Klein abruptly snapped out of the dream, collapsing onto his seat in pain. His body was covered in countless writhing worms, teetering on the brink of collapse.
Above the grey fog, it was as if a violent earthquake had struck—the palace crumbled with a deafening roar, the ground split open to reveal an unfathomably deep abyss, and sharp, maddening whispers echoed endlessly from within.
It took a long while before the grey fog finally returned to its usual silence. The writhing worms on Klein's body vanished, yet his thoughts remained chaotic, his brain feeling like it was about to explode.
Slumped weakly in his chair, Klein was both terrified and bewildered.
The fear stemmed from his reckless actions—he had once again performed divination on an entity far beyond his comprehension. The confusion, however, arose from a simple question: Why? He had only divined Megan's whereabouts, so how had things escalated to this?
And worst of all, unlike his previous reckless endeavours, which at least granted him some useful mystical knowledge, this time, the only thing he had retained was a bizarre and incomprehensible rap verse. What use was that? Was he supposed to debut as a rapper now?
"I can't afford to mess with this, I really can't."
Klein hastily withdrew from the grey fog, intending to report this matter to the Captain immediately. However, just as he returned to the divination room, Angélica handed him a letter.
"Mr. Moretti, a child just delivered this. He insisted that it be given to you personally."
"For me?"
Klein opened the envelope, and upon reading its contents, his pupils shrank abruptly. The message pieced together from cut-out words in a newspaper, read:
"Old Neil is about to lose control."
———
While Klein was courting death for the second time, Edward and Audrey had already finished their preparations, awaiting their return to the Harry Potter world.
At precisely 3 PM, the familiar sensation washed over them.
Accompanied by the intense feeling of falling, Edward's vision blurred momentarily before sharpening once more. He was back inside the Room of Requirement at Hogwarts.
Surveying the familiar yet slightly unfamiliar surroundings, Edward let out a soft breath.
"Phew, we're back."
At that moment, that strange and inexplicable information surfaced in his mind once more:
The next time he traversed between worlds, the duration of his stay in both would increase to 18 days.
"Is it because I've become a Beyonder and advanced to Sequence 8? But why 18 days? This number has no apparent correlation with 15. The extra three days don't seem to follow any discernible pattern…Unless each travel adds three days?"
"I still prefer it here."
Audrey climbed out of the beaded pouch, taking a deep breath before smiling.
"At least it doesn't have that lingering coal smoke smell like Backlund does."
Edward sighed helplessly. "All I can smell is half a month's worth of accumulated dust! Scourgify!"
With a flick of his wand, the Room of Requirement was instantly spotless.
Audrey suddenly giggled as if recalling something amusing.
"For the past few weeks, I've been using magic to clean my room every morning. The maids always looked so puzzled when they came in, yet they still had to go through the motions of tidying up again."
"My dresses were the same! I'd wear them all day, even to a ball, but when I took them off at night, they looked as pristine as if they were fresh from the wardrobe. Unfortunately, no matter how clean they were, I could still only wear them once…Even though I really liked some of them."
"If only I could master Switching Spells properly, then I could change into my favourite outfits whenever I wanted."
Casually chatting, the two of them left the Room of Requirement and made their way toward Professor McGonagall's office.
Just as they reached the door, it suddenly swung open.
A small black cat shot out like an arrow, a tiny fish treat clamped in its mouth as it darted past Edward and Audrey in a flash.
Right behind it, a tabby cat bolted out, letting out a sharp "meow!" Its bright eyes gleamed with excitement.
Edward's sudden appearance was clearly unexpected.
The tabby cat skidded to an abrupt stop, its front paws digging into the ground. Then, in one swift motion, it executed a perfect backflip before landing gracefully.
As soon as it touched the ground, its body elongated and transformed into none other than Professor McGonagall.
"Ahem."
She adjusted her glasses, looking slightly awkward.
"Oh, Mr. Edward, Miss Hall, you've returned. Just now…"
Professor McGonagall pointed in the direction Lilith had disappeared, hesitating for a moment before saying, "She…"
"Sorry, Professor McGonagall. Lilith was being naughty again, wasn't she?"
Edward quickly took responsibility.
"Thank you for taking care of her while I was away."
"Well…It wasn't too much trouble."
Professor McGonagall regained her usual composure.
"Term starts tomorrow. Miss Hall, have you gathered all your necessary supplies?"
Audrey immediately responded, "Yes, Professor McGonagall."
The professor nodded in satisfaction and led them into her office.
"Good. Tomorrow, you'll be sorted into your house as a transfer student, so don't be late. Oh, and Miss Hall, you'll be staying in the same room as before, but after the Sorting, you'll move to your new dormitory. Of course, I would prefer if you stayed in Gryffindor—you would have some lovely housemates among the little Gryffindor lions."
Audrey curtsied slightly.
"Understood. Thank you, Professor McGonagall."
"I know that, given your age and talent, starting as a first-year might feel unusual. However, Professor Dumbledore and I have agreed that this first semester will serve as a transitional period. By the end of the term, we will assess your magical proficiency and reassign you accordingly—just like we did with Mr. Edward. In fact, he could have been a sixth-year student by now."
Edward scratched his head awkwardly.
"Uh…Professor, you make it sound like I'm purposely trying to stay behind."
Professor McGonagall's expression turned serious.
"Not at all. In fact, I highly approve of your decision not to skip ahead. Unlike many of your peers, who are often too reckless and arrogant to focus properly on their studies."
"Uh…Thanks for the support?" Edward continued, "By the way, Professor, Audrey has been struggling with Transfiguration. Would it be alright if she sought your guidance?"
A rare smile appeared on Professor McGonagall's face. As the Transfiguration professor, she always welcomed students eager to learn.
"Of course. My door is always open."
After bidding farewell to Professor McGonagall, the two made their way toward Gryffindor's common room.
Just as they turned a corner, a black shadow suddenly leapt into Edward's arms, meowing loudly before attempting to bite his ear—
"(╬◣ω◢)"
Edward quickly pleaded for mercy. "Ow! Easy, easy, Lilith! Don't actually bite through my ear—I'd have to get a vaccine!"
Lilith, however, had no intention of letting him off. She clamped onto his ear and meowed angrily, her tail flicking in irritation.
"Meow! (▼皿▼#)"
"Meow, meow! (╯`□′)╯"
"Meeeeoowww! Meow meow meow! ＜（｀□′）＞"
"I was wrong, I was wrong! I shouldn't have left you behind! Next time, I'll take you with me wherever I go, alright?"
Unfortunately, Lilith was, after all, just a rather intelligent cat. There was no way she could understand such a complex promise. Edward coaxed her for a while, then finally pulled out a piece of dried chicken. Only then did Lilith release his ear, happily trotting off to bask in the sun while gnawing on her treat.
Edward glanced up at the sun outside and said, "While there's still time, I need to go to Diagon Alley to get a new wand. Do you want to rest here or come along for a stroll?"
Audrey clenched her fists slightly and said, "Once we're back in Backlund, I'll have more than enough time to rest."
"Alright then, let's find Fawkes to help us out."
Just as they took a few steps forward, Edward suddenly stopped. "Wait, let me test something first." He grabbed Audrey's wrist, and with a sharp crack, they disappeared from Hogwarts Castle.
———
[Diagon Alley—Ollivanders Wand Shop]
Edward and Audrey materialized out of thin air, their sudden arrival stirring up a gust of wind that toppled a stack of wand boxes nearby. Fortunately, Ollivander reacted swiftly, waving his wand to restore them to their original place.
It worked!
Using spirituality to cast Apparition had bypassed Hogwarts' anti-Apparition wards entirely!
"Oho, Edward, my boy," Ollivander said, rubbing his messy white hair. "Next time you Apparate, please try to land outside the shop."
"Right, sorry about that," Edward apologized hastily, though his face was filled with excitement.
Hogwarts' anti-Apparition magic has no effect on spiritually-powered Apparition…That means other magic cast through spirituality might also yield unexpected results!
Could this mean…I can solo Voldemort?!
His wild fantasy was interrupted by Ollivander's voice. "So, Edward, what brings you here today?"
"My wand was destroyed," Edward replied. "I need a new one."
Ollivander looked startled. "Destroyed? What happened? Surely the Ministry didn't snap it for violating magical law?"
"No, no, nothing like that. I encountered a magical creature during my travels…It swallowed my wand whole."
"Oh dear, that's unfortunate," Ollivander sighed. "A wizard's wand should ideally accompany them for a lifetime. The first wand is always the best fit—no second wand will ever feel quite the same."
Edward froze. The loss of his wand suddenly weighed heavily on him. From learning his first spell to mastering various charms and transfigurations, that wand had been with him every step of the way.
That damned black bird!!
"Well…do you have any wands similar to Audrey's? Something uniquely crafted?" he asked hopefully.
Audrey, catching on, lifted her dragonbone wand and twirled it slightly.
Ollivander shrugged. "I've experimented with many custom designs in the past, but only hers was a true success. The others…well, they couldn't even cast a simple Lumos."
"Ah…" Edward sighed in resignation. "Alright then, I'll just get the same wand as before—Blackthorn, Phoenix feather core, fourteen and three-quarter inches."
"Very well."
With a snap of Ollivander's fingers, a measuring tape flew over and began taking Edward's measurements.
"Wait, sir," Edward said, confused. "I'm getting the exact same wand as before. Do we still need to measure everything again?"
"Of course!" Ollivander replied. "Your body proportions have changed since three years ago."
"But didn't you just say that a wizard's first wand is always the most suitable?"
Ollivander paused, then blinked at him. "Ah, well, that's magic for you."
"…?"
Audrey couldn't hold back her laughter and let out a giggle. Normally, she was the one doing the 'persuading'—but now, it was Edward's turn to be thoroughly baffled by someone else's reasoning.
Left with no choice, Edward allowed Ollivander to continue his work. Meanwhile, he asked, "Mr. Ollivander, have you ever tried making a wand in a different form? Like a ring or a bracelet? That way, it'd be easier to carry and more convenient for spellcasting."
"I have indeed attempted it," Ollivander said. "But wands crafted that way not only failed to function properly, they also had an unfortunate side effect—any spell cast would backfire on the user. I once tried casting a simple Stunning Spell with a ring-wand…and ended up unconscious for an entire day."
"Uh…what caused that?"
Ollivander stroked his chin in thought. "A wand serves as a conduit for magic—it draws power from the wizard and channels it through one end, directing the spell outward.
"But if a wand is shaped into a ring, with its two ends connected, any spell cast enters an endless feedback loop…until it discharges right back at the caster. Well, that's the simplest way to put it."
Why does this suddenly sound like science?!
"I see," Edward muttered. He pondered for a moment, then asked, "What if it were shaped like brass knuckles? If the ring had a small protrusion, could it function properly? That way, you could cast spells by punching."
Ollivander stared at him, as if genuinely trying to imagine it. Then he wiped nonexistent sweat from his brow and said, "I can't even begin to picture what wizard duels would look like if that became a trend."
"That would be…very unladylike…No! Very terrifying!"
Audrey shuddered at the thought of herself casting Stupefy while swinging a punch.
That's not wizardry at all!
How should she describe it?
It had a certain…postmodern aesthetic—like Audrey performing a legendary feat of raw strength!
———
[Note]: Don't forget to VOTE. It keeps me motivated.