Zhang Xiao tilted his head back in awe, gazing at the starry sky. The beam of light reflected upward by the door was still there.
Like a tiny sun, it stubbornly hung amid the river of stars.
Several points of light suddenly appeared on the illusory door.
Just as it had reflected that beam, the door reflected these points of light onto the stars overhead.
They were so dazzling that even the stars paled beside them.
Zhang Xiao stared, dumbfounded, at the mesmerizing spectacle, then suddenly blurted out:
"The Andromeda Cluster!"
Alongside Zhang Xiao's voice came Dumbledore's slightly surprised one:
"The Pleiades Cluster?"
Zhang Xiao immediately looked at the old headmaster and found those ocean-deep blue eyes smiling back at him.
"Zhang, you recognized it too?"
Zhang Xiao nodded. The Andromeda Cluster, also called the Pleiades Cluster, was one of the few star clusters visible to the naked eye.
It was among the first things they had covered in Astronomy. How could he possibly forget?
But why would Voldemort project the Pleiades Cluster onto the starry sky?
Just then, the sunlight and the Pleiades Cluster projected by the illusory door began slowly moving toward each other.
The instant they drew close, the sun's point of light flared brilliantly, while the stars of the Pleiades Cluster dimmed beneath its powerful radiance.
Dumbledore suddenly froze. Something seemed to have occurred to him.
Zhang Xiao turned back and saw the illusory door slowly solidifying, passing from illusion into reality.
The same image appeared on the door as on the ceiling, and then it slowly opened.
Dumbledore walked over and stood beside Zhang Xiao, subtly shielding him behind his body.
The moment the door opened fully, even Dumbledore fell silent.
Beyond it lay a vast space: blue skies and white clouds, a gentle breeze,