Days at Hogwarts

Chapter 112 Clues

Loren stared at the parchment in a daze; the ordinary parchment looked completely different to him.

The paper emanated a misty glow, and the words on it flowed with magical light patterns.

This is a magical contract. When the young wizard signs his name, it means he has signed the contract, and the contents of the contract will take effect.

One party to the contract is the young wizard, and the other party is the Ministry of Magic.

According to the above rules and regulations, after the contract is signed, the Ministry of Magic will be able to detect the spells cast by the young wizard, the location of the spell, and the specific time of the spell.

This contract, which implied surveillance, made Loren very uncomfortable. Even if he wasn't breaking the law, he didn't want to be monitored all the time.

"Don't worry about this stuff. George and Weasley abuse magic every year during their holidays, and they haven't been expelled." Ron signed his name at the bottom of the page without a care in the world.

"That's because Mom, an adult wizard, is at home, so the Ministry of Magic can't tell whether the spell is being cast by a novice or an adult wizard, and therefore won't issue a warning letter," Percy said.

Percy was worried that they were listening to Ron and violating the Ministry of Magic's regulations.

Loren and Hermione exchanged a glance, neither confirming nor denying.

They were among the last to not sign the papers, and with Percy right there, it wasn't good to keep him waiting too long.

Harry, Hermione, and Loren signed their names one after another.

As the last letter of Loren's name was written, his magical vision opened, and he saw a wisp of golden light split off from the misty glow of the parchment magic contract, circle around his arm, and finally wrap around his middle finger, where it dimmed.

Looking up, the others were in the same situation. Tiny threads clung to their fingers, their light dim, hidden beneath the little wizard's own magical glow, making them difficult to discern without close inspection.

Percy neatly folded the parchment, smiled at the group, and said, "Alright, warriors, enjoy your cheers."

Simo and the others swarmed around them, bombarding them with questions, "Tell us about it..."

Loren made a few perfunctory remarks and quickly pulled Hermione away from the crowd. Ron, enjoying the cheers, and Harry, enduring the torment, were left behind.

Ron selected some exciting and stimulating parts and artistically embellished them, eliciting cheers from the young wizards from time to time.

"Harry looks so pitiful." Loren turned to look at the crowd.

Hermione blushed and subtly withdrew her hand. "I need to go back and pack my things, then take a shower. See you at lunch."

The little witch lowered her head and ran away quickly.

The Loren girl's departing figure left him bewildered. Was she in such a hurry?

He slowly and leisurely returned to his dormitory.

Hermione needed to pack her things and organize the books she wanted to take home. The year-end banquet was tomorrow night, and they had spent too much time at the hospital, so time was running out.

Loren recalled the contents of the parchment contract and felt that the function of the thread was very strange.

After this agreement is signed, any other creature with spellcasting abilities that uses magic within the area will be detected by the trail, which will be considered a violation of the rules by the junior wizard, and a warning letter will be sent to the junior wizard.

In the original books, Dobby the house-elf used magic near Harry, resulting in a warning letter from the Ministry of Magic. Harry, in anger, blew his aunt away without using his wand, which was also quickly detected by the Ministry of Magic, prompting a warning as well.

The tracking isn't to detect whether a young wizard has cast a spell, but rather to detect magical signs in the surrounding environment, using this as a basis to determine whether the young wizard has violated the rules.

However, if an adult wizard is near a young wizard, the threads will not react, or the Ministry of Magic will not issue a warning.

No matter how I think about it, something just doesn't feel right.

Loren pulled back the curtains from his bed in the dormitory. Even though he hadn't been back for several days, the bed was still impeccably made and dust-free. He climbed into bed, took out "A General Explanation of Hieroglyphics" from under his pillow, and entered the space within the book.

"Flame, do you know Tracey?"

Upon hearing Loren's question, Flamel's expression was complex. After a moment's thought, she replied, "Silk trails are a type of magic unearthed from the dusty archives. In fact, the Ministry of Magic's use of silk trails has many flaws, both legally and technically..."

From Flamel's account, Loren learned some things.

From the early 15th century, the persecution of witches and wizards by Muggles had been underway throughout Europe. Many witches and wizards were imprisoned and sentenced to death (beheading, burning) for engaging in witchcraft and displaying signs of magic.

Some wizards enjoy teasing Muggles and find pleasure in it. For example, the fortune teller Wendell Lindell enjoyed being burned, so she disguised herself in various ways and had Muggles capture and burn her 47 times.

Similarly, there was Lisette Delapan in 1422, who was able to escape using magic even after being captured.

But as the conflict escalated, the Muggles seemed to have learned some lessons. Later on, some wizards were not so lucky.

For example, Sir Nicholas Deminsey Boppinton of 1492 was almost headless Nick. After his wand was taken away and he was imprisoned in the dungeon, he was unable to use magic to escape his fate of being executed.

The struggle intensifies, and even adult wizards, who are capable of protecting themselves, occasionally suffer injuries or deaths, while underage wizards are even more vulnerable to danger.

Wizarding families are particularly vulnerable to losing their children because the children are not yet able to control their magic, often attracting the attention of Muggles hunting wizards, and are powerless to resist.

As Muggles increasingly persecute wizard children, more and more Muggles force wizards to use magic for them, and witches are being burned, including more and more Muggles being mistaken for witches and burned.

The newly established British Ministry of Magic sent a special delegation to contact Muggle monarchs William III and Mary II, hoping that Muggle law would recognize and protect wizards.

After this attempt to gain official recognition and protection failed, wizards were forced to voluntarily turn to the opposite path—going underground and keeping secrets.

As a result, the "Secrecy Law of the International Confederation of Wizards" was introduced.

The original purpose of tracking was to protect underage wizards. This magic detects all magical acts, not the person who casts the spell.

In turbulent times, if magical fluctuations are detected around underage wizards, a warning letter will be delivered to their homes.

However, instead of warning underage wizards to use magic, it alerts wizarding families, indicating when and where their children might be in danger of having their identities exposed.

When parents of young wizards see the warning letter, they will assess the situation. If there is no danger, they can ignore it. If there is a risk, they will evacuate as soon as possible.

This tradition has been preserved to this day, but it has deviated from its original purpose. Muggles have reduced their persecution of wizards, and the warning letters have lost their effectiveness.

For a time, parents of Hogwarts students found themselves receiving a letter from the Ministry of Magic for every little bit of magic they used. For a wizarding housewife, this could mean receiving hundreds of warning letters a day, a truly annoying situation.

At that time, the secrecy laws were beginning to take effect, and wizards began to distance themselves from Muggle society, gathering in some well-known secluded places. This gathering created a market and brought profits.

This widespread phenomenon was noticed by pure-blood families, who, with the wealth accumulated over generations, gradually took control of some core industries.

All of this is wonderful, except for Muggle-born wizards.

The progress in sociology, economics, and other disciplines in modern Muggle society is greater than that of the previous thousands of years combined.

Wizards from Muggle families can quickly leverage their intellectual advantages in business and politics.

The elite members of the pure-blood families noticed this trend, but their arrogance made them disdainful of learning Muggle knowledge, and instead they suppressed Muggle wizards.

The pure-blood families united. Economically, they only did business with other pure-blood families. Politically, they used large sums of money in political donations to promote their respective representatives to important positions.

In education, they also devised ways to curb the growth of Muggle-born wizards. Under the manipulation of pure-blood families, the Ministry of Magic modified the "Threads of Faith - Warning Letter" regulations. Parents of children from wizarding or half-blood families who use magic will not receive a warning letter.

However, if a child from a Muggle family is the only wizard in an area who knows magic, they will be warned.

At this point, the trail and the "Law on Reasonable Restraint of Underage Wizards" became a form of pure-blood persecution of young wizards in Muggle families.

This is a regulation that curbs the growth of Muggle wizards at the source of education, preventing them from practicing spells during holidays and forcing them to increase their magical knowledge only by reading a meager number of books.

However, they don't have as many books as wizarding families, and it's difficult for Muggle wizarding students to outperform students with a wizarding background.

Throughout their student life, students cannot practice magic during holidays. Upon returning to school, they must spend time reviewing previously learned material and learning new knowledge. This requires wizards to put in even more effort to catch up with the curriculum.

However, Hogwarts is not very strict; young wizards can graduate as long as they pass the exams.

Many young wizards from Muggle families are unaware of their lack of ability. After graduating, they are relegated to low-level labor in the wizarding world or return to the Muggle world.

Finally, Flamel concluded: "This is a form of domination! Pure-blood domination!"

Loren stood there, stunned, processing what Flamel had said.

He didn't investigate whether anyone had appealed to the Ministry of Magic to amend the law over the past century. Nor did he investigate why successive Ministers of Magic, or even a great man like Dumbledore, hadn't revised the law.

It goes without saying that this is a rule jointly established by all pure-blood families.

Even wizards from Muggle families who grew up later up would uphold this rule, because their children would benefit from it.

To thoroughly investigate and amend these laws would be tantamount to a revolution across the entire wizarding community. It also involves the existence of secrecy laws.

After a moment, Loren came to his senses. "Is there any way to remove the traces?"

That was the key question he wanted to ask in the first place.

Flamel smiled slightly when he heard the question, seemingly unconcerned about Loren's opinion.

His ethereal body swam behind Loren, leaned close to his ear, and said, "That's why I say the 'trace of threads' is magic unearthed from the dusty archives..."

Tracing its origins, the "silk trail" technique originated in slave society and was an ancient form of magic used by slave owners to monitor and control slaves. Later, when slavery was overthrown, this magic was transformed into written records.

It wasn't until the time was time to establish secrecy measures that some old scholars unearthed this magic.

Because the origin is too ancient and the time is too long, even old scholars cannot understand the magical principles involved. In the end, they combined the trails and magical contracts to create a hybrid "Law on Reasonable Restraint of Underage Wizards".

Deciphering it from the perspective of magical principles would be an enormous undertaking, not to mention the magical contracts involved that make the trail even more complicated.

However, this later reconstruction of the trail, though done by imitation, is neither as powerful nor as precise as ancient magic; it can only be used for magical detection of the surrounding environment.

In other words, this is a magic-sensitive material. The simplest and most direct way is to use magic to wash it away.

Without casting any spells, the little wizard's own magic will continuously wash away and erase any trace of existence.

If the wizard's own magic is used, and there is no external interference, this process will last for several years.

To use an ordinary Hogwarts student as an example, a normal young wizard's magic will continue to grow with age. Around graduation, at the age of 17, the magic flowing naturally within him will be enough to wash away any trace of his former self.

This is why the Ministry of Magic claims that young wizards will no longer be supervised after they reach adulthood. It's not that they won't be supervised, it's that they can no longer be supervised.

"Is there a faster way?"

Flamel smiled broadly. "Of course there is. Do I need to remind you? The most powerful source of magic in the world."

"The Philosopher's Stone!" Loren clapped his hands in sudden realization.

What was there to wait for? Loren rolled out of bed and headed straight for the headmaster's office, since he also had something to discuss with Dumbledore.

Passing by the lounge, Ron was still boasting about how he used chess pieces to hold off Quirrell, but there were far fewer little wizards in front of him now.

Harry sat beside him, looking pained, as if he had bugs on his back, and kept wriggling and shifting his position.

Principal's Office.

"Headmaster Dumbledore, I've come to collect my Philosopher's Stone." Lorenz sat down at the desk with an air of self-assurance.

Dumbledore was reviewing Hogwarts' annual financial statements when he heard this. He looked up and smiled at Loren, "Oh, I suppose it was the Philosopher's Stone I borrowed from Nico. It certainly wasn't yours."

Loren poured himself a cup of tea. "Just give it to me."

Dumbledore thought for a moment, put down the documents in his hand, opened a small drawer in front of him, took out a red, translucent crystal, and handed it to Loren.

"Is this the Philosopher's Stone?" Loren looked at the stone.

His eyes, a blend of crystalline blue and shadow, made the stone emit a blinding light.

If Dumbledore's magic is like a small sun, then this thing truly is a small sun.

Loren immediately turned his head and covered his eyes, but it was too late.

"Ah!" A bright light flashed before my eyes, everything was white and blurry, and I felt a throbbing pain. Tears streamed down my face uncontrollably.

Dumbledore looked at Loren with a mixture of amusement and exasperation. This little greedy fellow had learned a lesson.

He gently tapped Loren's head with his wand, and Loren immediately felt a cool sensation envelop his eyes. The throbbing pain slowly subsided, and his vision cleared again.

Loren turned his head away, unable to bear looking at the Philosopher's Stone any longer. He felt utterly hopeless; his cheat ability had become a debuff. If he couldn't even look at the Philosopher's Stone, how was he supposed to refine it in the future?

"Alright, you can look now," Dumbledore said with a smile.

Loren slowly turned his head, and after realizing there was no bright light, he guiltily avoided Dumbledore's gaze, saying, "I won't look anymore, I won't dare to take it even if I do."

It was only with Dumbledore's help that his eyesight was restored. If he had been alone, there would have been nothing he could do if he had been blinded by the light.

Dumbledore said, "These eyes are a unique gift; you should learn to control them, not passively accept them."

Loren was somewhat bewildered. "How am I supposed to control this? I can't even control what my eyes see."

"Loren, magical visions and real visions are two different dimensions, so of course you can control them."

Dumbledore looked into Loren's eyes. "Magic isn't just about color and light. Your eyes are simply conveying information to you in this instinctive way. If you can control this perception, you can transform the light of the Philosopher's Stone into a softer landscape."

(End of this chapter)