chsdbacks Chapter 116 Before the Year, All Things Competed for Freedom
Chapter 116 Before the Year, All Things Competed for Freedom
Chapter 117 A Thousand Years Ago, All Things Competed for Freedom
At the end of the term, Dumbledore suddenly issued a decree, greatly expanding the restrictions and adding more than a dozen new types of exotic birds and beasts that could be carried.
Harry and his friends couldn't figure out the reason, so they stopped trying to understand, celebrated the House Cup, and then packed their bags and went home.
Harry went straight back to Privet Drive, intending to stay there for only half a month. Once the protective charm left by his mother was fully activated, he would go to Ron's Burrow.
Before the letter could be unfurled and the pen and ink could be laid, Ron and Hermione's owl burst through the window, causing the Dursleys to scream in alarm.
"Ugh! It's an owl again!"
"Damn it! Get that thing out of my house! My gun isn't just for show!"
Vernon roared like thunder, but Harry paid no heed, continuing to untie the package and letter tied between his two owl claws.
I first carefully read Hermione's letter, only to discover that she had gone on a journey to the East.
Dear Harry, by the time you read this letter, I will probably be in China.
I've heard that the relationship between Chinese wizards and non-magical communities has always been quite close; perhaps Salazar's theory of bloodline doesn't apply there.
Furthermore, I plan to visit their magic school and exchange information about the talisman knowledge you taught me in the secret chamber.
After reading it, Harry felt an irresistible urge to read it.
If it weren't for this protective spell, I would definitely have gone with her to find out where the Zhao Song dynasty is now.
He put away the letter and opened Ron's package, which contained an incredible piece of good news.
What wonderful thing is it?
It turns out that Arthur Weasley won the Daily Prophet jackpot, a whopping 800 Galleons. The news was published, with a live photograph of his family on the front page—truly a case of extravagance.
Harry, Bill, and Charlie were ecstatic when they found out we'd won the 800 Galleons jackpot.
My dad keeps saying they're too irresponsible. After all, you gave my family four or five hundred gallons last summer, not even counting the ones you gave out at school...
Anyway, Mom and Dad decided to celebrate, and we decided to go to Egypt. Bill could be our guide (he works in Egypt).
After reading the letter word by word, Harry thought to himself: My elder sister and brothers are both not at home, and I don't know where to go. I might as well rest here for a few days and wait for Legnak to forge the sword before making any plans.
Thinking of this, he took a stack of pounds from his pocket and threw it on the table.
Hearing the sound of the money, Penny quickly grabbed it and stuffed it into her pocket.
"Well, alright, I'll reluctantly allow these two owls to stay in my house for a while."
Harry scoffed. "Do you think I don't know the value of five thousand pounds?"
"This is the cost of food, drinks, and lodging for the next two months."
Vernon's face paled instantly upon hearing this. "What do you mean? Didn't you say you were only staying at my house for half a month?"
"Honey, Harry's our nephew, after all," Petunia said, pressing Vernon's shoulder and whispering in his ear, "That's five thousand pounds! Didn't you want to get a new car?"
Vernon's expression shifted rapidly as he thought of the new car, but he eventually slumped and remained silent.
Just as he was about to say something vague and sweet to Harry, an owl suddenly swooped in through the window, knocking over cutlery, plates, soup bowls, and bacon.
"Get out of here! You owls!"
Vernon roared, and Harry threw another bundle of pounds at him. Petunia caught it mid-air and chuckled, comforting him, "It's alright, darling, it's just bacon. There's plenty left in the pan."
Harry snatched the owl from his hand, examined it closely for a moment, and recognized it as one kept by Legnak. He even thought it was forged from a precious sword, and hurriedly tore open the wax seal.
Unexpectedly, a stack of parchment rolled out first, which was a copy of his ancestor's memoirs.
Harry took the letter from the goblin, who only mentioned that he was busy forging knives and that the copy was delayed, without saying a word about how well the knife was forged.
Harry frowned, picked up his brush, dipped it in ink, and wrote the character "阅" (read). He then instructed the owl to return the copy and took it back to his room to study it.
Indeed: high expectations often lead to disappointment. Legnac spoke so grandly of a memoir of the Fairy King, a record of millennia-old secrets. But upon closer inspection, it's filled with nothing but vile insults directed at Gryffindor.
Harry was furious and cursed, "Damn it! That emperor is so petty!"
"They disregard the landscape, the lives of the people, the merits and demerits, and fixate solely on Gryffindor!"
"Gryffindor?"
The Salazar hanging on the wall suddenly opened his eyes and said, "Let me see."
Before Harry could answer, the figure in the painting twisted the floral lines into ink lines, "How about exchanging them using the law of balance?"
Harry's mind raced, and he said, "Brother once said that he had waited for me for a thousand years for just one sentence, but I wonder who said that?"
"Just tell me if it's a man or a woman, where they're from, and how old they are."
As soon as Harry finished speaking, the ink line burst into a cloud of ink.
"Tsk, it seems Legnac's writing is rather worthless."
Salazar crumpled the ink back into a thread. "Let's get another one."
Harry sat cross-legged and pondered for a while before replying, "When we were looking for Lockhart, my brother said that the respectable status of us wizards was earned through countless spells. Could you explain that to me in detail?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the ink line shrank to a dot.
"The deal is done."
Salazar interlaced his fingers and said, "You need to understand, Harry, a thousand years ago, wizards weren't anything special, and were far inferior to other races..."
Listen, dear reader: It turns out that thousands of years ago, it was a vast and primordial wilderness.
The giants' stomping shook the continent of Europe, and even the elves were never given the name of domestication. Vampires and werewolves roamed by night; blacksmiths were everywhere; centaurs gazed at the stars in the dense forests, and mermaids swung their tails to dive into the abyss. Truly: a hundred races gathered amidst the turbulent winds, and all creatures competed for freedom under the frosty sky!
However, with all the different ethnic groups living together, competition and fighting are inevitable.
Unfortunately, the wizards had no special skills and were easily manipulated and exploited by the fairies, causing their wealth to leak away like water. The giants, who were like gods, could crush wizards as easily as stepping on ants. Mermaids could create huge waves that swept away wizards as bait. The most hateful of all were the elves, who kidnapped wizards and used them as subjects for magical experiments.
Salazar remained calm as he recounted the secrets of this thousand-year-old story.
"Slaughtering giants, driving centaurs, imprisoning elves... I was involved in almost every single one of these things."
Harry was taken aback. "Is this true? How come I've never seen it mentioned in the history books of magic?"
"In times of peace, bringing up these dark histories will only cause pointless disputes. It is enough that wizards remain the masters of this world."
Seeing Harry deep in thought with his eyes closed, Salazar asked curiously, "What are you thinking about? Feeling sorry for them?"
Harry shook his head. "No, I only have one thought in mind: to my brother, aren't those Muggles also a different race?"
"We are all human. Squibs can be born in the magical world, and wizards can be born in the non-magical world. Our conflicts are not as serious as those between other races."
Harry remained silent for a long while, then suddenly said, "External peace is always accompanied by internal troubles."
"Oh, Harry, you really shouldn't be living in such a peaceful time. It's a waste of your talent."
Salazar's eyes gleamed, and he clapped his hands loudly. "If you had been born a thousand years ago, the whole world would remember your name."
"Even a Gryffindor would willingly follow you."
Harry laughed loudly, "I had the same thought."
Having said that, he tossed aside the copy of the memoir and went straight to the table to carve talismans for future use.
Salazar used his magic to control the manuscript and open it to look at it. After about half an incense stick's time, he threw it back.
"That was a pretty good insult, really nasty."
"However, this also proves from another perspective that the goblin's brain is indeed problematic, as he actually held a grudge against Gryffindor for his entire life because of a broken sword."
"Harry, if the goblin who forged your sword were to write a memoir, you'd be criticized even more harshly than Gryffindor."
Upon hearing this, Harry shook his head and said, "That wicked monster has a rebellious bone in his spine and is full of treachery in his belly. Even without my help, his head won't last a long time."
Enough of this rambling. Harry endured another half month or so, and that night he suddenly received a letter from Legnak, sent by an owl, saying that the precious sword had been forged.
However, the place to retrieve the knife was not in the old Nottingham, but in Diagon Alley.
Although Harry had some doubts, he was determined to get the knife. He immediately packed his things, planning to rest at the Leaky Cauldron and go to Diagon Alley to retrieve it the next morning.
After his luggage was properly tied and his outfit was neatly arranged, he tucked the magic potion and the newly made talisman into his pocket, then went downstairs and out the door.
The Dursleys were lying on the sofa watching television when they were surprised to see Harry's appearance.
"Are you leaving?" Vernon asked in surprise. "Not coming back?"
Penny's fingers twirled together. "That room upstairs has always been reserved for you."
Seeing the woman hesitate, Harry immediately understood her meaning and said impatiently, "I have no reason to accept your money."
"Oh! That's not what I meant." Penny's noodles were a mix of red and white. "I just wanted to tell you that it's not very safe outside right now."
She pointed to the television. "See that? A madman named Blake escaped from prison and killed twelve people with a gun."
Harry looked up and saw a gaunt man on the television screen. His eyes were sunken and lifeless, and his hair and beard were a tangled mess, making him look like a walking corpse.
Harry scoffed inwardly, spitting out, "What a filthy bastard! He's killed twelve innocent lives and scared himself half to death! If he's in my hands, I'll rip his heart out and offer it as a sacrifice to his wronged soul!"
Having said that, he grabbed his bags and rushed out the door, leaving the Desleys speechless.
"We absolutely cannot let that kid come back next year!" Vernon suddenly shuddered. "Listen to what he's saying! He's acting like a murderer!"
"He gave us quite a bit of money." After Harry walked away, a hint of clarity returned to Petunia's eyes. "Hopefully, nothing bad will happen to him."
It was late at night, and all around was pitch black, with only a few streetlights flickering like will-o'-the-wisps.
Harry followed the faint light for a few steps, then suddenly frowned, feeling a chill on his neck and a sense of unease in his surroundings.
The story goes: A dark and windy night, streetlights glowing like phosphorescent lights; a chill runs down one's spine, for a vengeful ghost lurks in the shadows. Whether the visitor is human or ghost remains to be seen; we'll find out in the next chapter.
(End of this chapter)