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The shadows twisted and clawed beneath the moonlight as though the trees themselves were caught in the grip of an invisible force.
Perhaps the arrival of A Legendary wizard had finally freed Snape and Hermione from the looping world. Wizards of such power could tear through veils that ordinary magic could not touch.
Dumbledore led them deeper into the forest until they stopped before a towering bronze gate. The signs of battle left behind by Ian earlier remained untouched and unaltered by the strange resets that governed this place.
The power of a legendary wizard seemed to carry something beyond mortal comprehension, something that defied the world's attempts to erase it. Just as Albus Dumbledore's footprints had refused to fade, these traces endured.
The scene was one of utter ruin.
Ash swirled through the air, drifting through what had once been the heart of the Forbidden Forest. The towering trees and lush undergrowth were all gone.
The earth itself had been charred and split open, black and brittle like the aftermath of an ancient fire. Deep fissures crossed the ground, silent witnesses to the unimaginable destruction that had occurred here.
No birds sang. No insects stirred. Even the air hung still, thick with the echo of long-past violence. Only the scorched land remained, whispering of the battle's fury.
"There's still strong magical residue here," Snape said, his black cloak brushing over the burned earth. Perhaps he favoured black because it hid the stains of where he'd been.
"Indeed," Dumbledore murmured. 'Ian was here.'
From the patterns of the lingering energy, he could tell who had fought and what kind of power had been unleashed. Few could do such a thing, but Dumbledore was no ordinary wizard.
If Snape had possessed even a fraction of Ian's strength, perhaps he too might have sensed that distinct magical signature.
"Then where are Ian's companions?" Snape asked, his gaze sweeping over the devastation. There was no trace of any bodies, human or otherwise. Not even a hint of the monster's remains remained.
Yet the marks on the ground told their own story. Something enormous had passed this way.
"I think..." Dumbledore began, then fell silent. His eyes settled on a valley not far ahead. The valley itself had been split in two, as though cleaved apart by a single, perfect strike. In the centre stood the bronze gate.
It towered above the trees, its surface etched with ancient runes that pulsed faintly with light. A chaotic mist seeped from its seams, carrying with it a cold, alien energy that made the skin prickle.
"Did he go in there?" Snape asked quietly.
Hermione could only stare. She had seen countless magical devices in her studies, but never anything like this. The runes were too intricate and old; they were utterly beyond her understanding.
Yet that wasn't what unsettled her most. It was the sheer scale of it. The gate's immensity clawed at something deep inside her, something primal and instinctive. A shiver ran down her spine, evoking the irrational fear experienced by small creatures in the presence of something great.
It was natural, she supposed. Humans hadn't always been at the top of the food chain. The ancient fear of vast, looming shapes, the survival instinct of fragile creatures had never truly left them.
And wizards were no exception.
No one really knew where a wizard's power had first come from. Some said they were descended from humans and magical beasts, an ancient theory said to have originated among Indian wizarding clans.
"I believe," Dumbledore said softly, his eyes never leaving the gate, "that this is the source of the changes in the Forbidden Forest."
Even for him, there were mysteries beyond explanation.
Even the great Albus Dumbledore could not begin to understand the situation. Perhaps he could see a little further into the darkness than Ian ever could.
At least when it came to matters of ancient magic.
"You mean this is what trapped us here? That Ian went inside?" Snape's pupils contracted slightly and his voice was low and tense. 'What in Merlin's name is going on?'
'He's not here,' Dumbledore replied. 'Which means either he left… or he went in. And I suspect the latter.' His eyes lingered on the massive bronze door. A flicker of thought passed through his blue gaze. 'We seem to have been drawn into a space warped by the magic of this artefact.'
"Warped space?" Hermione frowned, trying to follow his meaning. "You mean… like we're inside some kind of illusion?"
"Not exactly," Dumbledore said quietly. "This isn't illusion; it's reality itself, folded and rewritten."
His tone was calm, but his words held great gravity. Of all people, he understood what such power implied, and he had a fair idea of why the Forbidden Forest had become so unnatural.
Snape's expression hardened. "Something like this shouldn't exist here, Albus. You can't tell me you haven't sensed it, someone placed that thing in the Forbidden Forest."
His glare fixed on the colossal gate. The idea of anyone moving such a structure undetected was hard to believe. Even with concealment charms, the magical surge should have been impossible to miss.
Dumbledore didn't deny it. "I think it's been here far longer than any of us have known, perhaps even before Hogwarts itself. The Forbidden Forest holds more secrets than any of us realise. It's possible the Founders didn't understand them all."
This was a bold and almost heretical statement coming from the Headmaster of Hogwarts, but Dumbledore rarely spoke without reason.
"What are you suggesting?" Snape asked, narrowing his eyes.
Knowing this was no time to interrupt, Hermione stayed silent, but leaned in slightly, eager to hear more. Mysteries of this kind were her weakness, and with Dumbledore present, her earlier fear had disappeared.
"The Founders didn't create this place," Dumbledore continued softly. "They found it. The Forbidden Forest existed long before Hogwarts. From what I've uncovered, the Founders discovered it because…"
He stopped.
The chaotic mist on the bronze gate suddenly surged, rising like a living storm.
All three reacted instantly: Snape and Dumbledore snapped their wands into position, while Hermione stumbled back a step before hastily doing the same. She doubted her spellwork would be much help against whatever was coming, but at least she wouldn't be standing idle.
A thunderous roar rolled through the forest as the mist inside the gate churned; it was white and thick, like boiling milk.
"It looks… alive," Hermione whispered, rubbing her eyes as shapes began to move within the swirling vapor.
Dumbledore and Snape stood perfectly still, their eyes fixed on the gate.
The silhouettes inside became clearer, revealing robed figures shifting within the haze. Some were hunched and shrouded, while others were tall and upright, gazing outward as if aware of the observers beyond the veil. Faint outlines of children flickered in and out, their small forms darting through the mist before vanishing.
Their faces were hidden; only the faintest traces of humanity remained, blurred and shifting as though caught between worlds.
"A Time–Space Gate?" Snape muttered incredulously.
"No…" Dumbledore's voice was quiet, but his certainty left no room for doubt.
He had spent months studying the nature of time and space, delving into magics that most wizards were afraid even to name. Whatever this was, it didn't follow those laws. A rare unease crept into his expression, and Snape saw it.
But Dumbledore said nothing more.
(To Be Continued…)