A certain broken Hogwarts

Chapter 93 Daily Life Before Christmas

For the next few days, Owen's school life was unusually peaceful. There was no fax machine spoiling the plot, no magical creatures running rampant in the castle, and no Dark Lord causing trouble for him...

Quirrell and Voldemort were busy dealing with the three-headed dog. A while ago, Voldemort, who seemed to have some money to spare, even brewed a potion to try and defeat the dog, but ultimately failed, driven back by a roar from Fulwei the dog. That deafening roar nearly woke everyone in the entire castle.

As an extremely rare and powerful magical creature, this Cerberus possesses the strength and magical resistance of a Level 5X magical creature, and obeys only Hagrid, making it an excellent choice for guarding the gate. Quirrell and Voldemort are desperate to find out its weakness.

Owen, of course, also pretended to be trying to find out information, and would go with Harry and the others to look for Hagrid from time to time. Ever since they sent away the chimera and the five-legged monster that almost brought Hogwarts down, Hagrid had been heartbroken for a long time. The scene at that time was a touching drama of life and death.

Fortunately, the harpy he left in the Forbidden Forest, along with several other small creatures, soothed his soul. Hagrid somehow acquired another harpy and became very enthusiastic about taking the young wizards to see the little darlings in the Forbidden Forest. He would always explain their current situation to everyone with a proud and patient expression, such as how many pounds they had gained, how they were feeling, or how much they had eaten that day.

Irving showed great interest in this and was happy to interact with these magical creatures, which made Hagrid beam with joy and praise him for his promising future.

Harry, however, began to show a keen interest in what the three-headed dog was guarding, determined to extract information from Hagrid. From the conversation they overheard between Snape and Quirrell that day, it seemed Professor Snape was after that item and trying to force Professor Quirrell to figure out how to get through the big dog…

Owen could only say that Professor Snape was indeed not very good at speaking; despite being a positive character, his words were so ambiguous.

Harry was extremely conflicted, unsure whether he should tell Dumbledore about it. In his view, Professor Snape, though usually gloomy, cold, and eccentric, was a good professor who cared about his students. Therefore, he decided to find out what the object was first.

Hagrid, however, remained quite wary of the matter, and would loudly change the subject whenever it was brought up, much to Harry's dismay, as if he were the one ordered by the Dark Lord to gather information.

Owen was happy to watch the drama unfold, and since Voldemort hadn't lost patience yet, he naturally dragged things out. He himself had his share of troubles, and these past few days he'd been intensively absorbing knowledge in the Wallfacer's Space, diligently studying the Mind Splitting Magic left behind by Ravenclaw, which he'd almost mastered recently.

After learning the technique, Irving did not hesitate to enter the experimental phase, and the experimental subject was naturally himself in the walled space.

The first experiment was naturally with the initial version of Ravenclaw. Amidst the complex and difficult incantation, Owen felt his thoughts being fragmented and his emotions being stripped away. The malice that constantly lingered in his heart seemed to be drawn away by a magnet, completely shrinking and isolating itself somewhere in his brain, just like all his goodwill.

Irving experienced the feeling of absolute rationality. His brain seemed to transform into a cold, mechanical machine, operating more smoothly and clearly, as if a large portion of its memory had been freed up, making it fly with incredible ease. In this state, all his decisions stemmed from his own goals and interests, indifferent to everything else. His efficiency was greatly enhanced, allowing him to ruthlessly disregard everything.

In this state of absolute rationality, he could calmly unleash all of his dark magic, and even after using it many times, he felt no impact on his mind. The rampant and amplified malice was all contained within that isolated part of his mind, without affecting the enhancement of his dark magic power. If he hadn't lost all his emotions, this state would undoubtedly have been ideal.

Owen left the walled space to refresh his state and regain his emotions, but the issues with his thinking were beyond the reach of the walled space. All the emotions that had been previously suppressed surged forth in an instant, especially the malice he had accumulated from recklessly casting dark magic during his experiments, which suddenly erupted, causing his eyes to become bloodshot and his body to tremble uncontrollably. It took him a long time to regain complete control of himself.

"I almost couldn't hold on for even this short time. No wonder Ravenclaw fell ill instantly after losing his absolute rationality..." Owen wearily stuffed a piece of chocolate into his mouth, feeling the bittersweet aroma melt in his mouth. A warm current slightly dispelled the coldness in his body and mind, and he gently exhaled.

After adjusting his state, he entered the wall-facing space again and began to work on improving the spell.

The process of improvement was difficult and dangerous. Irving worked day and night, and gradually found his direction through repeated failures.

His initial idea was to eliminate that state of absolute rationality, but after experimenting on himself multiple times, he found it impossible. The reason for absolute rationality was that his positive and negative sides were isolated. Owen tried to isolate only his dark side, but he quickly discovered that once this balance of positive and negative was broken, the spell would no longer work.

He then decided to completely separate his dark side and try to transplant it elsewhere, such as into the Dark Guard. He successfully created a new spell and tested it on himself. After experiencing excruciating pain that felt like his brain was being cut in two, Owen's thoughts went completely mad, and he almost drove himself insane.

After numerous improvements and attempts, he ultimately rejected this direction. To divide one's own thoughts is as absurd, dangerous, and foolish as dividing one's own soul.

After much deliberation, Owen decided to back down. He realized that both the positive and negative sides were part of him, and having already accepted his dark side, he didn't need to completely isolate himself from it. He also didn't expect to ever venture into the realm of white magic again, since he had already been rejected by it.

Therefore, he only needed to ensure that he didn't allow dark magic to continue corrupting his mind, and that the malice within him didn't spread and grow unchecked. In Owen's view, maintaining the status quo was perhaps the best outcome.

After identifying the direction for improvement, he quickly achieved some initial results.

By using the newly emerging malice as a barrier, and his existing malice as a bridge, he connects himself to the Dark Guardian, who is closely related to his personality and emotions. Next, he only needs to transfer the newly emerging malice into the Dark Guardian's empty shell to simultaneously eliminate two hidden dangers within himself.

But Owen's research had reached a dead end. How to transfer the nascent evil into the Dark Guardians had been a problem that had troubled him for a long time.

To occupy this empty shell, what is needed is a soul, not a mind, but how can that part of evil thoughts possess the characteristics of a soul?

Owen's first thought was to use a part of his own soul as a vessel, but this was difficult to achieve unless he split his soul. Although he had recently learned some methods of making Horcruxes from several Ravenclaw books on dark magic, splitting his soul for such a purpose would be putting the cart before the horse.

With no immediate solution to the problem, Owen could only continue searching his books for inspiration while preparing for his large-scale magic show.

On this day, Owen crawled out of his seamless stretching box, covered in dust. His usually clean hair and clothes were now covered in dust, which made Melett next to him sneeze repeatedly.

He slammed the suitcase shut, cleansed himself with a cleansing charm, then carried the meowing, hungry Melett out of a side door and stood in a corridor on the eighth floor of the castle. To maintain secrecy, he had long ago moved his workshop to the Room of Requirement.

The kitten has been weaned and is now eating more and more. Its round body is gradually growing bigger and its limbs are becoming strong and slender.

Fortunately, as a magical creature with magical powers, Melete is not as pampered as a Muggle pet. She can drink milk and eat both meat and vegetables. Wild lemurs usually feed on mice, fish, and birds, and also eat wild fruits, but Melete, having been with Owen for a long time, prefers cooked food.

Since being weaned, Melett has become increasingly active, wandering around Hogwarts Castle every day. Ever since she cleverly discovered the location of the kitchen, sneaked in, and received a warm welcome from the house-elves, she has become even more eager to get hungry.

"If you keep eating like this, you'll turn into a pig sooner or later." Owen tugged at Melett's big ears lightly, sounding annoyed. Although this little tabby cat was light brown, it had a hint of orange, which was quite dangerous.

Melete proudly raised her little head, her long tail swaying nimbly, completely ignoring Owen's words. How could someone as adorable as her possibly gain weight!

Owen shook his head, took several hidden shortcuts to the hall, entered the staircase leading to the basement, and found a painting in a brightly lit stone corridor. He reached out and scratched a pear in the painting, heard it chuckle, and then it turned into a green doorknob.

Owen turned the doorknob and entered Hogwarts' kitchen, where many domestic elves were busily preparing food, and the air was filled with an enticing aroma.

Melett jumped down from Owen's arms and climbed onto the table with practiced ease. She sat there proudly and reservedly, waiting for the elves to serve the food, though her constantly wagging tail betrayed her excitement and impatience.

The house-elves, all dressed in tea towels emblazoned with the Hogwarts crest, seemed unfazed by Melett's arrival. They greeted Owen with respect and warmth, inviting him to sit down, and soon a steady stream of food was brought to the table, their large, glassy eyes sparkling with innocent anticipation and joy.

Under expectant gazes, Owen and Melete ate their fill and then bid farewell to the elves in good spirits. On their way back to the common room, Owen encountered Lady Loris and, as usual, fed her some dried fish. Melete watched this scene with haughty disdain, like a queen looking down upon her subjects.

Mrs. Lorris has gained some weight recently, and her dry, tangled fur has become shiny and smooth, making her look much prettier and cuter, with a rather imposing air about her. Lately, Owen has been frequently bringing Mrs. Lorris food and cleaning her messy fur, and has successfully become quite familiar with her. He can even pet her head occasionally and exchange cat-raising tips with Filch.

Mrs. Lorris ate her dried fish slowly, her eyes narrowing with satisfaction. Her bright, mischievous eyes glanced at Melett with a mixture of fear and smugness, as if to say: See, your master still prefers me! You're a cat without any charm!

Melete bared her bright white fangs angrily in Owen's arms, her two big ears turned into airplane ears, and her big tail swung wildly, slapping Owen's cheeks until they hurt a little.

Mrs. Lorris was intimidated by the cat's imposing manner, but upon seeing Mr. Filch slowly approaching, she regained her fearlessness. After giving Melett a haughty glance, she quickly finished the last few dried fish and gracefully trotted over to Mr. Filch.

Melete let out a low growl. If Owen hadn't been holding her tightly, the increasingly irritable little cat would have definitely rushed over to attack the cat.

For the next few hours, the angry little cat, the raccoon, stared at Owen with a haughty and dissatisfied look, as if it could never be coaxed, as if it were accusing Owen of his crimes with its eyes: You have me, why are you always thinking about other cats!

She only started to cling to Owen and act cute when she got hungry again...

Time flies, and Christmas is just around the corner, bringing the semester to a close. Owen signed the list of those leaving school without hesitation, intending to take the opportunity to visit Lady Ghost, Elizabeth.

Harry has been engrossed in the huge stack of books Dumbledore listed for him these days, looking just like little Hermione. The young wizard's eyes seem to have lost their sparkle, and he always looks at his playful friends with a pitiful, resentful expression. Only Hermione is happy and still has time to read these books with Harry, and sometimes Daphne joins in too.

As for Owen... he's too busy with his own affairs. In the eyes of many young wizards, he's becoming increasingly elusive.

However, a strange thing has happened at Hogwarts recently: Professor Quirrell, who has always been timid and eccentric, has changed!

His always somewhat worn robe was replaced with a new one, the large purple scarf that he always wore around his head was replaced with a black pointed hat that covered the back of his head, and even the strange garlic smell that had always lingered on him was replaced with a faint perfume scent!

A young professor dressed normally like this walked through Hogwarts and immediately stood out among all the professors, becoming the most handsome guy!

The young wizards were buzzing with gossip, all believing that Professor Quirrell had recently fallen in love and decided to change himself for his lover, overcoming his fears and even trying to stutter less in class. One bold young wizard directly asked the question in class, and after Quirrell stammered and avoided everyone's gaze, the conjecture became a fact in everyone's eyes.

Soon, many professors learned of this. They witnessed Quirrell's transformation and were both pleased and supportive, offering sincere encouragement whenever they met. Professor Flitwick even enthusiastically offered him advice, claiming that he had been a heartthrob in his youth, captivating many beautiful witches.

Only Professor Snape was puzzled by Quirrell's change. He was on high alert for a long time, thinking that something was definitely amiss. He kept a close eye on Quirrell's movements with suspicion, and even the wrinkles between his brows deepened.

Although Peeves still managed to make Quirrell look rather pathetic, the group of compassionate little witches were outraged to see Professor Quirrell, who was trying so hard to change himself, being subjected to such excessive pranks every day.

Especially when they saw Quirrell's face growing paler and his body seemingly weakening, the little witches spontaneously took action to protect Professor Quirrell, as if they had formed a Quirrell Protection Association.

The first snow of the year covered Hogwarts, with several feet of snow covering the grounds outside the castle and the lake frozen solid.

Owen emerged from Professor McGonagall's office with a broad smile, Melete perched on his shoulder. A group of colorful kittens and raccoons meowed behind him, their soft, sweet cries melting one's heart.

He had just asked Professor McGonagall some questions about Transfiguration and had also taken Melett to visit her brothers and sisters. Seeing that Melett was well cared for and even larger than the other kittens and raccoons, Professor McGonagall showed a rare expression of satisfaction and gave Owen a Transfiguration notebook.

After taking only a few steps, Owen saw a group of little witches in the distance scolding the Weasley twins. The twins had cast a spell on several snowballs, causing them to chase Quirrell around and smash them hard on the back of his head, which had angered the little witches of the "Quirk's Protection Society."

The twins forced a smile, exchanged a bitter look, and seemed dejected, just like Harry these days.

"What an unexpected turn of events." Owen shook his head with amusement, watching Professor McGonagall storm over and put the Weasley twins in solitary confinement.

On his way back to the common room, Owen ran into Ms. Grey, who was standing in the corridor admiring the snowy view outside the window. The two chatted by the window for a while. Since the last Ghost Festival, there had been more ghosts coming and going at Hogwarts, and the place had practically become a hub for ghosts to socialize.

After having a heart-to-heart talk that night, Owen's relationship with Ms. Grey became much more harmonious. He often gained useful knowledge from Ms. Grey, and many of his inspirations for improving the Mind Splitting Magic came from her.

"I'm planning to visit Lady Elizabeth during the Christmas holidays. Helena, would you like to come along?" Owen said with a smile. "I've heard that her forest is home to many nightmares, which I've never seen before."

"She actually allows outsiders to visit her?" Ms. Gray raised her eyebrows in surprise, her expression indistinct on her silvery-white face. "Her Nightmare Forest has refused outsiders entry for thousands of years... Hmm, would it be too impolite for me to go there rashly?" She seemed quite tempted.

"No, Ms. Elizabeth is actually quite happy to have someone visit," Owen said, shaking his head with amusement. The shy ghost lady was not good at expressing herself; when she ran out of words, she would just stare at the other person with her red eyes, and with her blank expression, she could easily seem unapproachable. In reality, she was gentle and kind-hearted.

"Then I would be happy to pay you a visit," Ms. Grey said with a hazy, beautiful smile.

(End of this chapter)