Hogwarts: Harry Returns from Azeroth

Chapter 162, Section 161: Harry Meets the Centaurs Again
Like arcane energy, fel energy, holy light, and other powers, the elements have never belonged to any one person.

Since Dumbledore permitted Harry to establish the first shamanic altar at Hogwarts last year, Harry has been performing rituals and invoking the elements. It is thanks to his efforts that the elements in the Hogwarts area have gradually shown signs of regaining consciousness.

It's like a person who is fast asleep suddenly turning over.

Similarly, this effort earned Harry more recognition and support from the Elements, making him even stronger.

The answer the wind in the Forbidden Forest gave at that moment meant only one thing to Harry: that, in a place unknown to anyone, the centaurs had also gained the approval of the elements.

Perhaps the profession of centaur shaman had already emerged.

This is a good thing, because it means that the elements have begun to save themselves, and the rituals and efforts of the centaur shamans will undoubtedly contribute to this glorious feat of elemental revival.

However, it might not be so good, because if elemental shamans have emerged among the centaurs who are completely different from traditional shamans, then their understanding of shamanism will definitely originate from their own tribe and be completely different from the minotaur shaman culture inherited by Hari—which means that they may have many differences in their attitudes toward elements and spirits.

While pondering the potential impact of this change, Harry hurried toward his new home in the centaur tribe.

If he wasn't mistaken, Element had probably already informed the centaur tribe that he was searching for them... He wondered how the centaurs would react.

However, after careful consideration, Harry didn't think the centaurs would turn against him, since he had already made it clear that he meant no harm when he asked about the location of the elemental centaur tribe in the area.

Before long, Harry followed the river to a valley below a cliff face where the streams that flowed through the Forbidden Forest eventually converged into the shallows. This was where the centaur tribe's new home was located.

The terrain here is flat and wide, perfect for the centaur warriors to charge into battle, while the protruding cliffs overhead provide them with a sheltered living area, and the proximity to the forest does not hinder their ability to hunt or gather herbs.

The centaurs had already re-erected their totem at the entrance to the forest from this cliff crevice, and Harry even saw two centaur warriors guarding the spot with spears.

Whoosh!
An arrow suddenly flew out and landed diagonally two steps in front of him. It was a warning from the centaur archer patrolling the cliff top, who had discovered Harry's presence.

"Halt!" shouted the centaur warrior guarding the door. "Who—good heavens! It's that boy!"

What began as a question suddenly turned into a scream of terror, which attracted a large number of centaurs who rushed out of the crevice and down the cliff, surrounding Harry in just a few seconds.

It has to be said that being surrounded by centaurs was a very unpleasant feeling. The mingled sound of hooves particularly irritated Harry's nerves, like a blade carrying murderous intent. He subconsciously reached for his warhammer but found nothing. Only then did he realize that he no longer had his warhammer, so he gripped his wand instead.

Without a doubt, the centaurs recognized him—the boy who had clashed with the tribe last year and was the one who forced the tribe to migrate.

“I mean no harm!” Harry raised his hands in acknowledgment. “I just want to see your shaman and ask about the recent changes—you should know what I mean.”

Harry's words immediately stirred up the centaurs surrounding him. They naturally understood what Harry meant. The changes that had taken place in the tribe over the past few months had left many young centaurs confused, and they had argued with each other countless times.

"You are a messenger from Mars, and you have brought chaos to the tribe!"

One of the centaurs shouted loudly, and his words provoked a series of roars from the other centaurs.

“You and Hagrid also defeated me, Lundo, Bogg—many centaurs were injured because of you!”

Boom!

Seeing that the shouts were getting louder and louder, Harry had to release a firework upwards from his wand, which, accompanied by a piercing explosion, finally quieted the centaurs down.

“I didn’t start the conflict, did I?” Harry said loudly. “I just wanted to discuss prophetic magic with your shaman. It was you centaurs—that centaur named Bane—who charged at me to intimidate me, so I fought back.”

The centaurs surrounding Harry grew increasingly agitated. Harry could hear them arguing amongst themselves. Some were saying that it was indeed true, and that Harry knew Bane's temper. But others were emphasizing that Harry and Hagrid had attacked the tribe, forcing them to migrate so far away. Some even said the stars were right; Mars had illuminated the tribe that night, and afterwards, Mars had indeed dimmed, which was a good thing…

It was chaotic. It was clear that even within the centaur tribe, there were many different opinions. Some centaurs even sided with Harry and condemned Bane's behavior, saying that he should never have scared a pony—well, thanks, but Harry really didn't want to be called a pony; it made him feel uncomfortable all over.

"Make way—everyone—make way!"

A whistling arrow shot through the sky, causing the arguing centaurs to stop. They moved their hooves to make way, and a handsome, platinum-blonde centaur walked along the path to Harry.

I've seen this centaur Harry before, just last year, I think his name was... Ferenze?

Unlike Baine, the short-tempered centaur who was hostile to wizards, Frenzel was much friendlier at the time. Unfortunately, according to Hagrid, Frenzel was not very popular among the centaur tribes.

“Long time no see, Harry Potter… Savior.” Compared to the fierce centaurs around him, Ferenze’s attitude was much more peaceful.

"A savior?" Harry raised an eyebrow slightly. "Is that how you centaurs define me?"

"Why should we tell him! Ferenczer!" the horseman shouted in dissatisfaction. "That was our prophecy!"

“It was just the past,” Ferenze said calmly, turning his head toward the source of the voice. “You know, Carlo, the stars have changed… so much has changed—Triton wants to see him, so get out of the way.”

The name Ferenze mentioned at the end seemed to possess a peculiar charm, causing even the most resentful centaurs to set off towards their original location upon hearing it.

After escaping the encirclement of so many centaurs, Harry finally breathed a sigh of relief. At Frenzer's signal, he followed him and headed into the centaur tribe.

"Would it be convenient to continue talking about the Savior?" Harry asked, somewhat curious.

“That was what we called you in private… back then,” Ferenze said softly as he walked slowly, “because of the Dark Lord’s little matter, and the magical world…”

"Why 'from the past'?" Ignoring the curious or wary glances from the centaurs on either side who had noticed his presence, Harry continued, "Because of what happened last time?"

“Of course not,” Ferenze shook his head and said, “The constellations have changed, that’s all—the stars have become unfamiliar, the world’s position has changed, no centaur knows the answer, and no centaur can decipher it.”

As always, prophecies that are incomprehensible to others.

But what made Harry feel relaxed was what he saw along the way after approaching the cliff crevice—the centaurs who were busy with their own things didn't look at him with hatred, but rather with curiosity.

"You're surprised" was clearly a question, but Ferenc said it as if it were a statement.

“It was indeed a bit of a surprise,” Harry said frankly. “I thought most centaurs were like Bane, especially after the last conflict, you would be quite hostile towards me—but to be honest, most centaurs are much more reasonable than I thought.”

Harry, however, was thinking about the arguments the centaurs had made while they were surrounding him.

“No matter what you’ve become from the Savior, you’re still just a pony, Harry Potter,” Frenzer said softly. “No normal centaur would attack a pony like you, but Bane… he is Bane.”

“I understand, just as there aren’t only good people among humans,” Harry nodded, his gaze sweeping over Frenze. “It seems you’ve indeed made new friends.” Harry had noticed the change in Frenze; ​​the elements around the centaur were more active and more aligned with him.

The "Elemental Spirits" knew exactly what Harry was referring to, and Ferenze readily admitted, "That's what they call themselves: Triton accepted them, and they accepted Triton... and the centaurs."

“So, Triton is?” Harry asked.

“Our shaman, just like you, Harry Potter,” Ferenz said, tilting his head. “You’ve met him.”

Harry recalled the old centaur performing visceral divination by the burning fire.

It's quite interesting. Triton is the name of the messenger of the sea in ancient Greek mythology, and also the son of Poseidon, the god of the sea, and Amphitrite, the queen of the sea—a mermaid with a human body and a fish tail.

Hmm, I wonder how the mermaid tribe in the Black Lake will feel when they find out.

Before long, Ferenze had led Harry to the front of the largest tent, and through the curtain, Harry saw the old centaur shaman once again.

Completely different from the tents where the centaur shamans lived in his memory, Harry clearly saw four different kinds of rituals here... rituals for fire, water, earth, and storms.

It was very primitive and very rough, and even the specific image could not be fixed. Harry also saw many wooden totems on the ground that had been carved but were ruined, and they did not have any special power.

The elderly centaur shaman stood in front of a totem that was half-carved, seemingly deep in thought.

"...Can I see it?" Harry asked abruptly.

“Of course,” Triton answered in a hoarse voice as he turned around and raised his hands in front of his chest—one second, two seconds, three seconds—whoosh!

The old centaur held his breath, looking as if he was exerting extra effort, but it wasn't until several seconds later that a tiny flame appeared in his clasped hands, along with a swirling storm, floating water spheres undulating in mid-air, and soil from the earth falling into his palms.

"I'm sorry, that's all I can do." With his hands down, everything from before faded away. Triton wiped the sweat from his brow and said, "If you don't mind, Ferencze can give you another demonstration. He's much faster than I am on this new path."

“No need,” Harry shook his head and said, “That’s enough proof… that they’re the ones who came to you?”

“At the celebration,” Triton said slowly, “it was our first celebration since we moved here, and the flames danced on their own, as if they were talking to us.”

Harry nodded.

In other words, the elements themselves actively sought out this centaur tribe living in the Forbidden Forest—and perhaps more than just this one tribe.

For an ordinary person to become a shaman, they would naturally need the corresponding spirit contract potion. However, if the elemental seeks out the shaman on its own, and the elemental is capable of manifesting a physical form in the real world, then everything is different.

There was nothing to be angry about. Rather, Harry was quite pleased that the elements had found a new balancer for themselves. He had never regarded the elements as his own exclusive power, holding them firmly in his hands and unwilling to share them with others.

Well, although the fact that the elements had come to the centaurs made him feel a little... complicated, the centaurs were not centaurs after all, and were fundamentally different.

For example, just now, Harry didn't think the centaurs of Azeroth would reflect on themselves and readily admit their mistakes.

Seeing that Harry remained silent, the centaur shaman got busy again, carving incessantly on the totem, wood shavings falling bit by bit. He would occasionally stop and step back to observe his work, while Harry stood beside him watching.

a long time.

“…Wrong, your understanding of the wind element is far too heavy.” Harry had intended to remain silent, but after a few minutes he couldn’t help but speak up: “Didn’t you already go to the altar? Then you should already know how to express different elements.”

Triton turned around, and Harry was quite certain he saw embarrassment on that aged face.

“Yes, I know you defied Dumbledore’s orders and approached Hogwarts again,” Harry continued, “but I can promise you I won’t tell Dumbledore, on the condition that—”

"On the condition that our shamanic path belongs to you?" Triton interrupted in a hoarse voice.

“Wrong,” Harry said firmly. “I don’t care how strong you become, but no matter what, you cannot distort the will and power of the elements.”

Harry was somewhat surprised by the centaur shaman's self-taught approach.

In the world of Azeroth, whether it's the Tauren Shamanic tradition, the Orc Shamanic tradition from Draenor, or any other series of Shamanic traditions, these traditions have a long history and have undergone learning and improvement by many generations of 'people,' so they have a complete and very mature system in all aspects.

But just now, Harry witnessed firsthand what it was like for a native race to begin researching magic after their first contact with the elements and to try to establish a corresponding culture—just like the ancestors of the minotaurs and orcs, making one unfamiliar attempt after another, cautiously exploring.

It's like a brilliant student who has systematically studied various magic and potions and graduated from Hogwarts, suddenly encountering wild wizards outside who only possess one or two kinds of magic and incomplete potion recipes.

Can not bear to look.

Harry didn't have any discriminatory thoughts. To be honest, he admired this kind of exploration from scratch and was happy to see the centaur tribe find its own path of shamanism.

He was just a little worried that, under such barbaric exploration, the centaur shamans might go astray—for example, by enslaving the elemental forces.

After all, when people first encounter something new, they often use all sorts of methods to explore it... some are friendly, and some are rough.

“I know,” Triton nodded, not offended by Harry’s words. “The elements have told us a lot… what you told those ponies, the shamanic doctrines—it’s all very magical.”

"So, it was actually the elements that guided you to that altar?" Harry asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Exactly,” Ferenze interjected. “You can’t imagine how impactful it was for us when the elementals first appeared—many centaurs were furious, thinking it was a wizard’s prank, an insult.”

“I suspect you were more than just angry,” Harry said calmly.

“…I can’t deny that,” Ferrenze shook his head and said, “I hope you can understand, Harry, we had just been forced to move to a new home…even if it was indeed Bane’s fault.”

“It’s all in the past now, Ferenczec,” Triton said softly, looking at Harry as he continued, “In short, it was a chaotic scene, but thankfully my people eventually calmed down—and it was on that night that we met the Elements.”

“Fire element, and earth element,” Harry nodded and said.

On his way in, he had already seen many primitive-style objects that worshipped the elements of fire and earth.

(End of this chapter)