Part 43

 When Garrett returned, Sebastian was nowhere to be found. He called for him and searched the nearby area, using Revelio spells, but Sebastian seemed to have vanished into thin air. On the spot where he had stood, there was a box with a chocolate frog. Garrett picked it up and inspected the area again, but found no traces of Sebastian. After waiting for him for another hour, Garrett realized that waiting any longer was futile, and he returned to Hogwarts alone. He used the Floo Network to appear in his aunt's private office.

 "You were supposed to come tomorrow, weren't you?" Professor Weasley was surprised to see her nephew, who looked disheveled and upset.

 "Auntie, we have a problem," Garrett said with his head down, fidgeting with his wand.

 "With us? What problems? Where is Mr. Omill?" She took off her glasses and placed them on the table, then approached him.

 Sebastian and I intended for him to come with us, but he was firmly against it. He even attacked us, then left, and I have no idea where he is," Garrett hurriedly explained.

 "Attacked you? Our Hogwarts hero?" Elena Chertpolokh, addressing Professor Weasley by her first name, came into the office.

 "Elena? I thought you were coming tomorrow?" Weasley put her glasses back on and looked at her with confusion.

 "Matilda, please. I wanted to check on you today as an old colleague, but it seems you have a bit of a situation here," she approached Weasley Junior and examined him.

 "No problem, I assure you. Garrett, go to your room, and we'll talk tomorrow," she began escorting him out of the office when Garrett hesitated and turned to glance at Elena, having an uneasy feeling. She just smiled back at him, and Garrett looked at his aunt before leaving the office.

 "Don't worry too much; I just came here as your friend," Elena said in a calm voice.

 "I don't think so," Weasley turned around and gave her a skeptical look.

 "Strange things have started happening at Hogwarts," Elena began. "It all began with the death of Miriam, then her friend George Osric died shortly after, and finally, her husband Eleazar Fig. Am I the only one who sees a connection among these events? The goblin rebellion is involved somehow. It's all interconnected!" Elena's eyes sparkled with excitement at the mystery she was determined to solve.

 "Only the late Professor Fig is connected with the goblin uprising. The rest is just a coincidence," Weasley disagreed with Elena's theory. She had been away from such matters for a long time despite her work in the Ministry.

 "By the way, I'd very much like to speak with Mr. Omill," Elena ignored Matilda's response and approached the fireplace.

 "Why do you need to see this boy? He has already done so much for this school," Weasley wouldn't allow her students to be unfairly targeted.

 "You know, I'm acquainted with him. He assisted me with an old case. He was searching for a page from a mysterious and apparently dangerous book. Those pages led one young man to his death, and an innocent girl was sent to Azkaban for it," Elena gave Weasley a scrutinizing look, but Matilda remained firm.

 "I can't help you. If you'll excuse me, I need to continue my work," Weasley indicated the exit. Elena just smiled and departed. Matilda's head was spinning from recent events. It was challenging to deal with the Ministry's accusations against their student.

 "Professor Weasley, Dick felt a strange surge of magic beneath Hogwarts!" A brownie abruptly entered the office.

 "It can't be! Could it be in the place where..." Matilda was unable to finish her sentence.

 "Exactly there, where the goblins dug the passage!" Dick looked terrified.

 "Go and fetch Professor Sharpe, I'll head there immediately!" She rushed to the scene as fast as she could.

 Meanwhile, deep beneath the castle, Noah was absorbing the immense power of ancient magic. The colossal energy flowed into his body like water into an empty vessel. He no longer felt pain, only a gentle breeze and complete serenity. With his eyes closed, he didn't see that the ancient magic had not only increased in size but also changed color from dark gray to black and red.

 At last, the final clot of ancient magic vanished, and Noah fell to his knees. Carefully, he opened his one remaining eye, which was intact. He took a deep breath and, looking up, saw a dark silhouette.

 "Professor Fig?" The words came out of his throat with difficulty, and he coughed up a dark liquid. It slowly seeped out of his nose, ears, and eyes.

 "I have corrected my mistake," Noah said, raising his hands in the hope that he would be helped to his feet. However, the shadow remained motionless. Noah couldn't think clearly anymore; his memories seemed to blur, and his perception of reality was slipping away. His heart skipped a beat, and he felt an unimaginable pain, as if every bone in his body were breaking, fusing back together, and breaking again. The ancient magic was trying to escape from him, subjecting him to a spectrum of pain beyond imagination. It was unbearable, and Noah prayed for death to bring an end to his suffering.

 As the black substance continued to flow out of him, a white veil enveloped him like a cocoon, providing a shield against the pain. Gradually, the pain subsided, and with it, the last traces of his consciousness.