Hogwarts Summoning Guide

Having experienced being "abandoned," Bai Lin's attitude towards Lulu has changed somewhat; he has become more direct and speaks his mind.

To be fair, Bai Lin was actually very grateful that Lulu was able to retreat in time, otherwise Harry, Hermione, Droop... might have all perished at sea. However, emotionally, he still felt a little uncomfortable, which made it difficult for Bai Lin to regard Lulu as a confidante and instead as a simple and respectable comrade-in-arms.

About three minutes later, Lulu replied, "The family's elders are also discussing this matter. It seems the Moritz family has been ransacked; the magic orb is gone, and even his only son is missing."

"An only child? He has another son?" Bai Lin asked.

"Actually, he's an illegitimate child, the big bear you gestured to, Barnard," Lulu said.

"Can we find his location? Or any clues?" Bai Lin asked.

"Give me some time. The European council is in complete chaos right now, and someone has once again suggested that you take over as warden, but both the Ross family and the Fudge family will object," Lulu said.

"Can't I object myself?" Bai Lin was somewhat resistant to being arranged by the elders.

"Unless you leave the family, I don't recommend you do that. You can only go further by utilizing the order," Lulu said.

After closing the team channel, Bai Lin felt very uncomfortable, as if his fate was to be controlled by others. But he quickly realized that Lulu was able to inherit the Ross family's resources and have such great power in the secular world because she was loyal to the order. The rules and environment that allowed her to thrive were like a cage to him.

However, upon rational thought, Lulu does have a point, unless one day his power can influence the rules.

Bai Lin shook his head and went to greet Dumbledore and Professor Pomona first, but then he ran into Karkaroff in the corridor.

Karkaroff looked bitter and resentful. When he saw Bai Lin, his eyes widened like saucers. He rushed forward, grabbed Bai Lin by the collar, and shoved him against the wall.

"Hey! What do you mean by that?" Bai Lin asked innocently.

"Give me back my Diana!" Karkaroff growled, but he restrained himself and didn't actually shout in a way that the whole building could hear.

"What are you saying? We exchange money for goods..." Bai Lin frowned. Before he could finish speaking, Karkaroff pulled out the Black Magic Book and slammed it heavily into Bai Lin's chest.

"This book is fake! How dare you trick me!" Karkaroff's face was contorted with rage, his yellow teeth almost biting Bai Lin.

"Wow, please, this book is genuine, okay? I can prove it to you!" Bai Lin said, raising both hands.

He had long anticipated that even with the Black Magic Book, Karkaroff would struggle to learn its spells. After all, without his own summoning encyclopedia to aid him, he was relying solely on his ingrained magical mindset to study it. How could he possibly achieve results in just a few days? It's like stealing the Yi Jin Jing from the Shaolin Temple's library—it doesn't guarantee you'll become a peerless master.

Karkaroff was annoyed, but he still dragged Bai Lin to the temporary classroom that Dumbledore had lent them. It was originally a bunker, and the surrounding walls were quite bare, barely enough to be used for teaching dark magic.

Just as Bai Lin slowly and methodically read out and demonstrated each spell according to the syllables recorded in the book, Karkaroff's jaw nearly dropped to the ground, and he could only stand there bewildered in the wind, holding the book.

"How about this... I'll see this through to the end. If I have time, I'll give you individual tutoring, okay?" Bai Lin made the biggest concession he could.

Karkarov's expression shifted between joy and worry, but he reluctantly accepted Bai Lin's suggestion. However, he couldn't quite grasp the meaning of the saying "to see someone through to the end."

Time flies. Bai Lin managed to show his face in the long-awaited Magical Creatures Protection class and Durmstrang's Dark Magic class, but on the morning of the third day, he received a message from Lulu.

"Get ready for the cold; you're probably going to a place even colder than Ushuaia," Lulu said.

Bai Lin was taken aback, not expecting to set off again so soon. He asked, "Where?"

"In the Far East, Barnard was last seen yesterday in the Amur region. Intelligence indicates he's heading north, probably to Sakha," Lulu said.

Bai Lin was momentarily stunned to hear two new place names. In this era without smartphones and ubiquitous internet access, he felt as if he had entered a blind spot in his knowledge.

However, Lulu thoughtfully sent him a map with annotations. When he opened it, he found that it was in the northeastern part of Russia, on the Siberian Plateau. However, the map Lulu sent him was from before the Cold War (after all, it had only been a few years). The map was full of unfamiliar place names, and without the annotations, Bai Lin would not have been able to find the place even after looking at it all night.

"Do you need my help?" Lulu asked with concern.

"No need, I can handle it." Bai Lin refused Lulu's help, firstly because he didn't want to trouble himself, and secondly because it would likely be a wasted trip. After all, he was unfamiliar with the area, and searching such a large place for a wizard without any clues was like looking for a needle in a haystack. Bai Lin could only try his luck. If Barnard had taken the Soul Orb and survived, he couldn't remain unknown forever; he would definitely reappear on his own. If he couldn't find it, he would just have to wait patiently.

After closing the team channel, Bai Lin immediately had a problem. Going to France, Italy, the United States, South America, or the East was easy, but due to some well-known reasons in 1991, going to Germany or the Russians had become much more difficult in recent years. In the end, Bai Lin thought of an excellent candidate—Kakarov.

Those who have read the original books know that Durmstrang is located in the far north, and its location is unmappable to prevent people from other magic schools from stealing their secrets. They use forgetting spells to erase parts of the memories of visitors, so no one can be sure of its exact location.

However, Bai Lin is from 2020, and many websites of that era have deduced that Durmstrang should be located in the territory of the Russians, somewhere in the wilderness near Moscow.

(The original setting of Durmstrang as the only place in the world to teach black magic and emphasize dueling and war magic did indeed reflect some of the author's stereotypes about the fighting spirit of the Russian people. Furthermore, the fact that they never successfully won the Goblet of Fire also reflects some British arrogance towards the fighting nation.)

Bai Lin found Karkaroff still deep in thought in the dark magic classroom. Krum, who had recovered from his injuries, was standing next to him. When Krum saw Bai Lin, he nodded politely to him. Bai Lin liked this strong and brave young man very much and went up to him to pat his arm.

"I want to go to the Far East. Do you know any ways to do that?" Bai Lin asked bluntly.

Karkaroff's eyes flickered as he stared into Bai Lin's eyes and said, "Professor White, you have too many secrets and too many actions. Are you asking me or demanding something from me?" His tone was unfriendly, but Bai Lin sensed something else in it.

Karkaroff's implication was: I guess you're looking for something very valuable, perhaps related to black magic, and if you want my help, you have to get a share.

Bai Lin didn't dislike him for being someone who always talked about exchanging benefits, a trait often called a businessman's. He bluntly said, "It's a treasure, and it is indeed related to black magic. If you're willing to help, I might tell you more details. And if this trip is fruitful, don't worry, you won't be shortchanged."

Karkaroff rubbed the various rings on his knuckles, pondered for a moment, and said, "I hope you can give me an equivalent reward... Let Krum accompany you; he will send you to the Far East."

Bai Lin was taken aback, not expecting him to make such an arrangement. However, he quickly understood. Karkarov must have heard about Krum's experience in the Antarctic Ocean. Since Bai Lin had gone to great lengths to rescue Krum, he certainly wouldn't harm him. It might not have been the case with anyone else. And Krum was absolutely "loyal" to Karkarov (perhaps Karkarov misunderstood Krum's respect).

After exchanging a few polite words with Karkaroff, and because the situation was rather urgent, they agreed to set off after dinner. Bai Lin hurriedly teleported to the habitat and dragged Old Addison, who was fishing by the lake, into the blacksmith's shop. Although the old craftsman was very reluctant, he still quickly found some warm clothing for Bai Lin: a cloak and a pair of boots. They wouldn't increase his attributes, but they had an added spell that provided warmth, allowing him to move freely even in temperatures tens of degrees below zero.

However, after dinner, Bai Lin prepared to sneak to the place he had agreed to meet Krum, but when he slipped out of the castle through the side door, he was caught red-handed by Catherine. Catherine had a stubborn look in her eyes and was carrying a magic briefcase, so she was obviously well prepared.

"Oh, you figured it out!" Bai Lin was a little embarrassed. He had originally planned to sneak out alone without telling anyone.

"Don't even think about leaving me behind this time!" Catherine said. "I've already gotten a whole set of winter gear from old Addison, so I promise I won't hold you back!"

Bai Lin had no choice but to nod. Catherine immediately beamed and grabbed his arm. Bai Lin then briefly explained the incident along the way.

Krum waited anxiously in the dark woods, and finally saw Bai Lin and his companion walking quickly towards him. When he saw that there was another person, he frowned, but said nothing.

Krum had already drawn a temporary teleportation circle in the clearing in the woods and piled up some firewood in the middle.

"Blazing Flames!" Krum pointed at the firewood, and bright red flames instantly ignited. His fire magic was incredibly fast and dazzling, indicating he had clearly put in a lot of practice.

He lit a fire and then took out a small packet of dark gray powder from his pocket, which should be Durmstrang's specially made Floo Powder.

Watching the Floo Powder form a shimmering vortex over the campfire, with glimpses of white snowflakes visible beneath, Krum glanced at Bai Lin, pulled his leather hat over his head, and crawled inside.

Bai Lin donned his cloak and followed closely behind Catherine, who was also fully covered. A burst of light flashed, and after about ten seconds of teleportation, he finally landed on solid ground.

The two landed with a soft creak, and Catherine swayed to the side. Bai Lin quickly caught her, while Krum rolled his eyes, speechless at their public display of affection.

The cold north wind made Bai Lin shiver. He quickly wrapped his turban and Catherine up tighter. They were in a snow-covered mountain area, and the rising moonlight shone on the snow, making the night not too dark.

The surrounding snow was at least a foot thick, and beneath his feet was an inconspicuous little stone platform, also covered in snow, albeit a thinner layer. He swept the snow away with his foot, revealing a shallow magic circle.

Krum explained in a low voice, "It's a hidden Floo Network left over from the war; very few people know about it..."

Bai Lin nodded, and Catherine shrank back slightly, asking, "Is this the Far East?"

Krum shrugged and said, "This is nothing. This is Denmark. We've basically smuggled ourselves here. We can only rest for ten minutes in some remote, uninhabited place before we can reactivate the FlooNet, then teleport to East Prussia, then through Moscow to Novosibirsk, and then we'll have to ride flying brooms to Yakutsk. I've never been to the Amur Oblast or Sakha.

Bai Lin looked at Krum and suddenly realized, "Oh right, you're Bulgarian."

"Durmstrang has students from all over the world who go to study dark magic, but in recent years... well, in peacetime, there are far fewer new students," Krum said.

Bai Lin neither confirmed nor denied, shrugging and saying, "Hopefully Durmstrang can find the true path forward for dark wizards..."

The three chatted as they teleported, and with each eastward teleportation, they felt it grow colder, especially after crossing the Ural Mountains from the outskirts of Moscow, where the temperature plummeted to below -10 degrees Celsius. The cold air from the Arctic Ocean created a chilling wind that could freeze one's eyebrows.

Catherine put on all the warm clothes she had brought and cast a warming spell on herself, which made her feel a little better.

Although the journey was tedious, it also allowed her to see many beautiful sights she had never seen before. Catherine was in a good mood; if she had a smartphone, she would definitely take three hundred beautiful photos a day.

Because of the time difference, each time they teleported eastward, although it only took a dozen minutes, their time zone advanced by one or two hours. By the time they arrived at their destination on the fourth teleportation, it was already dawn. They had been teleporting all night. They arrived in an unfamiliar city in the middle of a tundra, and in the distance, countless factory chimneys stood in the city.

Krum, huddled in his black cloak, pointed towards the city and said, "That's the largest city in Siberia. I haven't been further north. Maybe I can ask my friends here for help, so I don't have to fly over two thousand kilometers in the north wind on a broomstick! The Far East is just too vast!"