Chapter 105 Dumbledore's Homework
As he spoke, Dumbledore "twisted" to Vaughn's side.
Grab his hand, lift him up, and "jump" all the way, easily passing through the ceiling.
The ceiling flashed past Vaughn's eyes like a bubble.
The next moment, Vaughn found himself in a gray mist, with only a faint light coming from "below".
He looked up instinctively and saw a crystal-clear Klein bottle "floating" in the boundless gray fog.
The training ground summoned by the House of Requirement, where he had stayed before, was like a painting, flowing across the surface of the bottle.
He looked on in surprise, and heard Dumbledore slowly say, "A meditation object, at the moment of its formation, records the last scene you were in and manifests it in the ether. It has no other purpose than to provide you with an anchor!"
The gray fog is certainly not real fog.
It is essentially a transparent, constantly leaping phantom, but it is hazy and drifting without any sense of reality, looking like mist.
"In the ether, where the concept of space has been lost, getting lost is a common occurrence. An obvious question arises: now that we're in, how do we get back?"
"Therefore, anchors are very necessary. They can help you locate yourself and also help you return to reality. They can be said to be the foundation for the development and growth of modern alchemy."
"In ancient times, alchemy was a very dangerous discipline. Countless alchemists lost themselves in the ether, their bodies slowly weakening and dying like those of a vegetable!"
At this moment, Vaughn, led by Dumbledore, was already flying through the gray fog.
While listening to Dumbledore's explanation, Vaughn sensed the Klein bottle using the meditation techniques he had learned.
Like everything within the ether, the sensation was strange; according to the concepts of the real world, after he and Dumbledore "flew" away, the Klein bottle should have been behind them.
But in Vaughn's actual perception, it was in front, left, up, down... seemingly everywhere, as if it could exist anywhere he wanted!
Vaughn knew that this was why space had lost its meaning.
He also deeply understood why Dumbledore said that getting lost was a very common occurrence. When you're wandering through this pervasive, endless gray fog, without any landmarks or direction, it's no wonder you get lost!
Thinking of this, Vaughn asked, "Albus, what is this so-called 'roaming the ether'? Space doesn't exist, there's no direction, so what is 'roaming' just aimlessly 'flying' in this gray fog?"
He felt it was impossible.
Because the descriptions of ethereal landscapes were common in the notes he had read, it meant that the alchemists' travels were skillful.
Moreover, this technique is likely related to meditation and emotions, both of which are key points repeatedly emphasized in foundational books.
Sure enough, Dumbledore laughed and said, "My dear, we are wizards, so of course we use our emotions to 'think,' like this..."
As he spoke, Vaughn noticed a strange sensation emanating from Dumbledore's "body".
It was a feeling that was hard to define precisely, like being in water with gentle ripples on the surface. You could feel as if tiny waves were brushing against your skin, but upon closer inspection, it seemed like there was nothing at all.
It felt like an illusion.
Only the tangible reaction to the "before our eyes" gray fog proves that Dumbledore did indeed do something—
Below, in a realistic sense, the once tranquil gray fog, which seemed perpetually inactive, suddenly began to churn violently.
Like a whirlpool suddenly appearing on a calm sea.
Then, a "shimmering" tree flew out from the thick fog.
It was indeed a tree. If you ignored the shadow on its surface and the distinct, vibrant colors beneath it, it looked just like a real tree, with lush, layered leaves, branches extending in all directions, and a thick trunk.
Vaughn looked at Dumbledore: "Did you summon it?"
"No!"
Old Deng's head blinked to both sides. "To be precise, it was the ether that responded to my thoughts and moved a tree in front of me... or maybe it moved us next to a tree, who knows?"
Response...
Vaughn noticed this word. Dumbledore, like him, opposed the idea of personifying "ether," but Dumbledore still used the word "response," which means that in Dumbledore's view, the mechanism by which the tree appeared was indeed the result of ether responding to him.
Dumbledore explained, "Just as we cast spells, strong emotions and wills are effective in the ether, even more so."
"Just like now, I wanted to see a tree, and it appeared in front of me. The so-called 'roaming' is simply this kind of process..."
Dumbledore paused, then added, "Of course, these are not unconditional. In the ether, emotions are something that can be truly consumed. The stronger your thoughts and emotions, the more likely your goal is to succeed, but the faster your emotions are consumed!"
Hearing this, Vaughn frowned slightly and asked, "What happens if the emotions are exhausted?"
"have no idea."
Dumbledore chuckled and said, "An old man like me who values his life wouldn't dare to try. But I think there must have been quite a few wizards who had the courage to try over the thousands of years, but in reality, there is no literature describing the results, which speaks volumes."
That certainly speaks volumes.
Those brave guys are probably all dead by now.
Vaughn thought for a moment, then asked, "When you say 'idea,' do you mean something with specific requirements and detailed concepts, or something more vague and emotional?"
What he wanted to know was, if he could make specific requests, wouldn't the ether be like a wish-granting machine?
Dumbledore clearly understood his thoughts and sighed, saying:
"I know what you're thinking, but unfortunately, those thoughts can only be vague and emotional."
"It's just like magic in this respect. No matter how you conceive a spell, a disarming spell can't turn an enemy into a flower!"
"The reason why alchemy uses the word 'travel' is because, for alchemists, the ether's response mechanism is merely a tool we use to 'travel' after the concepts of time and space have disappeared, or, like some alchemists, a tool to briefly experience 'combination' with the ether and observe the universe."
"It's not a wish-granting machine!"
No wonder!
Vaughn nodded knowingly, and was about to say something when the tree "below" suddenly showed an anomaly.
Vaughn saw that the thick gray fog that had been gradually calming down beside the tree started to churn again, and suddenly, several sticky tentacles emerged from it and wrapped around the tree.
Visibly, the tree began to disintegrate. The overlapping colors inside faded rapidly, and the grayish phantom on its surface, after flashing violently a few times, turned into a thick, liquid-like state, which was then "eaten" by the tentacles.
"...What is that?"
"Ah, as I said, Vaughn, the aether is far more treacherous than you imagine." Dumbledore said, unfazed. "These things are called aether rays, beings that live in the aether. It is said that they look a lot like rays, but they are rarely seen… They are very annoying creatures. They can sense the emotions of wizards, and they will cause trouble whenever a wizard is active in the aether."
Quantum life?
Vaughn slightly "opened" his eyes, looking at the tentacles that had "eaten" the tree but hadn't retreated into the gray mist, still flickering evilly outside.
"Is it dangerous? Or rather, are these beings living in the ether very dangerous? I don't seem to have seen it mentioned in the notes."
"Most of them are not dangerous and have little research value. In essence, they are the same as the spiritual entities of real organisms."
"However, this doesn't mean the ether is safe. Danger can always appear unexpectedly here..."
"Dumbledore said."
Sensing something amiss in his tone, Vaughn looked at him and realized that he had raised his head at some point and was "looking" into the depths of the gray fog ahead.
Looking in that "direction," Vaughn suddenly noticed that light was silently emanating from there.
A dim, yellow light piercing through the boundless gray fog!
It's so warm; just looking at it evokes the poignant beauty of an autumn sunset, the blood-red rays of the setting sun sinking into the riverbank, making one want to immerse oneself in it...
etc!
Vaughn suddenly realized something was wrong with the light!
Just as he regained his senses, Dumbledore reminded him, "Vaughn, don't look at it."
But in the ether, where the concept of space has been lost, it is very difficult not to look at something, so Vaughn can only force himself to shift his attention.
"Albus, what is that?"
To Vaughn's surprise, Dumbledore replied, "I don't know."
"?"
"Vaughn, anything is possible in the ether. I have seen Muggle nightmares form a terrifying castle here, and I have also seen the spirits of ancient wizards who died wandering in the gray fog like living corpses... The ether is really too big and too beyond the realm of reason. No one can figure out how every incomprehensible phenomenon they encounter came about."
"If you ask me how to make ether safe, I would say that the best way is to not approach or be curious when you encounter phenomena that you do not understand, but wait quietly, and it will leave on its own."
The dim light, just as Dumbledore had said, appeared silently for a moment and then vanished just as abruptly as it had appeared.
But Vaughn felt something was off. He thought for a moment and asked, "Does that kind of... phenomenon occur frequently in the ether?"
Dumbledore's figure flickered, his hands, which had been clasped in front of his lower abdomen, suddenly opened: "Not very common. I believe you should have asked Fred and George; they probably have never encountered it before?"
This is obviously nonsense; if Vaughn had known, he wouldn't have almost fallen for it.
Recalling his experience moments before, Vaughn was certain that the light possessed a powerful, bewitching ability. That was the problem. Normally, Vaughn, protected by a maxed-out Occlumency spell, should be immune to bewitching or any magic that targets the mind.
Unless, that dim light touches the soul!
Anything involving the soul is not simple. As a novice, this was my first time entering the etheric realm, and I encountered phenomena that seemed to be related to the soul...
Vaughn didn't think it was because of his bad luck. He looked at Dumbledore suspiciously, feeling that it might be related to the old man.
Unfortunately, there was no evidence, and Dumbledore's expression was obscured by his ashen face.
After thinking it over, Vaughn decided to give up on pressing the issue. There was no point in verbally pressuring a centenarian.
Since Dumbledore answered "I don't know," it means he doesn't want to say for the time being.
However, Vaughn still subtly added: "The progress of any discipline and technology is based on the tireless exploration of the unknown, just like the Hogwarts school song, 'We shall always seek knowledge, until we decay.'"
"Yes, yes, that's the mindset a wizard should have." Dumbledore nodded repeatedly, two heads flashing up and down on his neck. He said earnestly, "You must remember the school song, Vaughn, be positive and strive for excellence, don't be like this old rotten fellow!"
Vaughn was speechless. What could he say to an old guy who was just giving up?
Having finally gained the upper hand in the verbal exchange through shamelessness, Dumbledore's tone became cheerful again: "My dear, shall we continue our exploration, or return?"
Is that even a question?
Of course, we should continue exploring.
The two continued flying through the gray fog. This time, Dumbledore did not use his emotions—which made Vaughn increasingly believe that the strange, dim yellow light from before was likely drawn by Dumbledore.
Dumbledore, no longer able to use his emotions, could no longer demonstrate, so he began to instruct Vaughn on how to transmit ideas to the ether.
"It's similar to when you cast a spell—a strong emotion, a strong will, but more focused, with a clear recipient. You can imagine it like this: a great being in the void is waiting to respond to you..."
Upon hearing this, Vaughn couldn't help but interject: "Alchemists all use this method? No wonder the 'Creator' theory has become the mainstream ideology of alchemy. You can see from this technique of transmitting emotions that everyone subconsciously believes that the aether is alive."
Dumbledore smiled and countered, "So what do you think? Once you enter the Aether, will you still insist on your claim that the Aether is merely an objective phenomenon?"
Without hesitation, Vaughn replied, "I still maintain that, to be precise, I do not believe that ether absolutely lacks any human characteristics, will, or intelligence. What I object to is taking the idea that ether possesses a will and that ether is humanized as truth."
"In Muggle society, even if a theory is proven a thousand or ten thousand times, it is not necessarily correct, because human cognition is subjective. Using subjective cognition to interpret objective phenomena will inevitably have limitations. Even if the probability of error is small, that probability still exists."
After listening to these words, Dumbledore pondered for a moment, then smiled and said, "Is this what you used to say, that Muggle science only falsifies, not proves?"
"Yes, this way of thinking is very simple. For example, 'rain makes the ground wet.' If we reason entirely subjectively, we might also think 'no rain makes the ground dry.' Subjectively, this is indeed very logical. However, in the actual objective environment, there are many reasons for the ground to be wet, and rain is only one of them."
"Therefore, in my view, the ether that can respond to the wizard's thoughts, possessing will, wisdom, personality or divinity... these can only be considered as speculation, one of countless possibilities, and should not be regarded as a certain and unique result."
Vaughn's statement undoubtedly goes against the thinking habits of wizards.
Dumbledore remained silent for an even longer time this time, ultimately offering no comment, as if the conversation had never occurred, and continued to instruct Vaughn:
"Let's continue… Before transmitting ideas, you need to lift the brain seal. This is a prerequisite. We must have closer contact with the ether to ensure everything is accurate and error-free."
"Of course, I also have to remind you that you might not be used to it, because we are now spiritual beings, without the constraints of a physical body, and still subject to the influence of the ether. It might behave a little too... lively!"
Soon, Vaughn experienced the "discomfort" and "excessive liveliness" that Dumbledore had described.
As he removed the brain-sealing technique, the icy, cool sensation that had been shrouding his head subsided, as if some shackles had been removed.
Countless burning, frenzied thoughts seemed to surge up from the depths of his consciousness, jumping and shouting. Vaughn felt as if his thoughts had been suddenly divided into countless parts, each with its own ideas and opinions, "arguing" in a chaotic mess.
For a fleeting moment, Vaughn even "saw" the phantom on the surface of his spiritual body flickering more intensely, as if something was about to separate away.
Old Deng, standing nearby, was still gloating: "Oh—darling, your mental body is more complex than I imagined. Generally speaking, a 12-year-old shouldn't have such noisy thought processes!"
Vaughn is too busy to criticize Deng right now.
For someone who has mastered memory magic, gathering his thoughts and maintaining focus is not too difficult. In reality, he can make his mind "completely clear" in one second.
But in the ether, this process becomes much more difficult.
The main problem lies in the concept of time. Time represents "continuity," which can be the continuity of matter or the continuity of thought. Previously, the Occupational Surgery effectively protected Vaughn's consciousness, and the "interruption" of the continuity of matter did not affect his thinking.
It wasn't until the brain surgery was lifted that Vaughn truly understood what it meant for "time to lose its meaning."
The thought process, which should have been moving from one second to the next like following a line, suddenly became "jumping".
His perception of time was also as if it were being infinitely subdivided into countless moments, all of which existed simultaneously. This caused his thoughts and consciousness to also seem to be divided into countless parts.
If someone is a Muggle, this kind of time perception error leading to mental confusion can immediately turn a normal person into an idiot.
But wizards, especially those with memory magic, have plenty of ways to solve this.
The world of the mind reflects reality. This originally continuous space has been divided into countless parts, like stacked microscope slides. In each "slide" there is a "Vaughn Weasley", some calm, some angry, and some anxious.
They coexist simultaneously, neither willing to yield to the other!
The personification device appeared, transforming into a wisp of white smoke that drifted across countless "glass panes," exploring and searching.
After an unknown amount of time, it stopped on a glass slide with its eyes closed in deep thought and merged into it.
In that glass slide, "Vaughn Weasley" with his eyes closed gently flicked his finger, and a few wisps of white smoke rose from "him" and quickly disappeared into the adjacent glass slide.
Infection, control, assimilation...
One by one, the "Vaughn Weasleys" went from chaos to quiet, closing their eyes just like the original one, with white smoke swirling in the scene.
After this process is repeated dozens of times, even in the dark world of the mind, there are still many "glass pieces" that are still separated and noisy, but the "Vaughn Weasley" with his eyes closed, who has been connected by the personification, gradually takes the lead!
Then, "Vaughn," who had been keeping his eyes closed, opened them!
In the thick gray fog of ether, Vaughn let out a soft sigh.
His consciousness remained clear throughout. After all, no matter how you break it down, those countless "he"s are still him, only lacking a central figure, resulting in a chaotic mess.
Even now, he still feels that his mind is a mess, with all sorts of thoughts coming one after another, but at least it has a main body that allows him to think clearly.
"Exquisite memory magic!"
Dumbledore's praise came from beside him.
Vaughn rolled his eyes at him. Even though Old Deng couldn't see him in his spiritual form, it didn't stop him from expressing his dissatisfaction: "Thank you for the compliment, and thank you for not reminding me. You almost made me turn into an idiot."
"Dear Vaughn, that kind of thing is impossible. It's just a mental confusion caused by a time perception error. Even without memory magic, you will slowly—slowly—recover as you get used to the ether!"
The old man argued.
He certainly wouldn't admit that he had a bit of a perverse sense of humor, and he even argued, "Most importantly, your thinking is too complicated and your personality is too assertive. The other young wizards who were encountering ether for the first time didn't react as strongly as you. Their reactions were much simpler."
Although it sounded like he was being mocked, Vaughn knew that Deng was right.
He not only has a complex mind and a strong personality, but also has two lifetimes. Obviously, in a timeless worldview that lacks continuity and is infinitely subdivided, this unique experience is not an advantage.
However, that's all.
I can't be bothered with Dumbledore anymore.
Vaughn calmed his mind and continued to manipulate the persona to connect consciousness and strengthen the subject.
He only stopped when the noisy thoughts in his brain gradually subsided and most of the countless floating "glass panes" in his mental world turned white.
"Next, we need to transmit our thoughts to the Ether..."
Ignoring Dumbledore's crossed arms and detached, spectator-like posture, Vaughn adjusted to his current mental state while simultaneously manipulating his emotions according to Dumbledore's previous teachings and his experience with casting spells.
Focus, concentrate!
In a daze, he suddenly felt as if he had returned to a few years ago when he first tried the spell, feeling inexperienced and awkward, and unable to concentrate his emotions.
Unlike back then, and unlike in reality, Vaughn clearly felt that as he stirred his emotions, a strange feeling was condensing from his spiritual body.
It was something wispy and gray, like a shadowy image on the surface of the body.
In reality, emotions and feelings are abstract and unquantifiable, but here, they clearly have a form.
Vaughn merely glanced at them before turning his attention away and began to ponder what kind of response he needed from the ether.
"Alchemy says that all things have a spirit, and ether is the sum of the spirits of all things. This is the fundamental reason why it connects all things. So, if we explain spirit from the perspective of Muggle science, what should it be?"
"Is it information, or rather, the informational state of matter?"
Vaughn hadn't forgotten that what puzzled him most before entering the realm of ether was exactly what ether was!
In a broad sense, it must be some kind of substance, a substance that can express the information state (spirit) of matter.
However, things cannot be measured only from a broad perspective; they must also be defined and confirmed from a narrow perspective.
"Before entering the Aether, Dumbledore said that traveling through the Aether was like a dream. He also mentioned before that he had seen a Muggle's nightmare, which formed a terrifying castle in the Aether... Let's see what consciousness or dreams, these non-physical things in reality, really look like!"
As soon as he made up his mind, the emotions that had condensed into form within his spirit began to dissipate immediately.
They were like ripples spreading across a lake, leaping away from his spiritual body in discontinuous circles and fragments.
They detached from Vaughn's body, carrying with them a rustling whisper:
"Dreams...consciousness...mind...all that is non-physical, the spiritual realm..."
They came into contact with the gray fog and then vanished instantly, as if something around them had been waiting to receive them!
Then, quite abruptly, Vaughn raised his head.
He could sense that some strange concept was responding to him, a feeling that was hard to describe.
It was as if a voice was coming from a distant place, or as if a thought was emerging in one's own mind.
In short, he knew that the ether had "responded" to him!
Moreover, it wasn't just a feeling; there was also the gray fog in front of my eyes, which began to churn and boil.
But this time, unlike when Dumbledore "summoned" the tree before, there was no physical entity emerging from the gray mist. Instead, in Vaughn's perception, he was suddenly pulled "down" by something!
Caught off guard, Vaughn instinctively resisted, but immediately heard Dumbledore say:
"Don't resist!"
Vaughn did as he was told and gave up resisting, going with the force pulling him down or forward... in any direction he couldn't tell.
This was the first time he had ever felt the pull of gravity since entering the ether.
He passed through the boundless gray fog. In his state of losing all sense of time, he couldn't tell how long he had been falling. He only knew that color suddenly appeared before his eyes.
It was an incredibly vast expanse, like a horizon, with a slight curve and seven colors.
Thin yet rich, illusory yet real, distinct layers, overlapping layers!
It's like... just like the colors that appear under the gray phantom of his spiritual body.
Vaughn suddenly realized that his previous guess about the colors under the shadow on the body surface might be wrong, and that it might not be the manifestation of light in the ether.
Before he could continue guessing, the fall suddenly stopped. Vaughn was slightly taken aback and lowered his head.
He saw that he was standing on a cement ground—no gray shadows, just like the real ground!
Vaughn came to a highway.
A winding, long road that seems to have no end.
It came from the endless gray fog, circling the vast, arcing, seven-colored rainbow that Vaughn had seen "just now" as he fell—
It was only at this moment that Vaughn noticed that the iridescent color was actually a huge "bubble" surface.
It was so magnificent that the road where Vaughn stood seemed like a tiny, imperceptible mycelium clinging to its periphery.
Dumbledore had somehow landed beside Vaughn. His shimmering figure bounced on the concrete floor like a child, then cheerfully said to Vaughn, "Good luck, Vaughn, Aether has found you a modern human."
Vaughn immediately noticed the key point: "Modern humans?"
"Yes, modern humans, this Muggle highway is all too obvious." Seemingly pleased with Vaughn's good luck, Dumbledore answered casually, "Don't forget, time has no meaning in the ether, so things that exist within it are not limited to the present, but also the past and the future. I once met a very futuristic-looking person from the future."
"..."
The word "science fiction" sounds really out of place coming from Dumbledore's mouth...
Vaughn walked to the edge of the road and looked up at the huge, iridescent bubble "before his eyes".
He asked curiously, "Is there only one human inside such a huge bubble?"
"That's right. To be precise, this soap bubble-like thing contains a human dream world, or rather, his unconscious."
Upon hearing the word "unconscious," Vaughn immediately recalled some knowledge that he hadn't paid much attention to before.
Because of the relationship between the "Creator" theory and the theory of the Golden Soul, the mainstream thought of modern alchemy is actually more inclined towards the spiritual level, or, in Muggle terms, psychology.
Modern alchemy not only divides humans into two states, "physical body" and "spiritual body," but also further subdivides the "spiritual body."
They believe that a person's spiritual body contains a three-dimensional structure:
Consciousness, personal unconscious (subconscious) and collective unconscious (collective subconscious).
Consciousness is located on the surface; it is the "self," the subject of a person's thinking and memory.
The unconscious is located at the second level. It is a "container" that contains various psychological activities that are inconsistent with the functioning of consciousness, such as all forgotten memories, experiences, perceptions, dreams, fantasies, etc. It is "waste" that must be separated from the subject.
Theories he had read before suddenly came to mind. Looking up at the giant bubble "before his eyes," Vaughn pondered and guessed: "Muggles and ordinary wizards do not have alchemical talent, so their spiritual bodies cannot enter the aether... Now it seems that 'consciousness' cannot enter, but the unconscious can?"
To be honest, he hadn't paid much attention to the modern alchemical theory of the three-fold structure of the spiritual body before.
Because, based on his experiments after learning memory magic, he found that everyone's personality is singular and complete. He hadn't considered that the foundation of the triple structure theory was not reality, but ether.
This is a summary of the phenomenon of inner consciousness in the ether!
Beside him, Dumbledore added with a smile, "The collective unconscious can also be materialized by the ether. You should encounter it sometime in the future... Now, let me show you the personal unconscious of this poor Muggle."
As he spoke, Dumbledore had already taken Vaughn's hand, while placing his other hand on the "bubble".
Vaughn recalled his previous erroneous guess about the seven colors. His greatest virtue was his willingness to ask questions, so he asked Dumbledore, "What do the seven colors on the surface of the bubbles represent? Are the colors under our phantom spirits the same thing?"
Unfortunately, Lao Deng did not give him a definite answer.
"In your words, it might be some kind of external manifestation of the mind. As for what it is exactly, no one has figured it out yet. If you figure it out in the future, remember to tell me!"
Vaughn: "..."
The seven-colored, swirling bubbles give the impression of being both illusory and real.
When Dumbledore plunged his hand into it, taking Vaughn with him as he "passed" through, the feedback he received was exactly the same.
They seemed to pass through layers of curtains, or perhaps just through empty air, or a patch of colorful light.
Then, a completely different scene appeared before my eyes.
Those were green trees, forests, meadows, and sunshine...
The monotonous gray suddenly disappeared from sight, and the previous experience vanished like a dream.
Vaughn felt as if he had suddenly returned to reality, back to a warm and pleasant afternoon.
Of course, he understood that it was just an illusion caused by suddenly seeing everything in front of him!
Vaughn and Dumbledore's spirit forms hovered in mid-air, overlooking the beautiful scenery below, overlooking the golden sunlight that bathed the forest path, where a middle-aged man was leisurely strolling.
He noticed Vaughn and Dumbledore, and didn't find it strange at all.
He waved enthusiastically to the two men and shouted, "Good afternoon, gentlemen!"
But neither Vaughn nor Dumbledore responded.
Because they all understood that this was just the middle-aged man's dream.
In the blink of an eye, a beautiful woman appeared beside the middle-aged man. He immediately stopped paying attention to the two people floating in mid-air, laughed happily, and took her hand.
The whole world seemed to become more vibrant because of his joy.
The roadside grasses struggled to support their leaves, and the dewdrops reflected the sun, shimmering like pearls.
Trees droop their branches to create shade, and in the dappled light and shadow, a gentle breeze blows through the forest.
The roadside flowers desperately opened their petals, spreading their fragrance, and butterflies fluttered about.
Everything seemed like a fairy tale, and all the changes revolved around that middle-aged man; everything here was his dream!
"It looks like a beautiful dream!" Dumbledore exclaimed.
"Yes, but it only seems like a beautiful dream..."
"Vaughn said softly."
Being in such a "dream," as a master of memory magic, he could sense the essence of the middle-aged man's "dream" and understood why Dumbledore had called this Muggle "pitiful" before he came in.
"As the second layer of the mental body, the personal unconscious exists to protect the conscious subject. On the one hand, it contains the unimportant parts of life experiences, making it easier for the subject's consciousness to forget them and reduce the burden on the mind."
"On the other hand, it is also responsible for containing things that may harm the subject's consciousness."
"For example, pain, frustration, despair, anxiety..."
Looking down at the middle-aged man, Vaughn silently recited the words he had read before. He could feel the intense pain hidden beneath the seemingly beautiful surface of this dream, or rather, fantasy.
The heartache stems from the beautiful woman who suddenly appeared and stayed by the man's side!
For Vaughn and Dumbledore, masters of memory magic, the pain permeating this "dream world" was all too clear.
They watched silently.
Until a certain moment, the entire "space" suddenly collapsed, the huge bubble rapidly shrank, and the bubble surface with seven distinct colors swept past the two people and collapsed into the gray fog.
In the blink of an eye, the enormous bubble disappeared, and the beautiful scenery was replaced by gray once again.
"...what happened?"
"He's probably woken up!" Dumbledore shook his head. "We don't feel the passage of time, nor do we know where he is. Perhaps it's already dawn where he is in reality."
"What will happen when he wakes up? Will he remember us, remember this dream?"
Vaughn was a little curious.
He suddenly recalled a past experience of his—
Sometimes when he wakes up, he knows he had a dream, but he can't remember what it was about.
Dumbledore shook his head again: "No!"
Vaughn knew that he was far inferior to Dumbledore in his research on the spiritual body and the ether, so he never missed an opportunity to ask questions: "Why? Is it because his consciousness is not in the ether? Or is it because everything that happens in the ether is more 'false' to reality?"
As mentioned earlier, consciousness is the core of a person's thinking and memory; experiences without conscious participation are obviously impossible to remember.
By reading the notes of his predecessors, Vaughn also vaguely understood that the ether and reality overlapped yet were isolated from each other; at least, events that occurred within the ether seemed unlikely to affect reality.
Dumbledore clasped his hands together, thought for a moment, and replied, "Anything is possible!"
"Albus!"
Dumbledore laughed heartily, glanced again at the spot where the bubbles had disappeared, and said, "It's getting late, Vaughn. Let's call this voyage for now!"
He paused for a moment, then continued, "Let me give you another lesson. Before we begin, I'd like to ask you a question, based on your earlier question: Vaughn, what do you consider to be real, and what is false?"
Um?
Of course, objective facts are true, and things that do not exist or have not happened are false!
Vaughn was puzzled and was about to answer when he suddenly stopped.
He suddenly realized that Dumbledore was not asking about the objective truth or falsehood, but rather about the subjective judgment of a conscious subject!
Seeing that he seemed to understand, Dumbledore continued, "From our perspective, what just happened is definitely real because we remember the whole cause and effect and process, but what about that Muggle?"
"What you just said is actually correct. Yes, his main consciousness did not experience it, so he will not remember it. Similarly, those things that do not exist in his memory are false. He does not know the existence of ether and has no concept of ether... And there are billions of people like him in the world, including most wizards who do not have alchemical talent."
"If we compare them this way, then who is right?"
Vaughn frowned slightly; he didn't quite understand the meaning of this question.
For him, neither was wrong; the difference was simply due to the amount of information he possessed.
Dumbledore didn't seem prepared to hear an answer. Before the frowning Vaughn could speak, he once again used his "idea".
"The last lesson also begins with this question."
He reached out towards the gray mist, and waves of emotion spread out like ripples, leaping out of his body in waves.
These transmitted ideas quickly received a response from the Ether.
The gray mist churned and sprayed out packets of "materials"!
The ingredients looked familiar: milkweed juice, mercury, mithril powder...
Dumbledore pointed to the materials that he had "summoned" with his thoughts and asked, "Vaughn, are these real or fake?"
Vaughn's brow furrowed even deeper as he suddenly realized he couldn't answer.
Based on what he knew, things in the ether cannot be brought into reality, so from that perspective, these materials must be fake.
but...
Dumbledore once again transmitted "ideas" to the gray fog.
This time, the ripples flowing through his body were more intense and frequent, and numerous afterimages left his body.
In contrast, the materials began to fuse due to the "response" of the ether—just like the steps Fred and George took to make the mithril mercury mixture. Before long, a golden, demon-friendly, insulating rubber sheet was born. The moment it was born, it seemed to have completed its mission and quickly disintegrated into wisps of gray mist.
But it didn't disappear completely; instead, it remained in place, leaving behind a "symbol" that emitted a faint light and appeared as a circle from any angle!
Dumbledore pointed to the "symbol" again and said, "This is how alchemy obtains symbols, Vaughn. Is it real or fake?"
Normally, this move by Old Deng would have made Vaughn's eyes light up and fill him with curiosity—the alchemical items that Fred and George had spent many days thinking about before inventing were easily replicated by the old man.
But at that moment, Vaughn's mind was not on that at all.
He stared at the symbol. There was no doubt that the symbol could be brought into reality; from an alchemist's perspective, it must be real.
But from the perspective of someone other than an alchemist, it simply doesn't exist!
Vaughn was beginning to understand what Dumbledore wanted to teach him.
Sure enough, he heard Dumbledore continue, "I can sense your ambition, Vaughn. You're trying to combine alchemy with Muggle technology, and I suspect you also want to try to promote magic... No need to deny it, I don't know much about Muggle technology, but I know you."
"If you didn't have that mindset, you wouldn't have tried to understand ether with Muggle knowledge from the very beginning."
"The problem is this: let's ignore the possibility of failure for now. Suppose you do succeed one day, how do you explain to those Muggles who have no access to ether what ether is?"
"On the other hand, how do you convince alchemists to understand Muggle theory?"
"You have big ambitions, child, but you're not even an alchemist yet, and you don't even know how they see the world!"
"I think you should first learn to think like an alchemist. This is the assignment I'm giving you... Don't look at me like that. You said you wanted me to be your mentor!"
Chapter 106 Harry Ron vs. the Whomping Willow
Early morning, Slytherin House common room.
The magical flames burning in the fireplace emitted no heat, only a pale blue light, illuminating the bedroom located at the bottom of the lake.
It also illuminated Vaughn's pensive face.
A full hour had passed since Vaughn returned from the Room of Requirement, and he hadn't moved, only leaving his notebook open, seemingly lost in thought.
Fruit Tea, who had already taken a nap, woke up from a sweet dream. In the dream, it ate a dried fish-flavored mouse again. The wonderful taste made it lick its lips even after it woke up.
Meow~
Guoguocha stretched and snuggled up to Vaughn, nuzzling him.
Vaughn leaned over, picked up the big cutie and put it on his lap, scratching its neck: "Fruit Tea, tell me, what is real and what is false in the eyes of a true alchemist?"
"...Meow?"
"Heh…" Vaughn chuckled. "Sorry, I shouldn't have asked you such a strange question."
With the fruit tea interrupting his thoughts, Vaughn finally stopped spacing out.
He picked up a quill pen and began to record his observations of the evening in his open notebook.
And... the homework Dumbledore assigned...
How do alchemists view the world?
The title was written down on the parchment with a quill pen.
Vaughn vaguely understood why Dumbledore had assigned this task, because during their conversation about ether earlier that day, he had consistently expressed skepticism towards alchemical theories.
This is certainly not a bad thing.
As Vaughn said before, interpreting objective phenomena with subjective judgment is bound to have limitations; there is no absolutely correct truth in the world.
Dumbledore agreed with this, which is why he said Muggle theory was interesting in the Aether.
He wasn't against Vaughn's questioning, but rather worried that Vaughn would be blinded by it, as he said at the end.
Vaughn wasn't even an alchemist yet, and his understanding of alchemy and ether was still quite limited.
Therefore, he hoped that Vaughn could put on the brakes before his ideas became entrenched, and first learn to become an alchemist, to understand their thoughts and the essence of what underpins those thoughts.
"Dumbledore is a good teacher."
"Vaughn said softly."
The fruit tea in his arms raised its head and meowed!
"Hehe, you think so too?"
Ruffling Fruit Tea's thick fur, Vaughn smiled. Dumbledore's performance today was actually quite remarkable—the Chocolate Frog Company made wizard character cards, and on Dumbledore's card, the most important evaluation of him was his achievements in the field of alchemy.
This old wizard, who had devoted most of his life to the study of alchemy, did not show any resistance or dissatisfaction with Vaughn's remarks today. Instead, he tried his best to understand and be a good mentor.
He truly deserves to be called magnanimous.
Since Old Deng had given him a peach, Vaughn would reciprocate in kind. Moreover, as modern alchemy was a discipline that had been developing for hundreds of years, he would naturally want to study it in depth first.
Dumbledore was right.
Vaughn was very ambitious, ambitious for knowledge and truth.
This path is difficult, and to achieve it, we need the assistance of many like-minded people.
In the realm of knowledge, there is no rule that whoever has the biggest fist is the most persuasive. You have to prove to people that you are on the right path in order to become a leader that people support.
At present, Vaughn is clearly far from meeting the standards.
Looking at the title he had written on the parchment, Vaughn pondered for a moment, then wrote a string of small words below it:
"Whether it's magic or science, wizards or Muggles, the definition of matter is the same—all entities in the universe, objective realities independent of human consciousness!"
Both also speculate that matter has another state, which magic calls'spirit' and science calls 'information'.
"From this perspective, spirituality can be equated with information."
"The ether of the collective spirit equals the information-state universe!"
"Up to this point in the study of the nature of the world, both have reached a tacit understanding of the same goal, but the main difference is that the scientific viewpoint emphasizes objective factors, while magic or alchemy is more accustomed to starting from a subjective perspective."
"Alchemists perceive the world subjectively...why?"
Vaughn stopped writing, frowning slightly. Normally, why would alchemists who believed that matter was an objective reality abandon the objective viewpoint and even regard the ether as separate from matter, as a "great and real soul (consciousness)"?
This is the purpose of Dumbledore assigning the homework.
What caused the alchemists' mindset to change?
Recalling Dumbledore's final demonstration in the Aether, and the question he repeatedly asked—what is real? What is false?
Vaughn frowned in thought. He could vaguely sense that Old Deng's question wasn't really about proving the definition of truth and falsehood.
It was a hint to him.
"This riddle-maker..."
Vaughn, realizing that he wouldn't figure it out by continuing to think about it in such a dry way, put down his quill and picked up his fruit tea again.
"Meow?"
"I'm not done yet, so I'll stop for now. I haven't rested all night, and I need to get some sleep."
"Meow!"
"It's nothing, it's just that the experience in the ether has made my consciousness a bit confused. That state where one second is subdivided into countless moments, and each moment has its own consciousness, is simply..."
While complaining, Vaughn hugged the fruit tea and crawled into bed.
Fruit Tea didn't quite understand his story; it was more focused on something else. It struggled to get out of Vaughn's arms and meowed, "Meow~"
Vaughn was taken aback: "Why don't you want to sleep with me?"
"Meow!"
"hot?"
Oh right... it's already May.
Even in the Scottish Highlands, where temperatures are typically low, summer is beginning. While the Slytherin lounge at the bottom of the loch is still relatively cool, the temperature is hardly comfortable for Fruit Tea, who is covered in thick fur.
Moreover, it is foreseeable that as summer truly arrives, the discomfort will only increase.
Vaughn had also thought of this problem.
If there's anything about the magical world that he finds inconvenient, then summer would definitely be number one.
Speaking of which, when he first started trying to make money with potions and before he realized he could "eat" the benefits of women, Vaughn even considered developing a potion that could cool people down.
However, after some calculations, it was found that England, whose climate is not yet extreme, only has about one month of summer, so developing a potion specifically for this purpose would not be cost-effective, and the project was shelved.
"Once Fred and George's skills improve further, we can consider installing air conditioning in the dorm rooms."
Mithril-mercury compound rubber was developed for electrical wires, so its practicality is relatively narrow. Apart from electrical wires, it is only suitable for small electronic products, since they are small in size and can be used to make a thin sheath.
Due to factors such as cost and heat dissipation, its application in large electrical appliances is not very effective.
I heard the twins are currently trying out new improvement methods.
"I wonder how Fred and George's research is progressing?"
Just as Vaughn suddenly remembered the twins, the door to the common room entrance in the Gryffindor Tower quietly opened from the inside.
The plump lady guarding the gate yawned sleepily and complained, "You naughty little wizards, can't a person get some sleep? I really want to... Huh? Nobody's here?"
Amidst the fat lady's puzzled mutterings, a series of light footsteps cautiously moved away from the tower, silently making their way to the first floor of the castle, only then did the air suddenly lift slightly.
A head popped out of the air—it was Harry, his face flushed red as he strained to breathe in the cool early morning air.
Then it was Ron, his eyes bulging and breathing heavily, who said, "I must be crazy to stay up all night and wander around with you."
Harry whispered, "Shh, keep your voice down... Don't you want to try out the camera? Fred and George need more actors to help test the modified camera's functions. We're good friends, that's why I brought you here secretly. I don't usually tell just anyone."
These words immediately made Ron swallow his dissatisfaction.
These past two days, Harry has been nagging him about his experience of "filming," which has made him incredibly envious; he dreams of trying it out himself.
Where are they?
"A secret passage is said to lead to Hogsmeade, where they experimented with new and improved techniques."
Ron's expectations were immediately dashed.
Harry didn't know where the tunnel was.
"Merlin, didn't you go with them?"
"No…" Harry explained awkwardly, "We were in the Room of Requirement before, but yesterday Fred and George wrote to me saying that the Room of Requirement had been occupied by their beloved benefactor, so they had to move their secret laboratory to a safer place."
As he spoke, he took out an envelope, pulled out a slip of paper with messy handwriting, and read: "...Go out of the side gate of the castle, towards Hagrid's hut, and you will see a very ugly tree with huge knots. The entrance to the tunnel is under the tree."
"See, it's not too hard to find, right?"
Harry shook the note and said to Ron.
Ron had a bad feeling; in his memory, places the twins considered "safe" were usually not so friendly to him.
However, the words were indeed very clear, and Ron couldn't think of any problem for the time being. Moreover, now that he was out, without Harry's Invisibility Cloak, he wouldn't dare to go back to Gryffindor Tower alone.
After hesitating for a moment, Ron suppressed his unease and decided to follow Harry to find the tunnel.
The two put on their invisibility cloaks again and quietly slipped through the silent, deserted corridor. When they arrived at the side gate of the castle, they even ran into Lady Lorris, who was on patrol.
Since finding the twins with Mrs. Lorris's help, Harry had been optimistic that he and the skinny, creepy cat had made up.
After that, every time Harry encountered it, he would feed it a small dried fish, and this time was no exception.
Seeing a small dried fish suddenly fall from the air, Mrs. Lorris's bulging eyes widened, she sniffed it, and turned to run away.
Ron found it incredible, not because Mrs. Lorris ran away—he knew what the stinky cat had been up to—but because he was astonished by what he saw.
Why do you bring dried fish with you when you go out?
"I suddenly realized this is a really good treat. Cats like it, and people can eat it too... Ron, do you want some?"
"I hate dried fish!" Ron said firmly. "I hate cats even more!"
"Ron, I think you should let go of your prejudice against fruit tea and Mrs. Lorris. They are actually very cute."
"I don't think those two stinky cats are ungrateful wretches… Listen, your lovely Mrs. Lorris has called Filch."
From deep down the corridor came the sound of Filch running with a limp and shouting angrily.
However, the two were not worried at all about being discovered by Filch, because they now knew that Filch did not know magic.
The last time Harry heard the twins say that Filch was a Squib, he went back and told his friends.
Ron laughed so hard he could hardly breathe that day, and even the usually timid Neville couldn't help but smile. Neville even shared a little secret because of this—his family had always worried that he was a Squib, but luckily he received his Hogwarts acceptance letter.
Everyone was happy until Hermione scolded them with a stern face:
"Why do you think it's something to be happy about when you discover other people's flaws? Harry, when Malfoy mocked you for calling you'Scarhead,' could you laugh?"
That day, Harry and his friends felt guilty towards Filch for the first time, but that didn't stop them from still having fun teasing him.
Just like how Filch, being a Squib, never misses a chance to punish every little wizard.
Harry and Ron leisurely watched Filch, dressed in his pajamas, run up breathlessly, and saw Mrs. Lorris circling around the place where the two were hiding. Filch was suspicious.
After they had had their fun, the two of them left through the side gate of the castle, chuckling to themselves.
"Poor guy, I bet he probably doesn't even know what an invisibility cloak is, and maybe he's never even seen invisibility magic."
Ron said happily to Harry.
But this joy quickly vanished without a trace.
To be fair, the landmarks the twins wrote in their letters to Harry were indeed very clear.
To curb the spread of the Forbidden Forest, the area between Hogwarts Castle and Hagrid's Hut is almost entirely covered by lawns.
Moreover, they specified the characteristics of "huge scars" and "very ugly," which allowed Harry and Ron to immediately locate their target among the few remaining trees on the hillside after they walked out of the side gate of the castle.
But the twins didn't mention the species of the tree!
"The Man-Beating Willow!"
As the two saw the tree in the bright moonlight, Harry heard Ron groan.
Harry Potter, the complete novice in magic, looked utterly bewildered: "What's that?"
"It's a plant with an extremely bad temper; anything that touches it will get a beating!" Ron gritted his teeth. "I told you, there's nothing normal about the place those wretched twins think is safe!"
He didn't want to play anymore. Historical experience told him that he should go back to his dorm immediately and get as far away from those awful twins as possible.
But Harry disagreed.
"We're already here, and we've all brought our wands, so what's there to be afraid of?"
"But it's not an ordinary tree..."
"No matter how extraordinary it is, is it more terrifying than a troll? You brag all day about how brave you were when facing a troll last year, are you afraid of a tree?"
These words dealt a heavy blow to Ron, who glared resentfully at Harry, his once innocent friend who had somehow become as mean as Vaughn.
Harry teased him, then reassured him, "Besides, we have the Invisibility Cloak. We can sneak past it without it seeing us."
Ron was eventually persuaded.
Yeah, what's there to be afraid of with an invisibility cloak?
Deep within them, the courage and recklessness characteristic of Gryffindor triumphed over reason. The two, cloaked in invisibility, quietly made their way toward the enormous, somber willow tree that stood against the night sky, its branches occasionally trembling.
"Ron, could you please breathe a little quieter?"
Shh—keep it down, don't wake it!
"What are you worried about? Does a tree have ears? Look, we're already very close, and it hasn't made a sound... Ouch!"
Harry's sudden exclamation startled Ron. "What's wrong? What happened?"
"I think I tripped over some tree roots on the ground." Harry rubbed his leg and teased, "Ron, why are you being so timid today?"
Normally, hearing him say that would make Ron furious.
But today, Harry didn't hear a response.
He looked up in surprise and saw Ron staring blankly at the ground.
"Ron?"
Ron finally responded, his voice trembling: "Harry... the roots seem to be moving..."
"Um?"
Before Harry could react, he felt something suddenly wrap around his calf.
A tremendous force suddenly erupted, instantly pulling him into the air.
Everything happened too fast. Ron vaguely saw the tree roots moving, and an ominous premonition was just beginning to brew when a thick, vine-like black shadow suddenly sprang up from the ground and wrapped around Harry's leg.
With a whoosh, Harry vanished.
The invisibility cloak has been thrown away somewhere.
The sudden turn of events caught Ron completely off guard. He instinctively drew his wand, looked up blankly, and tried to find Harry.
He found it quickly, because it was right above his head.
"ah--"
Harry's scream pierced the night sky as he was dragged and tossed around in mid-air by the vine-like black shadow that had wrapped around his leg, before being tossed high into the air.
"Ron—!"
Hearing Harry's call, Ron snapped out of his daze and raised his wand to save Harry.
But caught off guard, all the spells he had learned over the past year seemed to vanish suddenly, leaving his mind blank.
Only one image suddenly echoed in his mind—
That was last year, when they had their first flying lesson... Harry got angry at Malfoy and knocked him off the plane.
Vaughn, who had been following behind, uttered a spell like a savior in the critical moment.
That was the first time Ron ignored Vaughn's wicked nature and thought he looked cool as he waved his wand and cast spells in mid-air.
He even secretly imitated it many times in private.
Although he always boasted about how he faced the troll last Halloween, Ron knew that he had stayed behind Vaughn the whole time and hadn't done anything.
With his mind blank, Ron instinctively waved his wand and uttered the spell, following the image that flashed through his mind:
"Obstacles are numerous!"
Ron, who had never used a spell properly before enrolling and was often at the bottom of his class after enrolling, actually succeeded on his first try in his eagerness.
Under his incantation, the air above suddenly became viscous and heavy, blurring the view.
But it also provides effective buffering.
The moment the spell took effect, Harry screamed as he plummeted to the ground, the thick air easing the effects of gravity.
Although Ron couldn't achieve the same power as Vaughn in trapping people in mid-air due to limitations in magic power and spell proficiency, Harry still fell down.
But at least he didn't die from the fall, right?
With a thud, Harry landed face down, his nose hitting something hard, feeling sore, burning, and painful.
He didn't even have time to cry out in pain; he hurriedly got up and pulled out his wand.
Because he had just seen it in mid-air, the willow tree that he had looked down on moments before had completely "awakened".
Under the night sky, the huge canopy of the willow tree unfolds like petals, but what it blooms with are not flowers, but dense, knotted branches as thick as an adult's thigh.
They whipped and swayed wildly, the night filled with the shrill whistling of branches and leaves cutting through the air.
There were also countless flexible aerial roots—the same vines that had previously wrapped around Harry—attacking from all directions. Some sprang up rapidly along the ground, while others lashed out in the air like sharp whips.
Harry witnessed a startled bird being caught by an aerial root and ground into mincemeat.
what to do?
What kind of magic should we use?
The spells he had learned flowed through his mind one by one. It must be said that Harry's talent in combat was outstanding. Almost instantly, Harry determined a plan.
"Flames are raging!"
It's perfectly reasonable that plants are afraid of fire!
As the spell was uttered, Harry unleashed a fierce burst of flames that landed on the ground, instantly igniting several aerial roots that had already spread nearby.
Harry could almost hear the Whomping Willow screaming.
But he was not happy, because the attacked willow became even more violent, with more and more vital energy surging up and snapping off the parts that were on fire.
The sap splattered like blood, turning the nearby aerial roots a dark green.
Harry hadn't initially paid much attention to this rather exasperated behavior.
His face turned pale when he cast the fire spell again, but the magical flames had no effect on the aerial roots that were covered in tree sap—this thing actually used tree sap to prevent fire!
Damn those awful, cursed magical plants!
Harry was momentarily at a loss; his nose, which he had bumped earlier, seemed to be bleeding, and he felt a little dizzy.
Fortunately, Ron stepped forward at that moment!
Those who are sorted into Gryffindor are never lacking in courage and passion, and perhaps it was saving Harry that gave him confidence.
Ron ran to Harry, his face flushed, and roared, "Tear me apart!"
An aerial root that had been strangled suddenly exploded as if it had been hit by a cannon, splattering juice everywhere.
Seeing this, Harry rallied and roared out a spell as well.
"Torn apart!"
"Torn apart!"
But their counterattacks quickly weakened as more and more aerial roots and even tendrils followed one after another. The young wizard's meager magic and emotions simply could not withstand the drain.
When the Split Spell was cast again, it only emitted a faint flash, and the root that was hit head-on did not even break through the skin.
Harry was somewhat desperate.
He finally understood why Ron was afraid of "a tree".
Just as Harry was panting heavily, wanting to close his eyes and pray that he wouldn't be beaten to death and would have enough breath left to be sent to the school hospital.
The man who had been violently hitting Liu suddenly stopped.
The aerial roots and tendrils that had been violently springing up just a second ago now slumped back to the ground, and the branches and leaves that had been twitching and whistling in the air have returned to their quiet state.
If it weren't for his almost exhausted strength and the devastation all around him, resembling the aftermath of a hurricane, Harry would have thought he had just had a nightmare.
Harry and Ron looked at each other, and then they heard applause.
"That's awesome! George, what an intense battle scene—did you film it?"
"Don't worry, Fred. There are six cameras in total. I can't guarantee a 360° view, but there won't be any problem recording the whole thing!"
"Very good, you have fulfilled your sacred duty, George. I think you are fully capable of competing for the Muggle Oscar for Best Cinematography!"
"You too, Fred, with your superb directing and screenwriting skills, you planned this sudden battle scene with so many twists and turns. Merlin, when Harry fell from the sky, I almost wanted to intervene, but you, for the sake of art, remained steadfast... How did you know that Ronnie would be able to successfully cast the spell?"
"Because his last name is Weasley, George... Actually, I just didn't realize it yet, hehe!"
"Ha ha ha ha!"
Hearing this familiar conversation, and the sheer amount of information it contained, Harry, who had survived the ordeal, was left speechless, the lingering shock and surprise on his face...
"I knew it! I knew it! One day, I would die at your hands!"
"I shouldn't have had any illusions about you, I shouldn't have believed that you could be reliable even a little bit. What older brother in this world would let his first-grader face Liu, who beats people up, for some bullshit art?"
"What sins did I commit in my past life that Merlin would punish me by making me your brother?"
The deep tunnel echoed with Ron's furious accusations.
He was furious and terrified.
Merlin then realized how terrified he was when he finally ran out of magic and watched those roots, as thick as his head, lash out at him.
To be honest, he really wants to go back to his dorm and change his pants.
Ron swore this was the most dangerous and terrifying situation he had encountered in 12 years, even more terrifying than when he faced the troll last year—the troll was certainly more powerful than the Whomping Willow, but back then it was Vaughn who was by his side!
The twins laughed and joked in response to Ron's accusations.
"This 'beating willow' was planted by the school. At most, it will break your bones, but it's not that easy to die. It's not as good as a mandrake."
"That's right!"
"Think about it from another angle, Ronnie. You have no idea how cool you looked catching Harry after casting the spell. We were all smitten, right, George?"
"Yes, Fred, if I were a girl, I would definitely be captivated by little Ronnie."
"And Harry, my goodness, his exceptional fighting talent, the way he decisively used the Fire Charm against the Willow, it made my heart pound."
"That's right, very bold, full of Gryffindor courage and Ravenclaw wisdom. I bet Harry, once we finish making the film, you'll charm all the girls in school!"
Harry, who was sulking, annoyed that the twins had tricked him and even more annoyed that he didn't know what to do with them, suddenly brightened up when he heard this.
A suspicious blush rose on her delicate face, inherited from her mother. She stammered for a while before asking in a low voice, "Really?"
The twins patted their chests repeatedly and assured them, "It's true, at that moment, you were the dream of countless girls!"
Harry's expression grew increasingly awkward.
Ron stared at his friend in disbelief: "Harry, you actually believe their nonsense?"
How could the naive Ron possibly understand that a teenager going through puberty has no rationality whatsoever, and his brain is usually just for show?
Of course, a playful teenager is usually also brainless.
Soon, Ron also succumbed to the twins' sweet talk—they told him that the tunnel under the Whomping Willow led directly to Hogsmeade, and they even taught him the trick to getting through the Whomping Willow.
Simply stroking the knots and scars on the willow tree will make it quiet and harmless.
"This is a secret known to very few, passed down from one son to the next generation!"
"Yes, it is very precious. We would not have told you if we were not already in our third year and free to go to Hogsmeade."
The twins had serious and solemn expressions, and Ron inexplicably felt like he had gotten a great deal.
Having calmed the two down, Fred and George led them to their new secret laboratory, a dilapidated little building.
The small building had been abandoned for who knows how many years.
Harry and Ron followed the twins out of the tunnel, and everything they saw exuded destitution and poverty.
The empty room was devoid of furniture, the doors and windows let in drafts, the floor was covered in dust, and the ceiling was covered with cobwebs and traces of foxes.
Only on the second floor, the twins managed to set up a room to store their experimental equipment, which was relatively tidy and clean.
"This is the Screaming Shack of Hogsmeade. Nobody comes here, not even the most mischievous little wizards, because for more than a decade now, the howls of wild beasts have been heard coming from here."
Fred, holding a candle, had a mysterious and gloomy expression: "Everyone says this place is haunted!"
A gust of wind blew in through some hole in the house, and Harry and Ron suddenly felt a chill and instinctively shivered.
Seeing their tense expressions, Fred chuckled again: "Of course, those are just legends. Anyway, we've never seen a ghost."
George, who was "lifting" several cameras with a levitation spell, continued, "That legend actually helped us. It's quieter here than the Room of Requirement. At least no sugar daddy will just kick us out!"
"George, watch your attitude. Be careful, or our sugar daddy will come after us."
"Oh yeah, Ronnie and Harry might tattle on us."
Harry and Ron, who were curiously looking around, were very dissatisfied upon hearing this. They had always kept their mouths shut and were honest people. When had they ever done anything like reporting on someone behind their back?
They say whatever they want to say face to face, and they are especially good at plotting loudly!
After sulking for a while, Harry noticed something amiss when he saw the twins fiddling with the camera: "You guys have already developed that new method you mentioned last time?"
The cameras Harry had seen before were all covered by a thin leather case. The twins said that the case could reduce the chance of magic causing electrical malfunctions.
However, it's not very user-friendly.
Since cameras need to expose their lenses to take pictures, the leather cases cannot completely cover them, causing the internal electronic components (used for metering, magnetization, sound recording, etc.) to short-circuit after a short period of use.
Even without a short circuit, the recording quality is not very good, and the distortion is quite severe.
The twins have been trying new methods these past few days.
Harry noticed that the cameras they were using no longer had their cases; only the outer casings were speckled with gold.
"Of course!" the twins enthusiastically explained, "We just came up with a brand new solution yesterday: to embrittle mithril mercury and coat it onto the outer shell like paint. This can save a lot of costs, but the process is quite complicated and the protective effect is still not ideal."
"We'll need to try developing new magic lenses, inspired by magic telescopes..."
Harry wasn't interested in their modification ideas; he just wanted to know how well the cameras were recording now.
In response, the twins replied, "It's perfect. We just tested it on you and Ronnie. There's no distortion in the frame, very little noise, and the lifespan is greatly extended. According to our calculations, the recording time for a cassette tape is definitely not a problem."
George said emotionally, "We are changing the world, and you are changing the world too. Harry, Vaughn has already helped plan it out. When the movie starring you is released, we... um!"
Seeing that he was talking more and more, Fred quickly nudged him with his elbow.
Harry didn't notice the subtle gesture; he was only concerned with one question: "So, it'll definitely work for the Quidditch match in a few days, right?"
"It will definitely work!" Fred said confidently.
In the evening, Vaughn met the twins who had come to report their progress to their "sugar daddy".
They demonstrated a new embrittlement coating technique to Vaughn, in which they abandoned the seemingly more malleable milkgrass glue and instead used another glue extracted from the skin and bones of the polka dot fish.
"This gel needs to be produced through degradation... Is that the right word, George?"
"That's right, Fred, you should learn more Muggle terms and stop asking me all the time… Anyway, the bacteria's involvement in the degradation process may give these collagens some unique physical structures, allowing them to bond and solidify better."
"In the new formula, we reduced the amount of mercury, making mithril mercury closer to solid. However, due to the application of the new adhesive, we no longer need to make a thick rubber layer, allowing us to shape the symbol on a thinner material, which significantly reduces the actual cost."
Vaughn examined the disassembled camera casing in his hand; the inner layer was dotted with gold.
That's what ordinary wizards can see.
In his eyes, those fragmented gold colors were actually densely packed circular symbols.
After observing it for a while and weighing it in his hand, Vaughn asked, "Based on your new technology, how long can the camera operate normally now?"
Fred immediately replied, "We tested it in the early morning, and it took about 80 minutes. The time is not fixed. Magical interference is multifaceted and depends on the specific magical environment. The magical environment is relatively weaker in the Shrieking Shack, and it may be shorter at Hogwarts."
George then enthusiastically began demonstrating their testing process to the "patrons".
He put a cassette tape into the old-fashioned projector, which was still covered by a leather case, turned it on, and a beam of light was projected onto the screen.
Then, the scene of Harry and Ron "fighting the Whomping Willow" under the bright moonlight appeared on the screen.
Vaughn: "..."
The battle scene was short, only a few minutes long, clearly just a test of the recording quality. Then the camera cut to a dilapidated shack with almost no editing.
The twins, seemingly not wanting the test to be too boring, imitated a Muggle movie style, adding plot to the abrupt opening battle.
But the actual effect...
"Ron, is our friendship really coming to an end?"
"Yes, Harry, don't push me!"
Looking at Harry and Ron in the camera, he stiffly forced a serious expression and recited his lines in a rigid manner.
Vaughn's brow furrowed deeply.
He suddenly felt that the "elderly person's cell phone on the subway" meme from his past life would be very suitable for his current situation.
How embarrassing, my toes are digging into the ground.
But the twins, who were supposed to be the "directors," clearly had no idea what they were doing. They were excitedly trying to explain their deconstruction of the plot.
Vaughn had to quickly raise his hand to stop him: "That's enough, that's enough, turn it off!"
The twins were indignant: "Aren't you going to watch it again? This is just the beginning, the best is yet to come. We deliberately created conflict between Harry and Ron's characters, and then they went through a battle and reconciliation..."
Vaughn didn't want to watch or comment.
He simply told the twins sincerely, "I think the initial live-action footage was excellent, absolutely perfect. There's no need to elaborate further; it's better to leave some room for the audience's imagination."
In other words, the storyline they designed is the opposite of "wonderful".
The twins are having some trouble.
"We're even planning to make this the first film from the Weasley Studios!"
"Sigh, I didn't expect that the sponsor would look down on our artistic level at all."
Vaughn: "...Weasley Studios?"
Upon hearing Vaughn mention this, the twins' optimism returned, and they said with beaming eyes, "Yes, Weasley Films, it was what you mentioned last time that gave us the inspiration."
"That's right. We've done some market research these past few days, and it's unbelievable. There isn't a single movie theater in the entire wizarding world. Wizards have no other form of entertainment besides reading books, newspapers, and Quidditch. It's terrifying."
"We believe there is a vast market potential here!"
"There's no need to worry about the market foundation. The Quidditch video in a few days, and the adventure video featuring Harry that you mentioned, are enough to cultivate a group of viewers. When we release the movie while it's still hot and fresh, how can we not make money?"
For a moment, Vaughn didn't know what expression to make.
The so-called adventure and challenge record is actually a series of traps and tests designed by Dumbledore for Harry. A few days ago, Vaughn briefly mentioned this to inspire the twins' enthusiasm for development, encouraging them to develop the camera as soon as possible so they could film it and sell it for money.
The savior Harry Potter's personal adventures—won't this gimmick sell like hotcakes?
Of course, Vaughn's original idea was simply to record the video footage for future use, such as the actual performance of various agencies.
And Voldemort!
Most people in the wizarding world believe that Voldemort is dead and that we now live in a peaceful society... Peace is certainly a good thing, but the problem is that it is just an unrealistic dream.
Vaughn felt that, if necessary, he should let everyone see what the Mysterio looked like when he was still alive!
As for selling it for money, that was just something I mentioned casually.
Surprisingly, the results were quite good. The twins remembered it and even applied it to other situations, preparing to use Quidditch videos and obstacle course documentaries to open up the market.
Even for their so-called first movie, they specifically cast Harry, clearly not wanting to miss any opportunity for publicity.
He's a born businessman!
Out of respect for their dedication to their careers, Vaughn watched the "movie" for another 5 minutes—no more, lest he embarrass himself by tearing his shoes.
Faced with the twins' eager gazes, Vaughn did not stop them.
Anyway, it won't be him who dies in the end.
"You guys figure it out... However, the camera's lifespan is still insufficient, and the footage is not clear enough due to existing interference. I think you could try a different approach."
Although the twins are mischievous and playful, they have always been very respectful to their benefactors.
Upon hearing this, he immediately asked respectfully, "Respected investor, what are your insights?"
Vaughn wasn't sure if the two guys were being sarcastic.
After watching their "movie," he lost all interest in dwelling on it and just wanted to finish explaining as soon as possible.
"You said before that magic interferes with electricity mainly by interfering with the electric field within a conductor, causing the current to not move in the intended direction, right?"
The twins exchanged a glance: "That's right."
Vaughn said slowly, "I've verified it over the past two days. Your conclusions are correct, but your approach to the solution is wrong. In fact, this situation also exists in Muggle society. I think you can refer to the Muggle's'static shielding' design and create a 'magic field' to achieve balance with other magic fields."
As he spoke, he handed the two prepared documents: "Quidditch won't be needed, but Harry's challenge will probably be at the end of the month, which is about three weeks away. I hope you can make improvements by then and make... Weasley Films a sensation!"
Fred and George grimaced.
"Damn capitalists!"