In the next moment, Harry only felt that the hand pressing on his shoulder transformed into a red-hot branding iron.
A surge of energy, not originating from him, yet almost frenzied, rushed into his body along the circuit constructed by the professor's guidance — the sensation was like being a small boy pressed down at the church altar by a priest, stuffed with something unimaginable —
"Ugh—!"
The agonizing scream almost broke free from his throat, yet Harry bit down hard, forcing it back, his body starting to tremble uncontrollably. The boy seemed to hear his every muscle, every nerve fiber emitting tragic cries—
If he could open his eyes at that moment, he might even see a chaotic glow faintly emerging on the surface of his skin, looking like a shining bulb ready to explode at any moment.
"...Is he going to explode?"
In the back of the group, Ron, who had been peeking ahead, stood upright again, paused for a moment, then spoke somewhat bewilderedly, looking at the two people beside him.
"You'll probably experience this soon too."
Cedric did not answer directly but spoke mysteriously.
"Will I explode too?!"
Upon hearing this, Ron couldn't help but widen his eyes.
"Focus your will, Potter."
At the same time, at the front of the group, Grindelwald's voice, like a cold whip, fiercely lashed at Harry's consciousness almost submerged in pain, "Remember, you are the lighthouse, not a drifting piece of wood. Learn to guide it according to my direction, or you'll just be crushed by it..."
What lighthouse? What driftwood? I don't have any driftwood... (bushi)
Harry now felt only chaos in his mind, feeling as if his soul had been thrown into a Portkey, surrounded by roaring currents trying to annihilate him—
The boy felt fragments of memory flashing back before his eyes, like a lantern— he recalled practicing the Patronus Charm, remembered the night confronting Voldemort, remembered the gentle gaze of his parents (he didn't even know how he recalled these)—
Some fragmented, warm scenes flickered with light amid the tumultuous waves of his consciousness.
At this moment, the boy felt a slight warmth in his chest, followed by an inexplicable, fleeting sensation, brief but gave his chaotic consciousness a small, yet stable "fulcrum."
Like a sailor about to be swallowed by the sea, finally grabbing hold of a sturdy rope that represented hope in the raging waves.
Harry no longer attempted to directly confront the torrent, that would undoubtedly be trying to stop a train with one hand—
Soon, the boy began trying to mimic the circuit the professor had just guided within him, trying to steer it with his will, imagining the frenzied magic energy as a frightened flock of sheep, while his will became a shepherd dog, painstakingly, little by little, rounding them up to start moving along a specific trajectory.
This process remained painful, but Harry's willpower clearly exceeded everyone's expectations—the faint glow in the surrounding spacetime began to slowly gather, visibly becoming orderly and stable, finally gathering completely, disappearing into the invisible.
When the last light disappeared, Harry finally reopened his eyes, a subtle gleam flashing through his emerald green pupils.
Then, he raised his finger—just like when he first touched a magic wand, an orange trajectory flew from his fingertip with his movement, blooming into a splendid firework in mid-air, then the second, third...
"Let's save the celebrations for later—"
A hint of surprise appeared in Grindelwald's eyes, then he waved his magic wand, extinguishing the fireworks as he released his hand from Harry's shoulder.
"Professor, I..."
"Here, call me Instructor."
"Okay, professor, I..."
Harry initially did not respond, until the conversation just now circulated in his mind again before he replied, "No, Instructor—what just happened to me?" Evidently, right now, Harry still didn't understand what exactly happened to him, but he could inexplicably feel that he was strong —
Strong enough to defeat ten "five-minutes-ago self."
"You have successfully established your Foundation."
"?"
It wasn't the old man before him who answered Harry; he instinctively looked in the direction of the voice to see Professor Richard, whom he hadn't seen in two days, slowly approaching with his hands behind his back from the direction of the fireplace.
"Hey ha!"
At the same time, seeing William, the group of black-clad individuals also moved, pounding their right hands on their chests, letting out a low sound.
This seemed to be a salute.
But compared to what could be termed the "Richard Army" of L.A., what now piqued Harry's curiosity was something else.
For instance, "What's Foundation Establishment?" Harry asked somewhat perplexedly.
"...The so-called magic."
Seeing the boy's eager eyes seeking knowledge, William shook his head, deciding to explain from the beginning, "Magic in this world is actually a kind of idealism superpower—the essence of a wizard's ability to cast spells depends on their willpower for the effect of the spell."
"Yes, you told me this before..."
Harry nodded; this wasn't the first time William mentioned this concept, and he even remembered the latter part, "Every wizard's power is definitively determined from birth; the stronger the willpower, or more extreme emotions a person has, the stronger the magic power they can exhibit—for example, Voldemort..."
"But now, times have changed, Harry—"
William nodded and then shook his head again, "You must have noticed that Mr. Filch, supposedly a Squib who could never control magic in his life, recently obtained his own magic wand and can even perform simple spells—according to past theories, idealism, Filch couldn't accomplish this—"
"Yes, yes..."
Harry raised his head hopefully; he couldn't help but feel William was about to disclose some groundbreaking theory.
"However,"
After a simple transition, William didn't keep the suspense, "Through the research conducted by me and Professor Percival, we discovered a method for Squibs to regain the opportunity to learn magic, and essentially, this method can be fully applied to ordinary wizards—
"Just like what you've just experienced."