Spellcasting Gods

The other type provides a platform for realizing ideals and self-worth. Simply put, it grants power and resources, providing ample satisfaction even without substantial material rewards, through spiritual and social recognition. In the early stages of socialist countries in the 20th century, the recruitment of talent from developed capitalist countries capitalized on this specific psychological need of humanity.

Clearly, given the current state of Hogwarts, money and benefits alone are insufficient to sway those hostile professors.

So Zhang Cheng took a different approach and delivered a passionate speech on "freedom" and "democracy," then openly told the students that from today onwards, no professor could sit on the door and do their business; they could manage themselves.

It has to be said that this move was quite ruthless and unethical, immediately shifting the students' attention from Dumbledore being wanted to the formation of the student council, and the idea that those annoying school rules should be deleted and those new rules that would benefit them should be added.

After all, while former principals are generally respected, they are not as important as the tangible benefits that can be obtained.

The senior class leaders, in particular, are putting in a lot of effort to win a place in the student council, spending their days campaigning and canvassing for votes, eager to experience the feeling of having power.

As for the vehement protests of Argus Filch, they were spectacularly ignored.

To be precise, he became a victim used to win over and appease the students, and could only hide alone in his room all day to drown his sorrows in alcohol. He was even spat on and teased by some radical students.

Admiring the lively scene he had created, Zhang Cheng, standing by the window of the headmaster's office, couldn't help but laugh sarcastically, "Look, this is the naked reality. A woman's chastity is only because she hasn't been tempted enough, and a man's loyalty is only because the price of betrayal is too low. A mere bit of power has made all the students of Hogwarts forget Dumbledore. Can you find a more profitable deal than this?"

"But... Your Excellency, won't this cause chaos in the school? If the students are busy fighting for power, how can they possibly concentrate on their studies?" A school board member raised a question with a worried expression.

You see, these nobles didn't drive Dumbledore away to make Hogwarts degenerate into a third-rate magic school; they wanted to restore it to its former status as an elite talent-cultivating institution.

"Hehe, don't worry, the chaos is just a facade. Think about it, what truly wins the hearts of a group of competitive young people? Is it eloquent speech? Or good looks? Or excellent daily management skills? No, none of those. What truly earns their respect is strength, overwhelming strength. So I guarantee there will be a spectacular duel before the election, and the final victor will become the leader of the student council," Zhang Cheng replied meaningfully.

"You mean..." The school board member was clearly not a fool; a hint of understanding flashed in his eyes.

Zhang Cheng turned around and nodded slightly: "That's right! Ninety percent of those who eventually enter the student council will be pure-blood wizards. Because they have a natural advantage over half-bloods or wizards who awaken from ordinary people, that is, they will come into contact with magic earlier and are more enthusiastic about improving their dueling skills through practice. In other words, Hogwarts will be firmly in your hands from now on."

"I see! Your wisdom is truly beyond our reach." Lucius quickly stood up and took the lead in flattering him.

After all, he had personally witnessed the incredibly troublesome Dumbledore go from being a respected recipient of the Order of Merlin First Class, founder and Keeper of the Secrets of the Order of the Phoenix, president of the International Federation of Wizards, and chief wizard of Wizengamor, to a wanted criminal.

Although outsiders didn't know exactly what had happened, he knew it must have been done by this seemingly gentle but actually incredibly crazy young man.

"Hahaha! My dear friend, forming a student council has more than just these benefits. Most importantly, it can greatly weaken the power of the professors. You know, currently two-thirds of the professors at Hogwarts are Dumbledore's men, including even your respected senior, Severus Snape." Zhang Cheng laughed as he revealed the old bat's true identity.

"What! Snape is one of Dumbledore's men?" Lucius's eyes widened in surprise.

Not only him, but the other board members also started discussing it.

In the eyes of the nobles, Severus Snape, a graduate of Slytherin House, should have been on their side no matter how you looked at it.

Zhang Cheng ignored their reactions and explained to himself, "To be precise, he was a double agent. He sold Dumbledore's information to Voldemort on one hand, and Voldemort's information to Dumbledore on the other, but ultimately obeyed Dumbledore's orders."

"Why? Why would he do that!" a blond man who looked to be in his sixties asked with a furrowed brow.

"It's very simple! For love! I bet you don't know this, but our dear Professor Snape was actually a hopeless romantic. He fell head over heels in love with Harry Potter's mother, Lily, even though she was already married and had children. But our respected Dark Lord broke his promise and cruelly killed Lily. This act drove Snape mad, and he vowed to avenge her, even at the cost of his life."

"Damn it! For a mere Mudblood, he actually chose to betray all of us!" Another school board member suddenly stood up and roared in uncontrollable rage.

Judging from the ferocious expression on his face, he was undoubtedly a Death Eater who had escaped the net, a loyal follower of Voldemort.

"Calm down! Like I said before, men are only loyal because the stakes for betrayal are too low. Betrayal is always inevitable, so there's no need to get angry. Anyway, we already know what kind of person he is. What we need to do next is to gradually eliminate Dumbledore's influence in the school. Let's start with our dear Minerva McGonagall. Create a scandalous affair between a teacher and student, ruin her reputation, and make her too ashamed to continue teaching at Hogwarts..."

After saying that, Zhang Cheng's eyes revealed a chilling light.

Analyze human nature, grasp the weaknesses in each person's mind, and then defeat them one by one.

As time went on, he became more and more proficient in using this method, and could easily solve most problems and troubles without even resorting to force.

Chapter 0778 A Dog Without a Home

As is well known, the British Isles have a typical temperate maritime climate, which is controlled by the westerly winds all year round. In addition, the warm seawater brought by the North Atlantic Current to the west provides a stable source of water vapor. Therefore, the sky is overcast for more than half of the year, and it rains from time to time, which makes people feel very uncomfortable.

London, located on the banks of the Thames, is a world-renowned "foggy city." The arrival of winter makes the city exceptionally cold and gloomy, with many pedestrians hurrying by, eager to find a warmer place as soon as possible.

No one noticed that an elderly man in a coat with a white beard was sitting alone on a park bench, his eyes fixed intently ahead.

A few minutes later, another man in a black trench coat suddenly appeared. He instinctively shrank his neck and complained irritably, "Damn it! It's so cold! Why did you choose this damn place to meet?"

"There's nothing I can do! I'm a wanted criminal now, and I haven't found a safe place to stay yet. Tell me, how's the school doing?" The old man sighed helplessly.

Clearly, he was none other than Albus Dumbledore, who had recently been placed on the wanted list and become the Ministry of Magic's most wanted criminal.

Because Lucius Malfoy used a lot of media to sensationalize the whole thing, the entire British wizarding community was filled with fear of this old man who was hailed as the greatest wizard of his time. Even those who did not believe that Dumbledore would do such a thing kept their mouths shut and remained silent.

"The school? Hogwarts is finished! That Easterner actually delegated power to the students, letting those little rascals form a student council to manage themselves, while drastically weakening the professors' power. I guarantee that even if you go back now, you can't undo all this. He's a true demon, a more terrifying enemy than Voldemort." The middle-aged man took off his hat, revealing Snape's signature gloomy face.

As the Head of House of Slytherin, no one knew better than him how alluring Zhang Cheng's ideas were to students, especially those in his own house.

In less than a week, the little snakes' desire and ambition for power were completely ignited, and some even began to try to seize power from him, the academy dean.

"Give power to the students? Has he gone mad!" Dumbledore's expression changed drastically, and his sharp eyes flashed with intense anger.

“No! He’s not crazy! Quite the opposite, he’s much smarter than we think. Guess what those rebellious little brats did to gain more support? They actually held a dueling tournament to demonstrate strength and earn a place in the student council. You should know best that the pure-bloods are far more powerful than the commoners in this regard, so the school will eventually fall completely into the hands of the nobles. With the intervention of the school board, it won’t be long before rules and regulations are established, and then no one will be able to easily change anything.” Snape said with a cold laugh, stating the worst possible outcome.

Anyone who isn't a fool understands that rights and benefits can only be added, never subtracted.

The former, in particular, is that every change in the redistribution of power leads to serious bloodshed, just as Voldemort attempted to overthrow the existing system by force, which is exactly what Dumbledore least wanted to see.

The old man frowned, as if pondering a solution. After several minutes, he rubbed his throbbing forehead and said, "We can't let him continue to act recklessly! We must fight back!"

"Counterattack? You make it sound so easy! Almost all the officials in the Ministry of Magic have been bought off by Lucius! And Lucius fully supports every decision he makes! Even the professors are living in fear, afraid of failing their exams and being expelled. How many of them would want to associate with a wanted criminal like you?" Snape chuckled and rolled his eyes.

"According to you, it seems I have no choice but to admit defeat?" Dumbledore asked expressionlessly.

"Otherwise what? What do you think you can do now?" Snape retorted mercilessly.

He wasn't like the Weasleys, who fawned over others, nor would he say anything against his conscience.

In fact, his willingness to follow Dumbledore was not for any lofty ideals, but simply to avenge Harry Potter's mother, Lily.

"It seems I need to go back to school!" The old man suddenly unleashed an overwhelming magical power, gripping the Elder Wand hidden in his sleeve tightly.

As a powerful wizard, he also had one last way to resolve the problem: to defeat his opponent in a one-on-one duel, just as he had defeated his best friend Gellert Grindelwald years ago.

In the magical world, only the victor reigns supreme!

As long as they can maintain their reputation as the strongest, they don't care whether it's a warrant for arrest by the British Ministry of Magic or any other crime.

"Hmph! You'd better hurry up! Otherwise, next time I come, there might be some outsiders following me."

After saying this, whether it was a threat or an implication was unclear, Snape quickly turned and disappeared at the end of the cold, quiet park path.

Dumbledore sat alone on the bench for hours until the clock struck midnight, when he slowly stood up and used Apparition to teleport to an unknown destination.

No sooner had he left than Snape appeared out of nowhere with a group of Ministry of Magic bureaucrats, including Cornelius Fudge and Rufus Scrimgeour.

Luo Ao carefully touched the bench and immediately shouted, "The bench is still warm! He just left not long ago!"

"Damn it! We're too late!" Cornelius Fudge gritted his teeth and slammed his fist into the tree trunk beside him.

If there's anyone in the entire British Ministry of Magic who most wants Dumbledore captured, it's undoubtedly him.

“Don’t worry, Minister, he’s over a hundred years old. He simply doesn’t have the energy or stamina to play hide-and-seek with us for long. One day, we’ll catch him,” Rufus Scrimgeour assured him confidently.

“That’s right! Dumbledore is already a stray dog, he can’t even find a place to stay now, he won’t last long,” Snape chimed in.

He was already used to the life of a double agent, so he easily infiltrated the enemy and stole some important information and intelligence.

“A stray dog?” Old Fudge clearly liked the term, nodding with a smile. “Yes! Dumbledore is a stray dog, we have no reason to fear him. Instead, he should fear us. Well done, dear Severus. If you ever hear of Dumbledore’s whereabouts again, please inform us immediately. The Ministry of Magic is never stingy with its rewards for those who uphold justice and the dignity of the law.”

“Of course, it is my honor.” Snape placed one hand on his chest and gave an elegant bow.

But no one noticed that the moment he lowered his head, an undisguised contempt and sarcasm appeared on his face...

Chapter 0779 Love Slave

Although Albus Dumbledore's removal from the position of headmaster brought a series of upheavals, it also brought many opportunities.

The establishment of the student council, in particular, allowed many senior students to experience the taste of power for the first time.

Putting everything else aside, the vote to amend the school rules alone has set them on an unprecedented fervor, even overshadowing the ongoing three-way competition.

But as Christmas drew closer, the ball was finally put on the agenda, which also stimulated the hormones of the young men and women.

For a time, the lounge and corridors were filled with the so-called "sour smell of love," and a few bolder couples even openly showed their affection, dealing a ton of damage to single people who hadn't found a partner yet.

However, none of this had much to do with Zhang Cheng. After declaring his ownership of Hermione Granger, he returned alone to the laboratory in the castle's underground.

At this moment, the clone is lying in a huge glass container filled with pale green liquid, its eyes closed in a deep hibernation.

It must be said that the genes of the Dumbledore family are truly remarkable, and coupled with the stimulation of the power of creation, an incredibly strong reaction was produced in just a few days.

His blood, internal organs, and brain, for some reason, have gradually deviated from the definition of ordinary humans and are evolving into another, more powerful species.

Of the hundreds of experimental subjects observed, only Ron could rival him.

However, unlike Ron, whose evolutionary path involves unleashing multiple times the normal power in a short period of time, clones represent a sustainable and permanent change.

Just as Zhang Cheng was using various magic and modern scientific instruments to test these mutated genes, the house-elf Dobby suddenly jumped out from the corner and bowed respectfully: "Great and evil master! Miss Granger has arrived! She is waiting for you at the door."

"Oh? Do you know why she came at this time?" Zhang Cheng asked without turning his head.

Since the first event of the Triwizard Tournament, Hermione has maintained a distant relationship with him, neither objecting to his intimate gestures nor questioning the bloodshed and cruelty hidden behind the laboratory.

Clearly, faced with the harsh reality, the girl temporarily chose to escape in order to protect her fragile heart.

Zhang Cheng had anticipated this outcome, so he didn't push too hard and instead let the other party continue with their original work as before.

However, today, this delicate situation seems to have finally shown signs of breaking.

“Miss Granger didn’t say, but I think she must have made some decisions,” Dobby replied in a low voice.

Because of the cruel modifications he underwent, he possesses a special ability: to read the strongest emotions of the target.

"Really? That sounds like good news." Zhang Cheng squinted and muttered to himself, then put down his work and walked to the open space in front of the laboratory.

He didn't speak, but simply stood there admiring the other person's beautiful figure.

Hermione wasn't wearing the flowing robes of wizards today. Instead, she wore a very feminine black fitted miniskirt, with matching black stockings over her long legs and high heels. She also wore light makeup, giving her a mature look that had shed her childishness.

They stared at each other for a full minute before she smiled and asked in a half-joking tone, "So, do you like my outfit today?"

“Yes! You look absolutely gorgeous today! But I’d much rather see your true self than someone wearing a disguise.” With that, Zhang Cheng pulled the girl into his arms and gently stroked the white magic pearl earring on her earlobe.

"The real me?" Hermione was clearly taken aback for a moment, then immediately realized what the so-called "real appearance" meant, and her eyes revealed a complex light.

As a British girl who grew up in an ordinary middle-class family, she never thought that anyone would accept her strange appearance. Since she put on the pearl earring, she has never taken it off, and even forgot that she was just a deformed version of herself.

Zhang Cheng noticed the fleeting fear and smiled reassuringly, "Relax, don't be afraid. Although you are beautiful now, the real you is even more beautiful. Try to accept yourself instead of rejecting yourself; it will benefit both of us."

Upon hearing this, Hermione seemed moved and subconsciously closed her eyes to remove the pearl ring from her earlobe.

moment!