My Memories Came from You

"Truly impressive."

Dumbledore had watched the entire spar between Josh and Snape. He did not care in the slightest whether the Young Wizards around him overheard what he said. Even if they did, so what? It was simply the truth. Secretly, he wondered whether he could defeat Snape, who possessed magic elements, so easily if he took Josh's place.

After pondering it for a long while, he realized it seemed impossible. Even before Snape had magic elements, Dumbledore would have needed to put in some effort with the Elder Wand. Of course, that was nothing to him, since Snape was no match for Voldemort. Still, he was not discouraged. At the very least, he had truly witnessed what the absolute power of a mage looked like.

"It seems every professor will need to undergo this kind of practical combat in the future, so they can better coordinate the interaction between their magic elements and magical power."

Dumbledore thought to himself. Naturally, he knew what Josh and that fellow Garen were doing in the Room of Requirement. He had even slipped in to watch once. Aside from the magic Josh had brought from elsewhere, he had mostly been using this world's magic.

Yet he used that magic remarkably well. Though he was a beginner, his control in every aspect was excellent. Dumbledore could tell that Josh had integrated magic elements with this world's spells extremely well. It was something Dumbledore himself could not accomplish. But under his observation today, Snape seemed to be gradually improving as well.

Although he had only lasted five minutes because Josh had held back tremendously, the power of his magical energy at the end had risen slightly compared with when he had first begun channeling it. It was only a tiny improvement, but Dumbledore, who was far stronger than Snape, could still see it—especially since he too had mastered magic elements.

"They're all so amazing, Hermione. Especially Professor Augustus. He defeated Professor Snape so effortlessly."

A girl beside Hermione stared at the two people below with a worshipful expression—more precisely, at Josh. She was also a Ravenclaw student who had enrolled this year. Her name was Ellie, and like a little elf, she was an adorable girl.

She and Hermione shared a dormitory. Since they were both intelligent and driven, they had become very good friends. It had to be said that only people with similar personalities could become friends in the same environment. In Gryffindor, however, Hermione had become something of an odd one out.

"He really is."

Hermione nodded as well. It was not just her; likely no one present thought otherwise. The charm of magic was that wondrous. Even spells from the original story that seemed to have no flashy effects had felt magical to them, let alone this.

Josh slowly put away his wand and clapped his hands, signaling for the students to come down. Before long, the Young Wizards obediently lined up and were led down by Dumbledore and the others. The previously empty Quidditch pitch was packed full.

Josh smiled faintly and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, I believe you have now witnessed the dangers of elemental magic. Yet in dangerous times, it can also be the sharp blade that protects us. You have not yet learned many spells, so today I will only give you a demonstration before teaching you how to meditate."

"But remember this clearly. Though practical combat follows real conditions, and you may even launch sneak attacks if that is what it takes to win, you must not attack after your opponent has already won. Nor may you continue attacking once it has been confirmed that your opponent has lost and surrendered. If anyone dares to do that—"

"Then we will expel them, and cast an Obliviate Spell to make them forget all the relevant knowledge they learned at school—especially meditation!"

Before Josh could finish, Dumbledore hurriedly cut in. He was worried that Josh might say something like killing them, and that would be troublesome. Dumbledore did not think Josh incapable of such a thing. Just look at how calmly he had killed Professor Quirrell—Dumbledore did not dare gamble on it.

Josh merely shrugged, not the least bit displeased at being interrupted. He understood Dumbledore's concerns, and he also thought Dumbledore's way of handling it was quite good, so he simply left the matter to him. He believed Dumbledore would handle it properly.

Meditation might not have been worth much to Josh, but it was different for them. Dumbledore did not dare take that risk. Soon, Josh began directly teaching the Young Wizards how to meditate. He had not handed out any manuals simply because he had not prepared any.

Naturally, Dumbledore and the others did not want such a manual to exist either, so they consciously stepped in to help Josh teach the Young Wizards. This method of instruction seemed very ancient, rather like hymns passed down orally in churches without sheet music. They were not even allowed to write anything down.

Of course, the Young Wizards had no way to take notes anyway. They had not brought paper or pens. Yet their enthusiasm was exceptionally high. Every one of them studied with a focus no less intense than Hermione and the other top Ravenclaw students. At this moment, they were all academic prodigies.

That made Josh feel a little embarrassed, because what he was teaching was not some advanced technique. On second thought, though, this world had never had meditation before, so he was still blazing a trail here. Even a meditation method far worse than this would probably be treated by them as priceless treasure.

Why do I feel like I've completely led this world astray? In a few years, Dumbledore and the others will probably be able to crush Voldemort. A few decades from now, these little fellows might all turn into Dark Lords—though only Dark Lords much stronger than the current Voldemort.

Josh's thoughts ran wild. He did not know whether he would live to see that day, but honestly, he was looking forward to it somewhat. At the same time, he wondered whether it was time to begin trying his Void Gate stabilization experiment.

Josh had always been studying the use of space. He had not expected this world's understanding of space to appear shallow while actually being quite sophisticated. For example, Apparition and traveling through fireplaces might look like simple teleportation magic, but they employed extremely advanced spatial techniques.

Josh was not interested in Floo Powder, since it was merely fixed-point teleportation. It was not uncommon on the Muya Continent, especially between major cities. Though his own territory was not yet qualified to have such a thing, he had used it plenty of times before. But he was very interested in Disapparation and had studied it extensively.

It was a spatial traversal spell. Dangerous, but highly useful. The only troublesome part was that it required a destination. He planned to use its spatial principles, together with the malleability of his Baleful Phantasm, to stabilize the Void Gate and keep it open for extended periods. That way, he could continuously bring unusual things from this world back to his territory.

For now, though, it's only an idea. My theoretical knowledge and practical experience are still too limited, so it isn't complete. But if it really succeeds, then whenever I encounter a worthwhile world in the future, I can leave behind a portal and return whenever I want. That sounds like an excellent option too.

Shaking his head, he stopped thinking about it. Since he intended to begin the experiments, there was no need to delay. As for the results, they would require constant practice. Even if he failed, it would not matter. At worst, he could come back and take another look if he had the chance later. Or perhaps by then, he would have already forgotten this world.

Coming back to his senses, Josh discovered that all the Young Wizards had sat on the Quidditch grass as instructed, each trying to enter a meditative state. It was indeed difficult for Young Wizards who had only just encountered magic, since unlike Dumbledore and the others, they had not possessed magical power for years.

Speaking of Dumbledore and the others, Josh noticed that Snape had long since returned to the Slytherin group and was teaching the Young Wizards there how to calm themselves and meditate. Professor McGonagall remained with Gryffindor, Professor Flitwick was with Ravenclaw, and Dumbledore had gone to the Hufflepuff group because Sprout had to tend to the potions and could not come.

Seeing how actively they were all helping, Josh felt it would be inappropriate to keep letting his thoughts wander. So he returned to the Ravenclaw group, where Professor Flitwick was earnestly explaining what they needed to do.

"Relax. Yes, relax just like that. Let your spirit merge with your magical power. But do not fall asleep. If you fall asleep, you will not be able to see those wondrous elemental spirits. This is a state between wakefulness and sleep."

Seeing how attentively Professor Flitwick was teaching, Josh did not disturb them. There was a reason Professor Flitwick had earned the respect of nearly everyone in the original story. His teaching was humorous and patient, and he valued practical work, giving the Young Wizards ample time to practice on their own.

"Oh, Lord Augustus. You're back. That was truly a splendid battle." As soon as Josh returned, Professor Flitwick and the students noticed him. Professor Flitwick immediately greeted Josh.

"Perhaps. It was only a display of a mage's charm. It could hardly count as real combat."

Josh shrugged indifferently. To him, it had only been a performance. If one truly wanted to see real combat, they should witness the battles between him and Garen. Of course, to Professor Flitwick and even Dumbledore, this probably already qualified as actual combat.

Josh did not intend to interrupt Flitwick's lesson. Though it was somewhat like the host taking center stage from the guest, Josh thought it was great. At least it meant he could slack off, did it not? Just as he was about to visit the other House groups, he noticed someone seemed to have been staring at him. Turning his head, he found a familiar face—Hermione.

"Long time no see, little girl." After considering it, Josh walked straight over to Hermione. Amid the incredulous stares of the group of girls around her, he crouched down and greeted her with a smile.

"Hey, who are you calling little girl? You're not that much older than me." Hermione protested indignantly, but quickly apologized. "I'm sorry, Professor Augustus."

"You know Miss Granger?" Professor Flitwick walked over at that moment and asked curiously.

"Of course. Come to think of it, in this wor—"

"It's country, Professor Augustus."

"Oh, right. The first person I met in this country was Miss Granger. I have to thank her. Back then, I replicated her memories, which allowed me to master the language here and many cultural customs."

Josh said it without the slightest concern, even as Hermione and Professor Flitwick both went blank with shock.

"You replicated my memories?" Hermione pointed at herself in disbelief.

"Yes. Otherwise, how could I have learned English so quickly, with such an authentic accent?" Josh nodded as though it were perfectly natural, then added casually as if he had just remembered something.

"Don't worry, I didn't look through your memories. There's nothing worth seeing in a child's memories. I only copied some knowledge."