Harry Potter: The Golden Viper

0602 The Road

'Lady Hufflepuff was about to enter through this turbulent door?'

Not only did Harry and the others find this to be an extremely reckless move, even Bryan thought it was a bit too risky. However, as a close friend, Lady Ravenclaw did not stop her. Instead, she gave a slight nod and said in a clear, cold voice, "Pay close attention to the passage of time, Helga. I cannot restrain this power for too long. You must finish before it begins to affect Hogwarts—"

As soon as the final word left Lady Ravenclaw's lips, raw magical energy erupted from her with an intense aura. Her ice-blue pupils sparkled with a radiance as dazzling as the stars. The blue glow surrounding her became extremely fierce, rapidly expanding outward and quickly enveloping the entire room.

Everything within sight was filled with a pure sky blue. Bryan's fingertips brushed past the starry lights dotting the space obscured by the blue veil. The thousand-year of isolation made it difficult for him to see anything clearly, but he could still tell that these star-like points of light were magical nodes. 

These magical nodes were embedded in the void, seemingly possessing a mysterious connection with each other. This connection appeared to redefine space and magic, because although the stone archway was still erupting with suction force, the turbulence in the room had subsided.

The scene unfolding before their eyes was not just a demonstration of Lady Ravenclaw's ability to restrain the void; it was more like a field as if she had created her own domain, a field governed by her own unique set of rules and magic, where her will was supreme.

This was the extent of Bryan's understanding and speculation, given the limited information available to him.

'Could this be the path that lay beyond the peak?' Bryan recalled the words of Horn, who had once spoken of the saints or Magus - no, the saints specifically - and their need to entrust their magical imprint to the lost magical world.

Bryan's understanding of this statement was that wizards of the highest caliber were able to forge a contract with the magical world itself, using their souls as the medium. Through this contract, they could ignore the limitations of space and distance and borrow magic. However, with the departure of the magical world, subsequent generations of wizards found themselves unable to establish this connection with their own soul power.

He had initially assumed that the four founders of Hogwarts, given their extraordinary magical prowess, would still possess the ability to perceive and interact with the magical world. However, from the conversations he had just experienced, it seemed that this was not the case. The four founders, while not saints in the traditional sense, may have actually been no weaker than them in terms of raw power and ability, as they had forged their own unique magical path!

By using their deep understanding of the nature of magic, they had managed to create their own fields - personalized domains imbued with their own distinct rules and properties. Perhaps this was the secret behind the founders' unparalleled greatness, the key to their ability to dominate and shape an entire era!

"Forging a new path, indeed," Bryan murmured to himself, his gaze fixed upon the "stars" that drifted slowly through the void yet resonating with Lady Ravenclaw and an unprecedented surge of emotion and realization washed over him!

The fog that had long obscured the path to improving his magical strength finally began to dissipate, revealing to Bryan the road that lay beyond the supposed peak!

"The Great Four founders, The remarkable founders!" Bryan whispered, barely able to contain the excitement and joy. Only the last remnants of his reason and self-control prevented him from throwing his head back and laughing with wild abandon. This was indeed a path worth exploring.

Of course, this revelation did not mean that Bryan's magical abilities would undergo an immediate and explosive growth. However, with a clear direction and purpose now guiding his steps, everything that followed would become more focused and distinct.

If he could truly attain the level of mastery and power wielded by the four founders in their prime, then at least in his own era, no one would pose a threat or challenge to him - not even Voldemort with his Horcruxes!

Bryan trembled slightly, the corners of his mouth curling into a smile that gave a sense of liberation and clarity. This was the smile of a man who had finally been freed from the burdens of uncertainty and doubt, a man who had at last glimpsed the true path to his magic. However, his uncharacteristic display of emotion did not go unnoticed by the three young ones huddled against the wall.

The incredible events unfolding before their eyes were more than enough to leave them shocked and bewildered. Professor Watson's strange behavior only assisted to heighten their sense of unease and anxiety.

"What's wrong with Professor Watson?" Ron asked, his voice trembling with fear and concern. "Was he hit by Ravenclaw's magic?"

"Don't be silly, Ron—" Hermione reflexively retorted, "What we're seeing are all illusions from the past. Lady Ravenclaw's magic couldn't possibly affect Professor Watson across a thousand years—

Despite her confident words, Hermione's eyes revealed a deep sense of concern and worry. After taking a few deep, steadying breaths, she stepped away from Harry's side and cautiously approached Professor Watson. Mustering every ounce of the courage she possessed, she reached out and lightly tugged on the hem of his robe, hoping to draw his attention.

"Hm?" Lost in the joy of having finally discovered a clear path to his magical growth, Bryan was suddenly jolted back to reality by the gentle tug on his robes. Turning his head, he found himself face-to-face with the worried and anxious expressions of Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

"Oh, don't worry—" Bryan assured them with a smile, his voice calm and reassuring. "I just figured some things out. Now, let's continue watching—"

While Lady Hufflepuff's original intention in leaving this memory may have been to convey crucial information about the Dementors, the mysterious archway, and the legendary Deathly Hallows to him. However, Bryan couldn't help but feel that the true value of this experience lay in the unintentional display of Lady Ravenclaw's power.

Since their first meeting in the hospital wing, Hermione had never seen Professor Watson so completely lost in thought, and lose his composure like this. She knew, with absolute certainty, that there was far more to the situation than Professor Watson was letting on.

Hermione pursed her lips, a sense of dissatisfaction and frustration welling up within her. However, what truly bothered her was not Professor Watson's silence, but rather her own lack of knowledge and understanding in a way her own ignorance.

This unexpected adventure had shattered her confidence in ways she had never experienced before. Apart from her interactions with Harry, Ron, and a select few members of the Weasley family, Hermione had always been reluctant to flaunt her intellectual superiority over her peers. Of course, she took great pride in her knowledge and accomplishments, after all they were the fruits of her tireless efforts and dedication.

She had thought she had touched the door of magic, but this adventure let her know that this was not the case at all. On the path of using magic to understand the world, she still had a long way to go!

In a fleeting moment of distraction, Hermione's mind drifted back to the night of Freodom's birth, when she had engaged in a brief discussion about 'love' with Professor Watson and Angelina.

Professor Watson's words had struck her like a bolt of lightning, dispelling the emotional turmoil and confusion that had plagued her for so long. He had argued that, rather than wasting time and energy searching for a true soulmate - a person whose soul resonated perfectly with one's own, a thing that required an immense amount of luck and fate - he would much prefer to dedicate himself to the pursuit of his magical excellence and mastery.

And now after this incredible experience, Hermione found herself even more deeply affected by that night's events!

She was not nearly as brilliant or accomplished as Harry and Ron believed her to be. She was still very ignorant on the path of magic. She should focus more of her energy on studying magic, just like Professor Watson. The reason he could be called the most powerful wizard of his era at such a young age was precisely because he had always been studying magic with the pure intention of constantly improving.

"This is..." Hermione, lost in her own thoughts, was suddenly jolted back to the present by the sound of Professor Watson's whispered words.

Immediately, she regained her focus, realizing that the illusion unfolding before her eyes held immense value and significance. She couldn't afford to miss a single detail. As her gaze sharpened and her mind cleared, Hermione quickly understood the source of Professor Watson's bewilderment.

It was Lady Helga Hufflepuff!

Under the radiant glow of Lady Ravenclaw's magic, Lady Hufflepuff's own power and abilities were equally spectacular and breathtaking.

Moments ago, Lady Hufflepuff had stated her intention to enter the mysterious stone archway. Like Bryan and the other visitors from a thousand years in the future, Harry had assumed that she would simply walk directly into the portal. However, that was not the case at all.

Suddenly, Lady Hufflepuff's eyes were filled with a bright silver-white light, far more intense than the glow when she had wanted to make a prophecy for Lady Ravenclaw's unborn child. Even the warm, golden sunlight streaming into the room seemed to pale in comparison to the sheer radiance emanating from her eyes!

The silver light continued to blaze and grow, until, at last, delicate threads of pure silver began to emerge from Lady Hufflepuff's pupils. These ethereal strands, imbued with properties that even Bryan could not fully understand, swirled through the air on their own, gradually merging into a distinct shape.

Finally, more than a dozen silvery, translucent figures, each one an identical outline image of Helga Hufflepuff herself, materialized before the astonished eyes of all those present!

"I'll be back soon—" Next, the dozen or so "silver ghosts" emitted the same ethereal and elusive voice in unison, and then successively stepped into the black curtain under the stone archway.

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