A day at Hogwarts.

Chapter 700 Opening the Sealed Door

The light at the bottom of the deep valley was extremely dim, almost pitch black, with only a lone glowing signpost emitting a hazy glow in the darkness, as if it could be swallowed up at any moment.

The air was filled with the scent of damp earth and a faint, almost imperceptible magical fluctuation.

Dumbledore stood beside a human-shaped pit, head bowed, not daring to look at his best friend, like a student caught doing something wrong by the headmaster.

Professor McGonagall crossed her arms, her brow furrowed, her voice stern and unquestionable: "Albus, what are you doing here at night? Did you sneak some sweets?"

In her mind, this was the only reason Dumbledore would secretly come to such a place.

Dumbledore's eyes lit up, and he slapped his thigh, wondering why he hadn't thought of that.
"Let's do it this way from now on!"

A sly smile flashed across his face, but it was quickly suppressed by Professor McGonagall's sharp gaze.

Professor McGonagall glared at him, snorting coldly, "Don't try anything funny, Albus. Confess!"

"You need to take responsibility for your own health, otherwise..."

After she finished speaking, she looked at the human-shaped pit next to her.

Dumbledore immediately raised his wand, its tip glowing slightly, and tried to change the subject in a lighthearted tone, saying, "Well, Minerva, let's see where Charles went."

"Finding him will explain everything."

Professor McGonagall was taken aback and immediately asked, "Charles jumped down too?!"

She worried that Charles wouldn't be able to handle the suspension and would jump too.

But then I thought that didn't make sense either; if Charles had jumped, there wouldn't have been just a crater on the ground.

Dumbledore said nothing more, took a deep breath, and loudly chanted the spell: "Reveal your true form!"

A soft beam of light burst forth from the tip of the wand, spreading out like ripples and illuminating the surrounding darkness.

Soon, a large patch of footprints appeared on the ground.

At this moment, Charles, wearing the Sorting Hat, came to the study with Harry and his trio.

“It’s unbelievable,” the Sorting Hat said slowly, with a hint of emotion in its voice, “that I would actually come back to this place again.”

Its tone conveyed complex emotions, as if it felt both familiar and surprised by the scene before it.

Upon hearing this, Hermione couldn't help but ask curiously, "Where exactly is this place?"

Her gaze swept back and forth between the Sorting Hat and the surrounding bookshelves, trying to find the answer from the slightest clue.

When she last came here, before leaving, she wanted to look at the books, but Charles said there was defensive magic in them.

If the Sorting Hat is familiar with this place, it might know how to unscrew it.

However, the Sorting Hat seemed not to understand English at all, simply remaining quietly on Charles's head without any response or even the slightest movement.

At that moment, the portrait hanging on the wall suddenly exclaimed in surprise, asking in a slightly puzzled tone, "How did you know to bring the Sorting Hat?"

"This is not something that can be easily thought of."

Charles blinked, a faint smile appearing on his face, and calmly replied, "Actually, there's no particular reason. I just hope it can serve as my advisor and provide me with some assistance."

His tone was relaxed and natural, but he had his own thoughts in mind.

Faced with ancient history and difficult-to-verify issues, he worried that what the portrait said might not be entirely true, or it might only reveal part of the truth while concealing other important information.

Therefore, he decided to bring the Sorting Hat to ensure that the information he obtained was more reliable.

Now it seems that things are developing more smoothly than he expected. Judging from the attitude in the portrait, the other party originally intended for him to bring the Sorting Hat here.

This secretly relieved Charles, but also filled him with anticipation for what might happen next.

The Sorting Hat seemed to sense something, and it turned to the portrait, saying in Norman French, "Charles, this Charles always does the unexpected, and his wisdom and courage often exceed our imagination."

Clearly, the Sorting Hat had a very clear understanding of Charles's abilities and character, and held him in very high regard.

Upon hearing the Sorting Hat's words, the portrait fell into a brief silence.

A few seconds later, it finally spoke: "In that case, Sorting Hat, tell him how to open the door."

"I don't have much time to waste."

The portrait's tone became serious, clearly indicating that it had made up its mind.

The Sorting Hat wears a helpless expression, sighs, and then says, "Fine, fine!"

"But I hope you live a long life, because what's coming next may present you with quite a few challenges."

Its voice was low and slow, as if reminding Charles that the road ahead was not smooth.

Then, the Sorting Hat whispered directly to Charles.

Although others couldn't hear the specifics, judging from Charles's gradually changing expression, he was clearly receiving some extremely crucial information.

The atmosphere in the room thus became even more tense and mysterious.

After the Sorting Hat finished speaking, Charles's face remained expressionless, but his gaze was terrifyingly focused.

He took a deep breath, focused his mind, and then raised his wand.

Harry, Dumbledore, and Professor McGonagall retreated to the doorway and were surprised to find Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall standing outside, watching quietly.

Charles began.

He first tossed the Sorting Hat to Harry, then drew a perfect circle above his head with his wand, the silver magical trail hovering in the air, solid and unwavering.

Immediately afterwards, a perfect inscribed hexagon appeared inside the circle, with a line extending from each of the six corners and converging at the center point, the lines shimmering with a faint light.

The entire magic circle slowly sank down, eventually imprinting itself on the dusty floor in the center of the study, emitting a low hum, like the heartbeat of a sleeping beast being awakened.

Charles stepped forward and stood firmly on one corner of the inscribed hexagon.

He took out five small bags from his bag one by one, his movements solemn and slow, and opened them one by one.

The first thing he picked up was a bag containing hair given to him by a centaur elder, which he gently tossed into the left corner.

"Guided by the stars."

As he whispered, a soft, silvery-white light suddenly shone from that corner, and in the light, a tall, powerful, mane-wielding centaur phantom appeared, his gaze wise and profound, as if it had traversed countless ages.

Then, Charles took out a small velvet pouch containing a few shimmering strands of Mrs. Angelina's hair and tossed it into the next corner.

“The whispers of the soul.”

A magnificent, rosy-pink-gold light, like the morning glow, illuminated the corner. A Veela phantom danced gracefully in the light. Her left half was exquisitely beautiful, her very existence like a captivating poem, while her right half had wings and a long beak.

The third thing to be thrown in was the bag containing the hair with the pull tab.

"Exquisite craftsmanship." A solid, metallic brass-colored light burst forth from the corner, and a short but wielding goblin phantom appeared, wielding a forging hammer. His eyes were sharp, and an invisible hammering sound echoed around him.

Next came the vampire hair from Marlene, which was carefully placed in the fourth corner.

"The loneliness of the dark night."

A deep, dark red light, like that of aged wine, shone forth, and a pale-faced, deep-eyed vampire phantom quietly appeared, as if the surrounding temperature had dropped several degrees.

Finally, Charles took a hair less than five millimeters long from the head of a working elf and placed it in the fifth corner.

Who would have thought that the hair of elves is a recessive trait, and not every elf has it?

"A free spirit."

The light that lit up the corner was an orange-yellow glow, like the flames of a fireplace, and a phantom image of a small elf with tennis ball-sized eyes and wearing a sleeveless robe appeared.

Harry and the others discovered that the figures in those paintings had appeared in the murals before.

Five corners, five races of phantoms, five distinct yet equally powerful magical essences, intertwine within a hexagonal frame, creating a magnificent and breathtaking scene.

Magic surged and flowed within the magic circle, emitting a low, howling sound like the calm before a storm.

Charles stood in his designated corner, representing the human wizards' thirst for knowledge and inclusiveness.

At this point, the Sorting Hat said to Harry and the others, "Next is to achieve resonance."

Before Harry and the others could ask for details, Charles began chanting a spell.

He raised his wand high and began chanting the ancient and unfamiliar spell, each syllable seemingly carrying weight.

"I have willingly chosen this place, and I am ready to bear the weight of the sun, moon, and stars!"

After the incantation was finished, a beam of purple light enveloped it from below.

"A token of friendship, given voluntarily, can build an impregnable fortress!"

As the incantation ended, the five illusory figures were also enveloped in purple light.

"A soulmate, willingly accompanying you, can become wings for soaring flight!"

Only Dumbledore and the Sorting Hat present could understand what Charles was saying.

Hearing this, Dumbledore became curious about who Charles's "soulmate" was.

It appeared as if a meteor shower was swirling around Charles, but it was impossible to make out what it was.

At this moment, the six corners shone with a brilliant purple light, which gradually extended towards the center and finally connected together.

The Sorting Hat then took on the role of commentator: "Now comes the main event; whether it succeeds or not depends on his own performance."

Dumbledore nodded. This step was a test of his own beliefs; if he didn't speak his mind, then failure was inevitable.

Charles began to sing from the bottom of his heart, his voice clear and firm, like the dawn breaking through the fog:
"The light of our first encounter begins with looking back, etching our original selves into each other's appearance."

Above the magic circle, the first star suddenly appeared and shone, as clear and cold as the rising moon.

Then his tone deepened, as if forging a silent covenant:

"Secrets and tears flow peacefully between us; trust is an unsinkable ark."

The second star then lit up, its light as soft as water.

This time, his voice carried a warrior's resolute tone:

"When shadows fall, the direction the wand points is the direction in which you and I need light."

The third star burst forth with sharp golden light, like a drawn sword dispelling the gloom.

His tone softened again, filled with a warm strength:

"A heartfelt laugh is the magic spell of the soul; it dispels gloom and lets happiness resonate eternally."

The fourth star lit up with a cheerful, leaping orange glow, as if one could hear invisible laughter echoing within it.

His subsequent chanting carried a profound weight of forgiveness and reconciliation:

"The cracks will eventually be healed by the dawn of understanding; the courage to forgive is more powerful than any magic."

The fifth star emitted a healing, warm green light, like a new bud in spring.

His voice became distant and resonant, as if conversing with time and space:

"This is not a contractual bond, but a resonance of souls; our paths intersect, until the end of time."

The sixth star lit up with a deep, ethereal blue light, like the background of the universe.

Finally, Charles's voice rose sharply, filled with an undeniable declaration and a will to unite:
"We are individuals, and we are also a whole; our emotions intertwine to form a unique melody—at this moment, we are 'I'!"

The seventh star, the one at the very center, suddenly lit up.

It burst forth with a pure white light that encompassed all colors, like the first cry at the beginning of creation!
All seven stars lit up, and the magic circle came to life.

The five phantoms seemed to possess real life in the light, and their power and Charles's magic merged and resonated perfectly through the bridge built by the seven incantations that followed!
The entire study shook violently, the ancient books on the shelves rattled, and the portraits on the walls seemed to emit a low gasp of surprise.

The brilliant light gathered and rose in the center of the magic circle, eventually condensing into a physical object—an ancient and simple stone door.

The stone gate is made of snow-white rock, with no fancy carvings on its surface, only lines of inscriptions that shimmer with silver light, which slowly emerge as the light flows.

That inscription is a perfect response and resonance to the poems sung by Charles, a reply that transcends a thousand years:
“When the crisis hit, we never thought of hiding,”

"Because we ourselves are each other's strongest wall."

"Your shy warmth is my sincere example,"

"To converge into the shining light of our shared souls."

"This treasure trove needs no embellishment with gold or silver,"

"The greatest treasure is you, standing beside me right now,"

"And the chapter we have jointly written, a chapter that even destiny itself applauds."

The light from the inscription gradually stabilized, merging with the radiance of the entire magic circle.

The stone gate stood there silently. Behind it lay a deeper darkness, or a truth sealed for thousands of years.
None of the people present knew that everyone felt the oppressive feeling emanating from that door.

The stone gate awaits the person who has gathered all the tokens, verified their inner thoughts, and gained recognition, to push it open with their own hands.

Charles walked to the center of the shimmering magic circle, gazing at the stone door that would eventually appear. His face remained calm, but his eyes, as if they had glimpsed the secrets of the cosmic abyss, shone with excitement.

The ancient gates of magic have been opened, and the real exploration has only just begun.

(End of this chapter)