Jupiter Shines Brightly

"I am Vernon Dursley."

Uncle Vernon picked up the phone and had barely heard a sentence when his pale face, which had been somewhat pale from eating too much fruit these past few days, flushed red. He turned his small eyes and glared at Harry, scolding him unhappily, "It's those weird classmates of yours again!"

Harry was completely used to this level of hostility; it wouldn't cause any real harm anyway. He got up, took small steps to the phone, and picked up the receiver.

"Harry Potter sends his greetings!"

"You sound quite cheerful... It seems the Dursley house ' days are no longer so difficult."

Harry smiled, imagining Loren's teasing expression as he spoke, "It's been a long time since I heard your voice. How was your trip, Loren?"

"Well, it's more thrilling than pleasant, and it's somewhat related to what you want to know..."

The magical Werewolf Inferi incident and the International Wizarding Congress were recounted amidst the crackling of static. When the Aurors were powerless, a mysterious Basilisk resolved the crisis, leaving no clues about its identity.

Harry imagined such a scene, his heart pounding uncontrollably; such a journey would be far more interesting than life at the Dursley house.

"I'll have Hānhan or Hedwig bring you some newspapers. They have detailed reports about the incident. Take a look..." Loren paused, "By the way, I think you should reconsider the Occlumency."

Harry paused for a moment, his mood turning somewhat somber. "I will."

"That's settled then, we'll see each other again soon!"

"Give my regards to Hermione."

"Beep... beep..."

Hearing the cold, electronic busy tone in his ear, the magical, exciting world seemed to vanish from him all at once. Harry put down the phone with a sense of loss.

Loren hung up the phone and turned to look at her, just in time to see her quickly look away. He couldn't help but smile. Apparition vanished from the spot, returning with another can of cola in his hand.

"Belch..."

Loren let out a rude burp and handed the ice-cold Coke to Hermione: "If you want a Coke, just say so. Do you think I'd stop you? Do you think I'd tell your mother? You've really gone mad from reading too many books..."

"I think you will." Hermione took the Coke, the cold aluminum can condensing on it, and pulled the Griphook. "Especially something like tattling to my mom, it sounds like you're really looking forward to it."

"Slander, absolutely slander!" Loren retorted sternly. "After knowing each other for so many years, I can't believe you still don't understand me. This is truly heartbreaking, Miss Granger. You must make amends."

"As compensation for helping me check my Ancient Rune homework." Hermione took a small sip of her cola and exhaled a comfortable breath of cool air.

"This is compensation? It's clearly punishment."

"It's compensation, as compensation for the tricks you've been playing on me these past few days."

"This is slander again. When did I ever trick you? Judge Granger's ruling is completely unjust, and I will appeal."

"..."

This is already the fourth title he's used: Professor Granger, Miss Know-It-All, Miss Granger, Judge Granger... I wonder what new titles he'll be using in the future.

"You're not going to say anything now, are you? You're admitting your guilt, aren't you...?"

Loren tilted his head back and finished the last sip of his cola, then crushed the thin aluminum can and tossed it into the trash can. He stretched lazily, then slumped onto the sofa, resting his head on Hermione's shoulder, watching her drink her cola without moving.

"The criminal Morgan ..." Hermione tilted her shoulder slightly to keep his head from slipping down, "If you're bored and have nothing to do, go check my Ancient Rune homework."

"Who says I have nothing to do? I'm very busy."

As Loren spoke, he flicked his finger to turn on the television in the living room, and his eyes and ears began to work busily.

BBC News:... Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9, captured by Jupiter's gravity two years ago, broke into 21 fragments at a distance of 40,000 kilometers from Jupiter's surface due to powerful tidal forces. Based on calculations of its orbit, these fragments are expected to begin entering Jupiter's atmosphere tonight at speeds of up to 210,000 kilometers per hour, impacting Jupiter's southern hemisphere and creating the spectacular Astronomy phenomenon of a comet colliding with Jupiter. The fragments will traverse Jupiter's atmosphere for five days. Simultaneously, the comet impact will release Jupiter's atmosphere and other materials, providing Astronomy with a rare opportunity to peer into Jupiter's interior...

Hermione took small sips of her cola and tilted her head slightly to rest it on his.

The bubbles of cola burst on the tongue, a slight stinging sensation accompanied by coolness, making the sweetness of caramel even more prominent. The scorching summer seems to calm down in the bursting bubbles.

In a tree Centaur tribe in the Forbidden Forest Hogwarts, Headmaster Dumbledore and Elder Hoss of the Centaur sat facing each other, with a low stone table between them.

Dumbledore patiently savored the Centaur's tea. It tasted only slightly better than water infused with dried leaves, but it had a peculiar herbal aroma and a lingering flavor.

Centaur knelt on the haystack, still Dumbledore, though his hair was sparse and his flesh bony; he was an old horse too weak to run.

No one knows his age. Back when Dumbledore was in school, Hoss was already an elder of the Centaur tribe. Whether you calculate it by the age of a colt or a wizard, he was already at the end of his life, too old to even stand up.

Hoss downed the tea in the wooden bowl in one gulp, chewed it and swallowed it along with the leaves, then looked at Dumbledore and laughed, "It's something Centaur made by wizards, what's so good about it? You might as well just chew it up and swallow it."

Dumbledore smiled gently and said, "Your tree tea has a unique fragrance that is comforting and no less than human tea."

"Even if I soaked the haystack under me in water, you would still say it tastes good..." Hoss curled his lips. "When you were in school, you were a lively little colt. It's not even a hundred years old, but you're already older than me, this old horse."

Dumbledore noncommittal, silently sipping his tea without saying a word.

"How was this year's International Wizarding Congress?" Hao Si asked.

"Some unexpected things happened, but they also brought about positive changes." Dumbledore calmly recounted the events that had occurred in New York, not even omitting the burning of Voldemort. "... catalyzed by the Inferi incident, many countries have begun to introduce Werewolf power. If the plan goes smoothly, Werewolf will completely disappear in a hundred or two hundred years."

"No, no, no..." Hoss shook his head repeatedly. "Werewolf will not disappear. When their numbers are small enough and their danger becomes manageable, some of you wizards will intentionally contract Werewolf Disease Werewolf Disease and pursue it as a rare and precious thing, just like the Veela."

Dumbledore carefully considered the point of view put forward by the old man who was even older than himself, and had to admit that he had a point.

Hoss flicked his tail. "More than that, I'm worried about the Dark Lord making Werewolf Inferi. If he can make Werewolf Inferi, does that also mean he can make Centaur Inferi, giant Inferi, Vampire Inferi, and even Acromantula and Banshee... By the way, actually the most powerful Inferi is the Unicorn. After those pure creatures die, the curse in their blood is more terrifying than the sharp teeth and claws of Werewolf and the venom of Acromantula."

Dumbledore frowned slightly and pondered for a moment, then slowly shook his head. "There's no need to worry about this for now. If they've allied with the Death Eater, Voldemort will keep his servants alive. If they're unwilling to ally with the Death Eater, they're strong enough to protect themselves until Voldemort is fully resurrected."

"It's all up to you, Albus..."

Hoss looked up at the deep blue-black sky outside the tree hole, his gaze distant and profound, and said softly, "Jupiter is very bright tonight."

Dumbledore followed his gaze and looked out at Jupiter, which was only slightly brighter than usual.

"Albus, when I die, please take good care of my ponies."

"I will."

Late at night, Loren sat at his desk by the window, with an old, nameless book in front of him.

A year ago, when he repeatedly heard news about Jupiter and Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9, some inexplicable intuition reminded him to pay attention to the matter, and Loren had dreamed of strange and spectacular explosions.

Loren believed that all these signs were the opportunity for the Book of Abraham to be reopened, just like the bright Mars in the first year of school, which was also a change in celestial phenomena.

The pages are yellowed, and the Papyrus feels thin and cool to the touch. Opening the book, the title page still bears a warning in Hebrew: anyone who reads this book except the High Priest and the copyists will be cursed.

The first seven pages depict two snakes entwined on a walking stick, one devouring the other. The second seven pages, page fourteen, show a snake nailed to a cross. The third seven pages, page twenty-one, depict several clear springs emerging from a desert, with many small snakes crawling out of their eyes.

As before, nothing seems to have changed.

Loren examined the book carefully for a long time but couldn't find anything amiss. He closed the book and looked out the window at the sky. It was already late at night, and in the brightly lit city, he could only vaguely see the starlight. The moon was not yet full and was not very bright.

The pitch-black sky was like a dye vat, so deep and endless.

After watching for a while, drowsiness crept in, accompanied by a slight dizziness. My brain began to feel sluggish, and I seemed unwilling to think anymore, only wanting to close my eyes and fall asleep.

Loren propped his head up with his right hand, his unfocused eyes blinked, and then slowly closed.

In the darkness, the weight of his body seemed to disappear, gravity began to reverse, and Loren felt himself falling straight into the sky. But the sky had no bottom, and he would never fall to the sky. In this long and endless fall, the sky became larger and the night became thicker.

The sky and the universe seemed to have turned into a net, enveloping him. The intense feeling of weightlessness brought a strong sense of oppression. The wind was whistling in his ears. He was falling, yet it felt like he was flying.

I don't know how much time passed, but the howling suddenly stopped, and I was surrounded by boundless darkness and silence.

The feeling of weightlessness and oppression disappeared. He was floating in a desolate space. There was endless darkness in front of him and endless darkness behind him. He had no sense of touch. There was no gravity. He could not feel his breath. He could not see any reference points. Loren did not know whether he was floating in place or falling in some direction.

He couldn't feel his own heartbeat, and he didn't know how long he had been drifting in darkness and silence. Then, in a sudden, unexpected moment, the world became bright.

No longer is there endless darkness. A huge, flattened spherical planet is rotating in the vast universe. Yellowish and pale air currents swirl and flow in layers of ribbon-like patterns, mixed with huge, blood-red spots. Pure white and slightly blue frozen ammonia crystals aggregate together and fall like a torrential downpour.

Just outside the planet, bound by powerful gravity, 21 irregularly shaped comet fragments hurtled toward the depths of the gas giant. The strong friction caused the surface of the comet fragments to begin to vaporize and break apart. Crimson flames swirled around tiny rock particles, and the surface water vapor was carried away by laminar flow, evaporating into thick white gas. The rock particles were then burned into part of the flames in a moment.

It should have been accompanied by a whistling sound loud enough to shatter eardrums, but Loren heard nothing.

He fell alongside the largest of the 21 pieces, tearing a hole the size of Earth through Jupiter's atmosphere and plunging deeper into the planet.

Boom!

The turbulent air currents tore the comet fragments to shreds, and crimson gas erupted and splashed like magma, staining the central region of the planet red and melting all the rock fragments in that area. The blood-red particles turned into dark red clouds, which were blown away by the gas in the center of Jupiter and fell into the vast turbulent layers, merging into the storm-like Great Red Spot.

The erupted energy instantly distorted the surface of Jupiter, spreading outwards in ripples. Loren seemed to shatter into countless tiny fragments, smaller than all the gas molecules, mixed in with the waves and ripples generated by the impact. He was a point without volume or weight, stretched and twisted into an endless line, his perception extending and expanding infinitely in the boundless universe.

He seemed to have flown out of gaseous Jupiter, crossed the eternally burning sun, and kept moving forward.

An immense force of time and space emanated from an unknown source, and he seemed to instantly traverse a distance that light would take billions of years to cover. He saw blazing, shining stars and distorted spaces, hollow regions that swallowed light and perception.

Among countless tiny yet vast planets, he even saw beings remarkably similar to Earth.

Did you see that?

"You see... right?"

Loren opened his eyes and found himself slumped over his desk, his head resting on a closed copy of the Book of Abraham. The sky outside the window was already turning gray, with a faint golden hue appearing on the distant eastern horizon.

Loren looked up and surveyed his surroundings. Not far away, Flamel's translucent figure floated in mid-air, holding a similarly translucent book.

"You're awake?" Flamel raised his head, which was covered in silver hair.

"What's going on? Another mishap with the Book of Abraham? I feel like I witnessed a comet colliding with Jupiter." Loren stretched and yawned, feeling refreshed after a good night's sleep.

"I don't know what you've been through, but I think you should feel the Magic Power within you right now."

"Magic Power?"