Return to Hogwarts. A new encounter

Hogwarts. The great, haphazardly built castle, with its many turrets and battlements, greeted Harry with silence and desolation. No portraits whispered, no fires crackled in the chimneys, no torches blazed in the corridors. The walls were damp from the constant flooding of the dungeons and there was barely enough heat to dry the upper floors. Dampness, despondency and despair were palpable in the castle. The students did not walk the corridors or climb the stairs. There was only enough energy to get to the Great Hall, from there to their lessons and back to their faculty rooms. Sorcery was out of the question. The castle was sinking into a depression.

Potter looked at the school with great wistfulness.

"This is where he and Hermione and Ron liked to spend time between classes... In this alcove by the statue of the One-Eyed Witch was the secret passage to the Sweet Kingdom... The clumsy stairs leading to Professor Trelawney's study... And here is the entrance to the Gryffindor sitting room..."

Harry paused. Instead of the familiar portrait of the Full Lady, there was an archway in the wall with a heavy door. Harry grabbed the handle and pulled it towards him. The flap of the door gave way easily: there was no locking spell. The room looked grim: damp curtains, frayed furniture, a barely lit fireplace. A small handful of students huddled tiredly against the flames for warmth. Not a single familiar face. Everyone he knew had graduated from Hogwarts eight years ago. His heart clenched.

Potter decided to make contact:

- Hello, everyone. My name is Harry Potter. Have any of you noticed when it gets harder to conjure?

- Harry Potter, everyone - it's Potter!

- Can you answer that? - Harry continued impatiently. Then, seeing the students warming themselves against the smoldering embers, he waved his hand and the fire in the fireplace roared, spitting sparks, and the students moved quickly away. Warm air drifted along the walls, drying the curtains and upholstery.

The little girl shivered in her shawl, but found the strength to step forward:

- I have noticed. I am Ellara Simon. We had a fight with the Slytherins. And right after that, the spells Professor Flitwick gave us for our homework didn't work.

- I mean, after the fight and the trial...

- I'm Colin Adairi. About five years ago, after an argument with a friend, I couldn't open the door to the living room,' an older student interrupted. - That's right! The fat lady couldn't take the password, so I stood around for an hour waiting for someone to come. And then the painting was taken down and only the door was left.

- Hmm... interesting how that works. Thanks, guys.

With a flick of the hem of his cloak, Potter left the Gryffindor living room and headed for the Headmaster's office. On the way, he bumped into Ron and Hermione.

- Who have we got here? Could it be Harry Potter himself? - The sixth Weasley's voice was as venomous as Malfoy's had once been. - You want to help the wretched? I don't think you belong here. We can manage on our own.

Hermione elbowed the boy lightly in the side:

- "Ron, don't overdo it. Harry may be the only one who can help us. Harry, listen...

Potter gave his 'friends' a disdainful look and silently walked past them, ignoring Granger's shouting. Once up in the Headmaster's Tower, Harry looked around the office. Not a single instrument made a sound. The Phoenix never moved, its head hidden beneath the firewing. The Headmaster, on the other hand, jumped up as if pierced by a needle:

- Hello, my boy! You came after all.

Potter replied, wincing like a sour lemon:

- 'Headmaster, I'm not a boy anymore, and I'm certainly not yours. Stop addressing me like that, or there will be no cooperation.

With a snap of his fingers, the boy transformed the stiff chair into a handsome chair with gilded armrests. Making himself comfortable in the chair, Harry began:

- I don't want to make fun of you, Headmaster, but it's quite simple. You have signed the castle's own death warrant with your own negativity. You've no doubt noticed that whenever you get into a fight, or worse, a quarrel, magic slips through your fingers like sand. Well - the cause of the loss of magic is numerous negative phenomena, faculty squabbles, lack of hope and joy among the students. Let's see what we can do. For my part, I promise to install some artefacts to collect this energy and convert it into positive radiations. I think one in each faculty lounge and one in the teachers' lounge will suffice. The professors are adult magicians to control their emotions, so the private rooms will remain as they are.

- I think that makes sense," the Headmaster said, visibly relaxed, "and I'll recommend that we keep the lessons light and the inter-faculty squabbles under control if at all possible. Harry, when can you bring in the artefacts?

- It'll be ready in a week. But I need my own room and a place for my dragon.

- Harry, you do realise that only teachers and support staff can live in the castle, don't you?

- Headmaster, why don't you create a new position called 'Hogwarts Curse Breaker' and calm down? A room for me, please, on the first floor, with a view of the lake.

- But why the lake view? We have a great apartment on the eighth floor...

- My dragon is used to spending time on the water. It makes sense for me to be able to see where he is.

- Um... what about the students? They can spend time by the water too, can't they?

- Headmaster Dumbledore, I don't care what you do. And tell the students that if the dragon shows me who approached him and what they did, I won't be responsible for the consequences. I suppose with the magic gone, the students don't need to touch the dragon as it is.

- All right, my ma... Harry. I'll take care of this.

As soon as Potter left, the Headmaster immediately sent Patronus to all the Orders to discuss what to do next and how to do it.

****

On the outskirts of Little Hengleton, in the manor house near the graveyard where the Reddles were buried, the Dark Lord had an extraordinary meeting. Snape, strangely enough, had managed to apparate immediately after Potter's visit and was now bringing important information to his master.

- My Lord, I have found out what is going on at Hogwarts," the Potter began without preamble.

- Speak, C-Severus! - Voldemort ordered them to sit down. The Uppivans took their seats.

- Potter visited the castle today with his dragons, and it was found that the negativity and despair of the students and teachers was undermining the ancient defences of Hogwarts, destroying it. Incidentally, Potter is stronger now and has full command of the dragons. I've personally seen him wield a Chinese fireball. It's like communication between brothers: they understand each other with half a word, with half a glance. And the Hebridean Black Dragon was just surveying the area, seemingly guarding the boy. And it seems that Potter has refused all the Headmaster's offers and will not be a pawn in his game...

- That's good news," the Lord leaned back in his chair, "if we can eliminate Potter, the power will go to me, because I used his croft to break through the protection of the filthy dragon girl, his mother. And dragons are the perfect helpers in the devastation I bring to the magical world. S-Severus, I order you to gain Potter's trust... We could use an ally like that!

- Yes, my Lord!

- D-Dismissed, all!

Everyone dispersed, glad the Lord had enjoyed today's reports. Severus slipped out of Voldemort's chambers, hoping very much that Potter would be able to kill a madman obsessed with power.

****

The portal flashed blue and through it Harry stepped out onto the shore of the Black Lake, to his dragons. It was his third day at Hogwarts, inventing artefacts that could store and return positive energy. So far, the young wizard had come up with nothing. He sat comfortably in Junshen's rings as he made eye contact and showed him a castle with black clubs curled into rings just above the faculty towers. Potter frowned cautiously.

- Unsheen, is that how you see it?

The dragon snorted in agreement.

- But that means the Dark Artefacts have already been laid! We must consult Sirius immediately! He's our expert on dark magic. You stay here with Ingvar. I'll be right there.

With that, he took the Portal Stone from his pocket, waved his arms over it and disappeared in a flash of blue fire. A moment later, Potter was already in the living room of the Potter house. Black was lounging on the sofa and Charlie was sitting in a nearby chair. They were both sipping excellent flaming whiskey and talking about something.

- Sirius! Tell me, what does it mean when you see rings of black smoke over a certain place?

- Hello, Harry! - Both men turned towards the newcomer.

- No time for greetings! - Potter cut him off. - Answer me, Sirius. A puff of black smoke in the shape of an uneven ring.

- It's a stone. The Black Opal of Discord. An extremely rare and dangerous artefact. One such stone can drain the magic from an entire clan estate. Where have you seen such a thing?

- There are six rings over Hogwarts! How do you get rid of them?

Charlie stared back and forth between Black and Potter, silent as if he hadn't commented on what he'd heard. He was tempted to go to the dragons, but they couldn't stand the alcoholic fumes they gave off. So he sat there, not knowing where to go.

Black led Harry into the study, where he began to explain on a piece of parchment how and what to do.