Hogwarts, the Wizarding Academy had, after decades of quiet growth, become one of the most respected magical institutions in the world.
Annual enrollment had stabilized at around one hundred students, bringing the total number of students across all years to roughly six or seven hundred. When professors, assistants, and staff were counted, the school population exceeded seven hundred.
Most new students were children born within the Wizarding Territory. A handful of Dúnedain were admitted each year, and an elven child appeared only once every few years.
The Dúnedain numbered only a few thousand, and their naturally long lifespans meant they often remained unmarried well into their eighties or nineties. As a result, they had very few children at any time.
Elves reproduced even more slowly. Their exceptionally long lives and slow maturation meant that only one or two elven children appeared every few years. Because of this, elven students at Hogwarts were rare and highly anticipated by both students and staff.
During the Sorting Ceremony, the arrival of an elven youth was always a highlight. Each house hoped desperately to claim them, especially since elves were naturally gifted in agility, balance, and heightened perception, qualities that made them exceptional Quidditch players.
Thus, whenever an elf was sorted, cheers erupted from the chosen house, while the other houses couldn't hide their disappointment.
Meanwhile, the territory governed by Sylas continued to expand steadily and peacefully.
The wizarding population had grown to nearly 30,000, amounting to roughly one-third of the total population.
Though ordinary folk and wizards lived without deliberate division, wizards tended to cluster naturally, forming magical villages and small towns. These were arranged like a constellation around Hogwarts:
Hogsmeade and Bree acted as major branches
Dozens of wizarding settlements stretched across the Eriador region
Even Isengard and the plains around the Gap of Rohan housed many wizard families and magical craftsmen
Because these communities spread across such a wide area, Sylas's domain now covered nearly all of Eriador.
Though Sylas had never formally declared himself king, the outside world already spoke of his lands as a kingdom, often calling it the Wizarding Kingdom.
Hogwarts Castle, where Sylas lived and governed, was regarded as the capital of this unofficial kingdom… and Sylas its undisputed, though uncrowned, ruler.
In terms of raw power, many considered Hogwarts stronger than Gondor, Rohan, the Dwarf Kingdom under the Mountain, and even the Woodland Realm.
This reputation came from three things: Sylas himself, a wizard whose power had long surpassed normal limits.
The dragons and thunderbirds under his command.
The thirty thousand wizards living throughout the territory
When Hogwarts sent only one hundred Aurors to the Far East, those hundred alone routed tens of thousands of Mordor's forces. None of the kingdoms of Men could comprehend what thirty thousand trained wizards could accomplish if ever united in war.
Even Mordor regarded Hogwarts with caution.
Its long silence was not only due to its secret preparations, but also because attacking Rohan or Gondor risked provoking Hogwarts.
Isengard, under Sylas's rule, bordered both Gondor and Rohan. A strike on either realm would draw an immediate response from Hogwarts.
Moreover, the Misty Mountains near Isengard housed the largest dragon farm in Middle-earth, tended by thousands of skilled dragon-keepers.
And scattered across the plains of Rohan lived more wizards from the Wildlands, ready to transform into formidable soldiers at a moment's notice.
In war, they could strike with overwhelming speed and power, a retaliation no enemy could endure.
As the ruler of these thirty thousand wizards, Sylas was widely known as the Wizard Supreme.
Had the title Wizard King not already belonged to the Witch-king of Angmar, the people of Middle-earth would undoubtedly have given that crown to Sylas without hesitation.
After Bilbo left the Shire and settled in Hogwarts Castle, he quickly fell in love with the school's atmosphere, the laughter of the students, the sight of young wizards soaring joyfully on broomsticks, and the warmth of the castle's halls. Eventually, he accepted Sylas' invitation to stay permanently as Hogwarts' caretaker.
This semester, the school was preparing for the Four House Tournament, essentially a grand magical tournament between the four Hogwarts houses. Students who were once excited for Quidditch had stopped complaining entirely; the scale of this competition made it far more thrilling than a Quidditch season.
To ensure fairness and participation, Sylas and the professors established a rule: each house would hold internal elimination duels to select one finalist.
When the preliminaries began, the entire castle erupted with excitement.
Younger students were, of course, eliminated almost immediately, but they bore no resentment. Instead, they quickly switched roles, becoming the loudest supporters of their seniors, waving house banners and chanting for victory.
While the tournament fever filled the air, Gandalf finally returned from the Shire, and he did not come alone.
Stepping out of the green Floo flames behind him were Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin.
Sylas raised an eyebrow. "Gandalf, what is this about?"
The wizard did not mince words.
"Sylas, Frodo has agreed."
Sylas froze in mild astonishment, then looked at Frodo with newfound seriousness.
He had not expected Gandalf to succeed this quickly. Becoming the Ringbearer was no honor, it was a burden, a mission of unimaginable danger. Frodo could have stayed in the Shire, living comfortably for the rest of his days on the wealth Bilbo left him.
Instead, he stood here.
Sylas stepped closer, meeting Frodo's eyes steadily.
"Frodo… are you absolutely certain?" he asked quietly.
"You understand what this path means. You may die on the road. The Ring will poison your mind and your spirit. Even if you succeed, the wounds it leaves will never heal. Are you still willing?"
Frodo felt the weight of Sylas' gaze, calm, piercing, almost frightening in its clarity. Part of him instinctively wanted to look away, but he forced himself to stand firm.
And then, with a resolve far stronger than his small frame suggested, he nodded.
"I'm sure."