The Wind and the Wings of Hogwarts

"This……"

Scott was disappointed.

"Aaron once told me that he would need three more years, oh, from what we're seeing now, more than two years, to return to his own body. That means even if you want to open the passage, you'll have to wait more than two years?"

More than two years have passed, and he has graduated. By then, it will probably be too late.

Who knows when Medea will awaken?

Does anyone know when Slytherin will be resurrected?

Time was of the essence, and he seemed unable to wait much longer.

“No, you’re wrong.” The old druid shook his head. “It will take even longer. Even if Aaron manages to escape from the protection of the Sacred Tree, it will still take us quite a while to restore its full power.”

"How long exactly?" Professor Flitwick, who had been listening in, asked.

“Six months,” the old druid said. “Even if we plunder the power of the other oaks in the Sea of ​​Oaks to supply the sacred tree, it will still take at least six months.”

Professor Flitwick shook his head. "But we can't wait that long. Lady Slytherin is in a deep sleep because of the curse of the Mystic. The best time for us is before she breaks the curse and wakes up."

“Don’t we have an even faster way, Grandfather?” Savannah suddenly spoke up.

The old druid glanced at her, then looked at Scott.

“There is indeed a faster way to restore the sacred tree to its full power,” he said in a warning tone, “but the other method is fraught with unknowns and comes with deadly dangers.”

“Please tell me,” Scott said calmly.

In any case, he'll definitely have to listen.

“Find the lost Heart of the Sacred Tree,” the old druid replied.

"The Heart of the Sacred Tree?"

Scott was dumbfounded.

The sacred tree has not only lost its bark, but also its heartwood?

It's a sacred relic of you druids, doesn't the sacred tree deserve respect? Isn't it a bit too much trouble for it?

It's truly remarkable that the sacred tree is still alive.

Perhaps his expression inadvertently betrayed his inner thoughts, for the old druid said with some annoyance, "The Heart of the Sacred Tree is the crystallization of the Sacred Tree's power. Although it grows slowly, it is a renewable resource."

Since it is renewable, why don't you have it now?

Scott conveyed this meaning with his eyes.

The old druid was even more furious, "Because those damned Slytherins severely injured the Tree of Life, and it hasn't fully recovered yet!"

Okay, Scott got it.

He asked as calmly as possible, "Then, where is the lost Heart of the Sacred Tree?"

"I don't know if you've heard the legend of the Silent Land, the tower that extends towards the center of the earth," the old man said with a hint of helplessness. "That's a legend that was popular a thousand years ago..."

Before he could explain further, Scott had already begun reciting.

"In the Silent Land, a tower extends towards the Earth's core. Seven set out, one returned. One perished in flames, one in deep water, one on a treetop, one at the base of the tower, one from a falling rock, and one from a sinkhole. Six died from a curse, and the one who escaped by sheer luck could never escape the shadow of death for the rest of his life."

The old druid looked at him in surprise.

"I never imagined that there would still be wizards who remember such a legend."

"It's all a coincidence."

Scott was also surprised.

He quickly retrieved a wooden box from the lizard skin bag and took out the animal skin that recorded the event in ancient magical script.

“I just happened to have received this before.”

He unfolded the animal hide in his hand, and the other three people crowded around to take a closer look.

Scott crouched down to accommodate Professor Flitwick's height.

"Oh, thank you."

Professor Flitwick glanced at the animal hide and quickly deciphered the meaning of the ancient runes.

"Is...is this real? Is it the Stenes Standing Stone on Melanie Island?"

“Of course it’s true.” The old druid nodded affirmatively. “One of the druids from the Dougherty family was one of those seven. He died during that expedition to the ruins, and the treasure he carried with him, the Heart of the Sacred Tree, was left there.”

"This……"

Professor Flitwick shook his head frantically.

"If that's true, it's obviously very dangerous there. Yes, too dangerous! I can't let my students risk their lives there!"

"If you want to open the passage ahead of time, this is the only way," the old druid said.

Chapter 448 The Last Days of Summer Vacation

Scott remained silent after hearing the old druid's resolute words.

A sense of unease welled up inside him.

Because some things seem too coincidental.

He happened to obtain that piece of animal hide during the summer vacation and learned about the adventure story that had been passed down for thousands of years, which is now proving useful.

Is it really just because he was lucky?

Just then, he heard the old druid ask him, "What, are you scared, kid?"

Scott looked up at him.

“It’s normal to be afraid,” the old druid said, looking at him. “Because for thousands of years, we druids have never thought of going there to retrieve the Heart of the Sacred Tree.”

Savannah frowned. "It seems we can only wait until Aaron comes out of the Holy Tree's protection. I wonder if it will be too late..."

The old druid glanced at her and said bluntly, "That depends on luck. If Aaron hasn't recovered by the time Slytherin comes out of the Holy Land, he'll lose the chance to recover forever... But even so, it's his own fault."

Savannah's eyes widened in surprise, "How could this be..."

The old druid said, "Slytherin will only violently break open the passage, which will cause further damage to the Tree of Souls, and even Aaron, who is protected by the power of the Tree of Souls, cannot avoid it."

“I…” Savannah glanced at Scott, then turned to face her grandfather, “I think I can take responsibility for finding the Heart of the Sacred Tree.”

The old druid shook his head.

“You want to save your brother, and this kid.” He glared at Scott, “but I won’t agree. You are the new priest, and you have your own duties.”

Savannah wanted to say something, but the old druid simply waved his hand.

"Give up. You can't guarantee you'll get out of there safely."

He looked at Scott again.

"I've told you everything I need to say. It's up to you to decide what to do. Don't come back to the Sea of ​​Oaks until you've made your decision."

As he spoke, he made a gesture as if to see the guest out.

“Grandfather,” Savannah said, looking at him with displeasure.

The old druid's drooping eyelids obscured his vision.

“Sawana, my granddaughter. You should understand that from the moment you officially became a priestess, you lost the right to marry outside your tribe.”

Savannah's face turned bright red instantly.

"No...no...what nonsense are you talking about, Grandfather!"

“You should know that yourself,” the old druid said coldly.

Scott was extremely embarrassed by the conversation between the grandfather and grandson.

He bowed politely to the old druid. "Thank you for your advice, Mr. Dougherty. I will think it over carefully."

"Ahem, well then, let's go."

Professor Flitwick reached out his hand, allowing Scott to pull him back.

Scott nodded and placed his hand on Professor Flitwick's arm. "Goodbye, Mr. Dougherty, and Savannah, thank you for your help."

Rimbaud also flew up and landed on Professor Flitwick's shoulder.

At this moment, the old druid suddenly spoke up, "I forgot to remind you, you can't fly around with magic here."

It seems to mean prohibiting Apparition.

Scott extended his hand, allowing Professor Flitwick and Rimbaud to touch the silver snake necklace on his wrist.

The door key was activated, and they instantly traveled from the Oak Sea in Ireland to the forests of the Scottish Highlands.

"Oh, where is this..."

Professor Flitwick looked up and around, quite surprised by the flock of crows living there.

Scott explained to him, “This is the forest outside the Forbidden Forest at Hogwarts, Professor.”

He touched Rimbaud, who was perched on his shoulder.

"Rimbaud has become the king of the crows in the forest, so all the crows have gathered here."

“That’s incredible,” Professor Flitwick said with a smile.

Scott enlarged Rimbaud's size so that it could carry him and Professor Flitwick back to Hogwarts.

They then went to Professor Flitwick's office and sat on the sofa to drink tea and chat.

Scott took out a blank framed picture he carried with him, called over the portrait of Ravenclaw, and told her what had happened that day.

"...In short, it wasn't what I expected," he said. "We didn't get to meet the rest of the Doherty family."

Professor Flitwick, however, said, "For Druids, this is quite normal; at least Mr. Dougherty, the highest-ranking member of the family, was willing to discuss that matter with us. It's just a pity..."

The professor sighed.

Scott understood what he had left unsaid.

Unfortunately, although Savannah's grandfather was inclined to take the initiative and was willing to open the passage, the passage could not be opened due to objective reasons.

“A tower extending into the Earth’s core?” Ravenclaw shook his head. “Even I have only heard the legends about it. I never even took the story seriously before.”