章 605: 0603 Inside The Door
The dozen or so mysterious silver phantoms conjured by Lady Hufflepuff successively rushed into the stone archway, stepping onto the faintly glowing "path" hidden behind the door. Once they crossed the threshold, they rapidly disappeared like meteors streaking across the night sky.
Lady Ravenclaw sustained the hazy blue starry sky that permeated their chamber. The space where this enchanted starry sky connected with the stone door appeared distorted and warped, seemingly indicating that the relentless devouring power erupting from within the door was still ongoing, only barely restricted by Ravenclaw's magic. If this sinister force was allowed to ferment and grow unrestrained, it might engulf the entire castle of Hogwarts.
Time passed minute by minute, with an oppressive, suffocating silence enveloping the chamber. It was obvious to all present that Lady Ravenclaw was enduring unspeakable pressure and the strain of holding back the power was taking a visible toll on her.
Beads of sweat visibly formed on her temples and forehead, slowly trickling down her skin. Her complexion turned from snow-white to a sickly, ashen pale as she poured every ounce of her strength into maintaining the barrier. Although knowing he could not interfere with the events unfolding from a thousand years ago, Bryan still felt a bit worried.
Each second of the past few minutes felt as long as an entire year, stretching out into infinity of anticipation and dread. Everyone's gaze was fixed steadily on the stone door, waiting to see what news Lady Hufflepuff's strange magic could bring back.
Pop! Suddenly, in a certain second, crisp sounds unexpectedly rang out from the void, like firecrackers exploding in rapid succession, crackling a dozen times in quick succession.
The sudden noise shattered the tense silence and made everyone jump in surprise. Then, Lady Hufflepuff, standing in her original spot, seemed to suffer a heavy, overwhelming blow. Her face turned gray in an instant, the colors drained from her cheeks as her body uncontrollably recoiled, almost unable to remain standing under the assault of whatever force had struck her!
Ravenclaw's eyes moved slightly tracking her distress. The blue mist surrounding them swirled and merged, forming a chair behind Lady Hufflepuff, catching her gently as she staggered and fell as her strength was depleted.
Immediately after, Ravenclaw reached out towards the stone archway. The "coordinate" embedded in the threshold of the door zoomed out from the indentation, transforming back into its initial form in mid-air—a thumb-sized stone with a crack running down the middle its entire body a deep, black color that seemed to absorb all light!
The stone archway instantly fell silent without the coordinate. The black curtains clinging to the door no longer shook rapidly but returned to a slow, hypnotic swaying, as if comforted by an unseen breeze.
"Helga—" Ravenclaw's voice rang out, tinged with concern. Her powerful field magic dissipated along with the stone's removal. She looked quite drained and exhausted, even the collar of her wizard's robe soaked with sweat, but her condition still seemed much better than Hufflepuff's.
Ravenclaw quickly came to Hufflepuff's side, gazing at her dear friend with worry and concern. Hufflepuff had her eyes tightly closed, her complexion clouded and gray with the corners of her eyes twitching slightly as she fought against the pain wracking her body. It was hard to imagine what kind of horrific experience could make a legendary witch of her level endure such suffering.
"Our guess was correct, Rowena—" After a moment of heavy panting, Hufflepuff spoke in a trembling voice. She still seemed unable to escape the clutches of the pain that gripped her, "The path behind the door can indeed lead to that world. I sensed the aura of that place... Ugh—" She groaned.
"You need to rest now, Helga." Lady Ravenclaw said in a firm tone that brooked no refusal, her voice was laced with concern. However, Lady Hufflepuff stopped Ravenclaw who wanted to support her, shaking her head weakly. Her voice took on a new note of urgency as she continued, "The path is incomplete. I was violently expelled from the void and perished in the starry sea of magic depletion... Huff—"
Lady Hufflepuff continued speaking with great difficulty, "To reach that distant world, a complete coordinate is needed, and also... a truly staggering amount of magic. Constructing a stable path across the vast starry sea requires abundant magic far beyond our imagination.
But before that can even be attempted, this door must be sealed immediately... It needs to be separated from the coordinate. Otherwise, the magic-depleted starry sky lurking behind the incompletely opened door will devour all the magic of our world, bleeding it dry. It possesses the terrifying ability to destroy magic!"
'Destroy magic?!' Even Hermione and the others, who had been listening in a shocked daze, clearly understood the deadly serious consequences of what Helga Hufflepuff had just revealed.
If magic no longer existed, then the very essence of the wizarding world would vanish. All the wizards and witches would be reduced to Muggles, and those magical creatures and plants would also degenerate with the disappearance of magic, eventually becoming nothing more than ordinary beasts and vegetation. Magic itself would ultimately be sealed away in the pages of history, lost forever!
Bryan's eyes twitched fiercely showing a rare sign of agitation. His gaze towards that door also uncontrollably revealed a trace of dread, despite his best efforts to conceal it. For many wizards who had dedicated their lives to the pursuit and mastery of magic, this was a fate tantamount to depriving them of their reason for existence.
"I have never been as close to that alien world as I was today, Rowena—" Rowena felt Helga's hand trembling slightly where it rested on her arm. Through that trembling touch, she seemed to see directly into the blunt, naked fear that gripped Helga's heart!
No one was clearer than the four founders about the true extent of their power. So, Rowena was also clearly aware of how terrifying the things that could make a witch as powerful as Helga feel such instinctual fear must be.
"I sensed that they are still alive somewhere in that place... huff... The great war is still raging... If the darkness is not ended in the starry sea, it will eventually find its way back to our world... Everything we know will wither and perish... We must help that person from Salazar's house. Only he can restrain... He belongs to that world—"
Helga Hufflepuff was clearly exhausted, her strength nearly spent. Her palm slid weakly into Rowena Ravenclaw's warm hand, brushing against the smooth surface of that black stone, "Until that person appears... This coordinate must be kept safe and hidden... If we don't discover others who..."
"Salazar has always been quite busy with the subtle little abilities this coordinate stone possesses. He will be more than happy to keep it safe in his vaults and pass it down through his line—" Lady Ravenclaw said solemnly, "But you need to rest now, my dear Helga. You've consumed far too much of your precious mental and magical power today."
Lady Hufflepuff slowly allowed her eyes to drift closed, her breathing gradually stabilizing as she leaned against Lady Ravenclaw, finally giving in to her body's desperate need for rest.
At the same time, the chamber they were in began to shake violently, the stones were trembling as if caught in a massive earthquake. Everything in the memory world seemed to tremble and shudder, the once-solid surroundings became hazy and illusory like a mirage shimmering under the desert sun!
"An earthquake? Here, at Hogwarts?" There was a hint of absurdity mingled with outright disbelief in Harry's startled cry as he struggled to keep his balance.
"No, I'm afraid not. Lady Hufflepuff has lost consciousness, you see. This particular memory of hers has reached its natural end—"
Bryan explained in a deep voice, having experienced similar memory magics in past. The moment his voice fell, the sound of shattering glass plates came from the void all around them, filling their ears.
In an instant, the previously sunny room was plunged into complete and utter darkness, as if all the light had been sucked out of the world. The sudden, disorienting sense of chaos made Harry, Hermione, Ron, and the two little elves Dobby and Freodom completely lose their balance, falling to the ground in a pile.
The bone-chilling coldness that immediately enveloped him made Bryan shudder for a moment as his body and mind adjusted to the sudden shift. Swiftly figuring out where he was, he then waved his wand in a precise motion and conjured an illuminating light orb the size of a Bludger, sending it soaring high into the air to expel the darkness.
"Mr. W-Watson?" Reega, who had been anxiously pacing back and forth in front of the turquoise stone wall, gazed at the disheveled group that had suddenly materialized out of thin air before her astonished eyes. She was stunned speechless for several long seconds before suddenly rushing towards the dizzy Freodom and embracing her without any hesitation!
This entirely unexpected situation made even Bryan raise his eyebrows in surprise. However, he quickly suppressed his own emotional response and quietly observed this surprising scene.
"Are you alright there, Dobby?" The three young wizards staggered to their feet, supporting each other as they regained their body. After looking around, they also quickly reasoned exactly where they were now.
Harry gently helped Dobby to his feet from where he had fallen and asked him with sincere concern.
"Dobby is fine, Harry Potter, Sir. Dobby is just a bit dizzy, is all..." Dobby squeaked out, holding his head in his hands and continuing to sway unsteadily.
Hermione, still spinning from the abrupt end of the memory, thought of Freodom and scanned the room for any sign of her. She immediately spotted Freodom being tightly hugged by a clearly distressed Reega.
Hermione's expression froze in shock for a long moment as she tried to process this utterly unprecedented sight, and then— "Oh my!" Hermione exclaimed breathlessly, raising a trembling hand to cover her mouth as tears began to flow freely from her brown eyes.
She could hardly believe the heartwarming scene unfolding before her. Reega, the same elf who had so heartlessly abandoned little Freodom at birth without a second thought, was now taking the initiative to hug her daughter with every sign of motherly love and concern!
Harry and Ron were also shocked and attracted by Hermione's startled cry. Then, after noticing this scene, both of them showed nearly identical expressions of astonishment mingled with open doubt, as if they couldn't quite believe their own eyes.
Perhaps sensing the intense stares directed her way, Reega hurriedly separated herself from Freodom and jumped back as if burned, leaving a very confused Freodom looking after her sudden retreat.
Reega herself also seemed to be deeply puzzled by her own unusual behavior, and her eyes darted nervously as she stood there looking both lost and more than a little frightened by the intensity of her actions. Facing Bryan, she began to mumble, "Professor Watson, Sir... Reega was most impolite, she was..."
After silently shaking his head to himself in wonder at this latest unexpected development, Bryan deliberately shifted his gaze away from the anxious Reega and focused intently on the smooth turquoise wall at the end of the dimly lit corridor, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration as his mind raced.
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章 606: 0604 Leaving
Bryan left Harry, Ron and Hermione, and the three house-elves Dobby, Freedom, and Reega behind as he strolled towards the turquoise stone wall before them. A full millennium had passed since the wall's creation, yet it still exhaled icy cold winds, keeping the temperature in this terrifying and gloomy corridor at an extremely low level that chilled one to the bone.
There was no need for Bryan to ponder who had left the powerful, ancient magic upon the wall. Although it was claimed that 'love' could awaken the innate desire for freedom and self-determination within the souls of house-elves, Bryan knew it certainly couldn't be that simple in cold reality.
Otherwise, the kind-hearted founder Helga Hufflepuff herself would not have only saved one house-elf named Kiki while turning a blind eye to the plight of the other members of this oppressed magical race. Moreover, based on the long-held traditions and customs of house-elves, she had left this corridor sealed.
Bryan's fingertips brushed over the rough surface of the wall, occasionally tapping it lightly as if looking for its secrets. His eyes narrowed in concentration seeming to pierce through the wall's obstruction, perceiving the unseen scene that lay hidden behind it.
Harry looked on at Professor Watson with awe as he carefully explored the wall. He had never seen any wizard investigate an unknown magical object in such a methodical, thorough way, using only his bare hands and eyes, rather than frequently waving his wand about and loudly casting a barrage of spells.
However, Harry had long since learned that making loud noises and conjuring colorful smoke was usually a characteristic of those witches and wizards with far lower skill levels, and certainly not the refined, inconspicuous style of true magical experts like Professor Watson.
"Behind this wall--" The oppressive environment and Professor Watson's previous stern warning in Lady Hufflepuff's illusory office made Hermione afraid to ask her question too loudly, lest she disturb his concentration. She carefully tilted her head and looked towards the thoughtful Professor Watson with wide eyes, who seemed to have figured out the wall's mysteries and was now standing still before it, lost in deep contemplation. "Professor, do you think that what lies beyond is the same office belonging to Lady Hufflepuff that we all saw earlier?"
"Yes, it still lies behind this wall," Bryan replied slowly, not taking his examining gaze off the turquoise stones.
"Are you going to open it up again, Professor?" Ron asked eagerly, barely able to contain his excitement. Although this bizarre adventure had been startling and at times utterly terrifying, Ron knew there was no real danger as long as Professor Watson was with them.
If the hidden, private office of the founder of Hufflepuff House was brought to light again after a thousand years, it would likely cause a huge, bombshell-like sensation in the wizarding world!
"Can you do it, sir? Can you open the wall?" Ron continued to ask, bouncing on the balls of his feet.
Under the expectant gazes of his three students, Bryan pondered the question for a long moment, absently continuing to run his hands along the stones. Then, unexpectedly, he withdrew his hands and shook his head definitively.
"Opening this wall is not difficult, Ron," Bryan said quietly. "But unless absolutely necessary, I don't want to do this--" He took a few steps back from the wall, staring up at it.
Without waiting for Harry and the others to ask why, he stated his reason: "Forcing the wall open will irreversibly destroy the ancient protective magic of Lady Hufflepuff. But of course, that's not even the main point..."
Bryan's eyes took on a distant look as he continued, "Lady Hufflepuff has already revealed to us the information she considered most valuable through her recorded illusion. Regardless of her reasons for doing so after all this time, since she went to such pains to seal off her life's work and private living space, I believe that out of respect for the founders of Hogwarts, it is best we leave it undisturbed, as Helga Hufflepuff herself wished."
Bryan suddenly snapped his fingers as a thought struck him. He turned to look sharply at Harry, Ron and Hermione. "That reminds me... Reega told me that the moment you first touched this wall, you were forcibly pulled inside. Can you describe to me in detail exactly what happened at that moment?"
'The details of that terrifying situation?' Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked at each other, the fear of those moments still vivid in their minds. Although they didn't quite understand what Professor Watson was pursuing, Harry swallowed hard and truthfully said, "It was me who triggered it, Professor--"
Harry felt his breath coming faster as he relived those frightening moments. A trace of nervousness flashed in his green eyes under the eerie illumination of the cold blue light emanating from the corridor walls.
"We had just reached the end of this long corridor and discovered this blank wall blocking our path. I immediately felt like something wasn't quite right about it, that perhaps there were more secrets hidden behind this wall, so I approached it, wanting to investigate further--"
Harry swallowed again, his throat dry, and carefully recalled, "The instant I laid my hand flat against the wall's surface, the solid stone, it...it suddenly became soft. Then, I felt as if an invisible hand inside the wall had reached out and grabbed me, pulling me in."
"It was so sudden--half of Harry's body was embedded in the wall before we could even blink!" Hermione added, her voice trembling slightly as she recalled those horrifying moments with perfect clarity. "I quickly reached out and grabbed Harry's waving hand with both of mine, trying to pull him back out. Ron rushed over and grabbed onto my robes, trying to anchor us, but it was no use. The force pulling from within the wall was far too powerful, and it drew all three of us inside within seconds.
Even Freodom and Dobby tried desperately to save us, but then they too were seized by the strange force and pulled in after us. I barely had time to turn my head and scream at Reega to find you, Professor, before we were dragged through the wall."
Bryan nodded pensively, his brows knitted together as he absorbed this information. It was the same strange feeling he himself had experienced when he first touched the wall - an overwhelmingly strong, almost magnetic force that restrained his movement and tried to drag him into the wall.
"In other words--" Bryan narrowed his eyes at Harry, "Besides you, Harry, none of the others actually laid a hand on the wall itself? It was only you who made direct physical contact?"
After a few seconds of silence, Harry shifted uncomfortably under the intensity of Professor Watson's sharp gaze. He nodded uneasily, unconsciously reaching up to adjust his glasses.
Bryan's eyes flicked to the gold wristwatch he had given Harry, which glinted on the boy's wrist. With some new guesses swirling in his mind, Bryan pursed his lips and slowly nodded to himself.
"Let's go--" After a small sigh of relief, Bryan said to the three implicated students, "The adventure is over, everyone. There's no need for us to linger here any longer, enduring this cold. Let's make our way back upstairs, and then I have some important things I need to tell you--"
It must be said that the deep sense of security and safety brought by Professor Watson's steady presence was truly indescribable. Harry and his two friends followed behind Professor Watson. As long as they kept their eyes fixed on his tall figure even when passing by the terrifying expressions on the heads of long-dead house-elves on display on both side of the claustrophobic corridor, they felt only the tiniest flicker of inescapable fear.
More than anything, they felt a lack of understanding of the purpose behind such grotesque decorations, and an almost overwhelming sense of pity for the tragic plight of generations of house-elves.
When Bryan led the group out from the cold stove vent in the kitchen, the kitchen, which had become much quieter in the middle of the night, suddenly became lively again.
Though it was now the middle of the night, the kitchen was still bustling with house-elf activity as they prepared for the next day's meals. These elves seemed to possess some unique, magical ability to detect the presence of wizards, because as soon as Bryan emerged into the room, brushing soot from his shoulders, every house-elf present immediately left off their work and hurried over, bowing low and humbly offering their assistance.
Even those elves who had until a moment ago been sleeping, curled up on the cold flagstones or squeezed into the small, dark cubicles beside the massive stoves, sprang awake and rushed to attend the great Professor Watson.
Under such attentive conditions, and with so many long ears actively listening, there was no way for Bryan to discuss the night's events with Harry and the others. He simply waved the elves away with a kind smile and a few murmured words of thanks. Then, with a meaningful tilt of his head, he led his students out through the kitchen's door and back into the castle.
Returning to the warmth and regularity of the familiar torch-lit corridor hung with colorful paintings of delicious food, Harry, Ron and Hermione exchanged small, relieved smiles, feeling for all the world as though they had just awoken from a tremendously long and hyper-realistic nightmare.
Though in reality they had only been gone a few short hours, the bizarre and terrifying experiences they had endured, not to mention the millennium's worth of tragic history they had learned, left them feeling utterly drained of energy.
Bryan also noticed their fatigue. He looked around to confirm there were no other students, then said bluntly, "I'll get straight to the point, everyone. I think you all realize that the scene from past we just witnessed in Lady Hufflepuff's office is very important."
Ron opened his mouth as if to argue, but then seemed to think better of it. He shrank his head down between his shoulders a bit, looking guilty for his initial reaction.
But really, could you blame him? The adventure they had just experienced was by far the most incredible thing that had happened to him in his entire life - and coming from a student that spent three and a half years at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, that was truly saying something!
In just a few hours, they had witnessed firsthand a remarkable, completely unknown piece of the castle's secret history that would surely land them in the "Hogwarts: A History" - if they were ever allowed to tell anyone about it, that is...
But important? ... After all, it was something from a thousand years ago, right?
In Ron's view, surely any problems the Founders had faced in their time, any threats to the school, would have been discovered and dealt with by now. Right?
Whether it was those creepy Dementors, that scary door, the mysterious coordinates, the Halows (whatever those were), in terms of shock value, they weren't as good as Rowena Ravenclaw and Godric Gryffindor having a child together!
"Now, whether it's you three," Bryan narrowed his eyes at Harry, Ron and Hermione, "or you--" He then turned his gaze on the three trembling house-elves, "I absolutely forbid any of you from breathing a word of what you saw or learned in Lady Hufflepuff's vision to others."
"Oh--" Ron couldn't stop himself from voicing his sudden, crushing disappointment. "We can't tell anyone? Not ever?"
He exchanged a crestfallen look with Harry and Hermione. The idea of having experienced something so important, and not being able to share it with anyone...it was excruciating!
He had been so looking forward to casually mentioning to literally everyone he had ever met how he was basically now an expert in the secret love lives of the Hogwarts Founders...
Harry, at least, had been half-expecting another stern reiteration of Professor Watson's requirement for absolute secrecy. But still, he frowned at the decisiveness of it. He didn't quite understand the significance of the Professor's request either.
As far as Harry could see, if the rest of the Wizarding World knew the real reason those evil creatures called Dementors were magically bound to obey the orders of the Ministry of Magic, it would make Rowena Ravenclaw, the founder of Ravenclaw House, look like even more of a hero! And surely that could only be a good thing for Hogwarts' reputation, couldn't it?
Harry and the others thought Professor Watson would sternly emphasize his demand for their silence again, but to their great surprise, after a long, contemplative moment, His frown softened slightly.
"If, one day, Headmaster Dumbledore himself takes the initiative to directly ask you about what took place here tonight, then then it's not that you can't tell him."
The three teenagers nodded vigorously, shocked at this small concession. But then the meaning of the Professor's words sunk in.
Headmaster Dumbledore would have to not only find out that something had happened, but then actually ask them about it point blank? But how would the Headmaster ever even know to inquire, if they weren't allowed to tell him anything in the first place?
Harry shot a quick, confused glance at Hermione, who looked just as perplexed as he felt. It seemed Professor Watson had just set up a complicated logical loop. Unless...did the Professor, intend to inform Dumbledore about this himself?
Hermione blinked rapidly, her mind whirling with possibilities, half-formed suspicions, and a dozen branching theories. But Professor Watson was speaking again drawing their attention.
"And I sincerely hope, that none of you have forgotten the previous instruction I gave you earlier, in Lady Hufflepuff's office."
Harry was confused for a moment, then immediately remembered the matter regarding that name. Seeing the three little ones agreeing one after another, Bryan nodded with satisfaction. He looked at the three house-elves and hesitated for a moment before deciding to give up on doing anything with them.
These house-elves belonging to Hogwarts had to follow his orders. Moreover, on the way back from the centaur elder Horn earlier, some of Dumbledore's advice still made sense.
"Then hurry back." Bryan rubbed his brow, looking a bit tired. For him, tonight's gains were really too great. He also needed to rest for a while and think carefully.
"Uh—" Hermione blinked in surprise, looking as if she wanted to say something but hesitated. Harry and Ron, who understood her, desperately winked at her.
"What's wrong?" Bryan asked strangely.
"Punishment." Hermione took a deep breath, her face flushed red as she stammered, "We-- we violated school rules, Professor--"
"Oh, this matter--" Bryan patted his forehead and glanced at the dejected Harry and Ron with a wry smile. After some thought, "Then go clean the classrooms. You three, before the Christmas holiday, after each class, you will be responsible for the cleanliness of the physical education classroom. Um, no magic allowed--"
"Is this really necessary?" Watching Professor Watson quickly leave, Harry looked at Hermione and said with an aggrieved face.
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