The Black Bloodline of Hogwarts

The planetarium in Rosenkreuzburg is located in the highest tower of the castle. Its dome is a single piece of enchanted crystal glass that pours the Bavarian starry sky into it without reservation.

When Julien stepped into the room, the first thing he noticed was not the old brass telescope, but the old woman sitting there—Ophelia Rozier.

The maple Bidemai chair was covered with a thick wool cushion. Madame Ophelia Rozier sat in it without leaning against the backrest, but with her back straight.

Time has given her face a pale gray hue, as if it had been tainted by a magic potion. Her silver hair is meticulously tied into a low bun at the back of her head, with not a single stray hair daring to escape its restraint.

She wore an exquisitely tailored black silk robe, with the Rozier family crest embroidered in silver thread on the collar and cuffs.

What's most unforgettable are her eyes—a very pale, almost transparent gray-blue, like the mist over the sea in northern Germany on a winter's day. When she looks at you, you feel as if you're being scrutinized by something ancient and precise, as if she sees right through you to the core.

"Shillem Julien Black." Her voice was like sandpaper rubbing against an ancient birch tree, yet it reminded Julien of the ghostly voice from the bottom of Falling Star Bay. Evanna Rozier. The same timbre, carrying a weariness that transcends time.

"Madame Rosier." Julien bowed slightly, noticing Elizabeth standing beside her grandmother, seemingly somewhat reserved, her fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her skirt.

"Sit." Ophelia gestured with her chin to the velvet chair opposite her. "I heard from Elizabeth that you like tea. Please, the tea has been cold for three minutes—Sebastian calculated the perfect temperature for it."

Julien sat down and noticed that the teacup in front of him was indeed still steaming just right. This detail alerted him: an old man who so precisely controlled the temperature of his tea could not be a simple character.

Ophelia didn't waste time with pleasantries, but went straight to the point, "You just visited Falling Star Bay. Do you know why it's called Falling Star Bay?"

It seems that the patriarch of the Rozier family is indeed very aware of their movements, but Julien believes she is not entirely aware of their entry into the underwater city to reinforce the seal.

"It's said to be because of a meteorite that fell from outer space a long time ago," Julien replied, recalling Evanna's ghostly words.

"Meteorite?" Ophelia chuckled softly, a laugh tinged with a thousand years of mockery. "That's what modern people call it."

"Yes, people in the past called them star fragments, but the meaning is similar."

“Yes, and not entirely,” Mrs. Ophelia shook her head slightly. “Those who arrived there earlier—like your ancestors, my ancestors—may know better what it was.” Her thin fingers tapped the armrest of her chair, producing a hollow echo.

"What do you mean?" Julien asked. Elizabeth, sitting beside her, also looked at her grandmother with curiosity.

"That's a fragment of the World Wall. The wound from the collision of two universes. The Black family was the first to touch it, the first to learn how to use its energy, the first..." She paused, looking at Julien, "...to be changed by it."

"Changed?"

"What do you think magic is, child?" Ophelia's gaze pierced through Julien, as if looking at some distant place. "In this world, before the barriers crumbled, there were no wizards. Or rather, only... possibilities."

She slowly raised her hand, and a withered rose appeared at her fingertips. "It's the energy of fragments, or energy leaking from another universe, that has allowed some humans to learn to transform emotions and will into reality. That's magic."

"The power of magic comes from outside?" Elizabeth gasped in surprise.

Ophelia ignored Elizabeth's surprise and continued looking at Julien, saying, "The Black family should be among the first to have deep contact with this power. This energy itself is embedded deep within their blood. That's why they can sense stargates and become guardians, but..."

As she spoke, the rose in Ophelia's hand withered and turned to dust. "But it can also be swallowed by the stargate if they choose to open it instead of sealing it."

Julien felt a burning pain on the inside of his right wrist. The eagle-headed hound totem emerged beneath his skin, its silvery-blue light shimmering where others could not see.

"The Rozier family's ancestor," Julien suddenly spoke, "was Evanna Rozier. She guarded Falling Star Bay for a thousand years. Does that mean the Rozier bloodline also..."

Lady Ophelia shook her head, a crack appearing in her expression for the first time. The crack wasn't filled with sadness, but with a complex emotion, almost jealousy.

"Yes, she chose to stay, while Pixis chose to leave. Two women, two paths."

She regained her composure. "The Rozier family also had fragmented contact, but not as purely as Blake's. So we, as researchers and recorders, can only be... supporters behind the guardians."

She looked at Elizabeth, her gaze softening for a moment: "Until my generation. Until Lord Grindelwald made me understand that support can be another form of protection."

Seeing that Julien and Elizabeth looked puzzled again, Ophelia did not continue on that point, but instead went on to talk about Falling Star Bay.

"Black and Rozier's ancestors, along with others, discovered that there wasn't just one type of energy wave that gave us power; some could cause wizards to become mentally corrupted or even go insane. So they chose to leave."

"But among those who left, some remained focused on the relics of the other world, attempting to find ways to further utilize the fragments' energy. Their organization was called the Moonshadow Council."

"What?! That's how the Moon Shadow Council came about?"

"Yes, perhaps they were all established scholars at first, but now, humph." Ophelia scoffed dismissively.

"That's probably because they want to take shortcuts," Julien speculated.

"That's right. They always try to summon energy from other worlds to enhance their own abilities, thus neglecting the research and development of their own magic."

"No wonder the Moonshadow Council is full of dark wizards," Elizabeth muttered to herself.

"No!" Ophelia's voice carried a hint of defense. "Lord Grindelwald was one of the most talented members. Until he parted ways with Dumbledore..."

"What? Grindelwald is also a member of the Moonshadow Council?" Julien exclaimed in surprise.

"Hmph, you've overlooked Dumbledore," Ophelia scoffed.

"Could Dumbledore also be a member of the Moonshadow Council?!" The two young wizards were even more surprised.

Seeing Julien, who had remained calm throughout, finally show a look of shock, Ophelia's cold expression softened slightly. "That's right, they used to be."

"once?"

"Yes, but they all later withdrew from the Moonshadow Council."

"So, both Headmaster Dumbledore and Mr. Grindelwald... know about the stargate and the meteorite?"

"That's right, that's one of the reasons I asked you to come here." Ophelia looked intently at Julien.

"It seems Dumbledore chose to seal everything away. Lord Grindelwald chose to understand everything. And the Black family..." She paused,

"Back then, Pixis chose a third path: sealing it off, but preserving the possibility. For the four great masters, what they built at Hogwarts was a school; for Pixis, it was a waiting station. Waiting for a successor who could understand 'tuning' rather than 'controlling'."

"Do you think I am that person?"

"It's not that I think it is, but rather..."

She didn't finish speaking. Outside the window, a shooting star suddenly streaked across the Bavarian sky, its trajectory landing precisely in a certain direction of the Black Forest.

"In Nurmengard," Ophelia whispered, in a voice only she could hear, "Lord Grindelwald is also looking at the same star."