Even next to the Black Lake, in the middle of summer with clear weather, why would there be such dense fog?
"Do you know what this fog is about?" Murphy asked.
"If I'm not mistaken, this is the fog of the Spirit World," Grindelwald said.
"The Spirit World's fog?" Murphy was momentarily puzzled; he had heard this term from Lady Yaga before.
The Spirit World, also known as the Other Side, is believed by the wizards of the Soviet Union to be the dwelling place of souls, the space where people reside after death and before life.
It's said that there's a large lake within the Spirit World, above which floats the fog of the Spirit World.
The Holy Mother seems to have used this kind of fog in its attack on Arkaim. Apart from obscuring vision, it could also block long-distance communication. His mental network communication had become intermittent because of it, and it seemed to also have a stupefying effect.
"There's magic in this fog, everyone be careful," Dumbledore warned.
But mere fog couldn't stop them.
Arriving at the castle's edge, Dumbledore raised his wand, and a glow resembling fluorescent light spread from his body, pushing the fog away and isolating an area with a radius of over three meters.
They approached the front door, and with a gentle push from Dumbledore, it opened, letting in fog tens of times denser than outside. Dumbledore's protective glow was instantly compressed to a small circle around him.
However, neither Grindelwald nor Murphy and Lucas were ordinary wizards. Grindelwald exhaled sharply, creating a whirlwind that dispersed the fog in front of him, while Murphy erected a spherical shield around himself and Lucas for protection.
Suddenly, laughter and chatter were heard, and a large group of students from all houses rushed out, wearing very old-fashioned uniforms. Their bodies appeared ghost-like, somewhere between transparent and opaque.
Murphy extended a hand, passing it through the arm of one student, surprisingly as if the latter felt the touch and rubbed his own arm.
"What's the matter, Sirius?" a voice asked.
A tall, thin boy with messy hair looked at the wizard.
"Just now, something touched my arm." The semi-transparent Sirius looked around, shrugged, "Must be a ghost. Let's go, James, you were saying you found a new passage?"
"It leads directly to Honeydukes. We don't have to wait until third year to go to Hogsmeade now..."
The young wizards walked away, and Murphy watched their backs until they disappeared into the fog, contemplative.
Just an illusion? Or had he really crossed through time?
"Professor, was that just now…" Lucas hesitated.
Murphy hadn't seen Sirius and James as kids, but they did seem familiar.
"Professor Dumbledore…" Murphy was about to ask for Dumbledore's opinion but looked up to find that the headmaster and Grindelwald had vanished.
"Professor Dumbledore?" Murphy called out, but his voice seemed to be blocked by the thick fog, not carrying at all.
Murphy frowned and looked around, only to find he was no longer in front of the door. Without moving, he somehow arrived in the hall.
"Lucas," Murphy said, extending a hand, "hold my hand."
After a moment's hesitation between Murphy's sleeve and hand, Lucas finally grabbed Murphy's cuff.
Murphy didn't mind, "Let's continue forward."
"Tom Riddle, Slytherin!" Suddenly, a boy sitting on a chair appeared before them.
He stood up with dignity, handed his hat elegantly to a nearby professor, and then quickly walked into the dense fog.
Murphy stepped forward, intending to pick up the hat, but the scene before him vanished.
"Lucas, did you see that just now?" Murphy confirmed.
"Yes, I saw myself as a child."
So, these visions weren't tailored to him, most likely not an illusion spell targeting the mind.
He led Lucas forward a few steps and suddenly saw a student squatting on the ground, different from the semi-transparent people they had seen before, solid and real.
Murphy approached and lifted the student, recognizing her as a Gryffindor girl, somewhat familiar, "Katie Bell?"
"Ah, don't come near, don't come near, I'm not real, I'm not here, you didn't see me, don't kill me..." Katie Bell desperately tried to break free from Murphy's grip, frantic to escape.
"Katie!" Murphy commanded, "Look closely, I'm Professor Murphy."
Katie, realizing she couldn't escape, finally looked up at Murphy, "Professor Murphy, I'm not here, you can't see me, you're fake, I'm fake, I don't want to die, let me go, sob..."
The girl seemed to have been greatly frightened, but her words still caught Murphy's attention, "What happened here, Katie?"
"Graham's dead, I saw it, he turned into someone else..." Katie said, "The Chamber! The Chamber has been opened, everyone will die, we're all going to die..."
"What?" Murphy was taken aback, "The Chamber?"
Lucas was right beside him; without Tom Riddle's guidance, who could have opened the Chamber?
Murphy frowned, about to use Legilimency on Katie Bell, when suddenly the spectral forms of professors passed by, "Professor McGonagall, Andrew Kirke has been missing for two days, Graham for one day, and now Jack Sparrow is missing too... Where is the headmaster? We need to report this, we need help."
"Headmaster Snape..." Professor McGonagall frowned, "I haven't seen him since the fog descended."
"Professor Flitwick, do you know what this fog is about?" Professor Sprout asked, "Why can't we find the front door anymore?"
"There's strong magic in the fog, the students have been hypnotized," Professor Flitwick said, "but the fog seems different from the magic preventing us from leaving."
"Can it be lifted?"
"I'm studying it. I suspect it's a ritual, a very ancient ritualistic magic present within the castle. We need to find its source."
The professors left, but their conversation left Murphy puzzled.
This "vision" must have occurred recently, but from the timeline of the three missing students they mentioned, the fog must have descended for over three days.
But how could that be? Murphy hadn't demanded constant updates from the ravens in Hogwarts, but he would have noticed if there had been no news for three days.
Moreover, Murphy had thought the fog was the Holy Mother's doing, given its previous use in the attack on Arkaim. But it must have entered Hogwarts only this afternoon.
It's unlikely it could have set up the fog three days ago.
Could it be that what's happening in the school isn't the work of the Holy Mother?
___________________
(Support with power stones, comments or reviews)
If you guys enjoy this story, In support me on Patreon and get access to +200 advance Chapters
Read Ahead
Patreon.com/INNIT