The wizards screamed, panicked, I could feel their magic, I even saw the headmaster raise some kind of powerful silver shield. I smiled again. The golden flames covered everyone except Dumbledore, Snape and McGonagall. Of course, no one was harmed, and the mermaids began to sing again, sending feelings of joy and happiness, pleasure and gratitude into the world. I closed my eyes and felt my mother especially vividly, as if she were standing next to me.
I even felt her desire to embrace me, the woman even stretched out her arms, but of course she did nothing. But a strange reaction, as if an echo of a related force, surprised me. Who is she? What does it mean? I dipped into the cold water and walked along the stone path to the shore, feeling very tired, but the feeling of belonging to the great wheel of life was much stronger. It's just an amazing feeling, completely inhuman, it's a pity that it will pass so quickly. A slight smile did not leave my face, and the other people, except for the three who spoke, also had their faces smoothed, some even smiled, closed their eyes, and inhaled the night air slowly and deeply.
— Mr. Hoshino, what are you doing here? Don't you know the law? The Ministry forbids rituals, especially rituals of this magnitude and darkness. — The evil expression on his face, the tone of his voice, the look in his eyes, it all began to wash away the warmth and goodness of the ritual. I had a sudden urge to nail the filthy thing right here. I was about to speak when Septima Vector, the Professor of Numerology, spoke.
— Severus, don't be silly, what's a 'dark ritual'? Didn't you feel that warmth, that feeling of spring sunshine?
— He felt nothing. — I'm answering a very dignified woman. — This is a "high" ritual of purification, turning to the world, tainted by heavy and grievous sins, as well as those who ignore the magical laws, the ritual will not even touch an edge, as it happened to you. I apologize.
As a murmur rose from the ranks of the uninvited guests, I made my way to a bag under a bush by the path. I touched the paper seal, and the protection and disguise charms fell. I can't do any magic right now unless I want to ruin a few days' work, and I'm relatively vulnerable, so I take off the wet robe and put on another one, topped off with a warm, long kimono. I use a towel to dry my hair.
— Mr. Hoshino, you should be ashamed to be naked in front of so many people! — My dean was outraged.
— I apologized in advance. — I raised my eyebrows in surprise. By the way, there's a full moon tonight, which makes the night unusually bright. — After this ritual, you can't conjure for a while, so it's just like this, and walking around in wet clothes in the autumn isn't the best solution. — I shrug, holding my hair in place. Out of the corner of my eye I follow the potionist, who is literally hissing with rage.
— Explain the ritual anyway. — The headmaster asked seriously.
— There's no special name for it, it's just a purification ritual of the "high" rank, mostly used by Omyoji monks to prepare for important festivals, less often for rituals of the "higher" rank, and rarely to summon the gods. — The same information can be found among the commoners, if you look around in the historical chronicles. — Ommyoji appeals to the world to confirm his status as "worthy". If everything is done correctly, and the monk himself has done nothing irreparable, then what you have all witnessed will happen.
— Why would you want to do that? — The headmaster narrowed his eyes.
— Samhain, or as it is now fashionably called, Halloween, is approaching. It's a holiday you should be prepared for, especially if you weren't born on this earth. — I shrugged, noticing that most people were listening with eager interest, and Snape was still glowing... or rather, downright "stinking" or emotional. — Any more questions?
— Can this ritual remove birth curses? — Ravenclaw Head asked, not surprisingly.
— No. There are other techniques for that. It's hard and tedious work, but it can be done by anyone with magic...
— Okay, that's enough. — I was interrupted by the headmaster, of course. — It's late, we've all broken the healthy sleep schedule. Let's go back to the castle...
Of course, on the way back, I was professionally brushed aside and prevented from asking other students questions. I don't know what the point was, but that's what the Headmaster and the Potions Master were doing. Maybe they were counting on the kids to forget most of it or something? But the thing is, the Ravenclaw I saw was writing a lot in his notebook, and the next day he came to me with a dozen companions asking me questions about rituals. I was not greedy and explained everything generously and openly.
In fact, this knowledge is widespread in Japan; in France, it is more difficult to obtain, but it is possible. He also explained that the director's shields had nothing to do with it, and that the wave had bypassed this trio for one or more of the reasons mentioned.
In the evening, the guests from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons arrived.