Days at Hogwarts

Chapter 756 Night and Campfire

The beginning of autumn will be after midnight.

The Big Dipper points southwest, and the sun reaches 135° ecliptic longitude, indicating that the summer heat is beginning to subside, all things are beginning to transition from lush growth to maturity, and grains can be harvested.

Unfortunately, people here don't pay attention to these things.

Loren set up a camping tent on the beach, unfolded his sleeping bag, and hung up a small lamp, turning it into a bedroom. The lack of a Stretch Mark Charm made it a bit cramped, but that was exactly what they wanted... The two planned to camp here that night and return to New York the next morning, since they still had Voldemort's affairs to deal with.

Hermione started a campfire outside.

The kind where a few sticks of firewood can burn all night.

"Smack..."

The firewood splintered and sparks flew.

Loren emerged from the tent and saw the girl sitting on the moonlit beach, her face beautiful and serene.

He sat down next to Hermione, looked up, and saw a thin crescent moon peeking through the sky, with countless stars bathed in silvery light.

"Look at the sky, the stars are all out."

"yes."

"The moon isn't very round, but it's still beautiful."

"Um."

Hermione rested her head on his shoulder, her fluffy hair cascading down, her bright eyes reflecting the stars. The sound of the crashing waves filled the air, the daytime hustle and bustle fading away, leaving only a reassuring tranquility.

Do you know why I arranged today's schedule this way?

"have no idea."

"I hope to watch the sunrise and sunset with you every day."

"Wow……"

Miss Granger is so good at sweet talk.

Loren's heart overflowed with love. He reached out and hugged her, rubbing his forehead against her hair, his nose filled with the girl's sweet fragrance.

The night grew deeper.

The two remained nestled together, their eyes fixed on the stars, the quietly burning campfire in front of them, and the endless waves, listening to the crackling of matches amidst the sound of the wind and waves, their hearts filled with tenderness.

The communicator inside the pendant vibrated slightly a few times. Without even taking it out, I knew it was Harry. He had sent dozens of messages today, all asking pointless questions: where were the two of them? Why did they check out of the hotel so early? When would they be back? His tone was disrespectful; he didn't even bother to send a birthday greeting.

"There are some things I want to tell you," Loren said softly.

"What were you thinking the night you defeated Voldemort?" Hermione still remembered what she said that night.

"It existed before Voldemort's resurrection. It's not exactly a secret, just some... stories?" Loren's fingers twirled her hair, making circles. "Stories that Flamel summarized based on clues collected in the past."

"you say."

"The story begins seven years ago, before I received my Hogwarts acceptance letter. Nicolas Flamel, following the guidance of a dream, handed me two magical books. One of them, The Book of Hieroglyphs, which later became the Book of Fantasy, was an alchemical creation he left behind. The other, The Book of Abraham, contained the secrets of the hidden Philosopher's Stone."

"Have you found Abraham's identity?"

"Not yet, we only have some speculations about the book's origins." Loren paused for a moment. "Remember the story we heard from Ms. Daisy Dodridge in the Time Rift, about the wizard Merlin collaborating with the Muggle king to banish all the immortal wizards who had conquered death... Flamel has pieced together that history and, based on my interpretation of the Book of Abraham, has put forward some hypotheses."

The campfire burned quietly, and Hermione blinked, making a gesture of attentive listening.

Flamel divides the history of wizards into four periods.

"First, there was the ancient magical era, when a group of gifted wizards recklessly studied dark magic, broke the limitations of life to gain immortality, and then began a long period of dark turmoil, until Merlin was born and cooperated with the fairy Morgan to banish all the dark wizards and completely erase the traces they left in the world."

"Then came the Classical Magic era. Freed from the rule of ancient evil wizards, humanity ushered in a period of rapid development and prosperity. Muggle civilization flourished, and magic gradually became more brilliant. The two were also constantly clashing, and conflicts and wars were brewing. Helpo was inspired in a dream to create Horcruxes. Because he did not want to be influenced by them, he chose to destroy the Horcruxes and commit suicide..."

"Later, the four founders came together and established an unprecedented magic school, Hogwarts, which admitted wizards with potential regardless of their background, easing the conflict between Muggles and wizards. On the other hand, the four founders discovered clues left by Merlin and Morgan, and combined their magic to extinguish the last vestiges of the ancient evil wizards."

"Then came the modern magical era. Hogwarts inspired other wizards around the world, and new magic schools were constantly being established. Countless wizards united and, after nearly a thousand years of development, built a civilization belonging to wizards and magic. Wizards from various countries established governments to protect order and improve rules. Scholars and experts abandoned the complex and dangerous ancient magic and promoted safe and controllable classical magic."

"But crises were also brewing in the shadow of prosperity. Some wizards discovered messages left by ancient evil wizards and tried to glean the secret of immortality from death. They began to spread the Black Death. This time, Nicolas Flamel was inspired by a dream, deciphered the Book of Abraham to create the Philosopher's Stone, and curbed the spread of the Black Death."

The sea breeze and waves never cease, and the moisture begins to carry a slight chill.

"Looking back at these periods of history, whenever magical civilizations faced crises, there were always a few wizards who experienced extraordinary encounters and quickly became legends, leading magic and wizards onto the right path."

Hermione pondered for a moment, then asked astutely, "Does this have anything to do with the distinctive traits you mentioned before?"

“Perhaps, Flamel and I aren’t entirely sure,” Loren said softly. “The courage of Gryffindor, the wisdom of Ravenclaw, the patience of Hufflepuff, the pride of Slytherin, even the despicable Helbo… Many legendary wizards have indeed displayed very distinct traits, even becoming symbols of these qualities, and their magical deeds are closely related to these traits. But there are also many legendary wizards who possessed multiple traits, such as Nicolas Flamel, Dumbledore, and even more ancient Merlin and Morgan der Leyen.”

What are your speculations?

"While researching Dementors and Boggarts, I found some clues." Loren pointed a finger at the campfire, and the flames surged and coalesced into the shape of a Dementor. "A wizard's magic is intimately connected to their soul. Intense emotional fluctuations affect the soul, and in turn, affect magic. Changes in the Patronus Charm, and Dumbledore's constant emphasis on the magic of love, are all examples. Delving into the soul allows wizards to get closer to the essence of magic, and the path to the deepest part of the soul lies in these qualities."

"Some wizards stumbled onto this path unintentionally, like the four founders. They didn't intentionally pursue these traits; they simply displayed them. Others deliberately gravitated towards this direction, like Helbo. A wizard capable of creating Horcruxes must be exceptionally talented; how could he be labeled as despicable? There were also dark wizards who deliberately spread the Black Death, attempting to glimpse the essence of death."

"The story of Bloody Mary that we've heard before was also spread by a scheming dark wizard. She combined the legends of Countess Lee, Elizabeth Bathory, and Mary I, trying to taint the story with bloodshed, cruelty, or killing. Anyway, she failed..."

Hermione looked thoughtful. "Following this line of thought, Voldemort's defining characteristic is spreading fear? Spreading death?"

"Voldemort feared death, lacked the courage to confront it personally, and would never grasp its essence. As for fear, the fear he spread was too superficial; whether it was his own fear or the fear he instilled in others, it was all fear of death. Yet, many in this world do not fear death, and he, too, did not understand the essence of fear." Loren shook his head. "Voldemort's powerful magic may have originated from his soul. Merope's control of Riddle with the love potion nurtured Voldemort's soul. He had no love, his emotions were thin, his soul was empty, yet he tore his soul into several pieces with Horcruxes, and magic seeped out from the gaps."

That's all.

At this point, Loren paused for a moment: "So sixteen years ago he was defeated by Harry's mother with love, and after his resurrection he still suffered many setbacks. Even without me, someone would have a deeper understanding of death and fear and completely eliminate Voldemort in other ways."

In those distant and somewhat blurred memories, Dumbledore laid a trap with his own death, and Harry personally experienced death before returning.

How could it not be a deeper understanding than Voldemort's?

The warm firelight illuminated Hermione's face. She nodded, then suddenly asked, "You said there are four periods, what's the last one?"

"And then there's the history we're experiencing right now."

Hermione's soft voice, mingled with the howling wind and waves, sounded somewhat distorted, its distance shifting, sometimes right beside her ear, sometimes seeming to come from a great distance. Hermione felt a little uncomfortable; she pursed her lips, hugged Loren's waist tightly, and brought her head even closer.

Loren, thinking the girl was a little cold, pulled her into his arms, rested his chin on her shoulder, and whispered in her ear, "On a macro level, wizards enacted the Law of Secrecy to separate magic from Muggle society, but the two civilizations are eroding each other, or rather, merging. On a more micro level, Voldemort discovered the method of making Horcruxes, instigated unrest and persecuted the innocent, even dragging other races into the conflict, and was ultimately completely wiped out under Dumbledore's scheme."

"The future is already foreseeable. In the not-too-distant future, a new generation of wizards will grow up and become the backbone of the magical world. They... or rather we, will promote communication between wizards and Muggles with a more open mind and more flexible methods, and accelerate the integration of the two societies and two civilizations."

Hermione imagined that future, a hopeful light shining in her eyes: "A wonderful future, isn't it?"

"But fusion can also be considered as devouring. Two societies, two civilizations, wizards and Muggles, magic and technology, can only end up with one: the real human society, the human civilization."

The waves continued to crash, as if echoing and resonating, one after another, never ceasing.

"Wizards will continue to advance, constantly pushing the boundaries of magic. Ivermony is an example; they've already surpassed Hogwarts in many ways, embracing and utilizing other magical creatures. You should have seen it—their wand cores are far more diverse than Ollivanders'. They've absorbed the advancements of technology; their castle, atop Mount Greylock, can still be lit without electrical wires. And then there's their alchemy research center, their Parseltongue research project…"

As he spoke, Loren's voice was somewhat cold, carrying a hint of cruelty: "For magic to become controllable knowledge, it needs a rigorous and reliable system. This is the experimental method of natural science. One day, wizards will discover the essence of emotions and the soul leading to magic. How will they conduct their exploration and experiments?"

Hermione suddenly felt a chill run down her spine, a chill that was icy and bone-chilling.

"Perhaps we could establish a system where all magical research projects require approval, and resolutely resist experiments that violate morality and ethics. But could that really control it?" Loren said softly, answering his own question. "Negative emotions always spread more easily than positive ones. War, plague, and famine—the Knight of Death brings death and fear. There will always be dark wizards experimenting in Muggle society. And when we enter a more prosperous information age, there will be even more covert methods combined with Muggle technology to control the channels of dissemination and dominate social media..."

"Loren... I still feel that kind of future is too far away from us."

"Yes, technological development is far faster than magical development. The prosperity of Muggle society is closer to us, but that will bring about a different outcome." Loren pressed his body against the girl's, feeling their body temperature. "If Muggles continue to develop along the path of technology, they need to solve the shortage of energy and food, develop nuclear energy, and need more land. This will inevitably interfere with the living environment of magical creatures. Mermaids are an example."

Hermione recalled her experience of wandering the Black Lake two years ago, her eyes slightly glazed, and she murmured softly, "The reason they were mutated was because of nuclear contamination..."

"Yes, nuclear energy is the answer to the energy crisis. Future nuclear pollution will only become more severe, and the living environment is deteriorating rapidly. Before technology advances to the point where it can change the natural environment and accommodate all magical creatures, wizards may be able to find a place to live, but who knows how many magical animals will become extinct."

"This time it doesn't sound so far away." Hermione paused, lost in thought. "Is the war that Slytherin and the others were talking about caused by these irreconcilable conflicts?"

"Perhaps through clairvoyance, or perhaps through extraordinary wisdom, several legendary wizards in history did indeed foresee this crisis and left behind many clues and arrangements."

Hermione's eyes lit up again: "Is there a solution?"

"Wizards are just human beings, not gods. After hundreds or thousands of years, many of the things they left behind can be considered useful, or they may be useless."

"What do you mean?"

(End of this chapter)