Hogwarts: Becoming the White Lord from Breathing

Chapter 97 The foundation is the cornerstone upon which all things are built.
When the Legilimency technique ended once again, the two opened their eyes again.

Another long silence followed.

Snape was right. This method was indeed useful for those who had mastered Occlumency. After all, the other party was an expert in Occlumency, and his manipulation of emotions was unparalleled, far beyond what Damon could achieve now.

Although the other party did not conceal anything, or rather, Snape completely dissected his childhood, presenting it almost unguarded to Damon.

It's as if they are comparing each other in pairs.

The pain Damon suffered before his time travel, and the pain Snape suffered before meeting Lily.

Damon's ecstatic discovery of Hogwarts, and Snape's relief at meeting Lily.

Of course, he was quite certain that Snape hadn't discovered his secret of 'time travel'. After all, he had already mastered considerable skills, and time travel was his most core secret, which he couldn't possibly reveal to anyone.

But Snape did indeed grasp his emotions in that moment, grasping the beginning of a disillusioned man's later life.

"you"

Did you do this on purpose?
Damon remained silent for a moment, without asking the question.

"It seems you've grasped the point. Very good. All my effort has been worthwhile. Now, give me the reward I'm owed."

Snape's lips curled slightly—Damon's performance pleased him greatly; it seemed our dueling prince had realized that he wasn't the only one who was special.

"Yes, here you go. Speaking of which, I have a matching one here too."

Damon pulls out a magical photograph. In it, 'Lily' is wearing a blue, old-fashioned floral dress. She looks rustic, yet she's also quite quirky.

This was the memory he had just seen. Although he had seen it in a movie in his previous life, witnessing it in person was a completely different experience.

Snape gently took the photo, glanced at it, and held it carefully.

see a visitor out.

That's enough for today. I'll be waiting for you here next Friday at the same time. If you have any questions, feel free to come to my office anytime.

"Okay, thank you for your guidance, Professor."

Damon was preparing to leave, and the learning trip had left him a little tired—which also reminded him of something else—never underestimate magic.

"Damon, thank you."

As Damon closed the door, he heard a faint thank you behind him.

He didn't respond, but simply raised his right hand and waved it left and right.

You're welcome, bye-bye.

When Damon returned to the common room, Hermione and the other two were still awake. Even Neville stayed with them obediently, reading "The Herbal Disaster and Handling Manual".

Seeing him appear unharmed, the group breathed a sigh of relief. Ron then asked:
"Damon, did Snape give you a hard time?"

"Don't worry, no, we get along very well."

Damon leaned against the sofa, resting his entire body on it, and gently exhaled.

"You look very tired. Are you under too much pressure?"

Hermione observed the expression on his face, a hint of worry in her eyes, and her fingers quietly clenched.

"Yes, that's true, but it has nothing to do with Snape. It's a drawback of practicing Occlumency."

What is Occlumency surgery?

This kind of magic is too advanced; even Hogwarts students won't come into contact with it until the end of the term, which left the group somewhat puzzled.

"Emotions and thoughts are not locked in the brain. A spiritual master who has mastered the magic of Legilimency can capture these wandering fragments and thus gain control over your thoughts."

Occlumency is the antidote to this spell—it requires maintaining a clear mind and letting go of all emotions, which is not easy and makes me feel a little nauseous.

"Legitimacy? What kind of magic is that?!"

"Isn't that mind reading?!" "No, mind reading is a Muggle term; there's a subtle yet fundamental difference between the two."

The human heart is not a book that can be read at will.

Thoughts are not engraved in the brain; you can't let people delve into them to read them.

It's not as fast as mind reading, but it allows people to see more.

Hermione and the others' expressions became subtle. Did this mean that their thoughts were completely exposed in front of the master of Legilimency?

Damon noticed their concerns and said with a smile:

"Don't worry, Legilimency is an extremely difficult and profound magic that very few wizards can master. Moreover, it is an extremely offensive and insulting act to read minds. Neither Snape nor Dumbledore would ever use such magic on you."

His statement failed to dispel the doubts of the crowd.

Hermione asked:
"Can we learn Occlumency surgery?"

"Of course, I can teach you right now, but—I think you should build a solid foundation first, rather than jumping straight into learning such advanced spells, so you don't waste a whole semester without even getting the basics—what do you think?"

The group was persuaded.

"Shall we go to the Room of Requirement to practice spells tomorrow? All five of us together."

Harry felt a sense of urgency and asked the question.

Everyone else looked at Damon.

"No problem, I should be up at six in the morning. Can you guys get up that early?"

“I’m fine with it,” Hermione answered first.

The boys hesitated for a moment, exchanged glances, and then said with pained expressions:
“We should be able to—if we can’t get up, please drag us out of bed.”

"I don't like to force myself. If you can't get up, then come later."

"Okay, go to sleep."

For the other students at Hogwarts, this weekend was just the first break of the term.

For Harry Ron and his friends, however, things had completely changed.

They finished all their homework on Friday with Hermione's help, and then spent the remaining two days in the Room of Requirement practicing spells.

Their only rest time was when they went to the lobby on the first floor for lunch and dinner. That's how it should have been.

Ron didn't expect that Damon wouldn't even give him that much time, but instead used Transfiguration to conjure the food that the house-elves had prepared in advance onto the table.

“I don’t like to go to eat in the middle of a practice session, as it interrupts my flow—magic requires focus.”

Although Damon did not require everyone to do as he did, if even someone as excellent as Damon is so diligent, what reason do Harry and the others have to be lazy?

After making up their minds, the group became even more motivated.

In the past two days, Damon has chosen not to teach them advanced spells, or even the content they should be learning in second grade. Instead, he has them go back to learning basic spells.

That's right, it's the first-year spells textbook, "Standard Spells: Beginner"—spells that are so simple they couldn't be simpler, like the Cleanse, Levitate, and Illuminate spells, which the students have already mastered.

"The foundation is the cornerstone upon which all things are built."

Damon had somehow acquired a pair of gold-rimmed glasses, making him look like an old scholar.

"In my opinion, none of your spellcasting actions, voices, auras, or the will you exert are up to standard."

The reason why it's not done well is because it hasn't become a habit.

To solve this problem, I have no other advice but to practice a lot, repeatedly.

"Cast each spell a thousand times a day until you can use it as naturally as breathing, then I will teach you the rest."

(End of this chapter)