A Professor of Magic at Hogwarts

Chapter 129: Memories

Chapter 129: Memories

The ghost also caught sight of Felix Harp. She immediately seemed inclined to depart, but then, as if reconsidering something, she abruptly stayed put, though her expression took on a haughty demeanor.

Felix stood by her side, saying, "Rarely does the castle offer such quietude."

She arched an eyebrow in surprise, but quickly regained her composure. Following Felix's gaze, she lifted her head, and her eyes reflected the reddish hues of the sunset glow.

Neither of them spoke, silently gazing at the radiant orange hues that painted the horizon as the sun descended.

Its radiance grew fainter and paler, fading gradually until the last gleam vanished, and dusk settled in.

The ghost's silver-white transparent form also dimmed, and Ms. Grey looked over, her expression softening.

"I apologize for my rudeness last time," Felix said.

She strove to maintain a calm tone, saying, "No, I was overly sensitive... I often lose my temper over trivial matters."

The two conversed for several minutes, with Felix avoiding any discussions about Hogwarts history, Helena, Rowena Ravenclaw, or the Bloody Baron. They simply chatted about the weather, culture, and world events.

"...The Magical Congress of the United States - similar to the Ministry of Magic here - has relocated at least five times for the sole purpose of evading Muggle scrutiny," Felix said.

"Is that so? That organization didn't exist in my time..."

"Because the Magical Congress of the United States was founded just three centuries ago. Their wizards operate in utmost secrecy, and their laws are stringent, making them quite unfriendly to outsiders," Felix explained. "I believe it's due to their history of nearly exposing the entire magical world on several occasions."

"The most controversial among these instances was the enactment of the Rappaport's Law in the late 18th century. This law mandated complete segregation between wizards and Muggles, sternly prohibiting any social interactions or marriages between them."

Ms. Grey was intrigued and inquired for more details.

"The clichéd story of a witch falling for a handsome Muggle; however, sadly, he was a descendant of a witch-hunter, and the love was a conspiracy from the start..."

Hogwarts gradually darkened, shrouding Felix Harp and Ms. Grey's figures in darkness.

"...Until the end, the Magical Congress of the United States couldn't ensure the obliteration of all related memories. To prevent such occurrences, this law came into being."

Felix's tale came to an end.

Ms. Grey drifted away, seemingly captivated, leaving the scene.

...

Felix returned to his office, reorganizing recent pressing matters:

Conversations with Dobby once again;

Discarding the diary, restoring Hagrid's honor;

Remaining tasks were less important or lacked time constraints, like composing a new book, researching ancient magic, investigating the Room of Requirement, crafting snake-skin armor, learning Memory Charms, and more.

And Memory Charms...

Felix Harp suddenly became intrigued, ready to attempt once more the operation he had once completed.

He pointed his wand at the cup with intricate silver patterns before him, and in a twist of distortion, it swiftly transformed into a small squirrel.

"Um..."

Subsequently, he constructed a memory fragment in his own mind, the tip of his wand touching his forehead, extracting delicate silver threads.

Silver threads floated above his palm, emitting silver light akin to starlight.

Carefully, Felix integrated the memory fragment into the small squirrel—

Its expression became animated, the squirrel lifted its head, its tiny black eyes fixated on him.

"Do you have anything to say?" Felix asked in a hushed tone.

He knew it wouldn't speak, as the memory contained non-verbal information. Yet, it was a sort of signal, and the squirrel began to act. It scampered around on the table, swiftly returning with a feathered quill in its mouth.

Felix rapped the table again; it dashed to the other side of the table, this time bringing back a piece of parchment.

"Very well."

He nodded, then quietly observed. Apart from infusing this memory with two commands, he also incorporated some of what he understood about the squirrel's behavior.

For instance, at this moment, the squirrel concealed itself within its fluffy tail, cautiously peeking out with its black eyes fixed on him.

After about seven or eight minutes, its expression lost its vivacity.

Felix waved his wand, returning it to a cup adorned with silver patterns.

He plunged into contemplation, the office becoming profoundly quiet.

After a while, a new inspiration struck him—

Felix softly uttered, "Herald's Guard."

A small, silver swiftlet emerged from his wand, circling around the office. Its speed was remarkable, leaving faint traces of silver in its wake visible only to its master.

The dim silver glow made the room exquisite, and finally, it landed lightly before Felix.

"What if I infuse a portion of memory into the guardian? What effect might that produce?"

Felix thought this way, and he acted accordingly, blending a memory of the same hue into the swiftlet's form.

In his anticipatory gaze, the guardian quietly shattered.

This was entirely unexpected, why did it happen?

He soon remembered the description of the guardian: a reflection of one's most positive emotions. Spellcasters must concentrate on the happiest memories they could recall. And practically, the stronger the joy memory brought, the more potent the spell's effect.

The key word here was 'memory'.

The guardian was composed of pure, joyful memories, and Felix had just injected a new memory—akin to impurities. Consequently, the magic dispersed instantly.

Felix shook his head, "I thought I could utilize the guardian, along with the newly injected memory, to achieve a more stable transformation structure."

According to his notion, the guardian could serve as a means of communication, capable of distance from the wizard. If it was given sufficiently flexible memories, could it function as an 'alternate self' roaming the outside world?

This bore resemblance to what he had seen in Rowena Ravenclaw's manuscript.

Whether the guardian magic itself or the infused memory fragments, both depended entirely on the wizard. There was no need to worry about it spiraling out of control.

In fact, according to his idea, the ultimate form of this magic could directly carry his consciousness, allowing him to remain at the school while his guardian moved in the wizarding world, accomplishing simple tasks.

Such as gathering information, querying messages...

Felix already had certain plans for this aspect, involving magical contracts, utilizing the Room of Requirement, although there was currently no trace of success. Nonetheless, he could strive in that direction.

Yet, everything was halted at the first step—

One was pure and joyous memories, the other, emotionless memory fragments; these two were inherently conflicting.

How to solve this problem, after all?

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