"Wizards are considered adults at sixteen," George said, not minding Anna's teasing and deliberately emphasizing his age.
This made Mrs. Soros and Anna burst into laughter.
Back in his room, George pulled out a thick notebook he had prepared in advance from his suitcase.
The Mutual Aid Society had been running for several months, and the most popular item was study notes.
After all, everyone had study notes. Most students had plenty of them. Who wouldn't want to trade unnecessary notes at the Mutual Aid Society for a bit of pocket money? Even if the notes were rewritten or copied, exchanging them wasn't a problem.
After receiving too many notes, repetition became inevitable. George would then hand all the notes to Kate. She would review, revise, and organize them, deleting duplicates and leaving only the most systematic and important information.
The notes George now held were his own revised version of Kate's work, rewritten and reorganized according to his understanding and logic. These were essentially copies of other students' notes integrated into George's personal knowledge system.
"If you leave this notebook at the academy, whoever reads and studies it in the future might become a Dark Lord!" George thought, a little apprehensive. The notebook contained contributions from many excellent students, along with his own additions and revisions.
George warned Anna beforehand that he had important work and should not be disturbed. Then, he cast a soundproofing spell on the room.
Only after that did he dig into his pile of clothes and retrieve a small chest. After entering the password, he found a smaller gray box inside.
"Alohomora," George whispered, gently picking up a small vial of amber liquid that shimmered with a crystalline glow. Half a vial of his "Blessing Potion"—his ultimate trump card, the foundation for turning his savings into power.
Since the school's founding, he had supported it generously, remaining vigilant against any potential accidents. Fortunately, the school had remained relatively safe.
This trip home had another purpose beyond family reunion: converting his accumulated resources into strength.
Fortunately, his wealth accumulation far exceeded his expectations. Even more importantly, the reading magic he had been practicing had given him greater ambitions and opportunities.
George placed the box carefully, climbed into bed, and used reading magic to instantly memorize the content of his notes. Then, he twisted open the vial, poured half of the blessing potion into his mouth, and sealed his five senses.
The potion flowed down his throat, spreading through his body, merging with his blood, permeating his breath. George felt nothing—his senses' spirits trapped in the sea of consciousness, numb and detached.
When his body and senses were sealed, losing all awareness of the external world and time, everything seemed meaningless.
Even his soul lost its way to measure time. A century seemed to pass in an instant. His enclosed spirit felt like it was trapped in a box, compressed endlessly until it could compress no more, then suddenly bursting.
It was like a flame dropped into a cauldron—instant explosion, igniting endless fire that burned continuously.
The flames surged, from birth to death, life and death interweaving endlessly. Within these fires, mysterious magical texts appeared—runes and spells flashing like shooting stars before vanishing.
As the fire spread, it seemed to stretch to the very edge of time.
The taut string could no longer move forward. The over-stretched string began to recoil violently. Flames retreated like the tide, then surged again.
Runes appeared one by one, swallowed by the returning fire. As the fire contracted, the flames rose, and the disappearing runes and spells were consumed, leaving only a massive blaze.
Within the fire, faint but clear runes emerged, yet they no longer perished—they gained life.
Finally, the huge fire vanished into the sea of consciousness, everything returning to its origin, plunging into endless darkness.
After Christmas, everyone returning to school seemed changed—even those who had stayed behind.
George seemed remarkably relaxed about returning. He had initially worried about side effects from drinking half a vial of the Poria potion, but the immense benefits made the risk worthwhile.
He increased the dosage, and the effects were as astonishing as expected.
He had also told Kate that the potential of reading magic was not limited to ordinary books and encouraged her to explore its potential further. Yet he would not place all his hopes on Kate. Returning home, besides absorbing notes from senior students, enhancing his reading magic remained his top priority.
This was why he had not hesitated to take only half a vial—after the Christmas night harvest, he had succeeded.
Even in memory magic books, his reading magic was undisturbed, granting him extraordinary reading and memory skills—abilities he was ready to put to use.
Hermione had become more lively, her trip home seemingly improving her mood.
Harry's changes were well-known. He no longer cared about who Nicholas LeMay was. Nightmares often woke him, and he frequently wandered the campus under his invisibility cloak.
Ron was anxious about Harry's state. "Dumbledore was right—the Mirror of Erised is going to drive him mad."
As for Harry, no one could truly help him. Having lost his family as a child, he often experienced hallucinations in the mirror. He had to overcome these on his own to balance reality and illusion. All others could do was trust and cautiously encourage him.
Luckily, this period was not long. With the start of school and the progression of lessons, even facing Malfoy's provocations and Snape's strictness, Harry could not remain lost in illusions—he would either leave school or be expelled.
He was very busy—not only with heavy coursework but also with Quidditch, which had begun.
Years later, he finally achieved hard-won victories, and Wood became more determined than ever. He would not let his team's success slip away. He trained harder than ever, undeterred by heavy snow and relentless rain.
Wood became a total training fanatic, leaving even the Weasley twins complaining incessantly, though Harry sided with Wood. The Christmas holidays had changed Harry greatly. He frequently had nightmares, and his intense training sometimes left him sleeping straight through the night.
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