As it turned out, Portkeys weren't limited to just one mode of transportation.
Thanks to Grindelwald's improvements, Eileen and the others didn't find this return trip to school as unpleasant. Compared to the awful sensation of having her belly button hooked, the "Portkey 2.0" experience, mediated by the stone slab, was significantly better.
It was still that rollercoaster-like plummet, with the floor gripping her as firmly as a mud pit.
They flew forward as if caught in a whirlwind, unable to see anything ahead.
Without a doubt, Eileen had realized long ago that the principle behind Portkeys wasn't spatial coordinate editing. Whether it was Portkeys, Apparition... they were more akin to entering curved space, traveling forward along paths invisible from a three-dimensional world "perspective." The speed was still there, but they were simply taking a shortcut.
Of course, in the eyes of most people, instant movement and spatial teleportation weren't all that different.
Before the thoughts in Eileen's mind could finish turning, the journey was already over.
With a snap, the stone slab, which should have been decorating a street in Salzburg, was neatly embedded in the ground, seamlessly joining with the surrounding street stones. It looked perfectly natural—or rather, both sides were originally the same construction.
Just like when they departed in the morning, they were back at the entrance to Hogwarts.
Passing beyond the tall stone pillars at the castle entrance, topped with winged boar sculptures, Hogwarts Castle was now completely shrouded in darkness. The towering turrets looked even blacker against the dark night sky, with the occasional window projecting a fiery red glow from above.
"It seems there are quite a few guests at the school tonight?"
Luna Lovegood's gaze landed beside the castle's oak doors, pointing as she spoke in an ethereal voice.
"I think they seem a little unhappy. Should we go see them...?"
Along with Luna's words, Eileen and the others subconsciously turned their heads, following the direction of Luna's finger.
In the cold Scottish night air, dozens of "ghost" carriages stood parked beside the stone steps. Normally, except for the start and end of term, they were usually parked at the Hogwarts station and wouldn't be here.
"Oh, Luna, carriages can't feel sad—"
Hermione glanced at the carriages in front of the castle, abruptly shivering.
"But I do know one thing, if you keep standing here, we're going to freeze."
After spending over half a year together, she had grown accustomed to Luna Lovegood's occasional flights of fancy. While she didn't necessarily agree with these illusions, Hermione had to admit that Luna was indeed more perceptive than many people in certain ways.
Beside Hermione Granger, Hannah nodded in agreement, rubbing her hands together.
She hadn't felt it when they were playing in Salzburg, but for some reason, as soon as she returned to Hogwarts, all the fatigue and hunger that had been lurking in her body surged up all at once. Hannah Abbott now just wanted to get into the warm castle, have a good meal, and then lie in the middle of soft velvet quilts for a blissful sleep.
As for whether the "magical carriages" might be unhappy, she simply didn't have the energy to care right now.
"I wasn't talking about the carriages, I meant the big horses..." Luna blinked, earnestly explaining.
"Big horses? Okay... looks like it's something we can't see again..."
Hermione and Hannah exchanged a look, and after seeing the confusion in each other's eyes, said helplessly.
"But—" A stubborn glint flashed in Luna's silvery-white eyes.
"It's okay," Before the girl could finish speaking, Eileen gently squeezed Luna's cold hand, "The Hogwarts house-elves should be back to take care of them later, after they're done with the kitchen duties—let's hurry and head to the castle first."
After hesitating for a moment, Eileen thought about it and added another sentence.
"They're Thestrals. Professor Apocalis should be able to see them. They do exist..."
"What about you? Eileen, can you see them—"
"Sorry, I'm like Hermione and Hannah, I can't see them either."
Eileen shook her head, her gaze sweeping over Grindelwald on the side, saying calmly without changing her expression.
"Thestrals are amazing magical creatures that can only be seen by those who have witnessed death. My understanding of their existence is solely through books and touch. That's all. By the way, this knowledge will also be mentioned in the fifth-year Care of Magical Creatures course."
Ever since Gellert Grindelwald came into contact with Father, the trajectory of her former life could be considered semi-public.
Perhaps Eileen could muddle through the prophecies about the future with her "seer" status, but there was still another hidden danger on her, the one that Dumbledore and Grindelwald might have suspected, but hadn't spoken about, since she met Quirinus Quirrell, or even before that—who exactly was the soul inside her body.
Undoubtedly, as an ordinary eleven-year-old girl, there weren't many opportunities to witness human death firsthand.
In this relatively peaceful era, even for adults, the chances of seeing someone die in their lifetime, except for certain specific professions, mostly wouldn't exceed the fingers on one hand.
Eileen casually glanced at Grindelwald. The old man didn't seem to notice the conversation between the girls.
Even when she deliberately mentioned his name just now, the first-generation Dark Lord simply nodded casually in response, without asking too many details, even making Eileen feel for a moment if she was "deluding herself."
Only...
Eileen's eyes flickered with a deep light, looking thoughtfully at the old man's back.
This was just like her previous speculation about Quirinus Quirrell. In this world, coincidences might exist to some extent, but when they appear one after another and can be linked together with some kind of logic—whether it's metaphysics or a deliberate arrangement, it's best not to naively believe in any luck.
But—
It's really... strange...
The girl frowned, taking Luna's hand and walking towards the castle. Deep in her eyes, the afterimages of those tall, rugged, jet-black, dragon-headed horse-bodied "ominous magical creatures" seemed to be reflected.
In theory, whether in her past or present life, she shouldn't have personally witnessed death, right?
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Goo ya! Update da