Harry Potter: The Bard of Hogwarts

In the silent camp.

Sensing Fide's joy, Ino decided to investigate.

He was unsure which version of the ghost this was from the stories.

If it was a corporeal, attack-capable undead, distinct from Hogwarts' magical ghosts, it would be extremely valuable for research.

However, if it was just the frightening green ghosts described in the original storybooks, it would be useless.

…

Under the silent night sky.

A blue light streaked by, and Ino's figure disappeared from the tent.

At the same time, in the White Mountains, a figure in a black hooded cloak quietly approached the camp at Morlinc.

Elrond, the Lord of Rivendell, also visited stealthily under the cover of night.

Ordinarily, as one of the few High Elves of Middle-earth, Elrond would not need to be so covert, even if he were to venture into Mordor.

Moreover, as the bearer of Vilya, the Ring of Air, the leader of the three Elven Rings, if Elrond unleashed his full power, he might indeed be able to contend with Sauron, who had lost the One Ring.

The powers of the three Elven Rings must be mentioned: Nenya, the Ring of Water, made of mithril and set with a white stone, primarily focused on clarity and purification, but it also had strong protective qualities.

Narya, the Ring of Fire, set with a brilliant red stone, symbolized the fire of passion and creation. It could ignite the fire of the soul and control flames in resonance.

Vilya, the Ring of Air, made of gold and set with a blue stone, contained the wisdom and agility of the wind, allowing the bearer to traverse the winds.

These three rings also had even greater characteristics and powers.

Therefore, with Elrond wearing Vilya, there might be no place in Middle-earth he couldn't reach.

But today, at the end of the Third Age, the rise of men led to the decline of the Elves' power. Many things he could no longer intervene in directly, yet there were still many matters he could not ignore.

In the main tent of the camp, Elrond first found Theoden and informed him about Sauron's additional army, a naval force composed of pirates.

…

In the Valley of Erech.

Ino walked along a narrow mountain path, barely wide enough for one person, with the quiet Fide perched on his shoulder.

Sensing the curse and pain permeating the surroundings, the shadow at his feet began to stir.

Boggart instinctively released a black mist, but without actively summoning its power, this mist only appeared within a limited range.

Even so, it created a visually terrifying effect.

On the dead silent path, a shadow more like a ghost appeared from a distance, shrouded in mist, making it impossible to see inside. Only Fide was unaffected by the mist.

Anyone looking into the mist would inevitably meet Fide's eyes first.

Time slowly passed.

Following the path, Ino arrived at this cursed land and saw the legendary Door of the Dead.

Perhaps sensing the presence of life, countless green figures began to emerge, pouring out from the Door of the Dead, enveloping the entire area with the breath of death.

Facing this terrifying sea of the undead, Ino showed a disappointed expression. These were the undead recorded in the books.

Although these beings were surrounded by death and curses, they were essentially no different from the ghosts of Hogwarts.

This was actually normal. If there really was an immortal army of the undead, Aragorn wouldn't be foolish enough to release them easily. He would have attacked Mordor directly and released them only after the battle.

Despite his disappointment, Ino didn't plan to leave hastily.

Both Boggart and Fide greatly enjoyed the environment here.

Ignoring the undead, he wandered around like a traveler. Under Fide's gaze, all the undead silently moved aside, clearing a path wherever they went.

Honestly, the Edenites, derogatorily referred to as mountain dwellers by Gandalf, had a terribly poor living environment.

It might be because of prolonged oppression that their dwellings were as complex and chaotic as mole tunnels.

"State your purpose!" a hoarse voice echoed.

As the last king of the Edenites, Oath had long noticed the human before him, but the aura around him and the blue figure on his shoulder made him decide not to provoke.

He didn't want trouble, but trouble found him. The person walked along the path, entered the Door of the Dead, and now seemed intent on continuing to explore.

In this situation, Oath could no longer pretend not to see.

"Purpose?" Ino turned, seeing a crowned figure among the undead.

"My purpose is to have no purpose. I came out of curiosity, will leave soon, and you don't need to mind me."

Faced with such indifference, Oath felt unprecedented humiliation. Yet, as he gripped his sword, his gaze involuntarily fell on the blue bird.

As an undead, he yearned for release, not annihilation. His arm, clutching the sword, slowly relaxed.

"Then look as you wish, but remember to leave when you're done!" Oath's hoarse voice echoed again, with more resignation and helplessness than before.

…

Returning to the Rohan camp.

"So, what did you do to them?" Ino asked Fide confidently inside the tent.

He wasn't blind; the situation earlier was too obvious. Those were cursed undead for three thousand years, not some harmless little lambs. Although they lacked physical form, they didn't seem as harmless as Hogwarts' ghosts.

Moreover, Fide's joy had only happened twice: once after drinking Voldemort's potion of despair, and this time, something must have happened too.

Facing the question, Feid reluctantly turned its head away.

After a moment of thoughtful hesitation, it opened its beak and spat out a small black stone.

"This…?"

Seeing the obviously pried-off stone, Ino suddenly thought of a possibility.

But before he could react, Boggart's shadow instantly enveloped the black stone, which melted away like liquid.

The sudden change happened in an instant.

Fide flapped its wings and pecked at the shadow fiercely, but its attacks were ineffective against Boggart.

The tent was in chaos, but Ino had no time to deal with it.

Switching to a second perspective, he saw something different within Boggart's shadow.

Looking closely, it resembled a soldier holding a weapon, whose form and decoration, though lacking some animation, were almost identical to the undead seen earlier.

More terrifyingly, there were not just a few of these soldiers; a rough count revealed at least hundreds or thousands.

"The black stone left by Isildur…" Seeing this, Ino finally confirmed his suspicion.

Thinking of this, he looked at Fide again, who turned away innocently, using its magnificent blue tail feathers to block all view.

"You're a phoenix, not a thief…" Ino sighed helplessly.

At this point, he could only do more to make amends.

After all, if things were really that easy to take, he wouldn't have missed the Christmas gifts of Narnia back then.