Mysterious Journey

Chapter 5 Taking Her Back to Hogwarts

The cool morning wind, unique to the Scottish Highlands, swept across the surface of Loch Lomond, carrying a hint of dampness as it gently blew through the town of Luss.

Professor McGonagall, who had stormed out of the orphanage, gradually regained her composure in the gentle breeze.

Calming down and carefully recalling the conversation in the cottage, Professor McGonagall quickly noticed several unusual aspects. The most obvious was that Eileen's understanding of the magical world was not at all like that of a child raised in the Muggle world.

As for Eileen's theory about the division of wealth between the two worlds, well, Professor McGonagall admitted that she didn't quite understand it, and she had no interest in studying the results compiled by Muggles using mathematics and finance.

However, the poise and sophistication that Eileen exuded, far exceeding most adults, as well as her imperious arrogance, did take Professor McGonagall by surprise.

But what prompted McGonagall to leave Luss without hesitation and return directly to Hogwarts to seek Dumbledore's advice was the spell that theoretically should not have been uttered by a child Eileen's age—Crucio, the Cruciatus Curse, one of the three Unforgivable Curses, a Dark Arts spell.

***

"So, Miss Kaslana knows more about the wizarding world than we thought. To be precise, she has a deeper understanding than most people in the wizarding world. This is indeed unexpected."

In the Headmaster's office at Hogwarts, Dumbledore sat with his long, slender fingers interlaced on the desk, listening intently to Professor McGonagall's account, with a touch of emotion.

Professor McGonagall nodded in agreement, she also felt that Eileen's bold statements, although somewhat absolute, at least contained some points that were not entirely unreasonable.

"I'm sorry, Professor Dumbledore. In theory, I should have continued to talk with her for a few more sentences, but for some reason, I always find it difficult to control my emotions in front of that girl. More importantly, she eats owls!"

Mentioning this, McGonagall felt a surge of anger again, waving her right arm excitedly in the air. "Dumbledore, can you imagine? There are actually newborns in this world who catch and eat the owls that deliver letters?!"

"Calm down, Minerva, it might not be your fault."

Dumbledore blinked his eyes shrewdly, adjusted his half-moon spectacles, and said with a smile, "Didn't I remind you before that she is a Veela? Although she is still young, with her talent, simple emotional suggestion and guidance can still be accomplished."

After a pause, Dumbledore continued, the smile on his face gradually disappearing, becoming serious.

"This child's purpose is frighteningly clear. From the beginning, she had decided not to enter Hogwarts. But that doesn't mean she doesn't understand her own potential."

Professor McGonagall frowned, asking doubtfully, "But, what is her purpose in doing this?"

This was also the part that she had been most puzzled about afterward, because according to Eileen's demonstrated talent, she would obviously be able to realize her ideals more easily after learning magic.

"Because of the International Statute of Secrecy, the Muggle Protection Act, and the existence of the Wizengamot. As long as she doesn't set foot in the wizarding world, she can always live as a Muggle, becoming an unconstrained and transcendent being with magical abilities."

"But she's just a child..."

Professor McGonagall said subconsciously.

"To be precise, a child who can accurately recite the spells for Obliviate and Crucio in a casual tone."

Dumbledore shook his head, his expression particularly grave. "I have no doubt that even most fifth-year students can't do that."

"As a half-Veela, she is naturally more likely to come into contact with the magical world than most wizards. Obviously, someone from the wizarding world must have contacted her before us. As for the sense of unease you mentioned, I think, perhaps you need to see this..."

As he spoke, Dumbledore stood up and took out a shallow stone basin from the black cabinet behind him. The edge of the basin was carved with runes and symbols, and it contained a strange silver substance.

It was difficult to determine whether it was a liquid or a gas. It had a bright silvery-white color and was constantly moving. Its surface rippled like wind blowing across water, yet it separated and swirled like clouds. It was like a liquid of light - and a solid of wind.

"A Pensieve? You wouldn't want to say that this child has appeared in your memories." Professor McGonagall raised her eyebrows.

As Dumbledore's close friend, she naturally knew that this was an incredible magical object used by Dumbledore to store thoughts and memories in his mind.

"No, this is a memory from Mr. Newt Scamander. Many years ago, someone also said something similar, but with a slightly different position."

Dumbledore reached out to Professor McGonagall, pulling her into the memory together.

***

Dumbledore's office suddenly tilted, and Professor McGonagall felt her body lurch forward, falling headfirst into the basin, but her hair did not hit the bottom. She fell into a cold, dark substance, as if sucked into a black vortex.

Looking around, McGonagall found herself on a circular grandstand, above which was a closed stone dome, surrounded by wizards densely packed together, dressed in what looked like attire from fifty or sixty years ago.

On the central platform below, a white-haired man in a black coat was slowly raising his head, looking at her and Dumbledore, or rather, looking at the wizards around them. The iconic white hair and handsome face that almost every wizard would recognize - Grindelwald, one of the most dangerous dark wizards of all time.

Professor McGonagall felt as if her heart was being tightly gripped by something. The particularly similar arrogant gaze, she looked at Dumbledore with a shocked expression, and couldn't help but blurt out.

"Grindelwald?! You don't mean to say..."

Dumbledore shook his head, put his finger to his lips, signaling Professor McGonagall not to speak first.

Grindelwald's slow and clear voice came from below.

"My brothers, my sisters, my friends."

The man's voice was somewhat low, as if carrying a kind of magic that made people unable to resist believing and continuing to listen.

"Many people think that I hate Muggles, No-Maj, Squibs, and all those who do not have the ability to cast spells. But in fact, I have never hated those people. We need to admit that wizards are not the majority."

"...Magic will only bloom in a few people. So we must lurk in the dark."

Grindelwald raised his eyebrows, revealing a hint of disdain, and continued to pace gently, "But the old laws no longer apply."

As Grindelwald spoke, there was a commotion among the wizards. The gathered wizards whispered to each other, and many had already guessed what Grindelwald wanted to say today.

"My dream is that we, who live for truth and love, it is time to fight for the place we deserve in this world."

Without paying any attention to the commotion in the crowd, Grindelwald looked around and raised his voice.

"Then we wizards will regain our freedom."

"Our time is running out. There is a crucial prophecy about the future that I need to show you..."

As he spoke, Grindelwald held up a mysterious skull, which seemed to be smeared with some writing in red.

A hazy cloud of smoke spread from Grindelwald's mouth towards the sky. In the gradually solidifying smoke, a chaotic scene of ruins was gradually appearing.

Before Professor McGonagall had time to see the scene in the smoke clearly, Dumbledore's voice suddenly came to her ears.

"Okay, I think that's about it. We should go back."

Dumbledore said softly to Professor McGonagall, reaching out to hold her elbow.

The next moment, Professor McGonagall felt herself slowly rising into the air. The plaza grandstand began to dissipate, and in the blink of an eye, only darkness remained. Then she felt as if she had turned a somersault in slow motion, and her feet suddenly landed on the ground, and the two of them returned to the warm Headmaster's office in Hogwarts.

"This is?"

"This is the most famous public speech I could find before Grindelwald started the war of the entire wizarding world."

Before Professor McGonagall could finish speaking, Dumbledore nodded, taking the lead in answering.

While reaching out his wand to stir the Pensieve, stirring the floating face of Grindelwald on the surface of the liquid back into a chaotic silver substance, he continued.

"Muggles are not inferior, nor are they insignificant. Although Grindelwald saw the phenomenon of the wizarding world declining, the arrogance of being a wizard made him miss more things. So he tried to make changes in a radical way, and the series of mistakes that resulted led to his final failure."

"You are too humble." Professor McGonagall shook her head. "The entire wizarding world knows that you were the one who defeated Grindelwald one-on-one, stopping his ambitions."

Dumbledore's eyes flickered, neither denying nor admitting it, shaking his head to change the subject.

"But that was forty-six years ago. What I mean is, now we are all old, Minerva."

Compared to Professor McGonagall, who was wholeheartedly devoted to teaching, Dumbledore, who had been guarding Hogwarts and the British wizarding world like a guardian, had long seen the increasingly distant gap between the wizarding world and the Muggle world. Or to be precise, as Grindelwald's close friend in his youth, even today, Dumbledore still held extremely complex attitudes toward Grindelwald.

In the past few decades, some of Grindelwald's seemingly alarmist prophecies were coming true. Muggles had completely surpassed wizards in many fields. Dumbledore remembered a Muggle weapon called the "atomic bomb" that he had accidentally witnessed a few years ago.

That did not conform to the Ministry of Magic's Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office's belief that only wizards could bully Muggles. The non-magical world had already mastered the forbidden power to destroy an area.

Unconsciously, the wizarding world had begun to be abandoned by mainstream human society. The most obvious sign of this was the emergence of more and more non-magical creations that wizards did not know how to use - as if the situation where Muggles did not know how to use magical creations was being replayed.

This was also why, in recent years, he had been increasing the number of students from Muggles every year, despite the opposition of the Board of Governors and pure-blood families. Because in his opinion, one day, the barrier between the two worlds would disappear. At that time, either the two would coexist or one would perish.

"Eileen Kaslana, from her, I can clearly see the shadow of Grindelwald. But it is a more malleable, and a new world hope that can still turn back. Perhaps she is the one who can change the entire world, whether it is the magical world or the non-magical world. The only problem is that she is not standing on the side of the magical world now."

Dumbledore's expression was extremely solemn, looking at Professor McGonagall, he said solemnly.

"Imagine, if a Grindelwald of the non-magical world appeared. That would not only be a catastrophe for Britain, but a huge shock that would affect the entire world. The most important thing is that she is younger, smarter, and more dangerous than all of us."

"So, what do you mean, Professor Dumbledore?" McGonagall frowned in confusion.

"Bring her back to Hogwarts!" Dumbledore thought for a while, adding, "Of course, try to use a more gentle approach. If she can voluntarily enroll, that would be the best."