The Sound of Death, Ever-Present / A Journey Together Toward Death

"So... this choice isn't actually that difficult."

Seemingly having figured something out, Luna Lovegood decisively pulled out her wand, used the Levitation Charm to lift Antonin Dolohov, who was pretending to be a corpse, and expressionlessly threw him directly into the sea of fire in front of her!

Just then, Ha and He returned together, shrinking Norberta again and taking Luna Lovegood's hand.

"All done. Now we're going to the Death Chamber and locking up that weird room!"

Harry Apparition again, but just as their bodies were about to disappear, Luna Lovegood suddenly let out a soft cry.

"Ah..."

Feeling the lingering warmth on her lips, the girl, who had just been calm, suddenly panicked again...

Chapter 781 The Sound of Death, Like a Shadow

Accompanied by the distinctive Apparition sound, Harry, his friends, and their companions found themselves in the Death Chamber within the Department of Mysteries.

In Harry Potter's memory, Sirius fell here in this timeline, so Harry decided to lock the room to ensure that the group outside wouldn't accidentally break in.

"Hey, Loony, why is your face so red?" Just as they were about to split up to block the road, Hermione suddenly noticed that Luna Lovegood's expression was strange, so she pretended not to understand and asked.

"Ah... I just... just now... yes, it was so hot when Norberta was breathing fire that I accidentally got roasted~" Luna Lovegood covered her face, panicking involuntarily, and hurriedly and clumsily carried the female Dragon out as a shield.

Meanwhile, Norberta, who was currently nestled in her arms, was rolling his eyes in exasperation.

Come on, can you at least try to shift the blame in a more scientific way?

I just breathed fire, I didn't fart! I blew the fire forward like crazy, how could you possibly get roasted hiding behind my tail?!

"Heh... is that so? Then you'd better be extra careful with it." Hermione snorted lightly, offering a nonchalant expression of 'concern'.

Seriously, why is the Loony blushing? Does she really not know?

Scumbag, ugh~

The minor incident that had just occurred did not affect the efficiency of the male-female team's work. The three of them quickly applied Locking Spell and Banishing Charm to all the entrances and exits of the house, and Hermione even suggested reinforcing them again with the core of the same wand.

Hmm... They can increase their power while also showing off their love and showering everyone with sweetness—what a win-win situation!

Luna Lovegood:...

Seeing Hermione's deliberately smug expression of triumph, Luna Lovegood suddenly had a strong urge to go back and pluck Albus Dumbledore's phoenix tail feathers!

Harry, however, was already captivated by the Veil that was moving without any wind.

Even after repeatedly studying Rookwood's entire memory as the Unspeakable, the Death Chamber of the Department of Mysteries still felt shrouded in mystery.

In Rookwood's memory, the arches and Veil of the Department of Mysteries had existed since ancient times.

Even the location of the Britain Ministry of Magic was chosen because of that archway... This Death Chamber was the original building of the Ministry of Magic, and the other floors and rooms were gradually developed based on it.

For centuries since the founding of the Britain Ministry of Magic... perhaps even longer, countless wizards have dedicated themselves to studying this mystery, hoping to explore death and the secrets of the unknown world to the fullest extent.

But without exception, they all failed, and those wizards who crossed the Veil for various reasons never returned... just like Sirius in the 'original story'.

"That Veil is beautiful..." Luna Lovegood seemed equally captivated by the Veil, even more so, "Behind that door, it sounds like someone is talking..."

"Beautiful?" Hermione carefully examined the ancient, dilapidated archway in the middle of the house and the tattered black Veil on it. She couldn't see any beauty in it at all; she only felt a chill and eeriness.

As for anyone speaking, that was even more impossible... The whole room was extremely quiet; they could even clearly hear Norberta's breathing.

But in that brief moment of distraction, she noticed that Luna Lovegood had already staggered towards the archway!

"Loony, come back quickly! It's dangerous there!!" Hermione was startled when she saw this and rushed over to grab Luna Lovegood tightly.

They had all read Harry Potter's memories, and in this timeline, Sirius died because he fell into the Veil... In Hermione's mind, this eerie 'curtain' that moved without wind was like a beckoning banner that beckoned to death!

"But I really heard someone talking!" Luna Lovegood protested, still staring longingly at the archway. "Know-it-all... I really heard it, it sounded like someone was calling me from there..."

"Harry, what's going on?" Seeing that Luna Lovegood couldn't explain it to her, Hermione had no choice but to turn to Harry.

"Luna Lovegood heard the cries of the dead. I could hear them too, just not as strongly as she could. As for Hermione, it's actually a good thing you can't hear them..."

Harry explained softly, and at the same time, he came over and took Luna Lovegood's hand, comforting her in this way.

"Could it be..." Hermione suddenly realized.

Harry had said something similar to her once, when they were riding in Thestral carriage, before Hermione could see the Thestral.

Therefore, Harry and Luna Lovegood were able to hear the cries of the dead because they had both lost important loved ones.

"But that's just someone using their voices to deceive us! The one on the other side of the Veil is definitely not the real them!" Harry tightened his grip on Luna Lovegood's hand. "Those who love us will only ever wish for our happiness. They might want to see us one more time, but they would never drive us to cross the Veil to be with them... Besides, this isn't our time."

"I know..." Reminded by Harry, Luna Lovegood had come to her senses.

She forced herself to stop listening to the sounds behind the Veil, but a hint of longing still lingered on her face.

"Heh... you seem pretty easygoing."

"What?!" Harry was startled. He looked up sharply at the Veil in the center of the room, convinced that the words must have come from behind it!

"What exactly are you..." Harry instinctively wanted to ask, but not wanting the two girls beside him to worry, Harry reluctantly swallowed his words.

"You should have already guessed who I am. If you want to confirm, why don't you come down and take a look?" The mysterious voice continued, "Only by getting closer to death will you see... my true form."

"What did you say?!" Harry frowned warily. He hadn't heard the last word of the voice, but he knew it was definitely trying to lure him!

But... Harry had to admit, he simply couldn't ignore the other person's presence.

This so-called god, full of wicked humor, has been relentlessly haunting him ever since he began investigating the Deathly Hallows, and he can't shake it off no matter what, even after he went to another dimension.

Harry truly loathed it, yet he couldn't deny the fear in his heart.

Even now, he desperately wants to escape, but he always suspects the other party might do something to sabotage his plan to protect Sirius.

Moreover, Harry had a strange feeling that if he ran away from here today, he would probably never have the confidence to face this guy again!

"Fine... whatever you want me to see, I'll oblige!"

After much deliberation, Harry steeled himself and stepped down the first step...

"Harry?" Hermione was taken aback. "What are you doing?!"

"You all stay here, I need to go down and check."

He responded softly, trying to let go of Luna Lovegood's hand, but she gripped it even tighter.

"If you're going down, take me with you..." Luna Lovegood said firmly, "I won't let you go alone!"

"Take us with you!" Hermione grabbed Harry's other hand. "You seem to have made up your mind. We'll definitely be with you now."

"Okay then!"

Harry didn't say much to the two women's unwavering support; he simply held their hands tightly and told himself he must never let go!

Chapter 782 A Journey Towards Death Together

The structure of the Death Chamber is strange; it's less like a room and more like a huge, deep pit.

The archway and Veil at the deepest part of the room, with a vertical drop of more than six meters from the steps at the highest point where Harry and the others were.

The room is surrounded by descending steps, each one very steep, making it look like a lecture hall, but it is actually more like a mysterious, sunken altar.

As Harry stepped down the first step, he didn't feel anything particularly special, except that the atmosphere was a little heavy.

But as he continued downwards, something strange suddenly happened.

Hermione and Luna Lovegood beside him seemed to have grown up all of a sudden. Harry could notice the changes in their figures, and their features had become more mature and defined, making them look like they were about to graduate and become adults.

"Uh... Harry, how did you grow up? And the Loony too?" Hermione seemed to have noticed the change as well, and immediately hugged Harry's arm nervously.

"It should just be a temporary change; I don't feel anything unusual," Luna Lovegood said after checking herself.

"The passage of time, it certainly seems quite sudden... Anyway, let's continue reading."

Harry figured that someone wanted them to experience the passage of time, and in order to figure out the deeper meaning behind it, he didn't choose to stop there.

After walking a while longer, Harry soon confirmed his guess.

They all looked like they were in their early twenties again, Hermione looked even more mature now, with almost no trace of her youthful innocence on her face.

As for Luna Lovegood...

"Luna Lovegood?!" Harry unconsciously clenched his fist; he realized Luna Lovegood had vanished!

"I'm here." As if sensing his worry, the girl gently moved closer to Harry and awkwardly took Harry arm.

"It's good that you're here."

Harry stared at the blank space beside him for a long time, and finally saw Luna Lovegood as an adult again.

He didn't know why this was happening; perhaps it was because he had lost Luna Lovegood in his 'past life'?

But no matter what, he will never let that happen again!

They nestled together like this, descending continuously, as if walking hand in hand through the long passage of time.

Together we'll walk through our thirties, forties, and even longer into the future.

He witnessed two girls grow from naivety to maturity, each showing him their most beautiful selves, until finally their faces were covered with wrinkles...

Suddenly, Harry began to enjoy the trip.

As they descended from one level to the next, time left deep marks on them, yet they remained together, never separated for a moment.

Harry's vision was starting to blur, and he felt he might have become a disheveled old man, yet he could still see the original look in the two women's increasingly cloudy eyes.

It is an emotion that will never be erased no matter how time changes. Aging may destroy a person's body, but it can also allow love to continue to deepen.

The last section of steps was particularly steep, and they had to support each other to barely make their way down. Their increasingly slow movements seemed to foreshadow the approaching end of their lives.

And that archway at the end, perhaps, is the other side of death...

Finally, Luna Lovegood disappeared from Harry's side once again, and this time even Hermione was gone; the two of them vanished without warning.

Harry could no longer feel anything around him, but he still felt that they were definitely with him!

He still held their arms, never letting go because of 'death'.

He successfully stood in front of the archway, silently gazing at the Veil that never stopped swaying even without wind... It seemed to be beckoning souls; people die every moment in this world, so the Veil of death will never cease.

Suddenly, it was as if a drop of water Accio from the other side of the arch. It quietly expanded inside the arch and finally condensed into a mirror in the ripples, allowing Harry to clearly see his current appearance.

He had nothing by his side, was old and frail, and his beard was unkempt... This is probably how many people see Dumbledore.

But... if this is what he'll see as he gets closer to death, if he can really live his life like this, Harry will feel very happy.

He could grow old with the people he loved, even though they couldn't be with him until the very end, he could always carry that longing with him until the very end of his life...

"That's life. Birth is always accompanied by death, and no one can escape death, like the women around you." In the mirror of the archway, the aged Harry suddenly spoke. "It's like how you saved Sirius this time, but he will die in the end too... For Death, who has broken free from the constraints of time, the next second and decades are not much different. No matter how long a mortal soul escapes, it will eventually return to Death's grasp."

"But for the mortals you speak of, it's a world of difference!" Even though his voice was no longer as strong as it had been in his youth, Harry's rebuttal remained unwavering. "The meaning of life isn't about when it begins or ends, but about the process! Life may fear death, but not because it fears death's arrival, but because it hopes to have as much time as possible to make life more wonderful!"

"And most importantly... hold fast to what is most precious in life!"

In the back-and-forth question and answer, Harry seemed to rediscover the courage that had been suppressed for so long. He straightened his back and refused to show any weakness in front of the guy who was pretending to be him!

This courage came from those around him; even if they couldn't see him, even if they truly disappeared, they were still there for him!

Harry is most cautious when they are Harry, and he worries about the slightest thing.

But this is also when he is at his bravest, even able to face death without hesitation!

"Commendable courage, then let me show you... what death truly looks like!"

Across the archway, the aged 'Harry' suddenly revealed a sinister smile, and instantly transformed into the terrifying Grim Reaper from Harry's nightmares!

It was dressed in a black robe, holding a scythe, with a ghostly lamp at its waist emitting a dim yellow light, and a pair of black feathers spread out flamboyantly on its back. It was staring intently at Harry with eyes burning with ghostly flames!

"Ugh..." Harry's body trembled uncontrollably, but then he gritted his teeth and stubbornly glared back!

"This time... I absolutely will not be intimidated by you!"

Harry seemed to have gradually overcome the fear brought by death, and his appearance had returned to what he looked like when he was fourteen.

"I admit, I am very afraid of you, and of course, I am equally afraid of death... But what I truly fear is their sudden departure from me and my inability to stay by their side for long, not my fear of you or of death itself!!"