The Bard of Hogwarts

Chapter 396 Hogwarts Under the Shadow of Dreams

Tragedy seems to be the sublimation of a story.

In this regard, Aristotle gave a definition in "Poetics" and pointed out that tragedy can arouse people's pity, thereby achieving the purification of emotions and moral elevation.

Like some of the characters in the story, they were hailed as the bravest cowards, spending their lives in repentance without ever changing.

However, tragedy is not something a person who weaves beautiful dreams can consider.

Realizing that the umbrella had covered a vast area, Ino also took a short rest on the moon.

……

A familiar park scene.

The lush green grass spread out like a velvet carpet, dotted with delicate lilies.

Each lily exudes a sense of tranquility and warmth, and even the air is filled with a comforting atmosphere.

On this Rhine meadow, a camphor tree, so large that it takes two people to encircle it, stands quietly, as if gently telling stories of the past.

The tree trunk is interwoven with light and shadow and the traces of time, and the leaves swaying in the wind are like old friends who have been separated for many years.

Despite the peaceful and harmonious scene, Snape felt a deep-seated fear.

He was so familiar with the place before him that he wanted to turn and run away. But a subconscious reluctance and attachment made him slow down, his gentle steps as if afraid of hurting the grass on the ground.

To love someone for twenty-nine years, to wait for someone for nine years, to repent for a lifetime...

Looking at the camphor tree so close at hand, Snape finally stopped.

They neither chose to move forward nor to leave, but simply stood there quietly.

He didn't know how to face it.

The year Harry enrolled, he was happier than anyone else, but when the Potions class started asking him questions, he was incredibly disappointed... It seemed that his Potions talent had not continued.

However, during the second semester of his first year, a chance encounter on the fourth-floor corridor revealed a different perspective to him.

There were three Gryffindors: one with brilliant red hair, one with emerald green eyes, and the other a girl with a clever and quick-witted mind.

What you think about, you will surely receive.

Gradually, the three types of people merged together, and a gentle girl appeared before Snape's eyes.

The lilies are in full bloom in the sunlight.

This time, Snape did not choose to run away, but he also did not speak first.

The once empty gaze is now filled with guilt and regret.

Their eyes met, and time slipped away unnoticed in that gaze.

……

a long time.

"Don't you want to say anything, Severus?"

A crisp sound broke the long silence.

"Lily..." Snape called out, as if he had used all his strength.

"Continue!" Hearing the call, young Lily raised an eyebrow, crossed her arms, and looked on attentively.

The familiar figure, the familiar expression—Snape felt as if he had returned to that summer.

At this moment, he could no longer hide his feelings.

"I'm so sorry... I really am! I know I can't undo the mistakes I made, but I've always done everything I could to protect your son... my whole life..."

Snape slumped onto the soft grass, completely bewildered. The scene before him was strange, but he couldn't think of anything more about it.

Young Lily quietly looked at her old friend, feeling both curious and delighted by her sudden appearance.

In her memory, the moment the green killing curse struck her, time seemed to freeze, and the whole world turned gray, as if shrouded in a curtain.

However, Lily's brief silence made Snape feel as if each day was truly an eternity.

Every second felt like excruciating torture, but just as he was on the verge of collapse, a clear sound rang in his ears again:

"Sigh! Never mind! Let's talk about Harry, how's he doing..."

……

At the same time.

Dumbledore also came to Fertile Soil.

People generally believe that his birthplace was in Godric Valley, but in fact, Fertile Ground was where he was born and where he spent his carefree childhood.

It was only after his sister Ariana suffered a tragedy at the age of six that the family moved to Godric Valley.

The smiles of my parents in my memory, the tranquility of my younger sister, and the childhood house that haunts my dreams, and of course, my younger brother Aberforth with his strange but equally aged face.

As Dumbledore looked at the scene before him, tears welled up in his deep blue eyes.

"It's really... I even dreamt of a fly!" Aberforth, who witnessed everything, expressed his dissatisfaction with a belly full of complaints.

But it was merely a matter of emotional dissatisfaction. Seeing an old man crying, he did not choose to drive him away or do anything else.

After a long while, Dumbledore gradually came to his senses and walked straight towards his family.

"Stand there! That's your spot, don't move forward."

Abufus, seeing his brother trying to step forward, quickly and loudly stopped him.

"Aberforth! He is your brother." A gentle yet firm voice rang out.

The speaker was Candra Dumbledore, the mother of the three siblings, a powerful witch who enjoyed a certain reputation during her lifetime.

Faced with his mother's scolding, even with a full head of white hair, Aberforth still quietly hid to one side, just like when he was a child.

This scene also made Ariana cover her mouth and chuckle.

Seeing his mother beckoning to him, Dumbledore, who was standing some distance away, quickly stepped forward without thinking.

He has too many things to confirm now, whether it's a dream, a person from his memory, or something else entirely.

……

Night gently caresses the earth, granting all things a peaceful slumber.

However, time is never frozen.

As the first rays of dawn shyly appear on the horizon, like a warrior wielding a sword to sever the shackles of night, the magnificent dawn quietly unfolds.

The sky gradually changed from deep blue to light purple, and then to a brilliant orange-red, like a miracle on a palette, with each stroke full of vibrant color.

Everything awoke in the dawn light: the Forbidden Forest in the distance, the vast Black Lake, and the silent, majestic castle.

One early morning in early October, Hogwarts seemed to be different.

To be precise, the castle itself hasn't changed; only the people inside have.

Upon waking in the morning, everyone in the castle, including professors and faculty, seemed to have been freed from long-standing heavy shackles, and their eyes shone brightly.

Of course, their expressions were all different.

It could be a feeling of relief, satisfaction, or a sense of loss after letting go of a heavy burden.

Pansy belongs to the latter group. In her dream yesterday, she met the person she wanted to see, but did not get the answer she wanted.

Faced with the expected rejection, she was not as sad as she had imagined.

Perhaps, as the other person said, the best outcome for a good feeling from student days is to let it end during that time.

……

As the morning sun shone into the tower, students, having finished washing up, entered the auditorium one after another.

Although dreams are beautiful, life must go on, and breakfast is something you can't skip.

As the instigator of the whole affair, Ino was lying lazily on the bed, unwilling to sit up no matter what.

He was too tired last night, so he not only politely declined Pansy's offer, but also entered Dumbledore's dream.

In particular, Dumbledore's dream and his conversation with the old headmaster's family made him discover many different things.

It seems that dreams are not only connected to the living.

"Once everything is done, I'll go to the Hall of Death..."

Lying on the soft bed, Ino added another item to her future itinerary.

What he saw last night made him realize that some of the dead seem to be able to appear in his dreams.

Meow...

Wishing everyone bright eyes, good sleep, and regular breakfasts!

(End of this chapter)