ตอน 384: 0383 The Journey
BOOM!
A deafening clap of thunder reverberated through the mountains and valleys, making the world shudder!
In an instant, torrential rains enveloped the world. The formerly glistening lake surface was now turbulent under the onslaught of howling winds and pounding rain. Forks of lightning slashed across the layered towers of Hogwarts, casting an eerily pale glow on the gloomy castle.
The rainstorm rapidly raised the lake level, swiftly overflowing the banks. When the surging waters were about to reach Bryan and Dumbledore, who stood facing each other in the downpour, it automatically diverted and flowed to other places.
'Darkness stirring once again, remain silent?'
"You've decided?" Bryan thought back to his previous speculation. Harry had almost completed half his schooling at Hogwarts. At some point, in the future, Voldemort would seize the opportunity to return. And Dumbledore, apparently with a clearer view, had already sensed through various signs that the moment of this impending disaster could no longer be averted.
"What prompted you to make such a decision?" Before Dumbledore could answer the first question, Bryan asked the second one.
"In the two months you've been away from Hogwarts—"
Facing Bryan, Dumbledore saw no need to beat around the bush. He calmly stated, "Severus had been repeatedly warning me in private. His past secret magical connection with Tom allowed him to sense that Tom was growing stronger—"
"Secret magical connection?" Bryan's brow furrowed slightly. He knew Professor Snape had once worked for Voldemort, but what was this about a magical connection?
"The Dark Mark," Dumbledore explained concisely. "I think you've heard of this 'intimate' mark shared between Tom and his followers."
"Tom has clearly received some form of aid, which has helped him partially overcome his wretched, barely-existing state after the rebounding Killing Curse stripped him of his body twelve years ago, though his Horcruxes allowed him to linger on. Knowing him as I do, he would never be satisfied and would stop at nothing to regain his former power."
"What aid? Who is helping him?"
In the current wizarding world, if you ask who knows the situation of Voldemort the most, it is undoubtedly the old man who has stood in the world for a hundred years. In this regard, Bryan is far inferior to Dumbledore.
Bryan's gaze locked onto Dumbledore's brilliant blue eyes.
"I don't know everything, Bryan—" Dumbledore managed a faint smile. "But Tom has always found a way to obtain help, no matter the circumstances."
"What do you think he might do?"
"As I've said, Bryan, though my aging mind holds a lot of information, I am far from being omniscient. More often than not, I can only rely on guesswork to deduce the course of events—"
"Then hazard a guess, Headmaster Dumbledore. It won't matter if you're wrong," Bryan smiled, observing the helplessness on the aged face beside him.
Amidst the howling winds and torrential rains, Bryan's smile shone like a beacon, dispelling some of Dumbledore's worries and gloom. A head taller than Bryan, Dumbledore looked down at the young yet unusually composed face, his own brow unwrinkling noticeably.
"Very well, if you insist, Bryan—" Dumbledore's voice lightened. "Then let us speculate."
Pausing briefly, Dumbledore did not voice his guess. Instead, he asked back, "You are familiar with Horcruxes, Bryan. Surely, then, you must also know what methods a disembodied wizard with Horcruxes might employ to regain their former power?"
In an instant, Bryan scanned the vast expanse of magical knowledge stored in his mind, yet as that knowledge flashed before his eyes, his brow furrowed slightly.
Not because he couldn't find anything, but because there was too much!
Modern systems, ancient systems, complete and fragmentary—magic capable of helping a disembodied soul regain physical form was not at all unique.
No one dares to claim that he is proficient in all magical knowledge. Whether it is Dumbledore or Bryan, it is difficult to lock in a specific magic that Voldemort might use from these.
Bryan gazed deeply into Dumbledore's brilliant eyes, and suddenly, a thought struck him. "You think he might use Harry?"
"That seems most likely—" Dumbledore turned his gaze toward Gryffindor Tower. "I suspect Tom has spent these years trying to understand why his magic failed against Harry all those years ago. And now, he has likely uncovered at least some of the truth."
Dumbledore clearly did not want to explain further, but based on this information, he had already guessed it.
It was only natural, then, to understand Dumbledore's request for Bryan to remain silent about the potential events that might happen at Hogwarts the next school year.
Numerous thoughts raced through Bryan's mind, but ultimately, the words that escaped his lips were, "Have you considered the possibility that Harry might still die, Headmaster?"
Dumbledore fell silent for a long while before wearily replying, "I cannot foresee everything, but I will do my utmost to ensure Harry's safety, Bryan. This will also require your assistance. Perhaps you will think that sending a fourth-year student to face the most dangerous Dark wizard in history is an act of despicable cowardice—"
"No—" Bryan shook his head. "That is your most admirable quality."
As the clouds dispersed and the sun reemerged, bathing the land in its rays,
At the school gate, Sirius squeezed in from the big iron gate, and he saw Bryan and Dumbledore by the lake from a distance.
"Oh, Bryan—" Dumbledore suddenly spoke, glancing at Sirius trotting over. "I don't know why you insist on visiting Azkaban without using the Ministry's channel, but regarding the prisoners there, I hope you will refrain from interfering with their peaceful lives as much as possible."
"I'll be mindful of that."
Bryan strode forward with a smile, waving at Sirius with keen interest. "I hear you went to negotiate with the Dursleys. How did it go?"
"Do you even need to ask!" Displaying no signs of dejection from being forced out of the professorship, Sirius trotted over with a broad grin. "Harry was right—that Muggle family is utterly unpleasant."
Sirius glanced past Bryan's shoulder at the distant Dumbledore and lowered his voice. "I threatened that nasty bunch. If Harry receives any targeting or unfair treatment while at their house, I'll personally blow it to smithereens!
I told them I'm an escaped convict, so I don't care about adding a few more lives to my tally. You should have seen their reaction, Bryan! That boy, practically the size of a baby whale, wet himself out of sheer terror!"
Truth be told, Bryan did not entirely approve of Sirius's approach, but he refrained from voicing his own opinions, and simply chuckled casually.
"How are your preparations coming along?"
"Ready to depart at any time!" Sirius said happily.
Neither Bryan nor Sirius wanted this adventure to be delayed for too long, but in reality, they were still delayed for two days.
Suddenly, a letter arrived for Sirius from St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. It was from Remus. After months of recuperation, the werewolf virus within Remus's body had finally subsided to a safe level. In about a week's time, he would be discharged from the hospital.
Remus, who had been stuck in the hospital for almost half a year, impatiently wrote inquiring about Sirius's recent plans.
Remus certainly hoped to have the company of his old friend when he was discharged from the hospital. However, Sirius needed to go on a journey with Bryan, which conservatively estimated, could take twenty days to a month. So, Sirius made a special trip to the hospital to apologize to Remus.
Nevertheless, there was something to look forward to.
After their return, the 422nd Quidditch World Cup would be just around the corner. Sirius planned to join Remus in picking up Harry from the Dursleys' home, and after reuniting with Harry's friends, they would go to watch the World Cup together.
The two sincerely invited Bryan to join them, but he had never been particularly interested in this kind of sport except muggle football.
The first half of this journey was generally comfortable.
They chose to travel by Muggle means, first taking a flight from London to the northern port city of Aberdeen in northeast Scotland, one of the major cities in the Scottish region.
The ferry from Aberdeen to the Shetland Islands typically departed at 7 PM and arrived the following morning at the port, meaning Bryan and Sirius would need to spend the night on board.
Despite the impending summer season in late June, the temperatures here were not scorching. Instead, a slight chill permeated the air.
BOOM—
In the dead of night, as the ferry sailed through the dense fog over the sea, it suddenly plunged from a height of four or five stories into the trough between the waves, causing violent turbulence that terrified the Muggle tourists sleeping in their rooms. Even Bryan was awakened by the commotion.
To be honest, Bryan wasn't particularly good at handling these less comfortable modes of transportation.
But there was no choice. When the destination wasn't precise, using Apparition wasn't a good option, and broomsticks demanded too much physical exertion, so wizards wouldn't normally choose them for long-distance travel.
Opening his sleepy eyes, Bryan glanced at the bed beside him; Sirius wasn't in the room.
His gaze penetrated the cabin walls, which had already let in some seawater, and Bryan easily located Sirius's position. After a moment's thought, he put on a coat, opened the bedroom door, and entered the narrow corridor filled with the scent of sea and rust.
Everything in view was chaotic. At the end of the hallway, a slovenly Muggle sailor had secured himself to the railing with a safety harness and was resting with his eyes closed.
The seemingly careless sailor was more alert than expected. When Bryan's palm touched the icy doorknob, the sailor immediately opened his eyes, gripped Bryan's wrist, and fixed him with a wary gaze through his disheveled hair.
"What are you doing?"
"I have a friend on the deck, and I need to find him."
"Don't lie!" The sailor bluntly called out this 'lie.' Straining his voice to reach Bryan's ears, he said, "I've been guarding here the whole time, sir. No one has passed through, and besides, there's a hurricane raging outside with waves as high as several stories. If your friend is really out there, he's definitely not on the deck. I reckon he's probably feeding the fish at the bottom of the sea!"
A hint of helplessness flashed in Bryan's eyes. "You're really unlucky tonight, brother. I hope getting hit with two Confundus Charms doesn't scramble your brain."
"What?"
Before the confused sailor could ask anything further, the world before his eyes suddenly became hazy, and his mind grew foggy as well.
Click!
The sailor unlatched the door, opening the heavy iron portal for Bryan. Ignoring the raging storm, he cheerfully said, "What lovely weather, sir. The sunshine is brilliant, and the sea breeze is gentle. I hope you have a pleasant journey!"
"Thank you."
Bryan politely nodded, stepped over the threshold, and unsteadily climbed the steel ladder to the deck.
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