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🕑 Added 2024-10-29 15:55:18 +0000 UTCI have finally finished everything. I’m done engraving all the details about the ritual into the disc-like rune stone. It turned out I had to carve the stone into a round disc shape with millimeter accuracy. I needed to do it this way so that when I fed it to Hogwarts, I only had to provide her with the new parameters for the engravings; otherwise, it would have been a mess. Now that I have completed everything, it’s time to see how long I’ve been here. I’m also incredibly hungry.
I walked through the hallways, ignoring everything around me. I arrived at the Grand Hall and sat down in the headmaster’s chair, calling for Dobby to bring me food as I started eating. I ignored all the talking and questions until I was finished.
Sigh! Finally, I feel alive. I leaned back in the chair and closed my eyes for a few seconds before opening them and looking around. The professors were staring at me with a variety of expressions, while the students mostly looked at me with shock in their eyes. So, I did what any normal person would do.
“Yes?” I asked them with a natural expression and voice, as if I hadn’t noticed their reactions.
“Harry, where have you been? I looked for you all day yesterday and couldn’t find you!” Professor Flitwick was the first to ask, his voice laced with anger.
“Professor, when was the last time you saw me? How long have I been gone? A whole day?” I replied, and he took a deep breath before answering.
“Harry, you came to my office the night before yesterday, which means you have been gone for two nights. I have done what you asked, and it’s ready,” Professor Flitwick said calmly.
“Oh, that’s good! I was so immersed in my research that I lost track of how long it has been. And I’m also glad to inform you that I’ve created a masterpiece—a thing of beauty of the highest level, an art that will forever be spoken of…” I started to ramble about the ritual I had created. Just for the record, I still hadn’t slept or meditated, so I was a little incoherent.
“Harry, Harry! Slow down a little!” Flitwick said, looking at me with a peculiar expression that I couldn’t quite place. The other professors appeared confused while the students sat there, bewilderment written all over their faces.
“Have you slept, Harry? Have you eaten anything since you started your research?” Professor Flitwick asked again, concern evident on his face.
“Professor, what are you asking? Of course I ate! I just finished eating in front of you! And who needs sleep? It’s overrated anyway,” I told him, my tone questioning at first but turning dismissive by the end.
“Also, did you not hear what I said? I have done it…” I was about to continue my tale of discovery and innovation when Professor McGonagall cut through.
“Mr. Potter, care to share with the rest of us what you two are talking about?” Her stern voice irritated me a little, but it’s not the time or place to... whatever.
“Well, everyone is here, so let me just tell you all.” I said as I scanned the Great Hall with my eyes; most of them were here, so I might as well share.
“Right, where to start? Hmmm, I know! Let’s start with the upgrades to Hogwarts’ defense system. Yes, let’s start there,” I said with a lively voice.
“As you all know, since I own Hogwarts, I started upgrading the defense and protection systems. It didn’t take long, as Hogwarts did most of the work. After that, I discovered a lot of things that are harmful to everyone here. Thus, as the magnanimous person that I am, I decided to clear these curses and such. You don’t need to know what they are. Anyway, as I was saying, I came up with a solution to get rid of it all in one big swoop. So, I created a purification ritual. Oh, it is magnificent; I could show you, but, well, you wouldn’t understand anything even if I did.” I started talking, my voice and body language fluctuating between pride and something I have no idea about. Ah, I will most likely regret whatever it is I do before I get the chance to sleep today.
“And hey, it’s not bragging; here, look!” I said, using my wand and hand together in a dual casting technique to project a picture using charms and illusions. And tada! The shape of the ritual circle and its engravings were displayed for the masses. I could feel confusion, bewilderment, and resignation from the students. If before they could deceive themselves that they could understand, now they knew they couldn’t. The teachers, on the other hand, were either excited, as was the case for the Charms and Runes professors, or just curious, like the rest.
“As you can see, I created this masterpiece of artwork. We will be using it on Halloween night.
Everyone, this is mandatory, and you will either do it or you’re out of Hogwarts the same night. So, any questions?” I said, looking around to see if anyone wanted to ask.
A hand shot up immediately, and it was a girl from Ravenclaw. Her name was lisa something, ah, it doesn’t matter. I thought Hermione would be the first to ask questions.
“Yes?” I answered her.
“Harry, firstly, rituals are banned by the Ministry of Magic. Secondly, how can you force us to participate in something we don’t know about or even want? Thirdly, isn’t ritual magic considered dark magic?….” she started talking, but I cut her off. I mean, what do I even expect?
“Well, firstly, this is Hogwarts. I don’t care about what the Ministry wants in here. Secondly, this is for your own good as well as the good of Hogwarts. You have been affected by curses since you started school. Your growth rate is slow, your emotions are a mess, etc. Thirdly, no magic is dark unless it’s designed to be so, and this one is a purification ritual, the pinnacle of what light magic can do until now. Lastly, in the future, you should start asking about the benefits and costs of the ritual before anything else.” I told her, my voice sounding sarcastic at first and very serious by the end. The teachers were nodding their heads as well.
There was another question coming from one Hannah Abbot of Hufflepuff. As soon as she raised her hand, I looked at her and then at Naville with a barely concealed smirk. I could see him looking at her, spacing out. I wanted to laugh but couldn’t because she started talking.
“Hello, Harry. You said to ask about the benefits and costs of the ritual, so I was wondering if you could tell us about them,” she asked with a polite smile.
“Well, now that’s a good question,” I said with a wide smile. I could feel Naville’s emotions from here, and I wanted to poke at him, but I couldn’t. Not in front of everyone.
“To answer you, you should first know that everything in rituals has a cost, no matter what kind. Now comes the part about my genius: when I said I created a masterpiece, I meant it. I managed to mitigate the cost of the ritual so that it would only require magical energy. This means we will all have to nearly empty our magical reserves, which, by the way, is a very good thing, especially with the ritual doing its job. Your magic will become more potent, and all things that affect you will be purified. It doesn’t matter what kind of curse or illness it is—whether you know it or not. By the time the ritual is done, you'll find out just how much of a difference it will make. This will be a yearly event that happens every Halloween. Those benefits are the obvious ones too; I’ll leave the rest to your imagination.” I spoke in a light, excited tone that seemed to infect everyone in the Great Hall. I wanted to continue my speech but something tells me I’m going to regret it if I keep this up. So off to sleep I go…
“Now! If you’ll excuse me, I want to sleep! I haven’t slept for more than 36 hours. If you have more questions, I’ll answer them later. Goodbye!” I said, and Hogwarts did the rest, timing my transportation perfectly with my last words. I’m sure I looked cool.
