The Little Wizards kept their gaze fixed on the incomplete phantom, their expressions complex.
Grindelwald also looked at these children, his gaze gentle.
A moment later, the tattered figure began to collapse.
"It's your turn," Grindelwald looked at Howl. "What I needed to do, I've done."
"Alright," Howl nodded, looking at the Little Wizards below.
Then, the silver light in his eyes gradually intensified.
A silver mist, like steam rising from a bath, slowly ascended from his body.
His method of projecting his soul was slightly different from Grindelwald's.
But what remained constant was the aura emanating from the soul.
Draco couldn't help but shiver, his hairs standing on end.
Looking again, he saw Harry beside him, his body stiff, his expression grave.
"That's it," he heard Harry whisper.
"What?" Draco whispered.
"Aggression," Harry explained briefly. "I told you, Uncle Howl isn't very..."
As he said that, Draco immediately remembered what Harry had said a few days ago when Rita Skeeter reported on the incident.
And then, things turned out just as he had said.
Rita completely cut off the follow-up reports she had previously mentioned in the newspaper; instead, she shifted her stance and began to rectify various rumors about Hogwarts.
Not only Draco, but almost everyone felt that sensation of being targeted by some predator.
It completely changed their previous impression of Professor Jones; that gentle, calm, mature image gradually transformed into a more violent one.
Like... the person in charge behind some oppressive Dark Force.
At the same time, Grindelwald was also a little startled.
In this aura, he smelled the traces left by time.
This proved that Mu En Jones had lived for many years—from the perspective of an ordinary human.
However, this was also somewhat inconsistent with the sharpness he exuded.
"Heh heh..." Grindelwald chuckled. "To still be like a young man at such an age... truly an enviable fellow."
The lifespan of the body might be easily extended, but few could resist the aging of the heart.
"An enviable fellow," he muttered.
"I'm still young," Howl smiled.
A moment later, the misty aura slowly coalesced behind him into a concrete image.
A man dressed in an ancient light blue robe appeared; it was a Himation, an Ancient Greece drape-style robe, draped to cover half the body while exposing one side of the upper body.
Where it was exposed, clearly visible full muscle lines and golden runic arrays appeared on the ethereal flesh, everything adhering to the most perfect proportions.
"A body of gold."
Harry had never before so clearly understood what Uncle Howl had told him back then.
Further up was that peculiar head.
It made one involuntarily think of the deities from Ancient Egypt.
Mane longer than the real Howl's, distinctly sculpted features like a statue, and sharp eyes.
It was still that Maine Coon-like head, but it inexplicably gained a sense of mystery and majesty.
And behind its head, there was an nameless halo, like the divine light depicted in religious paintings of deities.
Only those lights were mostly golden, or shaped like thorns.
However, with Howl, it was a silver light that harmonized with the soul's original color.
"Blue robe... water... silver light... moon..."
A unified image appeared in many people's minds.
At night, the bright moon hung high, and a three-masted schooner stood quietly in the boundless, dark sea.
And this figure should stand at the bow, letting the wild sea wind blow, bathed in moonlight.
"The soul is the embodiment of a person's past, memories, and personality," Howl slowly began, pulling the Little Wizards away from the subjective guidance of his soul.
Immediately, the Little Wizards suddenly snapped back to reality, their backs chilling.
Grindelwald's soul was no longer as aggressive as it had been in his youth.
But Howl's soul was naturally exerting guidance on these Little Wizards.
"What about Dark Arts?" Grindelwald asked with a hint of surprise, looking at Howl. "I don't believe you haven't studied Dark Arts."
"It's over," Howl smiled. "I dabbled in it, tried it, but I certainly didn't go all the way down that path."
"Is that so?" Grindelwald seemed a little unconvinced.
"At least for me, compared to Dark Arts, I prefer some purer methods," Howl nodded.
Below, Harry also nodded affirmatively.
At least up until now, every time Harry saw Uncle Howl make a move, it mostly stated one fact.
Uncle Howl was a showman.
And his level of violence was no less than that of the so-called Dark Arts.
"As for some harmless costs, the specific manifestation is—here."
Saying that, Howl pointed to the side of the soul's lower abdomen.
"This is?"
The Little Wizards, including Grindelwald, looked at that spot on the translucent soul.
If there was anything abrupt on this body, it might only be here.
Here, a ball of blue-purple flame burned.
"I let him help me process and take on some unnecessary things. Star Child are extremely special existences; they only burn brightly."
He didn't explain much about what Star Child were.
Grindelwald also didn't ask further, understanding that this thing could compensate for the cost of Dark Arts, so he nodded.
Howl's gaze also lingered on that flame for a moment.
If it weren't for this time, he seemed to have almost forgotten about signing the contract with Lucifer back then.
That year, he was still very young...
"Professor!" Two voices suddenly appeared.
Howl turned his head and saw that one was Claire, a fifth-year, and the other was Hedlund.
Hedlund gentlemanly spread his hands, indicating for Claire to speak first.
"Is there any problem?" Howl nodded.
"Excuse me... how do you do this? It looks so amazing," Claire said somewhat shyly.
"You mean, the method of projecting your own soul?" Howl asked.
"Exactly," she nodded quickly, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.
"I'm sorry," Howl shook his head. "Projecting one's soul is not essentially a spell, but a small trick. It's like manipulating limbs to perform difficult movements.
And to project your soul without external help, you probably still have a long way to go."
"Oh, I see," Claire nodded, a little disappointed.
"However, if anyone is truly interested, I will offer a related course in the advanced class. Those who want to try can join," Howl said.
"But I must first say that this technique is actually not very useful. And the difficulty of practice is very high; the first step, being able to perceive the soul, already blocks 99% of people at the door."
After explaining, Howl then looked at Hedlund.
"Professor, I have no more questions," Hedlund smiled slightly. "I think this technique, at least for self-examination, is sufficient. As you said, the soul is the sum of a person's past, so I think learning this technique, seeing one's own soul, and [dialoguing] with it would be an excellent way to know oneself."
"Indeed," Howl agreed, nodding.
Soon, Howl retracted his soul.
The class returned to Grindelwald's hands. He, as an experienced person, used real events that had actually happened to warn the children.
It seemed to be quite effective.
Before long, the class bell suddenly rang.
Relief and reluctance intertwined in the children's hearts. Grindelwald's lesson successfully captivated them, but the fear of this name, this person, would always make them shiver unexpectedly.
Especially Grindelwald's sudden shifts in emotion from time to time.
That both stated that he had indeed suffered the backlash of Dark Arts.
It also made these youngsters wonder if he would suddenly strike and kill them the next second.
They wanted to listen to the lecture, but they were scared!
The Little Wizards streamed out of the classroom. Whatever the case, they needed to get some fresh air first.
"How was it?" some students who didn't have time to audit the class asked curiously. "Was it that old man who taught us?"
"Shhh!!" A fourth-year boy suddenly lunged over and covered his mouth.
"What old man? Do you know who that person is!" The boy whispered, "That's Grindelwald."
But very quickly, this boy's head was slapped again.
He turned around angrily, only to see his friend looking at him with a warning gaze.
"It's Mr. Green! Grindelwald is in prison, what nonsense are you saying!!"
"Oh right, it's Mr. Green," he quickly reacted.
Of course, some people didn't care at all.
While quickly walking away with his friends, he muttered, "Hogwarts is really crazy now, they'll do anything. I must write to my mom and report Hogwarts to the Ministry of Magic, I must!"
"Don't be silly, he can't possibly really be Grindelwald," someone next to him said with a laugh.
"Even if he is Grindelwald, so what? He's just a remnant of a bygone era. Are his words the truth? Did you notice his eyes in class? Like he was looking at some murderer."
"Looking at you? Wait, you didn't try..."
"Shhh!" The person motioned with his eyes for him not to say it. "Just know it."
"Anyway, I didn't feel any backlash. As for that so-called soul, he just used an image magic trick. Surely no one is foolish enough to believe it.
He talks big about backlash and erosion. If it's really like that, isn't it just that he's incompetent?"
Inside the classroom, Howl helplessly looked at Grindelwald and repeated what Professor Flitwick had said to comfort him earlier.
"Education has a lagging effect; you can never guarantee that everyone will be willing to believe your words.
Don't overthink it."
Grindelwald chuckled.
"You wouldn't think I'm a teacher who genuinely cares about students, would you? What concern is their future life or death to me?
Rather, it's you. You had me set an example, but it didn't yield much effect. You're the one who'll be disappointed, aren't you?"
"Heh heh, there was some effect, it's just that... yes, it's unrealistic to expect everyone to take advice," Howl shook his head helplessly, only sighing.
"New teachers are all like this," Grindelwald was very satisfied with Howl's current demeanor, a smirk on his lips as he spoke in a lecturing tone. "New teachers always shoulder the responsibility called [Teacher], and only after repeated failures can they understand that others have their own paths, and even if you are a [Perfect Teacher], you absolutely cannot change that.
Didn't Dumbledore try to change Riddle back then, hoping he would come to this place where his kind gathered, gain friendship, gain love? Did it work? Heh heh!"
"It doesn't matter," Howl shook his head, not dwelling on it. "Just do your best."
Soon, the new class bell rang again.
At the same time—outside the classroom.
Harry politely declined Hermione's invitation to go to the library and went outside the Castle alone.
Even now, Professor Grindelwald's warning still echoed in his ears.
Previously, he had never questioned himself.
One should stand tall for the achievements one has personally earned.
But it seemed that, unconsciously, had he become a bit too arrogant...?
The line between pride and arrogance was too blurry.
Constantly lingering in a comfortable environment, his own perception seemed to have developed some not-so-objective biases.
What he had just said: "I still have some self-awareness."
It sounded good.
But now, no matter how he thought about it...
He felt there was a kind of self-important foolishness in it.
Thinking this, he felt even more lost, idly picking up pebbles and throwing them into the Black Lake, quietly watching the ripples spread.
"Harry Potter?" A clear, pleasant voice sounded behind him.
Harry turned his head and saw several girls standing behind him, smiling. The one who spoke was a black-haired girl; the two beside her were just smiling.
"Hello," Harry nodded.
"Hello, why are you here? Aren't you attending Mr. Green's next class?" The girl asked curiously, then realized, "Oh, right. My name is Cho Chang. The Ravenclaw Seeker, I don't know if you recognize me."
"I think I've seen you on the Quidditch pitch. Sorry, you know, my eyesight isn't great," Harry smiled, shook the girl's hand, and then quickly released it. "It's nice to meet you.
As for this class... well, I just have a few small questions to think about. That soul materialization spell is amazing, isn't it?"
Besides his inner questions, Harry was also wondering if there was any shadow or trace of Lord Voldemort in his soul.
If that were truly the case, how should he deal with it?
Of course, he was just curious and had added this technique to his future learning list.
After all, Uncle Howl hadn't taught him yet, so there must be a reason for it.
"It certainly is amazing," Cho Chang nodded. "We're out for a walk, probably for similar reasons as you. There are many questions, and we just need to get some fresh air. Mr. Green's class is still a bit oppressive."
"Yes," Harry agreed, nodding.
"Harry," Draco's voice suddenly rang out as he came jogging over. "How did you just run off here?"
"Oh, it looks like your friend is here, so we'll go now," Cho Chang nodded, chuckling softly.
"Okay, goodbye," Harry nodded slightly, then looked at Draco. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," Draco said.
Once Cho Chang was out of earshot, a smirk appeared on his pale face. "That girl is really pretty, quite exotic."
Harry looked at Draco helplessly. "You'd better think about your situation with Miss Farley. Besides, I was just chatting with her, don't make unwarranted assumptions."
"Damn it," Draco pouted dismissively. "What do you mean assumptions? What if?"
"No 'what ifs,' and I'm not interested," Harry turned and walked towards Hagrid's hut.
"Then who are you interested in?" Draco persisted.
Harry didn't want to answer, "Shut up!"
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