"Audrey is our new Seeker!"
"Audrey has joined our Quidditch team!"
This news spread like wildfire among the young wizards of Slytherin.
Soon, students who were romantically involved with members of other houses spread the news throughout the entire castle.
...
Neville Longbottom had forgotten the password to the Gryffindor common room yet again, and was currently blocked outside by the portrait of the Fat Lady.
"Poor child, forgotten the password again?"
Neville shrank his head in embarrassment.
The Fat Lady inquired, "I heard that Audrey Astley, the one who sings very well, has become Slytherin's Seeker?"
Neville nodded repeatedly. "She's amazing! When I heard the news, I couldn't believe my ears."
The Fat Lady, however, shook her head, fanning herself incessantly with the fan in her hand, as if she could really generate wind inside the painting:
"That child is wasting her talent! She's clearly so gifted at singing, she shouldn't touch other messy things. How can a rude sport like Quidditch be mentioned in the same breath as elegant singing!"
The Fat Lady covered her face with her fan and peeked at Neville. "If I sang Carmen with Astley, who do you think would sing better?"
Neville was stunned. Did she even need to ask? Of course it was Audrey.
But Neville had a sudden flash of insight, a rare moment of cleverness. If he answered that the Fat Lady sang better, wouldn't she be happy and open the door for him?
"It's you, Fat Lady. You sing better!"
"Oh ho ho ho ho, what an honest child. But since you haven't said the password, I can't let you in," the Fat Lady said smilingly. "I just love singing Carmen!"
Seeing Neville's unresponsive look, the Fat Lady sighed, "What was it I liked singing most?"
"Car... Carmen?"
"Password correct. Come on in, child!"
Neville: ...
...
...
The world had turned upside down. It was Saturday, breakfast time.
Audrey had received a notice from Snape the day before that she must go to the Great Hall for breakfast this morning.
Confused, Audrey hadn't expected to experience the same treatment Harry got in the original story.
Six large tawny owls flew in carrying a long, thin package. They spiraled down, intending to land on the table in front of Audrey.
Audrey frowned and waved her hand, making her breakfast fly off the table to make room for the owls—she didn't want to get owl feathers in her soy milk or find unidentified yellow-and-white substances on her zongzi.
Isaline asked curiously, "Audrey, you usually don't get any mail, and now this big guy arrives. Open it quickly and let me see, what on earth is inside?"
What else could it be? The broom Snape prepared for her.
For her, it didn't matter what she rode. Even if she rode an ordinary broomstick, she could still beat the little wizards so badly they wouldn't know which way was north.
Besides, seeing Snape's attitude, getting her a Comet series would be good enough. What was there to look forward to?
Audrey waved her hand casually. "You open it; I want to eat first!"
Breakfast flew back to the table, and Audrey continued to bury her head in her food.
Isaline dragged the package in front of her and opened the layers of wrapping, revealing the broomstick inside.
"Yah, it's a broomstick, and quite good-looking too," Isaline picked up the broom. "This doesn't look cheap!"
"Nimbus 2000!"
Isaline wasn't familiar with these things, but Draco couldn't help being familiar. He was sitting opposite at the long table and recognized his heart's desire, the Nimbus 2000, at a glance.
"Nimbus 2000?"
"It's a Nimbus 2000!!"
"Audrey's broom is a Nimbus 2000!!"
The Slytherin snakes immediately gathered around. Draco's eyes were wide as saucers, staring at the Nimbus 2000, unable to look away. "Cou... Audrey..."
Audrey rolled her eyes at him. "Call me Senior Astley!"
"...Senior Astley," Draco began. "Can I take a look at this broom?"
Audrey said indifferently, "It's just a broom. If you like it, taking it for a couple of laps is fine."
Audrey drank the last mouthful of soy milk and wiped her mouth elegantly. "Just don't break it."
Audrey went back to her dormitory. She hadn't expected Snape to be so generous as to directly buy her the best broomstick on the market.
That old tsundere!
Audrey shook her head and asked Isaline beside her, "Wizard's Chess again?"
"No thanks, Audrey," Isaline's eyes were a bit evasive. "I'm not like you with so many class exemptions; I have loads of homework!"
What was fun about being constantly crushed?
Isaline thought to herself, until she found a new game, she wouldn't go to Audrey's dormitory again!
...
...
Alan Ash locked himself in his room.
His father, Elvin Ash, was a smuggler who wasn't home year-round. Marrying his mother back then was just to get connected to the Lestrange family through the Grays.
The son was just a byproduct of passion. Now that the Gray family was finished, Elvin would care even less about Alan's life or death.
Alan Ash lay flat on his bed, his eyes vacant.
His room was messy.
Clothes were tossed casually on the desk, while the books that should have been on the desk were scattered in every corner of the room.
He felt extreme resentment in his heart, but he didn't know who to seek revenge on.
Bode Gray? That old thing had already been taken away by the Ministry of Magic.
Audrey Astley? The girl had no enmity with him; rather, he was the one who brought people into Hogwarts to harm her. (Hydrus: ...)
Dumbledore? Mm, that old man did discover he was a traitor, but revenge? Ash shook his head repeatedly, quickly throwing this unrealistic idea aside.
"Are you resentful?"
A raspy female voice sounded from outside the door.
"Who? Who is it?"
Alan Ash sprang up instantly.
"Pardon the intrusion," the voice said, and the door opened directly. "Hello, Alan Ash."
The one who entered was a female goblin. Compared to those male goblins at Gringotts, this one could definitely be described as having a graceful figure.
Although she was just as short, her body proportions were quite good. Her skin was smooth, slightly greenish, and her hair was a striking red.
"My name is Thetis. As you can see, I am a goblin."
Alan Ash gripped his wand tightly, his voice trembling slightly—although wizards generally looked down on goblins, a goblin's spellcasting ability was not weaker than a wizard's. As a dropout student, he definitely couldn't beat the female goblin before him:
"You broke into my house; what exactly do you want?"
Thetis waved her hand very elegantly, and the armchair by the desk flew in front of her.
Thetis sat down gracefully, smiling as she met Alan's gaze, her eyes shining with a light that could see through people's hearts:
"You must be very angry right now, aren't you?"
"You must be in great pain right now, aren't you?"
"Alan Ash, I can see it. You are confused—you don't know why you've fallen to this state?"
Alan Ash was stunned. This goblin actually understood him!
Thetis continued, "Let me tell you. The reason you've become like this is because you have no power!"
She reached out and clenched her fist suddenly, as if talking to herself. "Yes, it is power!"
"Because you have no power, you are at the mercy of others; because you have no power, you cannot resist injustice; and even more so, because you have no power, you cannot gain the respect of others!"
Thetis's voice was full of seduction. "Follow me. I will lead you to obtain power, and then together we will overthrow the injustice of this wizarding world!"
Alan Ash was tempted, but he still retained some reason. "Why? Why me?"
Thetis smiled. "Because of Audrey Astley."
Audrey Astley again?
Previously, he had only acted passively according to his elders' instructions.
Bode Gray hadn't told Alan Ash about Audrey and the ancient magic. Simply put, he was just a pawn, a pawn that could be discarded at any time.
But now, he didn't want to be a pawn anymore.
"I don't understand," Alan Ash spoke. "I don't understand what Astley has to do with power?"
"Don't rush, Alan," Thetis smiled slightly. "We are different from Bode Gray. I will tell you everything."
Thetis took out a metal sphere covered in runes. She squeezed it hard, and specks of silver-shining particles scattered from the sphere.
These particles recombined in the air, constructing scene after scene.
Gale winds that blew everything away;
Raging flames that burned everything up;
Ice that froze everything;
Thunder that tore everything apart;
With a wave of a hand, the heavens and earth changed color, the winds and clouds shifted;
With a stomp of a foot, the earth revived, a myriad of purples and reds.
"Do you see, Alan?" Thetis said. "This is true magic! Irresistible mighty power! This is the power that can help us overthrow all injustice!"
"This is ancient magic!"
Thetis put away her fanatical expression, looked at Alan Ash sincerely, and said softly, "We goblins view you as an ally, so we won't hide anything from you."
This sentence inexplicably gave rise to a feeling in Alan Ash that a gentleman dies for one who understands him. Not because Thetis's rhetoric was so brilliant, but because Bode's methods before were too inferior.
"According to our ancestral records, the key to exploring the mysteries of ancient magic is a person like Audrey Astley. As long as we control Audrey Astley, we control ancient magic!"
Alan looked at the silver particles that were still changing scenes, his eyes dazed, murmuring to himself, "Ancient magic?"
"For power, for fairness, Alan Ash, are you willing to join us?"
[Background: Goblins helped the Keepers who used ancient magic to build secret vaults and sealed the power of ancient magic with goblin metal.
According to goblin values, whatever they forge is theirs, so they believe the power of that ancient magic is also theirs.
Goblins consider themselves a highly intelligent species and should coexist equally with wizards, but wizards don't see it that way. Thus, multiple goblin rebellions have occurred in history.
A hundred years ago, the goblin Ranrok planned an operation to seize the power of ancient magic, but was stopped by one who cannot be named—the protagonist of Hogwarts Legacy, a fierce person who turned Hogwarts: A History into Hogwarts: A History (Past Tense).]
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]