Homecoming from Hogwarts

Harry watched the drop of blood fly towards the rough stone door, touch, blend, be absorbed -
He opened his eyes wide, held his breath, and waited for some miracle to happen.

So did Dumbledore.
He may not be able to witness the moment when the haze covering the world is dispelled, but he wants to see what preparations the Big Four have made.

A heavy sound was heard in the ancient cave.

The stone door opened a crack.

A milky white light as soft as water poured out from the door, covering the three people in front of the door.

Dumbledore, Harry and Grindelwald, they peered through the cracks in the door, bathed in flawless soft light.

Behind the door there seems to be an ocean of light, with waves rippling so beautifully, like bright sunlight, sprinkling on the blue ocean under the breeze.

"So this is ah."

In silence, tears soaked Dumbledore's old face.

"How amazing, Hogwarts and its founders."

Harry cried too.

But he didn't know why he was crying. But he just wanted to cry.

Under the shining of that holy light, all hesitation and sadness disappeared, leaving only emotion.

"What on earth is that, Professor Dumbledore?"

Harry tried his best to pull his gaze away and look at Dumbledore, who had tears streaming down his face but seemed to have no regrets.

Dumbledore was speechless, but choked a few times.

A stream of light interwoven with colors of fiery red, azure blue, bright yellow, and silver-green flew out from the door.

They circled over the heads of Harry, Dumbledore and Grindelwald for several times, and then crashed into Harry without hesitation.

Subconsciously, Harry raised his right hand to block the light, but he was still hit.

Harry felt a slight burning sensation on his right arm, but it was not painful. He quickly lowered his hand and put it in front of his eyes to check.

The lion represents courage, spirit and chivalry--
The badger represents integrity and loyalty.
The goshawk represents wisdom and erudition.
The snake represents ambition, cunning, and resourcefulness.
Four animals dominate the shield, surrounding a capital 'H'.

The Hogwarts school emblem!
There was no wizard in the British wizarding world who would not recognize these patterns, and now, they appeared on Harry's wrist.

"Professor Dumbledore."

Harry looked at the stone door in confusion as it opened a crack, released a stream of light, and then closed again.
"Shimen, is it because the blood is not enough? I should use it as the school emblem."

"They chose you, Harry—"

Dumbledore looked at Harry with relief and pride, his blue eyes filled with tears of love.

"It will be you who will drive out the darkness. It will be the end."

"But what should I do, Professor?"

Harry was eager to know the answer.

Dumbledore's open mouth moved, and the light in his blue eyes began to flicker. He blinked hard, trying to see Harry clearly, but no matter how hard he tried, the world in front of him was still blurry.

He could hear someone calling him passionately, but the voice was vague as if it was a world away.

He could also feel Gale's sad gaze, and he wanted to smile at him, but he couldn't turn his neck.

"Voldemort's snake. Harry must kill it first."

"You need to rest, Professor."

Harry gritted his teeth to suppress his sadness. He held Dumbledore's dry, temperatureless hand and spoke with a trembling voice.

"Voldemort wants you to defeat the other Amostars—"

"I understand, Professor—"

Tears fell from Harry's eyes and dripped onto Dumbledore's withered hands.

"Are you scared, Harry?"

Dumbledore suddenly smiled.

"I'm not afraid, Professor," said Harry, suppressing his sorrow.

Dumbledore moved his lips and smiled with relief.
"Amo will tell you and me to rest. Hope to see you for the last time. Have some toffee hands and biscuits——"

After speaking intermittently, Dumbledore closed his eyes and his body collapsed.

Harry's face suddenly turned pale, and his heart ached as if it was pierced by an ice dagger. He stared at Dumbledore in disbelief, shaking his head slightly.

"He's still—"

Grindelwald smoothed Dumbledore's unkempt beard and said,
"He wants to see Brian again."

Harry's sadness was finally suppressed a little.

"Let's go--"

Grindelwald did not use magic to move Dumbledore's body, but carried it on his back. Harry wanted to help, but he refused.

"Albus is too tired, let him rest for a while."

Grindelwald said softly, and then flew out of the cave with Harry.

All the people in the Hog's Head Inn rushed to the village gate of Hogsmeade and waited.

The bright torches drove away the chill of the night, but they could not dispel the confusion and anxiety on the faces.

When the three of them landed in front of people, their reactions were just as Harry had expected.

Professor McGonagall uttered a loud sob, her frail body swayed a few times, and she fell into Professor Sprout's arms.

"Professor Dumbledore is asleep!"

Harry hurried to explain so as not to cause more panic.

The atmosphere relaxed a lot with just this one sentence.

Remus let out a faint sigh, and Tonks stroked his back, gently comforting her husband.

"Find Dumbledore a place to sleep!"

Sirius also secretly breathed a sigh of relief. If, if...
Even Dumbledore is gone at this time, so who can guide them forward?

Aberforth stepped out from the crowd.

"Come to my place—"

Aberforth looked at Grindelwald coldly, but did not drive him away. Instead, he supported Dumbledore instead of Harry.

Under the gaze of the crowd, he and Grindelwald, one on each side, carried Dumbledore, who was hard to tell whether unconscious or asleep, towards the Hog's Head Inn.

This seemed to be a scene worth remembering, and a camera exposure flashed by.

"Albus has been waiting for this moment for almost his entire life!"

Ephias Doge of the Order of the Phoenix wiped his wet eyes with a handkerchief and watched them go away.

"If only Ariana could see that."

Those who knew some of the inside story remained silent in sorrow.

"Let's go--"

Sirius glanced at the distraught Harry and did not ask any more questions.

"Everyone should go to rest. I don't believe Voldemort will attack tonight. Let's go. There are still many messes to deal with!"

Yes.

Hogwarts is gone, and the young wizards need to be sent home. There are also some young wizards who lost their lives in the war.
Most of the Ministry of Magic's armed forces and the combined forces' wizards were stationed in Hogsmeade, where they had set up a number of tents along the wide central avenue.

The bustling crowd rushed to the tent, they were exhausted and in urgent need of rest.

Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Neville... They didn't move. They were all looking at Harry who was standing there.

Do what you should do.
Harry took a deep breath, raised his head, and looked calmly at the brilliant Milky Way.

(End of this chapter)