"Uh..." Thorne thought for a moment and decided to answer truthfully, "Actually, our research methods are relatively simple and crude."
Everyone leaned forward slightly.
"It involves extracting the souls of certain creatures—mainly Snails—and then injecting them into our own bodies to observe the effects."
"The Soul Magic I've mastered was indeed learned during this process."
His voice trailed off.
The meeting room fell silent for a moment.
The Professors' gazes all shifted toward Dumbledore at almost the same time.
To be honest, that description sounded very much like the Dark Arts.
However, Dumbledore remained calm, merely raising a finger to point at a specific column on the resume.
History of Mental Illness.
Everyone froze for a second, then suddenly realized.
"Oh—"
"So that's how it is."
The interviewers nodded in unison, and the atmosphere instantly became reasonable again.
Ms. Mosquito cleared her throat and continued the process: "Good, then next, please demonstrate your Soul Magic."
Thorne hesitated for a moment.
"Um... then I'll demonstrate the most basic application."
He thought about it and added, "Could I have a knife? A small one will do."
The air fell into silence once more.
A few seconds later.
Snape reached out expressionlessly, pulled a Boning Knife from his robes, and placed it in front of Thorne with a 'clack.'
The Professors: "..."
The silence continued.
Snape's face was dark, and he added in a cold tone:
"What? As a Potion Class Professor, is it not reasonable to carry a knife at all times?"
"Yes, very reasonable."
Thorne suppressed the urge to complain and reached out to pick up the Boning Knife on the table.
The next second.
He sliced his own wrist without hesitation.
Blood splattered on the spot.
"Wait!"
The insect Professors stood up almost simultaneously, instinctively moving to provide first aid, but they all froze mid-motion.
Their eyes were all fixed intently on the hand Thorne was using to hold the knife.
There, a mass of white substance, appearing both gaseous and liquid, was slowly emerging.
They were all too familiar with this form.
The ghosts floating all over Hogwarts were in this exact state.
"How is this possible..."
Snape's brow furrowed deeply. "Is that... a soul?"
Thorne nodded slightly.
Then, he reached out with his other hand and gently guided that wisp of white substance toward the wound.
The moment the white substance touched the wound, it seemed to possess a consciousness of its own, quickly covering it.
Bonding, repairing.
In less than three seconds.
The blood vanished, and the wound was as smooth as before, without even a scar left behind.
"This..."
The massive Ms. Earthworm's voice trembled slightly. "Is it medical magic? Or... wandless casting?"
"It's not medical magic."
Snape slowly leaned back in his chair, his tone low, yet unable to suppress the emotional turbulence, "It's something else."
He took a deep breath.
"The mere ability to extract a soul from a body and use it to heal the physical form—that is already quite incredible magic."
His gaze fell back on Thorne, his shock almost impossible to hide.
That was a soul.
In the current wizarding world, this was a field where the entrance to research hadn't even been fully opened, and Wizards were struggling on this path.
Yet the person before him could already pull out his own soul and use it as a tool.
This was no longer a matter of talent.
This was revolutionary!
"Albus," Ms. Mosquito pushed up her glasses, her voice clearly tinged with surprise, "where did you swindle such a talent from?"
Dumbledore simply smiled upon hearing this, his tone light and self-satisfied:
"Minerva, these eyes of mine can precisely lock onto a single Booger-flavored bean among a whole handful of bertie botts every flavor beans."
"That's what you call a Keen Eye."
Thorne: "..."
So he was saying he was the Booger-flavored one?
He decided not to look too deeply into that metaphor.
"Uh..." Thorne cleared his throat, bringing the focus back to business, "I'd like to confirm, what is the result of this interview?"
Ms. Mosquito ignored Dumbledore's arrogance and stood up, her tone formal:
*Buzz buzz buzz*, Mr. Thorne."
"I don't think a vote is necessary anymore."
She nodded slightly.
"Welcome to the teaching staff of Hogwarts."
"From now on, the Young Wizards will have a new course."
Dumbledore pulled out a Professor's contract from somewhere, his movements so practiced it was as if he had prepared it long ago.
Thorne took the contract and immediately looked down to check the compensation.
Weekly salary: one hundred and fifty Galleons.
He instinctively looked up at the Professors present, wanting to ask a question.
Is this compensation really fair?
But as soon as the thought appeared, he suppressed it himself.
Was he kidding? The other party was Albus Dumbledore, hailed as the 'Greatest White Wizard of Modern Times.'
No matter what, he wouldn't cheat him out of this little bit of salary, right?
Thorne quickly signed his name at the end of the contract.
The moment the pen tip left the paper, he let out a long sigh of relief.
Does this mean... I have a permanent position?
However, when he looked up and saw Dumbledore's beaming face, he felt an inexplicable sense that he had been cheated.
After the contract was finalized, the bespectacled Ms. Mosquito stepped forward and shook hands with Thorne.
"Let's introduce ourselves formally."
"Minerva McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts and Professor of Transfiguration."
Then, she gestured to the massive Ms. Earthworm beside her.
"Pomona Sprout, Dean of Hufflepuff House and Professor of Herbology."
Finally, there was the short, kind-faced human Wizard.
"Filius Flitwick, Dean of Ravenclaw House and Professor of Charms."
Thorne was in a great mood and shook hands with both of them in turn.
Especially when shaking hands with Flitwick, he was so excited he almost forgot to let go, shaking incessantly until the other man coughed lightly, bringing him back to his senses.
"Alright, Professor Thorne."
Professor McGonagall patted his arm. "Let me show you around Hogwarts; after all, this is where you'll be living for a long time."
With that, she grabbed Thorne, preparing to lead him directly out of the classroom.
Just then, Snape, who had been silent, suddenly spoke up.
"I have also done some research into Soul Magic."
"We can discuss it a bit later."
Thorne immediately gave him an 'OK' sign, smiling very sincerely:
"Of course, we mammals have to help each other out!"
Before his voice could fade, he was forcibly led away by Professor McGonagall.
In the classroom, Sprout and Flitwick, who was rubbing his hand, turned to look at Snape simultaneously.
"...What does 'mammals' mean?"
Snape gave a cold snort, his face expressionless, with no intention of explaining.
He straightened the hem of his robes and walked straight out of the classroom.
—
"Phew—having a private office too, the benefits here are really quite good."
After being led around Hogwarts by Professor McGonagall, Thorne finally sat down in the lounge arranged for him, clearly much more relaxed.
He leaned back in his chair, cupping the back of his head with both hands, and let out a long breath.
Before his eyes, a familiar system prompt appeared.
[Current Special Environment: Hogwarts Castle (15%)]
"Today's gains are really not small..."
Thorne sighed softly.
"But this Castle is way too big. I only got fifteen percent after one lap."
"But then again, there's still half a summer break left; there's plenty of time for me to explore this place thoroughly."
Thinking of this, his mood couldn't help but lighten up.
"And... the Professors here are all quite nice."
As soon as he finished speaking, his brow furrowed slightly again.
A previously overlooked question suddenly surfaced in his mind.
"But speaking of which..."
"Why is it that, in my eyes, only Professor Flitwick is human?"