Four Professors
It wasn't until the three of them left the Ghost Cave that Nick went back to Hogwarts first, and only then did Ginny dare to whisper.
"Richard really did take his head off just now. I was standing right next to him, so close, oh my god! He just took his head off and put it on the table to talk to me. I almost lost my balance."
"Aren't you afraid of ghosts?" Su Yu glanced at her.
"I'm not afraid of ghosts, but... he took his head off the table and put it on the table to talk to me, I really don't feel comfortable with that. This... this is a completely different thing from being afraid of ghosts!"
Su Yu chuckled and patted her head.
"Then don't stand so close next time."
"I wasn't standing very close; he stuck his head over there himself!"
The moon was already high in the sky, its light illuminating the path. Occasionally, there were rustling sounds from the bushes on either side. Kurama's ears twitched, but he didn't chase after them. The wind blew from the woods, carrying the scent of pine resin and damp earth, mixed with the moisture from the distant lake.
Su Yu looked up at the moon. "The moon is quite round tonight, but it's a bit cold. Are you cold?"
"I'm not cold at all," Ginny said, pulling her scarf up higher.
"But the way you pulled your scarf gave you away."
Ginny glared at him, and Su Yu quickly pulled her into his arms.
Su Yu led Ginny through the thickets of thorns and finally arrived at the entrance to the hidden cave nestled in the mountainside.
The opening was behind a crooked old oak tree, whose roots had bulged out of the ground, forming a gap large enough for two people to squeeze through.
The entrance to the cave was completely hidden by vines, on which hung a few unripe berries, which looked almost blackish-purple in the moonlight.
The cave entrance was half-hidden by vines and gray stones, surrounded by a faint aura of Ancient Magic that ordinary wizards could not detect. Yousu Yu could clearly perceive the ancient magical patterns flowing in the air.
Ginny instinctively moved closer to Su Yu, her eyes filled with caution and curiosity, as Su Yu carried her and bent down to step into the cave.
The cave was not dark; natural fluorescent moss was embedded in the rock walls, and a faint blue light paved a winding stone path leading inward. Footsteps echoed on the cool stone ground, creating a hollow sound. As one walked further in, the magical aura around them grew heavier, as if stepping into a secret realm sealed by time for hundreds of years.
After passing through a narrow stone corridor, the view suddenly opens up, and a magnificent circular stone chamber appears before your eyes.
In the very center of the hall, a three-dimensional magical map floated in mid-air and slowly rotated, showing Hogwarts Castle, the Black Lake, the Forbidden Forest, Hogsmeade Village, and the surrounding mountains and rivers.
Every tower and every window was so clear it seemed to unfold right before your eyes; you could even see the steps of the Quidditch Pitch stands.
The stone chamber has smooth, simple walls without any superfluous carvings. Only four huge, ancient stone slabs are embedded in the four high walls, standing silently in the dim light.
Su Yu walked forward slowly, his fingertips brushing across the stone slab in front of him. A faint Ancient Magic energy surged slightly, and the next second, the four silent stone slabs suddenly shone with a golden light. The patterns on the stone surface flowed and unfolded, slowly transforming into four lifelike giant wizard portraits.
These are the four guardians of Ancient Magic at Hogwarts: Percival Rackham, Charles Rookwood, Niamh Fitzgerald, and Sam Buckard.
The four portraits, each with a distinct expression and bearing, exude an ancient and serene magical aura, silently overlooking the two guests who have entered the stone chamber.
The portrait of Rackham in the center flickered slightly, its aged gaze falling on Su Yu, as if it had already recognized the special talent in him that allowed him to glimpse Ancient Magic.
Ginny stopped in her tracks, staring blankly at the four portraits that had appeared out of nowhere. She held her breath, not daring to make a sound that might disturb the centuries-old Chamber of Secrets and the wizard spirits within the portraits.
Su Yu in the center of the stone chamber, his gaze calmly meeting the four portraits. He clearly sensed the will left behind by the four guardians, as well as the hidden past of Ancient Magic hidden deep within the cave.
The golden glow of the stone chamber was soft yet solemn, and the gazes of the four guardian portraits slowly fell on Su Yu.
"Child, what's your name?"
"Yu-Su- Fuli".
Percival Rackham spoke first, his voice deep and husky, mellow with the experience of a century. After hearing Su Yu's introduction, his gaze fell on the Ancient Magic runes that shimmered faintly on the stone walls of the chamber, and his tone carried a hint of barely perceptible solemnity. "Child, we can sense that you have already merged with Ancient Magic. You can wield it and control it. This is the kindred spirit we have been waiting for for a hundred years."
"We no longer need to teach you how to wield this power, for we have been watching you since your first encounter with ancient magic. Your soul has long been in harmony with it; you have done well." Charles Rookwood on the left nodded slightly, his fingertip lightly touching the portrait before him, causing ripples to spread across the magical patterns on the rock wall. "We are stationed here solely to protect this primordial realm of Ancient Magic, to safeguard the only remaining ancient magical veins in the world."
Niamh Fitzgerald's brows furrowed slightly, a hint of worry creeping into her gentle eyes. She gazed into the depths of the cave and whispered the crucial point, "We've been watching you closely. Your character is quite admirable. We don't have much time left, so we haven't had a chance to test you. Recently, the magic in this secret realm has become unstable. Strange, non-wizard auras linger at its edge, constantly testing and probing the barriers of Ancient Magic, disrupting the magical order that has been dormant here for centuries."
"We don't know where that aura came from, or what kind of race it is." Sam Baka's gaze sharpened as he looked towards the cave entrance, giving a final warning in a deep voice, "That aura carries a fanatical thirst for Ancient Magic; it's definitely not benevolent. Since you can control this power, you are the controller of this secret realm, but you must always be vigilant—someone is coveting this ancient, sealed magic and is trying to break into the core of the secret realm."
Su Yu instantly understood. The unfamiliar force described in the portrait as "not wizards, but obsessed with Ancient Magic" corresponded precisely to the Goblin ' unusual movements. The guardians were unaware of the Goblin ' existence, only stating that the secret realm had been spied on. So, the Goblin ' purpose was indeed Ancient Magic?
"So, do you have a direction?" Su Yu asked the group.
"Recently, we've detected an ancient stone tower called Sen Carl Tower deep within North Ford Bog, north of Hogwarts. This tower is surging with eerie dark magic, and this power is eroding the Ancient Magic essence remaining within it." The leading guardian, Rackham, spoke in a deep voice, his fingertip flicking out a blurry outline of the tower appearing in the air—an ancient stone tower standing in the heart of the swamp, its surface marked by the passage of time, now shrouded in wisps of murky black energy. "This tower is a magical relic from ancient times, not belonging to Hogwarts Castle. Now that it has suddenly become anomalous, if you have any clues, I think you should go and take a look; you might find something."