Hogwarts: This professor is too Muggle.

Chapter 339 The Essence of Magic

In the center of the island, where the House of Requirement is built, at the entrance to the fortress prison, Melvin leads the way through the open stone door.

There were dried bloodstains in front of the stone gate. Hermione, clutching the lazy water snake, paused for a few moments to look at it before quickly following.

The kerosene lamps and torches hanging on the wall burned silently, and only the sound of their footsteps echoed in the fortress.

"The Room of Requirement can meet the needs of multiple teachers and students at the same time. In different scenarios and rooms, the needs of both parties do not interfere with each other. As long as the person who entered the room first did not make an exclusive request, it is fine for the person who entered the room later."

Melvin explained as they walked: "When you come again, pay attention. Professor Trelawney sometimes hides empty sherry bottles. Her request was a room that only she knew about, or a room that no one else could find. The Room of Requirement might not respond to you, or the door might appear, but it can only be opened from the inside."

"A hidden room, concealing empty wine bottles?"

Hermione didn't know what to say: "Besides Professor Trelawney, who else knows about this place?"

"According to Headmaster Dumbledore, one night he was in a hurry to urinate and accidentally opened a washroom full of toilets and chamber pots." Melvin casually revealed his secret, showing no regard for the headmaster's dignity.

The little witch beside her laughed, the tension from outside the fortress fading away: "The headmaster is definitely talking nonsense."

"I think so too. Given the principal's personality, he must have checked it very carefully. He might even have counted how many bricks were on the wall."

Melvin continued, "And Professor McGonagall, last time Severus was chasing Sirius, the situation was quite critical, so I had Sirius hide here for a night."

Hermione nodded, and as she followed the professor into an office, she suddenly remembered something. Sirius was hiding here. What was his connection with Professor McGonagall? How did she know?
Before she could stop, her suspicious gaze betrayed her doubts.

Melvin realized his slip of the tongue and shrugged: "Because Dumbledore and she were peeking around the corner at the time."

Many memories flashed through Hermione's mind. No wonder the professors reacted so calmly, even somewhat abnormally, when Sirius broke into Hogwarts. It seemed that only Professors Snape and Lupin were kept in the dark, and were anxious and struggling with their own thoughts.

She had many questions she wanted to ask, but that was in the past. She was there for tutoring today, so she shook her head and followed the professor into the room.

Outside Azkaban prison, in the room to the right of the first-floor lobby, is the rest room for the Aurors on duty. There is a square observation window in the wall, a fireplace for passing things around, a table for tea breaks, and old newspapers.

The Room of Requirement couldn't conjure up real tea and snacks, but Melvin had some in his pocket. In no time, the fireplace was ablaze with silky flames, the teapot emitted the sweet aroma of pumpkin juice, and a plate was laid out with biscuits and shortbread.

Yulm was no longer listless. He asked himself for a glass of pumpkin juice, and sipped it slowly with his delicate tongue.

"There are no Aurors or prisoners, and the Dementors outside are fake, just simulations of the island's buildings and terrain."

Hermione took a sip of pumpkin juice, looking around with some curiosity: "Last semester, I read your research paper on Azkaban, Professor. What are we here for?"

"Just because some things are fake doesn't mean everything is fake."

Melvin, sitting in the opposite seat, laughed, placing the suitcase he had been carrying all the way at his feet: "Like the Dementors in the thick fog."

Hermione's gaze shifted downwards, a vague guess forming in her mind, her throat tightening: "The Dementors from the night of the Patronus Charm special teaching session?"

Seemingly sensing the gaze of the two wizards, the suitcase that had been trembling outside fell silent. Only the ancient alchemical array constructed by the ancient runes remained on the side of the suitcase, with dazzling silver-white light flashing. Exquisite magic maintained the Unfailing Stretching Charm, sealing off the evil and ominous dark creature inside.

Suddenly, the light on the magic circle went out, and the suitcase started shaking again.

The latches on both sides snapped open, a shockwave erupted from inside the box, the lid suddenly opened, and a group of dense black shadows darted out.

The room was filled with a thick, icy fog, like a blizzard. The shadows of those cloaks floated in the fog, and their pale, withered hands shimmered with a faint light.

Nearly a hundred Dementors, the vast majority of them rushed out of the window and roamed freely in the sky, while one or two remained in the room, staring longingly at the two wizards.

A black cloak hung down behind him, and his figure floated in the air, like a shadowy corpse draped in a black robe.

After months of not eating, his eyes were practically glowing green.

"Ho..."

A distinct inhalation sound came from his throat, as if he wanted to suck the air out of the room completely.

Patronus Charm

The little witch took a deep breath, waved her wand lightly, and summoned a round and cute silver otter.

The Patronus circled the room, suppressing the Dementors' magic, but the sudden drop in temperature still made Hermione shiver: "Professor, I've already mastered the Patronus Charm; I don't need any special instruction."

"Dementors are special teaching tools, and they can be used for more than just practicing Patronus Charms."

Melvin said softly, the scattered silver light falling to the ground like cool moonlight.

Melvin flicked his fingertips, directing the silver light to create streams of light, nimble and light, like water snakes swimming in a cold pool. This was an extended technique of the Guardian Charm, preserving the outline of the physical Guardian in exchange for an advantage in numbers.

Melvin gently shook his index finger, directing it like an African priest directing a venomous snake with a flute.

Beams of light wrapped around the Dementor, restraining its limbs and locking its stiff joints, trapping the Dementor in mid-air, unable to move.

“Ever since the last special duel tutorial, I’ve kept these Dementors locked in boxes, checking their status and counting their numbers regularly,” Melvin said.

“Back when I was in Muggle school, our science teacher would ask us to observe animals and write them down in a journal.”

Hermione got up and moved closer, holding her breath. She had never observed a Dementor so closely before. Thinking of Harry's experience, she felt a little nervous: "My mother found me a frog to keep as a pet and fed it mealworms regularly, but it still died... The last few pages of my observation log were about dissection experiments, and the teacher didn't want to give me an excellent grade."

Empty eye sockets, with flickering light within, devoid of any life or emotion.

Its menacing mouthparts and barely audible breathing suggest it is devouring something unseen.

From afar, it looked like a skeleton, similar to the skeletal specimens in medical school. But upon closer inspection, it became clear that the Dementors had flesh and skin, not the fragile flesh that would break at the slightest touch in formalin. There were signs of decay, yet the texture was clear, like tanned leather. "Will Dementors die if they don't eat for a long time?" Hermione turned around and asked.

Since the discovery of Azkaban in the 15th century, the Ministry of Magic has prohibited anyone from studying or raising Dementors. The Department of Magical Creatures lists Dementors as dangerous creatures, and the Department of Mysteries considers them forbidden creations of dark magic. Information about Dementors is scarce throughout the magical world.

Melvin's act of privately keeping Dementors makes him possibly the first wizard since Extis created Azkaban.

"If you ask a question that gets straight to the point, I'll give you extra points if it's in class."

Melvin looked at the dark creature imprisoned in mid-air: "For a long time, the magical world has believed that Dementors are similar to ghosts. They have many commonalities, are difficult to be affected by magic, and their bodies bring a chill that touches the soul when they get close. Similarly, many scholars believe that Dementors, like ghosts, are almost immortal beings."

"but?"

"But they were wrong. Dementors die, and after they die, their remains are never found."

Melvin said softly, as the cold mist emanating from the suitcase gradually faded and disappeared in an instant: "A total of 97 Dementors were captured on the night of the special training, and now only 89 remain, but no skeletons have been left."

Apoptosis...like in plants?

Hermione noticed the professor's unusual choice of words, and her eyes lit up slightly: "They are born from the fog, and after they die, they also dissipate into the fog, turning into nutrients to nourish their kind, just like plants?"

Melvin nodded slightly: "Those dense fogs are not tiny droplets formed from water vapor, but rather products of special magical condensation, swirling around the Dementors. When the Dementor race absorbs enough happy memories and has sufficient magical power, more Dementors are born in the fog."

"And when the Dementor race suffers from prolonged food shortages, some Dementors will dissipate, turning into a thick fog to nourish their kind?"

Hermione quickly grasped the point and applied it to other situations: "That's why the number of Dementors in Azkaban remains constant, because the prisoners there can only provide a limited amount of food to sustain the daily activities of the Dementor population."

She spoke quickly: "During the Wizarding Wars, the Dementors followed Voldemort and plundered with the Death Eaters, causing their numbers to increase dramatically. After the Wizarding Wars ended, their numbers returned to stability."

"Yes, their reproduction method is similar to the self-regulation of plants."

Melvin nodded and smiled. Good students are easy to teach: "I'm looking for a more harmless and reasonable way to raise Dementors, to minimize the physical and mental harm to humans, while still satisfying their appetites... With food as a reward and Patronus Charms as punishment, maybe I can actually teach them ballet."

Hermione knew he was talking about the story of Barnabas, but tonight's class was so overwhelming that she didn't know how to respond.

She paused for a moment, then frowned with some hesitation: "Professor, the Ministry of Magic will not allow the unauthorized keeping of Dementors."

"Let's talk about it when you become Minister of Magic."

Melvin waved his hand: "Getting back to the point, today's tutoring class isn't about magical creatures or defense against the dark arts, but about charms. I'll be showing you Dementors to help you understand the nature of magic."

"The...substance of magic?"

“For example, when you first started tutoring two years ago, Harry and I practiced dueling under my supervision. Because you had mastered more spells and read more combat-related materials, you often had the upper hand in practice,” Melvin said, looking at the little witch.

"..." Hermione nodded blankly.

“In the two years between, you had your share of wins and losses, but Harry gradually revealed his talent in dueling. He reacted faster and could make the right choices based on instinct during battle, so he often had the advantage.” Melvin deliberately slowed down his speech to guide the students’ thinking.

Hermione recalled the dueling practice of the past two years and nodded: "He's a Quidditch Seeker, his athletic talent translates into duels, his Disarm Charm is powerful, and his magic power grows rapidly, but..."

Hermione frowned slightly, a thoughtful expression on her face: "At the beginning of last semester, I was always able to suppress him in battle."

The reasons for Harry's rapid increase in magic are quite complex. Apart from the influence of talent and the ancient magic flowing in his blood, there is also the fact that an old devil is hiding in the scar on his forehead.

Melvin didn't focus on Harry; his target was Hermione: "Because you just came back from Paris last summer, you met Bastian, experienced a major upheaval, and had a tumultuous emotional journey."

"But what does this have to do with Dementors?" Hermione asked, looking bewildered.

"Emotions, emotions are the key to unlocking the treasure trove of magic," Melvin gently guided.

The sound of heavy breathing came from behind. Hermione turned around and saw the Dementor panting heavily, its Patronus glowing brightly, twisting like a snake, extinguishing the cold mist that clung to its black robe.

Hermione's eyes widened, many things flashing through her mind, yet she couldn't connect them.

"The existence of Dementors and Boggarts is very peculiar. They have no souls, and their magical treasures are hidden in their bodies. If emotions are the key to unlocking the magical treasures, they themselves do not have the ability to generate emotions, whether it is happiness or fear, they have nothing... They can only feed on human emotions."

"The effect of Boggarts absorbing fear is more convenient, as it can be directly projected onto oneself. The more fearful the wizard is, the more terrifying the things it conjures become, to some extent possessing the true magic of illusions."

"Dementors are social animals. The more happy emotions they consume, the more magic they gain, making the cold mist thicker, giving birth to more of their kind, and expanding their race."

"A wizard's magical treasure trove is hidden in his soul. Ordinary wizards can only slowly grow in power with age, but when they encounter life-changing events, the intense emotional fluctuations cause their souls to tremble, and the door to the treasure trove opens a crack. Magic flows into the wizard's body through the crack."

Melvin paused for a moment. In a sense, Voldemort's creation of Horcruxes was a shortcut, directly tearing apart the soul, knocking open the door of the vault, and letting the magic power pour out directly, growing rapidly.

He quickly grew into the most powerful dark wizard in history.

Hermione could hear the Dementors' panting, and she could even think she could hear the sound of magic flowing out through the cracks, faint, slow, and continuous.

"Emotions are divided into different categories: positive love and happiness, and negative fear and hatred. Many wizards have already explored this area, and different emotions have different effects on magic."

Melvin's fingers twitched, loosening his grip on the Dementor: "Positive emotions are beneficial for wizards to master defensive magic, such as the Patronus Charm, while negative emotions are more suitable for dark magic, such as the Unforgivable Curse."

"Your principal always says that the magic of love is beyond imagination, but in my opinion, the magic of any emotion is very powerful when it is taken to the extreme, which involves some knowledge of psychology."

Hermione was about to grab a piece of paper to write it down, but Melvin changed the subject: "If you're interested, you can go home during your vacation and find out more."

"??"

(End of this chapter)