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0765 Plans
🕑 Added 2025-07-03 10:41:23 +0000 UTCCompared to the days of running around everywhere recently, these past few days back at Hogwarts, though there was no time to truly rest, had been much more peaceful.
However, Bryan's return to Hogwarts had brought with it an additional task that needed his attention each morning before he could even consider breakfast. It was the inspection of all mails and packages sent to the students and professors of the school.
Bryan did not need to physically open each package or letter to determine its contents or potential danger. His immense mental power allowed him to perceive the magical auras and intentions embedded within with a focused glance.
Dark magical artifacts radiated a particular kind of malicious energy that was as obvious to him as a blazing torch in a dark room.
Despite the efficiency of his magical perception, this daily inspection still consumed about one hour of Bryan's morning routine. The sheer volume of mail that arrived at Hogwarts each day was staggering.
The discoveries Bryan made during these daily inspections were both helpful and concerning. Almost every single day, he uncovered something that was totally unsuitable for the educational environment of Hogwarts.
The majority of these problematic items came from packages sent to students in Slytherin House. It wasn't that the Slytherin students were inherently malicious or deliberately trying to smuggle dangerous items into the school.
Rather, many of them seemed to struggle with accurately distinguishing the boundary between harmless prank products and genuinely dangerous dark magical artifacts.
Their family backgrounds often following the darker parts of wizarding culture, meant that objects which would immediately raise red flags for students from other houses were sometimes viewed as simply amusing curiosities or traditional family heirlooms.
Without Professor Watson, Physical Education class was far less enjoyable—this was the consensus among all students taking the course.
Upon his return to the school, Bryan had immediately resumed the practice exercises that focused on escape techniques when surrounded by hostile forces in adverse circumstances.
Unfortunately, most of the students' performance showed little improvement from their previous attempts. This lack of progress was neither surprising nor particularly discouraging to Bryan, who understood the nature of such training better than anyone.
The ability to escape from dangerous situations was a skill that could only be developed through countless failures, each one providing valuable lessons about timing, decision-making, and the efficient use of magical energy under extreme stress.
Even Bryan himself, despite his experience and magical abilities, had no simple tricks or shortcuts that he could convey to his students.
The mastery of escape techniques was something that each individual wizard had to develop through personal experience, learning to recognize the subtle signs that indicated the best moments to act and the most effective methods for breaking free from seemingly impossible situations.
However, there was one prominent exception to the general pattern of stagnant progress: Hermione's performance had become noticeably more impressive than it had been before the recent crisis.
The explanation for this dramatic improvement perhaps lied in the extraordinary circumstances of her recent brush with death.
To help her resist the erosion of the powerful curse, both Bryan's and Dumbledore's magic had remained active within Hermione's body for a long period of time. Under normal circumstances, a wizard could not easily absorb or benefit from another wizard's magical power.
However, the magic wielded by both Bryan and Dumbledore was so incredibly powerful that some residual magical energy had inevitably "invaded" Hermione's magical system during the healing process.
Furthermore, because Hermione had been in a state of severe magical exhaustion for such a long time, her body had been stimulated to absorb and process magical energy more efficiently than ever before to nourish her "depleted" physique.
The result of this unprecedented magical interaction was immediately visible in Hermione's current capabilities. The magic she now wielded was noticeably more powerful and precise than it had been before the crisis. Her spells carried more force, her magical control was more refined, and her overall magical stamina had increased dramatically.
Additionally, the life-and-death crisis she had endured had forged her nerves into something far more resilient and steadier than they had been previously.
This combination of enhanced magical power and improved mental fortitude had helped to compensate for some of Hermione's natural shortcomings in the ancient art of magical dueling.
As for Dumbledore, ever since that conversation in Frank and Alice's soul corridor, he clearly had some suspicions.
But this suspicion was simply too incredible, and Bryan himself had said at the time that those statements were merely his speculation. Dumbledore couldn't be certain whether it was his own illusion, and in the days since returning, Bryan could sense that when Dumbledore faced him, he was always restraining himself—suppressing his desire to get to the bottom of things, because this was more wondrous than any magic.
There was still a quarter hour until nine o'clock in the evening, still some time before the school's mandatory return-to-dormitory time, but few young wizards were wandering the castle's various floors anymore. Most of those remaining were fifth-year students who would face their O.W.L.S. examinations in June.
In his office, Bryan sat in the chair behind his desk, having just finished reading a letter that had arrived with the evening post. The parchment had the familiar handwriting of Remus, and its contents had given him much to consider.
He carefully folded the letter and placed it on his desk, then leaned back in his chair to stare thoughtfully at the small flames that flickered in the fireplace of his office.
The letter from Remus had been relatively brief but had contained several pieces of information.
Remus had written to inform him that he would be arriving at Hogwarts the day after tomorrow to watch the second task of the Triwizard Tournament. He had also mentioned his hope that they would be able to discuss their plans for expanding their alchemy workshop business into the American wizarding market.
While this business discussion was certainly important and would require careful planning, Bryan suspected that Remus might not be coming to Hogwarts solely for these stated reasons.
It was possible that he had received subtle hints from Sirius, who had already confirmed his intention to attend the tournament, or he might have noticed something himself— this wasn't impossible, as Remus was a meticulous wizard with keen perceptive abilities.
The more Bryan considered the situation, the more he realized that Remus's visit could actually serve his own purposes quite well. There was something he could ask Remus to help with.
Originally, he had planned to ask Sirius, especially since Sirius had already confirmed that he would be attending the tournament. However, the more he thought about it, the more he realized that Remus was undoubtedly the more suitable choice.
Bryan quickly reached for a fresh piece of parchment and began writing a reply to Remus's letter. In his response, he asked him to arrive at Hogwarts before nine o'clock the tomorrow evening, using the secret passage that the "Marauders" had frequently used during their student days to enter the castle without being discovered by anyone.
After carefully sealing the letter with wax and his personal seal, Bryan left his office and began walking along the third-floor corridor toward the main staircase.
As he made his way toward the stairs, Bryan paused for several seconds outside the office door belonging to Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody, the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. He turned his head slightly to look at the tightly closed wooden door.
Walls couldn't stop Bryan's sight—he saw a human-shaped magical aura sitting motionless in the chair behind the desk, the magic radiating a deathly stillness.
For the person inside the office, walls couldn't block the sight of that peculiar magical eye either.
Through two walls, the two men made eye contact for a moment, then Moody seemed to recoil as if burned, averted his gaze, while Bryan resumed walking toward the stairs with an expressionless face.
Perhaps sensing some disturbance in Professor Watson's mood, or simply responding to the subtle magical energies that surrounded him, the young wizards he encountered during his journey through the castle all stepped aside respectfully.
They kept their heads bowed and their eyes averted, not daring even to give the customary polite greetings that would normally be exchanged between students and professors.
Even Peeves, the poltergeist, upon meeting him on the stairs, quickly darted into an empty classroom on the fourth floor, hiding behind the door to stick out his tongue and make faces at Professor Watson's retreating figure.
The wind at the peak of the tower where the school's owlery was located was fierce. The powerful gusts caused Bryan's robes to flutter and snap loudly. Despite the intensity of the wind and the dangerous nature of his position on the narrow walkway that surrounded the owlery, Bryan remained perfectly still and unmoved.
He stood in silent confrontation with the darkness that flowed like liquid smoke across the landscape below, facing the mountains that rose darkly from the endless black stretch of the Highland wilderness.
Gradually, the lights throughout the castle began to go out one by one leaving only the small tower that had Dumbledore's private office still illuminated.
A gray owl that had been roosting in the aviary noticed that Bryan continued to stand motionless on the outer walkway, apparently oblivious to the cold and the fierce wind that continued to pound the tower.
Curious about this unusual behavior, the owl spread its wings and took flight, circling continuously above Bryan's head as it observed him.
The rustling sound of the owl's wings beating against the fierce wind gradually penetrated Bryan's deep contemplation, awakening him from his trance. He looked up at the circling bird and smiled.
"You know," Bryan said to the owl, "I can fly too, actually."
In the next second, under the gray owl's 'shocked' gaze, Bryan calmly climbed onto the stone parapet that surrounded the walkway. Without hesitation or any visible fear, he leaped directly into the abyss below the tower.
The sudden sensation of weightlessness that accompanied his leap made Bryan close his eyes instinctively. As his speed rapidly increased and the ground rushed up to meet him, an extraordinary feeling of absolute freedom filled his heart and mind.
In that moment of pure, unfettered motion, he seemed to experience something of what Dumbledore had once described to him—the incredible sense of liberation that came when the soul separated from the physical constraints of the body and existed as pure consciousness in the material world.
However, before Bryan could fully savor this intoxicating feeling, the ground was already expanding rapidly in his field of vision. Bryan's body immediately became incorporeal. His ethereal form traced a graceful crescent-shaped arc through the air, sweeping over the grass that bent and swayed in the fierce wind.
In the blink of an eye, Bryan's form reappeared in solid form, now suspended in the air above the shores of the Black Lake.
Meanwhile, on the ground near the edge of the Black Lake, three figures were huddled together under the Invisibility Cloak.
The sudden sound of Bryan's magical transition from corporeal to incorporeal form had created a brief disturbance in the air above them, causing them to freeze in their tracks with alarm.
"What was that noise just now?" Harry asked with concern as he gripped the edge of the Invisibility Cloak more tightly to prevent it from being lifted by the powerful gust of wind that had just swept over them.
His eyes searched the night sky above, trying to identify the source of the unusual sound that had interrupted them.
"It was probably just an owl," Hermione speculated, though her voice carried a note of uncertainty that showed she wasn't completely convinced by her own explanation.
"You know how owls like to be active during the night hours. They're probably out hunting for mice or other small creatures. Crookshanks enjoys doing the same thing. But we really shouldn't waste time speculating about random noises, Harry. I can't spend the entire night on this. I still need to return to the castle and finish Professor Flitwick's essay."
"Well, you'll have to manage to survive coming back up from the lake first," Ron pointed out bluntly.
The cold spring wind across the open ground near the lake made him shiver in the deep chill of the night air. He tugged at both Harry's and Hermione's robes, urging them to continue moving toward their destination while he continued his commentary.
"I have to say, I think you've completely lost your mind, Hermione. I still don't understand why you can't try this experiment during the daylight hours. Why does it absolutely have to be done at night when it's freezing cold and we can barely see what we're doing?"
"Oh—" Hermione's cheeks flushed red with embarrassment in the darkness.
"I can't risk being seen by other students or professors," She explained, her voice small and somewhat embarrassed.
"You understand what I'm planning to do, don't you, Ron? According to my original plan, I was hoping to use advanced Transfiguration to transform myself into a fish or an otter or some other aquatic creature that could breathe underwater naturally.
But there's simply too little time remaining before the tournament task, and my understanding of advanced Transfiguration techniques isn't thorough enough yet. The most I can barely manage to achieve is growing some kind of tail."
The area around the lakeside fell into complete silence for several seconds as Harry and Ron processed this information. Then, despite their efforts to maintain some facade of seriousness about the situation, both boys burst into laughter at the mental image Hermione had created.
"You mean," Harry said, struggling to control his amusement and speak through his laughter, "you're planning to transform yourself into a mermaid?"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Harry felt a sharp, painful elbow connect with his ribs that nearly made him gasp aloud with pain and surprise.
"I am absolutely not going to become a mermaid!" Hermione said, her voice clearly showing that she was annoyed by Harry's comparison of her transformation to those iron-gray-skinned, hideous, ugly creatures.
"I apologize," Harry said, rubbing his sore ribs while trying to appease his irritated friend. "But I'm still not clear on the details of your plan. Could you explain exactly what you're hoping to do?"
"The problem is that I can't make myself grow gills," Hermione explained.
"That type of transformation involves much more complex and advanced magical processes than I can master in the time remaining. However, I did discover another approach that might work just as well: the Bubble-Head Charm. This spell can provide me with a continuous supply of fresh air while I'm underwater solving the breathing problem."
She paused for a moment, organizing her thoughts before continuing. "It's also a sixth-year level spell, which means it's quite advanced, but it's still within the range of what I am able to master.
While I was researching advanced Transfiguration techniques, I realized that perhaps the advanced spellbooks contained other solutions that could help me out of this predicament, so I expanded my research to include other types of magic that might be applicable to underwater survival."
"The Bubble-Head Charm," Ron repeated thoughtfully, his earlier amusement replaced by genuine interest of Hermione's plan. "If that spell can provide you with air underwater, then I'm still not clear on why you need to go through all the trouble and potential embarrassment of growing some kind of fish tail.?"
"Oh, that's because—" Hermione's voice became muffled and rather unhappy. "The truth is, I'm not very good at swimming. I mean, I can manage basic swimming well enough to avoid drowning in a regular pool or lake, but I'm nowhere near good enough to swim underwater for such a long time, especially while trying to navigate the complex underwater environment of the Black Lake."
She took a deep breath before continuing, her voice carrying a note of frustration. "The partial transformation of growing a tail can help me swim more efficiently underwater."
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