"Then why do you think that very few ghosts choose to become wizards?"
"Yeah, if it were me, I would definitely choose to become a ghost. There are so many delicious things in this world that I've never tasted."
Harry and Ron were somewhat puzzled.
Nick gave an awkward smile, covered his mouth with his fist, embarrassed to stick out his tongue, and while smoothing his hair, took a half step back, performing a series of scholarly moves.
"I thought we were going to be as miserable as before. I just realized how great it is to be a ghost now."
"I imagine that more wizards will choose this path in the future, rather than continue down this road."
"Go down?" Ron asked curiously. "What does that mean? Where do we go? Is there really an afterlife?"
"Yes, it does," Nick replied decisively, "But I don't know much about that place."
"Because I did not choose death, but I believe someone will understand."
"The learned individuals within the Department of Mysteries are currently researching this—"
He paused and looked at the unfamiliar male wizard who was peering at the hotel from a distance. "Alright, we have a guest. We'll talk again next time."
After he finished speaking, his entire ghost transformed into a wisp of green smoke and materialized beside the male wizard.
"Even ghosts need to find work, what kind of world is this?" Ron snorted twice. "If I become a ghost in the future, and my unfilial son dares not support me, I will definitely learn from Moaning Myrtle and pester him all day long."
Harry paused briefly to mourn for Ron's descendants, whose very existence was uncertain, before saying with a wry smile, "That's because they have needs for consumption. Normally, ghosts don't need to eat or drink, and their clothes can be altered with their remaining minor magic, so they have no need for money."
"I believe that relevant laws will definitely be introduced in the future regarding the inheritance of a wizard's estate after he becomes a ghost."
"And the basis for the payment of pensions."
"The Ghosts Office will definitely be very busy in the future."
Ron nodded. "I can already imagine ghosts Accio everywhere. The magic that keeps ghosts out of the dorms might be extended to every household, so that you won't suddenly feel a cold sensation when you're on the toilet."
The two talked as they walked toward Hogwarts.
Harry corrected him, "It's not necessarily a cold feeling. The ghosts aren't pearly white anymore; they have a living color now. Walking through their bodies might feel like being doused with warm water under a showerhead."
There weren't many people on the way back to school. Since classes started tomorrow, most students from other grades, except for the sixth and seventh graders who were still reviewing, planned to stay until dark before going back.
So Harry didn't lower his voice.
"Would you like to try?" Moaning Myrtle's head suddenly disappeared from the ground.
Harry was startled, only then realizing that her hair was a brilliant gold and that her thick glasses were still there.
The gurgling sound she made when she spoke came from the water tank, not from herself.
The last time they met was when he and Dumbledore went to the Chamber of Secrets in the girls' lavatory.
She even invited him to share the toilet with her after he died.
He was quite glad that Dumbledore was by his side instead of Ron.
But now.
"You two know each other? When did it start?" Ron asked belatedly.
Harry scratched his ear. "Didn't I tell you? I've been to the Slytherin's Chamber of Secrets, and with Dumbledore."
"Basil also went there."
"I—don't—know?" Ron said, enunciating each word clearly.
Moaning Myrtle spun around, sat cross-legged in mid-air, and waved her hand, "Me too!"
Harry's eyes darted around. "I thought I already told you."
"That happened during the first-year Christmas break. As soon as you came back, you were busy showing off your experiences in Romania."
"Then they went on to target Draco, mocking his father for being imprisoned in Azkaban."
"I really can't find an opportunity to talk to you about anything else."
"And then I forgot about it."
"So, it was my fault after all?" Ron stamped his foot, turned his head, and crossed his arms.
She looked like a little girl who needed to be coaxed after arguing with her boyfriend.
"You can interpret it that way," Harry replied curtly, turning his head away as if he didn't care.
Moaning Myrtle, who had been about to drop the little pearl because she felt ignored, gradually became excited.
The hearts of female fans of BL (Boys' Love) are ignited at this moment.
"You... you... you continue!"
Moaning Myrtle's presence made Ron, who was originally prepared for a stalemate, uncomfortable.
He felt as if a lewd, filthy gaze was passing through his clothes and sweeping over his entire body.
So he broke the ice by asking, "Where is the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets?"
Harry didn't answer, but looked at Moaning Myrtle and gestured with his eyes.
Ron's expression faltered. "In the girls' restroom? Moaning Myrtle's?"
Harry nodded.
Hogwarts School was founded over a thousand years ago, the exact date of which is uncertain—it was founded by the four greatest wizards and witches of the time.
Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin.
In those days, Muggle were afraid of magic, and untrained wizards and inept male and female wizards who knew only a few spells suffered a lot of persecution.
So they built this castle together, away from the prying eyes of the Muggle.
After the initial honeymoon period of their startup, Slytherin's teaching philosophy began to diverge from that of the other three leaders.
He hoped that Hogwarts would be more selective in admitting students.
He believed that magical education should be limited to families with only magical members.
Children born to Muggle are unreliable.
Some time later, Slytherin and Gryffindor had a heated argument over this issue, and then Slytherin left the school.
But according to legend, Slytherin did not do nothing; he left a Chamber of Secrets in the castle.
It will remain closed until his true successor arrives at the school.
Only the heir can open the Chamber of Secrets, release the terrifying thing inside, and let it purify the school, eliminating all those unworthy to learn magic.
Many people believe this legend, and the school has investigated it many times over the past thousand years, consulting the most learned male and female sorcerers of the time.
But all their efforts yielded no results.
Ron made a face as if he wanted to S.P.E.W.. "No wonder so many experts have come up empty-handed."
"I knew all along that Salazar Slytherin was a crazy old lunatic."
"But who could have imagined that Slytherin, being so disgusting and vile, would choose that location as the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets of Secrets?"
"The Pure-blood nonsense also originated from him."
"Even if you gave me money for free, I wouldn't go to his college."
"To be honest, if the Sorting Hat had put me in Slytherin, I would have taken the train home without a second thought!"
Harry shrugged. "You should be glad Draco isn't here."
Ron waved his hand. "I said the same thing to him. If he knew the location of the Chamber of Secrets of Secrets, I dare say he'd be asking to be transferred to Ravenclaw the next second."
"His henchmen Crabbe and Goyle will also go to Hufflepuff."
"By the way, what is that thing in the Chamber of Secrets of Secrets that eliminates non- Pure-blood? Many people believe it's some kind of monster that only the Heir of Slytherin can control."
He looked at Moaning Myrtle, "Could she have died because of the monster in the Chamber of Secrets?"
How did you find out?
Harry stroked his chin. "You'll have to ask Moaning Myrtle."
"Moaning Myrtle?" Ron looked incredulous.
"What's with that expression!" Moaning Myrtle's body swelled up.
Although everything she said was guided by Basil's Confundus Charm, she had long regarded it as her own discovery and achievement.
"I'm Ravenclaw too! If no one had ignored what I was saying, the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets of Secrets would have been discovered long ago, and that big idiot Rubeus wouldn't have been made a scapegoat, had his wand broken, and been expelled."
"You can ask Harry if he found the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets of Secrets with my guidance!"
"Hagrid is innocent!" Harry's pupils contracted as he suddenly remembered this forgotten matter.
Dumbledore was eavesdropping nearby, so in the end he only emphasized to Dumbledore that the Basilisk's skin belonged to Basil.
Logically speaking, Hagrid's crimes should have been cleared.
"Moaning Myrtle, has anyone from the Ministry of Magic contacted you?"
Moaning Myrtle muttered, "No. But Hagrid isn't innocent. He's had plenty of opportunities to ask me all these years. But he's never come."
Ron frowned. "Dumbledore didn't do anything?"
"Come with me." A six-pointed star magic circle flashed in Harry's eyes, and two beams of light enveloped Ron and Harry.
Moaning Myrtle, left behind, thought, "How have I been abandoned like this?"
The students who saw the pillar of light not far away—a pillar of light? Was it an owl or a wizard who had been expelled?
And Hagrid, who was carrying a bow and arrow and wearing rubber shoes, walked along the animal path towards the wooden house and yawned, "I'm (‵o′) protruding, Merlin?"
Two enormous beams of light, clearly not containing owls, appeared before him.
There were also faint outlines of people inside.
Besides banishing people, can this beam of light also bring people in?
Poachers?
The thought flashed through his mind, and at the same time he had already drawn his bow and aimed an arrow at the taller figure.
"Wait!" The tall figure quickly gave a French military salute, raising his hands. "I am Ron!"
"Ron?" Hagrid's bowstring was already drawn to its fullest extent. He quickly changed direction and shot an arrow that pierced through the ancient tree beside him and embedded itself deep in the rock.
The light scattered, and Ron and Harry emerged from it.
Ron was pale and stared blankly at the arrow hole that was as thick as a man's waist.
If this were shot into him, he would probably die instantly, beyond saving.
Hagrid was terrified and trembled uncontrollably. "What are you two doing in the Forbidden Forest? Are you out of your minds?!"
Of the three, only Harry remained calm and composed; even if that arrow had actually been fired, he could have easily blocked it.
Whether it's summoning one's own mother to take the bullet or letting the giant snake in the shadows take her place, it's all just a matter of a thought.
"Hagrid, we've come to see you because it's important."
"It's related to you."
Seeing Harry so calm, Ron's mindset also inexplicably calmed down.
Yes. It's related to you.
"What does this have to do with me?" Hagrid's beetle-like eyes lit up. "Is it because the application to raise dragons has been approved?"
"Haha! It should have been done a long time ago!"
"After that tree came into existence, the little creatures in the Forbidden Forest became much more docile."
"Firenze and his men can even conjure food out of thin air, so they haven't been hunting lately."
"Firenze? Who are they?" Ron momentarily forgot the original purpose of his visit.
"They are centaurs."
"Centaur?" Harry's curiosity was piqued as well.
He did not enter the Forbidden Forest as in the original timeline.
Therefore, my understanding of centaurs comes more from books.
Centaurs are Magical Creatures, and as described in Greek Mythology, their upper bodies are humanoid, while their lower bodies are like those of horses.
He does not use a wand, but is highly skilled in magical healing, Divination, archery, and Astronomy.
They have their own culture and are very proud of it.
In order to avoid sharing human identity with creatures such as Yaksha and vampire, they actually requested the British Ministry of Magic to classify them as "beasts".
They were nowhere to be found in the Blind Pig Pub, which was filled with almost all humanoids.
Hagrid noticed Harry's curiosity. "I advise you not to have too high expectations."
"Although they have good intentions, they always speak in a cryptic and roundabout way."
"It's so annoying that they're always looking up at the stars. They're not interested in anything except things around the moon."
Ron blurted out, "Isn't that Dumbledore, the Astronomy fanatic?"
Harry immediately perked up.
The last time someone insulted Dumbledore in front of Hagrid was by his uncle.
Hagrid nearly strangled him to death, and finally vented his anger on the gun barrel, bending it by force.
Dudley's pig tail was probably due to his lingering anger.
But to Harry's surprise, Hagrid wasn't angry.
Instead, he winked pleasingly. "Dumbledore indeed very learned."
('Looks like Hagrid doesn't really hate centaurs,' Harry thought to himself.)
"In fact, I hope Dumbledore can learn from them, have some temper of his own, and let others know that he is not to be trifled with."
"Instead of someone like Rita Skeeter daring to call him a crazy old lunatic!"
His hands, veins bulging, seemed to be gripping the neck of the Rita Skeeter he was talking about.
"Rita Skeeter?" Ron frowned. "She used to be like that, but lately she's been speaking up for Dumbledore."
"Aha!" Hagrid clenched his fist. "Because she knows Dumbledore is not someone to mess with."
"He's the Minister for Magic now!"
"Rita Skeeter? Just a journalist."
"No," Ron shook his head, "It started much earlier, it seems to have started during the summer vacation."
"But it's no big deal."
"I almost forgot."
"What we want to ask is, can your wand be used openly now?"
"A magic wand?" Hagrid stammered. "I don't have a magic wand."
"It's in your umbrella," Ron added.
"You all know now!" Hagrid exclaimed, looking as if a huge secret had been discovered.
Harry was both amused and exasperated. "Everyone knows that, right? But nobody cares."
"Everyone knows you have a magic wand in your umbrella."
"That's not the point today. The point is that last Christmas Dumbledore and I discovered the murder weapon that killed Moaning Myrtle."
"And there's evidence now. You should have been allowed to use your wand in public a long time ago."
"Yes, that's it." Ron nodded. "Wait, Harry, you haven't told us who the real culprit is yet."
"Huh?" Harry asked, puzzled. "Didn't you already know that?"
"Voldemort in his student days."
"That's what Hagrid said to us last year."