Sleeping Cassandra (10,000 Words)

The Dementor on the horizon had nothing to do with them. In fact, even if Harry knew he was being targeted by Dementor, he probably wouldn't care.

Would you care if a few grasshoppers tried to bite you?

"I think these carriages..." Hermione said, frowning, "... seem to be self-propelled? Otherwise, why can't we see the horses pulling them?"

"It's normal that you can't see it because it's being pulled by Thestral, Hermione," Harry said to Hermione.

"Thestral?" Hermione frowned. "I seem to remember seeing these animals somewhere before. It seems only those who have witnessed death can see them?"

"Here it is." Ron, quick to act, had already flipped to the information about Thestral and pointed to it, reading to Hermione, "Thestral are a breed of Pegasus. They look like reptiles, are very thin, and have dragon-like faces and large, bat-like wings."

"They are extremely rare and are listed as dangerous animals by the British Ministry of Magic. Thestral have a terrifying reputation. For centuries, they have been seen as an omen of bad luck because of their frightening appearance and the fact that only those who have witnessed death can see them."

"So you can see it?" Hermione asked Harry.

"I've seen death, Hermione," Harry said nonchalantly, though in fact he had seen far too much death to count on—to the point of being numb.

However, Hermione misunderstood; she thought Harry was referring to the time he witnessed his mother die in front of him when he was a child.

"I'm sorry, Harry," she apologized cautiously.

"It's nothing, Hermione," Harry smiled gently at her.

Silence fell over the car, and Hermione realized she had said the wrong thing.

"I wonder what Professor Lupin's lectures will be like," Ron suddenly said, feeling he should break the silence. "I hope he will be more competent than Ms. Rosier."

"As things stand, Professor Lupin seems to be competent," Harry replied.

The carriage rolled forward, with a pair of magnificent and imposing cast-iron gates ahead, flanked by many stone pillars topped with winged wild boars.

As you can see, two tall Dementor wearing hoods stand guard on either side of the gate, seemingly watching over Hogwarts.

Upon seeing the carriage approaching, the two Dementor seemed to want to lean forward, but then, as if remembering some prohibition, they retreated rapidly.

"I think they got scared," Ron commented. "You see, they backed away—like they would have clung to us by now, like on the train."

"Do they even know what fear is?" Hermione asked curiously. "I've heard that Dementor are fear itself. Does fear itself feel fear?"

"Fear stems from the unknown, Hermione." Harry casually stretched out his hand, took a piece of chocolate from the side, and handed it to her. "You two have some chocolate, it's getting cold."

The carriage picked up speed on the long, sloping road and drove all the way to the castle. Hermione leaned out of the window and watched as many corner towers and towers gradually approached them.

Finally, the carriage came to a swaying stop, and the three of them got off.

"They're so beautiful, aren't they?"

A melodious voice came from the side. Harry turned his head and saw a light blonde girl with slightly swollen eyes.

It's Luna Lovegood from Ravenclaw.

"Are you talking about Thestral?" Harry asked Luna uncertainly. To him, Thestral seemed to have nothing to do with beauty.

"Yes, the Thestral are truly beautiful," Luna said, as if she were singing a song.

"What happened?" a gentle voice asked.

It was Professor Lupin; he had just gotten off a carriage behind him.

"We're watching Thestral, Professor," Harry said politely.

Lupin looked at Harry gently, still thinking to himself that the boy really resembled Lily.

He was as polite and gentle as her—unlike his father, James, who was quite boisterous.

Yes, a troublemaker, that's how Lupin described James.

"Let's go, I think we should go into the castle." Professor Lupin looked up at the sky. "It looks like it's going to rain again soon, and it wouldn't be good to get soaked."

They walked into the castle together, and as they passed the entrance, Harry could hear Professor McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey chatting. It seemed that Madam Pomfrey was complaining to Professor McGonagall.

"Letting Dementor roam around the school, I really don't know what Fudge and Dumbledore were thinking. Don't they use their brains at all? Good heavens, I told Dumbledore before, didn't I? Eating sugar doesn't help with thinking... It's a terrible thing, and the effect it has on people who can't handle it—"

"Perhaps you should turn off his Tooth-strengthening Potion, Bobby," Professor McGonagall said seriously. "Let him experience what it feels like to have rotten teeth and be unable to eat!"

"You should tell Severus about this. He's the one who secretly brewed the Tooth-strengthening Potion for Dumbledore," Madam Pomfrey muttered under her breath.

Harry and his friends walked down the corridor, through the hall, and all the way to the Great Hall.

The Great Hall was a sea of pointed black hats, and students sat around each long table, their faces illuminated by thousands of candles that seemed to float in mid-air above the tables.

A moment later, Professor McGonagall also walked in, carrying the pointed top of the Sorting Hat.

They knew this was the Sorting Ceremony for the new semester.

"You've finally arrived," the Weasley twins said with a grin. "I thought you were stuck with Dementor —like our Ronnie little darling."

"Don't worry, Dementor aren't as scary as you two," Ron said, rolling his eyes—a gesture he'd picked up from Hermione.

Soon, Professor McGonagall walked to the front and placed the Sorting Hat on the stool.

The old man opened his mouth and began to sing a nonsensical song loudly.

"Who taught him this tune?" Hermione said, covering her ears. "It's awful."

"I think he probably just made it up when he was bored," Ginny commented seriously. "See, at least he's quite satisfied with the melody."

Ron scoffed, "What kind of aesthetic sense can a hat have?"

Fortunately, the old man couldn't hear their conversation, otherwise he would have been heartbroken.

There was no mistake at this year's Sorting Ceremony where someone called out "Hannah Abe"; Professor McGonagall had the correct list.

What caught Harry's attention was a little girl with dark hair in this Sorting, and Draco's eyes were practically glued to her.

After the Sorting Ceremony, Professor Flitwick pulled up the top of his Sorting Hat, picked up a stool, and walked out of the Great Hall.

At that moment, Dumbledore also stood up.

As the universally acknowledged greatest wizard in the world, Dumbledore's appearance perfectly fits the stereotypical image of the character. His hair and beard are several feet long, he wears semi-circular glasses, and his nose is sharply hooked.

Only those who have a deep understanding of Dumbledore, or those who know nothing about Dumbledore at all, would think he is a powerful wizard—but unfortunately, most people at the school don't know much about Headmaster Dumbledore; they all agree that he is a bit crazy.

"Welcome!" said Professor Dumbledore, his beard Winky in the candlelight. "Welcome to Hogwarts for the new school year! I have a few words to say to you all, including something very serious, which I think I'd like to clarify before you get too caught up in this delicious meal..."

Dumbledore cleared his throat and continued, "After they searched the Hogwarts Express—as you probably already know—our school is currently hosting several Dementor from Azkaban who are here on official Ministry of Ministry of Magic duties."

He paused for a moment, revealing a somewhat displeased expression.

"They are stationed at all the entrances to the school grounds," Dumbledore continued. "While they are here, I must make it clear that no one may School Opening without permission, Dementor should not be fooled by tricks or disguises—not even Invisibility Cloak."

As he said this, Dumbledore gave Ron and Hermione a meaningful look, because the members of the Dueling Club often went out at night wearing Invisibility Cloak.

"Dementor don't understand what a request or an excuse is, so I warn each and every one of you: don't give them any excuse to hurt you. I'm counting on the Prefect, and our newly appointed Head Boy and female student council presidents, to ensure that no student will have a conflict with Dementor."

Percy was sitting just a few seats away from Harry, and he straightened his back and gave an impressive look around.

"He's a power-hungry man," Ron whispered to Harry. "Remember the book he read last year? 'How Prefect Gain Power.' His worship of power even surpasses his love for magic."

"I believe magic is more important than power, Ron," Harry said in a low voice as well. "If you have Headmaster Dumbledore's strength, why should you be afraid of not gaining power?"

"Why?" Ron asked in a low voice. "Look at Headmaster Dumbledore, even he had to obediently follow the Ministry of Magic's requirements and set up Dementor in the school, didn't he?"

"Because he's good-natured, Ron," Harry replied. "The Ministry of Magic would never dare force him to do anything he wanted— the Ministry of Magic? How many Auror do they have who could fight Dumbledore?"

Ron thought about it and realized that it made sense.

"That sounds familiar. I remember Assistant Gale saying something to me too," Ron said to Harry. "I exchanged several letters with Assistant Gale during the holidays, and he told me a lot of things."

Harry was a little surprised. He thought Gellert was just acting on a whim, but he didn't expect that the other party seemed quite interested in Ron.

"I see." Harry didn't ask any further questions.

With Veratia keeping Gellert in check, Harry wasn't worried about him causing any trouble.

Besides, boys at this age are very sensitive, so asking too many questions would be counterproductive.

He believed Ron had his own ruler.

Dumbledore looked around and continued, "What's more pleasing is that we have a new teacher joining our faculty this year, Professor Lupin, who has generously agreed to fill the vacancy for Defense Against the Dark Arts. Let's welcome him."

Professor Lupin stood up and politely greeted everyone.

Perhaps it was because Professor Rosier had left such a perfect impression on everyone last year, or perhaps it was because Professor Lupin was not particularly handsome, but in any case, only a few scattered claps rang out in the Great Hall.

Harry clapped and cheered for Professor Lupin, which then inspired the other students to applaud as well.

Hearing Harry's cheers, Lupin smiled gratefully at Harry.

Unsurprisingly, Snape's gaze remained fixed on Professor Lupin along the faculty table.

It was no secret that Professor Snape had always wanted to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts Class —however, the distorted expression on Snape's thin, ashen face surprised the students; it went beyond mere annoyance—it was unmistakably hatred.

The last time Harry saw Snape with such an expression was in his mother's memory, on the Black Lake, when Snape was staring at Harry's father, James Potter.

"Well, I think I've said what's important," Dumbledore said, raising his hands. "Now I declare the banquet open!"

The golden plates and goblets in front of them were suddenly filled with food and drinks. Harry, and his two companions, who hadn't eaten much in the carriage, suddenly felt very hungry, so they took some of the food they could reach and started eating.

Ron, in particular, once again replicated his Chicken Leg Berserker look, eating one in each hand with great gusto.

Hermione had given up trying to correct Ron's eating habits. In her opinion, Ron was beyond redemption, so why bother trying to save him?

It was a sumptuous feast, and the Great Hall echoed with laughter and the clinking of knives and forks.

After the banquet, Dumbledore, as he did every year, led everyone in singing the Hogwarts school song.

"Even in the darkest days, let us not forget to hold onto hope." Dumbledore stretched out his hand and shook it in front of the candle. "But we can always find happiness, and that is the quality we need."

After saying that, he raised his hand and said, "Now, let's sing the Hogwarts school song together!"

This is the part that all the students least look forward to, except for the Weasley twins.

They went to Egypt and, from who knows where, picked up a tune that made the students present seem to see the Green Roma breaching the Gate of St. Romanus.

If there were any Turkey present, they would immediately recognize that this tune is their traditional "Ancestors, Grandfathers".

"Actually, the Slytherin should sing."

Finally, the Weasley twins added with a laugh, "After all, the Ottoman Empire Turkey were green, Slytherin were green too, so they must have something in common."

The Slytherin students glared at the Weasley twins after hearing their words.

Hey, what nonsense are you talking about, clone!

After the Hogwarts school song was sung, Dumbledore had the Prefect lead the students back to their respective dormitories.

Percy immediately stood up and puffed out his chest slightly, as if to make sure everyone could see the badge of the Head Boy on his chest.

"Head Boy." The four Weasley family siblings muttered in unison, the Twins exchanging a glance and then bursting into laughter.

Even Ginny was the same, completely unconcerned about how hurt Percy's eyes were.

The freshmen and upperclassmen followed behind the Prefect and headed toward the Common Room.

The Common Room of the four houses are not quite the same: Gryffindor's are in the tower, like Ravenclaw's; Slytherin's are in the basement; and Hufflepuff's are next to the Kitchen.

Those who enter Hufflepuff are the most fortunate, for they can enter the Kitchen as soon as they open the door. If they scratch the pear in the painting at the Kitchen door, it will smile and turn into a doorknob to let them through.

The House Elf of Hogwarts never refuse students who sneak into the Kitchen to eat, even if they don't come openly.

To the surprise of the Gryffindor students, the person guarding the gate of Gryffindor had changed; it was no longer the portrait of the Fat Lady, but a sphinx.

"It's the Sphinx!" the Weasley twins exclaimed in unison.

But judging from their expressions, they showed no fear whatsoever; on the contrary, they seemed quite expectant.

"Welcome back to Gryffindor Common Room," the Sphinx said in a very elegant voice. "I am Gryffindor's new gatekeeper, you may call me the Sphinx..."

"Aren't Sphinx a species?"

Someone in the crowd interrupted and asked a question, but Sphinx didn't seem very happy, perhaps because he was interrupted, or perhaps for some other reason.

"I think you should really improve your knowledge, miss," Sphinx said sternly. "I won't go into that—well, you'll need to answer my questions correctly before you can enter the Common Room."

"Does everyone have to answer correctly?" someone asked loudly.

"No, only one person needs to answer correctly," Sphinx said with a chuckle. "After each correct answer, you have ten minutes of free time to come and go as you please."

"Then what are you waiting for? Hurry up and ask!" Seamus said, never one to miss a good show.

The Sphinx looked down at the students and asked, "Which letter represents an animal?"

Which letter represents an animal?

This riddle...

"The answer is a bee," Hermione replied quickly. "Bee, it sounds the same as the letter B, doesn't it?"

"Correct answer, miss." Sphinx jumped aside, clearing a path. "Remember, even if you can't answer the questions, I won't strangle you."

Upon hearing Sphinx's words, everyone shuddered.

Oh my god, I didn't know there was such a saying?

However, the Sphinx was speaking to Harry, and while he was speaking, he kept staring at Harry, making Harry a little embarrassed.

After they entered the dormitory, some Gryffindor students began to complain, "Good heavens, at this rate, we'll all become Ravenclaw —think about it, we have to answer the Sphinx's riddles to get into the Common Room, how will that make us any different from Ravenclaw?"

"It wouldn't be bad if we added a little wisdom, then we could be both wise and brave," Hermione whispered to Harry and Ron. She didn't speak loudly, as Hermione was still worried that her words might cause public outrage.

But that's not actually the case.

On such a cold and dark night, climbing into a warm bed early is a very pleasant thing. Harry didn't plan to go out for a night stroll, but instead lay in bed to conserve his energy and prepare for the Merlin's trials the next day.

September 1, 1993, was a Wednesday. To the students' surprise, they did not start classes immediately this School Opening. Instead, they waited until the following Monday, September 6, to officially begin the first class of the semester.

Even so, Wednesday is also the day to collect students' homework.

Ron didn't realize until he woke up in the morning that he had only completed half of his Potions Class, which made him so anxious that he kept pulling at his hair.

Fortunately, with Hermione's help, he was able to submit his paper before the deadline.

"Oh my god, I thought I was going to die," Ron said breathlessly. "I really can't imagine what Professor Snape would do to me if I didn't do my homework."

"Don't worry, he definitely won't kill you," Hermione said, suppressing a laugh. "Anyway, for you, hell's just a sauna, isn't it?"

Ron puffed out his cheeks but didn't say anything.

The Ravenclaw students were excitedly discussing Gryffindor's new goalkeeper; they genuinely hadn't expected the school to assign a sphinx to guard the gate for Gryffindor.

"It should clearly belong to Ravenclaw," said Cho of Ravenclaw, somewhat indignantly.

The other Ravenclaw students nodded in agreement; they seemed to have grown tired of the door knocker long ago—but it would have been more acceptable if the Sphinx had asked the question instead.

At least the Sphinx isn't a cold, impersonal door knocker, but a living, breathing lion-man.

Luna sat at the Ravenclaw table, seemingly looking at the Gryffindor long table, or perhaps at Slytherin over there.

The female classmates around her whispered and pointed at Luna, clearly not saying anything nice.

Harry, with his sharp ears, overheard what they were saying. It was nothing more than the phrase "Loony," and they were advising the others, especially the freshmen, not to hang out with Luna.

Harry glanced at Luna with some concern, only to find that Luna was completely unconcerned about the verbal abuse, as if they were talking about a complete stranger.

This girl has a really good attitude. Anyone else would have exploded at those petty people who gossip about others behind their backs.

"They're disgusting," Hermione whispered to Ron. "What did Luna do wrong? Why are they treating her like this?"

"It's wrong to be different, Hermione," Harry replied in a similarly soft voice.

Hermione nodded, stood up, and went to the Ravenclaw table to extend an invitation to Luna.

"Luna, would you like to have breakfast together?"

Luna looked up blankly, and when she saw it was Hermione, she smiled and nodded calmly.

"OK."

Her voice remained ethereal, just like her temperament, if you ignored her slightly swollen eyes.

After Luna arrived at the Gryffindor long table, Hermione asked in a low voice, "Have you always been like this in the House?"

Meanwhile, the chirping of crickets in Ravenclaw grew louder, as Hermione joined the group this time.

It's all about Hermione's meddling, and some people are even speculating about the relationship between Hermione and Harry with the utmost malice.

"I'm sorry to have caused you trouble," Luna said apologetically. "But I noticed— Harry seems to have Wrackspurt on his head. Is something bothering you, Harry?"

"It's no trouble at all, Luna," Hermione chuckled nonchalantly. "I don't care what a few people who have nothing to do with me say behind my back— Wrackspurt? What's Wrackspurt? Is Harry having some kind of problem?"

"Wrackspurt... is a buzzing thing, and when you get swarmed by one, it means you have a lot of troubles," Luna said softly.

"I'm worried about a friend, but don't worry," Harry smiled at Luna. "She'll be back soon."

"Is that Veratia?" Hermione asked, her expression showing interest. "Is she finally finishing her studies in the Muggle world?"

"No." Harry shook his head.

But Hermione mentioned Veratia, Harry remembered that when Veratia was in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, a group of girls would harass her from behind, even tripping her up and hiding her Diadem...

If she could see Luna, who had experienced the same thing... perhaps the two could become good friends?

"Who is that?" Hermione pressed, she was very gossipy.

Because she heard the word "she," and in English, "he" and "she" are distinguishable.

"I have the right to remain silent," Harry said.

"I think something's definitely wrong with you, Harry. You seem a little guilty." Hermione squinted at Harry, as if trying to find some flaw in his demeanor.

However, Harry didn't care at all and continued eating his breakfast.

Breakfast is important. You have to eat breakfast. After all, it's the king's breakfast, the prince's lunch, and the beggar's dinner. That's the proper way to eat three meals a day.

After finishing breakfast, Harry went to Professor Sprout's Greenhouse.

Sprout was still dressed in the most plain of clothes, with a few withered yellow leaves even in her hair.

"Harry." Professor Sprout wasn't surprised by Harry's arrival. She greeted Harry, "You've come to get Moonpetal leaves, haven't you? I've already prepared a bag for you; it's over there."

"Thank you, Professor." Harry stepped forward and took the package that Sprout had pointed out to him.

"Remember to inform Mr. Longbottom to come to my office," Professor Sprout said. "I need to speak with him about something."

"Yes, Professor." Harry nodded and left the Greenhouse.

As he passed the Great Hall, he told Neville about it, and then climbed the steps to the front of the Headmaster's Office.

This time, the Waterspout Gargoyle didn't even say a word, it just jumped to the side.

Harry glanced at it in surprise, not expecting it to be so pragmatic this time.

"Professor." Harry went into the Headmaster's Office, trying to find Dumbledore.

To his disappointment, however, Dumbledore was not at the school.

Harry sat patiently in the Headmaster's Office for more than half an hour before Dumbledore came in from outside.

Dumbledore was visibly startled when he saw Harry.

He didn't expect Harry to be waiting for him in the Headmaster's Office.

"Professor," Harry said, rising to greet Dumbledore.

"I'm sorry, Harry." Dumbledore walked over and sat down in a chair. "The Ministry of Magic needed to speak with me, so I was held up for a while—what brings you here?"

"I'd like to ask you if I could go to the Forbidden Forest," Harry said, folding his hands. "Merlin's trials is almost over, and I just got some Moonpetal leaves from Professor Sprout. I suspect Cassandra might be there."

"I remember I granted you leave last year, Harry," Dumbledore a smile. "Besides, today is just study hall; there are no classes."

"There are Dementor at the entrance to Hogwarts and in the Forbidden Forest, Professor," Harry sighed. "You know, Dementor don't know the meaning of forgiveness, and I don't want to cause trouble."

Dumbledore stared at Harry expressionlessly, a glint of light flashing behind his half-moon-shaped glasses.

Look at what you're saying!

You don't want to cause trouble?

You don't want trouble, so you kill three Dementor on the train?

What do you think I was doing just now? The Ministry of Magic wants to know why the three Dementor who were searching the train disappeared Silencio...

"I know you don't want to cause trouble for the school, Harry," Albus Dumbledore sighed. "But I think your business is more important. Those Dementor won't threaten your safety."

Yes, the Dementor also had to worry about their own safety, Dumbledore thought with a hint of schadenfreude.

"What if Dementor attack me?" Harry pressed.

"That's their responsibility, Harry," Dumbledore replied definitively.

Okay, that's exactly what Harry was waiting for.

"I'm much relieved to hear that," Harry said, standing up. "If there's nothing else, I'll be going now, Professor."

Professor Dumbledore nodded and let Harry walk out of the Headmaster's Office.

When Harry reached Newt's tent, Pabbie stopped him.

"Harry, what are you going to do?" Pabbie looked at Harry warily. "There are Dementor everywhere outside, it's very dangerous! Newt told me!"

"I'm going to Merlin's ruins. There's only one left, Pabbie," Harry said, reaching out to rub Pabbie's head.

"I'll come with you, Harry," Pabbie said, bouncing around.

Harry looked at Pabbie and advised her, "Dementor aren't to be trifled with, Pabbie. What if they target you? Listen to me, it's safer to stay with Professor Scamander."

"No, Harry!" Pabbie tugged at Harry's clothes, saying, "Harry ~ Harry ~ you know, Dementor only attack humanoid creatures, I'm not..."

"I can't take you with me, Pabbie," Harry sighed. "My purse contains Basilisk the Alfonso right now, and I don't trust you to go in—what if he stares you to death?"

"Alright." Pabbie took a few steps back regretfully. "Then go ahead—I'll wait for you here."

"Okay." Harry nodded to Pabbie, went into Newt's tent, and Apparition to Hogsmeade.

The moment Harry entered Hogsmeade, he took out his Nimbus 2000 from his wallet and rode on it.

Following the location he remembered, he flew towards the Forbidden Forest.

It should be said that the Forbidden Forest seems to have been enlarged by Mahoutokoro. On the map, the Forbidden Forest is not very large—but once you enter the Forbidden Forest, you will find that it is almost as big as the whole of Britain.

The final trial site is located in front of the tomb of Garrick.

Harry pressed down on his broom in the woods and landed on the opposite bank of a pond.

The surrounding area is filled with towering trees, some of which are as thick as four or five people could hug, and are at least several hundred years old.

Above the pond not far away, tiny Green Light Spot flickered like fireflies—but they were not real fireflies, but some kind of lingering power of Merlin.

Harry first used a Detection Charm, then walked to the disc of Merlin's ruins and scattered some Moonpetal leaves on it.

A burst of green energy erupted from the disc, and Harry seized the opportunity to flick his wand, casting a Detection Charm.

The results of the two Detection Charm were different. After Merlin's trials was activated, three more brazier-like objects appeared around the area.

The Merlin's trials here is related to the Flame Charm.

Harry followed the direction indicated by the Detection Charm and saw two enormous spider webs ahead—just by looking at the size of the webs, you could tell that the person who wove them was definitely not small, perhaps even comparable to a calf.

The Detection Charm did not detect the presence of the spiders, so he confidently used Flame Charm to burn the two spider webs to ashes.

Harry walked to the other stone pillar and, following the same pattern, lit the brazier on the pillar.

But after he lit the third brazier, he found that nothing happened.

Could there be a fourth brazier?

Harry took two steps forward and continued probing...

He discovered that the first fire pit he had lit had gone out.

It looks like we need to light all three braziers in a short time.

Harry acted very quickly this time, even using Apparition, in order to light all three braziers in a short period of time.

After the third brazier was lit, vibrant greenery bloomed on the disc of Merlin's ruins, and the Green Light Spot converged into a line that slowly drew Harry's palm.

Harry felt like he had become a little smarter, whether it was his imagination or not.

Perhaps this is Merlin's gift, he thought.

but...

He discovered, however, that Cassandra was still nowhere to be found in the Merlin's ruins.

Why is that?

Could it be that Cassandra is not among Merlin's ruins?

Before Harry could think any further, he heard a rumbling sound coming from the pool in front of him.

He quickly got up and looked at the pool of water in front of him. The Green Light Spot above the water were becoming more and more dense, and the water was boiling as if it were boiling.

The ground shook violently. Harry reached out to hold onto a stone pillar at Merlin's ruins, cautiously drawing his wand to see what was happening.

The earth shook more violently, and the Green Light Spot on the water became thicker. Soon, Harry saw an archway rise from beneath the water, shimmering with the unique light of Ancient Magic.

Once the shaking stopped, Harry used Detection Charm to confirm that there was no threat around him before cautiously walking to the edge of the pond.

On a stone pier rising up by the pond, there was a Crystal Ball. Harry picked it up and obtained a message from it.

It was left to him by Merlin —or rather, to his successors who would complete all the trials.

The gist is that only by completing all the trials he left behind will this archway appear—and this archway is reinforced with Ancient Magic, so those without Ancient Magic talent are destined to be unable to enter it.

Harry was quite relieved that he was the last to complete this trial, otherwise he might have missed it.

but...

Ancient Magic fluctuations?

Harry frowned. Cassandra wasn't a descendant of Ancient Magic. Would she be here?

He thought about it and decided to go and take a look.

Apparition is a convenient Charms; at least he doesn't have to wade through the pool to get to the archway—and the pool looks very deep. Harry wonders if he would drown if he stepped in.

He patted the stone pillar of the archway and went around to the other side.

Through the Ancient Magic emanating from the archway, Harry peered inside and discovered it was a cave.

Harry passed through the magical ripples and entered the cave.

This cave was unlike any he had ever been to before; it seemed to have been altered by humans, with blue stone walls all around.

Throughout the cave, there were tall braziers with flames of various colors dancing on them— Harry could clearly see that those flames were eternal flames that could burn without any fuel— the Gubraithian Fire.

He followed the path through the cave—or rather, the corridor—and came to a large bridge.

The entire bridge is engraved with intricate patterns, and Gubraithian Fire burn in the braziers on both sides of the bridge, making it look very solemn and sacred.

Harry's heart began to pound as he stepped onto the bridge.

He always felt that something was waiting for him ahead.

He walked along the bridge to the end of the road, where a large door stood before him.

Harry stepped forward and cast a Detection Charm, intending to find a way to open the door.

Sure enough, the results of the Detection Charm told him that there was a handprint on the door.

He reached out and pressed his hand on the handprint.

Suddenly, the gate seemed to be covered by vines, which then quickly receded, revealing an archway large enough for two people to pass through.

Harry went inside, but contrary to his expectations, the room behind the door was very dark; he couldn't even see his own hand in front of his face.

He raised his wand and chanted the Charms.

"Lumos (Lumos)."

The Charms illuminated the entire room, and Harry looked ahead in the light and found what appeared to be a Stone Platform in front of him.

On the Stone Platform, a beautiful girl dressed in Slytherin school uniform lay on it. Her face was rosy, her hands were folded in front of her chest, and her chest rose and fell evenly, making her look as if she were asleep.

Beneath the Stone Platform beside the girl lies a broken goblet.

Harry recognized the girl; she was none other than herself.

It's Cassandra Malfoy.

(Please vote with monthly tickets!)