Chapter 203: Castle Holiday - Part 2
Chapter 203: Castle Holiday - Part 2
The next morning, Liam was woken up by a series of urgent knocks on the door.
"Just a moment, let me tidy up and I'll be right out", Liam called out. He quickly used Magic to freshen up before opening the door.
"Hermione, why are you up so early? It's only six thirty in the morning", Liam said, looking at Hermione standing in the doorway with some confusion.
"I need to talk to you about something. If I hadn't been so tired last night, I would have told you then", Hermione replied, pulling Liam to the small living room and sitting down. She then pointed her wand at the surroundings and cast a "Silencing Charm."
"What are you doing?" Liam asked.
"I discovered something that shouldn't be overheard, so I'm using this Magic to prevent anyone from eavesdropping", Hermione explained.
She then looked earnestly into Liam's eyes. "I think I know which world we're in. This is the world of 'Beauty and the Beast.' I watched the animated version during my first-year Christmas. This world is almost identical to the one in the movie, and the only thing that puzzles me is why this Belle looks so much like me."
Liam was initially startled when Hermione mentioned 'Beauty and the Beast,' thinking she might be a time traveler. After all, the movie version is quite different from the original Grimm's fairy tale, and most people wouldn't have made the connection based on yesterday's events.
But when Hermione mentioned the animated film, he remembered that the live-action remake was a direct adaptation of Disney's 1991 animated classic, with mostly the same content.
In the Harry Potter world, some things are similar to Liam's original world, just like the 1991 Disney animated film.
"Knowing where we are is a good thing. It means we have an idea of this world's future, which can help us avoid stumbling into any unpleasant situations. As for looking like the story's protagonist, it's not unusual to encounter someone who resembles you in so many different worlds. By the way, what do you think we should do next?" Since they were now a team, Liam wanted to hear Hermione's thoughts.
"I think hiding out for seven days until we can go home would be a waste. Since we know where we are, we can learn a lot from this world. Just think, one person can transform an entire castle with their Magic. This world must have a lot of interesting magical knowledge. I believe the Beast's castle might have some of it. And—" Hermione hesitated, looking a bit embarrassed.
"And I also want to experience this fairy tale firsthand", Hermione said, touching the meteorite amulet around her neck and looking down.
"There's no need to be embarrassed. I'm just as curious about this world as you are", Liam replied. Just then, there was another knock on the door.
"Hello, Miss Belle, what can I do for you?" Hermione got up from her seat and opened the door, finding Belle standing outside, looking anxious.
"Could the injured person's condition have worsened? I don't think so. I cleaned the wound thoroughly yesterday, and it should have healed by now", Liam said, joining them and looking puzzled at Belle's worried expression.
"No, it's not that", Belle said. "There's another problem. I think only you Wizards can solve it with your Magic."
"Really? Then we should take a look first. After all, we are just Wizard Apprentices, and we might not have the power you imagine. Remember, Magic isn't all-powerful", Liam replied solemnly.
After that, the two of them followed Belle to the West Tower. On the way, Belle told Liam and Hermione about the Curse affecting everyone in the castle.
"Once the Enchanted Rose withers completely, these servants, who have turned into furniture, will remain furniture forever. Beast will also lose his mind and become a true beast. So I hope you can save them."
"We'll do our best", Hermione said. "The Wizard who cast a Curse powerful enough to transform the castle like this is far stronger than we are. We don't have much confidence in breaking the Curse on the castle."
"The furniture in the castle says there are other ways to break the Curse, so you don't need to be so anxious. We're here."
They were now back in the room they had visited last night. When they pushed open the door, they found sunlight flooding the entire room. The red velvet bed canopy had been drawn back, and Beast looked energetic, leaning against a feather pillow, basking in the sun.
Hearing the door open, Beast turned his furry, horned head towards the entrance. Upon seeing who had entered, he rolled over and closed his eyes again.
"He's just a bit shy. As long as he doesn't roar at you, it means he has accepted you", Belle explained, a bit embarrassed.
"It's fine", Liam waved his hand and then deliberately said loudly, "I'm going to use some Magic to check this rose, but don't worry. Even if I can't find anything, it won't harm it."
Sure enough, upon hearing about his precious rose, Beast sat up from the bed immediately. "Don't touch my precious rose."
"Alright, alright, I won't touch it", Liam raised his hands in front of Hermione. "But I can check your bodies, maybe I can find something."
"Go ahead, just don't touch the rose. But I think you might be wasting your time", Beast said, lying back on the bed and closing his eyes. After all, he had lost a lot of blood in the icy wilderness yesterday, and even though the bleeding had been stopped, he still felt weak.
Seeing Belle looking at them nervously, Hermione stepped forward and said, "You can do what you want, like talking to the gentleman in the bed. You don't need to worry about us. Even the simplest Magic analysis takes a lot of time, and it might get a bit boring."
Belle quickly sat down beside Beast and began reciting some classic passages for him, while Liam turned to the animated furniture and said, "So, who wants to volunteer for us to check?"
"Me, young man. I hope at least you can help my son out of this situation", Mrs. Potts jumped from the cart into Liam's hands.
Parents are always concerned for their children. Thinking of this, Liam looked down at Mrs. Potts in his hand and comforted her, "Don't worry, this Magic is very safe. Nothing will go wrong."
Seeing the candlestick butler bring Hermione a piece of paper and a pen, Liam raised his wand and said, "Hermione, you'll need to write down the runes that appear in the air."
Then he drew a golden rune, "Ansur", in the air and recited in Old Norse, "Wisdom Scry."
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
