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The ritual
🕑 Added 2024-11-12 17:43:14 +0000 UTC…It turned out there was no escaping Madam Pomfrey's care. She sent a house-elf for me, which I really should have anticipated. I ended up listening to a thirty-minute lecture about stupid decisions and making enemies everywhere. She bluntly said I was mentally unstable and should consider visiting a mind healer. As if I would even entertain the idea of visiting some obviously unqualified wizard! I respect her, and I'm scared of her for some reason, but she's clearly a bit crazy. Anyway, once I was done with all that, I went to the Room of Requirement and slept like a baby.
I was woken up by the somewhat playful nudging of Hogwarts. She was using our connection to create this tugging feeling— I have no idea where she learned to do that, but it was obviously effective. I asked her what she wanted, but... nothing. She wanted nothing. I wanted to be mad, but I couldn't. It was a truly ridiculous situation that I'm sure, if I told someone, they'd laugh and call me crazy.
Now that I'm awake, I went into meditation to check on what I gained after yesterday's duel. There wasn't much— just a little magic that I don't think would have taken me more than two weeks of practice to acquire, along with the spell that Death gave me in exchange for Voldemort's soul. Now that I think about it, that spell is quite self-serving; it just uses me as a medium to enable Death to directly intervene and kill whoever I use the spell on, as long as they are not stronger than her and let's face it there's probably a maximum of two or three beings stronger than her ...
And oh, how could I forget that I gained control over Voldemort's slaves? Hahaha! These fools won't know what hit them.
After that, I entered my soulscape to see if there was still any lingering connection to Fate, and I'm glad to say I found none. Also, my soul feels somehow stronger. I still haven't studied souls enough to know the reason, but I'll start doing that after I'm done with today's ritual.
Oh, yeah, the ritual! Susan's question caught me off guard yesterday. I couldn't admit that I forgot when the ritual was supposed to begin, so I just decided it would last 24 hours. The results will still be the same, but the feelings of hunger, thirst, and exhaustion that everyone will experience during these 24 hours will be very beneficial. I don't need them to be more arrogant than they already are. They will feel they have earned whatever benefits they're going to receive, and this is good. Now let's start doing my job as a sage and purify the nature around us.
I lost track of time, only waking up because Dobby was calling for me. There was food on the table, so I started eating while listening to him complain about my unhealthy lifestyle. Maybe making him my butler wasn't the best choice after all—ah, who am I kidding, it's a great choice.
I made my way to the Great Hall, where everyone was already gathered and waiting. The hall had been reconfigured; the ritual circles were visible, with runes and symbols scattered everywhere.
We were gathering in the centeral circle of the ritual, meaning that if this circle was to be damaged, the others connected to it would become useless. Thus after checking it one last time, I finally shifted my attention to the people who hadn't shut up since I arrived. My god, do they talk too much!
"Okay, everyone, shut up, sit down, and listen. The ritual will start in five minutes and continue for the next twenty-four hours. Everyone will be here the entire time. The longer you stay awake, persist, and persevere, the better the benefits. But no matter what, you will not be leaving here until it's all over. I will be handing you the ritual incantation in English and in Latin. Don't pretend to be smart and read the one you're absolutely sure you won't fail in. Keep doing so for as long as you can," I stated with finality in my voice. The incantation was useless here, but they didn't need to know that.
I snapped my fingers, and papers began falling from the ceiling, creating a bit of chaos, but that was fine.
*Gratia naturae et potentia magica,
Vires lucidae invoco.
Ex terra et aere, igni et mari,
Vocans potentiam, ut liber sim.
Clea tenebras, purga locum,
Affer lumen, et da mihi gratiam.
Per voluntatem et verba, nunc accendo,
Fluctum potentiae, purus et clarus.
Dum loquor, ita fiet,
Magia naturae per me fluit.*
*By the grace of nature and magical power,
I invoke the shining forces.
From the earth and air, fire and sea,
Calling forth power, that I may be free.
Cleanse the darkness, purify the space,
Bring forth light, and grant me grace.
By will and words, I now ignite,
The flow of power, pure and bright.
As I speak, so shall it be,
The magic of nature flows through me.*
"Now then, any questions before we start?" I asked, and a Gryffindor first-year student raised his hand nervously. Arching an eyebrow I gestured for him to ask his question,
"Um, what happens when we want to go to the bathroom?" he asked, and I felt like a double idiot one for hearing the question and the other for not having explained about this beforehand.
"Oh, well, you don't," I replied with a crooked smile. He froze as if I had just told him it was the end of the world, and so did the rest. I couldn't help but start laughing….
"Ah, that was a good laugh. Don't worry about anything like that during the ritual. All you have to focus on is sitting on your knees, pointing your wand to the ground in front of you, and chanting what I just gave you with full concentration. Don't look at your friends, don't get distracted, just chant and chant until you can't anymore," I said seriously.
"Also, do not at any point try to talk to anyone because you will ruin your effort and the effort of those closest to you. Just keep chanting, channeling magic again and again until I tell you to stop."
With that settled, I began coordinating with the teachers, urging them along until the ritual finally started….
