Phew~ 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 be a mess…
Now that I'm done with everything, it's time to find something to eat. I'm starving...
I walked through the hallways of Hogwarts, ignoring everything around me. I arrived at the Great Hall and sat down in the headmaster's chair, calling for Dobby to bring me food. I started eating—ignoring all the talking around me until I was done...
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—I pretended everything was normal…
"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 concern and slight anger…
"Sorry, Professor, I don't actually know how long it's been since we spoke last, so let me ask you this: when was the last time you saw me? How long have I been gone? A whole day?" I noticed how his expression changed into slight apprehension at my reply. Still, he took a deep breath and answered nonetheless…
"Harry, you came to my office the night before yesterday, which means you have been gone for two nights—so is everything ready on your end? Because I am done with mine…" Professor Flitwick's calm voice echoed through my ears…
Two nights, huh? Why did it take so much time? I asked myself, but the answer didn't pop into my head… Go figure…
"Oh, that's manageable then! 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 all this time didn't go to waste because I've created a masterpiece—a thing of beauty of the highest level, an art that will forever be spoken of…" My mouth started going off on its own, a sign of just how exhausted I am currently, because apparently I haven't slept or meditated for more than thirty-six hours while my mind was working at full capacity, and let's not forget the magic I used too—so my exhaustion is understandable…
"Harry!! Slow down a little, please!" Flitwick said, looking at me with a peculiar expression—an expression that I couldn't quite place.
The other professors appeared justifiably confused, while the students just sat there—most of them not paying attention, but those who did had bewilderment written all over their faces.
"Have you slept, Harry? Have you actually eaten or drunk anything since you started your research?" Professor Flitwick continued, concern plastered on his face and voice…
"Professor, what are you saying? Of course I ate! I just finished eating right now, in front of you! And just between the two of us, who needs sleep when you have magic? It's overrated anyway," I replied.
I don't think he appreciated my attempt at sarcasm if the stern expression he has is any indication…
"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... *ugh~* whatever.
"Well, everyone is here, so let me just inform you all at once," I said as I scanned the Great Hall with my eyes—most students were here, so I might as well tell them all and get it over with…
"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 and energetic voice…
*'Huh, exhaustion doesn't agree with me…'*
"As you all know—since I own Hogwarts—I started adding more defense and protection wards to the already existing systems. It didn't take long, as Hogwarts herself did most of the work. Still, after that, I discovered a lot of curses, cursed objects, and generally harmful things to everyone here—thus, I decided to cleanse everything.
Anyway, as I was saying, I decided to come 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 rambling, my voice and body language fluctuating between pride and superiority.
'Ah, I will most likely regret whatever it is I do before I get the chance to sleep today.'
Seeing the different looks I was getting from everyone in the Great Hall, I got annoyed. "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. Now they were looking at it with confusion, bewilderment, and resignation because—before they saw the ritual—they could've deceived themselves into believing they too could understand and create something similar, but now they knew for sure 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 and annoyed, as is the case for the rest…
"As you can see, I created this masterpiece of artwork, which by the way we will be performing on Halloween night. Oh, and before I forget, this is mandatory, so you will either do it or you're out of Hogwarts the same night. Any questions?" I looked around to see if anyone wanted to ask anything…
A hand shot up immediately, and it was a girl from Ravenclaw—I think her name was Lisa something. Ah, it doesn't matter—she's one of the seventh-year students responsible for taking care of the first-year students…
'I thought Hermione would be the first to ask questions…'
"Yes?" I said, gesturing for her to ask her question…
"Harry, firstly, aren't rituals banned by the Ministry of Magic? Secondly, how can you force us to participate in something we don't know anything about or even want? Thirdly, isn't ritual magic considered dark magic?…."
'Why do I do this to myself? Are my expectations too big? I don't know; maybe it's time to just start expecting people to say the dumbest things?' were my exact thoughts when listening to Lisa's questions. So I decided to just cut her off…
So I did: "Well, firstly, this is Hogwarts—I don't care about what the Ministry wants in here—that means you too shouldn't care about such things. Secondly, this is for our own good as well as the good of Hogwarts—or did you not listen when I said everyone is doing it? That includes me and the professors too—and you should really be grateful because you all have been affected by curses since you started school. Your growth rate is slow; your emotions and thoughts 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, when you hear the word 'ritual,' you should start asking about the costs and benefits of the ritual before caring about anything else." I said this, and though my voice sounded sarcastic at first, it quickly turned very serious by the end. The teachers were nodding their heads as well…
There was another question from one Hannah Abbott of Hufflepuff soon after. As soon as she raised her hand, I looked at her and then at Neville with a barely concealed smirk—I could see him looking at her, spacing out. I wanted to laugh and call him on his behavior but couldn't because she started talking.
"Harry, hi… You said to ask about the benefits and costs of the ritual, so I was wondering if you could tell us more about them?" she gave a polite smile and sat down as soon as she finished speaking…
"Well, now that's a good question," I said with a wide smile—I could feel Neville's emotions from here, and I wanted to poke at him badly, but I knew I couldn't—not in front of everyone at least, so I just focused on answering the question…
"To answer Hannah's question: when it comes to rituals, you should first know that everything has a cost, no matter what. This is a fundamental rule in ritual magic—so always check the cost first. Now comes the part about my genius: when I said I created a masterpiece, I wasn't bragging; I actually meant it—you see, I managed to mitigate the cost of the ritual so that it would only require magical energy… An enormous amount, sure, but it wouldn't require the participants to do anything other than sacrifice three drops of blood to key themselves to the ritual…
This also 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.
Looking at the raised hands of the excited students—especially those from old families—I snorted. As soon as they heard the benefits, they started getting enthusiastic—not that I can blame them—who wouldn't be when they hear what the ritual does…
Usually, rituals like these require living sacrifice of animals, but my genius is truly frightening…
Still, kidding aside, this is only possible because Hogwarts has a divine aspect and would shoulder most of the burden. Plus, it's not like the magic is lost or anything; it would just mean the magic in the atmosphere around Hogwarts would become more potent…
Anyway, time to get out…
"Guys, I know you're excited to hear about it all, but I haven't slept for more than 36 hours, so keep your questions for now and maybe go to the library and familiarize yourselves with rituals. If you still have 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.
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