Volume 4: The Sea and the Ship Heading North Chapter 208 The Tower Connecting the Sky and the Sea
The Hogwarts sailed on the Norwegian Sea for another week.
There is less than a week left until Christmas, and the temperature has dropped significantly again.
In recent days, in addition to fishing, students have found a new pastime at night - sitting on the deck and watching the moon.
The closer they get to the North Pole, the larger the moon appears than it would at normal latitudes.
And the starry sky is also very bright, the whole sky looks like it has been washed by water, which is very ornamental.
The preparations that Jon made a week ago were now familiar to everyone. He always wore the face of a bearded wizard, and his students either called him Professor Johnson or Captain Johnson with a smile.
On Thursday evening of this week, students who were looking for a spot on the deck to watch the stars tonight suddenly saw a building that appeared in front of them, like a pillar, standing on the sea surface with its top hidden in the clouds!
That's a tower.
A tall tower that is not on land but stands directly in the sea!
The students had never seen such a tall building. It was like a long pillar connecting the sky and the sea.
Someone hurriedly called Jon over, and when Jon saw the tall tower, he was also shocked.
It really is too high.
This tower is obviously the target of John and his team's current stop, and the Hogwarts is sailing straight towards it.
Jon narrowed his eyes, pulled out his wand and felt his surroundings.
It was obvious that a powerful Muggle-repelling spell had been cast here, and the tower had also been cast with a camouflage magic similar to that of Hogwarts Castle. In the eyes of people with magical powers, it would appear to be in its original form, but in the eyes of ordinary Muggles, it would appear to be something else or not exist at all.
As the ship got closer to the tower, the speed of the Hogwarts ship slowed down noticeably.
The surrounding seas also showed significant differences from other places. From time to time, a long and thick body would appear around the ship, causing the students to exclaim in surprise.
It is a kind of sea snake classified as a xxx-level magical animal by the wizarding world. Its body can reach more than one hundred feet in length, which is several times larger than a basilisk. It has a head like a horse, but a very docile personality. It has never hurt anyone, but its brutal behavior has been fantastically recorded in some Muggle stories.
There were obviously more magical animals here. In the distance, Jon could even vaguely hear a long and ethereal singing. It was the mermaids singing.
After carefully observing all these phenomena, Jon did not stop and called all the students together.
"Nick will stay on the ship this time to take charge of all the students. Fred and George, you two will also stay on the ship. Neville, Ron, Hermione, Lee, Luna, the five of you will come with me off the ship. Remember what I told you before, be deliberately unfamiliar when speaking English. Ron, just pronounce normally, after all, you are pretending to be Dutch. Change the color of your hair, red is too eye-catching."
These candidates and plans had already been determined in advance.
Of course, the prerequisite for using these preparations is that the owner of the tower is willing to receive them with a friendly attitude, otherwise they can only find other ways.
The sky gradually became darker and darker, and at this time the Hogwarts had docked on the side of the tower.
On the deck, Jon and his friends could see a small platform less than one meter from the sea surface. In front of the platform was a rotten, old wooden door. On the top of the door frame, there was a kerosene lamp swaying in the cold sea breeze.
Jon looked at the others and didn't say much. He just nodded slightly, and then he was the first to go to the door of the tower through the gangplank on the boat.
After he arrived at the door, the kerosene lamp above his head suddenly stopped shaking, and Jon could clearly feel that someone was looking at him from the kerosene lamp.
"I almost forgot how long I haven't been waiting for anyone here." A brisk and warm voice came from the kerosene lamp, "Hello, guest, are you here to visit Sir Stock?"
John was not surprised that a kerosene lamp could speak. There were many ways in the magical world to give consciousness to inanimate objects. Portraits were the most commonly used. There were also countless furniture that would obey their owners' orders. A lamp that welcomed guests was not uncommon.
However, the attitude shown by the lamp made Jon feel a little relieved. The created creature was quite gentle in its attitude towards visitors, which proved that the owner of the tower, Mr. Stock, who was called Sir, should not be difficult to get along with.
"Yes, could you please inform me? I am the Transfiguration Professor of Durmstrang School - Jeremy Johnson. I discovered this tower while on a school trip with my students, so I want to take my students to visit the owner of this place."
"Professor, and students!" Kerosene Lamp said in a high voice, "Cool! I think Sir Stocker will be happy to entertain you!"
Then it seemed to take a deep breath and suddenly shouted.
"Rabil! Open the door! Rabil!"
The sound was so loud that it was still loud even in the roaring sea and rolling waves.
Its call was soon responded to. The wooden door in front of Jon was opened from the inside. An old house-elf looked at Jon vigilantly, then looked up at the kerosene lamp.
Jon keenly noticed that the moment he opened the door, a small black shadow flashed past the crack in the door.
"This is the professor of the magic school. He and his students are traveling, and when they come to the nearby area, they want to visit Sir Stoker!"
The kerosene lamp said happily.
The house-elf named Rabill looked at the Hogwarts behind Jon. On the deck, the students were also looking at them curiously.
"The host does not object to visits from strangers."
Rabir's voice was a little sharp, but his tone was still calm.
"But he doesn't like noise, and there are too many of you. We can't entertain you all."
A smile appeared on Jon's face. He had never thought of letting all the students enter this tower, which he didn't even know whether it was safe or not.
"Oh, of course. Don't worry, we won't cause any trouble to the lord. I will bring five of my best students to visit you. After all, we are bringing them out to see the world. Meeting a master who lives in seclusion in the sea will naturally broaden their horizons."
