The Key to the Realm of Illusion

"Not long," Sean shook his head, then asked curiously, "Professor, do you know why I'm here?"

Dumbledore walked over and sat down beside him. "Newt contacted me. Coincidentally, I learned something at the Ministry of Magic, and I guessed that you would probably come to see me."

"Ministry of Magic?"

"Yes, Sean, I don't know if you have a habit of reading newspapers?"

Sean nodded somewhat embarrassedly; he had been relying on Hermione's subscription to the Daily Prophet.

But a newspaper? Sean paused, remembering the news he had seen earlier.

On their first day of school, the Ministry of Magic was robbed, but Minister Fudge refused to reveal what was stolen. Harry and his friends also almost missed their train because they encountered Auror chasing the intruders.

"Professor, is it related to the stolen item?"

Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, the Department of Mysteries of the Ministry of Magic has lost an important item. It took me a lot of effort to pry some information out of Fudge."

What is that?

"A key, but I'm more inclined to think it's a needle..."

Keys and needles? Sean looked at the other person in confusion.

Dumbledore's expression was somewhat serious. He looked up at the skylight, where the night sky was pitch black; there wasn't a single star tonight.

"Sean, you must have heard quite a few, um, mythological stories, when you were in the Muggle World?" Dumbledore asked abruptly.

"Yes, Professor, I've thought about it quite a few times since I enrolled at Hogwarts. There seem to be many wizards in those myths." Although he didn't know why Dumbledore asked this, Sean answered quickly.

Dumbledore smiled slightly, "Yes, wizards have appeared on this land since ancient times. Whether in the Wizarding World or the Muggle World, there are indeed many wizards in those ancient legends. However, there is something else we want to talk about, Sean, have you heard of ' the Otherworld '?"

Sean nodded in confusion. Of course, he had heard of the Otherworld. In mythology, the "The Otherworld" was a magical place. It was inhabited by Deities, elves, and Fairies, as well as ugly and terrifying Giant and monsters. It was a paradise where souls temporarily resided before reincarnation.

The Otherworld differs from the concepts of hell or the underworld. This place is usually located in sacred lakes, islands, forests, and high mountains, and is a paradise where souls temporarily reside before reincarnation. Some of these places are magnificent and resembling heaven, while others are gloomy and oppressive, like hell.

Moreover, the human world and the Otherworld are only a step apart, but only Seer and Bard can freely travel between the two. Of course, in legends, many heroes have also obtained powerful martial arts and extraordinary abilities there.

"Looks like you know, then I won't have to explain anymore. Chatting with Fudge is exhausting work," Dumbledore waved his hand, and a bottle of beverage flew over. He poured two glasses and then drank them down in one gulp. "I like sweet drinks, Sean, why don't you try some?"

Sean took a sip, then asked with a puzzled look, "I've heard of the Otherworld, but what does it have to do with the Wizarding World?"

"Of course, my child." Dumbledore blinked. "The Otherworld has another name in the Wizarding World, but very few people have heard of it. It's called: the Realm of Illusion."

Sean suddenly remembered; he recalled this: Realm of Illusion is a state between life and death. It appears within a person's mind, and is both reality and illusion.

Dumbledore explained, "The Realm of Illusion is a place where the soul temporarily rests; it is unknown and mysterious..."

Sean suddenly remembered what the Ghostly Horned Serpent had said; it had only awakened a few days ago... and Dumbledore had just said that the Mysterious Person who infiltrated the Ministry of Magic had stolen a key.

He looked up in surprise, not even noticing that the drink in his cup had spilled.

"Professor, can that key unlock the barrier between the Realm of Illusion and the real world?!"

Dumbledore sighed. "I suppose that's how it is—but whether the Realm of Illusion is another world or arises from human thought, I don't know. However, I am certain that there is an unknown barrier between the real world and the Realm of Illusion, and this barrier can often only be opened at a special moment, perhaps when a person dies..."

Dumbledore raised the cup in his hand. "Like this cup, we are separated from the Realm of Illusion by a barrier, and only at certain special moments will your soul rise and fall into the illusion through the rim of the cup."

"And the stolen thing, it can make a small hole in the cup..." Dumbledore shook the cup, and a tiny hole appeared in the transparent cup.

The liquid inside flowed out slowly and steadily, and soon a drop of water dripped down from the opening.

Sean immediately understood Dumbledore's meaning. He looked up at him in disbelief, swallowing hard. "Professor, those souls in the Realm of Illusion..."

"Yes," Dumbledore nodded solemnly, "Although it's just a small opening, a few souls have already escaped, and they've reappeared as ghosts, possessing abilities they might not have had in their previous lives..."

"That Ghostly Horned Serpent was it?"

"Yes."

Sean asked, a hint of a toothache in his voice, "Then there must be more than just one, right? And these souls have become ghosts again; what are their targets?"

"That's what I'm thinking about too," Dumbledore, adjusting his glasses with a sigh. "When souls become ghosts again, they will try to fulfill their wishes from their previous lives. That water snake might have been benevolent, but the other souls might not be so..."

His voice was deep and serious. "The Mysterious Person who stole the things had already made arrangements. He wants to use other ghosts that we don't yet know about to achieve his goal."

"What does he want to do?" Sean asked.

Dumbledore looked at Sean with a complicated expression. "The only thing I can think of is Prophecy."

Another Prophecy? Yet another Prophecy!

Sean took a few deep breaths, feeling somewhat agitated. This unknown Prophecy was the key to everything, and he didn't understand why Daisy was involved.

He had initially thought that the accidents in Godric's Hollow and the Forbidden Forest were all aimed at him, but now it seemed that he had just stumbled upon them by accident, and the real target was likely Daisy.

"Professor," Sean's tone was unusually dissatisfied and anxious, "Can't you tell me about this Prophecy?"

Dumbledore slowly straightened up. "Perhaps it's time..."

As usual, I'll add it tomorrow.