harleyscars Chapter 212 Cyberpunk Hogwarts
Chapter 212 Cyberpunk Hogwarts
Chapter 212 Cyberpunk Hogwarts
Picking up where we left off, Harry had been standing in front of the castle gate for a long time when he suddenly heard someone calling him from behind.
When I turned around quickly, I saw Rowena standing in the moonlight, as if she were wearing a silver veil, her shadowy figure making it hard to tell whether she was real or an illusion.
Harry saw it clearly and felt as if he'd been struck by lightning. He exclaimed, "Did I really not mislead anyone? Master is still alive!"
Rowena rolled her eyes and said irritably, "Call me 'older sister.' Besides, I'm not dead, okay?"
"It disappeared in Azkaban because it used that soul-crushing spell and exhausted its magic."
"This is what a wizard looks like without a wand."
Harry and Rowena were not only mentors and friends, but also had a life-or-death bond; how could Harry not believe it?
She nodded repeatedly, then hurriedly asked, "What kind of supernatural power did you use, sister, to bring this scene from the ancient past?"
"Could it be that they're relying on some kind of earth-shattering ancient curse? Why didn't they give me a heads-up beforehand?"
He bombarded me with questions, like arrows shot from a string. Before I could finish speaking, Rowena waved his hand, cutting me off.
"Are you sure you want to talk about this now? We can't finish explaining all this in a short time."
"I suppose it's your turn, you brave warriors, to lead the dance next?"
Upon hearing this, Harry thought to himself: Since my sister has truly come here, and is not just a fleeting illusion, there will be a long time to talk to her in the future, so why rush things now?
Right now, it would be more sensible to attend to the ball first.
Harry felt a little more at ease, reached into his pocket and took out the Marauder's Map, examining it closely by the moonlight.
Upon closer inspection, they saw Hermione's name spinning around in circles in the underground classroom, as if she were trapped in a maze.
Harry saw clearly that Hermione was unharmed and breathed a sigh of relief, but he couldn't figure out the mystery of her pacing back and forth.
Then he remembered Hermione's hurried departure from the lounge, assuming it was some extremely urgent matter, and immediately dismissed the thought.
He kept the Marauder's Map close to his body, straightened his robes, and respectfully bowed to Rowena.
"Thank you for your thoughtfulness, sister."
Rowena said lightly, "Give me some time to prepare. I haven't attended a ball for the elite in years."
Just then, she reached out with her slender hand and made a grasping motion in the air, drawing out a silvery-white ribbon of light from the moonlight. It was like smoke and mist, swirling and shifting on its own.
Rowena draped the silvery-white light over her body, and her previously simple robes were immediately enveloped in its radiance.
The flowing light swirled around her like water, and soon transformed into a gown, its fabric soft and smooth like spring waves, shimmering with a gentle glow.
After looking himself over, Rowena said with satisfaction, "I hope my aesthetic sense won't be outdated a thousand years from now."
Harry cupped his hands and smiled, "Sister, your grace is truly that of a fairy descended to earth. How could we mortals have ever seen such celestial attire?"
"I love that you have such a sweet tongue," Rowena said with a smile. "But let me make it clear beforehand, I only know how to dance court dances."
"Don't worry, sister. I don't know anything about dancing. I've only learned a few moves at the last minute."
The master and apprentice walked from the castle gate to the stone steps outside the Great Hall, just as they heard Dumbledore finish his instructions and ask Ludo Bagman to come forward and end the conversation.
Hearing footsteps, Fleur hurriedly turned her head to look. Upon seeing the woman next to Harry, she froze as if struck by lightning.
Krum and Cedric were all stunned for a moment.
The newcomer disregarded her hair, her face was bare, and her clothes were completely unadorned. Only her long, black hair was casually draped over her shoulders, and her eyes lazily swept over her surroundings, exuding an air of nonchalant elegance.
Even so, his overall demeanor was like the bright moon in the sky, outshining all the stars, making Furong's heart tighten and her breathing become a little short.
Who is this woman?
She must be at least twenty years old, right?
Wasn't Granger Porter's dance partner?
Furong's mind raced, and she had already prepared seven or eight different explanations in her mind.
She forced a smile and was about to ask a question when she saw Rowena glance at her sideways with her phoenix eyes. Although she was smiling, there was no warmth in her eyes.
"Is there something you need, Veela?"
If Furong had heard such insults on a normal day, she would have already bristled with anger.
At that moment, for some reason, I felt a chill rise up my spine, and the anger in my chest instantly dissipated.
She shuddered inwardly, thinking that if she had really said something disrespectful, she would have been in immediate danger.
His Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed the words he wanted to say, and he whispered, "No, it's nothing—"
Meanwhile, Qiu Zhang couldn't help but steal glances at her, his gaze lingering on Rowena three times, secretly wondering to himself.
Cedric sighed softly, gently turned her face back, and whispered, "Don't look, Qiu, that's too rude."
"No, Cedric, you don't understand, I just—" Cho Chang was momentarily speechless, gesturing with her hands for a long time, "I think she looks a bit like Ms. Ravenclaw."
Cedric remained silent, only placing his hand on her forehead, and asked, puzzled, "You don't have a fever?"
Cho Chang rolled her eyes and punched him in the chest. "I'm serious. There's an oil painting of Mrs. Ravenclaw in our college lounge."
"Don't be silly, that was someone from a thousand years ago—"
Cedric glanced at Harry, shook his head, and sighed, "Actually, I'm more curious about what happened between Harry and Hermione."
But let's turn to another part of the story. While the warriors outside the hall were still wondering about Rowena's origins, things were quite different inside the hall.
The four long tables in the hall had been moved to the corner, leaving a large open space in the middle, which was then used as a dance hall.
Narudo Bagman stood in the center of the field, his voice booming, recounting the triumphant victory in the first match of the Triwizard Tournament.
Grindelwald called Colin over and instructed him, "Set up your camera, Mr. Colin."
Colin nodded hastily, his eyes fixed on the auditorium door, clearly longing for it.
"Remember, Harry and his dance partner are the last to come in, so don't press the shutter too fast."
Grindelwald gave a few more instructions before taking a glass of wine and leisurely strolling back to his seat.
After sitting for a while, an old man with white hair and beard sat down beside him and asked, "Are you sure Harry will have a new dance partner?"
Grindelwald twirled his glass without turning his head and said, "Rest assured, Al, I saw it with my own eyes."
"I saw that after Hermione left, Harry got a new dance partner—though I didn't see what she looked like, which is quite interesting—"
Dumbledore knew of his divination abilities and had no doubt about them.
He nodded and replied, "Then we should talk about why you tricked Miss Granger into going to the underground classroom."
"Ah, don't worry, this is also part of the special training."
Now listen carefully, dear reader: it turns out that since Hermione began her training with Grindelwald, she has been practicing a method of self-inflicted suffering. She has experienced all kinds of mental torment and physical pain.
Why did she insist on making things difficult for herself? It was to fulfill that unforgivable curse.
It is common knowledge in the martial arts world that the more ruthless the caster of a curse, the more vicious the unforgivable curse will be.
But Hermione was born into a happy family and grew up in peaceful times. After entering school, she was protected by someone like Harry. How could she have suffered any great injustice? Where could she find such overwhelming resentment?
Besides, all those self-harming acts she committed before were of her own free will. Having conceived this thought, even the excruciating pain wouldn't breed much resentment in her.
Tonight's Christmas Eve dinner is a perfect opportunity.
Grindelwald, knowing she had been preparing for this for over ten days, had specifically ordered his house-elves to set up a trap in the underground classroom, intending to keep Hermione confined until the music ended and everyone left. Truly: A cleverly designed cage to trap Hermione, a hidden scheme to sharpen a frost-covered blade.
After saying that, Grindelwald gestured towards Colin with his lip.
"If this isn't enough to make Hermione hate me, I think taking some live photos might further irritate her."
Upon hearing this, Dumbledore's face twitched, he rubbed his temples, and sighed, "You're playing with fire, Gale."
"Miss Granger is not a student with a good temper."
"If she's determined to curse you—well—I can't say whether your prophecy will work."
Grindelwald turned around and smiled, "But you're still here with me, aren't you?"
Dumbledore remained silent for a long time, then suddenly changed the subject, "I don't like dark magic, nor do I like Durmstrang's educational approach."
"ha!"
Grindelwald scoffed. "Don't make me laugh, Al. I don't believe you don't know that Harry taught his students the Unforgivable Curse in the Chamber of Secrets."
Special times require special methods.
"When Voldemort was wreaking havoc in the wizarding world, didn't Crouch also grant Aurors special permission to use dark magic to kill people?"
Dumbledore opened his mouth, about to speak, when suddenly thunderous applause erupted, like crashing waves. It was Ludo who had finished speaking and left the stage.
The old headmaster had no choice but to swallow his remaining words, pull out his magic wand from his sleeve, tap the two vermilion doors, and shout loudly, "Let us welcome the four warriors of the Triwizard Tournament!"
With a creak, the two vermilion doors slowly opened.
Then, Cedric, Krum, and Fleur, the three warriors, entered the hall one after another. They were all handsome and had extraordinary bearing.
The students immediately started making a racket, like sparrows frolicking in the woods.
One person argued about how handsome the warrior's dance partner was, another claimed to be related to him, and the whole thing was quite a lively scene.
Ron stroked Crookshan's fur while standing on tiptoe to peer into the doorway.
In the shadows, Harry's figure appeared in front of the door, with a familiar-looking woman standing beside him.
His hand trembled violently, and his eyes widened in shock. "What the hell?! Ms. Rowena!"
The moment Rowena appeared, the entire hall fell silent. The previously incessantly chattering students all fell silent, staring blankly at her.
The huge auditorium was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
In mid-air, Helena, who was standing side by side with Nick who was almost headless, suddenly narrowed her eyes and screamed in shock.
"mom?!"
The cry of "Mom" echoed through the hall's beams and pillars, and everyone who knew the origins of "Mrs. Grey" changed their expressions.
Dumbledore frowned, tapped his knuckles on the back of the chair twice, and then took the potion for treating headaches and took a sip.
Rowena looked up at the female ghost in mid-air, and frowned, a rare occurrence for her. "Is that Helena? How could she have died so young?"
Harry realized it wasn't the time to go into details, and fearing that revealing the secret would cause chaos, he simply replied, "A crime of passion."
Upon hearing this, Rowena remained silent, her lips twitching slightly.
Meanwhile, Flitwick, who was in charge of the band, stared at Rowena for a long time with his beetle-like eyes before turning away absentmindedly.
He swung his baton sharply, nearly causing his own followers to stumble and fall.
At this moment, the violins, cellos, and harps were all played together; the trumpets, tubas, and trombones were all blown; and the snare drums, bass drums, and timpani were struck in turn, creating a truly harmonious symphony of eight instruments.
As the music began, Harry put his arm around Rowena's waist and said urgently, "Good sister, now you can finally tell me how I got here a thousand years in the future."
Rowena, who was simply mimicking the ballroom dance of the warriors around her, smiled and said, "It's simple. I left a part of my soul on that kiss on your forehead."
Harry's mind went blank for a moment, and he exclaimed in surprise, "Oh dear! Did my sister mistake that lip print for a Horcrux?"
'
Rowena looked disgusted. "I only research Horcruxes, I don't touch them. They're bad for your brain."
"I use a magic far superior to Horcruxes, capable of splitting the soul without damage, and also sharing memories in real time."
Upon hearing this, Harry suddenly understood and became even more convinced that Voldemort's ability to turn hair into human form was stolen from Rowena.
He couldn't help but admire her, saying, "Sister, you truly have excellent skills! I only regret that I didn't study with you for long enough back then, and I only learned the basics, without mastering the true essence."
As they were talking, the students, in pairs, surged into the dance floor. Seeing this, Rowena stopped and led Harry to a quieter spot.
She leaned against the carved railing, crossed her legs, and smiled, resting her chin on her slender fingers: "You overestimate me. This magic wasn't created by me, but rather—I learned it from the future."
Harry pondered the question repeatedly but could not find an answer. He then bowed and said, "I hope my sister can explain it to me."
Rowena did not answer, but instead fixed her phoenix eyes on Helena in mid-air, making Helena feel uncomfortable all over, frequently stealing glances and looking uneasy.
She sighed and looked away. "Remember back in the Scottish Highlands? Voldemort used a time-tamper spell to send me to another timeline."
"He probably wanted to send me back a hundred years, so I cast a counter-spell so that I could go back and save you."
"However, I overestimated Voldemort's abilities, so the counter-curse was a bit too strong, and it sent me to a time that was still the future even in 1994."
At this point, Rowena looked on with a look of reminiscence, "That era was really peculiar, with the civilizations of wizards and Muggles combined, and merchants replacing nobles as the rulers."
"And Hogwarts has a new name, it's called ————"
"Night Castle".
Suddenly, she raised an eyebrow and smiled, "By the way, there's a statue of you in Night Castle."
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