Hogwarts: This professor is too Muggle.

Chapter 141: Thoughts on the Soul

In the dim and cold underground classroom, although it was a deathday party prepared by the ghost, the house elves were asked to help with the decoration and provide special decorations and food. The special candles emitted a candlelight colder than the night, illuminating the rotten and maggoty sheep stomach, the moldy and green-haired cheese, and the tombstone-shaped cake of unknown material.

In addition to the ghosts wandering around the school, Nick also invited friends from out of town.

Wizards from all over Britain had attended Hogwarts, and although they were no longer resident at the school after his death, they all rushed back after receiving the invitation, both to celebrate Nick's 500th death and to remember their time at the school.

For many ghosts, this is their first time back to school since graduation.

When alive, we are too busy with our lives to return. After death, we become ghosts, with plenty of time to spare, and even if we return, it is difficult for us to experience the same emotions as the living.

Nick, the protagonist of Deathday, tried hard to greet the ghosts coming and going. Except for the Headless Hunters, all the other guests were present. They returned to the backstage happily, but found that the band had stopped playing at some point and the party had become quiet at some point. The room was so quiet that you could hear the breathing of the living.

The ghosts that usually howled and made a lot of noise gathered in the corner, listening silently to the conversation between the young professor and a female ghost.

A translucent ghostly woman stood quietly in front of the window, her long, soft hair hanging down naturally, and her robe in a cool grayish-white hue, revealing the wisdom and elegance of Ravenclaw College.

"Professor, are you saying that I'm not really me, but just a magical creation that inherited my memories from my previous life?"

Ms. Grey's voice was soft and tinged with sadness.

Melvin shook his head. "I don't know anything about ghosts, or the afterlife. These are just random thoughts I had while studying soul magic and reading old magic books. Ma'am, don't worry about it."

"Perhaps you are right..." Ms. Grey's face was expressionless, and her translucent features carried a faint sense of alienation.

Recalling something, she looked at the young professor. "My mother... the four founders also explored the soul and the afterlife during their lifetime. With their wisdom and talents, they each made different discoveries in these areas, but they ultimately chose to accept death calmly and did not leave behind any magical portraits."

Melvin nodded. He also realized this: "Even the Sorting Hat left by Gryffindor only made the hat accept the thoughts and spirits of the four houses, not the memories."

Even Slytherin, the most mysterious of the Big Four, displayed the demeanor of a legendary wizard when facing death.

The fact that he was able to breed and hatch a basilisk proved that he had studied the dark magic of Herpo in depth, and of course he had also come into contact with Horcruxes, but he did not choose this path.

"..."

Ms. Grey nodded slightly, her posture reserved, revealing a faint, barely perceptible pride.

"I happen to know some research content that may be helpful to you, Professor Lewinter." At this time, a low and hoarse voice suddenly sounded beside him, and another ghostly figure floated forward.

Harry and the others felt their bodies go cold, as if they had fallen into an icy black lake, and were quickly pulled out by a giant squid.

"It's the Bloody Baron," Ron said tremblingly.

Hermione looked up at the ghost who had taken Slytherin.

The translucent blue figure has broad shoulders and a thin body, a pale and haggard face, and a brow that is always slightly furrowed with a look of hidden pain. He is wearing medieval aristocratic clothing, a tight-fitting top, trousers and a cloak, as well as a bloody chain, which is intimidating.

As the Bloody Baron approached, the Grey Lady immediately floated up, and her illusory figure passed through the stone wall and disappeared into the Deathday party.

The bloodstained ghost sighed, and the gloomy atmosphere around him became even heavier. He did not chase after him as usual, but whispered a few words to Melvin and entrusted the research to Ms. Ravenclaw.

After finishing speaking, Barrow asked in confusion, "Professor Lewinter, does the world after death really exist?"

A thousand years have passed, but he still remembers that Lady Ravenclaw, lying on her sickbed, asked him to bring Helena back. Such a great witch, even if she couldn't cure the disease, could at least delay death. But she didn't even wait for him to come back, and the mother and daughter didn't even have time to say goodbye.

It is such a heartbreaking pity that Ms. Ravenclaw did not leave behind a ghost.

So many legendary wizards with extraordinary talents chose to go to the afterlife calmly, which made him a little suspicious.

If ghosts are really just magical creations that inherit the memories of wizards, then have the real wizard souls already gone away, and have Helena and Ms. Ravenclaw reunited in that world?
"You shouldn't ask me this question. You're the one who's experienced death. You should have your own answer."

Melvin patiently replied, "It's said that ghosts are the souls of the dead who are unwilling to return. They linger in the world out of fear of death, but Mr. Barrow is clearly not one who fears death. You know best why you're staying at Hogwarts."

Barrow and the other ghosts in the classroom fell into deep thought.

Many of them are not really afraid of death. They have been ghosts for so long that they have almost forgotten the reasons why they refused to accept death in the first place.

Regret, unwillingness, attachment... have all dissipated in the long river of time.

Melvin looked up at the dazed, blood-stained ghost and paused. "But I can answer this question. The afterlife is real. Wizards who die of natural causes will pass through a transit station called the Misty Illusion. By following this illusion, they can reach the afterlife."

Barrow's empty eyes flashed with a silver light: "How should we go?"

"Wizards can reach it through death, but how ghosts get there... I can't tell you." Melvin's tone was also filled with uncertainty. "Perhaps you don't need to look for it, and you can't find it. The Misty Realm isn't a real place. You should find your own way."

"My own path..."

The Bloody Baron repeated in a whisper as his figure drifted away, passing through the wall and disappearing quietly.

The other ghosts repeated this sentence and rushed towards the young professor.

The three young wizards watched silently from the side, watching them talk and answer questions. The ghosts were mainly asking about the existence of the afterlife and the hazy illusion. The professor could not give any answer, but only said that he had seen a record of ancient wizards in a book in the library, but he could not remember the name of the book.

Melvin occasionally took the reins. Since wizards didn't have a detailed and specific definition of the soul, he first explained the Muggle understanding of it: "The Muggle philosopher Plato believed that the soul is divided into three parts, responsible for reason, passion, and desire. Reason corresponds to wisdom, responsible for thinking, decision-making, and the pursuit of truth."

"Sounds like the spirit of Ravenclaw," said a ghost from Eagle House.

Melvin nodded. "Passion involves emotion, honor, and courage."

"It's a bit like a combination of the Gryffindor and Slytherin spirits," said Nick.

“Desire drives basic needs, eating and sleeping, enjoying music, appreciating beautiful things.”

"You could consider it a Hufflepuff personality."

Melvin patiently explained, then raised a question: "Although ghosts inherit their memories from their previous lives, they cannot learn new magic or knowledge. They have abandoned wisdom. The long years have washed away their passion and changed their personalities. Some ghosts even become paranoid and irritable. As for your past preferences, you have lost your senses such as taste and touch. Are your current preferences the same as before?"
"If you were given another chance to be sorted into a house, which house do you think you would be sorted into?
"Do you really still have the soul you once had?"

Most ghosts were unable to answer and could only fall silent.

This was the quiet scene they saw when the headless hunters rode their ghost horses through the stone wall and galloped in.

The ghosts in the room stared at each other, frozen in place, their expressions complex and unreadable as they looked at the objects on the table. They hesitated, wanting to approach but unable to. The musicians, gazing at the eerily torn saws in their hands, wore wistful, nostalgic eyes. Patrick leaned forward, and heard one of them murmur, "When we were alive, we played violins..."

Even Nick, the host of this death anniversary and a keen participant in the team, stood there in a daze, staring at the words spelled out in tar icing on the cake.

Sir Nicholas Deminsey Porpington

Died on October 1492, 10

……

Ten p.m.

Melvin said goodbye to Nick and returned to the auditorium. The Halloween dinner was not over yet, and he even caught the last fruit pudding.

Because tomorrow was the weekend and there were no classes, Dumbledore suggested delaying lights-out a bit. The Vice-Headmaster had a few too many drinks tonight, and Professor McGonagall, looking slightly tipsy, remained silent. The students continued to make noise until midnight, then returned to the common room under the guidance of the prefects of each house.

Melvin followed at the end of the Ravenclaw group.

He caused a bit of a stir, calmed down the anxious Marietta, asked about the drama club's latest developments, and talked with the students in the Muggle Studies class about their papers. Suddenly, the number of young wizards surrounding him decreased a lot.

The Ravenclaw common room is located in a tower outside the castle. To enter the common room, one must correctly answer a logic riddle given by an eagle-shaped bronze door knocker. This is a rule set by Ravenclaw herself, who believes it is safer than some specific words.

Ravenclaw students all believe that they have extraordinary intelligence, but occasionally some students cannot answer the question, and at this time they can only sneak in behind other students.

But this is very shameful behavior.

Except for Professor Flitwick, other professors seldom visited the Ravenclaw common room, so naturally they were rarely seen solving the difficult problem of the bronze door knocker. The young wizards were all looking forward to Professor Lewynter's performance later, and it would be even better if they were stumped.

When they arrived in front of the circular arch, the young wizards stopped and looked silently at the young professor at the end of the team.

Melvin found it a little funny looking at these expectant little faces. There were many familiar faces among them, such as Penelope, Roger, Qiu, and even Marietta, who never dared to look him in the eye, was secretly looking at him.

It seems that I have to wait until the holidays to find out about Ravenclaw's research.

But he didn't turn away.

"It's all here..."

Melvin stood in front of the archway and knocked on the bronze knocker.

Only an indifferent female voice was heard: "I exist in everyone's heart, but no one can monopolize me. The bigger I am, the more I share with others, and the more I grow. What am I?"

Melvin paused for a few seconds and said, "Knowledge."

With a click, the archway opened.

Melvin stopped at the door of the lounge without stepping in. When he was about to make way for the passage, he heard the students behind him cheering. After a moment's thought, he took out a piece of parchment from his pocket, tapped it with his wand, and stuck it on the door.

After the professor left, the Ravenclaw students couldn't wait to gather around and saw a puzzle left on it:
"Theseus is a ship that gradually degraded over time. To keep it sailing properly, sailors constantly replaced the ship's planks, masts, ropes, and other parts, until eventually all the original parts were replaced by new ones. The question is, is this ship, with all its parts replaced, still the original Theseus? If not, at what point did it lose its original identity?"

……

"Mount my steed and charge!"

"Goodbye, my comrades!"

"If you need a noble heart and muscles of steel, remember to call me Sir Cadogan!"

In the Muggle Studies classroom, the drama club was rehearsing. After considering the life experiences of ghosts and portraits from across the school, they chose the story of Sir Cadogan, as it would best convey their unwavering courage.

"Everyone says that I only became a Knight of the Round Table thanks to Merlin's connections! But my courage will prove that I earned this knighthood myself! Wyvern, you fire-breathing beast, prepare to die! Here I come! My heart burns with a fearless fighting spirit!
"Oh my god, what a disaster! My wand, made of blackthorn wood, with a core made of a giant's beard, nine inches long, was burned to ashes by your flames! And you swallowed my steed in one gulp!
“Even though my armor is torn, my lance is broken, my wand is burned, and my horse is gone, I will never retreat!
"Come on, little ponies grazing on the roadside, let's charge towards that evil two-legged dragon together!"

"..."

Marietta and Neville stood outside, watching the performance which was already going well, feeling a sense of accomplishment and a little proud on their faces.

"I think it's time to report to the professor. What do you think, Neville?"

"Ok!"

They saved all of this up bit by bit, without relying on any professors at all!

At this moment, a figure pushed the door open outside the classroom.

Even before I got close, the drama club students were a little dazzling. Their bright golden wavy hair was meticulously combed, the buttons on their gorgeous blue robes gleamed, and their leather boots were reflecting the light.

Lockhart smiled his signature perfect smile, revealing a row of flawless, straight, dazzling teeth. "I hear you're looking for a good story, right?"

"..."

"How can a story about a knight who only knows how to shout slogans and relies on coincidence to defeat a wyvern? How can it compare to the story of a veteran adventurer who uses wisdom and courage to defeat dark creatures and protect the villagers? I have five stories like this."

"This……"

"The story's witnesses are always available for consultation and guidance. We have a large fan base for the original novel, and I can also contact many journalist friends to ensure that your drama performance is well received."

"Professor, we..."

"Professor Lewinter from your drama club also wants to work with me."

Seeing Marietta's hesitation, Neville stepped forward and pushed Lockhart out the door. "Sorry, Professor, our script has been finalized."

"boom!"

Lockhart looked at the heavily closed classroom door, his face flushed and a look of anger appeared on his face.

The drama club's affairs had been announced long ago, and he thought it was just a small prank by Melvin to train his students, but he didn't expect them to really make a big splash. Considering the possibility of being on the screen, he was willing to provide free guidance, but he didn't expect these students to refuse!
Lockhart planned to approach the heads of the Drama Club and the Magic Mirror Club directly.

(End of this chapter)