Volume 4: The Sea and the Ship Heading North Chapter 279 The Last Point
The Arctic is not like Antarctica, where there is a continent covered with ice and snow at the pole.
The closer you get to the 90-degree pole, the more ocean there is.
But that was only in the summer months of August and September. In January, with temperatures ranging from -20 to -40 degrees Celsius every day, most of the Arctic Ocean was frozen, turning into a huge glacier "continent".
In this frozen ocean, there are some glaciers that show no signs of melting in any season, especially in the area close to the pole.
Rodolphus is located on such a huge glacier.
He was wearing a thick fur coat and a bearskin hat on his head. His face no longer had the arrogance and wildness of the past, but instead looked haggard and pale.
The wet and salty cold wind carried the ice and snow across the ice field, and broken pieces of ice constantly hit his fur coat and face, covering his bearded face with a layer of cold frost.
"Boss... How long do we have to stay here?" A Death Eater opposite him, who had his arms and legs tucked into his thick robes, asked with trembling teeth, "My wife gave birth to the baby in December, and I haven't had time to go back to see if it's my child."
Rodolphus's face was full of indifference. He pointed his wand at the increasingly weak flame in front of him. After the tiny flame suddenly swelled, he answered in a hoarse and emotionless voice.
"When the master feels that it is completely meaningless to stay here."
After the bonfire was well lit, the Death Eater, who had barely stopped shivering, could not help but continue asking.
"Then when will the master feel that this place is meaningless?"
Rodolphus raised his face, which seemed to have been numbed by the wind and snow, and looked at him with his scary empty eyes.
"If you think you really need the answer, I can help you contact the owner. How about you ask him in person?"
Looking into those eyes, the Death Eater didn't know why his warmed-up body shivered again. He quickly shook his head and said.
"No, that's okay, boss. I shouldn't ask too many questions..."
On this cold glacier, silence has returned once again, with only the howling wind and snow covering up all traces here.
Suddenly, a head emerged from under the ice not far from Rodolphus and his companions.
He flew out of a huge cave on his broomstick, shouting loudly to Rodolphus.
"We found a strange blue gem! Head! You better come and see it! It's embedded in the ice!"
…
More than a month has passed since the students of Hogwarts arrived at Durmstrang.
During this period, the students of Hogwarts have basically become accustomed to studying and living in this castle.
Professors at Durmstrang treated everyone equally. Even when they were given individual classes, they did not differentiate between them and the school's own students. Even if some teachers did not speak English, they tried their best to let them take all the courses.
Including the Muggle Studies class taught by a real Muggle, and Durmstrang's own unique "Martial Arts Magic" class.
Many Hogwarts students have come into contact with the Muggle professor.
The teacher was very enthusiastic, especially knowing that most of the students at Hogwarts came from pure Muggle families, so they had a lot in common.
In their mutual yearning, they learned the professor's name - "Derrick Smith", a British man who was originally an assistant professor at the University of Munich in Germany.
Many Hogwarts students were curious about why he came to teach at a magic school like Durmstrang , but Professor Smith always hesitated about this question and never gave a direct answer.
He just said perfunctorily that President Bagshot had invited him from the University of Munich with sincerity and paid him a high salary.
He was only in his thirties, and his parents were still alive. But according to him, his family still didn't know that he had changed his job to become a professor at a magic school, and they thought he was still teaching Muggle knowledge at the University of Munich.
However, from the words of the Hogwarts students, they did not feel that the Muggle professor was dissatisfied with his job. Instead, he was full of gratitude to Grindelwald, and at the same time, he felt regretful and sorry that he could not learn and use magic.
As for "Martial Arts Magic", most of them are actually poisonous curses or evil curses that are considered forbidden spells in Hogwarts.
These can actually be called black magic. As a major category of magic, black magic broadly includes all spells with the intention of hurting people.
Among them, they can be divided into three major categories according to their severity: "evil curses, poisonous curses, and curses."
The three Unforgivable Curses, namely the Killing Curse, the Cruciatus Curse and the Imperius Curse, belong to the category of the most dangerous and evil "curses". The three effects of the Unforgivable Curses have also become the most prominent representatives of "curses" - they can cause extreme pain, complete control, and even death to the targets of the spell.
Therefore, the blasting spell and monster spell commonly used in wizard duels, as well as the shadowless spell that John learned later, also fall into the category of "curse".
The effects of the second-rate "poison spells" are much worse than those of "curses". These can be learned in the lower and middle grades of general magic schools. Magic such as "burning fire", "sticks stuck in front teeth", and bat curses that can cause harm to the human body or cause fatal injuries are all "poison spells".
"Bad curses" are the lowest level. The Obstacle Spells and Repulsive Spells that Hogwarts students learn in their first year Defense Against the Dark Arts class, which can affect people but not destroy them, all fall into the category of "bad curses".
Therefore, not all black magic is illegal. "Evil curses", "poison spells" and even many "curses" are legal black magic, and even in Hogwarts classes there are related teachings.
But the reason why Durmstrang has always had a rather dark reputation in the outside world is because the courses he taught on "Martial Arts Magic" had obvious borderline behaviors. Some dark magics that are prohibited for wizards to learn under British magical laws are also taught here, but these magics are not banned by the Ministry of Magic in Northern Europe.
Except for a small number of people like Neville who were a little worried, other students had no resistance to learning these magics and were very active in class.
As for Jon, during this period, he no longer attended classes in the classroom with Hermione and other third-year students.
They could only see Jon a few times during meals, and during these times, although Jon had not changed in appearance or communication, he gave people the feeling that he was a little different from before.
This difference is hard to describe, and it seems more like a difference in temperament and mentality.
Moreover, after March, Jon appeared in front of them less and less frequently. There were many times when Hermione and the others didn't know whether Jon was still in Durmstrang Castle.
That afternoon, while the students of Hogwarts were in class, Jon was also in a unique "classroom".
In the suburbs of Paris, Grindelwald, who was much younger than he is now, stood alone in the middle of the stepped stands, black flames waving and floating around him (note). With his hands behind his back, he looked at the young man standing on the steps with burning eyes and asked in a sarcastic tone.
"Scamander, do you think Dumbledore will mourn for you?"
The black flames suddenly surged up! In all directions, it was like a rising wall of fire, covering everything around!
The wizards around the stands felt the deadly threat and kept retreating. Among these people, only two people were out of tune with the current wizards.
John and Grindelwald had no intention of moving. The high temperature that had already baked and distorted the air seemed to have no effect on them at all. The people fleeing around them also had no way of seeing them.
Flames raged around young Grindelwald, and he looked disgusted, but his voice was extremely clear and calm.
“I hate Paris.”
"boom!"
The wall of fire exploded, and the scene was almost exactly the same as the method he used to rescue John on the sea before, except that in this memory, the power was even more unmatched .
The raging black flames had enveloped John and Grindelwald, who were closest to them. The towering fire rushed into the sky and transformed into giant dragons and winged monsters in the sky, like ferocious beasts, intending to wreak havoc on the nearby city.
"Wizards are idealistic creatures from the beginning to the end." Grindelwald beside Jon said lightly, "The more intense, clearer, and stronger your inner emotions are, the stronger the magic you use will be."
"At this moment, I am just like what . I am extremely fed up with the city of Paris. Therefore, my anger can be expressed by a magic that best fits it: fire. Fire shield is a very useful magic. Not only does it have an infinite diffusion space, but it can also accurately distinguish between enemies and friends. It will only attack enemies that disagree with my ideas. Most importantly, it is the most intuitive form of expression of anger and disgust, and it can also maximize this emotion of human beings."
Jon was listening very carefully, but he couldn't help but feel doubtful.
Are you sure that your anger and disgust are simply directed at Paris? Then what did you mean by what you said to the young man named Scamander?
Of course, he only dared to think this in his heart, and he certainly didn't dare to say it out loud.
Just as the black flames began to spread towards the defense line of the city of Paris and countless orange-red flames suddenly lit up around it, Grindelwald's memory came to an abrupt end.
They withdrew from the Pensieve, but Grindelwald's teaching was far from over.
"Those who only know how to use the Killing Curse in a wizard duel are basically brainless idiots."
I don't know if he was making a sarcastic remark about someone or just saying it casually.
"People's emotions are diverse, and so are magic. The Death Curse is indeed the most direct and simplest form of negative emotion expression, but it does not mean that it is an omnipotent spell that can be used in any situation."
"You can specialize in a certain type of magic, but you can't limit your learning to that. The more magic you can learn to use, the more ways you will have to deal with various situations when you encounter them."
Jon's face showed anticipation.
"Can I learn your fire shield self-defense move?"
Grindelwald said nonchalantly.
"Don't think that's the power of the magic itself. You must have seen the basic magic of this spell elsewhere - Fiendfyre."
Jon blinked. He did know Fiendfyre and the horror of this dark magic. There were records about Fiendfyre in the forbidden books in the gem of his ring.
But it can be clearly seen that the Fire Shield used by Fiendfyre and Grindelwald are two completely different spells. Not only are the forms of magic different, but most importantly, the Fire Shield is controllable, while something like Fiendfyre can even burn its owner to death after being summoned.
"Fire Shield... is it a variant of Fiendfyre?"
"You can think of them as the relationship between Iron Armor and Universal Protection. However, I have changed these two spells to a greater extent, and even changed their essence. But you should still be able to see their similarities."
Grindelwald tapped the tabletop and looked at Jon.
"Of course I can teach you, but Jon, it's time for you to do the second thing I asked you to do."
John, who had become excited after hearing Grindelwald's affirmative words, looked at Grindelwald in confusion.
"What do you want me to do?"
Grindelwald leaned back in his chair and looked at Jon with an inexplicable expression on his face.
"Continue the journey Albus gave you, heading towards the North Pole to find the point where Voldemort left his last thing."
Jon looked at Grindelwald in astonishment, and it took him a while to come back to his senses.
"Didn't you say there was nothing of value there?"
"For the rest of us, there really is nothing worth going there, but it seems a little different for you."
Rarely, this time he did not state it in an affirmative tone.
"But I won't force you to do it this time. You have the right to choose whether to go or not. Of course, even if you decide to go, your classmates will definitely not go on the ship with you. In order to ensure their safety, they will continue to stay in Durmstrang."
Jon only thought for a few seconds and he could figure out why Grindelwald would say such a thing for no reason.
"Sir, you mean to say that the last place in the Arctic may not be important to the Dark Lord, but it can provide some help to me personally?"
Grindelwald didn't say anything else, he just spoke calmly.
"Albus should have mentioned to you that I always see things that others can't see."
