Volume 5: The Burning Golden Flame Chapter 325 Taking Back Our Castle
"If she keeps this attitude, I certainly won't help her." Jon said casually, "But that crown doesn't just have special meaning to her. It's an important relic for the entire Hogwarts. If I have the chance to get it, I will definitely take it back."
Nick was not surprised by Jon's answer. He knew from the beginning that Jon was the typical person who would give in to soft words but not hard ones. With Ms. Grey's attitude of asking for favors, no one would want to help her.
After communicating with Jon about Ms. Grey, Nick left Jon's dormitory.
There are less than three weeks left until the start of school in September and the start of the Triwizard Tournament. Although Jon has completed the second step of making the Animagus potion during this time, he has never been idle.
In addition to performing necessary preparations by using the ring to cast spells on his heart at sunrise and sunset every day, he also continued to delve deeper into the forbidden area of the second gem, constantly absorbing magical knowledge.
After this trip to the Arctic, the magic power originally absorbed from the stone slabs in the tower has been almost consumed, but as the magic power is exhausted, the knowledge about the forbidden book in the gem is still retained.
It was by relying on the contents of this book, combined with Grindelwald's teaching, that John was able to fully master the three unforgivable curses. Now he has set his sights on the other two spells that are not black magic but are more terrifying than black magic in most cases.
Memory spell and Legilimency.
The functions of these two spells are to modify and read people's thoughts respectively, which are much more insidious than spells that cause harm to people on the surface.
The reason why Voldemort's rule in Britain became increasingly stable was largely due to the Forgetfulness Spell. He was never afraid of the emergence of determined resistance. No matter how strong a person's will was, it could not compare to absolute magic.
Under the British Ministry of Magic, the department that is hated by wizards of all bloodlines is the Memory Deletion Command of the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes.
Any heretic in thought will eventually face the wizards of this department and have their ideas and memories tampered with.
Sometimes people's emotions are just that simple. All their thoughts are related to their memories, and once their memories are changed, they will naturally undergo essential changes.
The current head of the Memory Deletion Command Office is a rather famous guy - Gilderoy Lockhart, a former best-selling author and adventurer, now a demon who controls minds and an important lackey of Voldemort.
His forgetfulness spell was superb, and almost all stubborn people would eventually be dealt with by him. He was also one of the wizards most valued by Voldemort in the Ministry of Magic.
Of course Jon still remembered this liar. It must be said that Voldemort now really had a pair of eyes that were good at discovering talents. Lockhart's only advantage was probably the Oblivion Spell, but he was able to find it and it played such a big role in his career.
This also shows the power of the Oblivion Curse. John even feels that if this spell did not have an antidote, it would definitely be more terrifying than the Imperius Curse, one of the three unforgivable curses.
Then there is Legilimency. Unlike the Amnesia spell which modifies a person's memory, this spell can read a person's memory. It can also extract the memory from the person's brain and transform it into tangible silver lines for everyone else to see.
In terms of destructive power, these two spells certainly cannot compare with magic like blasting spell or invisible strike, but their unique functionality is unmatched by any other magic.
Jon thought that he might be able to use these two kinds of magic when he went to Hogwarts Castle for the second time.
Fortunately, the Oblivion Spell is a relatively versatile spell. It is not difficult to learn, but the difficult part is how to master it.
The opposite of it is Legilimency . The difficulty of this spell lies in getting started. Once you get started, it is easy to master it.
So he initially put all his energy into the Oblivion Spell, and after he was basically able to use it, he began to shift his focus to Legilimency.
As Jon continued his studies, Hermione, Ron, and Neville also returned to Hogwarts in the last week of August. When Neville returned to the dormitory, Jon realized that Lady Grey did not leave after she hit a wall with him, but stayed here, just like she did with Nick.
Jon didn't say anything about this. Although this lady was a little domineering, she was not a bad person, otherwise she wouldn't have been one of the resident ghosts at Hogwarts.
And less than three days before the start of their fourth year in September, Durmstrang's deputy headmaster Rosier came to Hogwarts with a dozen students and their school's warrior, Diane Rosier.
Although there are four schools participating in the competition called the Three-Power Tournament this time, they are actually divided into only two camps.
No matter who wins in the end, John or Diane , it means Dumbledore's victory in the bet and Voldemort's defeat, so there must be a certain degree of mutual exchange between the two schools.
Diane was very respectful when she saw Jon, or rather, all Durmstrang students were very respectful when they saw Jon.
"Professor Green."
In the lunch hall, Lupin and Sirius, who stayed there to take care of the high school students on vacation, looked at the scene of a group of Durmstrang students bowing to Jon with strange expressions.
"I thought the school had other intentions, but it turns out they really want to make John a professor?" Lupin said softly.
Sirius shrugged.
"Honestly, I've never heard of a 14-year-old professor."
"Don't mention whether you've heard it before or not. Even if you flip through the history of magic now, you won't find anyone under 18."
Sirius narrowed his already sharp eyes.
"However, even if they really want Jon to become a professor, it doesn't mean they don't have other intentions. I have always felt that the headmaster who teamed up with Dumbledore did not intend to help us."
Lupin said calmly.
"We don't need to worry about this. I think Professor Dumbledore should know more about this than any of us."
Faced with the respectful attitude of the Durmstrang students, Jon actually felt a bit of a headache.
He agreed to be the professor of Transfiguration because he wanted to learn knowledge from Grindelwald. Moreover, up to now, he was just a professor in title and had never actually taught a single class to these students.
Jon found it a little hard to accept receiving respect for no reason.
"Actually, you can just call me Jon. At least you don't have to call me professor when we're not in class."
However, before the students could answer, Rozier frowned and spoke.
"This is the rule, Professor Green. It is the rule set by the headmaster for Durmstrang. Since you have accepted this position as a professor, you must abide by its rules while enjoying its convenience."
Jon could only say this helplessly.
"Well, if that's your rule."
The students from Durmstrang came here early, of course they had their own purpose. Rosier had already brought Diane to meet Dumbledore, but it was obvious that they did not get the results they wanted there.
"We asked Headmaster Dumbledore what kind of cooperation the two schools should have in the upcoming games, but he said that we just need everyone to do their best and help each other as much as possible in the game."
During lunch, Diane sat next to Jon. This female class leader at Durmstrang was in seventh grade this year. She was three years older than Jon. Girls develop earlier than boys, which made her forehead higher than Jon.
However, the age difference did not change the relationship between the two. Not only was Jon a professor at Durmstrang, but anyone who saw Jon's performance on the night of the warrior selection would not have regarded him as an ordinary fourth-year student.
John was not surprised by Diane's words. In fact, even he didn't understand why Dumbledore agreed to Voldemort to use the Triwizard Tournament to decide the outcome of the war in France.
Maybe it was to avoid casualties, maybe it was because he trusted him enough, or maybe it was because he was afraid of Voldemort, but John felt that these were only secondary reasons. The most important purpose was that Dumbledore did not tell anyone else, including him.
"Just as Professor Dumbledore said," Jon said, "Let's not talk about winning or losing for now. When competing, ensure your own safety first. If necessary, we should also prioritize each other's safety, not winning or losing."
The expression on Diane's face was obviously a little stunned.
Even though she is a kind person, she is still a student from the Rosier family who received education from Grindelwald.
Deeply influenced by the phrase "for the greatest good", although her ideas were not to the extent of using any means to achieve the ultimate victory, she felt that if she could sacrifice herself for the ultimate success, this should be the consensus between the principals of the two schools.
However, neither Dumbledore nor John himself had obviously realized this consensus, and they still put their personal safety above the collective interest, which made Diane a little unacceptable.
She even wondered if John and Dumbledore thought that her representing Durmstrang in the competition was just a superfluous thing and it would be the same with or without her, so they used such excuses to deal with her.
Jon wasn't thinking about what Diane was thinking, he was thinking about going to Hogwarts Castle.
The secrets in that castle are definitely more than just this simple. The last time Jon sneaked in, he had a clear goal, so he couldn't explore more.
And this time's Triwizard Tournament would at least keep him there for a school year, which meant he would have plenty of time to study things that he originally didn't have the energy to explore.
After studying for this period of time, John has mastered the forgetfulness spell and can barely use Legilimency.
The spell of oblivion is certainly easy to master, but the extent to which he can use it is only to erase memories in the roughest way, and is not capable of modifying memories in such a detailed manner.
As for the telepathy he managed to use, with the current situation he had, there was actually no way he could use it in practice. He could only pull out a tiny thread of thought when a person actively and completely let down their guard mentally.
But no matter what, being able to use it from scratch is the biggest progress. If you want to master it after that, just keep practicing and you will get results.
Jon has never relaxed in his magical skills, and as he grows older, the magic power in his body continues to grow stronger.
The strength of magic power in John's body now is at least three times that of his first grade. Even without the help of the stored magic power in the second gem of the ring, he can maintain his use of the drifting spell for a long time.
This also significantly increased the strength of the various spells he used.
On the second day after the Durmstrang students came to Lyon to meet up with the Hogwarts students, Dumbledore also came to the school from the headquarters of the Wizarding World.
Today is the last day of August. Tomorrow is not only the first day of school, but also the official start of the Triwizard Tournament.
That means tomorrow morning, Dumbledore will lead the students of the two schools to the Hogwarts Castle. The night before departure, he summoned all the students of Hogwarts in advance.
This year's new student recruitment work has ended during the summer vacation. Compared with previous years, the number of new students this year is far more than before.
Because with the admission book and the acceptance pen, not only can the British hemp-breeding students be brought to school in advance, but now that the Wu Ping Line has actually controlled all areas in France except Paris, the French hemp-breeding students can also be enrolled in the school.
So there were a lot of new students in Jon's fourth grade class, even half the number during the most difficult period on the carriage.
The welcome dinner for new students will also be held tonight, because tomorrow is the day when Hogwarts officially starts classes.
In addition to the usual banquet, Dumbledore announced that he would take ten Hogwarts students to Hogwarts Castle. Students who wanted to go could sign up voluntarily, but in the end only students above the third grade would be selected.
The students were very enthusiastic about this. Except for some students who were rescued from the castle by Jon and had psychological trauma about the school, almost every eligible student threw his or her name into a stone basin used for registration.
In the end, McGonagall randomly selected ten people from those notes and determined the candidates who would go to Hogwarts .
Among the students in the same grade as Jon, only two girls, Hermione and Lavender, were chosen. When their names were drawn, Lavender was cheering with joy, while Hermione looked very calm, and no one knew what she was thinking.
George was the only one among the Weasley twins whose name was drawn. Fred was annoyed about this and discussed with George whether they could change their names since no one would find out. As a result, George poked his arm with a fork.
After all the preparations were finalized, they spent the first night of the school year at Hogwarts, and possibly the last.
Then, at dawn the next day, the Durmstrang students led by Rosier and the Hogwarts students led by Dumbledore boarded the Hogwarts carriage that had been transformed from a ship.
This was brought together by the students of Durmstrang. After Jon reached the ice sheet at the center of the Arctic on the Hogwarts, it sailed back to the lake of Durmstrang on its own.
For the students of Hogwarts, this carriage is the place they are most familiar with.
When Jon and the others boarded the carriage, Hagrid was already sitting in the driver's seat, just like he used to.
Compared to the students, Hagrid was more excited, and his face, which was mostly covered by his thick beard, still had an obvious blush of excitement.
Jon did not follow the other students into the carriage, but sat directly on Hagrid's large chair, just like when he first came here in his first year.
"I still remember what I served you at that time, black tea and cream cakes, but you said you were not hungry and just drank a cup of black tea."
Hagrid smiled and handed Jon a cup of the same steaming black tea. Jon took it from him and watched him make the final preparations before setting sail.
Jon held the teacup in his hand and took a sip.
Directly in front of him, the Thestrals were no longer invisible to his sight as they were three years ago, but their original faces were clearly revealed.
Jon looked at those black horses with bat-like wings and a subtle smile appeared on his face.
"Glad to see that this isn't too sad for you guys."
His voice was so soft that even Hagrid, who was sitting next to him, couldn't hear what he said.
"What did you say?"
Hagrid asked the question while waving the reins. The next moment, the Thestrals pulling the carriage did not run, but directly spread their broad black wings!
This carriage, whose wheels could only turn on British soil, flew into the sky as it was pulled by the Thestrals!
The breeze filtered by the windproof spell blew Jon's bangs. He held the teacup, took another sip of the black tea in it, and answered softly.
"I still remember what we said to each other back then. Do you know what the sentence that impressed me the most is? Hagrid."
"Um?"
The carriage passed through the low clouds, but the Thestrals' broad black wings did not stop. They continued to rise until they completely jumped out of the highest cloud.
Jon squinted his eyes and looked at the sky. The rising sun was brighter and more dazzling than ever before.
"At that time I asked you, does our journey have a destination?"
Hagrid said with a smile.
"Ah, I answered you with Dumbledore's words."
Jon stood on the bench, holding onto the high table in front of him that was connected to the entire carriage. The breeze cheered in his ears, the clouds danced under his feet, and the sun shone with celebratory light.
"The end won't come to us on its own, but we are already close to it. Let's go and take back our castle now."
