I, Hogwarts Second Time Around.

Chapter 510 You, on Behalf of Ying

(This chapter has been revised)

"What happened?" Ron looked up at Owen in surprise. He didn't understand why he was so nervous. Voldemort was dead. Wasn't that a good thing?

"Disturbling – Fear – Threat – Self-Destruction".

"The Death Eaters represent the most elite group of wizards in the magical world. If they lose to Muggles, what a huge shock that would be to those pure-bloods or those who have always held wizard supremacy, and it would inevitably cause chaos."

It now seems almost inevitable that this chaos will occur unless the Ministry of Magic chooses not to report it. Professor Dumbledore is able to negotiate a mutually beneficial solution with the Muggle Prime Minister.

"That"

The complexity of the situation far exceeded the comprehension of the three of them. They had no idea what to do next, what they should do, or whether Professor Dumbledore could succeed. They could only stare blankly at Owen.

"They'll reach an agreement," Owen suddenly smiled, a charming curve forming at the corners of his mouth, and said, "because their god is our man."

"God? Our people?"

"Eternal King." The silver-haired boy chuckled, his laughter carrying sarcasm and mockery, as well as an ancient aura. His voice echoed in the school infirmary, distant and somewhat eerie.

That's not something humans can possess.

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.

Harry was discharged from the hospital the following day.

Hermione still hasn't returned.

Over the next few days, October was already behind us.

Just as Owen had guessed, the Ministry of Magic remained silent about the war in London. The Daily Prophet never published any specific details about the war.

It simply states firmly in an inconspicuous corner: "On October 26, 1996, Death Eaters attacked London and clashed with Muggle troops. Ministry of Magic reinforcements arrived and defeated the invading enemy."

That's all.

This perfunctory report, which uses even simpler language than what you would use to coax a child, is hardly believed by anyone.

The wizards had to find the truth themselves, which was difficult, but within a few days, rumors, like the Black Death five hundred years ago, invaded the minds of every wizard.

As if they had truly contracted the disease, every wizard who learned the 'truth' began to act strangely.

The seemingly true yet false information was swallowed whole by greedy people.

The clouds obscured the moon.

The already dim world was plunged into an even deeper darkness.

However, some people still learned the whole truth.

For example, the Malfoy family.

From the moment the Battle of London broke out, Lucius disappeared with his wife at Malfoy Manor.

With his abilities, it wouldn't be difficult for him to find a place where Voldemort couldn't find him and continue living a comfortable life, especially with the help of the Saints behind him.

Perhaps in France—perhaps in Australia, New Zealand, or some other remote corner of the world.

When the truth about London reached Lucius's ears, madness and insanity arrived simultaneously.

The collapse of his faith led the Muggle to almost deny everything that he and his family had upheld for centuries.

They were like clowns, laughable actors in a farcical drama in the eyes of Muggles.

Honor and pride were slowly and brutally torn apart by the shrewd butcher, leaving only pale, sinister bones bound to the stage, swaying and colliding.

Every collision was met with the grotesque mockery of the Muggles.

The ridicule will accompany their remaining mental fading forever.

People are seeking the truth, and the Daily Prophet has begun to report extensively on something else.

Victor Norton. A wizard with dark brown hair, black eyes, and skin as white as a white wall, who is lame in one leg.

This is the second time he has appeared on the front page of The Daily Prophet.

It's even longer than the first time he was awarded the Order of Merlin, Second Class, for inventing a magical machine to save people from mild Omen infections.

For a whole week, the editors of the Daily Prophet ran the front page headline, listing almost every form of dark magic that the "Glimmer" could cure, exhausting all their efforts.

On Halloween, the Alchemy Society personally traveled to Hogwarts and held a grand awards banquet in the Great Hall, attended by all the professors and people of name in the wizarding world.

An old wizard, Celsus Kunrath, the legendary alchemist, personally handed Viktor a Philosopher's Stone-shaped trophy and the Order of Merlin, First Class.

The crowd cheered, and with the deliberate manipulation of certain individuals, the atmosphere became so enthusiastic that it seemed as if the cold snow outside the window was merely an illusory projection.

Only after leaving the hall, feeling the cold wind on their faces and calming their agitated hearts, and looking up at the dark, snowy winds outside the gate that seemed capable of swallowing people whole, would they realize that the magical world was undergoing a terrible transformation unlike anything ever recorded in history.

The Halloween holiday has flown by.

Hermione still hasn't returned.

Justin started subscribing to Muggle newspapers, just like Hermione, hoping to see the truth from another perspective.

Compared to the silence of the magical world, the reports in the London newspapers were much more abundant.

The Daily Mail, The Sun, The Times, and The Guardian all provided detailed accounts of the entire war, detailing how Muggles fought wizards, the costs they paid, the casualties, the economic losses, and so on—in great detail.

These newspaper reports sparked a new round of discussions among the young wizards, because in these articles, it seemed that Muggles could always anticipate the enemy's moves and have the upper hand in every way, while wizards were like pathetic pieces of wood, being manipulated in all sorts of ways.

Many people, especially the young wizards of Slytherin, scoffed at this, believing it to be a face-saving attempt by Muggles. How could they possibly anticipate their enemies' moves? Were all Muggles born Legilimency?

Wizards from other colleges also had their complaints, because the newspapers portrayed wizards as too foolish.

Ernie seized on this point and opened fire on Justin relentlessly.

Justin didn't have a good explanation this time either, because even he thought the newspaper reports were too absurd.

It's almost comparable to a story or novel.

But soon, his thoughts would vanish.

A few days later, Justin received a letter from his parents.

He had sent a letter home as early as the second day of the war.

For some reason, it took so long for the reply to reach Hogwarts.

Justin's mother replied that they were on holiday in Wales on the day the war broke out, not at their home in London, and were therefore safe and sound.

This relieved him. Although Ernie's taunts had been bothering him and making him very irritable, seeing his mother's familiar handwriting calmed Justin down a little.

The next day, at breakfast, Colin approached Justin, a fellow Muggle-born wizard who was now an ally.

Colin said his father’s reply had arrived, and they had also been fortunate enough to escape the war in the Scottish countryside.

Then came Dean. His letter arrived from his mother, saying that his family had won some kind of prize from the Daily Mail and had spent the money to buy a house in the Welsh countryside. His mother made this decision because Dean was a wizard, afraid that others would know that her child was different.

And so on—there were also a dozen or so wizards who all received replies from their families yesterday, their families having luckily escaped the war.

For various reasons.

At first, everyone was quite happy.

But gradually...

Suddenly it dawned on me.

Immediately afterwards, an overwhelming sense of fear and tension enveloped everyone's minds.

In the darkness, countless threads seemed to connect them, pulling at their fates, as if a giant hand had gripped their necks, and Justin suddenly found it hard to breathe.

He could see a green eye staring coldly at him not far away, a mocking smile on its lips, its expression a scornful mockery of his helplessness and stupidity.

"call--"

"call--"

Suddenly, the colors around them returned, and the darkness retreated back into the unknown demon realm.

This time Justin saw clearly that the owner of those eyes was Irving.

He was staring at himself and laughing.

"Britain?" he uttered the phrase, experiencing firsthand just how powerful a nation truly is.

It is clear that someone deliberately evacuated their parents from London ahead of time.

There is only one organization with both the capability and the resources: the nation situated on this land!

A palpable fear gripped their reason.

This power, which comes from the unknown and can freely control or determine parts of their lives, naturally instills a genuine fear in a group of young, innocent wizards.

Especially Justin, whose family were upper-class Londoners, naturally knew some of the truth. The inhumane acts of the British Empire were countless; for centuries it had done almost nothing good. All it brought to the land was chaos, division, hatred, and death.

On this planet, whenever there is conflict between nations or hatred between ethnic groups, in most cases you will see a despicable figure waving the Union Jack.

If one day wizards and Muggles in the UK were to merge into one city, and the Ministry of Magic were to become part of the government cabinet, he would be the first to oppose it.

His conscience prevented him from standing by and watching the suffering that the British had inflicted on Muggles once again befall wizards.

Clearly, Justin's entry into Hufflepuff was destined.

But the future is as chaotic as a stew, and he has no way of deciding whether the soup will taste sweet or salty.

Because the person holding the spice box was not him.

But -

Owen watched indifferently as the madness gradually unfolded within the castle.

The truth about the Battle of London became increasingly terrifying as it was told within the castle.

Regardless of the outside world, the Ministry of Magic successfully suppressed the heat of the war through the Daily Prophet. Inside Hogwarts, London was always the city they talked about most often.

The hype continued until the Quidditch match began.

Normally, Hogwarts Quidditch matches are held on Saturday, the first Saturday after the Halloween holiday.

Two matches will be held throughout November.

They are Gryffindor versus Slytherin.

Ravenclaw vs. Hedgehog.

Since being discharged from the hospital, Harry has been busy developing game strategies.

Due to the Halloween holiday and the increasingly cold weather, their training time has been significantly reduced.

Therefore, we can only engage in theoretical tactics and strategies.

This almost certainly indicates that their competition will not be easy.

Sure enough, although Harry tried his best to improve the team's strength in October, his new members still had too little time to gel.

Ginny played very well as a batter, but her coordination with the other new batter was terrible; they could barely control the trajectory of the Quaffle. They could only play defensively.

Ron's performance as goalkeeper was also unsatisfactory; he was a bit nervous and had too many thoughts.

Perhaps it's because he's been following top clubs for so many years and knows too many tactical maneuvers.

It's more likely because Koyatl, and Owen, who was pulled over by Hannah, were sitting in the audience.

During the game, he always wanted to do something cool, and he wanted to perform all the tactical moves he knew, which was the beginning of the disaster.

Ron couldn't possibly have practiced and mastered all those tactical maneuvers. He had only seen others use them, and when he tried to use them himself, he appeared inexperienced and naive.

When the first ball wasn't defended, Ron's tension was amplified, and he kept losing the ball until Harry noticed his unusual state and flew over to comfort him, which calmed Ron down.

But this has already widened the gap between them and the Slytherins.

The score began to widen, and Harry became increasingly anxious, starting to search for the Golden Snitch throughout the stadium, high in the misty sky.

This is difficult.

The hazy mist seems to have a hypnotic effect. If you stare at it for too long, your mind will be swallowed by the swirling mist, your mental strength will drop significantly, you will become drowsy, and you may even encounter more dangerous situations.

Harry has the ability to handle these things.

Draco seemed somewhat reluctant.

His broom wobbled as he struggled to keep up with Harry.

The match lasted for more than two hours.

Under the combined blows of the cold wind and the light snow, the enthusiasm of the young wizards in the stands began to wane rapidly.

Kyrie Irving had wanted to leave for a long time.

But Hannah and Zacharys Smith kept stopping him, saying he needed to learn from the experience and understand his opponents.

That reason sounds really funny.

What level is the Hufflepuff Quidditch team at now?

Zachary Smith has become the captain, while Kadwalad and Shabby joined the team after Cedric.

Their strength is barely enough; they can only manage to go toe-to-toe with the weaklings of Ravenclaw.

Irving didn't want to argue with them, and the game ended twenty minutes later.

Gryffindor had been trailing in points, but Harry pulled off a stunning comeback by catching the Golden Snitch, winning 150 points and giving them a 70-point lead in the overall standings.

Irving believes that if the game lasts for more than ten minutes, there is a possibility that even if Harry catches the Golden Snitch, he might not be able to win.

Harry left the field with a cold expression.

Without a doubt, it must be the spirits of Wood and Angelina, the Gryffindor Quidditch captains throughout history. Their team members are about to face brutal training.

A week later, the match between Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw began.

Amidst the roar of "Hufflepuff!" from the crowd, Cho Chang predictably caught the Golden Snitch.

The match lasted less than ten minutes from start to finish.

Because Irving dawdled as he left the house, and hadn't even had a chance to climb into the stands, he saw Hannah, Linnie, Justin, and Susan walking towards him with dark faces.

"Oh ho—"

Irving was quite happy that he didn't have to endure the cold wind anymore.

Soon after, Zachary Smith also came over. He was wearing a brown Quidditch suit, holding a broom, and had a mournful face. Like his teammates behind him, he walked silently toward the castle.

They were defeated, defeated so badly, defeated so quickly, that the young wizards of Hufflepuff were heartbroken.

The illusions of the remnants of Cedric's era crumbled and disintegrated, like a pile of broken mirrors.

Owen did not return to the castle with the others.

The reason he could climb out of his dormitory in the cold winter was naturally not Quidditch.

After saying goodbye to everyone, Irving headed towards the Screaming Shack.

He had been in contact with Bellatrix ever since the end of the war.

He needed to know Voldemort's condition.

For nearly a month, Bellatrix had consistently agreed to meet with him, but Kreacher relayed a message saying that she needed to wait and wait a while longer.

Irving continued walking.

The surrounding area began to be shrouded in mist again.

He knew this was a weather curse, and the way to break it was to withdraw the cloud curse.

Dumbledore was a master of using these spells.

It's a standard tool used by wizards to conceal themselves during secret meetings.

Of course, you have to be mindful of your surroundings when using it. If you use this spell on a sunny beach in Hawaii at 2 pm, it won't be a concealment anymore.

Fortunately, the weather in the Scottish Highlands is perfect today.

On cloudy days common in winter, abundant moisture rises from the Atlantic Ocean and is then blocked by the highlands of the Scottish mountains. The moisture cools and often forms fog.

The fog had been lingering around the castle for a week, and the curse had only amplified its effects.

Irving walked into the woods.

He gave Bellatrix time, and today is the day they agreed upon.

The meeting place was set at the Screaming Shack.

Snowflakes gradually began to fall from the sky.

The white sprites drifted down silently, as if summoned from a forgotten dimension, draping the forest in a pale and indifferent cloak.

The trees at the edge of the forbidden forest, twisted and tall, their branches like ancient tentacles, swayed gently in the cold wind, emitting a low, eerie sound. Snowflakes fell on their branches, forming thick white patches that contrasted sharply with the black trunks, making the entire forest appear even more sinister and terrifying.

Deep within, a thick fog hung in the air, as if an unseen entity was quietly awakening. Whenever the wind blew, the fog surged like a ghost awakened, bringing with it a chilling cold. Within the fog, strange shapes were vaguely visible, seemingly writhing and deforming, yet remaining elusive.

(End of this chapter)