The night in Scotland was endlessly caressed by the sea breeze, yet it was not as peaceful as usual.
In a desolate ruin, there had once seemed to stand a magnificent castle, but now only broken walls and rubble remained.
All traces of human life had long vanished from these ruins. The stillness of time should have blanketed this place, yet the faintly trembling sky was covered in mountain-heavy clouds. The chirping of summer insects had vanished without a trace, leaving behind utter silence and danger in every direction.
To ordinary people, this was merely a ruin picked clean by explorers. But to Wizards, it was the oldest magical school in history—Hogwarts.
Death Eaters flooded into the castle, while the greatest white wizard, who should have shone brilliantly, lay quietly on the grass beneath the Astronomy Tower under everyone's gaze.
Before the ravages of nature, wizards were as fragile as ordinary humans. Hogwarts's Astronomy Tower stood over a hundred feet tall. No one believed anyone could survive a fall from there, even if he was the greatest white wizard of the century.
The students crowded darkly across the lawn, forming a semicircle around the old man like swarms of ants, the air thick with silence and unease.
Someone in the crowd struggled to crane their neck out. Every gaze was filled with utter disbelief.
"Move!"
A sharp shout rang out from the crowd. Before the surrounding students could step aside, they were shoved away. They were utterly shocked, for they had never seen Professor McGonagall so distraught. The danger had truly arrived!
Having finally reached the front, Professor McGonagall nearly stumbled. Her old colleague lay on the ground before her. It felt like one of Merlin's cruel jokes, leaving her unable to recover, unable to accept it.
Back then, she