Hogwarts: From Luna's House to Godhood Through Intense Competition

“Professor Flitwick, this is really too much trouble for you!” Vizzett said quickly. “I can go to Hogsmeade Village myself!”

"Regarding the registration time..." Vizet pondered for a moment and said, "If there are no unforeseen circumstances, I should go to register on October 31st."

“What an unexpected turn of events!” Flitwick exclaimed. “It has been true in recent years…something always seems to happen on Halloween Eve.”

“And it will be during the Halloween banquet…” Vizet agreed, “I plan to register after the banquet so as not to waste time.”

"Professor Flitwick, what does the 'initial screening assessment' typically focus on? It shouldn't take much time, right?"

“That’s not necessarily true…” Flitwick murmured. “Usually they are some fairly standard tests. I think back then it was… a mud monster?”

“There are many ways to deal with them. You can use a fire-starting spell to dry them out, or you can use a water-creating spell to wash them all away. I used both spells…”

Chapter 180 Boggart and Water

"The All-England Wizarding Duel Tournament..." Vizet walked quickly down a corridor, at the end of which sat a gargoyle statue.

"Such a rare opportunity should allow me to witness a lot of interesting magic. I wonder if I'll... encounter wizards from other magical worlds this time?"

"Syrup toffee!"

The menacing gargoyle statue jumped to one side, revealing the spiral staircase behind it.

The principal's office door was open, and Phoenix Fox let out a soft hum as Vizette entered the room.

After a summer of rest and recuperation, the Phoenix Fox has been reborn and restored to its former glory.

It was as energetic as before, its fiery red feathers glossy, and its claws and beak gleaming.

Seeing Vizet walk in, it naturally stretched its head forward and took the airship bag that Vizet handed over.

"Good morning, Headmaster Dumbledore!" Vizet stroked Fawkes's neck and pulled out a chair to sit down.

"Good morning," Dumbledore said with a smile, though his expression was relaxed, the weariness in his eyes was hard to hide.

“Headmaster Dumbledore, how about…we wait until next time?” Vizet noticed this and asked tentatively, “I think you should get some rest now.”

Phoenix Fox, having swallowed the airship Li, flapped its wings and made a melodious sound, as if agreeing with Vizette's words.

"It's alright, I don't think we'll need to spend too much time." Dumbledore waved his hand and slowly turned to look out the window.

"We might be able to finish in less than a morning... Taking a good nap is definitely a good option."

He looked at Vizet again, reached out and gently tapped the table, and snacks and tea set appeared in response.

“Support and care always appear so timely.” Dumbledore poured Vizette a cup of tea. “Where shall we begin… perhaps with the Boggarts?”

“Boggart?” Vizette murmured. “Headmaster Dumbledore, that armor magic…is there some connection between it and the Boggart?”

“I think there must be some connection.” Dumbledore nodded. “The outward manifestations of magic might have many similarities…”

"It's like a disarming spell. Whether it's you or me... once this spell is cast, it will emit the same red light as long as it's not deliberately altered."

"But how we understand this magic, how we make this magic more convenient, including how to pronounce the spell in a tone that suits us and makes it easier to say, will show many differences."

“I see!” Vizet nodded in understanding, realizing the meaning behind Dumbledore’s words.

This is what he had always understood as "different paths leading to the same destination." Perhaps the forms of magic are the same, but how they are specifically expressed can be very different.

This is what is known as "understanding magic." Further development of this concept leads to wizards attempting to understand the soul and pursuing their own magical path.

Thinking of this, he said, "Everyone's path of magic will be different, but they also have something in common—they are all called 'paths'."

Dumbledore started adding sugar cubes to his black tea, a habit he had always had.

He nodded in satisfaction upon hearing Vizette's words.

Now, Vizette has truly embarked on her own magical path and will not be easily influenced by others.

The problem that Dumbledore was struggling with earlier was based on this point;

He worried that his own path of magic would affect Vizette and cause some unpredictable consequences, so he did not bring up the matter of armor magic again.

He stirred the teacup slowly, letting the sugar cube dissolve gradually, and continued, "Vizet, I think you haven't given up on your research on the Boggarts this past week, have you?"

"It is precisely because of this that I have a vague confidence that armor magic may not be so difficult for you now, so I need to know how much you have mastered Boggart."

“The Boggart is a very peculiar existence…” Vizet said bluntly. “After this week of research… I’ve realized something: perhaps the Boggart is not complete.”

"Not complete enough?" Dumbledore nodded slightly. "Why did you think of that?"

“It was Luna who gave me the inspiration.” Vizette couldn’t help but laugh. “She thought Boggarts were like water, able to reflect the fears in others’ hearts.”

"Then I thought of a strange phenomenon, very common, but very inconspicuous... When teaching herbal medicine, sometimes we need to repot the plants and fertilize them."

"At this time, Professor Sprout will remind us to be very careful with the amount of fertilizer used, and not to apply too much fertilizer, otherwise it will 'burn' the seedlings!"

"The so-called seedling burn is a very extreme situation... If too much fertilizer is applied, the plant will not only be unable to absorb water from the soil, but will also lose its own water, which is seedling burn."

“A very interesting point of view…” Dumbledore interlaced his fingers. “Go on.”

"I recently came across some descriptions in ancient runic texts while translating them," Wizette said. "The soul is not represented by a single word, but by two words."

"So I had an idea that 'spirit' and 'soul' should be viewed separately, not as an inseparable whole. Based on this, I found a new direction for studying Boggart."

He cleared his throat and looked at Dumbledore, saying, "Headmaster Dumbledore, this involves my research on the soul, so let's use my definition, okay? It shouldn't affect you, right?"

“Of course not!” Dumbledore shook his head gently. “I can accept other people’s views on the soul.”

“Okay!” Vizette nodded and continued, “It’s like in bloodline magic, where the soul, blood, and body are distinguished, with the soul as its core.”

"In my view, among the distinguished 'spirit' and 'soul,' although 'spirit' is more ethereal, it plays a more fundamental role, and therefore it is the core."

"And what the 'soul' can touch upon... I think it's more concrete... things that can be shaped by experience, such as the fear that Boggart craves!"

"Just like in bloodline magic, the body and soul influence each other... Similarly, the 'spirit' and 'soul' also influence each other, which is why everyone's soul is so different."

“A very elegant explanation.” Dumbledore clapped his hands involuntarily, a hint of surprise in his eyes. “I never imagined you could make such amazing progress through your study of the Boggarts.”

“Thanks to Luna’s help, I suddenly understood…” Vizette said with a smile, “Otherwise, I might have been pushing in one direction without realizing that I could change direction…”

Chapter 181 Blood Oath Knight

Luna's use of the metaphor and concept of "water" really helped Wizette clarify many things, and also allowed her to look at the relationship between "spirit" and "soul" from another perspective.

According to Wizette, the relationship between "spirit" and "soul" can be understood in a less rigorous way by analogy to the relationship between life and water, thus deepening the understanding.

Water is extremely important to life; it is essential for ensuring life. The concept of "soul" is very similar to that of "spirit."

Without water, life is difficult to sustain;

However, without a soul, the spirit is equally difficult to manifest its existence.

The acquisition of these concepts also confirms Wizette's earlier judgment—that deepening his research on the Boggarts would help him better understand the soul.

The simplest verification criterion is naturally Dumbledore's applause.

After the applause subsided, Vizette took a sip of tea to moisten his dry throat. "With my understanding of 'spirit' and 'soul,' I can discover something new when I re-examine Boggart."

“As mentioned before, Boggart craves ‘fear,’ and thus can discern its lack of ‘spirit’… thereby enabling the interpretation of its behavior…”

"Because the Boggart lacks 'spirit,' its behavior is driven by instinct, by factors from the 'soul,' such as fear..."

"Also because of the lack of 'spirit,' the Boggart exists in a state of purity... or extremes, which allows it to penetrate unsuspecting souls..."

"Easily gaining the victim's fear from the 'soul'... It is precisely on this basis that Professor Sprout's analogy of 'burning seedlings' is quite apt."

"Rather than saying that Boggart wants to scare people, perhaps it should be said that 'it needs to scare people.' It instinctively craves 'fear' and instinctively responds to 'fear.'"

He let out a long breath, closed his eyes slightly to clear his thoughts, and then said, "And so-called 'instinct' is also a very strange ability..."

"The most obvious advantage is... speed! In most cases, Boggart can transform quickly, and it is precisely because of this!"

……

In the eyes of modern wizards, Boggarts are different from Dementors and are not considered a kind of "non-being" that is difficult to deal with;

However, it must also be acknowledged that both the ability to quickly grasp the fear in others' hearts and the ability to quickly materialize that fear are remarkable magical abilities.

In the distant past, wizards and Muggles did not have a deep enough understanding of the magic around them.

It is conceivable that even a wizard would find it difficult to cope when harassed by a Boggart and forced to confront their own fears.

When Vizette was studying the "Guardian Angel Healing Spell," she read about the deeds of ancient wizards and Boggarts.

That was a famous ancient Greek sorcerer named Andros, who was not only able to summon guardian spirits the size of giants, but was also proficient in staffless spellcasting.

Perhaps it is because of its great strength that it has earned the title of "Invincible". Even in the Chocolate Frog cartoon, Andros is referred to as "Invincible Andros".

Andros was attacked by the Boggarts and was one of the few wizards in early records who was able to expel the Boggarts.

Inspired by Andros, wizards gradually mastered methods to deal with Boggarts and perfected them into the spell "Humorous Humorous".

By reading various historical texts, Wizette truly understood that no era is lacking in exceptionally talented individuals, and he used this as motivation to remind himself that there is still much for him to learn.

……

“Have something to eat!” Dumbledore pushed the plate of snacks forward. “To be honest, I feel that you should be able to understand…how to cast armor magic in just a few words.”

“To master armor magic, one needs to understand the soul and explore the power that comes from it.” He stood up and paced as he spoke, as if stretching his body.

"Your understanding of the soul is truly surprising... Just as I said before, casting armor magic won't be a difficult thing."

Dumbledore stood in front of Vizet and demonstrated the spellcasting gestures and the incantation "Knight of the Blood Oath" to her.