Ancient Wizards Return to Hogwarts...

Chapter 407 Dumbledore: We will win!

As the day to visit the Burrow drew closer, Harry's mood improved.

However, just to be on the safe side, he still sent a letter to Rice, describing in detail the changes in his scar. Sirius wrote to Dumbledore, and Dumbledore didn't stop him.

Subconsciously, Harry still hoped for help, whether from Dumbledore or Les Lint, as long as they could help him out of his current predicament.

Rice's reply was the same, hoping he would seek help from Professor Dumbledore, but since he had included a few small bottles of potions in his letter, it wasn't entirely without help.

However, at the end of the letter, Rice also suggested that Harry learn a spell called Occlumency.

After carefully studying what a brain surgery was, Harry was a little confused. Could this spell really help him solve the problem? He wasn't sure.

After going through so many ups and downs, Harry understood that his scars were closely related to Voldemort. Could that spell that could shut down the brain and protect memories really isolate Voldemort's influence?

Harry's confusion was valid, because Occlumency wouldn't stop his scar from hurting. In terms of pain relief, Rice's potion was more effective.

However, Occlumency could prevent Voldemort from peering into Harry's memories through the fragments of his soul that were possessing him, which is why Rice suggested that Harry learn Occlumency.

Coincidentally, not long after Rice's letter arrived, Dumbledore's reply came too. He was even more direct, stating that he was coming to Grimmauld Place, which surprised both Sirius and Harry.

But since Dumbledore had already said what he wanted to say, they couldn't very well tell him "Don't bother coming," so they could only wait for Dumbledore to come to them.

Harry once wondered what Dumbledore was like during his holidays, whether he would wear floral shorts and sunbathe on the beach like everyone else.

Now he knows.

Dumbledore looked much the same as usual, still wearing his wizard robes. If there was any difference, it was that his robes for holidays were noticeably simpler, without any of the star-like embellishments.

After entering Black's house and chatting face-to-face with Harry and Sirius for a while, a fleeting hint of sadness crossed Dumbledore's eyes. He then skillfully concealed his emotions and offered his advice.

He suggested that Harry practice Occlumency.

Harry was taken aback when he learned that Dumbledore had also suggested he practice Occlumency. Rhys and Professor Dumbledore's suggestions were surprisingly in agreement!

This surprised him a little. So he couldn't help but ask, "Professor, may I take some painkillers?"

Dumbledore looked at Harry with pity and told him that he could certainly try it, whether it was painkillers from wizards or Muggles.

Dumbledore didn't actually believe any potion would work, because that was a matter of the soul.

The reason Harry's scar hurts is somewhat similar to a herniated disc in the lumbar spine. Voldemort's soul fragment is like the protruding "lumbar spine," constantly stimulating Harry's soul. Unless this fragment is removed, this pain will accompany Harry for the rest of his life.

But this is an operation at the soul level; who in the magic world today has such ability?

Harry, however, was thinking that there really was a potion that could relieve his pain.

"Oh, by the way," Dumbledore, unwilling to delve further into the topic of painkillers, suddenly remembered something and turned to Sirius: "Would you like me to introduce Harry to a master of Occlumency? We can go to that master's house during the summer vacation to begin our Occlumency training."

"Of course, thank you for your hard work." Sirius felt a deep sense of gratitude upon hearing Dumbledore's words.

Professor Dumbledore is truly amazing. Not only did he take time out of his holiday to examine Harry, but he also used his connections to contact the Occlumency master for Harry!

Sirius Black could never repay this debt of gratitude in his lifetime!

Harry looked up, his eyes filled with gratitude for Dumbledore.

Dumbledore felt slightly awkward under their gazes. He felt it was better to say things in advance to avoid being blamed later.

"This master of Occlumency is our Professor Severus Snape. Even Voldemort couldn't see through his Occlumency."

Sirius: ...

Harry: !!!

His mood plummeted from heaven to hell.

Studying at Snape's house during summer vacation?! That's not even as good as living with the Dursleys!

Harry genuinely felt he couldn't possibly leave Snape's house alive.

Sirius was also stunned, unsure how to respond to Dumbledore. He regretted that he had spoken too confidently.

"Professor, Harry is still young. Can I go with him to that family's house to stay for a long time? That way, we won't cause too much trouble for our Professor Snape." Sirius's eyes lit up, and he suddenly came up with a brilliant idea.

If I just go with Harry, everything will be fine, right? With me there, how could Snape dare to bully Harry in front of me?

Dumbledore glanced at Sirius. He felt it was difficult enough to convince Severus to tutor Harry during the holidays. Adding Sirius to the mix, he thought the chances of success were zero.

If you push Snape too far, he might resign.

"That's not realistic," Dumbledore said calmly.

"Then Harry shouldn't go." Sirius didn't expect Dumbledore to actually agree, so he went along with it and suggested that they shouldn't rush to start teaching during the holidays and could wait until the start of the school term.

Harry's eyes lit up: Godfather is the best! He really couldn't imagine spending half a summer at Snape's house; that would be a preview of what purgatory was like.

Dumbledore did not reply.

Hogwarts will be very busy after the start of the school year, and he wasn't sure if they would have time to tutor Harry in Occlumency.

However, Dumbledore was more concerned with the underlying effects of the pain from the scars than with Harry's Occlumency training.

This indicates that Voldemort is recovering and gradually regaining his power, which is not a good sign.

Dumbledore wasn't too worried about the resurrected Voldemort, because he was far stronger than before. If Voldemort dared to show himself, Dumbledore was confident he could easily defeat him and reduce him to his original form.

But what can be done? Dumbledore was certain that Voldemort had made more than one Horcrux, and if he couldn't destroy all of Voldemort's Horcruxes, he would eventually come back.

He was already over a hundred years old, and Voldemort could really use the "old man at last" tactic to wear him down to death.

Dumbledore felt a sense of urgency; he felt he needed to take some action.

But then he immediately thought about all the big things Hogwarts was going to do next semester, and he felt a headache coming on. He even considered canceling the event.

If it weren't for Professor White and the others' strong support, he wouldn't have... wait a minute!

The sense of urgency in Dumbledore's heart vanished instantly, and at the same time, he cursed himself for being senile. He was no longer fighting alone; he had very reliable helpers!

With Professor White's help, I can be much more at ease.

As Dumbledore weighed the pros and cons, Black's mansion fell silent, with Harry and Sirius anxiously awaiting Dumbledore's "verdict."

"Alright, we can learn Occlumency when school starts." Dumbledore agreed immediately after thinking it through.

Harry and Sirius both breathed a sigh of relief.

"This is great," Harry thought to himself, knowing he could survive for a while longer. As for what to do after school started, he figured he could leave that to his future self. Besides, being taught at Hogwarts was hardly the same as learning at Snape's house.

"Have a pleasant holiday," Dumbledore said with a smile before leaving Blackman's House.

Harry felt cheerful and decided to enjoy his vacation. He had already contacted Professor Dumbledore about the scar, so he just needed to take his medication.

Good times are always short-lived, and the day to go to the Burrow soon arrived.

Harry had a wonderful time there and met Ron's brothers, getting to know them. The kind and sturdy dragon keeper Charlie and the cool anti-spell Bill both left a deep impression on Harry.

However, Harry didn't see Percy.

According to Mr. Weasley, Percy has gained the favor of high-ranking officials at the Ministry of Magic and has been entrusted with important responsibilities, keeping him so busy that he rarely goes home.

"Honestly, he's working too hard; he looks so haggard," Mrs. Weasley complained, frowning, but the pride in her voice was impossible to suppress.

The day to travel to the Quidditch World Cup finals arrived quickly, and Rice set off with Daphne and Astoria. Mr. Henry, however, had gone ahead to contact important officials from the Ministries of Magic in various countries.

"I don't like door keys." Rice rubbed his lower abdomen.

He and the Greengrass sisters had just used the door key to arrive at the World Cup final venue—a desolate, misty swamp.

The experience of using the door key was terrible, like being yanked hard on the belly button by a hook.

After taking two deep breaths to suppress the discomfort in his stomach, Rice looked around at his surroundings. To be honest, this place reminded him of his hometown.

I myself came from a swamp.

Two strangely dressed wizards came and retrieved the door key from the three of them, and told them the location of the campsite.

After they left, Rice frowned and asked, "Why were they dressed like that? Is it a local custom?"

Astoria knew the answer to this question, and she told Rice to reduce the suspicion of Muggles, since the officials of the Ministry of Magic had all adopted Muggle attire.

Rice: ...

He really didn't know how to complain. In his opinion, it would be better to just wear a wizard's robe properly; this outfit was far too conspicuous!

"These people..." Rice couldn't finish her sentence because the thought of them filled her with despair!

How can such a bunch of idiots compete with Muggles?

With hearts heavier than the morning fog, Rice led Daphne and Astoria to their campsite.

Because the Greengrass family got such good tickets, they didn't need to arrive a week in advance; they could come on the day of the match and be among the first to leave afterward.

Upon arriving at the campsite, Rice's mood instantly improved, for it was teeming with countless wizards. The sheer number was unprecedented in his life. Their camp alone boasted hundreds of tents, housing no fewer than a thousand wizards, and there were hundreds of such camps.

Rice looked around like a curious child, eager to take in all the local customs and culture.

After traveling and stopping frequently, the three finally arrived at their assigned campsite.

Their territory was at the edge of the woods at the end of the camp, next to an open space belonging to a wizarding family called "Wedsley," who hadn't arrived yet.

Daphne took a tent out of her small backpack and set it up with a flick of her wand. Astoria, meanwhile, set up a stove and started a fire.

Rice smiled as she watched the two little girls bustling around.

All that suffering wasn't for nothing, and the elevated blood pressure wasn't for nothing either!

He couldn't help but recall the scene when he traveled with his three old friends. It was just like that back then: Godric started the fire, Helga cooked, and Rowena found a place to stay.

What was Salazar doing? Salazar wasn't entirely without contribution; he earned the travel expenses for the group—that's just how popular Potions Masters are.

"We still need to fetch water." After setting up the tent, Daphne looked at the empty water bottle and felt she needed to get some water.

Rice fell silent.

To get water from the tap right in front of me is an insult to myself!

Rice grabbed the water bottle and stood still, and clear spring water gushed out of it.

In less than a minute, they had a full jug of water, and the water quality was far superior to that of the camp's water supply.

"We are wizards, Daphne!" Rice said in a tone of disappointment.

Water was placed on the stove, and sausages were also roasted next to the fire.

As the tea was brewed and the sausages began to smell delicious, the mysterious "Wedsley" family made their appearance.

"Harry, Ron?" Seeing the familiar face appear before him, Reston immediately understood what "Wedsley" meant.

"Good morning, what a coincidence to run into you here." Harry was also happy to see Rice and Daphne.

Upon seeing the Greengrass sisters, Fred and George, standing behind Arthur, also had their eyes light up: they knew that these two were wealthy benefactors.

While Mr. Weasley was frantically setting up the tent, the two men approached with smiles. However, they didn't immediately speak to Daphne and Astoria, but instead chatted with Rice first.

"We've come up with some new inventions lately," Fred said with a grin, handing Rice a toffee.

"Oh? Food magic?" Rice's interest was immediately piqued.

"Yes, would you like to try some?" George Chorles winked.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Update delivered, goodnight everyone~

(End of this chapter)