Veratia: Just This Once!

Developing Ancient Magic?

That's a good idea; to be honest, Snape's suggestion was indeed constructive.

But the problem is, developing it with Miss Grindelwald?

Harry didn't think Veratia could work with him to develop the application of this Ancient Charm. Just as Sirius guessed, Veratia preferred that he leave this loophole so she could read his true thoughts.

It's like an old-fashioned layered cake.

"What?" Snape's greasy, sarcastic tone reappeared. "Instead of going to your all-powerful Miss Grindelwald, you've come to bother your old professor, delaying his time to brew the Tooth-strengthening Potion for the Headmaster... Perhaps the old professor won't mind, but that Headmaster who doesn't want to reveal his name might not."

He doesn't want to give his name, and he's called "Mr. Headmaster"?

Everyone knows you're talking about Dumbledore.

but...

Harry agreed with him, and after pondering for a moment, he said goodbye to Snape and headed toward the Map Chamber.

Since Veratia's resurrection, Harry would occasionally visit the professors in the Map Chamber with Veratia.

Regarding the portrait, Veratia's explanation was that she had absorbed the portrait's memories.

The reason is that she is still alive, and it is somewhat unlucky to have her portrait hanging in the Map Chamber.

So Harry didn't ask any further questions; whatever she said, went with it.

The last time Harry came to the Map Chamber was last week after Veratia returned to school, when Harry came with her to visit the professors.

As the door slowly opened, Harry stepped into the Map Chamber.

"Ha, Potter."

When Professor Rackham saw Harry, he chuckled, but it was unclear what he meant.

Should we welcome Harry or not?

The original portrait of Veratia standing has now been completely reframed. It was renovated by Veratia last year, and Professor Sen Bakhar was brought back.

For so many years, Professor Sen Bakhar has been living in some unknown corner, which is indeed quite miserable.

"Ha, Potter!"

This was Professor Rackham's greeting; he stretched out his hand and waved to Harry with a relaxed expression.

"Ha, Potter!"

Professor Sam Bakhar didn't seem very happy, perhaps because he harbored a grudge against Harry —after all, if it weren't for Harry's disappearance, Professor Sam Bakhar wouldn't have been all alone in some corner for a hundred years.

One hundred years!

Do you know how I've spent the last hundred years?

I don't even have anyone to talk to!

"Oh, Harry."

The only person who could clearly see that Harry was happy was Headmaster Fitzgerald.

"Hello, professors," Harry greeted them politely.

"I remember you came here last month with that little girl from the Grindelwald family, didn't you, Potter?" Professor Sen Bakhar asked, squinting his eyes and taking the initiative.

Harry didn't deny it, nodding and saying, "Yes, Professor, I did come with Veratia... but I had something else to do this time."

"What is it?" Professor Rackham asked.

"That is..."

Harry thought for a moment and began to organize his thoughts.

"I have learned Occlumency and can now empty my mind—but I want to learn some advanced applications of Occlumency. Professor Snape told me that perhaps Ancient Magic could be applied to Occlumency."

"That's certainly a good suggestion," Headmaster Fitzgerald nodded. "It's a good thing. Why don't you go find Veratia?"

"Well..."

Harry's expression suddenly turned awkward.

"What's wrong with you?" Headmaster Fitzgerald asked suspiciously.

Harry had no choice but to tell the truth, "Veratia doesn't want to teach me how to advance my Occlumency. She thinks I should focus on learning Charms instead of these vague things."

As soon as he finished speaking, Professor Sen Bakhar slapped his hand as if he had discovered New World.

"Ha! I knew it! She definitely didn't want to teach you this—I made a bet with the professors back then... Do you remember? A hundred years ago, you said you wanted to learn Occlumency, but that little girl always changed the subject... After she left, I told Headmaster Fitzgerald that this girl must want you to have no secrets from her, that's why she did that..."

"Well..."

Harry didn't know what to say, so he just used the universal "uh".

"Very well then." Professor Sen Bakhar smiled. "Since Miss Grindelwald is unwilling to teach you, I can reluctantly take on the responsibility of a professor—although I haven't tried to apply Ancient Magic to Occlumency, I can give you some directions I considered when I was still alive..."

It's clear that Professor Sen Bakhar holds a grudge; he still remembers being locked in a dark room by Veratia for a hundred years.

"I have no objection," Professor Rackham said. "In fact, I've had some thoughts on this myself during those years of boredom. So... Potter, you can give it a try."

"I have no objection either," Professor Rackham said with a smile. He wanted to see some fun, which was his main reason for helping Harry.

Harry thought it was wonderful to hear that the professors were supporting his idea.

"Cool!" he said excitedly. "So when do we start?"

"Now," Professor Sen Bakhar said, raising a hand to Harry, "Go, sit in that chair over there... let's discuss how to improve it... let me think..."

The three professors argued for almost half an hour, with none of them willing to give in.

After all, they were all masters of Ancient Magic, and neither could convince the other, nor would the other submit.

Everyone felt that their method was the best and their thinking was the most complete.

In the end, it was Headmaster Fitzgerald who came up with the idea.

"Why don't you try all your ideas and see which one works?"

After speaking, Headmaster Fitzgerald turned back to comfort Harry: "Don't worry, Harry. The professors were all outstanding wizards when they were alive, but due to the limitations of life and death, they could only make breakthroughs in theory. In reality, it still depends on you to accomplish it, so don't feel pressured..."

How can I not feel pressured?

Harry thought to himself, "I'm under so much pressure..."

This is mental magic! What if I can't learn it well?

He realized that these professors were essentially theoretical physicists, while he was the practical type.

What if they misunderstand something?

In the end, won't I be the one who suffers because of all the practice?

Harry now feels like a guinea pig, waiting to be tested by scientists...

never mind...

In order to become stronger, Harry decided to go all out.

So what if they're guinea pigs? As long as we can combine Ancient Magic with Occlumency, paying a little price is worthwhile.

"Let's do it then." Harry's expression was as resolute as someone standing on Dragon Position. "I think I can give it a try—are you sure there won't be any problems?"

"No, it won't happen," Headmaster Fitzgerald said in a deep voice, his tone resolute.

Half an hour later.

Harry, panting heavily, glanced at Headmaster Fitzgerald with a look of utter disbelief.

"Is this what you meant by 'no problems'?" Harry rubbed his head and complained in a muffled voice, "My head is about to explode, Lady Headmaster— "

"It's just a minor issue, Harry," Headmaster Fitzgerald said lightly. "You need to understand one thing, Harry —there's no such thing as a free lunch. Using Ancient Magic to enhance Occlumency is still unexplored territory. Since you want to be a pioneer in this field, you can't avoid paying a price, don't you think?"

Harry took these words to heart and nodded in agreement, saying, "In that case... I'll try Professor Sen Bakhar's suggestion again!"

Professor Sam Bakhar looked pleased upon hearing Harry's words.

This child... knows how to improve!

"Hey!" Professor Rackham said, displeased, "Why don't you try my suggestion first?"

"I'm sorry, Professor," Harry said apologetically, "I just wanted to save the best for last..."

"Bah!" Professor Rackham exclaimed angrily, "You just don't believe me... By Merlin's grace, a student like you would have been crucified in my day!"

"Even Merlin is no match for me, "Harry thought bitterly. He wanted to save his energy.

Another half hour passed, and Harry lay on the ground, drenched in sweat, looking utterly exhausted, as if he had lost all will to live.

He felt very sleepy, extremely sleepy. The experiment he had just completed had almost completely drained him of his energy. He felt as if he hadn't slept for months, and his mind was foggy.

"Let's practice again tomorrow," Headmaster Fitzgerald said with concern. "What you need most right now is rest, not to force yourself to stay here. Go back to your dorm, have a hot cup of Pumpkin Juice, and get some sleep..."

Harry responded weakly, lying on the ground with no intention of getting up.

All he wants to do right now is get a good night's sleep.

But given the current environment...

Harry thought that if he slept on the floor of the Map Chamber overnight, he would definitely be sore all over the next morning.

The floor is hard and cold, and a cool breeze is blowing out...

He caught his breath for a while, then forced himself to stand up.

"I hope your method isn't too extreme, Professor."

"Don't worry, Harry," Professor Rackham said hopefully. "You need to get some rest. I think my suggestion is very sound—if you have enough energy, what you need most right now is to go back and rest, understand?"

"Tell me your thoughts first," Harry asked, panting.

"Why should I tell you in advance?" Professor Rackham asked, puzzled.

"Don't you understand?" Professor Sen Bakhar said, arms crossed. "This little guy is clearly worried that his girlfriend might suddenly appear in the Map Chamber, and he's told us not to teach him about the advanced applications of Occlumency. Don't you understand?"

"We certainly didn't teach him the advanced applications of Occlumency," Professor Rackham said, spreading his chubby hands and playing with words. "What we taught him was the combined use of Ancient Magic and Occlumency..."

Upon hearing Professor Rackham's words, both Professor Sen Bakhar and Professor Rackham gave him a thumbs up.

"But you're right, Harry." After considering it, Professor Rackham began to explain the details to Harry.

Harry carefully memorized Professor Rackham's words, bid farewell to the four professors, and left the Map Chamber with a yawn.

He had just stepped out of the Map Chamber when he saw Veratia had just walked to the door.

Upon seeing Veratia, Harry felt a sudden alarm bell ring in his mind, and almost without hesitation, he cleared his mind.

He didn't know why he did it, but it was the right thing to do.

"What have you been doing?" Veratia asked Harry, looking at him suspiciously.

"Nothing," Harry shook his head, yawning, and said, "I have some small questions about Ancient Magic that I'd like to ask the professors..."

"Then why don't you come find me?" Veratia asked, tilting her head.

"Huh?" Harry feigned surprise, "Didn't Cassandra tell me you went back to the Muggle world to defend your dissertation?"

This was said intentionally. In any case, Veratia would never confirm this with Cassandra. Not only would she not confirm it, she would also shift her attention to Cassandra.

Upon hearing Harry's words, Veratia's attention was indeed diverted.

"Is it her?" Veratia's face darkened, but she didn't say anything, only asking with concern, "What's wrong? You look a little listless?"

"My magic power is a bit depleted."

Harry, quite naturally, stumbled unsteadily to Veratia's side and grabbed her slender waist.

When he hugged her, his hands were a little restless, even slipping under the hem of her shirt to touch her smooth, warm waist.

"Um..."

Veratia's attention was diverted again; blushing, she slapped Harry's hand away.

"It's still daytime," she whispered, "And we're still outside, Harry..."

"Huh?" Harry looked around, feigning ignorance, and asked, puzzled, "But nobody saw us, it's okay—"

"That won't do!" Veratia said seriously. "If you want to touch me, we can School Opening tonight and go to the house I rent in the Muggle world, but not now..."

"Okay." Harry immediately put on a disappointed look and looked up at Veratia pitifully.

Veratia was actually quite susceptible to his charms; seeing his pitiful appearance, her heart softened.

"Just this once," she whispered.

(I have a slight herniated disc, but it's nothing serious. A massage on my lower back made me feel much better—the doctor used too much force, and my elbow is still aching slightly, but it really felt good.)

(End of this chapter)