Social Death!

What is the essence of magic?

Loren paused for a moment, then looked at Snape blankly.

"Turning the impossible into the possible." Snape felt a little guilty and avoided looking Loren in the eye.

"Oh, and then what?"

Snape tried to keep his voice flat, feigning composure, and said, "It's impossible without the Sorcerer's Stone, so lend me the Sorcerer's Stone. It's in the textbooks—"

"Okay." Loren's clear voice rang out.

"What?" Snape was somewhat taken aback.

"I said I agreed," Loren said seriously, "But only after I cure my grandfather's Werewolf Disease."

Loren's pursuit of the Sorcerer's Stone was solely for curing Werewolf and Blood Cursed Beastman; now, only his Grandpa Bates ' Werewolf Disease remained. At other times, the Sorcerer's Stone was merely an energy stone in his hands, serving no real purpose.

Why not lend it to Snape so that he can play a greater role?

Snape fell silent. Loren's quick agreement surprised him; he hadn't even heard the full price he was offered.

No one understood the allure of the Elixir of Life to a Potions Master. The important thing was not immortality, but brewing the Potions and accessing the true secrets of Potions Master.

Truth is more important than effectiveness.

The Sorcerer's Stone can be used to create the Elixir of Life, allowing Potions Master to see the truth.

Snape had expected to pay a price—something substantial—for Loren to share the Sorcerer's Stone. But Loren agreed so quickly, it felt almost unreal to Snape. After all, this was the Sorcerer's Stone, coveted by countless people.

"By the way, the effects of the Sorcerer's Stone are limited, so you might not be able to research anything useful," Loren warned him in advance.

Although the criteria for redeeming a desperate soul are unknown, if the requirements are not met, the Sorcerer's Stone is just an energy stone to others.

Listening to Loren's nagging, Snape made a decision in his heart, "The research experiments will begin next semester. You will still have access to the Sorcerer's Stone. You just need to cooperate with me on some experiments. As payment, your debt to me will be wiped clean."

Loren was delighted. Although he didn't know exactly how much he owed Snape, he was determined to take advantage of any freebie. "Once I've resolved the Werewolf issue, you can start the experiment during the holidays. I don't have to do it myself."

"Don't flatter yourself, it's not for your sake."

Snape glanced at him, then looked away. "I'm going to collect some rare materials during the holidays to prepare for the experiments. You'll be the one using the Sorcerer's Stone's Sorcerer's Stone for all the rituals Dumbledore participates in, and I'm not sure I can make it work."

These are all excuses, of course. The materials will be collected through the black market; although there will be a premium, it certainly won't take the entire holiday. As for breaking the Sorcerer's Stone, given Snape's character, he wouldn't give up without even trying.

Loren found it amusing; this guy was both stubborn and argumentative.

"So, all that talk about rituals and the essence of magic was just to fool me about the Sorcerer's Stone," Loren quipped.

Snape didn't reply; he kept his eyes fixed on the road ahead, motionless.

"Who was it that just called me an idiot in the Headmaster's office?" Loren, relying on the Sorcerer's Stone, went on to cause trouble.

"I have other things to do. You can go ahead on your own." Snape said as he reached the next staircase, flicked his robes, turned the corner, and left.

Is something the matter?

This is the fifth floor. The Potions Master's office is in the basement. What can I do for you?

Loren was finally triumphant, having finally spoken up in front of Snape.

I went down the stairs to the first floor, walked through the courtyard and corridor, and found that the sun was high in the sky, and it was almost noon.

"I wonder if the Kitchen will still be cooking today," Loren muttered.

With doubts in his heart, Loren arrived at the Great Hall.

Sure enough, the entire Great Hall was empty, and the four long tables that were usually filled with food were also bare.

Loren was about to turn back and go straight to the Kitchen to find something to eat, but when he saw that the High Table where the professor usually set up was empty, an idea suddenly came to his mind.

As a student, it's perfectly normal to want to sit down in the teacher's seat.

The idea quickly took root and sprouted. Without Loren much thought, and since no one was around, he skipped and hopped towards the High Table.

This is a row of tables shorter than the Head of House below, but each one is topped with a high chair with a long back. The cushions are leather.

The table was covered with a soft, clean yellow tablecloth, neat and tidy.

Loren touched the tablecloth and the chair cushion; both felt soft and smooth. He was very satisfied.

Besides the professors and the principal, there are also seats for other faculty and staff, a dozen or twenty long benches, not much shorter than the long tables below.

Loren grinned. "If we're going to play, let's play something exciting."

He strode across the seats on both sides and went straight to the center to sit down, where the Hogwarts headmaster sat.

Loren shifted his position and twisted his shoulders; the adult chair was still too big for him, and he could only stick his head out of the table.

At this moment, Loren, whose view was blocked, did not see an old wizard with a white beard standing by the side wall to the right of the High Table, watching the young wizard's performance with great interest.

Loren was in high spirits when he put his hands on the table, stood up by stepping on the chair, and looked around at the four long tables below.

"Cough cough."

Loren's face was serious. He raised his hand and made a gesture to suppress a non-existent scream. "Welcome everyone to Hogwarts for the new school year! Before the banquet begins, I'd like to say a few words. These are: Idiots! Crybabies! Trash! Twisters!"

"Thank you everyone!" Loren sat down with an air of importance and clapped for himself. He thoroughly enjoyed being the principal.

Was I like that back then?

The old wizard's voice rang out, Dumbledore had somehow sat down next to Loren, rested his chin on his hand, looking thoughtful.

Loren stiffly turned his neck and stood there, frozen in place.

What is social death?

That's called social death!

Loren screamed inwardly: Fawkes! Take me away!

He forced a smile that looked more like a grimace, "Headmaster Dumbledore, when did you arrive?"

Dumbledore, "I arrived early this morning."

"I've always thought my speech at the opening banquet had a very England style. Now it seems perhaps it should have been shorter," Dumbledore, looking at Loren with gentle eyes. "What do you think?"

Loren felt like there were nails in the chair, pinning his buttocks. He desperately wanted to pull out his wand and give himself a Avada Kedavra, but he still smiled and said, "I think, I think it's fine as it is."

Dumbledore suppressed a laugh, observing Loren's expression, worried that if the topic continued, Loren might not return to school next semester.

"Hogwarts is on holiday, but there's still plenty of food in the Kitchen." He suppressed a smile and turned to tap the table lightly twice with his wand.

Puff!

A plate squeezed out of the air and landed on the table with a muffled thud, cushioned by the tablecloth.

Then forks and knives Explosion Charm onto the plate.

"Say out what you want to eat."

Dumbledore put away his fork and knife and demonstrated to him, "Fry a steak."

Bang!

A piece of pan-fried steak appeared on the plate.

Dumbledore reached out, gesturing for Loren to try as well.

Although the nail in his butt was still there, Loren finally didn't want to die anymore. He tapped his wand lightly twice in front of him and said, "Fry steak."

The two began to eat lunch, but the strange atmosphere made Loren not want to say a word. He just wanted to finish eating quickly and run away.

The only sound in the entire Great Hall was the "crunch crunch" of the dinner knife cutting through the plate.

Dumbledore good mood. The events of the day had left him with mixed feelings, but when he arrived at the Great Hall, all he wanted to do was to settle things as quickly as possible and send Loren home.

But watching Loren's actions made him relax unconsciously, and his mood became less tense.

"Oh, right!" Dumbledore suddenly said.

Loren looked up at him, a whole piece of fried steak dangling from his mouth. Biting into the whole thing was the fastest way to eat it, so he could escape this deadly place as quickly as possible.

"Would you like something to drink?" Dumbledore winked at Loren. "We have juice, tea, Pumpkin Juice..."

Dumbledore hesitated. "Well, Butterbeer isn't really for you."

Loren took a bite of meat and decisively said, "Apple juice, thank you!"

As he finished speaking, a stemmed glass filled with apple juice appeared on his right.

Dumbledore's glass was a bright orange-yellow, like orange juice, or Pumpkin Juice, or maybe Butterbeer; Loren didn't look closely.

After a little incident, Loren felt that things weren't so bad here anymore.

He slowed down his eating. "Principal, that name you heard in the office just now sounded strange. Do you know that person?"

Dumbledore slowly cut off pieces of steak, put them in his mouth and chewed. "This is a story from long ago. Maybe I can tell you it later, but not now."

Actually, it wasn't that long ago; it was about 70 years ago, about his story.

Loren didn't ask about it again. "How is that Blood Cursed Beastman?"

"Madam Pomfrey will examine her in the Hospital Wing. After she wakes up, I will speak with her and let her decide whether to stay or leave." Dumbledore's voice was calm and unhurried.

Loren thought about it for a moment and had no objections. Although he had saved Nagini, he hadn't expected anything in return.

His desire to save people stemmed more from his inability to bear seeing a normal person eventually reduced to a bloodthirsty beast, turned into Horcrux, and ultimately killed by a single sword strike.

"When are we going to cure Grandpa Bates ' Werewolf syndrome?" Loren asked.

Dumbledore very considerate, saying, "If you're in a hurry, we can leave at any time."

Loren thought about it carefully; he still didn't know where Grandpa Bates was living a carefree life.

Hogwarts' summer vacation starts on June 15th this year, which happens to be around the full moon, so I guess I won't make it. But after today, there'll be another month, so there's not much of a rush.

This discovery left him somewhat stunned, and he muttered as he chewed on his beef, "No rush, no rush."

Dumbledore said, "If there's no rush, I'd like you to help me with some things first."

Loren snapped out of his daze, "What's wrong? What is it?"

"Hmm." Dumbledore swallowed the last piece of steak. "Regarding the Ravenclaw's Diadem, I had an appointment with Grey Lady this afternoon in the Transfiguration Classroom, you know, that Grey Lady."

"Should I know?" Loren released the half-eaten steak from his mouth and glanced furtively at Dumbledore.

Dumbledore met Loren's gaze and gave a gentle smile.

Your expression means you understand.

After only a year at Hogwarts, I realized that he was indeed very suitable to be the headmaster.

Loren was indignant:... This person eats so slowly, yet he finished eating before me!

The Transfiguration Classroom.

This was a windowless classroom, hidden deep within the Castle, filled with gloom. Only a few candlesticks burned, casting a sparse light.

On the first table to the right of the podium, a Diadem and a blue gemstone were quietly placed.

The front of the Diadem is carved with an eagle with outstretched wings, and a groove is exposed on its belly, which is exactly the size of the blue gemstone next to it.

Dumbledore brought the Diadem out of the Room of Requirement. Loren witnessed the entire process; it was all Levitation Charm, without a single physical contact. This old wizard was clearly incredibly powerful, yet excessively cautious.

Loren and Dumbledore sat on one side, while a ghost resembling a young woman in classical dress sat on the other.

She was Grey Lady, who was Helena Ravenclaw, the daughter of Rowena Ravenclaw, one of the Four Founders of Hogwarts.

Grey Lady gazed intently at the blue gemstone, captivated by its radiance, a symbol of wisdom.

A long silence followed.

Dumbledore spoke first, "Grey Lady, I think you've already noticed that Ravenclaw's Diadem has been tainted. I'd like to ask if you have any way to cleanse it of the evil spirits that have attached themselves to it?"

As a relic belonging to the Grey Lady, Dumbledore did not want to destroy it directly.

Grey Lady glanced at the Diadem with a look of disgust. "A thousand years ago, I thought my mother's wisdom was the Diadem. Wanting to be smarter and more famous than my mother, I stole the Diadem and ran away with it. A thousand years later, I misplaced my trust in that student and brought shame upon Ravenclaw."

She seemed to be talking to herself, "I did not inherit her wisdom, both in life and in death."

Dumbledore wanted to offer some words of comfort, but Grey Lady didn't give him the chance, continuing, "You are the greatest wizard of this age. If even you can't do anything about it, then I certainly can't."

"Destroy it along with the Diadem, so that the Diadem will have served its purpose."

"Don't be too sad, Grey Lady," Dumbledore said.

Grey Lady turned her gaze to the blue gem. "I'm not sad. Ravenclaw's wisdom is in the gem. That dark wizard clearly missed it. He has no wisdom either."

"Pass it down, right here at Hogwarts." With that, Grey Lady without looking back, floated into the air, and disappeared through the wall.

"To whom should this blue gem be given?" Loren asked.

To be honest, he also wanted to experience what it felt like to be intelligent.

"Loren," Dumbledore's voice drifted, "Is not the legacy of gems, but of wisdom."

The small characters engraved on the Diadem shimmered under the light of the blue gemstones:

Extraordinary wisdom is humanity's most precious treasure.