The Black Bloodline of Hogwarts

Just as Snape was announcing "Begin" in his signature deep voice in the Hogwarts underground classrooms, and the first wisps of frost were forming on Liria's fingertips, hundreds of kilometers away in London, deep within the Ministry of Magic—in the Rotunda of the Department of Mysteries—Cassian Thorne stood against a wall in one of the countless doors of this laboratory.

There are no windows, no clocks, and even the air carries a stifling, sealed-off feeling. Time seems to have been frozen here. Twelve identical black doors stand silently on the wall, and it's unclear whether they are real or not.

Only one door emitted a faint, eerie blue light—that was the exit of the "Space and Node Research Lab," next to the "Time Hall." It was said that the door could not be opened casually, otherwise it might cause time chaos or something.

Cassian—the young man who had appeared on the Hogwarts Slow Train that day—sored, his fingers slicing rapidly across a silver-skinned map.

He looked to be under thirty, with meticulously trimmed gray hair. He wore a monocle with a miniature star disk embedded in his left eye, and intricate rune patterns constantly appeared on the lens—his unique "Eye of Insight," which could visualize invisible magical flows as trajectories like the movement of stars.

"It's still not right..." he muttered to himself, his voice sounding exceptionally clear in the empty room, even echoing slightly.

Three days ago, unusual magical fluctuations were observed in three ancient magical nodes in Europe—the Arctic Circle in Scandinavia, the Dinara Mountains in Albania in the Balkans, and Hogwarts in the Scottish Highlands.

This fluctuation was neither the sharp sting of black magic nor the slow dissipation of natural decay; rather, it was more like... an awakened echo, like a bell that had been asleep for a thousand years being gently struck, its lingering sound echoing deep within the earth.

What's even more unsettling is that after each fluctuation, an extremely subtle "tremor" would emanate from the direction of Hogwarts, as if the entire castle were being gently awakened by some force, like a sleeping dragon.

"Draco dormiens nunquam titillandus (Sleeping dragons, do not disturb)," Cassian murmured the Hogwarts motto, a bitter smile playing on his lips. He too was a Ravenclaw alumnus of Hogwarts, yet only today did he vaguely sense that this ancient proverb might not be merely a decorative maxim, but rather a warning.

On the first day of school, his task was to conduct a routine inspection based on recent unusual circumstances: the Ministry of Magic has the authority to inspect the Hogwarts Express with prior notice.

He stood on platform 9¾, his gaze sweeping over each new student like a hawk, but he found no contraband or traces of dark magic. Although he encountered the man in black who had been following the student, based on prior intelligence, he believed it was someone from the Rozier family, there to take Elizabeth back. After all, some pure-blood wizards in Germany hoped their descendants would attend Durmstrang.

On the surface, nothing seemed amiss. But his intuition told him that the biggest problem lay with those children.

Julien Black, with eyes as green as spring leaves, a demeanor more composed than eleven years old, and an aura of magic emanating from him like the tide;

Liria was completely wrapped in a cloak, surrounded by a serene atmosphere like the cold mist of Northern Europe. Especially the long, rectangular object she was holding—she had already suspected it, so why hadn't she opened it to take a look?

And then there's that taciturn girl from the Rozier family. Although the men in black might just want to take her back, I've heard that her family has been frequently moving antiques and funds around in Eastern Europe recently, their actions secretive yet urgent.

The magical world is full of diverse and bizarre talents. For example, there are prophets, Parseltongues, the ability to disguise oneself as a Magus, and the ability to naturally connect with animals or plants.

His talent lies in seeing order within chaos. Even with countless threads of clues, he can trace the truth to its conclusion. Coupled with his Auror-like skills, he was exceptionally recruited by the Department of Mysteries' Operations Division of the Ministry of Magic after graduation, becoming the youngest analyst in the "Space and Node Research Laboratory."

Just now, an encrypted briefing was delivered to Cassian: a new student from Northern Europe, Liria, presented Headmaster Dumbledore with a black stone tablet on her first day of school. The tablet's material is unknown, it is engraved with lost runes, and it briefly caused disturbances in the magical field surrounding Hogsmeade.

"She handed it directly to Dumbledore?" Cassian repeated in a low voice, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the monocle over his left eye. This meant that the stone tablet was now under heavy protection in the Headmaster's office—and the Department of Mysteries had no authority to interfere. Dumbledore's position had long since transcended the Ministry of Magic's jurisdiction.

But he noticed a crucial detail: ever since the stone tablet entered Hogwarts, the local magical fluctuations had significantly increased; simultaneously, the node in the Dinara Mountains of Albania had also become active, as if responding to some kind of call. Meanwhile, the strongest vibrations, originating from the Arctic Circle node—Lyria's homeland—had noticeably weakened, as if it had completed its mission and quietly withdrawn.

At that moment, Cassian waved his right hand, and a screen of light woven from magic appeared before him. He summoned the remaining magical image of the stone tablet—a scene his little informant had captured from Hogwarts:

A piece of dark stone, about an arm's length long and shaped like an ancient sword, with spiral patterns on its surface resembling swirling star trails, and a dim crystal the size of a grain of rice embedded in its center. When the probing magic approached, it did not rebound or absorb, but instead... guided—slowly channeling the energy along the patterns into its interior, like water flowing into an underground river, or like stars returning to their places.

"This is no ordinary ancient relic," Cassian's voice was deep and resolute. "This stone tablet... is a key, and also a beacon. It's the 'Leg Resonance Anchor,' could it also be related to the lost relics of the Moonshadow Council?"

He recalled a dusty file in the archives: In 1979, an expedition discovered murals in the ruins of a Carpathian fortress depicting three stone tablets standing atop the aurora borealis, a griffin's nest, and a dragon's spine. Shortly afterward, the entire team mysteriously disappeared, and the record was classified as "untraceable."

Now, all three locations have been matched.

Thinking of this, Cassian quickly took out a phonograph the size of a whistle, infused it with magic, and began to dictate:

(Top Secret): High activity at European magical nodes. While Hogwarts is not a traditional magical node, recent anomalies suggest its location may correspond to a forgotten 'node' or even a dominant one. The stone tablet carried by the new students is highly likely the activation key. Given that the item has been handed over to Headmaster Dumbledore, it is recommended to refrain from intervention for now, but continue monitoring of the European node's activity. Additionally: The stone tablet's runes are highly similar to the ruins of the 'Moonlight Council' that disappeared in 1979—this may involve a reboot of ancient magical geography, posing a very high potential risk. Please monitor closely.

—C. Thorne, Space and Node Research Lab

He sealed the phonograph with a drop of molten mithril, summoning a silver-gray magical raven. The raven carried the message, flapped its wings, and flew into the dark corridor, disappearing in the direction leading to the Director of the Department of Mysteries' office.

Cassian removed his monocle and wearily rubbed his temples. Then he suddenly remembered a casual remark at the end of the briefing: "Liria's use of a non-standard frost treatment in Potions class has already caught Professor Snape's attention."

Cassian smiled. This little informant was really doing his job diligently. Now he'd have to owe Amelia, the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, another favor.

By all accounts, he should call this director "aunt," as this fair but tough official was not as easily fooled as her niece.

Meanwhile, in the headmaster's office, the tallest tower at Hogwarts, was warm and peaceful.

Phoenix Fox perched on a golden branch, silently watching the black stone slab lying quietly on the desk.

The surface of the stone slab was as dark as night, except for the crystal in the center, which, in a corner unnoticed by anyone, flashed very slightly, as if responding to a call from the depths of a mountain range thousands of miles away.