A broken Hogwarts

Chapter 161 Christmas Holiday

Christmas is approaching, and there is heavy snow in the sky.The grounds outside the castle and the frozen black lake were covered with a thick layer of snow, and the biting cold wind penetrated into the castle along the window cracks.

Dumbledore had disappeared for three weeks, which made many students aware of the anomaly.Although Dumbledore does not often appear in the school, his presence has always been people's confidence, giving students the courage to still attend classes as usual under the threat of the heir.Since Hogwarts began to spread rumors that something happened to the headmaster, the campus became panicked.

After the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, came to look for Dumbledore with great fanfare but left angrily, the hidden anxiety finally broke out.

The students started guessing wildly.For those optimistically insisting that Dumbledore was just busy with an important business, Hufflepuff's Ernie MacMillan was always persistent in trying to convince everyone that Dumbledore had been begged by the goblins and was busy dealing with A horde of biting cabbages from the East, lest they eat up Gringotts. "He won't be back for about two weeks," he said.

Some people pessimistically think that Dumbledore may have a physical problem at his age, and some even think that the headmaster was caught in the trap of the heir and plotted by the insidious and cunning Potter. After all, he always wants to believe that Potter is innocent .

Although the professors used many methods to keep the students from thinking about it, panic still spread in the school.In fact, quite a few professors were absent-minded during their lectures. Only Gilderoy Lockhart had a breezy face all day long, and his shiny teeth seemed to blind people's eyes.

After the professors assigned a lot of homework after class, the students finally didn't have the mind to worry about these things amidst the wailing and wailing. The homework alone was enough for them to worry.

Fortunately, there were no new attacks in the school these days, which reassured many people a little.But as the Christmas holidays approached, students scrambled to book seats on the Hogwarts Express in anticipation of going home for Christmas.

Owen didn't want to go home at first, but Shafik and his wife wrote him several letters solemnly, hoping that he could go home this holiday.Owen always felt that his parents wanted to cheat him, but he still reluctantly signed on the list to go home.

Naturally, it was impossible for Harry to go home for the holidays. For some reason, Draco also planned to stay in school. According to him, he "wanted to spend a different Christmas at Hogwarts".Crabbe and Goyle stayed with him, Blaise didn't plan to go home, only Daphne and Pansy went back.

Harry's gloomy mood was rarely better, because he didn't have to stay alone at school for Christmas like last year.With the company of a group of friends, he thought it would be a good festival.

In the Slytherin common room, the little wizards whispered excitedly, and the buzzing sound of conversation filled the entire room.

Owen was sitting elegantly and leisurely on the armchair in front of the fireplace, a quill automatically moved rapidly across the parchment on the table, writing a treatise on transfiguration in beautiful fonts.He was holding a piece of worn and yellowed parchment in his hand, and was carefully watching the small black dots marked with names coming and going in the complicated and tortuous map.

He is observing the movements of Peter Pettigrew.Pettigrew, who turned into a mouse, has stayed at Hogwarts since his last escape.According to Owen's daily observations, Peter hid in the rat's nest inside the wall for a long time, and went to the kitchen to steal food from time to time.But since there were so many house-elves in the kitchen at all times, he didn't dare to stay there any longer.

Owen just observed the other party from time to time, and didn't find that he was in contact with anyone.Of course, he couldn't stare at each other for a long time, and he had a lot of things to do.

He's eyeing Peter Pettigrew, planning to do something after the Christmas holidays.His script has been completed, and some people should be taught a lesson.

As for why it wasn't done before the Christmas break - well, what if the students were too scared to come back after the break and Hogwarts closed?That would not be conducive to the learning and growth of little wizards.Owen has always cared about children's education, yes, that's it.

In the restless expectation, finally, the semester is over.Early in the morning, the students stepped on the heavy snow and rushed to the train home.

Owen, Daphne and the other girls were sitting in a box, lazily sucking on a sugar quill, stroking Melet's soft and warm hair with one hand, and watching the vast snow scene flying by outside the window.

Daphne and Pansy chatted happily, arguing about which band is better, which star wizard is more handsome, or the most popular styles of dresses and accessories.When a group of little girls get together, there are always endless topics to talk about.

"Owen, which color bow do you think is more beautiful?" Daphne and Pansy couldn't convince each other, so they finally patted Owen's arm and asked.

Owen withdrew his gaze from the scenery outside the window, glanced at the red, pink, purple and green bowknot headbands in Daphne's hand, and said casually, "Green."

"Look, am I right?" Pansy raised her eyebrows triumphantly, and put the green bowknot headband on Daphne's head.

"Well, although I like purple more recently." Daphne straightened her long golden hair, tied them into a playful lady bun, and then smiled at Owen.The cold white winter sun cast a hazy and beautiful halo around her.

Soon, the train arrived at King's Cross station.A group of people got off the train, said goodbye to each other, and walked to their respective families.

"It's been a while, you've become more beautiful, Mom." Owen said to Ms. Adeline who was waiting for him on the platform, and smiled and handed over a delicate and blooming white rose.

"You have become glib, Owen." Adeline smiled and took the flowers and held them in her hands, saying softly and gently.She was wearing a dark green velvet gown and a dark top hat on her head, giving her an elegant air.

With one hand on her knees, she leaned over and touched Melet's head, and greeted her with a smile.Meow meowed and circled around her, Melet rubbed her head affectionately against her calf.

"What is Dad busy with?" Owen carried his suitcase and walked out of the platform side by side with his mother.He had already changed into a simple dark blue robe, with a black fur-trimmed cloak outside, and the oncoming cold wind made the cloak rattle.

"I'm going to deal with some small business matters." Ms. Adeline glanced at him with a smile, and moved her eyes to his somewhat short cuffs. "It seems that I have to order some new robes for you."

Owen nodded with a smile.He was at a growing age now, and new clothes always quickly became ill-fitting.

Nyx poked his head out of his pocket, glanced proudly at Ms. Adeline with his bright red eyes, opened and closed his bright black beak, and gave a "chirp" to her.Owen felt its emotions, proud and reserved but not repulsive. It seemed that Ms. Adeline was quite fond of animals.

"This is?" Adeline said amusedly, looking at Nyx's bird head that had just grown a bunch of fluff.

"My new bird." Owen shoved Nyx into his pocket with some distaste, lest this guy come out and hurt his eyes.During this time, Nyx began to grow feathers, and fine quills appeared on his wings, and his body was covered with a layer of sparse black down, which made his appearance even uglier.

"What bird?" Adeline raised her eyebrows.She knew that Owen preferred cats, and only kept magic pigeons because he always wanted to do tricks.

"A mutated phoenix." Owen didn't intend to hide anything, and told about Nyx's situation.

He saw that his mother's eyes suddenly brightened, staring at the pocket where Nyx was, showing a very interested expression.Not an interest in funny pets, but an interest in treasured experimental material.

Nyx huddled in his pocket in response, and let out a high-pitched but not harsh chirping sound.

"Hogwarts hasn't been peaceful for the past six months." Ms. Adeline looked away with a smile on her face, and said meaningfully, "How long has it been since Dumbledore showed up?"

"It's been more than 20 days." Owen replied calmly.

"What do you think...?" Adeline stared at him quietly with her deep and beautiful dark green eyes.She knew that Owen was close to Harry Potter, and Harry was a student that Dumbledore valued, so she might know more information.

"I feel...not very well. He didn't tell anyone where he went, he didn't inform Harry of the cancellation of the class, and he didn't even send his phoenix back to deliver a message." Owen frowned slightly, "So I think The situation is not optimistic, but the possibility of returning is not ruled out."

He doesn't know what's going on with Dumbledore now.He'd been leaning toward the full blown curse on Dumbledore, but according to Harry, Dumbledore had simply disappeared.That's right, if Dumbledore died, neither the professors in the school nor the Ministry of Magic would be so peaceful.

"In other words, there is a possibility that he will never come back again?" Adeline lowered her eyes slightly and squeezed the rose in her hand.

Although Dumbledore stayed at Hogwarts all year round and didn't like to dictate matters outside the school, his status meant that his every move would have a huge impact, and his recent disappearance was even more shocking to the world. event.Although the outside world did not characterize his disappearance as a disappearance, many places have almost turned upside down.

"As far as I know, he should have been under a terrible curse." Owen said truthfully, "He may have gone to seek medical advice, or it may be..." He did not go any further, and Ms. Adeline also said Nod knowingly.

"It seems that the situation in the magic world is about to change." Adeline sighed softly.

"Any thoughts at home?" Owen asked.

"Wait and see." Adeline smiled slightly, she always had an elegant and calm posture, "Your father doesn't have too much ambition. What we care more about is, do you think Hogwarts is still safe now?"

"It's okay." Owen smiled.

"If I remember correctly, Peter Pettigrew disappeared at Hogwarts a few days ago." Adeline glanced at him.

"He escaped by himself." Owen pondered for a while, and talked about the fact that Peter Pettigrew was the traitor.

Ms. Adeline rarely showed a look of surprise. She squeezed her chin with one hand and said with a half-smile: "It seems that he has deceived everyone... Although your father and I have long guessed that there is something wrong with him, we have also I didn't expect it to be like this, who would have thought that Sirius Black would have no excuse for the crime that was imposed on him?"

"I'm even more curious about why Peter Pettigrew decided to come back after hiding for so many years?" Adeline said thoughtfully, "He even went to Dumbledore's place to attack Harry Potter... ..."

Owen glanced at his mother, she was always so keen, and discovered the most fundamental problems so quickly.

"So, it seems that the Dark Lord is really not dead?" Adeline bit her lips covered in brown red lipstick, and said with a serious expression, "Is he trying to restore his own strength, or is he already dead?" You've recovered, are you secretly preparing for a comeback?"

Although the vast majority of people in the wizarding world are willing and convinced themselves that Voldemort is dead, a few people still believe that the Dark Lord cannot die, and that he is just hiding in the dark and watching, plotting to make a comeback.

"In this way, it would be tricky for Dumbledore to disappear at this juncture." She frowned slightly.

"Yeah, it looks like it's not going to be peaceful in the future." Owen agreed.

The two returned to Shafik Manor. The vast lawn and frozen lake in the manor were covered with snow. The endless snow scene was monotonous and lonely, but it also had a magnificent beauty.

After the family had dinner, Ms. Adeline went to discuss matters with Mr. Albert, while Owen returned to his room, lying on the bed with a faint flower fragrance, and fell asleep early.

On Christmas Day, Owen received a lot of Christmas presents, and it took him a long time to unpack the gift boxes.Among them, Harry gave him a pair of gorgeous crackling explosion cards, Blaise gave him a bunch of singing flowers, Draco gave him a bunch of special fireworks, and Daphne gave him a scarf.

Luna gave him a very gorgeous Christmas hat, the tip of which is a Christmas tree wrapped with lights and ribbons, and a shining golden star is suspended on the top.From time to time, colored smoke spewed out from a ring of small pumpkin decorations hanging from the brim of the hat, making a funny "poof".

This is a hat that will make him the focus of everyone's attention, so Irving commented.Although this handmade gift is very thoughtful, but he doesn't have the courage to wear this hat out of the house.

In addition to these, there were many other gifts, which were piled up all over the place.

The family spent a simple and warm Christmas, and went shopping in Diagon Alley the next morning.Diagon Alley was also shrouded in the festive atmosphere of Christmas, and a gorgeous stage was set up at the entrance of the alley, with bands and theater troupes taking turns performing on stage, surrounded by tourists watching.

After Christmas, life in the manor returned to its usual tranquility.

At this time in the past, the Shafiks should have gone on vacation, but Owen could only pretend not to see his father secretly winking at his wife from time to time.Every time at this time, Ms. Adeline would show a helpless smile, and then take a look at Owen who had a panoramic view of this scene. Obviously, she had no hope for Mr. Albert's confidentiality work.

Owen knew what they were doing secretly, they just wanted to give him a scare or a lesson, so that he could remember better, so as not to overinflate his self-confidence and take risks everywhere... Mr. Albert just couldn't hide things in his heart , or rather, he didn't want to hide too much from Owen.

However, their plan failed to be carried out.On the third day after Christmas, an owl delivered today's Daily Prophet. The large photo on the first page of the newspaper was a tall black tower standing on a barren hillside, with black veils waving all over the sky around the tower.

The headline on the front page read: "The End of an Old Age: The Black Veil Raised by Nurmengard."

"Yesterday, with Nurmengard Wizard Prison as the center, a black veil covering the surrounding area of ​​a hundred square miles.

"As we all know, the dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald has been imprisoned on the top floor of Nurmengard Prison since he was defeated by Albus Dumbledore in 1945. After 50 years, representing the witch The black veil of the Communist Party floated up again, causing a lot of panic.

"Aurors from the Austrian Ministry of Magic and investigators from the International Federation of Wizards jointly entered Nurmengard and confirmed that the dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald died on the top floor of the tower. There was no trace of intrusion at the scene, and he died of natural causes.

"Grindelwald's death has brought an end to the old war-torn era. All ambition and evil are gone. We don't need to panic about the darkness of the past, the future is full of light.

"Gellert Grindelwald will be buried in Nurmengard Prison this morning..."

After Owen read the report thoughtfully, various speculations filled his mind.Will Grindelwald die naturally at this time?How funny?
He looked at his parents. Mr. Albert sighed softly, while Ms. Adeline fell into a long silence, with a hint of regret and nostalgia on her expression.

"I'm going to Austria." After a while, Adeline stood up and said.

"Ah, I'll go with you." Mr. Albert picked up his hat and put it on top of his head.

"I'll go too." Owen said with interest.

The Shafiks looked at Owen for a while, but they didn't object.The family entered a dim but luxurious room through the fireplace, took a badge door key from an old wizard, and directly entered Austria through it.

Owen apparated to a desolate mountain forest with his parents. Ms. Adeline clenched her fist on her chest and looked in a certain direction, as if she had turned into a beautiful sculpture.He looked in the direction his mother was looking at, and there was nothing there, only a rolling desolate mountain range.

There also seemed to be a faint burst of phantom in the distance. There seemed to be a few more figures in the forest, and it seemed to be just an illusion.

After standing silently in the ice and snow for a long time, Ms. Adeline took her husband's arm and held Owen's hand with a smile, and the three left together.

After playing in this country for a few days, the family didn't return to Shafiq Manor until the Christmas holiday was coming to an end.

(End of this chapter)