novelraw Chapter 125, Section 124: Nullifying Magic! Christmas is Coming!
Chapter 125, Section 124: Nullifying Magic! Christmas is Coming!
Chapter 125, Section 124: Nullifying Magic! Christmas is Coming!
The handwriting on the note was neat and clear.
It's so neat it looks like printed text.
The brushstrokes showed absolutely no trace of personal calligraphy—it was definitely not something Ian had forgotten in his robes, much less a fragment of runes that Ian himself had copied or extracted.
Although his handwriting wasn't ugly, it wasn't neat enough to resemble printed text and lacked any personal touch. Moreover, at his age of ten or so, it was impossible for him to have forgotten that he had copied down such a small section of runes due to amnesia.
"By Merlin! I've encountered something filthy!"
Ian picked up the note from the ground with some suspicion. The fact that it seemed to have appeared out of nowhere made him feel extremely uneasy and his scalp tingled.
Who could slip a note into their pocket without anyone noticing? Ian stared at the small section of runes on the note that were moving slightly. He had a very strong feeling that this might be what he was trying to find—the part of the runes in the Resurrection Stone that could anchor a target.
"It's this part—"
Ian had already memorized the Resurrection Stone rune, but he still took out the Resurrection Stone and compared it. The rune on the note did indeed come from the Resurrection Stone, which was the most unsettling thing. After all, Grindelwald was currently the only living person who knew that Ian was studying the Resurrection Stone rune.
"Did Aurora's grandfather already decipher what I wanted?" Ian quickly dismissed the guess; he didn't think Grindelwald could be that efficient.
Moreover, there was no need for the other party to give the answer to Ian in such a mysterious way. Grindelwald's style would have been to simply call Ian into his office, hand him the results, and then ask Ian to praise him for half an hour.
"Dumbledore doesn't know the Resurrection Stone is with me, and Aberforth is unlikely to know either." Ian held the note and began to recall the people he had met today.
First, you have to rule out the junior wizards you've been in contact with all day. Junior wizards tremble even when casting a curse, so how can they possibly decipher the secrets on the Deathly Hallows?
Quirrell possessed by Voldemort? That's unlikely. If the Dark Lord knew that Ian had obtained the Resurrection Stone and that the soul on it was gone, how could he possibly be smiling during their conversation?
Could it be Snape?
Even less likely!
Snape wasn't particularly skilled in alchemy; he just liked fiddling with the liquids in the cauldrons and didn't even see the trickery in the Marauder's Map.
"And then there's that mysterious alchemy professor—Arthur King." Ian knew there was something to say about the professor's name, but no one could say for sure whether Professor Arthur King changed his name during his teenage years.
Just like Tom Riddle changed his name to Voldemort. In the West, there are quite a few people who, for various reasons, would even change their own surnames.
Moreover.
Professor Arthur King didn't know Ian was researching the Resurrection Stone. He didn't tell the professor when Ian was in the library. Surely the professor couldn't possibly have some kind of supernatural ability to see things he shouldn't know? Hogwarts may indeed be full of hidden talents, but it shouldn't be hiding a powerful wizard capable of doing something so outrageous.
Of course, it's not to say that the alchemy professor is without suspicion, but Ian simply couldn't fathom how the other party knew what he wanted, or how he solved his problem in the blink of an eye.
Most importantly, it was someone who was practically a stranger, with absolutely no reason to offer Ian this help, and then did it anonymously afterward.
What's the point?
Is Tuyne light and agile?
Doesn't that make it even more terrifying to think about?
"It's truly bizarre and absurd—"
Ian frowned and thought for a long time but couldn't come up with a single clue. He believed that there must be some sneaky guy hiding behind the note in his hand.
Conspiracy or aid?
"You'll know once you try!" Ian was both skilled and daring. He took the note and walked to the workbench. He pulled out a prototype of the counterfeit resurrection stone ring from his purse.
Anyway, aside from the prototypes in Aberforth, Ian still has six more prototypes to try. Even if the rest are destroyed, he still has the stones from the Mystic Realm. Alchemy, well...
You have to be unafraid to try and fail, as long as you and people you know aren't the guinea pigs.
"You come and help me! Grind all these things out for me!" Ian once again released his Dementor helper and began to verify them in the Room of Requirement.
Regardless of whether the information extracted from this mysteriously obtained note is correct, we can only find out by trying. In any case, the worst-case scenario is failure.
"Next time I enter the illusionary realm, I'll use a small animal as a test subject." Ian was also being cautious, careful to avoid falling into someone else's trap.
He not only planned to use small animals to test the effects of the runes, but also discarded the note in his hand and directly copied the resurrection stone itself when replicating it.
This is to prevent the runes on the note from being subtly and imperceptibly altered. proceed with caution.
Ian kept the note to see if he could trace its origin from it.
He felt he wouldn't be able to sleep soundly at night if he couldn't find out who was sneaking around. Ian's current guess was that the person who put the note in his robe might be invisible.
For example, invisibility cloaks, illusion spells, and so on. The magical world always has all sorts of strange methods to make people invisible. If that's the case, it's reasonable that Ian couldn't find the suspect.
Almost none of the people he encountered today who might be suspects had actually come into close contact with him; even Quirrell, possessed by Voldemort, couldn't get near him.
"I can't really explain it. I remember there's a lost magic called Wizard's Hand, which can create an invisible third hand." Ian had prepared everything he needed.
Soon, with a crackling sound, he began his experiment with the help of the Dementors. The Dementors, who were not very bright, were mainly responsible for handing him things and feeding him snacks.
"Grind this into a finer powder for me."
to be frank.
Fortunately, Ian studied Ancient Alchemy; otherwise, he would have encountered some setbacks and unfamiliarity if he wanted to get started. After all, his alchemical techniques tend to use ancient runes to create alchemical artifacts, which is very similar to the design on the Resurrection Stone in terms of alchemical structure.
Yes, the runes on the Resurrection Stone can also be seen as a kind of magical script, but it is different from runes and other ancient magical scripts. It belongs to the "alchemy language" that is unique to the creation of the Death Trinity.
Let's call it the Death Rune for now.
Like ancient runes, it is a magical language, only more powerful than ancient runes. Its essence is the manifestation of a magical power represented by the god of death.
Ancient runes, on the other hand, represent the ancient wizards' exploration and summarization of magic and nature. They are also a manifestation of power, so their application shares a similar essence.
Modern alchemy is quite different.
Modern alchemy actually evolved from the more popular science of spells today. It only partially inherited some characteristics of ancient spells. Like spells, it has become much simpler and easier to learn, but it has also changed a lot.
"Each has its advantages and disadvantages."
Ian's assessment was very objective.
Alchemical creations made using ancient alchemy techniques can, in fact, also be considered "magical artifacts."
Its internal magical circuits are entirely constructed from interconnected magical runes.
Modern alchemical creations emphasize layering different enchantments to create unique functions.
It no longer uses magical language as its main body, and structurally it is quite different from Ian's [Ancient Alchemy]. It is like two different branches of the same major. This will also make it difficult for alchemists who study [Modern Alchemy] to quickly master the replication of the resurrection stone.
Of course, the stability and difficulty of modern alchemy are far superior to those of ancient alchemy, otherwise it would not have been superseded by the development of the times.
"The wand shops are filled with all kinds of wands thanks to the efficiency of modern alchemy." Ian knew that this kind of change in the times was essentially similar to the process of industrialization.
In many ways, modern alchemy is indeed more applicable. It abandons some possibilities of ancient alchemy, emphasizing lowering the barrier to entry for alchemy and increasing the success rate of works.
"The remarkable development of modern alchemy is probably also related to the stringent requirements of ancient alchemy for materials." Ian looked at the valuable materials on his table.
If he hadn't been surrounded by a House of Requirement and hadn't lived near the Forbidden Forest where you could buy anything for free, he probably would have needed to spend a huge amount of money to gather all the materials for his experiment. This was only because Ian had the extraordinary ability of [Extra-Limit Alchemy], which allowed him to find some substitutes; otherwise, some materials would have been difficult to buy.
It's like the ingredients for a magic potion.
Alchemy materials are also becoming extinct.
If Ian's knowledge is correct.
The greatest master of modern alchemy was the renowned French master Nicolas Lemaître. While he also achieved remarkable success in ancient alchemy, he actively participated in the development and refinement of modern alchemy for most of his life.
This can be seen.
Modern alchemy is certainly more suitable for modern wizards than ancient alchemy in some respects. Of course, Ian believes that Master Nicolas Flamel definitely used ancient alchemy in the creation of the Philosopher's Stone.
In many cases, what ancient alchemy can accomplish, modern alchemy simply cannot replace, as it relies heavily on the established art of enchanting.
It's easy to use Enchantment as a Frankenstein's monster, creating various Enchantment combinations. But if you want to create your own new Enchantment effects, you have to go back to the realm of Ancient Alchemy.
"If you want to study the Philosopher's Stone, you'll probably have to rely on someone without a nose." Ian carefully integrated the materials into the resurrection stone prototype, and the speed at which he inscribed the runes could only be described as snail's pace.
Even the slightest progress takes quite a while. Even just inscribing a small section of runes onto the prototype would take at least several days, according to a rough estimate.
very slow.
And there is no room for the slightest mistake.
This is why Ian didn't immediately start copying it. If he were to completely copy all the inscriptions on the Resurrection Stone, the workload would be equivalent to waiting for him for several months.
It's not certain that it will succeed.
Sometimes, unexpected situations can also lead to failure.
"Damn it! I told you to grind this stuff into powder with your hands, not to chew it with your mouth—wait, where did you get your teeth from?"
Ian, on the other hand, did not fail.
He only noticed the Dementor's strange behavior and, out of curiosity, paused the death rune he was drawing and rushed forward to pry open the Dementor's mouth with both hands.
"Holy crap! You really have teeth! How did you get these things?!"
The little wizard was stunned by what he discovered.
The Dementor's mouth can grind powder faster than its hands.
Those teeth that appeared out of nowhere seemed to have been created specifically for this purpose.
The sun rises and the moon sets.
Ian's life suddenly entered a very regular and fulfilling rhythm, and time always seems to pass incredibly quickly when someone is busy.
Several weeks passed in the blink of an eye. Sometimes Ian would use the Marauder's Map to keep an eye on Quirrell's movements, but the guy didn't seem to have put his plan to attack Grindelwald into action.
It has to be said that Ian regrets not being able to see the battle between the first and second generation. He doesn't understand why Bekiro and Voldemort are so calm.
"Perhaps because they're looking for the Philosopher's Stone?"
Ian was able to secretly observe through the Marauder's Map, and since Quirrell usually wandered around the school after class, he had good reason to suspect that Quirrell was looking for the Philosopher's Stone that Dumbledore had hidden.
"I just want that mirror—of course, it would be nice to use the Philosopher's Stone for research, though I wonder if its crafting difficulty can match that of the Resurrection Stone."
Aside from occasionally stepping out of the Room of Requirement during class, Ian spends most of his time on replicating, and his progress is much slower than planned.
Inscribing the runes on the blank was not difficult and was indeed completed in just a few days. However, inscribing the runes was only the beginning of creating the alchemical artifact. Adjusting the connections between these runes was a delicate task, especially since Ian knew nothing about death runes.
after all.
Even the slightest mistake or oversight can lead to drastically different results, and no one knows the impact of such a mistake until the work is completed and put into use.
Over the past few weeks, Ian had also experienced several hallucinations, but he hadn't been able to take many more pictures of Dumbledore because it seemed that Pendro had taken Ariana out to practice swordsmanship.
This was information Ian had learned from his teacher, Ms. Morgan. Although Pendro and Morgan were sworn enemies, Ariana was quite favored by this legendary dark witch.
Perhaps it was because she herself lacked this innocence that she found particularly pleasing in others. Of course, Ian certainly didn't dare to comment on these thoughts in front of the witch Morgan.
Ian had also asked his teacher, the witch Morgan, about the Resurrection Stone and the Deathly Hallows, but the legendary dark witch didn't seem to know much about the Deathly Hallows.
"They were all gathered in the same wizard, and I only need a thought to kill that wizard, so whether it is a creation of Death or not is meaningless to me."
Morgan the witch's original words were full of contempt for the Deathly Hallows. In the eyes of a witch of her level, external things are ultimately external things, and only the power that belongs to oneself is the true path.
Ian wholeheartedly agreed with this.
In fact, both Grindelwald and Dumbledore have now reached this level of thinking: truly powerful wizards never rely on external forces for support.
"Voldemort just didn't understand this." Ian knew that the level of one's thinking determined the ceiling of one's achievements.
The witch Morgan also emphasized this point to him after he mentioned the Trinity.
Several consecutive entries.
Nothing particularly unusual happened. The legendary witch focused on examining Ian's learning progress and corrected some of his bad spellcasting habits.
Unlike Grindelwald, who preferred to cram knowledge into Ian's mind, the witch Morgan preferred to let Ian learn and comprehend on his own first, and then correct any flaws or oversights in Ian's learning process.
The two educational approaches are very different.
However, the effect was equally significant, greatly improving Ian's magical proficiency. But compared to Grindelwald, Morgan was clearly more demanding of Ian; she didn't overly praise his progress, instead constantly urging him on with phrases like "Not bad, but not enough."
The emotional value provided was somewhat lacking, but Ian clearly didn't have the courage to offer any suggestions. When he helped Morgan repair the guards, he even felt like a white slave.
"I wonder if the runes inside the statues at Hogwarts are also constructed in a similar way."
Ian, taking advantage of Morgan's good mood after regaining his role as gatekeeper, also tried to ask Morgan to help him confirm whether the inscription on the mysterious note was correct.
however.
This legendary witch's knowledge of death runes was not as profound as that of Lady Ravenclaw, perhaps because she never came into contact with this knowledge during her lifetime or after her death.
Of course, it's also possible that she knew but simply didn't want to tell Ian. This witch from ancient times was definitely the most unfathomable character Ian had ever encountered.
"Teacher, are you sure you can do this?!" Ian's provocation was indeed quite clumsy, but Morgan was willing to take the bait. She didn't verify whether the transcribed runes on the note were correct for Ian, but she helped Ian inscribe another rune on the mysterious note, which would help Ian find the person who had given the note.
According to Morgan, the note will emit a faint glow when it gets close to the person who handed it over, regardless of whether the person who handed it over used other means to conceal their actions.
It's a very domineering and unreasonable tactic.
Overjoyed and with absolute trust in Morgan's methods, Ian woke up the next day and ran all over the school with the note in his hand, approaching everyone who might be secretly slipping him notes.
Grindelwald, Voldemort Quirrell, Professor Arthur King, Professor McGonagall, Headmaster Dumbledore, Professor Flitwick, and even Professor Sprout and Snape Ian all came up to them.
however.
To everyone's surprise, he came up empty-handed.
No matter which suspect he was in front of, the note in Ian's hand did not elicit any response, which led him to suspect that this was another instance of Morgan playing tricks on the little boy.
"Can't you at least show your face once more?!" Ian even moved closer to Aurora and those little wizards who looked like they were pretending to be weak while actually being strong, or who had reversed their aging process.
As it turned out, his behavior was indeed a bit too impulsive and desperate. Not only did he fail to find the suspect, but he also led more than a dozen female and male students to believe that he wanted to confess his feelings.
"That bad woman has ruined me!"
Having fled in disarray, Ian could only return to the Room of Requirement. Regardless of whether that elusive fellow was still at Hogwarts, he couldn't abandon the halfway through the creation of his replica.
Adjusting the loops constructed between the runes has occupied almost all of Ian's time in the mortal realm these past few weeks.
The magic must work.
Ultimately, it relies on the structure built by these magical runes. The process requires at least tens of thousands of adjustments, which also illustrates the complexity and low production efficiency of ancient alchemy.
However, if a finished product is ultimately obtained, its capabilities will certainly fall within the realm of modern alchemy.
The results that are difficult to replicate using existing enchanting methods.
after all.
The incantation above originates from the Grim Reaper.
This is why Ian struggled so much to even copy a knock-off; his intense hand exercises over the past few days have served as ample proof to others that excessive exercise is harmful to health.
"All I need is a pair of reading glasses!" Ian had even felt a bit dizzy and lightheaded these past few days. During the alchemy process, he had to keep his eyes focused on the fake resurrection stone, which was about the size of his little finger. Moreover, he had to observe the original resurrection stone before making any adjustments.
This test and torment on eyesight even surpasses counting pixels on a large television screen and adjusting those pixels to their correct positions.
"Isn't this just like a production line where you're just doing the grunt work?" Ian was truly exhausted; he was listless every day during class.
William even suspected that he had touched something he shouldn't have, like magic white powder or something similar, while Michael thought he must have been secretly dating somewhere recently.
"Who started this rumor?" Ian's dark circles were very obvious, and his eyes were red and swollen. He was eating his lunch steak while pouring potion into his mouth.
Only those who have tried it can understand its flavor; it's comparable to rice mixed with Chinese medicine.
"You haven't organized an evening party for several days now. The junior wizards all say it's because you're in love that you're lazy. Senior Penelope also said that only people in love would be as listless as you."
Michael's answer sounded very serious.
William chimed in, "Yes, yes, although I don't know why being in a relationship makes us feel so down, I don't think our prefect would lie to us."
The two of them sang in harmony.
Ian really wanted to take them all to the Room of Requirement and let them have a proper romance with the Dementors—the only Dementors who had come to keep Ian company these days were the Dementors with their new abilities.
"Hurry up and eat, we still have work to do." Seeing that his two roommates were still planning to gossip, Ian stuffed baguettes into their mouths. After they were full, they went outside the castle with the other little wizards.
Tomorrow is Christmas Eve, so Hogwarts already started its holiday this afternoon.
It can only be said that some schools give such a long holiday.
The students, who had plenty of time off, all had joyful smiles on their faces. It has to be said that holidays are really good for people; the little wizards seemed to have even more collagen in their faces.
In comparison.
Ian's dark circles are indeed very noticeable.
"This snow is really heavy."
unconsciously.
As December approached, the weather grew increasingly cold, and just as Christmas was nearing, several days of heavy snow fell, turning the once lush green lawn into a vast expanse of white snow.
"Prince! Let's build a snowman together!" George and Fred enthusiastically joined in. Ever since they shared with Ian a few days ago about the dirty thing they saw disguised as Ian during their night out, they had become very familiar with Ian. They seemed completely unaware that Ian's skin tone was similar to Michael's at the time.
"Is that a snowman?"
Michael was stunned by the "snowman" that the twin brothers had built.
"I feel like my mind has been polluted."
William, speechless, clutched his head.
"This is art! You wouldn't understand!"
One of the twins spoke up triumphantly.
Another person immediately chimed in, "Yes, it's avant-garde art. Look at those five heads and more than ten legs—aren't the lines they create beautiful?"
An introduction to works that cause immense spiritual pollution.
William and Michael were shivering not just because of the weather, but also because they sensed the mental state of the two older Gryffindor brothers.
"Will we end up like this when we learn magic to a certain extent?" The two looked at each other, both quite worried.
Unlike his two roommates who couldn't appreciate art, Ian was different. He gave them a thumbs up, showing his approval of the snowman the two brothers had built.
"You're right! This is art! But I bet you're not the original creators!" Ian said confidently, staring at the familiar "snowman" ice sculpture in front of him.
The two brothers were also taken aback by his words.
"What do we do? He's found out we're plagiarists. He must have seen that centaur specimen in the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor's office." George looked at Fred, his tone exaggerated. Fred immediately covered his cheeks and shouted back.
"Then let's add five more deformed heads! Twenty legs! And twenty eyes on each leg!" George immediately slapped his thigh and threw himself into creating his new work.
"George! Since they already have so many legs, why not give them some more cows?" Fred explained to Ian as he added to the snowman's artwork.
"The Defense Against the Dark Arts professor's collection is the result of a centaur's overestimation and failed attempt at Animagus transformation. Ours is a genuine, ultimate centaur!"
He attempted to invite Ian to join this significant project.
Ian learned from the two brothers where his work had gone. He was indeed a forward-thinking person, but he found that the twins' ideas seemed to be even more forward-thinking than his.
"Such a great project should be done by you yourselves! We are not worthy!" Ian found that his mental state was much better than that of the twin brothers.
Is this the price I pay for being caught by Filch during my nighttime stroll?
What Hogwarts ghost stories?!
He and his two roommates made a quick getaway. Actually, there were quite a few little wizards building snowmen like the twin brothers, most of whom were little witches.
The snowman they built was far more pleasing to the eye than that deformed twin.
Most of them were amazing creatures, including a giant Niffler, a giant Scottish round-faced fat chicken, and Ian even saw a huge one in a pile of snowmen.
"Should we build a giant fire dragon too!" William once again showed his love for dragons, and his eagerness made Michael quite tempted as well.
"Didn't you say you'd come with me to cut down trees?"
Ian spoke up.
The two good roommates reluctantly looked away.
"Don't worry, Ian, we won't betray you." William pulled Michael back from looking at the little black girl and followed Ian as they continued walking towards the woods.
This is a bonus task from the Ravenclaw Headmaster. If Ian can find some suitable Christmas trees for the Great Hall, he will add 20 points to Ravenclaw's score and praise Ian in public.
to be frank.
Ian didn't place too much importance on extra points, after all, in his opinion, Ravenclaw's House Points this year were already far ahead thanks to everyone's hard work.
It doesn't matter if we lose Quidditch.
"I just like helping the professor!"
Ian and his two roommates passed by Black Lake.
The heavy snowfall caused a thick layer of ice to form on the Black Lake, and several Hufflepuff wizards gathered in front of the lake to admire the natural spectacle of small fish being frozen solid as they leaped out of the water.
"Look, the heads of these fish are completely frozen off the surface!"
"My God, this is amazing! I bet this is the inspiration for the delicious Stargazing Pie!"
"What you said makes me really want to take a bite of these fish heads."
It's safe to say that these are typical Hufflepuff wizards; they're always talking about food or on their way to eat, while nearby, many students are having a snowball fight.
It's a real battle between Gryffindor and Slytherin students.
"Hiss~ They're stuffing stones into snowballs!?" Michael shivered from the cold. He snatched the knitted cap with built-in unsold heated underwear from William's flushed face and put it on his own head.
"Indeed, Gryffindor are the true warriors." Ian's eyes were much sharper than Michael's. He noticed that while Slytherin students only knew how to stuff stones into snowballs, some Gryffindor students were smearing feces on their snowballs. That steaming feces was definitely some kind of "enchanting" material for ammunition made on the spot somewhere.
This is a confrontation between physical and psychological harm.
A few Gryffindor students may have been badly injured, but the Slytherin students were truly routed, fleeing in disarray and screaming wildly throughout the university.
As the saying goes, when young wizards fight, professors suffer. Poor Quirrell had just returned from outside when he was ambushed in the face. He smelled a scent that made his face change drastically, but he dared not turn around and run away.
after all.
If his backside were pointed at the young wizards, he'd be tortured to the point of death tonight if attacked. Quirrell tried to walk backwards back the way he came.
however.
The young wizards had caught up with him.
"Stop!"
The sharp roar did not deter the two academies much. Perhaps to protect the one on his butt, he could only sit down on the ground and become the target of their combined fire.
Bleeding.
In addition, there are some indescribable enchanted attacks.
His brain may suffer a very serious infection today as a result.
"That professor is really pitiful."
William observed a moment of silence for Quirrell for a full three seconds, then picked up a snowball from the ground and threw it at him. Ian believed he just wanted to wash Quirrell's face with clean snow water.
"Me too." Ian also made a snowball on the ground. He wasn't as kind as William, but he was more restrained than the Gryffindor students. He only added some rust to the snowball he threw at Quirrell. As for the tetanus bacteria in the rust, that had little to do with him.
"Snap!"
Just as Ian struck Quirrell's wound, the brawl between Gryffindor and Slytherin continued into the distance. After secretly finishing his mischief, he grabbed his two roommates and ran away.
"I haven't even dated one yet!"
Michael was making a big snowball, but after being pulled away, he could only throw it out with a sense of unfinished business.
"Damn it! They're all little bastards!"
Quirrell scrambled to his feet and began cursing the two houses, oblivious to Ian's sneak attack. He hastily drew his wand and began cleaning himself.
*Smack*
Michael Jordan—it's probably no coincidence that he has this name. His hasty throw from a great distance actually hit Quirrell in a very specific spot on his buttocks.
"Gryffindor students deserve to die! When I am resurrected, I will wipe out all Gryffindors!" Voldemort's voice finally echoed in Quirrell's mind.
His tone was extremely angry and frantic. It was easy to understand his annoyance and resentment, after all, the Dark Lord was now sharing the same body and senses as Quirrell.
"And Ravenclaw students too!"
Voldemort hadn't seen Ian's presence earlier, but he had already figured out Ian's identity and background within the academy. His resentment towards Ian had made him hate the entire academy.
"Master—we, we need to find a way into that place to obtain the magic stone hidden inside." Quirrell looked timid and hesitant, as if he were polishing shoes.
He has clearly gained something from his time working at Hogwarts.
Of course, whether he found this clue through his own abilities or someone wanted him to find it is a matter of opinion.
It's hard to explain, really hard to explain.
The Christmas tree in the auditorium was found, but Ian and his two roommates didn't do much because they met Hagrid, who was always willing to help, on their way.
then.
Hagrid burned some calories, and Ian and his two roommates received extra points from the dean, creating a win-win situation. All they had to do was find some more parasites.
This is a winter plant, also known as holly, because while other trees lose all their leaves in winter, the parasite remains in a state of green leaves and red fruit.
They are very eye-catching when hung on trees and are considered a good omen. Most people hang parasitic garlands on their Christmas trees when decorating them.
"You're really great, Hagrid."
"Yes, yes, this professor is really amazing."
"He's like a towering giant!"
Ian and his two roommates followed behind Hagrid, providing him with the emotional value he craved, while Hagrid carried twelve Christmas trees ahead of him.
The physique and strength of the half-giant are truly formidable.
"I used to do this kind of work. You guys will assist me, and I guarantee your professor will be satisfied." Hagrid even meticulously arranged everything in the auditorium. This burly man also had a meticulous side; the auditorium quickly became beautiful and magnificent.
The twelve Christmas trees were placed in suitable locations and decorated with colorful magic lanterns. Ian raised his hand and cast a spell, creating countless bright stars on the Christmas trees.
They shone like real stars, radiating a beautiful glow that candles and lanterns could not replicate, leaving even Hagrid, a straight man of steel, wide-eyed in amazement.
"Your magic is truly amazing, probably only slightly less powerful than Dumbledore's when he was a child," he exclaimed sincerely, and even leaned forward to touch the stars.
The fact that Hagrid is comparing Ian to Dumbledore shows that he genuinely admires him, since no one can shake Dumbledore's position in the heart of this half-giant.
"Yes, I'm definitely not as good as Dumbledore right now, so I still need to practice." Ian was working on other details, and he had piled up all sorts of candy boxes under the tree.
Almost all the candies inside had undergone a thorough inspection by "Commissioner Prince," whose purse was stained with the tainted sweets and oils, which made him even more motivated to work.
"These candles are so hard to light, they burn out in no time—" Michael and William were practicing their pyromanization spells using the candles that needed to be arranged.
"Is it possible that they don't need the kind of fire you have?" Hagrid, having been praised by the two young wizards the whole way, felt embarrassed to directly criticize William and Michael.
"Of course we know."
William's expression showed no surprise.
Michael then spoke up with an air of importance, "Ian said we have to seize this opportunity to practice."
At the same time, we should create conditions for him to report more losses to the professors.
It was a deliberate act of deliberation.
Hagrid, who was usually quite straightforward, was stunned. He realized the little wizard was up to something, but Wen felt that the behavior didn't seem to have reached the level of being immoral.
After all, it was just some candy and candles... Perhaps Ian had already built up a high level of goodwill with Hagrid, or perhaps Hagrid didn't know that these candles were also magical materials. In any case, after awkwardly touching his nose, he pretended not to have noticed anything and changed the subject.
Are you all going home for Christmas this year?
This is a choice that young wizards have to face every Christmas.
"William and I are going back, but Ian isn't," Michael answered for all three of them. He noticed that Ian had hung some small icicles on the Christmas tree again.
"Every year, many young wizards choose to go home, but quite a few stay to celebrate the holidays." Hagrid seemed very considerate of Ian's potential feelings of loss. He remembered that Ian was an orphan from an orphanage, and he probably thought that was why Ian had nowhere to go.
however.
Ian was very enthusiastic about making ice sculptures. He hid his own ice sculpture in every Christmas tree and even climbed up to the ceiling to start improvising.
Forget about feeling disappointed; he didn't even hear what the other people were talking about.
"You can come visit me during the Christmas holidays," Hagrid shouted to Ian on the ceiling, constantly worried that the little wizard might fall down.
"Of course, no problem. I'll come find you after I've finished my business," Ian replied immediately.
And many copper nuggets were hidden in the ceiling.
At the banquet tomorrow night.
He will be the real Santa Claus at Hogwarts.
What?
Why not use Galleon?
What we should focus on is the sense of ritual! Not how much money the young wizards earned! Can the sense of ritual be measured by money? The young wizards would be happy enough if some bronze knuckles fell from the sky!
"Perhaps you could hide a Galleon inside, so the lucky one can have more joy and surprise," Hagrid said, looking up and beginning to instruct Ian on how to decorate the ceiling.
"Great idea!"
Ian looked down at his usual spot and then casually hid a Galleon above it. His actions left his two roommates exchanging knowing glances.
"A fantastic Christmas idea!"
Hagrid was unaware of Ian's little scheme, and he happily praised Ian's sudden inspiration.
"Santa Claus should thank us."
Ian jumped directly from the ceiling, casting a levitation spell on himself in mid-air, making him float as lightly as a feather when he landed.
"The rest is up to the little fairies."
He clapped his hands.
Perhaps because he had spent too much time in the "laboratory," Ian took great care and enjoyed decorating the auditorium. After saying goodbye to Hagrid, he also gave himself a rare day off.
"What are you doing sitting here! Go rollerblade!" Ian ran to the edge of Black Lake with the ice skates he had made and saw Aurora sitting on a rock, staring blankly at the lake. Without saying a word, he turned Aurora's shoes into ice skates and then took her to the Black Lake to skate.
"What are we doing?"
Aurora didn't realize what was happening until they reached the Black Lake.
"Enjoy life."
Ian gave a pep talk.
This made Aurora thoughtful again—her learning speed was really fast. At first, she was a little flustered, but she quickly mastered the skills and became even more impressive than Ian.
Like a black swan on a lake.
Of course, it would be better if this black swan didn't speak so harshly.
"Aren't you going to keep skating? Did I discourage you?" Aurora asked Ian cautiously in a low voice when she saw him stop.
"Can I wait for you? I can pretend to skate slower than you." The German girl was a straightforward person, but her directness made Ian feel embarrassed.
"It's just halftime."
Ian ran onto land and began adding more inscriptions to his ice skates—after all, his skates had already been specially treated from the start.
That's life. When you realize you're not as skilled as others, you have to seriously reflect on one question—was my skill level not high enough?
Ian's competitive spirit led him to invest heavily in his shoes.
Another day passed quickly amidst laughter and joy.
Before going to bed at night.
"Ian, aren't you really going to come home with me for Christmas? My house is full of magical gadgets." William invited Ian again after he finished washing up.
Before he even spoke, Michael had already mentioned to Ian several times what fun things his family had that he wanted his friends to come over and play. It seemed like something every child was really looking forward to.
"I still have one project to finish. Next year, next year I'll definitely share everything!" Ian thought the round trip would take too long, and he had originally planned to stay at Hogwarts to study. Of course, now there was also the added worry that after his Christmas break, when he came back, that huge Voldemort would be gone by accident.
If Voldemort were to attempt to ambush Grindelwald during his vacation and be killed by Grindelwald, where would he find such good soul fuel as Voldemort?
"If such a scene were to happen in the near future, I would try my best to make sure I get there in time." Ian wanted to be the sixth man and secretly burn away Voldemort's remaining soul.
I wonder if Voldemort would agree.
"Since he didn't come to me, I'll take that as a yes." I confirmed one last time that Quirrell still hadn't made a move tonight.
Ian then lay down on the bed and closed his eyes with anticipation.
tonight.
Christmas Eve is approaching.
It was time for him to enter the dreamlike illusion again.
From the hazy state of falling asleep to the return of his clear mind, Ian slowly opened his eyes. He was once again back in Professor Morgan's familiar castle. However, this place, which he knew so well, presented itself to him with a strange and unfamiliar feeling.
For example, Ms. Morgan didn't even sit on her bench.
For example, Ian had just seized this hard-won opportunity and rushed forward to sit on Professor Morgan's bench, comfortably enjoying the comfort brought by this "throne".
But the next moment.
Without any warning.
"roar!"
Suddenly, Ian heard a powerful roar coming from outside the castle. The terrifying sound even made the entire castle shake as if an earthquake had occurred.
The shaking was so intense that Ian was even thrown off the bench.
He plopped down on the cold floor.
This is definitely not a coincidence.
"Hiss! Did Ms. Morgan discover that I sat in her chair and let out a witch's roar that shook the earth?" Ian hurriedly ran to the castle gate.
then.
The dragon lying prostrate on the ground, and Morgan's dark face, both came into his view.