Helena Ravenclaw walked into the castle and made her way through the Great Hall, while the wizards following behind her discussed the work that came next.
"Now that the central brain has memory, once the effects of the Draught of Living Death wear off, it will gradually develop a conscious entity. That process has to be interrupted. We cannot allow it to awaken self-awareness, or there is a very real chance it will rebel." Skyl explained the precautions to them.
"So the Draught of Living Death cannot be stopped before the soul-entity programming is complete. What we need to do next is create a false soul and use it to control the central brain. If self-awareness is a computer virus, then the false soul is the equivalent of a virtual machine. It can operate independently and isolate the virus."
The wizards looked at Skyl with clear, innocent eyes. Clearly, they did not understand what a computer virus was, let alone a virtual machine.
The transfer student had no choice but to explain it another way.
"You all know the Imperius Curse, don't you? As one of the three Unforgivable Curses, it forces the victim to obey the caster willingly, almost like being possessed by a ghost. The false soul is like that ghost, a ghost that obeys us and can suppress the birth of the central brain's self-awareness."
"But Lady Ravenclaw can control the central brain already," Professor McGonagall said in confusion. "Do we really need to create another ghost?"
Dumbledore had the same thought. "Soul-entity programming is far too difficult and complex. Perhaps none of us are qualified for that work. If Lady Ravenclaw has that ability, perhaps letting her operate the central brain would be a good idea."
Skyl glanced at Helena, who was strolling through the Great Hall, then voiced his concern.
"Controlling the central brain is not simple. Leaving aside how complicated it is to allocate its computing power, let me ask one question, who here would volunteer to be trapped in this dream world and never leave?"
The professors looked at one another. None of them had the courage to say they would stay, and at the same time, they understood Skyl's concern.
"That's right. The central brain is like a cage, and a self-aware soul is a bird that can never truly be imprisoned. Every feather shines with the light of freedom."
The wizards fell into thought.
Dumbledore was the first to rally himself. He looked around at everyone and encouraged them in a raised voice. "Skyl is right. We can achieve our goal through our own wisdom and effort. Under these circumstances, sacrificing another person's freedom just to take a shortcut would undoubtedly be shameful."
Just then, many figures suddenly appeared inside the Great Hall.
"What is going on?" Professor Flitwick exclaimed in astonishment. "Where did all these people come from?"
A group of a dozen or so young students stood in a straight line in the middle of the Great Hall, and in front of them stood four wizards dressed in very different styles.
Lady Helena suddenly cried out, "Mother!"
Everyone looked in the direction of her voice. A young Helena Ravenclaw was staring fixedly at a beautiful, mature witch.
The witch had a stern face and deep black eyes. Anyone she looked at would feel a sense of pressure.
She was one of the founders of Hogwarts, Rowena Ravenclaw.
"Look! That man looks like Godric Gryffindor!" Professor McGonagall cried out in delight. With her current half-human, half-cat soul form, she looked just like a little fangirl who had met her idol.
Professor Sprout also shrieked, "Merlin, that's Helga Hufflepuff!"
The handsome, bold wizard Gryffindor, who carried a sword; the plump, kind-faced witch Hufflepuff; the stern witch Ravenclaw, wearing a diadem; and the hunched, gloomy Slytherin, whose eyes were sharp.
All four founders of Hogwarts were here. Without a doubt, what was being shown before them now was one of Helena's memories.
Ravenclaw held a sheet of parchment in one hand and the brand-new Sorting Hat in the other. It had not yet become the patched, battered thing it would be a thousand years later.
Lady Rowena said loudly, "When I call your name, step forward. The hat in my hand will decide which mentor you are to follow. Helena Ravenclaw!"
Young Helena lifted her skirt and walked lightly toward the stool, then winked at her mother.
Rowena's face remained solemn, but there was a faint smile in her eyes. She was the kind of mother who was used to hiding her love deep in her heart instead of showing it openly.
The Sorting Hat landed on Helena's head. It muttered softly, "Hmm, a brave child, and a rather mischievous one too. Except for Slytherin, any mentor would suit you well. In that case, perhaps I should place you in Gryffindor..."
Rowena suddenly coughed softly.
The Sorting Hat opened its mouth and roared in a panic, "Ravenclaw!" as if it feared that if it were even one second slower, the terrifying witch would tear it into scraps of cloth.
Rowena looked extremely satisfied. She gently removed the Sorting Hat from her daughter's head. The girl stepped forward and hugged her mother, then obediently stood behind her mentor.
"Next, Baron."
A pale-skinned young man walked out from the line of new students. He glanced curiously at Helena, and the girl answered him with a playful face. He suddenly broke into a smile, then sat down heavily on the stool.
"Slytherin!" the Sorting Hat soon gave its answer.
The wizards from a thousand years later clicked their tongues in admiration. What they were seeing should have been Hogwarts' first Sorting Ceremony. Looking around, the Great Hall of this era was still primitive and rough. There were no floating magical candles, and the ceiling had not yet been enchanted to project the starry sky. But the four great wizards standing beneath that ceiling were already the most dazzling facade it could have.
Helena's ghost watched the scene and only kept crying. A memory could be recreated, but time could not be turned back. In the end, she could never return to her carefree school days from a thousand years ago.
"I want to stay here," Helena's ghost told everyone. "This is my home."
...
On the second floor of the White Tower, the smoke drifting from the wizards' mouths and noses slowly withdrew, and everyone opened their eyes one after another.
"How does it feel?" Grindelwald sat on a stool beside the Viewing Instrument and asked in a gentle tone. "It looks as though things went well."
"More than well. We've nearly completed all the work for the third stage." Dumbledore rubbed his swollen forehead, his expression complicated. "But Lady Ravenclaw chose to stay inside the central brain. I do not know whether that choice is right or wrong."
Dumbledore explained the entire chain of events to Grindelwald.
"Helena Ravenclaw's freedom is a necessary sacrifice. And you suspect whether doing so is just, don't you, Albus?"
Dumbledore gave a bitter smile. His old friend had seen straight through him.
Grindelwald comforted him. "This may be the best choice. Helena Ravenclaw obtained what she wanted. For a ghost, reality will never carry as much weight as memory. They are exactly that sort of nostalgic people. Otherwise, they would not remain in the world after death, would they?"
Skyl reminded Dumbledore at just the right moment. "Professor, don't forget that there is still a mountain of work waiting for you. The central brain needs to record magical materials, so you will have to move the entire library into it. Lady Ravenclaw will also have to learn how to call upon the central brain's computing power. Otherwise, she won't be able to serve as an artificial intelligence.
"Everyone also needs to create The Caster's Beginner's Manual. We can add a point-ranking system to the Manual, tallying how many House points each student has earned for their House, counting duel victories, counting study time, and so on. We'll use it to stimulate competition among the students and make them grind like their lives depend on it. In short, let's bring something new to Hogwarts."
The professors' eyes lit up one after another, and their whole bodies filled with motivation.
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