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HP: the lecture
🕑 Added 2025-06-25 02:57:25 +0000 UTCI woke up after a whole day of sleep—even though I didn't need to sleep for that long—I just wanted to forget what I did during the announcement.
I probably destroyed whatever persona and impression people had before with my happy-go-lucky, prideful, and childish display the other day. Still, I learned something new about myself: I'm still a teenager, and exhaustion makes me more prone to act like one...
I may have gained powerful skills, but I'm still too green and haven't been in power for long enough to actually temper myself—my body, too, is stronger, smarter, and all around better than most humans. Those things boost confidence like no other, and combined with hormones, yeah, that's a recipe for disaster…
Now is not the time for introspection, though, because today I have classes to teach—after that, I'll need to check the news outside—I'm sure Voldemort lost his mind when his Horcruxes were destroyed. He is a wounded beast right now, and I can expect him to lash out at everything.
Ah, let's shelve all these thoughts for later. Now, let's get ready and head out to eat because I am starving…
I finished my morning routine quickly and went out towards the Great Hall to have breakfast with everyone. I also need to start class there right after breakfast, so it all works out...
When I arrived in the Great Hall, my entrance drew the attention of pretty much everyone. I ignored them and sat down in the headmaster's seat, ordering breakfast—just a normal English breakfast—though the amount was not normal.
After I was done eating, I looked around, and there were still some people eating, so I summoned my grimoire and began reading *One Piece* while waiting for them to finish.
I also had Hogwarts deliver a temporary notice for everyone to stay/be in the Great Hall for the next twenty minutes after breakfast.
I was busy reading, so I ignored the puzzled looks and murmurs of everyone who got the notice.
Once the twenty minutes were up, I closed my grimoire a bit forcefully to get everyone's attention—I noticed a few Ravenclaws near the front flinched at the sharp sound that was projected towards students, sparing the professors from the suddenness of it all…
I stood up and looked around. 'Hmm, this is good, everyone is here,' I thought in satisfaction…
"Everyone, thank you for staying. Now, please stand up and move away from your seats—I need to configure the Great Hall settings so that I can start the first magic theory class for everyone today," I said in an authoritative voice that snapped them out of their daze.
They began scrambling and moving around. Then, with a clap of my hands, the Great Hall started shifting—instead of the usual dining room, it transformed into a huge, cozy living room, complete with various couches and pillows. The ground turned into a big, fluffy rug with the Hogwarts logo on it. It was very comfortable seating. The professors' table morphed into two large, comfortable sofas on each side, while my seat became an armchair in the middle.
"What are you standing there for? Sit down!" I said, sounding irritated—true, the sight was great and magical, but there was no need for them to just stand there—didn’t they know I had things to do? Still, they hurriedly complied, sinking into the surprisingly plush furniture (if their reactions were anything to go by), so that was good…
"Now then, get comfortable first because this is going to be a very long lesson. If you have a question, raise your hand. If you have a comment that you think is funny, don't share it, or I will make you the laughing stock of Hogwarts. Leave the sarcasm and snide remarks until the end," I said with a serious expression—channeling a little of my inner git, *cough* Snape, *cough*—my gaze lingering a little longer on the Gryffindor and Slytherin students.
I saw the Weasley twins nudge each other playfully, and Malfoy stiffened slightly, but I ignored them—they had been warned, so they couldn’t blame me for anything after this…
"All right then, let's start this lesson with some very simple questions: What is magic? Why does it do what it does? What's the difference between our magic and the magic of, let's say, goblins, house-elves, or any other magical creature found around the world? What is the difference between us and different magical humans, Muggles, or even squibs? Some might think these are loaded questions, and you'd be both right and wrong at the same time." I began my lecture in a calm voice, using Hogwarts to amplify my words so it sounded as if I was speaking directly to them—I could see them starting to focus. That was a good start—so I continued.
"Well, first of all, let me tell you what I think magic is: I think magic itself is a piece of creation—or at least our type of magic—you see, magic is a broad subject that I very much doubt even the gods of magic understand its origin.
Why do I say this? The answer is simple: I want you to understand that magic, as we know it, is merely one of the outer shells. If you understand the essence of magic, that means you grasp a part of creation, thus becoming capable of said creation—at least that's how I see it—this means that in the future, with more research and study, one of you could come up with an answer that contradicts mine or discover a different kind of magic… Do you understand?" Some nodded while others stayed silent—a seventh-year Ravenclaw in the front row had her hand halfway up, then slowly lowered it, biting her lip; clearly, she had something to say, but seeing no further action from her, I didn’t care anymore. I looked around a second time; seeing as no one wanted to ask questions, I moved on—I am not here to babysit them…
"Now, let's put that aside for later to explore on your own. Let's talk about wizards and witches—what's so special about us? Hmm? For starters, our magic is unique. Our magical energy has three minor aspects: desire, wish, and reality, blended into our very cores. We are born magical, and just for the record, we will die horribly if there ever comes a time when magic in nature falls below a certain threshold.
We are magical because we live on magic—not the other way around. Now, how do we differ from Muggles? Well, Muggles are people who can't form a magical core to hold magic before the age of eleven. After that, there's no way to grant them access to our type of magic.
Some of you might wonder, what about squibs then? Well, squibs are individuals who are born with, or have, a variety of damage to their magical core that prevents them from releasing magic in the same way a normal wizard does. Does that mean that they have magic like the rest of us? Yes, they do…
Is there a way to cure their condition? Technically, yes. Will I tell you how? No! Why, you might wonder? Well, because it's none of your business." I noticed some faces changing color as I explained, especially by the end; their incredulous faces were funny—several Slytherins, Ravenclaws, and even Gryffindors exchanged disbelieving looks, and I caught some of them muttering 'Preposterous!'—Still, I paid them no mind and continued.
"Now, where was I? Ah, yes, wizards and witches. Is there a difference between us?—and I don’t mean genders; I mean individuals—the answer to that is technically, no.
You see, theoretically, every wizard or witch has the same potential—now then, some might ask, why are some stronger than others?—well, that comes from a variety of reasons: being stupid, having a weak mind, a weak body, weak ambition, access to inaccurate knowledge, or being manipulated into forming a group of families that marry each other for generations until their unique traits are lost—or just being complete fools." I stopped talking because Madam Pomfrey sent a stinging hex towards me, making me dodge and look at her… yeah, she had the kind, smiley eyes, so let's stop…
A ripple of nervous giggles ran through the students at the sight of Madam Pomfrey hexing me, like they were afraid I might get mad and beat the shit out of her or them—little did they know that I myself am scared of her…
"Ahem, kind of lost track for a second there, but in my defense, what do you people expect to happen to families who marry their siblings and cousins for generations? Ugh, anyway, let's return to what I was saying."
I noticed Snape and several pure-blood students from different houses look like they'd swallowed something sour—although Snape had looked like that for a while now; it had almost become his new default…
"Ahem, unique traits. Some of you might have wondered and asked about the unique traits of some old magical families. Well, you don’t have to; the answer to that is simple—rituals. That's how they got them in the first place." After saying this, I noticed students looking at each other as if they had just figured out the impossible; the disbelief on their faces was funny. Still, their disbelief didn’t stop them for long because they started whispering about what kind of rituals? How? and theorizing if this was why the ministry stopped them from using them? Still, I clapped my hand once, and all the whispers stopped—god, that was cool.
"Now let's continue the topic of pure-bloods and Muggle-borns. The difference between them is straightforward: Muggle-borns are like a blank slate of potential; they usually don't have any inclination or affinity towards any magical discipline." Some Muggle-borns straightened their backs when they heard me say this—I didn’t have time to comment on this, so I just continued.
"Half-bloods, on the other hand, are like a coin toss; they either get it all or nothing, depending on how powerful the parents are and how lucky the kids are.
It's in the case of Pure-bloods where this gets complicated—pure-bloods of today are just a joke, so don’t pay them any attention; they are no better than anyone else—while the pure-breds of old, now those are actually the ones with the most magical power." This time, the offended gasps from nearly every pure-blood in Hogwarts were audible. I still didn’t care; I just released my magic for a second, and those offended looks disappeared just like that…
Still, I better explain this further. "Let me explain it to you with an example—if two Muggle-borns marry each other, their child is what we call a purebred, and it's not a new term or anything; that's just how magic recognizes them…
Now, if, let's say, one of those parents, or both, perform a ritual of purification annually, train hard, or do a ritual to gain a trait, their child will inherit those traits and more powerful magic, etc.
So when this child marries another pure-bred, their child will be born stronger, and so on and so forth; and that is how pure-blood wizards appear…
"Now, I don’t want to go into further details about this topic, but if any of you are interested, you can read on it yourselves—I would recommend starting with *Magic and Blood* written by Salazar Slytherin." That got the attention of everyone, including the professors, if the way Professor Flitwick started vibrating on the sofa is any indication…
"Now onto the next topic: magical creatures and other magical beings in our society. Let's start with magical creatures; the first thing you need to know about them is that they are creatures of their own magic—what I mean is that they are the literal embodiment of their own magic—for example, unicorns embody the light aspects of magic, while Acromantulas represent the dark aspects. So you'll find that their behavior, instincts, skills, and other traits demonstrate just how deeply they embody their respective aspects of magic.
Is there a difference among individuals of the same species? The answer is yes, depending on how concentrated that aspect is and how potent the magical energy of those creatures is.
This also applies to us, though in a more complicated way," I said as I stopped to drink some water and sit down for a moment to take a break—letting what I had just explained sink in a little.
As soon as I sat down, the floodgates opened, and everyone started talking about everything they had just heard; some even used their notes to point out what I said exactly just to make their point…
xxx
After sitting for a few minutes, letting everyone discuss what they wanted to discuss, I stood up and walked around a bit, bringing everyone's focus back to me.
"So, let's start with the questions! Ask away," I said, my voice bouncing across the hall. I noticed Katie Bell was the first to raise her hand hesitantly, so I directed my attention to her and gestured for her to speak.
"Harry, um, I mean Professor, you didn’t explain clearly earlier—what are the aspects? How do they affect our magic?" she asked, nervousness evident by the way her hands were playing with her robe…
"Oh," I replied, "it means just what it says: wizard magic is attuned, ingrained, interwoven, and geared towards these aspects. For example, a wizard can't cast a spell created by an actual dark magician or a demon unless it's modified first. And no, I'm not talking about 'dark wizards' as you call them, or as they call themselves. I mean a magical being whose magic has the aspect of darkness, making it dark in nature.
Don't get me wrong; we can invent and use dark spells, but they are not as potent, and the side effects are a different matter altogether. Our own magical energy is not dark in nature, which is why we can't use these spells as they are," I answered. "As for the aspects themselves—what are they? How do they exist? And so forth? You'll have to start reading a book titled *Aspects, Concepts and Laws of Magic* by Merydin Emyris. In the library." I concluded my answer.
Noticing one of the Slytherins raising his hand, I looked at him and said: "Yes, please state your name and question," looking at him. His calm expression masked some subtle hints of nervousness in his body language, which I sensed.
"Yes, my name is Blaise Zabini. My question is: can you elaborate on how we use dark spells but not dark magic?" His question was good; I could see the confusion on the students' faces when I answered previously, but they didn't want to ask for clarification, and I wasn’t inclined to provide them with one—that’s not how learning works…
"Hm, okay. Let me give you an example. The three Unforgivable Curses are, as you know, labeled dark—They're not dark in nature—Don't look at me like that. Yes, they are cruel, corruptive curses, but they are heavily based on desire, emotions, and so forth. Any magic that relies on these is not technically dark-based.
What they do is essentially feed on the caster's desire and emotions to generate the desired effects.
To clarify, think of the spell as a ball of energy. When you cast 'Avada Kedavra' on someone, you're heavily using your negative emotions—such as hate, loathing, desire to kill, etc.—to trigger the desire aspect of your magic.
This creates a ball of energy that is coated with a small aspect of the death concept. Once you release it, it results in expelling the target's soul from their body.
Do you understand now? If you don't, then you should start studying in the library first."
"Anyone else?" I asked, and Marcus Flint raised his hand.
"Yes, Mr. Flint, go ahead," I said, maintaining a professional tone despite the nagging urge to make fun of him—I knew he would dig his own hole and serve it to me on a silver platter.
"You said that if two Muggle-borns marry, their children will be pureblood? What do you know about being a pureblood? Is it just customs and traditions? You can't slander everyone else because you think you know better." I waited for him to finish speaking, reminded that this was a class despite my urge to fling him against the wall.
"They say there's no such thing as a dumb question, but obviously, whoever said that hadn't met you. First of all, I said that children born to two Muggle-borns are purebred, not pureblood. Second, do you really think I care about the customs and traditions you've created? What I'm referring to is lineage research conducted by Salazar Slytherin and Helga Hufflepuff. You can delude yourselves all you want, but the evidence is available in the library. Go read it before you start lecturing me. And if you want my opinion on how this whole situation started? I'd say a pervert fancied his sister or cousin and decided to marry her under the guise of keeping it in the family, preserving talent, keeping blood pure, and so forth—but that's just my opinion." I spoke, watching the teachers and students struggle to maintain the serious atmosphere of the lecture.
It was amusing.
"Yes, Luna, you can ask your question, and no, I'm not going to be mean about it," I suddenly said, turning my head and looking directly towards Luna, who had somehow figured out how to communicate with Hogwarts and relay her messages through her.
It surprised me at first, but I ultimately decided not to be surprised. It's Luna; if anyone could figure this out, it was her. At least that’s what I told myself…
"Harry, I wanted to ask about the crumple-horned snorkack. What do you think its aspect of magic is? I was thinking maybe illusions, but I wanted to ask you," she said in her usual dreamy tone. Her question garnered some hostile looks from students, especially Ravenclaws.
"Well, if I had to guess, I'd say the concept of their being is either Dream, Chaos, or, as you mentioned, Illusions," I replied, keeping a serious tone that made her smile. Some students looked at me in surprise, while others appeared bewildered.
"What's with the looks? We are magical beings; we believe that anything and everything exists. Otherwise, we will be like ignorant Muggles who think we don't exist just because they haven't seen us. Or are you suggesting that just because Muggles think we are a myth, we actually are? Understand this: nothing is impossible when it comes to magic. It's simply undiscovered." I said with a serious voice addressing everyone in the Great Hall…
The atmosphere in the hall shifted as I concluded my point. The mix of curiosity and disbelief was apparent. It was clear that Luna's question had introduced a topic they hadn't really considered: the limitless possibilities of magic.
I noticed Katie biting her lip, struggling with the urge to ask a question again while hesitating to do so.
"Go ahead, Katie, ask away," I encouraged her.
"So, if we can't really know what magic can do, how do we use it? I mean, how do we control something that is unpredictable?" she asked.
"Good question. It's not that we don't know what magic can do; it's just that the possibilities are endless. Magic does what the caster wants it to do. But how do you control your magic and get it to do that? Well, that's a whole other topic. There are many ways to control magic, and it all starts with feeling it. I know we can feel magic when casting, but what I mean is to consciously feel it at all times. That's the starting point of every control method you'll encounter in the library. After that, each wizard has their own method of controlling, viewing, and understanding magic. But the basics are all the same," I answered.
Ron Weasley decided that now was his moment, so he rolled his eyes and said, "So you're saying we just have to wave our wands and hope it works? That sounds like guesswork to me!!" His tone sounded dismissive… it was clear he was trying to do something here, but I have decided that I will ignore his existence for now and dispose of him later—much later—you know accidents happen all the time,
I haven’t forgotten my grudge just yet…
Still, that didn’t mean I can’t poke at him when he hands me the opportunity—so I gave him an unimpressed look, a look that basically screamed, ‘you are by far the dumbest fuck I have encountered to date’.
"Raise your hand, even if you're going to ask dumb questions," I told him. Then I added, "You clearly didn't hear me when I said that we are magical, that we live in magic, we breathe it… This means that everyone should be able to—at the very least—sense their own magic with enough attempts. If you don't want to try, that's on you. But nobody is going to help you in this regard. The information is in the library; it takes time and effort to excel, and you have a choice."
A few students were still writing notes, clearly excited about what they were learning, so I told them, "Remember, magic is a part of you. The more you learn about yourself, the more you will understand it, and the more you learn about magic, the more you will understand your own nature." My voice sounded wise, earning me looks of admiration from the younger students.
I counted it as a win.
"Now, any more questions?" I asked for the final time, starting to feel exhausted.
"Yes, what about magical traits and gifts?" An eager voice came through, bringing my wandering eyes to a halt—Aha, There she is!! I was wondering why Hermione hadn’t asked anything yet—Clearly, she had been preparing for this, so I replied to her questions, and the session of Q&A continued for a long while until I grew tired of it all, so I concluded the lecture by saying,
"Okay everyone, this concludes today's lecture. We will meet again when I'm free. Use your time wisely and spend more time in the library. If you're looking for a specific book, ask Hogwarts or refer to the index with Madam Pince. That's all."
I started walking out quickly—I basically ran away—I didn't want to stay and listen to any more questions.
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