Harry Potter: The Golden Viper

0603 Inside The Door

The dozen or so mysterious silver phantoms conjured by Lady Hufflepuff successively rushed into the stone archway, stepping onto the faintly glowing "path" hidden behind the door. Once they crossed the threshold, they rapidly disappeared like meteors streaking across the night sky.

Lady Ravenclaw sustained the hazy blue starry sky that permeated their chamber. The space where this enchanted starry sky connected with the stone door appeared distorted and warped, seemingly indicating that the relentless devouring power erupting from within the door was still ongoing, only barely restricted by Ravenclaw's magic. If this sinister force was allowed to ferment and grow unrestrained, it might engulf the entire castle of Hogwarts.

Time passed minute by minute, with an oppressive, suffocating silence enveloping the chamber. It was obvious to all present that Lady Ravenclaw was enduring unspeakable pressure and the strain of holding back the power was taking a visible toll on her.

Beads of sweat visibly formed on her temples and forehead, slowly trickling down her skin. Her complexion turned from snow-white to a sickly, ashen pale as she poured every ounce of her strength into maintaining the barrier. Although knowing he could not interfere with the events unfolding from a thousand years ago, Bryan still felt a bit worried.

Each second of the past few minutes felt as long as an entire year, stretching out into infinity of anticipation and dread. Everyone's gaze was fixed steadily on the stone door, waiting to see what news Lady Hufflepuff's strange magic could bring back.

Pop! Suddenly, in a certain second, crisp sounds unexpectedly rang out from the void, like firecrackers exploding in rapid succession, crackling a dozen times in quick succession.

The sudden noise shattered the tense silence and made everyone jump in surprise. Then, Lady Hufflepuff, standing in her original spot, seemed to suffer a heavy, overwhelming blow. Her face turned gray in an instant, the colors drained from her cheeks as her body uncontrollably recoiled, almost unable to remain standing under the assault of whatever force had struck her!

Ravenclaw's eyes moved slightly tracking her distress. The blue mist surrounding them swirled and merged, forming a chair behind Lady Hufflepuff, catching her gently as she staggered and fell as her strength was depleted.

Immediately after, Ravenclaw reached out towards the stone archway. The "coordinate" embedded in the threshold of the door zoomed out from the indentation, transforming back into its initial form in mid-air—a thumb-sized stone with a crack running down the middle its entire body a deep, black color that seemed to absorb all light!

The stone archway instantly fell silent without the coordinate. The black curtains clinging to the door no longer shook rapidly but returned to a slow, hypnotic swaying, as if comforted by an unseen breeze.

"Helga—" Ravenclaw's voice rang out, tinged with concern. Her powerful field magic dissipated along with the stone's removal. She looked quite drained and exhausted, even the collar of her wizard's robe soaked with sweat, but her condition still seemed much better than Hufflepuff's.

Ravenclaw quickly came to Hufflepuff's side, gazing at her dear friend with worry and concern. Hufflepuff had her eyes tightly closed, her complexion clouded and gray with the corners of her eyes twitching slightly as she fought against the pain wracking her body. It was hard to imagine what kind of horrific experience could make a legendary witch of her level endure such suffering.

"Our guess was correct, Rowena—" After a moment of heavy panting, Hufflepuff spoke in a trembling voice. She still seemed unable to escape the clutches of the pain that gripped her, "The path behind the door can indeed lead to that world. I sensed the aura of that place... Ugh—" She groaned.

"You need to rest now, Helga." Lady Ravenclaw said in a firm tone that brooked no refusal, her voice was laced with concern. However, Lady Hufflepuff stopped Ravenclaw who wanted to support her, shaking her head weakly. Her voice took on a new note of urgency as she continued, "The path is incomplete. I was violently expelled from the void and perished in the starry sea of magic depletion... Huff—"

Lady Hufflepuff continued speaking with great difficulty, "To reach that distant world, a complete coordinate is needed, and also... a truly staggering amount of magic. Constructing a stable path across the vast starry sea requires abundant magic far beyond our imagination.

But before that can even be attempted, this door must be sealed immediately... It needs to be separated from the coordinate. Otherwise, the magic-depleted starry sky lurking behind the incompletely opened door will devour all the magic of our world, bleeding it dry. It possesses the terrifying ability to destroy magic!"

'Destroy magic?!' Even Hermione and the others, who had been listening in a shocked daze, clearly understood the deadly serious consequences of what Helga Hufflepuff had just revealed.

If magic no longer existed, then the very essence of the wizarding world would vanish. All the wizards and witches would be reduced to Muggles, and those magical creatures and plants would also degenerate with the disappearance of magic, eventually becoming nothing more than ordinary beasts and vegetation. Magic itself would ultimately be sealed away in the pages of history, lost forever!

Bryan's eyes twitched fiercely showing a rare sign of agitation. His gaze towards that door also uncontrollably revealed a trace of dread, despite his best efforts to conceal it. For many wizards who had dedicated their lives to the pursuit and mastery of magic, this was a fate tantamount to depriving them of their reason for existence.

"I have never been as close to that alien world as I was today, Rowena—" Rowena felt Helga's hand trembling slightly where it rested on her arm. Through that trembling touch, she seemed to see directly into the blunt, naked fear that gripped Helga's heart!

No one was clearer than the four founders about the true extent of their power. So, Rowena was also clearly aware of how terrifying the things that could make a witch as powerful as Helga feel such instinctual fear must be.

"I sensed that they are still alive somewhere in that place... huff... The great war is still raging... If the darkness is not ended in the starry sea, it will eventually find its way back to our world... Everything we know will wither and perish... We must help that person from Salazar's house. Only he can restrain... He belongs to that world—"

Helga Hufflepuff was clearly exhausted, her strength nearly spent. Her palm slid weakly into Rowena Ravenclaw's warm hand, brushing against the smooth surface of that black stone, "Until that person appears... This coordinate must be kept safe and hidden... If we don't discover others who..."

"Salazar has always been quite busy with the subtle little abilities this coordinate stone possesses. He will be more than happy to keep it safe in his vaults and pass it down through his line—" Lady Ravenclaw said solemnly, "But you need to rest now, my dear Helga. You've consumed far too much of your precious mental and magical power today."

Lady Hufflepuff slowly allowed her eyes to drift closed, her breathing gradually stabilizing as she leaned against Lady Ravenclaw, finally giving in to her body's desperate need for rest.

At the same time, the chamber they were in began to shake violently, the stones were trembling as if caught in a massive earthquake. Everything in the memory world seemed to tremble and shudder, the once-solid surroundings became hazy and illusory like a mirage shimmering under the desert sun!

"An earthquake? Here, at Hogwarts?" There was a hint of absurdity mingled with outright disbelief in Harry's startled cry as he struggled to keep his balance.

"No, I'm afraid not. Lady Hufflepuff has lost consciousness, you see. This particular memory of hers has reached its natural end—"

Bryan explained in a deep voice, having experienced similar memory magics in past. The moment his voice fell, the sound of shattering glass plates came from the void all around them, filling their ears.

In an instant, the previously sunny room was plunged into complete and utter darkness, as if all the light had been sucked out of the world. The sudden, disorienting sense of chaos made Harry, Hermione, Ron, and the two little elves Dobby and Freodom completely lose their balance, falling to the ground in a pile.

The bone-chilling coldness that immediately enveloped him made Bryan shudder for a moment as his body and mind adjusted to the sudden shift. Swiftly figuring out where he was, he then waved his wand in a precise motion and conjured an illuminating light orb the size of a Bludger, sending it soaring high into the air to expel the darkness.

"Mr. W-Watson?" Reega, who had been anxiously pacing back and forth in front of the turquoise stone wall, gazed at the disheveled group that had suddenly materialized out of thin air before her astonished eyes. She was stunned speechless for several long seconds before suddenly rushing towards the dizzy Freodom and embracing her without any hesitation!

This entirely unexpected situation made even Bryan raise his eyebrows in surprise. However, he quickly suppressed his own emotional response and quietly observed this surprising scene.

"Are you alright there, Dobby?" The three young wizards staggered to their feet, supporting each other as they regained their body. After looking around, they also quickly reasoned exactly where they were now.

Harry gently helped Dobby to his feet from where he had fallen and asked him with sincere concern.

"Dobby is fine, Harry Potter, Sir. Dobby is just a bit dizzy, is all..." Dobby squeaked out, holding his head in his hands and continuing to sway unsteadily.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Hermione, still spinning from the abrupt end of the memory, thought of Freodom and scanned the room for any sign of her. She immediately spotted Freodom being tightly hugged by a clearly distressed Reega.

Hermione's expression froze in shock for a long moment as she tried to process this utterly unprecedented sight, and then— "Oh my!" Hermione exclaimed breathlessly, raising a trembling hand to cover her mouth as tears began to flow freely from her brown eyes.

She could hardly believe the heartwarming scene unfolding before her. Reega, the same elf who had so heartlessly abandoned little Freodom at birth without a second thought, was now taking the initiative to hug her daughter with every sign of motherly love and concern!

Harry and Ron were also shocked and attracted by Hermione's startled cry. Then, after noticing this scene, both of them showed nearly identical expressions of astonishment mingled with open doubt, as if they couldn't quite believe their own eyes.

Perhaps sensing the intense stares directed her way, Reega hurriedly separated herself from Freodom and jumped back as if burned, leaving a very confused Freodom looking after her sudden retreat.

Reega herself also seemed to be deeply puzzled by her own unusual behavior, and her eyes darted nervously as she stood there looking both lost and more than a little frightened by the intensity of her actions. Facing Bryan, she began to mumble, "Professor Watson, Sir... Reega was most impolite, she was..."

After silently shaking his head to himself in wonder at this latest unexpected development, Bryan deliberately shifted his gaze away from the anxious Reega and focused intently on the smooth turquoise wall at the end of the dimly lit corridor, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration as his mind raced.

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