A magical journey that begins in Azkaban.

Chapter 504: Pureblood Crisis

The moment Dumbledore stepped into the office, he was exhausted. He sat heavily at the table, with deep worry in his eyes.

He murmured to himself, his voice trembling: "Chaos, what a complete chaos."

His journey to the east coast allowed him to witness the city under Voldemort's rule, and the scene of deathly silence lingered in his mind.

The streets, once bustling with traffic, are now silent, the roar of engines and the noise of Muggles have become a distant memory. The sound of keyboards in high-rise buildings is no longer there, and the dazzling neon lights on the commercial streets have also gone out...

The whole city seemed to be deprived of the pulse of life, and everything fell into silence. All the light rose and fell with the sun.

If we ignore the atrocities of the dark wizards and the snake people wandering the streets, such tranquility might be mistaken for a symbol of romance and freedom, a place of unrestrained chaos.

Dumbledore had a keen sense of why most of the wizarding world was willing to sit at the negotiating table with Voldemort.

Tom has no desire for power in the secular sense. What he pursues is recognition, respect, and absolute power that transcends life and death.

Now, he has achieved most of his goals. Dementors, giants, werewolves, and vampires have all bowed down to his wand, and the wizarding world around the world is trembling in fear before him.

In a sense, he was on his way to becoming the king of the world. His inferiority complex due to his impure bloodline had been greatly satisfied.

Dumbledore was keenly aware that pure-blood wizards would become Voldemort's next target of hunting and slaughter.

Because their existence mercilessly reflects the uncleanness and humility in Tom's heart. Only by completely eliminating pure-blood wizards can Tom stand at the top of the magic world without scruples and let everyone admire his glory.

Only then can his self-awareness be completely completed.

Albus sighed. He had never imagined that the live broadcast about Regulus would so drastically subvert the status of pure-blood wizards in Voldemort's heart.

Dumbledore faces a difficult choice, a decision that may change the future of the entire wizarding world.

If he chooses to ignore Voldemort's atrocities, the pure-blood families in the wizarding world will disappear into the dust of history one by one.

When all pure-blood wizards were slaughtered by Voldemort, the so-called pure-blood concept became nothing more than a silent chapter in the history of magic.

Last year, he might have been able to pretend he knew nothing about it, because he and Aberforth were both old, and death was not an end they should fear.

And Harry Potter, on whom he placed all his hopes, was a true half-blood wizard, just like Voldemort. He could still arrange everything calmly and guide Harry to accomplish everything a savior should do.

But now, everything has become complicated. A person who does not belong to this time and space has been sent back by Grindelwald.

Dumbledore returned to his hometown of Fertile Plains, where he felt the remaining power of the Obscurus. Dumbledore speculated that his sister Ariana had used it to destroy the entire village.

He believed that Ariana's anger and hatred towards Muggles deep in her heart were far deeper and more direct than those of any pure-blood wizard.

Dumbledore sighed. He sighed more in the past half hour than in the past ten years. He felt more confused and tired than ever before, and his breathing was full of helplessness.

His brother Aberforth has infinite love for Ariana, but he must always be vigilant about her behavior.

He would never allow Voldemort to return to Hogwarts and kill the pure-blood Ariana. He would also never condone Ariana's hidden atrocities and take revenge on Muggles.

"I should put a lock on the Obscurus, or strip it out completely." He muttered to himself, and then walked into a locked bookcase to seek answers.

These major events that could affect the wizarding world would never be passed on to the lives of ordinary wizards. Even though Roger was deeply involved, he still maintained his status as a student and enjoyed a peaceful life.

"I have seen the handles on your wands." Professor Lupin glanced across the classroom and asked with a smile, "So, are you ready?"

"Professor, I'm definitely the fastest!" Harry answered quickly and confidently, his voice echoing in the classroom. In Lupin's class, his enthusiasm was more intense than riding a broom.

"Okay!" Lupin nodded with satisfaction, and then continued to explain the method of the game: "Inside the box is a female ghost I caught. After I open the box, you need to drive her back as quickly as possible."

"Professor, the female ghost you caught is not Myrtle, she always likes to cry."

Lupin shook his head and corrected him seriously: "On page 1353 of your textbook, it is recorded what female ghosts look like and what they are capable of. They are a kind of dark creature. Banshee is more appropriate to be called, and Myrtle is a ghost."

The students lined up in front of the box, and Roger was curious to see how Lupin would judge the speed with which they drew their wands.

As the box was opened a crack, a figure suddenly rushed out from inside, with a gray robe fluttering in the air.

She had red eyes, crooked teeth, and a sniffling nostril, and the moment she appeared, she began to wail miserably.

The cry was like the cold wind in a cemetery at midnight, with a texture like metal tearing, like a saw blade tearing at the listener's emotions. It was long and mournful, making everyone present feel the approach of death.

Seamus, who was the first in line, was petrified. He had seen a female ghost transformed by a Boggart a few years ago. Now, when a real female ghost appeared in front of him, his arms seemed to be pressed down by an invisible weight and he could not lift them.

"Seamus, muster your courage." Lupin's voice was steady and firm, reminding, "Remember the Boggart?"

His words were meant to serve as a reminder to Seamus, and also to make the other students understand that the fears they had once overcome should not become a burden to them again.

Seamus nodded, slowly raised his right hand, and the wand slid crookedly into his palm under the guidance of the retractable magic line.

"Funny!" he shouted, and as the spell was cast, the ghost's voice disappeared. Her tattered robes also changed, similar to the dress Ron had worn at the ball.

"Next." Lupin nodded slightly and reminded: "The magic thread and the handle are just auxiliary tools. What really works is the spell. So, what you have to compare is the whole process."

The students suddenly realized that the "fastest time" the professor mentioned was the total time from drawing the wand to the spell taking effect. This gave the students, who had practiced for less than two and a half days, greater confidence.

After Simo, the other students were more calm when facing the ghost girl. Before the ghost girl had time to cry, they quickly drove her back to the box.

Hermione added in a low voice at the back of the team: "Banshees won't do anything wicked, they just cry miserably. However, wizards believe that her appearance represents bad luck, so they classify her as a dark creature."

She took a deep breath and walked to the front of the stage. When the wooden box was opened, the magic wand flew into her hand like a flash of lightning. Her movements were swift and light, and she finished chanting and casting the spell almost instantly.

As soon as the Banshee revealed her hooded scalp, she was quickly pushed back.

"Very beautiful!" Lupin praised loudly, "The speed of drawing the wand, chanting the spell and casting the spell are all perfect. Professor Flitwick will be proud of your spell performance." Led by the professor, the other students also applauded Hermione. Everyone guessed that the champion would be between her and Roger. Although the latter had not yet come on stage, everyone felt that he would perform better.

Ariana followed closely behind Hermione and reported her difficulties quietly: "Professor, I can't find my magic thread."

Professor Lupin did not hesitate, he immediately took off his magic thread and handed it to her: "Try this."

Ariana tried several times, but the effect was not satisfactory. Every time the banshee cried, the sound pierced everyone's heart like a knife. Lupin comforted her a few words and then motioned for the next student to come on stage.

When it was Roger's turn, the atmosphere in the classroom suddenly became tense, as if everyone's breathing had stopped at this moment. Hermione and Ariana stared at him closely, wondering if they could beat him in this classroom competition.

Roger raised his ring finger slightly, and the wand fell accurately into his palm. Although everything looked so natural, his speed was still slightly slower than Hermione's.

Moreover, the spell he chose was a tongue-locking and throat-locking spell that took longer to chant and required a more complicated staff swinging process. The witch in the box showed her head and then reluctantly shrank back.

"Phew, we win!" Hermione cheered softly, with a gleam of victory in her eyes.

Roger was not frustrated by the result. He gently opened his hand and the wand disappeared.

"You used two magic threads?" Lupin asked curiously. "The other one was tied to the belt?"

"Yes, Professor," Roger replied, "This way the wand can appear and disappear at any time."

Lupin moved his lips, and finally let the next student come up. He looked at Roger and thought to himself: "You are really powerful."

Two magic lines mean that Roger needs to resist the pulling force of another magic line and still be able to swing the stick calmly. This is not only a cool trick, but also a training of control and precision.

"It seems that even in the swinging of the stick, Roger is much stricter with himself than others." Lupin sighed secretly in his heart.

When Seamus finally calmed down, Professor Lupin asked him to challenge the ghost again. The result of this battle about magic thread and spellcasting can finally be announced.

The first place was undoubtedly Hermione, who performed so perfectly when casting the spell that the ghost couldn't even show her head out of the box.

The students looked at Lupin expectantly, curious about what gift he had prepared. Lupin did not keep them in suspense, and took out a handmade notebook from the worn-out file box. The outside of the notebook was a piece of brown cowhide with rough edges, and a rough leather rope firmly tied the leather cover and the manuscript.

As Lupin untied the leather rope, the notebook bounced in the air like an inflated balloon, becoming very full.

"Hermione, come here!" Professor Lupin called, "These are the manuscripts of magical creatures I recorded during my travels. I hope you like them."

As he said this, he tied the leather string back to the book and gave the shrunken book to Hermione. Hermione blushed and was so nervous that she stuttered: "Professor... this... this is so precious."

Lupin patted her shoulder gently and announced loudly: "This is your prize. Gryffindor gives you 10 points for your excellent performance."

The little lions cheered first, shouting Hermione Granger's name. Hermione cried with joy, holding Professor Lupin's manuscript carefully, and vowed not to let the professor down.

"What a pity." Malfoy muttered unwillingly, "I wonder if the vice president will lend it to us."

"If you want to borrow it, just say so. Don't drag me into it." Rogge responded half-jokingly.

Others may not be able to do it, but he certainly can. It would be a wonderful thing to study with Hermione in bed in the future.

He looked in Hermione's direction intentionally or unintentionally, and always felt that Ariana seemed to be staring at him.

"Is it an illusion?" Roger muttered to himself.

Shortly after the Defense Against the Dark Arts class, Snape brought news from the headmaster. Dumbledore finally chose Rogge's plan and gave up on completely curing the snake man.

"Teacher, is this the meditation basin?" Rogge stared at the stone basin on the desk curiously. Its edges were engraved with mysterious symbols, exuding an ancient and mysterious atmosphere.

"Want to take a look?" Snape's voice sounded a little gloomy. "Many people store their memories in it so that they can look at everything they have experienced from the perspective of an outsider."

"No, I think that's too dangerous." Rogge shook his head and refused firmly.

Perhaps in addition to Dumbledore and Snape, there might also be memories of all the former headmasters of Hogwarts, but he was not interested.

Snape was a little surprised, his eyes revealing his curiosity about Roger's self-control: "Many people find it hard to resist the temptation of prying into other people's memories, but you can refuse so firmly. It's rare."

Roger smacked his lips and confessed, "I just don't feel safe sticking my head in the Pensieve. You see..."

He inserted a potion leaf into the test tube, and a sharp red light shot out from his wand, and the leaf was chopped off by the sharp sword.

"This is the neck, and this is the head." Roger took out the broken leaves and pointed to the stem below. "If you are immersed in someone else's memory, and suddenly someone takes a knife and cuts your neck... You are defenseless and your head falls off."

"Humph, you are suffering from paranoia." Snape shook his head disapprovingly and used his wand to retrieve the memories in the Pensieve back into his brain. "You can use Legilimency to store your private memories in it."

"Me?" Roger was stunned for a moment, and asked quickly: "You want to use me to experiment with brain occlusion?"

"No, it's for practice. By the way, let Harry know how long it will take you to master it." Snape's answer was quite straightforward. It can be heard that the teaching last Friday was quite a failure.

Roger thought for a moment, then raised his wand to his temple. A series of memories emerged in his mind: his past that he could not tell, his close relationship with the witch, the negotiation with the goblin, Jessica's reserve of antidote, the conversation with Grindelwald...

These memories flashed through his mind like movie clips. He took out the secrets that he didn't want others to know, one by one, and put them into the Pensieve.

Snape was stunned for a moment, unable to understand why Roger had so many secrets that he couldn't tell anyone.

He shook his head helplessly and commented, "Most of these memories of yours have no hidden meaning. When you reach my age, you'll find that many secrets are insignificant."

In response to the teacher's pedantic words, Roger still insisted on his attitude: "Let's take it out. It would be bad if the teacher saw it."

He thought about it carefully and found that there was indeed some memory loss, which even affected his thinking a little.

(End of this chapter)