Hogwarts: Harry Returns from Azeroth

Chapter 196, Section 195: Knots in the Heart, Relief, and Release
"Tell me in more detail!" For the first time since they met, Grindelwald's face showed a serious expression.

Only at times like these can one barely discern some of the youthful charm and aura of this wrinkled old man in prison clothes—the oppressive presence of someone in a superior position.

Dumbledore wasn't angry; in fact, his expression showed a hint of nostalgia when he saw Grindelwald in this state.

"It's just as you've heard, allowing the living to see the departed souls again," Dumbledore said, his expression turning serious.

"Are you sure?" Grindelwald said, his brow furrowed. "You haven't forgotten those legends about the Resurrection Stone, have you? We all know those records are true... Or have you lost your mind because of longing and guilt?"

“Don’t get so worked up, Gellert,” Dumbledore said, waving his hand. “Of course I haven’t forgotten the lessons about the Resurrection Stone. The souls retrieved by the Resurrection Stone belong neither to the world of the living nor the world of the dead. They exist, but they cannot be touched or kept—we tried that when we were young, didn’t we? But it only brought us greater suffering.”

“I’m glad you’ve retained your sanity, Albus, and haven’t been blinded by your new boy,” Grindelwald scoffed. “Every day in the world of the living is torture for those souls, which is why they grow more and more sorrowful and tormented, ultimately dragging those who are still alive down with them to destruction.”

“Thank you, Gellert,” Dumbledore said with a smile. “I almost forgot about that if you hadn’t reminded me.”

"So you came to see me knowing all this?" Grindelwald said in a deep voice, ignoring Dumbledore's joke.

“I have witnessed it with my own eyes more than once, and I am quite certain that the souls Harry summons possess clear consciousness. They are not sad, nor are they excessively happy, but are exactly as they were in life,” Dumbledore affirmed. “Most importantly, they themselves cannot remain in this world for long. When the duration of the totem ends, they will naturally return to the world of the dead.”

Recalling James's current state of mind, Dumbledore was quite certain that his student was more at ease in death than in life, a stark contrast to the recorded souls brought back by the Resurrection Stone.

“A totem?” Grindelwald retorted. “It sounds like going back to your hometown to visit relatives.”

“You can understand it that way too,” Dumbledore nodded. “Of course I wouldn’t harm Ariana’s soul.”

“Prove it to me,” Grindelwald said calmly, “but if I find anything amiss, I hope you won’t blame me, Albus.”

“That’s why I’ve come to you, Gellert,” Dumbledore said softly, lowering his eyelids. “We all need to make peace with the past.”

The room fell silent for a moment, with only the sound of Dumbledore carving a stone pillar with his wand. He had taken the stone from the next room, but Grindelwald didn't seem to care.

Harry taught quickly, and Dumbledore learned quickly as well. After the last symbol was placed, Dumbledore used it to insert the totem into the floor.

There wasn't the same eerie blue light that Harry displayed when casting spells, since Dumbledore didn't need any cool special effects. Instead, in a soft, dim light, a girl's soul appeared before the two of them.

She was very young; Ariana died at the age of fourteen, and it was precisely this age that caused Dumbledore even more pain.

There wasn't much confusion on her face, because when the totem was inserted, Dumbledore's consciousness went to the Dreamland, where he found Ariana, and it was he who led his sister out of there.

“…Albus?” Ariana stared in disbelief at the two white-bearded old men in front of her. Even though Dumbledore had given her a brief explanation in the dreamlike state, it was still too difficult for her to accept that her handsome, sunny brother had become a wrinkled, white-bearded old man.

What Ariana found even more unbelievable was that the person sitting next to the white-bearded old man who claimed to be her brother was actually Grindelwald—and he was completely different from the handsome man she remembered.

"Ariana," Dumbledore's throat bobbed, and before he knew it, his eyes were filled with tears as he uttered the name in a hoarse voice.

“It really is you…” Ariana’s expression was also complicated.

For a moment, the three people present fell silent. They had so much to say, but they didn't know where to begin.

But in any case, for the elderly Dumbledore, today was already a day that would be unforgettable.

Sleepless.

....................................

Human lifespan is short and finite. In this limited life, humans will experience too many regrets and remorse. For most people, what they regret most is realizing their mistakes when their loved ones pass away, whether it is a lack of companionship or cold words.

In any case, during the period when the Daily Prophet had almost become a record of Harry's personal affairs, after seeing that even the Ministry of Magic did not deny that Harry Potter could summon back the souls of the deceased as a testament, too many people approached Harry, wanting him to summon the souls of their loved ones for them.

The students were like this, and so were the ordinary wizards in the magical world. Before long, the Hogsmeade inn was full again, and this time the number of wizards gathered far exceeded the number of Squibs from last time. They all hoped to have a chance encounter with the legendary Harry Potter here.

The tents of the wizards who couldn't get hotel rooms stretched all the way to the edge of the castle's defenses, so much so that Professor McGonagall had to request the Ministry of Magic to send people over again to maintain order and properly disperse them.

Even Professor McGonagall seemed hesitant when facing Harry during this time, but in the end she said nothing, and Harry didn't delve into it... As far as he knew, Professor McGonagall had been married once before, but she was widowed early and had been single ever since, devoting herself to education.

"...Remember, the living have their own world, and the dead have their own world. There is a clear distinction between the two. Don't get too caught up in it." Looking at his disciple's red eyes, Harry solemnly warned, "We only seek the wisdom of our ancestors, but we do not cross that line, Luna."

“I understand, Master,” Luna’s voice was still trembling with tears, but she had mostly calmed down. “I’m just a little… lost.” When Luna was young, her mother died in a magical accident, and she had been raised by Mr. Lovegood for many years. So when she realized that her master could summon the dead, she came to Harry for help.

“I have never doubted your intelligence, Luna,” Harry said calmly. “You are a unique child. The world you see is very different from the world others see, which means you will follow some rules that are very different from others… Don’t forget your original intentions.”

Harry felt he was becoming more and more like the elders in the tribe, especially when he was teaching the calves life lessons.

“I will, mentor,” Luna smiled faintly. “Then, if my father wants to see my mother’s spirit…”

“It’s all up to you to decide,” Harry said with a smile. “I trust you.”

Nodding, Luna didn't say anything more and turned to leave Harry's office.

After she closed the door and left, a strange, sarcastic voice came from the second floor of the office.

"Don't forget your original intentions... Good heavens, Harry, if I weren't so sure you were born on July 31, 1980, I would have thought that was said by a white-haired old wizard."

As he spoke, Sirius descended the stairs leading to the second floor, his movements exaggerated and his exclamation resounding like an aria.

"Are you talking about Dumbledore?" Harry said without turning his head.

“Dumbledore…hmm, come to think of it, he seems to be the only person I know who often says things like that,” Sirius said after a moment’s thought, interrupted from his train of thought. But he quickly became excited, “No! That’s not the point at all!”

“Listen to what you’re saying, Harry! My God, I can’t believe you’re a twelve-year-old!” Sirius exclaimed, gesturing wildly. “What did you call her? Child?! My God, you look about her age, who calls their peer a child?!”

“Luna is my disciple. She is very talented and will become an outstanding successor to the shamanic path.” Harry dodged Sirius Black, who jumped in front of him, and returned to his desk.

“You’re absolutely insane!” Sirius shouted. “Even a disciple is being brought up—Merlin’s underwear, Harry! I’d rather hear you say she’s your girlfriend or something, not your disciple. Can’t you just act like a normal kid?!”

"Hmm, wait a minute, speaking of which, it could also be that Miss Hermione?" Sirius's thoughts jumped around quickly, and his voice suddenly became deep. "Although that lady has a somewhat strong personality, she's quite obedient in front of you, and she cares about you a lot. Hmm, it's a bit of a difficult choice, haha!!"

Sirius Black suddenly let out a scream, but he wasn't electrocuted; instead, he was hit by a ball of icy water that Harry had thrown at him.

This was a magical water sphere that made Sirius feel much of the heaviness in his body disappear, and his spirits were lifted... well, it's hard to say whether the latter effect was due to its temperature.

“I’m warning you not to do anything ridiculous, Sirius,” Harry said, rubbing his forehead in exasperation. “Do you know that your reputation for being unreliable has even spread to the castle? I don’t want Professor McGonagall to suddenly come to my door one day and tell me that you can no longer live inside Hogwarts because you’ve caused some trouble or corrupted the students.”

"What do you mean unreliable? I think I'm very reliable! It must be those inherently evil Slytherins who are smearing me behind my back," Sirius retorted confidently. "Those Gryffindor kids admire me, and many of them even bring me snacks."

"So you taught them at least ten prank spells?" Harry looked speechlessly at the man opposite him who was not ashamed but proud. "Thanks to you, the level of chaos in the castle has increased significantly this week, which has also added extra work for my apprentice Filch."

“Speaking of which, I didn’t expect you to take someone like Filch as an apprentice,” Sirius said with a look of disgust. “But since he was so respectful to you, I’ll leave his business aside—right now, your business is the most important! Harry! You can’t do this to me!!”

"Speak up, what's wrong with you now?" Harry said expressionlessly, putting down the quill he had just picked up.

If this is what it's like to raise a child, then he's had enough... This is much more tiring than raising an apprentice.

Why can't Sirius be as quiet and sensible as Luna?

Logically speaking, people who have experienced imprisonment often become gloomy and depressed because of this experience, and may even have mental illnesses such as self-destructive tendencies. Harry had even considered whether to go to the Muggle side to find a psychologist or something to counsel Sirius.

But now he has completely given up on the idea, because Sirius doesn't need it at all.

He was just as cheerful as his Animagus form, except he lacked a tail that could wag wildly like a windmill.

“Yes, I know your magical abilities are very strong, even Dumbledore has to look at you differently.” Sirius moved a chair and sat down in front of Harry, and said with a sad face, “You became a professor, you have your own career, and you have your own admirers. You don’t even need anyone to take care of you. You can take care of yourself. I mean, Harry, you’ve done too well.”

"It's so good that I, the godfather, don't even exist. I have no place to play my role!"

"So what?" Unaffected by Sirius's excited emotions and earnest sincerity, Harry had already been fooled before, and he wouldn't be fooled by that dog's mouth again.

"So I feel that I can offer you some small assistance as your godfather."

The impassioned and righteous expression from just moments ago vanished in an instant. Harry didn't want to admit it, but Sirius's current winking and grimacing expression could only be described with one word—creepy.

(End of this chapter)