bombed within 1.85km.

"Go back, and don't run around anymore." Professor McGonagall, with a stern face, suppressed the turmoil in her heart and glared fiercely at the young wizards.

Today, she's determined to take all the little ones home, and then have a good talk with their parents.

Then have a good talk with Dumbledore.

Then talk to Rozier, the person she least wants to see.

And then—and then—Hogwarts may have lost a voice forever, a voice that used to bother her all day, but now only emptiness remains.

"Yes! No more running around." Sirius turned his head to the side and said in a strange voice.

"But--"

Hermione gazed at the sea, wanting to say something.

She noticed the professors' strange expressions, but—under Professor McGonagall's serious gaze, she ultimately didn't open her mouth.

It seems that everything has settled down.

The dust-like moisture falling from the sky descended slowly, like a curtain being poured down.

What's hidden in the seawater is destined to remain undiscovered for a while.

For some time to come, this sea area is destined to serve as a temporary hell.

—————————————————————

A week later.

Italy – Sicily – Etna

This is the small town that Irving and his team visited shortly after arriving in Sicily.

A wizard's tourist destination.

However, things are definitely different now than before.

On such a large island, you can hardly see any people.

After that incident, even though this place is a popular summer tourist destination, no wizards will come here anymore.

Even next year—the year after—and many years to come, this place will experience a long cold wave.

However, it would be inaccurate to say that the town was completely lifeless.

From that tavern, also named Etna, a few shouts could still be heard. It was one of the few signs of life on this wizarding island.

"I live for this glass of wine!"

In the dimly lit tavern, besides the owner, there was only one customer left.

That was a strange guest; he looked quite young.

She has delicate features, long silver hair, purple eyes, and frighteningly fair skin, as if she has been playing hide-and-seek with the sun all her life.

However, this fair skin did not seem strange or out of place; instead, it gave people an elegant and mysterious feeling.

She was wearing an ancient Camelot court wizard's robe, predominantly white with various pink decorations.

It looks very childish. The last person to like such bright colors and magical decorations was Dumbledore.

Beside him was a dead branch, or perhaps a walking stick.

This wizard can wear large, petal-shaped earrings, comparable to Luna's, and it's also plausible that he uses a piece of dead wood as a cane.

"Another one, please, with ice and lemon," he called out energetically, sitting at the bar counter, holding a glass of wine.

The hotel owner, a wizard named Trisk, dared not neglect the man and quickly stepped forward to refill his cup.

He was so obedient simply because just now, this man had used a dazzling golden sword to blast open the door of his tavern.

Then, very kindly, he asked him if he wanted to buy alcohol.

He put the sword to his neck and asked him if he wanted to buy wine.

What can he do?

"Whoosh—ah!"

The man drank it all in one gulp, the cool sensation going straight down his throat into his stomach.

"This is what it feels like to be alive!"

"Oh! By the way, Mr. Trisk!" The man put down his wine glass, and with a gentle wave, the glass turned into flower petals and scattered.

"Can you tell me what's hidden in the secret compartment on the right side of that cabinet at your feet?"

The man spoke calmly, but it sent chills down Triske's spine.

His eyes were wide open.

A turbulent sea surged within my heart.

Damn it—damn it!

I knew these things couldn't be kept for too long, or something bad would happen—something bad would happen, and sure enough, something bad has happened.

It wasn't entirely his fault—he'd wanted to send these things away as soon as possible months ago. But because of the Great Maelstrom, the Ministry of Magic had sent many Aurors to the island. At that time, he actually had the opportunity to send them away, but being cautious, he decided to wait—perhaps until the Ministry of Magic got bored and withdrew.

It would be safer to send them away myself then.

But he never expected that what he was waiting for was war!

After that incident, the Italian Ministry of Magic sealed off the island, and now the entire country is under martial law. He can't find a way out or an excuse to leave.

Once his shady dealings are discovered.

Sentencing him to spend the rest of his life in prison would be too lenient; the worst-case scenario is that he'd be given Avada Kedavra and sent straight to the afterlife.

"Sir." Triske didn't dare to hide it, jokingly—he would only believe the other person was really just there for a drink if he had zero IQ.

Can an ordinary person accurately pinpoint the location where he hid things?

Lying is pointless and may even cause unnecessary trouble.

Therefore, he preferred to sacrifice the pawn to save the king.

"I'll give you all these goods, just let me go," he pleaded, adopting a very humble posture.

Hearing this, the man in front of the bar still had a smile on his face. He slowly stretched out his fair hand and waved it in front of the owner.

Seeing this, Trisk, being quite sensible, immediately bent down and handed him the contents of the hidden compartment—a briefcase.

"Hmm—thank you for your cooperation," the man said. "But—I forgot to tell you—it seems the Aurors already knew what you had done before I arrived."

As he spoke, he walked out of the tavern.

He had a joking smile on his face.

"What?!"

Triske looked at him in astonishment.

No Auror had ever discovered this place in all these years.

All of this stemmed from his caution.

If the Aurors had known about his shady dealings, would he still be free now?

So the truth is—that man had informed the Auror before coming to his tavern.

"You—" Having imagined everything, Trisk, in a fit of rage, pulled out his wand and shot a spell at the man.

The gray spell howled and struck the man who had already walked out of the tavern.

But the scene of the man falling to the ground that he had anticipated did not occur.

He watched helplessly as his spell passed through the man's body.

It was like the wind blowing through the flowers.

Blooming purple flowers were scattered on the road in front of the tavern.

The man, however, has vanished without a trace.

Only his voice lingered in the air: "Remember to surrender, Mr. Tavern Owner—well—although I like the human world, when it comes to individuals, actually, what was it again, well, um! Okay, I think it's better not to say!"

The petals drifted away, while Triske's face was filled with terror.

He stood motionless, his gray eyes reflecting the image of him being bound to a tree, but clearly—clearly there were no vines on his body.

—————————————————————

Meanwhile, in another corner of the world.

Cairo, the capital of Egypt, once the place where magic flourished, is a dazzling pearl on the Nile River and one of the oldest cities in the world.

When people mention Cairo, they naturally think of the pyramids.

On the vast, sandy plains, these magnificent stone tombs of ancient Egyptian emperors still stand, displaying the former grandeur of their occupants to the world.

Yes—the pyramids, hailed as one of the Seven Wonders of the World, are a testament to the glory of the ancient Egyptian dynasties, and they stand tall in Cairo.

Walking in the city, as long as your view is not obstructed, you can see it from any direction.

However, Egypt is not just about pyramids; ancient ruins are scattered throughout Cairo.

The last century, during the British colonization of Egypt, was also a golden age for the British Museum's flourishing development.

Ah—that's when we have to bring up that classic joke.

Question: Why are the pyramids in Egypt?

Answer: Because the British couldn't move it.

Yes—after a century of sustainable exploitation by the British Empire, the locals today, if not love the British, at least despise them.

This happened after Miss Granger got off the plane.

You could tell from the faint, almost imperceptible gazes around you.

However, it's much better now than it was decades ago, and it's a popular tourist destination for Muggles.

Millions of people come here every year.

Tourists from all over the world come here, which effectively dilutes the locals' hatred towards the British.

Wizards also love this place. The gods and ancient ruins of Egypt are beyond imagination. Traces left by ancient wizards are all over the country. Every wizard who comes here can feel the vicissitudes of history and time.

A journey for the soul.

"Miss Granger, this way please."

As soon as I stepped out of the airport, a group of young people dressed in traditional Egyptian clothing came to greet me.

They all wore loincloths, hip skirts, and Calasilis.

Because the weather was getting hotter, the girl in the lead wore a light and transparent Calasilis, a short linen robe made by folding a piece of cloth twice the length of the garment in half, cutting a hole in the center, leaving sleeves on both sides, and then sewing it together. It was a wide, draped garment with trim that reached down to her legs.

Hermione frowned because she saw a golden carriage parked by the roadside, pulled by magical creatures she had never seen before, and the Muggles around her seemed oblivious to it.

"You are—" she began.

"We are tour guides sent by the Ministry of Magic," came the pleasant voice of the girl in the lead, which was very soothing to listen to.

She wore heavy purple eye makeup, her eyes were clear amber, her lips were painted bright red, and her black, shoulder-length hair was braided. Her exotic beauty was unforgettable at first glance.

"My name is Nefertir, Nefertir Tali." He looked at the girl, who appeared to be about sixteen or seventeen years old.

He stepped forward, gently placed his right hand on Hermione's shoulder, and pressed his cheek against hers.

?

Miss Granger, however, did not dodge.

Cheek kissing is one of the most common forms of greeting in the West. However, this greeting usually only occurs between people who know each other well. Strangers will not exchange cheek kisses.

Moreover—this girl in front of me just kissed her, which is not in accordance with etiquette. Kissing on the cheek is not a proper greeting, unless it is between relatives, such as a mother and daughter or a son.

"Uh—hello!" However, this abrupt greeting did not give Hermione any other ideas.

Wizards, after all—it's normal for them to misuse Muggle etiquette.

Especially in the isolated magical world, and in other countries.

Perhaps the girl in front of him had only read about this kind of British etiquette in some book, and this was the first time he had ever used it. She should be more magnanimous and not fuss over such a small matter.

"I've heard your legend, Miss Granger. You're very popular in Egypt; all the little wizards at our school know you," the girl said enthusiastically.

"Thank you!" Hermione replied with a smile.

Her trip to Egypt was registered with the British Ministry of Magic, so it wasn't surprising that the Egyptian Ministry of Magic knew about it.

As for the school Nefertir mentioned, it should be an Egyptian magic school.

Yes—Egypt also has magic schools.

In fact, the so-called eleven magic schools in the world are actually eleven schools that have been certified by the Federation.

There are many schools that are not accredited by the Federation. Countries like India, New Zealand, and the Central African Republic all have their own magic schools. How could Egypt, once the brightest star in the history of magic, not have a magic school?

"The Ministry of Magic's investiture ceremony won't be held for a few days," Neferpitou said, her eyes gleaming. "The Order of Amon has never been awarded to a foreigner before!"

Amun, the sun god and chief god in Egyptian mythology.

Miss Granger was awarded this medal for her outstanding performance on the battlefield.

In addition, countries such as Italy and Greece have also applied to the Order of Merlin for the Merlin Medal.

With Hermione's contributions, earning a second-class medal would be a piece of cake.

Even at level one, it's more than enough.

However, the Order of Merlin is clearly not very applicable in the ancient land of Egypt. As an ancient magical dynasty, how could they recognize a medal named after a foreign wizard?

This is also why Hermione was able to receive the Order of the Amun.

"Hmm—" Hermione nodded, showing indifference to such things. This award ceremony just happened to give her an excuse to leave England.

Otherwise, she wouldn't have traveled all the way to Egypt.

The medal can be sent back to Britain, or awarded by the British Ministry of Magic.

While Hermione was talking to the Egyptian girl, her parents were curious about the golden carriage.

Yes—Hermione is traveling with her parents on this trip to Egypt.

Professor McGonagall's home visit caused her parents great concern and dissatisfaction with some of her actions.

Taking advantage of the awarding ceremony—she happened to bring her parents on vacation, partly to put their minds at ease.

(End of this chapter)