Hogwarts Study Panel

Chapter 548, Section 546: Hogsmeade's Dramatic Transformation (4k)

Warm September has come to an end early.

October, with its raging storms, is also coming to an end.

The weather was getting colder, and the mountains surrounding the school were shrouded in a gray haze, covered with ice and snow.

Sheen sat in the corner of the yard reading a book, listening to the wizards running excitedly down the corridor.

Many vines spread in the corner, concealing a hidden space.

Occasionally, Sheen would use his quill to write down his conjectures on parchment.

On this mysterious path of magic, he seems to have no end in sight.

Magic is the miracle of wizards changing the world. According to Sheen's breakdown, the path of magic is roughly as follows—

By building order inward and seeking wisdom outward, a magical ritual is ultimately formed.

In alchemy, Sheen's "Fairy Tale Cookie"; in the spell system, Sheen's "Dragon Wings"; and in the realm of potions, Sheen's "Will Guidance" are all natural creations within this type of system.

Its ultimate goal is nothing more than "omniscience and omnipotence".

This means that magic has all possibilities; as long as the wizard believes that magic can do it, magic can do it.

It's like a contract magic.

How did this type of magic come about?
What exactly is the source of its binding force?
Nobody knows.

Enough idealistic magic can even extend to the Spell of Unwavering Loyalty—a spell that can never be discovered as long as the confidant is not dead or betrayed;

An unbreakable oath—a magic that brings death to anyone who breaks it;
The age line—a boundary that no one under the age of 17 can cross.

Sometimes Sheen felt that magic was as deep as the night sky, and that as long as a wizard had desires, magic would produce stars.

A cold wind swept through the courtyard, slowly turning the pages of Sheen's Wizarding Book.

He is studying black magic.

A general term for a type of magic whose primary intention is to harm, control, corrupt, or kill others.

Unlike other branches of magic such as spells and transfiguration, the core difference of black magic lies in the caster's intention.

As Barty Crouch Jr. taught when he was disguised as Alastor Moody, even the most powerful dark magic spells cannot unleash their full power if the caster does not harbor genuine malice.

In Sheen's view, this is because the wizards have different ideas about "order".

The purpose of black magic is to harm, control, corrupt, or kill others. Therefore, it incites evil thoughts in the wizard's mind, gives the wizard cruel beliefs, and shapes the wizard's distorted order.

But can a wizard reshape this order?

Of course it is possible.

What Sheen wanted to do was to strip away the cruel exterior of dark magic and create a self-defensive form of offense.

"It's today. Oh, where's Sheen? We can go early; Hogsmeade opens early..."

A voice drifted closer as it approached.

"We can buy everything we want there!"

Another voice said,

"Mom and Dad love Honey Duke's fuzzy tooth mints—we found them—"

Hermione and Justin walked up to Sheehan excitedly.

Hermione seemed to be too happy, so much so that she tripped over a vine and the glass bottle containing potions fell out of her bag.

"My crystal bottle—"

She exclaimed.

"All petrified—"

Not far away, Sheen raised his wand.

The crystal bottle, which had been refracting a faint light, immediately dimmed, and its surface was covered with a stone-like substance. When it fell to the ground, it made only a dull thud.

Hermione picked up the crystal bottle out of curiosity; the once sparkling bottle now looked as if it were covered in mud.

"This is... a petrification spell?"

Hermione raised an eyebrow.

Sheen nodded, and a notification sound rang in his ear:

[You have practiced the Petrification Spell to legendary standards once, Master-level proficiency +300]

[Petrification Spell Has Been Advanced]

[Petrification Spell: Beginner Level (270/300)]

This is the second dark magic that Sheen has recreated.

This is also Sheen's second entry-level dark magic.

Its essence is to protect fragile objects or to control dangerous wizards.

Inspired by Professor Snape's Shadowspell.

Almost no one knows that Professor Snape originally used the Shadowstep Charm to bleed living creatures.

Otherwise, if it were simply about harming living beings, why would anyone design a counter-curse as well?

And why write the spells in advanced potion books?

"It's different from what's written in the book..."

Hermione leaned closer, staring suspiciously into Sheehan's green eyes.
"The book says that the petrification curse will make the victim's whole body stiff, with limbs pressed tightly to the body, unable to move or speak, and fall down like a plank... but it doesn't say that part of the victim will turn into stone..."

"I made some simple modifications to it..."

Sheen nodded.

"Are you creating new magic?!"

Justin quickly realized what was happening.

"To be precise, it is a kind of black magic that does not corrupt the wizard's soul."

Sheen confirmed.

The two young wizards looked at each other in silence for a moment.

"I heard that when Professor Snape first entered the school, he knew more spells than half of the seventh-year students, and he even tried to create his own magic..."

Justin said in a very soft voice.

What does it matter?

Hermione asked, puzzled.

Justin remained silent.

He looked at Sheehan, then at Hermione, and finally at the sky.

Hey! Are you even listening to me?

Hermione forcefully turned his head back.

"We think we should go..."

Justin quickly said.

Where are Harry and the others?

Hermione glared at him angrily, but eventually let him go.

“Neville’s purse is missing, um… Harry and the others are helping to look for it. We’re meeting at Honeydukes’ mansion, and…”

Justin silently opened his backpack, and a mirror floated out.

"You can ask yourself, Hermione, have you forgotten? Sheehan's Magic Hand Mirror?"

"I just……"

Hermione blushed slightly and pinched the opening of the small bag with her hand.

Inside lay a pink mirror with a cat-like pattern on its back and two soft cat-ear ornaments on top.

Hermione?

Justin peered around curiously.

"They're gone—"

Hermione said curtly.

The three of them set off amidst much bickering.

The weather was clear in the early morning, but it was windy.

After breakfast, they lined up in front of Mr. Filch, who was checking their names against a long list of students whose parents or guardians had allowed them to visit Hogsmeade Village.

After the inspection, they continued walking forward, reaching the stone steps and the cold, sunny outdoors.

They passed between the tall stone pillars topped with winged wild boars, turned left onto the road leading to the village, and the wind blew their hair into their eyes.

Where should we go first?

Hermione said excitedly.

Hogsmeade looked like a Christmas card, with thatched cottages and shops covered in fresh snow, holly wreaths hanging on doors, and strings of enchanted candles adorning the trees.

The snow here is enchanted; it never stops falling.

The streets were bustling with people, and the wizards here seemed to have only one thing in common… “I’m in Hogsmeade…where are you? Oh, darling, Fairy Tale Bazaar is certainly a good place, but your invitation is with your father…Shall I go to Grimm’s to buy you a copy of *The Wizarding Chronicles*? Honey, I have to tell you in advance, the signed copies are all sold out…”

"The streets are teeming with Dementors, I'd like to see how Black manages to break in... Don't worry... I'll be back in a bit... Wait till I get to Grimm's Bookstore..."

"Have Diagon Alley send another box of Jelly Slugs; they've practically bought everything here—"

Almost every wizard carries a small mirror, and they occasionally talk to the mirror, or they talk to it continuously.

The images on these mirrors are also quite varied:

Some come with a small plush bag for holding small items; it looks tiny, but the wizard can pull out a flying broom from it.

Some look like a colorful fish: pinching its chubby belly will open the mirror and make it float up on its own.

There's also a version that can hang in the air and follow the wizard, looking like a little pet.

"According to statistics, every wizard in the UK possesses at least one magic hand mirror. The advent of the magic hand mirror is hailed as the second communication revolution in the history of magic."

Justin unfolded a newspaper and said this.

What was your first time?

Hermione asked curiously.

"The birth of the Filo fan network."

Justin said,

"Oh, by the way, the communication of the Magic Hand Mirror is also known as Magic Network Communication."

"Magic...Net?"

Hermione looked at the little wizard behind her, the true creator of this network.

Sheen was also surprised.

Is it true that the jade workshop claimed to have sold tens of thousands of units?
He thought there weren't that many wizards in England...

Oh, that seems to explain why the fairy gave him a vault not long ago.

In fact, Sheen now owns three vaults in Gringotts, and his accumulated wealth is comparable to that of an ancient pure-blood family.

Now that we have the magic network...

For some inexplicable reason, Sheen wondered if magic could create a virtual world.
It's just like the real online world.

No wizard had ever thought of this before, because wizards themselves could obtain the power of fantasy in the virtual world.

Muggles need to construct a dungeon in a fictional world and play the role of a hero to enter and solve the puzzles, while wizards can complete a "dungeon" in reality.

However, it is an interesting idea, and perhaps Sheen could ask Professor Terra about the feasibility of this.

As thoughts raced through his mind, Hogsmeade grew increasingly lively.

Honeydukes, not far away, was packed with Hogwarts students when suddenly someone shouted:
"Fairy Tale Square is now open!"

At the same time, all the magic hand mirrors displayed a message:
[The Fairy Tale Corner is now open for business. Welcome to visit us!]

The little wizards poured out of Honeydukes in a flurry.

Even the wizard, whether he was the boss or an employee, excitedly closed the door, leaving behind only a massive back and a shiny bald head.

Hey! I haven't bought any candy yet!

Hermione said angrily.

"Let's go, Hermione, there's a Cerberus show today."

Justin reassured her.

"What Cerberus? Hagrid brought Fluffy?!"

Hermione exclaimed.

"How long has it been since you last looked at the Magic Hand Mirror?"

Justin asked tentatively.

"At once……"

Hermione stammered.

In fact, she hadn't used it much for a while since she bought an overly fancy "mirror case" and immersed herself in studying magic.

“Sheen…”

Helpless, she could only puff out her cheeks and look at the little wizard.

Sheen was trying to stay still in the surging crowd.

"Professor Quirrell will help me test the effects of some fairytale cookies..."

Sheen explained.

"It's right at the entrance of Fairy Tale Square, so..."

Justin took over the conversation.

"A three-headed dog with a cat's head!"

A startled cry came from a witch's magic mirror beside Justin.

"That was just a cat that was half-deformed..."

Before Sheen could finish explaining, Hermione pulled him away.

"Hurry up, Sheen..."

Hermione hugged Crookshank and said excitedly.

With great difficulty, Sheen managed to escape from the group of wizards watching the commotion at the entrance of Fairy Tale Square.

Hermione and Justin were still there petting the three-headed cat's fur.

Speaking of which, Sheen's skill in making fairy tale cookies is almost at the master level.

Therefore, more subtle changes have also occurred.

Now, he can create fairytale cookies that possess some of the abilities of magical creatures while also retaining some of their sanity.

What may seem like a small step forward has actually caused a huge uproar.

Several orders from the Ministry of Magic had already been overwhelmed, but Professor Terra rejected them all, citing that the project was not yet complete.

If Sheen hadn't been short on time, Professor Quirrell wouldn't have been asked to conduct the test.

Snow and rain were falling heavily in Hogsmeade, and the biting wind was so cold that it almost froze the wizards' hands.

I said,

Justin and Hermione walked over, their faces flushed. Justin tried his best to keep his voice from trembling.

"How about we go to Three Brooms and get a butterbeer?"

"Ah."

Sheen agreed, saying it was getting a bit cold here.

This is especially true for students who have just left the relatively mild Hogwarts.

So the three of them crossed the street and a few minutes later went into the small bar.

It was extremely crowded and noisy inside, hot and smoky.

A beautiful, curvaceous woman was greeting a group of noisy male witches at the bar.

“That’s Ms. Rosmerta,”

Justin introduced Hermione to...
"Shall I go get the drinks?"

He added a sentence.

Sheehan and Hermione squeezed to the back of the bar, where there was a small empty table between the window and a beautiful pine tree, near the fireplace.

This is the place they visited last time.

A few minutes later, Harry and Ron also appeared at the door, and they looked like they were freezing too.

"Sheen?"

Harry and Ron greeted him with delight, then Neville jogged over and sat down.

Several people completely surrounded the empty table.

Not far away, Justin had just returned, carrying three large mugs of hot, frothy butterbeer, before heading back.

"Oh……"

Harry felt a little apologetic.

"Harry, you'd better watch out."

Hermione saw Harry and couldn't help but give him some advice.

She remembered Sirius.

Now there are notices posted at the entrance of candy stores:
The Ministry of Magic hereby informs customers that, unless otherwise notified, Dementors will patrol the streets of Hogsmeade every day from sunset. This measure is for the safety of the residents of Hogsmeade and will be lifted once Sirius Black is apprehended.

Therefore, all customers are requested to finish shopping before sunset.

Happy Halloween!

(End of this chapter)