Harry Potter and the Secret Treasures - H.P.S.T Chapter 1717: Dumbledore

The scene within the magical “vortex” was exceptionally strange. At the intersection of two spaces, it was divided into upper and lower parts with the magical sigil at the center.

The ground had collapsed inward to form a bottomless abyss. Countless clouds of mist, scattered fragments of space, and surging magic converged there, forming the upper half of the “vortex.” The corresponding lower half was made up of churning earth and stone.

Everything within this collapsing space was crumbling around that sigil.

From above, everything was perfectly clear, but Evan had no mind to admire this astonishing sight. His eyes were fixed on the figure standing before the magical rune formed by the three plaques. …

That was Dumbledore!

Evan was certain that the figure was the real Headmaster, not some illusion.

Why was Dumbledore, who had been missing for so long, there?

What had he experienced?

And what was his current situation?

Evan had many questions for the Headmaster, and so much to say.

He quickly descended, plunging headfirst into the surging, enormous magical “vortex.”

The scenery shifted; the view within the “vortex” differed from what he had seen from above. Everything around him was rapidly replaced by a cloud-like white mist. It was neither warm nor cold, and could hardly even be called mist.

It was simply a kind of presence — flat, empty, and deeply strange.

Evan swiftly descended through the strange white mist, guided by the red glow emitted by the sigil.

At first, he thought he would reach Dumbledore quickly. But after advancing for a long time, the scenery remained unchanged. The red magical sigil at the end of the white mist remained unreachable, while the once-restless magic gradually began to calm.

Evan felt as though he had entered the abyss beneath Azkaban — a sensation of being trapped in a motionless prison, unable to reach an end no matter whether he moved upward or downward. This no longer seemed to be the space Herpo had created.

He continued descending for a long while. Then, suddenly, a sound reached his ears from the formless void around him.

A faint, subtle impact echoed out of the mist ahead.

Evan recognized the sound immediately; he’d heard it in the magic Ravenclaw had left behind not long ago: it was the sound of colliding magic, a massive amount of magic gathering ahead.

Evan quickened his descent, following the sound until he reached a circular field of red light standing upright in the space before him. Vast amounts of magic were concentrated there, constantly producing soft collision sounds, with visible currents of magic flickering across its surface.

Soon, Evan spotted the three plaques at the edge of the red glow.

This was the spell sigil. The red light emitted by the overflowing magic concealed the sigil’s actual pattern.

This seemed to be the end of the mist. Evan looked around, still unable to find Dumbledore. His gaze returned to the red sigil before him; the gathered red light resembled the surface of water, rippling occasionally.

After staring at it for a while, Evan suddenly had a thought: beyond the sigil lay the other shore — the Land of the Dead, where departed souls resided.

He even thought he saw something within that field of red light. Should he go over and take a closer look?

With that thought, Evan reached out his hand…

“If you have no intention of truly embracing death, then you’d best not do that!”   

Evan whirled around. Albus Dumbledore was walking towards him from the mist, his back straight and his steps light.

“Evan!” Dumbledore said with a smile, opening his arms to reveal his hands, both white and unharmed. “An outstanding boy. You are far more remarkable than I ever imagined. I left you a coordinate and considered the possibility that you might come here, though I could not be certain. After all, entering this space is no easy matter. You did it — no, you did far more than I expected, and far better. Just as every time before, you astonished me. You always find your own way to solve the problem.”

“Professor!” Evan stared at the old headmaster’s face, confirming that this was not magic or an illusion.

Dumbledore’s long, silvery-white hair and beard, the sharp blue eyes behind his half-moon spectacles, that crooked nose — everything was exactly as Evan remembered, even the robes he wore were the same as on the night he had left.

However, the magical damage and curses that had once marred his hands were gone. His current state was…

“You’re dead?” Evan asked uncertainly.

“Yes,” Dumbledore said calmly.

“What exactly happened? What happened after you came here with the Twin-Serpent Staff?” Evan asked quickly.

“Don’t get agitated, Evan, this was my own choice!” Dumbledore said calmly, the smile never leaving his face.

“I don’t understand. You clearly said you would come back, and I even saw you in the future…”

“Only the unknown is truly the future!” Dumbledore said. “Strictly speaking, the Time-Turner doesn’t take its user to the real future. That’s a characteristic of time magic. Only the past is fixed. The future you see is just a possibility; it might come true, or it might not. Right now, it doesn’t.”

“But…”

“You don’t want to discuss time magic with me, do you? Although that’s certainly interesting,” said Dumbledore with a genial smile.

“Of course not. What happened after you came here? Why did you… die?” Evan managed to utter the last word.

“As I said before, this was my own choice,” Dumbledore said casually, as if it were a trivial matter. “Death is not the end, nor the end of all things, but a new beginning. Only the wisest and courageous wizards can face death with equanimity and continue on their path; that is where I ought to go.”

As he spoke, his gaze rested on the red sigil before them.

“You know, Evan, given the state I was in at the time, I could no longer wield magic,” Dumbledore continued. “Staying on would not have been of much help. In truth, even without me, you all did more than well enough!”

“But… we need you, Professor!” Evan said urgently. “The situation is much more complicated now than it was a few months ago. Voldemort has become stronger. We haven’t found all of his Horcruxes, but he has taken possession of the Elder Wand and the Twin-Serpent Staff. There’s even a chance he’s obtained the Dark magic left behind by Herpo the Foul — the very spell used to transform one’s body into an evil god! Herpo failed a thousand years ago, which is why he was defeated. But if Voldemort completes that magic, then no one will be able to stand against him. He’ll destroy everything…”

Translating_Wizard

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