The mastermind behind Hogwarts

Chapter 91 Magic Moon and Admonition

"We all know that a year is divided into twelve months, but in magic, each month has a different name."

At this point, Nicolas Flamel called out to the pile of alchemical artifacts on the ground, "Magic Moon."

A small blackboard flew out from under the black cloth, soared into the air above the secret room, and suddenly grew so large that the students could clearly see the writing on the blackboard.

A series of elegant, ornate characters formed an article. The older snakes and badgers recognized the writing and exclaimed, "Ancient runes!"

"Who will volunteer to stand up and read this passage to us?" Nicolas Flamel turned his gaze to the older students, including Leon.

"I'll do it."

Moriarty stood up, and no one argued with him.

January is the first month of the year, also known as the Wolf Month, the Cold Month, the Worm Month, and the Oldest Month. It is named after the harsh winter in Europe at the beginning of the year. During this period, most animals, including wolves, have difficulty finding food, so it is also called the "Hunger Month".

From a mystical perspective, January represents beginnings, making it a suitable month for magic related to planning for the future, alchemy for launching new initiatives and new beginnings.

It is also a good time for purification, a period to let go of the past and start anew.

However, it's still quite cold this month, belonging to winter, so it's also a time for self-reflection.

After Moriarty finished reading the first paragraph, applause rang out in the secret room, and the students all looked at Moriarty with admiration.

Runes are an alphabet, and each rune has a completely different meaning in divination, alchemy, and astrology.

Just like this description of January, unlike English where one word corresponds to one meaning, each rune represents a hieroglyphic interpretation, carrying an exceptionally deep meaning.

By combining miscellaneous letters into runes, the meanings become even more varied! And Moriarty handled it very well.

Only Gemma knew that this meant nothing to Moriarty. She opened the "Advanced Rune Translation" book she had borrowed from the library, a book that seemed to still retain the warmth of Moriarty's fingers.

February is the month of snow, storms, and hunters.

The world remains cold, and some places are still covered in thick snow, making it a good time to protect and bless your family and loved ones.

But this is a time when winter is slowly passing and spring is gradually awakening. The world is preparing to turn around, and all living things are getting ready to show their talents in spring, making it a good time to develop your creativity and potential.

Moriarty found the passage somewhat awkward, but said nothing. He suspected that this article, "The Magic Moon," could be traced back to the Middle Ages.

"March is the month of seeds, the month of chastity, the month of warmth, and the month of tilling the land."

In the month when the earth is fully awake, seeds begin to sprout, spring rains begin to fall, hibernating animals begin to move, and the whole world awakens.

Many animals are in heat during this time, making it a good time for new mates.

"Oh~"

The students started making noise. In their minds, Moriarty was the epitome of calm, seriousness, and power, someone who could bring about change to the wizarding world.

It's hard for people to imagine what kind of woman Moriarty will develop a romantic relationship with in the future.

The young witches felt a sense of inferiority, as if they were not good enough for Moriarty.

This makes hearing the word "romance" from Moriarty as rare as seeing Stalin getting his hair washed.

However, some witches showed a dismissive expression. Love is a girl's battlefield, and there is no reason not to fight back when an enemy invades her territory!

Nicolas Flamel and Perenel exchanged a smile, and Moriarty, knowing they were about to show off their affection again, quickly continued reading: "In March, it is a good time to make amulets, practice some lucky spells, strengthen your power, and transform yourself."

March is also the month when tree sap first flows from the bark, hence it's also known as "Sap Month"! This is the best time to perform healing magic.

"April, the month of green grass, the month of wind, the month of pink, the month of growth."

April is a month when the wind and water awaken...

Moriarty was struck by this thought.

The number of elements on the system's path to advanced elemental magic is currently unknown, but in addition to the water and fire elements confirmed by the system, Moriarty has found the wind element.

April connects wind and water.

After Moriarty finished reading this passage, Nicolas Flamel continued, "I'd like to add that April in English means 'beginning,' and it's also the last day for sowing. It's like our wishes or goals need to start taking effect this month, and it's also suitable for planting, marking the beginning of the flowering season. Also, April is a time for cultivating relationships."

"Alright, please continue." Nicolas Lemma smiled at Moriarty.

Moriarty continued reading, reaching the point in July—"July is the month of the stag, when moose grow their first antlers, and people can engage in physical activities such as crafting and conditioning their bodies..."

Dumbledore's eyes flickered. The month of the stag? James Potter's Patronus is a stag, and Harry Potter's birthday is also in July…

Moriarty didn't connect it to the Saviour's family. He read on August, and when he got to September, Nicolas Flamel gestured for him to stop: "It is September now, so let's stop here for now. Okay, Moriarty, please sit down."

Let me think... Excellent reading, fluent recognition of ancient runes... Hmm, add fifty points to Slytherin.

"Wow..." the students exclaimed. The high marks they received in alchemy class seemed to indicate that the tasks in alchemy class were both heavy and complicated.

"Alright, let's take a look at September." Nicolas Flamel said in a deep voice, "September marks the beginning of autumn, and the whole world begins to move towards a state of calm and rest. Many plants finally ripen in this season, so we call September Fruit Month or Corn Month."

"Corn Moon!" Moriarty's eyes lit up. Now he seemed to have found the difference between the corn candle and Nicolas Flamel's ordinary candle.

"In life, September is a good time to resolve arguments and disputes. From a macrocosmic perspective, it is a time to reflect on the future, introspect, and reap rewards, wealth, and good fortune."

"So why do you think universities around the world start in September?" Nicolas Flamel laughed. "I guess philosophers must have considered the special nature of September. Starting school in September is like a tacit rule—the four great masters of Hogwarts also follow this rule, and our Alchemy class is naturally no exception."

Perenel walked to the center of the secret room, picked up a candle, and held it above his head.

The students saw her squeeze the candle, and the red candle began to change color and deform, turning into a yellow corn kernel.

The students blinked. This was alchemy? It didn't seem much different from transfiguration.

“It’s a world of difference.” Perenel seemed to see through the students’ thoughts. She said calmly, “You can try it. But be careful: don’t use your wand to turn the candle into corn, and don’t use wandless spells or silent spells—even if you succeed, it will be meaningless.”

The students tried to imitate Perenel by holding the candles above their heads, pinching them on the left and touching them on the right, but nothing happened.

Moriarty picked up an ordinary candle and began to experiment, gradually channeling magic into it, but the candle exploded with a "bang".

"Restore it quickly." Moriarty restored the candle, summarizing the reason for the first failure: "Ordinary candles cannot withstand magic. If you want to shape it with magic, you must have a force to neutralize it."

"Is this the difference between this and Transfiguration?" Tonks thought for a moment and said, "What if we imprinted the 'Shaping' runes onto an ordinary candle? Wouldn't it be easy to shape it?"

"Without a doubt, yes." Perenel was far away from Tonks, but she heard Tonks' question clearly. She said seriously, "Perhaps you have done some alchemical experiments before, but I do not recommend that you use magical runes."

"What's the reason?" Moriarty raised his head. Last semester, he spent six months learning how to condense runes and inscribe them onto magic circles.

These learning processes are undoubtedly alchemical experiments. Since alchemy can already be accomplished through magical runes, why bother with arduous practice?

Moriarty was a man who valued time efficiency.

But Perenel gently shook his head: "A terrible idea, child."

"Look over here, children," Nicolas Flamel said. "Given how exceptionally bright our students are, I feel compelled to share my learning plan with you to prevent you from trying to run before you've even learned to walk properly, all in the name of quick success."

Listen carefully, I'll roughly divide the alchemy you're going to learn into three main sections.

First, we'll perform some basic alchemy using simple materials and methods. Each alchemy attempt in the early stages will take at least two to three lessons. Yes, it's a long process, but don't underestimate its importance; it forms the foundation for your future alchemy studies.

Secondly, through the alchemy formula, alchemy can be completed quickly. I think that two class periods will be enough time for you to complete one alchemy session.

Third, as Tonks proposed, is alchemy using magical runes. Once you can condense each rune or Latin rune at will, you can try alchemy using magical runes—one class period is enough.

But magical runes are endless. I know Hogwarts has courses in ancient runes, and in fact, besides runes and Latin runes, there are Greek runes, ancient Greek cryptic runes, ancient Roman runes, Mayan runes, Atlantean runes, Japanese runes, Chinese oracle bone script runes, Indian pyramid runes...

Besides humans, other races also have runes! Centaur stargazing runes, vampire curse runes, elven guardian runes... and so many more!

Nicolas Flamel shrugged: "Who dares to say they can learn all the runes? We'll only learn the parts we need, understand what I mean? Learn as you go!"

"Moriarty, are you satisfied with this reason? You can't always take shortcuts. Talent isn't for shortcuts. You can use your talent to explore new horizons, to forge your own destiny, whatever you want!"

"Thank you for your guidance." Moriarty nodded solemnly to Nicolas Flamel. He calmed himself, placed the candle in his palm, closed his eyes, and quietly felt the connection between the candle and September.

Nicolas Flamel smiled. "Well done. You know, meditation is the best aid for alchemy beginners! Through meditation, you can better concentrate, improve your mental strength, and unleash your imagination."

The students then began to meditate, and a few minutes later, Moriarty opened his eyes and looked thoughtfully at the candle.

Many young wizards had some ideas, but many more scratched their heads in frustration, like Jericho, whose mind was a jumble of fragmented images.

Seeing the students' confusion once again, Perenel prompted, "When people think of candles, what's the first thing that comes to mind?"

Lilith swiftly raised her hand: "Light the candles!"

Although we didn't advance to the next round of recommendations, I'm very grateful for everyone's support during this time ∠(｀ω*) Salute! I remember all the recommendation votes, monthly tickets, and donations from the bosses, as well as every guy and girl who collected and followed the story!

(End of this chapter)