Chapter 386: The Golden Falcon and the Owl

Chapter 386: The Golden Falcon and the Owl

[Where are you?]



[I... I don't know... I saw the ship passing by the Outer Hebrides and then headed west... I ended up on an island in the sea...]



[Are you in a safe situation for the time being? You don't have to tell me the details.]



[For now, I'm relatively safe.]



[What danger did you encounter?]



[It's... it's those people you asked me to investigate... I accidentally infiltrated their base and ended up on this island. I can't leave, and someone is always watching me...]



[Take care of yourself. We will find you.]



[Be extra careful. There's something on this island that can affect...]



The parchment seemed to be in a state of near-death, unable to finish conveying its important message.

Vold used a replication charm to preserve this conversation, and Dumbledore examined it for a while without speaking. He then pointed his wand at the wall.

Several portraits on the wall immediately slid to the sides, and the old headmasters within them began to complain.

The wall rippled like a lake, forming concentric circles of ripples before revealing a clear map of the world.

Dumbledore studied the map for a moment, then asked, "Vold, what do you think?"

"I examined this replica of the friend's ledger and found that the spells on it were a bit strange. Then I remembered that this was a plan I had abandoned before."

Vold spread out the fake friend's ledger on the table and gently waved his wand, casting silver and golden lights upon it.

Ordinary wizards would not understand what he was doing, but Dumbledore's eyebrows twitched slightly, indicating that he had noticed the subtle difference.

Even without special vision, he could sense the obscure distinction.

"Very interesting..." The headmaster murmured to himself, "Its associative magic seems different from what you use."

"Yes," Vold replied, "Muggle mobile communication requires base stations as communication exchange centers. I originally wanted to use the friend's ledger in the same way, so it wouldn't be limited by the number of associations. By inputting specific codes, I could send messages to anyone."

"That sounds great," Dumbledore said, "Why did you abandon it later?"

"With this method, messages from the friend's ledger would first be sent to the base station, which would then forward them to the recipient. So, the base station could monitor and even modify all the messages to a certain extent. That's why we abandoned this design." Vold explained.

Machione was a pure businessman, not the American Central Intelligence Agency, and had no interest in monitoring all wizards.

Of course, more importantly, this magic couldn't be hidden. Alchemists with a certain level of skill (such as graduates who could pass NEWTs exams) or highly skilled wizards (like Dumbledore) would be able to discover it.

Dumbledore said, "So you think Miss Skitt's message has been altered?"

Vold nodded, "It's possible that the enemy has tampered with it. It's good to be cautious."

Dumbledore praised, "Indeed, it's always good to be careful." Then he added, "But don't worry too much, Vold—I'm here with you!"

Vold was initially surprised but then laughed, "That's true."

"Then let's go. I hope we're not too late for your class," Dumbledore said casually, "Remember to bring that brave owl."

"Yes."

Vold returned to the dormitory, picked up the cage holding the brave owl, and headed out. The exhausted owl, which had flown for a long time, was sleeping soundly.

Suddenly, Vold felt a weight on his shoulder.

He turned and saw his own Eva glaring at him angrily, making a purring sound in her throat as if complaining about him finding another owl, and its sharp claws were digging into his clothes.

"Today, you're not delivering letters, my girl," Vold said as he put Eva back on the shelf, "I need it to help me find someone."

Eva didn't seem to understand, but she silently turned her back to Vold.

Vold smiled and pushed the door open. Outside the castle, he met up with Dumbledore, who was wearing a deep red travel cloak.

Behind them, Hagrid forcefully closed the heavy doors.

"Creak!"

The hinges turned, and the oak doors rubbed against the ground, emitting a long sound.

Vold turned back and saw the school shrouded in mist, appearing distant yet close, like a painting.

The owl woke up, flapped its wings, and looked around anxiously. Vold quickly fed it a few owl treats and whispered comforting words to calm it down.

The owl lowered its head and gently pecked at Vold's hand, its eyes appearing clear and calm.

Dumbledore extended his arm and said, "Alright, let's go."

Vold grabbed his arm and muttered, "I must learn Apparition as soon as possible."

"He had planned this a long time ago, but he was always distracted by other matters."

Dumbledore casually said, "When you come back, I can teach you—if you don't mind an extra class, that is. I know you're very busy now."

Before his words could finish, the two simultaneously Apparated, seemingly passing through a very narrow water pipe in an instant, then 'bang' came out from inside.

Voldemort took two quick breaths, then hurriedly asked, "Is it true, Professor?"

Dumbledore couldn't help but laugh, "Of course, as long as you're free."

"I'm definitely free! All Sunday I'm free!" Voldemort said, his eyes urging Dumbledore to set a specific time.

"Then next Saturday morning at nine o'clock, I'll come to teach you—remember, don't tell anyone else," Dumbledore said.

"Yes, sir!"

Voldemort said happily, relieved to have this matter settled. Now, he had the time to examine their surroundings.

They were currently on a desolate and lonely small island, with craggy rocks and some abandoned stone houses on flatter ground, covered in green moss.

On the nearby hillside, there were plots of land enclosed by stone walls, now overgrown with weeds.

Opposite, there was a protruding stone cliff, with a unique shape, like a giant lying in the sea. Only its head was visible, its face staring blankly at the sky.

"Where is this place, Professor?" Voldemort asked.

"St Kilda in the Outer Hebrides," Dumbledore said. "When I was young, I came here to explore the Calanais Standing Stones, left behind by ancient wizards. At that time, this place was already desolate."

Voldemort marveled at the abandoned stone houses and decaying farming tools.

It seemed that this place had been uninhabited for at least a few decades.

Voldemort was aware of Dumbledore's age, but often didn't realize that the old man was a century older than him.

In comparison, when Dumbledore was born, the Eastern Empire was still under Qing Dynasty rule, and the Sino-Japanese War had not yet broken out. Students were still taking the Imperial Examination.

Voldemort felt the gap of time.

Dumbledore, unaware of Voldemort's distraction, was looking down at the owl in the cage, which was clearly uncomfortable with the spatial transfer, just like any other bird.

Voldemort opened the cage and held the owl in his arms, stroking it until it calmed down. Then he said, "We need to find that person—you know where she is, that's enough."

"Hoo—"

The owl was very smart, and this one was particularly human-like. It hooted softly, and Voldemort saw fear in its eyes.

"Don't be afraid," Voldemort soothed, "You don't need to get close, just lead me to that place."

"Hoo—" The owl tilted its head and looked at him.

Voldemort turned to Dumbledore, "Headmaster, you know, right?" He paused, then added, "—I'm an Animagus."

Dumbledore, as expected, showed no surprise, only appreciation, "A beautiful peregrine falcon—as far as I know, few wizards can transform into birds."

Voldemort sighed, "There are only seven registered Animagus wizards in the world, including Professor McGonagall, and none of them is Albus Dumbledore."

But Dumbledore was once the best student at Hogwarts, a Transfiguration professor, and the world's most powerful wizard. It was understandable that he didn't have the ability to become an Animagus.

Ordinary wizards might think that Dumbledore wasn't interested in this magic that transformed into ordinary animals—after all, Animagus couldn't transform into powerful magical creatures.

But Voldemort, as a wizard seeking magic, found it hard to believe that someone wouldn't be interested in this process that transformed everything from appearance to quality, from cellular structure to muscle and bone.

Facing Voldemort's curious eyes, the Headmaster merely smiled and took out his quill, whispering, "Bosetis."

This was a spell that turned ordinary items into trackers, simple yet not easy to cast successfully.

A strange green light flashed and vanished, and the quill returned to its ordinary appearance.

"Keep it safe," Dumbledore handed the quill to Voldemort, saying, "Break it in half to activate it."

"Okay."

Voldemort didn't dwell on the previous question and put the quill in his pocket. In an instant, he skillfully transformed into a peregrine falcon, soaring in the sky.

"Caw?"

The owl was so startled that it nearly fell over. It quickly flapped its wings to steady itself and then took flight.

Dumbledore squinted and looked up, watching the two birds circle in the air a few times. They seemed to have reached a preliminary understanding and then flew west, one after the other.

Freedom, confidence, and bravery.

The ancient Egyptians revered the golden falcon as the god Horus, a symbol of royal power and divine protection. The Eye of Horus would protect the dead on their journey to eternal life.

In ancient Babylon, there was the image of a griffin, and the emblem of the Roman legions was a two-headed eagle. The Sassanian dynasty had an eagle emblem, and Russia's national emblem is also a two-headed eagle. The national emblem of the United States is a bald eagle.

Approximately twenty countries around the world have the image of an eagle on their national emblems or flags, viewing this noble bird as a messenger of the gods and a symbol of power.

But the real golden falcon is a bird of freedom, never living in flocks, and not interested in ruling. They are brave and fearless, and extremely loyal in marriage.

Dumbledore felt that among all the wizards he had met, none embodied the spirit of the eagle more than Vold.

Even before Vold's Animagus transformation was complete, Dumbledore had speculated about what animal he might become. The old headmaster had considered a shark, sea snake, golden falcon, peacock, wild horse, cat, and scorpion for a long time, but ultimately believed the golden falcon was the most likely.

As it turned out, his speculation was correct, which brought Dumbledore a secret joy.

The two birds gradually became smaller, merging into the distant clouds.

Dumbledore stood at the edge of the cliff, his deep red cloak flapping in the sea breeze. Seagulls flew nearby, emitting loud, clear cries.

...

Flying over the sea was a peculiar sensation.

The horizon seemed to stretch infinitely, but the sky and sea merged into one, making it difficult to discern direction even with the occasional low-lying clouds.

Vold wasn't sure if this was due to his human mind or if all golden falcons experienced it this way.

But the owl seemed to have a satellite map in its head, flying resolutely in a certain direction, as if pulled by an invisible thread.

Vold followed closely behind it. On the seemingly endless sea, this magical bird always found places to rest, sometimes on a tiny island, sometimes on a human cruise ship, and even sometimes on a whale floating on the surface of the sea.

They flew intermittently, Vold carrying food in his pocket, and using magic to summon water, ensuring both the bird and himself remained well-fed and energized.

Until a relatively large island appeared on the horizon.

The owl stopped from a distance, landing on a green ocean buoy, indicating that was the place Vold was to place Vold was direction cameras, the island.

distance cameras.

distance the island.

indicating that direction cameras, indicating the place.

indicating the place cameras.

indicating the place cameras, indicating the island.

indicating the place Vold was to find.

But When Vold tried to approach for a closer look, the the owl,, an, cameras the like.

, indicating danger.

Vold deduced, "Can't get closer? Is it dangerous?"

?"

?"

, the owl's eyes revealing familiar fear and.

indicating the fear cameras.

.

to stay, then took out the magical Telescope, and observed carefully.

island.

From the outside, It looked like an ordinary, developed island.

clean beach, dense forest, and a few fishing boats docked at the harbor. A lighthouse tower tower stood on a cliff.

A road wide enough for two cars to drive side wound through the forest, unclear where it led, but from a high altitude, Vold saw a white of white buildings structures, an area of white buildings structures.

.

However, he saw no one person but found several surveillance cameras.

Vold pulled out a quill from his pocket and snapped it.

The next second, a sound like a firecracker explosion, Dumbledore appeared beside him.

"Did you find it?" the headmaster asked lightly, "faster even faster than quickly."

than.

quickly."

."

"Already, reached, the harbor,", it's the island ahead," Vold said. "The owl stopped me from getting closer, maybe they have some long-range weapons..."

"Buzz——"

Vold's words were cut off by a strange buzzing sound from the island.

The sound waves spread in circles, reaching the the buoy weakened.

But faces changed slightly.

"Did you feel that, Vold?" Dumbledore asked, his hair seeming to float slightly.

"Yeah."

Vold nodded, looking at his palm, curling and stretching his fingers.

He felt a faint electric sensation—his magic power seemed like a weak current, causing slight a slight ting paralysis and and pain and., and, ting paralysis and contraction like.

.

muscles.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end