Wind and Eagle Wings at Hogwarts

Chapter 495 495. Strange Librarian

Busy times always pass quickly.

When Scott tried his best to prepare everything, the time has come to June.

June 6th is Tuesday.

After finishing the morning classes, Scott visited Dumbledore on the top of the tower alone after lunch.

When he saw Scott, Dumbledore already understood his purpose.

"Oh, Scott, are you ready to go now?"

"Yes, Professor."

Scott replied.

"I'm going to go to the local library to have a look, maybe I can find more information."

As he spoke, he took out a piece of parchment and unfolded it. This piece of paper recorded the legend translated from the animal skin.

[A place of silence, a tower extending toward the center of the earth. ]
[Seven people set off and one person returns. ]
[One person died in the fire, one person died in the deep water, one person died in the top of the tree, one person died in the bottom of the tower, one person died in falling rocks, and one person died in the ground subsidence. ]
[Six people died of the curse, and the one who escaped by chance could not escape the shadow of death for life. ]
[The island of the extreme northern island group, the longest day of the day, the place where the shadow of the standing stone points. ]
Scott thought for a while, and then said: "Although Midsummer's Eve in England is on June 6, it's just a Muggle festival. In fact, the longest day is June 23."

Dumbledore also glanced at the parchment in his hand, and said, "I don't know if you have thought about it, is seven people also a layer of restriction?"

Scott raised his head, "What do you mean?"

"It's just a hypothesis," said Dumbledore, "but it's not impossible."

Scott frowned.

He hadn't thought about it before.

What if the tower extending toward the center of the earth really needs 7 people to enter?
"If that's the case..." He made a decision instantly, "Then forget it."

Do you want him to find 6 people to accompany him to die?
He can't do this kind of thing.

Dumbledore comforted him and said: "For the so-called prophecy, it is good to respond actively or wait passively, but the methods are different. We can't even distinguish which of these two ways of coping is better."

Scott understood what he meant.

Voldemort was once the one who actively responded to the prophecy, but everyone knows what happened to him.

Thinking of this, Scott also relaxed.

He smiled and said, "You're right, even if we can't enter the tower to retrieve the [Heart of the Sacred Tree] for this reason, we have no way of judging whether this is a good thing or a bad thing."

"As long as you can figure it out." Dumbledore also smiled, "For prophecy, we have never had a standard and better way to deal with it."

Scott nodded, indicating that he understood.

In fact, at this time, he suddenly thought of a possibility——

Maybe he retrieved the [Heart of the Sacred Tree], broke through the passage, went to Avalon, and then awakened Salazar Slytherin?

Such a malicious "fate" does not seem impossible.

But he thought of what Luna had said.

Luna once said during the summer vacation that the Sea of ​​Oaks was not the end of his journey.

Last time she said again, he would get what he wanted.

If this adventure would lead him to a malicious "fate", Luna would not have given him such "guidance".

Unlike the unreliable magic props sent by Luna, Scott still believes in her magical "eyes".

In any case, he decided to go to Melanne Island again.

If he looks too forward and backward, he will not be able to accomplish anything.

At Scott's request, Phoenix Fox took him and Dumbledore to Melanne Island in the northern waters of Scotland.

"Then is my adventure, Professor." Scott said to Dumbledore.

What he wanted was to let Dumbledore go back and act alone.

Dumbledore said, "Oh, no, you're still a student, Scott. And I, your Headmaster."

Obviously, he didn't agree with Scott going on the adventure alone.

With thighs to hug, Scott did not hypocritically refuse.

Dumbledore let Phoenix Fox hide first, and the old and the young walked into Kirkwall, a town located in the east of Melanne Island.

Scott learned that although it is only a small city with a population of nearly [-], Kirkwall is the largest town, fishing port and capital of the entire Orkney Islands.

In 1486, King James III of Scotland elevated Kirkwall, originally the residence of an earl, to a royal borough.

To this day, the road signs here still read [City and Royal Borough of Kirkwall].

Scott and Dumbledore were walking in the town, Dumbledore was very interested and seemed to be curious about everything here.

And their arrival also attracted the attention of many local residents.

It always seemed to Scott that they were visiting the town and the townspeople were visiting them.

Of course, this is all caused by Dumbledore.

Before setting off, Scott had deliberately changed into Muggle attire and was carrying a backpack, which is undoubtedly very common here.

But Dumbledore was different. He was still wearing gorgeous wizard robes, pointed leather boots on his feet, and a pointed hat on his head.

Such a dress is already exaggerated, not to mention his long silver hair hanging down his back, and his long silver beard that also falls to his waist.

When I was in the wizarding world, I didn't think that once in the Muggle world, Dumbledore looked like a very typical wizard who came out of a fairy tale.

It is simply conspicuous.

As they walked, some children even ran up and ventured to talk to him.

"Are you a magician, sir?"

"Yes, I am a wizard."

Dumbledore replied with a smile.

Because he looked very kind, several children asked questions in a hurry.

"awesome!"

"Then can you do magic?"

"Will it turn into candy?"

"Can you show us a show?"

"Oh, of course."

Dumbledore reached out and grabbed a handful of colorful candies out of thin air to share with them.

Amidst the cheers of the children, the adults around who saw this scene also began to applaud.

They gradually gathered around and looked at Dumbledore expectantly, seeming to regard this as a street magic show.

"Nice job, old sir."

"You are the most carefully dressed magician I have ever seen!"

"Thank you."

Dumbledore still dealt with them calmly, and under the enthusiastic expectation of the audience, he performed a few small "magic tricks".

He conjured flowers and birds with his bare hands, which aroused bursts of enthusiastic applause.

Scott on the side could only watch all this happen in a daze.

"Oh, thanks, no need."

In the end, Dumbledore politely rejected the audience's tipping.

"It's not a special show, we're just here for sightseeing."

Hearing what he said, someone immediately enthusiastically introduced the town to them and showed them the way.

They proudly claim that the town has spectacular historical buildings. The Cathedral of St. Magnus is in the center of the town. Next to the church are the remains of the former bishop's residence and the earl's residence.

Scott asked about the library.

The residents proudly told him that Kirkwall has the northernmost Carnegie Library in the world.

The building opened in 1909 and the building still stands today, but the library itself has now moved to a larger building on Junction Road.

Following their guidance, Scott and Dumbledore came to the Carnegie Library on Junction Road.

Here, Scott successfully found more information about the Stenness Standing Stone.

Standing Stones of Stenness, the "stane" in its name comes from the dialect of the Orkney people.

In Old Norse, "stane" means "stone headland".

1.2 kilometers to the northwest is the Brodgai Stone Circle, and 1.2 kilometers to the east is the Maeshowe Tomb.

Several other Neolithic sites on the island are also nearby.

The standing stones of Stenness are generally in the form of flakes, about 30 centimeters thick, and four of them are 4 meters high.

There were originally 12 of them, forming a ring.

The diameter of this ring is about 32 meters, and it is surrounded by a ring-shaped moat with a diameter of 44 meters.

The entrance to the Standing Stones faces the Neolithic human settlement of Barnhouse by Loch Harriet.

To the northwest of the circle is a free-standing stone, approximately 5.6 meters high, which appears to have been used to point to the location of the Brodgai Stone Circle.

Archaeologists have found remains of charcoal, pottery and animal bones in the trenches around the standing stones. The ceramics here have a certain connection with the ruins of Skara Brae and the tomb of Meshowe.

In addition to these, Scott also learned some recent history.

In the 18th century, religious ceremonies were still held at the Standing Stones of Stennes, where people believed to communicate with the Norse gods.

In 1814, Muggle archaeologists recorded religious ceremonies and stone pillars here.

The most special piece of standing stone is called "Odin stone".

The stone has a hollow column through which local couples hold hands and walk through the opening to show their loyalty to each other.

In the past, Muggles have performed other rituals here that are believed to be magical.

But now, that "Odin Stone" no longer exists.

In 1814, a farmer named W. Mackay immigrated to Melanne Island and owned a large piece of land near Standing Rock.

Dissatisfied with the locals who were doing religious ceremonies next to the standing stone, he smashed the "Odin Stone" and pushed down another standing stone.

This move caused public outrage in the local area, and he was forced to stop the vandalism.

It was not until 1906 that the standing stone that had been knocked down was erected again.

But the shattered "Odin Stone" cannot be restored.

Seeing this, Scott said to Dumbledore: "It seems that, in addition to the hypothetical 7-person limit, maybe the destruction of the 'Odin Stone' will also cause the entrance to not appear."

Dumbledore made no comment, being interested in the documentation of these Muggle writings, as well as in other works in the library.

When Scott was transcribing the literature on Stennes Standing Stone, he kept pacing in the library, picking up the books on the shelf from time to time to look through them, reading them with relish, and nodding repeatedly.

They stayed in this library all afternoon, and before they left, the old gentleman librarian suddenly spoke to Scott.

"Interested in the Stenness Stones, boy."

Scott froze, then nodded.

"Yes." He replied, "We were going to visit there, so we came here to check some information."

The administrator grinned, "It's already late today, so are you planning to go there tomorrow?"

"Yes." Scott replied.

"You'd better change the time." Mr. Administrator lowered his voice, "On Melanne Island, no one will go there tomorrow, especially in the morning."

Scott immediately asked, "Tomorrow? Morning? Will something abnormal happen there tomorrow morning?"

"Oh, abnormal, yes."

Mr. Administrator said softly.

"Tomorrow is June 6, the longest day of the year. In the past, this day was the day when the residents of Melane Island held rituals to communicate with the gods."

Having said that, he spread his hands regretfully.

"Unfortunately, no one here believes in the gods of Asgard anymore."

"So, what's the anomaly?" Scott asked again.

"A young man who is impatient." Mr. Administrator gave him a blank look. "You can just wait and listen to my story just like your grandfather."

Scott glanced back at Dumbledore who was regarded as his "grandfather".

Dumbledore just smiled slightly, looking very personable and polite.

So, Mr. Administrator took the initiative to speak again.

"You should have seen the record of W. Mackay destroying Odin Stone."

"Yes." Scott nodded.

"Perhaps it is for this reason." Mr. Administrator continued, "in short, on this day of the year, the sun cannot be seen from the circle of Stenness Standing Stone."

"Can't see the sunrise?" Scott raised his eyebrows in surprise.

The administrator said mysteriously: "Yes, tomorrow morning, there will definitely be a dense fog, and people will lose their way after entering the standing stone circle."

"Just like that?" Scott asked deliberately.

But Mr. Administrator just nodded and didn't say anything more unusual.

"That's all," he said, "but it would certainly be wiser to wait until the fog has cleared to get in there."

Scott felt a little strange.

"Sir, the ring is only 32 meters in diameter, why would it make people get lost?"

No matter how thick the fog is, it is impossible to get lost.

"That's a curse!"

The administrator suppressed his voice and said a little excitedly.

"Those who approach there on this day will definitely encounter misfortune..."

At this moment, a young man hurried over.

"father!"

He stopped Mr. Administrator.

"I don't need you to watch here for me, you go home quickly."

As he spoke, he pinned a badge with a photo and name on his chest, and said to Scott and Dumbledore at the same time, "Sorry."

"Please don't pay attention to my father's words."

"He's just... oh, my brother went there for fun when he was a kid, and he couldn't see the way in the thick fog... He had an accident."

He explained politely.

"Because of this incident, my father always thinks that there is a curse there. In short, you don't have to believe his words..."

At this moment, the substitute administrator suddenly began to vehemently refute his son's words.

"Kevin! You bastard! I told you so! Curses exist!"

"father!"

Kevin quickly stopped him.

"Please, this is a library, please don't shout, and please don't mislead tourists from other places."

(End of this chapter)