Chapter 372: Ephemeral Magic and Hogwarts

After the students had departed, Felix sat alone in an armchair, lost in thought. Several pieces of parchment floated before him, and lines of letters appeared one by one, as if an invisible quill were writing upon them.

The dense white mist dissipated as if illuminated by sunlight, revealing the sprawling grounds, the dueling tournament's arena, the circular-walled arena, and the twisty maze inspired by the Triwizard Tournament. They all gradually vanished, as if they had never existed.

In their place was a dazzling expanse of white. The ground was as smooth as a mirror, and there was nothing around.

The memory remnants of a few professors emerged. They appeared human, but ultimately, they were mere memories. All their emotions remained in the past; the "present" did not trouble them.

"It's still rather desolate here," the young Albus Dumbledore remarked, conjuring an ornate high-backed chair for himself and sitting down. "I prefer a livelier atmosphere."

Felix withdrew his hand from his chin, collected the pieces of parchment, and smiled. "Then perhaps you should advise 'yourself.' I can see the Headmaster has some ideas, which is what I hoped for. Perhaps only he can persuade Mr. Scamander."

"If it's about memories of magical creatures, it isn't that difficult... Newt is a kind person. Unless," the young Albus Dumbledore said playfully, looking at Felix with a wry smile, his auburn hair slightly curled, "you want something more from him."

"Indeed," Felix conceded. "I hope he leaves behind a memory fragment. After all, the knowledge that can be written in books is only a small part of his precious thoughts."

The young Felix Harp smirked, "You're being quite circuitous." He hit the nail on the head, "Tangible knowledge can help students, but it's the intangible ones that truly assist them."

Laughter erupted among the professors present.

The young Minerva McGonagall didn't laugh. With her bright eyes fixed on them, she huffed in annoyance, "Gentlemen, we should get to work."

"Right you are," the young Filius Flitwick chimed in. He transformed his legs into a misty cloud and floated mid-air, resembling a deity from some Muggle tale, "Today is just a test of our abilities. I have plenty of interesting scenes in mind. Like the fairy colonies."

Shaking his head, the young Albus Dumbledore said, "Can I admit my school memories are somewhat dull? But I did spend my summer break visiting some intriguing individuals. A few of them still correspond with me. And for research purposes, I've spent quite a bit of time observing giant, centaur, and troll communities..."

The young Felix Harp muttered under his breath, "Compared to them, I'm like a blank page." He glanced at his physical self, "How about creating an international black market exhibition, where students practice disguise and infiltration, uncovering people with hidden agendas? But I'd need your assistance."

Felix responded somewhat awkwardly, "What black market? It's just a part of foreign magical customs. I was merely curious..."

His words were ignored as the professors got busy with their own tasks.

Mountain ranges, gorges, caves, taverns... Fairies, giants, centaurs, trolls... Scenes of various kinds piled upon each other. Although they were appearing for the first time today, this space remembered them well. As administrators, they could summon them at will when needed.

...

Harry had been quite busy lately. On Monday, he had declined Nearly Headless Nick's invitation to the Gryffindor ghost's party. It was said that the party had been interrupted by Peeves, who had stolen a precious exhibit.

Hermione was equally occupied. She seemed to live in the library. Apart from classroom and Room 7, she was nowhere to be found. According to her roommates' gossip, she hadn't visited the kitchen or chatted with the house-elves for several days. Even in the common room, she hid behind a stack of thick books, with only her brown head visible.

Right after class, she would take out small notes from her pockets, bags, and textbook pages, counting the questions and seeking different professors for answers.

Harry wanted to ask questions too, but the challenge was, he didn't know what to ask. He pulled a book from Hermione's stack, but by the second paragraph, he was getting drowsy. He and Ron aimlessly wandered the Restricted Section of the library, looking at knowledge that wasn't quite theirs. He could only pick books with titles like "Duels Unleashed," "Supreme Spells," or "Comprehensive Guide to Curses," and flip through them. Ron was doing something similar, particularly interested in a cursed book bound in chains. On the cover was a wailing wizard, as if trying to yank his head out of the book.

Harry figured Ron was just fascinated by the cover or that the wailing wizard's sharp chin and light hair reminded him of Malfoy. It made him pause for a moment before losing interest, much like Ron had.

Felix noticed that this year's Hogwarts staff meetings had become more frequent. Sometimes, right after class or while answering a student's question, Professor McGonagall's cat Animagus form would suddenly appear before him, bearing messages from her.

"The Ilvermorny delegation is on their way."

He and several other professors sat in the elongated faculty lounge, basking in the gentle radiance of magical lamps, listening to Professor McGonagall speak. Dumbledore had his hands crossed, leaning back in his chair, a faint smile playing on his lips, a look of assurance in his expression.

But Felix suspected he was contemplating other matters. It was a skill he possessed too, having practiced it intentionally.

However, he was more interested in McGonagall's speech. Professor Sprout had already asked the question on his mind, "So early? Beauxbatons and Durmstrang aren't due for nearly two more weeks."

McGonagall explained, "The Ilvermorny delegation wishes to arrive early, familiarize themselves with the environment, and learn about Hogwarts... It's closely related to everyone present here. Dumbledore has approved that Ilvermorny students can take elective courses for sixth and seventh years."

The professors looked at Dumbledore. He smiled and nodded, his beard twitching slightly.

Confused and not quite up to speed, Professor Trelawney raised her head and remarked sharply, "I don't accept just any students, Dumbledore. If they lack sufficient inner sight, let me clarifyI won't be teaching them anything more than a Mountain Troll would learn."

Snape choked on his words; he had been about to speak but Trelawney beat him to it. He followed her lead and said icily, "I share the same sentiment, Headmaster. While we may accept some students, they must demonstrate ample proficiency in Potions. Otherwise, I'll have no choice but to place them in lower yearsfifth, fourth perhaps..."

McGonagall looked hesitantly between them. Dumbledore smiled gently and reassured, "No need to worry, Professor Slughorn. As far as I'm aware, Ilvermorny also offers Potion classes, or rather, the founders of Ilvermorny were greatly influenced by Hogwarts. The resemblance in their curriculum suggests a closer connection between their school and ours."

"Ilvermorny also comprises four housesHorned Serpent, Wampus, Thunderbird, and Pukwudgie. Of course, the latter is not what we traditionally think of as garden sprites. This amusing misconception arises from differing interpretations. Once misunderstandings spread, everyone began to use that term. In reality, they are native to North America, distant cousins to the European fairies. I speculate they might be a distant branch of fairies, who, having lost their unique culture, concealed themselves deep within the dense forests... Nevertheless, they have learned to wield venomous bows and arrows."

"These four houses represent a wizard's wisdom, physique, spirit, and heartoffering a unique division, which, in our perspective, means Ilvermorny students are likely to exhibit distinct inter-house traits. For instance, the Horned Serpent house combines some aspects of Ravenclaw and Slytherin."

"The variations within these similarities, and the intellectual clashes they bring about, are what make this exchange so valuable."

"They might understand and explore our ideas, but understanding goes both ways. We should extend a warm welcome to them," Dumbledore addressed the professors.

After the meeting, Professor Pomona Sprout sought out Felix.

She was the Herbology professor at Hogwarts and also the head of Hufflepuff House. An optimistic and compassionate woman, she had an extensive knowledge of magical plants.

"Are you planning to leave behind a memory too and need assistance?" Felix asked with genuine interest. "Of course, I'm happy to help."

>

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