Homecoming from Hogwarts

Even the owl that delivered the letter realized that this was an ominous place surrounded by a curse.

After removing the letter from its feet, it didn't even ask for food or water. Instead, it stretched its wings, jumped up from the windowsill, and stumbled away.

The old man looked at the owl in silence until the owl became a black dot in his sight and his eyes met the faint light in the sky.

There is no day or night in this eternal land.

It is hard to say whether the faint light in the sky is the morning glow before the rising sun or the last ray of evening light before darkness.

In the dim room, the old man finally unfolded the letter. The sharp and restrained handwriting on the letter paper fell into his eyes, which were covered with a layer of white film.

The parchment rustled in the howling cold wind, and the restless sound brought a strange vitality to this sunken land.

The old man read the words on the paper. But it was like he was reading those newspapers.

That weather-beaten face never showed any emotion, and the eyes were dull and lifeless.

Finally, he finished reading the letter.

It seemed that years of confinement had caused indelible damage to his spirit; he looked slower than other elderly people of the same age.

He was standing in front of the window, with the sparse snow still falling on his head, turning his gray hair into silver.

After a long time, his hand holding the letter dropped and hung at his side, but his fingers still held a corner of the letter.

Turning to the window, his eyes fell on the pillow, where a pocket watch lay.

In the dimness, the old pocket watch with exquisite and gorgeous shape is overflowing with color. It is the only thing with warm color in this gray room.

He bent down and picked up the pocket watch with his free hand.

Uh-huh~
The sound of the mechanical amplifier when the cover popped open was crisp and pleasant, and it could be heard far away in a world filled with low "woohoo" roars.

The little girl and the old man behind the hood had eternal smiles on their faces, which made him lose his mind.
A white whirlwind swept into the room and took away the letter in his hand.

The letter paper rustled and circled in the stone chamber with the wind for a few times. Then it was sucked out of the window and soon disappeared in the increasingly dazzling wind and snow!
The old man subconsciously followed the direction. At this moment, at the end of the sky, a beam of golden sunlight unexpectedly penetrated the turbulent clouds, broke through the wind and snow, shone into the room, and enveloped the old man!
Wow!
The sound of wild waves crashing against the shore suddenly rose in the invisible world. The white film covering the old man's misty eyes suddenly dissipated, and in the golden light, it showed the color of mithril, and in those silver eyes, there was a picture flashing:

The gray fog carrying an incomparable aura of death rolled in, endlessly covering the sky and enveloping the world!
In the rolling clouds, the roar of thunder was accompanied by wanton, ferocious laughter.

Huge meteorite.
Or a continent, peeking out from the rolling gray fog filled with death, and falling to the earth with a breathtaking rumbling sound!
Under the clouds, the ancient castle on the high cliff was trembling, and even the earth was shaking!
Faced with such might from heaven and earth, the people on earth no longer had the will to resist. They collapsed to the ground, crying in despair and grief, waiting for death to come.

However, at this moment, someone went against the will of heaven, roaring with an intention to shake the power of heaven!

Wow!

The silver light in his eyes suddenly disappeared, and the old man groaned as if he had been hit by something. He staggered back with a look of pain on his face, leaning on the newspapers piled up to the ceiling and gasping for breath.
The brief glow faded and the room fell into darkness again.

That was
What he saw made even him feel horrified and his breathing became heavy!

Disasters befall the sky, endless lightning lashes the earth, and all things mourn the end of the world. It is just like this!
His staggering steps suddenly became nimble, and the old man walked to the window and looked out to the south in astonishment.

Although it still has that weak and withered body, for some reason, it looks a little different to people, as if a touch of new green has quietly grown on the withered wooden stake!
Even those dull eyes began to gather some spirit!
It seemed as if it took as long as the time from the rising sun to the high moon before the old man withdrew his gaze.

There was a silver plate at the door of the room, with bread slices on it frozen hard in the low temperature.

The hoarse panting sound echoed in the room, and the expression was as uncertain as the sky over the sea. As he looked at this rough stone room that had been with him for half a century, his eyes seemed to be filled with regret, reluctance, and nostalgia.
“This is my life.”

He finally said something.

Everything in the first half of his life had long since disappeared like a dream, and his real life was just like this ugly room.

Occasionally a ray of light would shine in, but it would always leave in a hurry.

sough
He took slow steps towards the door. As he stepped over the dry and cold bread slices, he heard the sound of bubbles bursting in the void.
The sound made him dazed. In just a moment, he had stepped out of the prison of his mind. He no longer lingered on anything in the room, and only took the pocket watch with him. With his body hunched over, he held onto the icy cold wall and stepped down from the tower step by step.

He walked slowly, as if reviewing his life.

Every time he went down a floor, he was always willing to stop for a while and look at the castle covered with cobwebs.

The oil paint carved on the vaulted ceiling of the magnificent entrance hall on the first floor of the castle had long been mottled and ugly. The old man looked at those words with a farewell look.

Just one step away, the sky seen from outside the castle seems a little brighter than that from the high tower, and no longer so desperate and depressing.

The ground was covered with ice and snow that was ankle-deep, and the cold wind was as sharp as a knife, cutting through his bones and flesh, but he did not feel the cold and walked slowly towards the gate of the courtyard.

click!
A cracking sound came from behind him, and the old man stopped and squinted at the castle.

'For the greater good'

On the towering gate of the castle, this arrogant statement that has been weathered by wind and snow for half a century no longer exists. The stone bricks that carry it have cracked into deep cracks, swallowing up the "greater".
For the benefit of
The old man's mouth twitched and he laughed at himself.

This is the true meaning of this sentence.

He started walking forward again, and soon his weathered and thin figure was swallowed up by the desolate wilderness.

Half a century later, Nurmengard lost its prisoners.

Thousands of candles suspended in the air turned the Great Hall of Hogwarts into a golden ocean. The Sorting Ceremony came to an end amid the climax of cheers from the young wizards. At the faculty table, the professors were also clapping.

"It's been a great year for Slytherin, hasn't it?"

Professor Flitwick said sharply, looking sideways at Severus who was a few seats away from him.
"I bet you're delighted, Severus!"

"I'm afraid this is nothing to be happy about, Filius."

Under everyone's gaze, Severus said indifferently,

"With more people, the chances of encountering some hopeless children will increase--"

"Oh, don't say that, Severus. Every child has unique talents, and the purpose of Hogwarts is to help them discover their talents--"

Professor McGonagall disagreed.
"Think about Mr. Longbottom. He is impressive now, right?"

The corners of Severus' mouth twitched, and he glanced at Dumbledore and Amosta who were looking at him with a smile.
"Perhaps you haven't noticed, but there are a whole room of people waiting to eat. If you two want to say something, please do it as soon as possible--"

"Oh, sorry, sorry—"

Dumbledore said with a smile, his blue eyes fell on Amosta beside Severus.

"It's up to you to tell the students about the changes this year, Amosta—"

The professors were 'used to it' and they looked at him eagerly.

"At your service, Headmaster Dumbledore—"

Amosta bowed, and under the watchful eyes of the crowd, he slowly stood up.

The bustling auditorium suddenly became quiet, and all the innocent faces turned towards him.

"Well, welcome to our new students, welcome to Hogwarts, and congratulations on starting what may be the most wonderful seven years of your life - oh, and our old students, welcome back -"

Amosta's gentle smile,
"Before the feast begins, I would like to tell you about some changes in Hogwarts this year. Ah, just a few words -" (End of this chapter)