harry potter book of crimes

The fierce wind was still howling, carrying snowflakes flying in the air. On the shore of this silver-covered lake, it was hard to tell where was the solid land and where was the frozen lake surface.

The sky was getting darker and darker under the thick clouds that rolled like roaring war horses. Even though it was almost eight o'clock in the morning, it still felt like dawn.

The constantly roaring heaven and earth could not help but bring a heavier atmosphere to this funeral.

By the lake, right in front of Maka, hundreds of chairs were densely arranged. At this time, all the wizards, regardless of gender, old or young, stood quietly and spontaneously walked towards the old man with his eyes closed.

The gift of attention.

And among those neatly arranged chairs, a straight aisle went straight in front of Maka, extending to the edge of the thick ice-covered lake. It was at the end of the aisle, a white marble table stood quietly.

Put it there.

Maka held the staff in her hand and used magic to steadily hold Dumbledore's body forward step by step. His expression was solemn and serious, as if every step he took was carefully measured and rigorous.

As he moved forward, the snow under his feet gently moved away to both sides, revealing the withered yellow grass, as if to ensure that he kept his feet on the ground every time.

On the way, Maka met many people. Some of them he had just met recently, while others were already known to each other. Of course, there were also many whom he could not name even now.

The wizards who came to attend the funeral were a mixed bag, and they included everyone. From those dressed in luxurious and meticulous clothes to those in ragged clothes and with thin faces, they were all tall, short, fat and thin.

Madame Maxime and Hagrid, two giant hybrids, are the most eye-catching wizards today. One after another, they stand out from the crowd, and they appear to have a strong presence because of their height.

But obviously, the two of them are not the tallest today, because Graup is also here.

This underdeveloped giant cannot always be hidden in the Forbidden Forest, otherwise sooner or later he will cause trouble because of his race. Take advantage of today's opportunity to bring him out and show him in front of the public.

After a while, what is bound to happen actually happens, and his performance may vindicate himself.

Under Hagrid's tireless teachings and Maka's intimidation, he has learned many simple and easy-to-understand principles. It seems that compared to being a giant being ravaged and bullied by his own race, he is probably more comfortable living in a group of wizards.

More appropriate.

In addition to these three extremely high-profile guys, Maka also caught a glimpse of Tom, the hunchback owner of the Leaky Cauldron, Old Ern, the driver of the Knight Bus, Mrs. Prim Pennier of the Diagon Alley Beauty Potion Shop, and

The wand maker Mr. Ollivander and a series of familiar wizards and witches.

He had only met many people a few times, but they made him miss them especially.

In addition, all the ghosts in the castle also came out. Their physical appearance was almost invisible in the violent snowstorm, but Maka could feel their presence.

Of course, Aberforth didn't come today, and neither did most of the members of the Order of the Phoenix. Although they are not here right now, Maka believes that at this moment they should also be volunteering for Dumbledore's funeral.

A moment of silence.

The aisle between the seats was only a few steps away, but Maka seemed to have walked for a long time. When he waved the strange staff and placed Dumbledore's body gently on the white marble table, the body that originally fell on it

The snow on the table also slid down from the edge of the table.

Even if an open-air funeral is held in a snowstorm, the severe weather will not affect the solemnity of the ceremony. This is because this is a grand funeral for the greatest white wizard of our time.

After Maka temporarily placed the body, he retreated to the aisle and stood level with the first row of seats. Most of the wizards in this row were the ones who had the deepest friendship with Dumbledore. Even if they were not, they were the ones in the world.

They all have a pivotal position in the magical world.

Just as Maka stood still for a moment, a huge shadow suddenly appeared under the ice on the lake. Although the ice was extremely thick, the shadow was so big that even the frozen white frost could not

conceal its appearance.

In the blink of an eye, the ice surface suddenly cracked and opened several cracks, and then arched upward with a loud cracking sound, and a huge thing emerged from the lake.

There was a commotion among the wizards, but then Professor McGonagall turned around and signaled that everyone should not panic. At the same time, Maka lightly tapped the staff in her hand, and the waves and ice cubes were about to rush forward.

They were all blocked by an invisible force, and fell back into the lake with gravity.

Poking out from the bottom of the lake is the giant squid that has been living here. Apart from its terrifying size, it actually does not pose much danger.

Soon, most of the wizards calmed down, and at the same time, a melodious and sad song slowly sounded from the water under the lake.

Those are the songs of mermaids, which are different from human beings in their vocal range and vocalization methods. Their songs have always been famous for being beautiful and moving. However, the sounds must be made in the water in order for people to hear the mysterious melody.

Now, even they are singing sad songs for the passing of Dumbledore, looking forward to using that sad and hopeful song to say their final farewell to Dumbledore who has embarked on a new journey.

It is said that Dumbledore knew the language of mermaids, so it seems that may be true.

Probably because this sad yet warm mermaid song touched the most fragile heartstrings, Hagrid, who was standing at the end, began to sob again.

Based on his relationship with Dumbledore, he should have stood in the front, but today he sat in the last row with Grawp. However, it was unclear whether he was taking care of Grawp or Grawp.

Taking care of him, at least for the moment, his brother's huge hand was clumsily patting his head.

Even though Grawp was already light enough, Hagrid was still knocked down on the chair by him, and even the four stool legs sank deeply into the snow.

It seemed like a long time passed, or it seemed like a short while later, the mermaid's song gradually became softer and gradually dissipated in the fierce snowstorm. The giant squid sank again, and the waves it stirred up again

He was blocked by Maka, lest the turbulent lake water wanted to wash ashore again.

At this time, Mr. Akinbad, the incoming president of the International Federation of Wizards, took a step forward and read the eulogy he had prepared line by line.

The eulogy praises Dumbledore's noble spirit and outstanding achievements, the major experiences and glorious achievements in Dumbledore's life, and all the peace and hope that Dumbledore created for the entire magical world.

But apart from that, Maka actually wanted to hear some praise for Dumbledore's ordinary things, like how he always complained that he didn't have much time to relax, or how he occasionally went to watch Quidditch matches.

Because every great person always has a lot of unspeakable regrets behind him. I believe in Dumbledore himself, and I hope more people know that he is also an ordinary old man sometimes.

While the eulogy was being recited, the mermaids under the lake also floated up with a splash. The centaurs in the distance who were about to move out of the Forbidden Forest in the near future also looked sideways in mourning in the shadow of the trees. Even the owls in the shacks

They also rushed into the snow curtain in large areas.

After the eulogy was finished and the lingering sound had not been blown away by the strong wind, Maka waved her staff again.

Suddenly, a wide piece of purple velvet cloth was summoned out of thin air by him, flew steadily towards Dumbledore's body in the wind and snow, and gently fell on his body as if it was not affected by the strong wind at all.

The next moment, the regular runes on the top of Maka's staff suddenly appeared. Almost at the same time, an icy blue stream of light lightly wrapped around Dumbledore's body and swirled around the white marble table.

Dazzling brilliance enveloped the stone platform, and ice crystals climbed and condensed from bottom to top, connecting Dumbledore, the stone table and the earth, as if they had become a whole.

Not long after, when the light quietly dissipated, a transparent ice coffin with a hint of blue appeared in front of everyone. The ice coffin did not have any cold air, it was as clear as crystal and as hard as diamond.

This ice coffin tomb cannot be broken without a power of the same level as the power of the first-level rules.

It was at the moment when the coffin was first formed that countless arrow feathers rose high from the edge of the Forbidden Forest and fell to the ground not far away. It was the centaurs paying their respects to the end of the funeral. At about the same time, the mermaids

It also slowly sank to the bottom of the lake and gradually disappeared.

Although most of the wizards present were surprised by Maka's wonderful magic, they also knew the importance of this funeral. They did not make too much of a fuss, but took this scene deeply into their hearts, and then leaned towards the ice coffin.

Salute.

Maka also bowed with them, feeling a rare emptiness in her heart.

However, what filled the emptiness in his heart was the large "black meteor" in the distant sky. And appearing together with them were several huge dark marks.

The skull formed from the black mist had a snake body sticking out of its mouth, and its empty eyes stared directly at the funeral scene.

Maka suddenly raised her head and looked at the sky with squinted eyes.

"...I thought it would come earlier!" He said to himself calmly.

"Maka," Professor McGonagall said immediately, "I will ask other professors to put up the protective barrier immediately, and everything will go according to plan."

Maka nodded, and then glanced around again.

The appearance of Voldemort made many wizards present feel uneasy. Maybe some people could guess a little bit, but most people didn't think of this at all.

The battle between Hogwarts and Voldemort was mostly carried out in public. Even if it appeared in public a few times, it was only for a short time.

Ordinary wizards will always be frightened by the arrival of the Dark Lord, and both Maka and Maga know this very well.

The wind and snow became more violent.