Chapter 1043 (2/2)

Dumbledore poured the silver substance from the bottle into the meditation basin, and they began to spin and emit a faint light that did not appear to be liquid or gas.

”We're following you,” dumbley pointed to the basin.

Van Lin bent forward, took a deep breath, and dipped his face into the silver substance. He felt his feet off the floor of the office; he was falling, falling, through the whirling darkness, and then he blinked and adjusted in the bright sun, and Dumbledore and Rutherford then reached him.

They were standing on a country road surrounded by high, shaggy hedgerows. The bright sky is as blue as forget me not.

Ten feet in front of them stood a short, fat man with thick glasses that made his eyes look like mole spots. He was looking at a wooden signpost sticking out of the brambles on the left side of the road.

Fanling knew it must be Ogden; he was the only one in sight, and he was wearing the strange clothes that inexperienced wizards often wear when trying to dress up as Muggles: this time, a men's dress and high boots were worn over a striped one-piece swimsuit.

But to be sure, Fanlin had no impression of this man at all.

However, as soon as Fanlin remembered his strange appearance, Ogden set off with a brisk pace along the path.

Three men followed him. As they passed the wooden road sign, van Lin looked at the two signs on it. One pointed behind them, the way they had come, and said, ”great Hangleton, five miles.”. The other pointed to Ogden and said, ”little Hangleton, three miles.”.

After a short walk, except for the hedgerows on both sides and the vast blue sky above them, the man in the men's dress whizzing in front of them. Then the path turned to the left and disappeared in front of them. They found themselves standing on a steep hillside, and the scenery of the whole valley suddenly appeared.

Fanlin saw a small village - little Hangleton, no doubt - between two steep hills, with a clear view of its church and cemetery.

Across the valley, on the opposite hillside there is a beautiful manor, surrounded by wide green velvet lawn. Because the slope was so steep, Ogden had to trot down. Dumbledore also took a big step, van Lin quickly followed.

However, Ogden did not stop.

As soon as the lane turned to the right, they saw Ogden's dress disappear into an opening in the fence.

Dumbledore followed him down a dirty track with hedgerows higher and more chaotic than before. The winding path was pockmarked with stones, as steep as the slope had been, and it looked as if it led to a forest below them.Sure enough, the trail immediately took them to the woods. Ogden stopped, pulled out his wand, and the three men stopped behind him.

Although there was no cloud in the sky, the old trees ahead cast a dark and cool shadow. After a few seconds, van Lin's eyes recognized a house among the disordered tree trunks.

It seems strange that someone should choose such a place, or let the trees grow around the house, blocking out all the light and the view of the valley. He did not know whether it was inhabited; the walls were covered with moss, many tiles had fallen off the roof, and rafters were clearly visible in several places.

The house was surrounded by nettles, and the top of the house had touched a small window covered with thick dust. However, just as he was sure that no one would live there, a window opened with a click, and from it came a curl of smoke, as if someone were cooking.

Ogden walked on quietly, looking rather cautious. As soon as he entered the shadow of the tree, he stopped again and looked at the front door where a dead snake had been nailed. With a rustle and a bang, a ragged man jumped down from the nearest tree and landed in front of Ogden. Ogden quickly jumped back, stepped on his dress and fell.

”You are not welcome here.”