The First Lesson

He made his way to the conference room, where eleven members of the Board of Governors were waiting. Lucius Malfoy, who was absent, was said to be resting at home due to illness and refusing to see anyone.

Dumbledore pushed open the door. Before he could even take a seat, one of the men with a large belly spoke up unceremoniously.

"I hear you've changed the teaching methods at Hogwarts, Dumbledore. But in your statements to the press, you never mentioned that you intended to use an entirely new approach—no wand-casting, no brewing potions in cauldrons, and not even teaching the traditional subjects. What is the meaning of this?"

"Ah, as I said, this is a brand-new way of casting, the true mystery of magic."

Dumbledore sat down and explained with a beaming smile.

"Absurd! Are you saying everything we learned before wasn't magic?!" the man demanded aggressively.

"In fact, you could say that."

Dumbledore kept his smile, but his tone was resolute. His words cast a strange, unsettling atmosphere over the room.

The man's face flushed a deep red. He stood up, his round belly straining against his robes and trembling with agitation.

He wheezed, "You must have gone senile! For thousands of years, wizards have used wands to cast spells. Now you want to push some unheard-of method, cancel all previous courses, and have the audacity to call it the 'true mystery of magic'?!"

Another member of the Board, a woman in deep purple robes, chimed in: "Indeed, Dumbledore. Even if what you say is true, once these students graduate, without certificates or relevant spell knowledge, how are they supposed to find jobs to support themselves?"

She blinked meaningfully.

"People send their children to Hogwarts not just to learn about magic, but to acquire skills to make a living."

"As for that, you need not worry."

Dumbledore nodded at the woman, his smile gradually fading. He replied calmly, "I shall demonstrate it for you."

"Demonstrate what?" the man asked.

Dumbledore clasped his hands together, channeling the magic he had prepared in advance. A brilliant white light illuminated the entire conference room. In an instant, all twelve board members fell into a deep sleep.

Dumbledore stood up, humming a tune in high spirits. He couldn't be bothered to explain it to them, so he decided to let them experience the new magic he had learned for themselves. He walked to the door, thoughtfully turned up the room's temperature, extinguished the candles, and closed the door behind him.

Sigh, if only I weren't the Headmaster. I really wish I didn't have to waste time dealing with them.

I've only just finished half of the book Mr. He wrote two days ago.

Dumbledore thought with a touch of distress, preparing to return to his reclaimed office. The sleeping board members seemed of no concern to him; he acted as if he were certain they would approve of his actions once they woke up.

At that thought, he smiled.

Of course they would approve.

Harley woke up at eight. The Slytherin dormitory was located underground—or more precisely, at the bottom of the lake.

Through the windows, they could see aquatic creatures drifting through the water. Under the green glow inside the room, the atmosphere felt rather dark and mysterious. The prefect had said that a password was originally required to enter the common room, but for some reason, that rule had been abolished this year.

Harley lived alone; she had no roommates. It was said that the other girls had argued over who would get to room with her. She had no opinion on the matter. In truth, she couldn't be bothered to deal with them anyway.

"I hate green," she murmured, looking at the green curtains by her bed.

After eating, she wandered through the castle. The Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom on the fourth floor wasn't hard to find. She pushed the door open and entered; the room was spacious and bright, with desks arranged in tiers. A large silver chandelier hung from the ceiling.

Harley noticed that many first-years had already taken their seats. She didn't choose to sit with her own house, but instead scanned the crowd—she found Ron. He was slumped over a desk in the back two rows, dozing off.

Harley walked over and sat down next to him. He hadn't noticed her yet because he was still asleep on the desk. Harley tapped him, and Ron jumped up immediately. Upon realizing it was Harley, his expression turned complex: "Uh, Harley, I mean—good morning."

Harley couldn't help but laugh: "What's wrong with you? I thought we were friends."

She feigned a look of hurt.

Ron's face turned bright red again. He rubbed his face and hurriedly said, "I didn't mean that! Uh, but you're in Slytherin. I'm in Gryffindor, so, um."

He gestured wildly, trying his best to explain, but Harley just smiled and said, "So?"

Influenced by her attitude, Ron shrugged: "I guess it doesn't matter. You don't look like a typical Slytherin. My brothers say Slytherins are all people with their noses in the air who never look you in the eye."

Harley raised an eyebrow: "Watch it! You're saying that right in front of a Slytherin!"

They started chatting, and the previous awkwardness vanished in the blink of an eye. Shortly after, Hermione arrived.

She walked over and sat next to them. She seemed completely unaware that Harley was a Slytherin, greeting her with great enthusiasm. This made Ron feel uneasy again.

As the rest of the first-years arrived, the noise in the classroom grew louder. Finally, their new professor—the Mr. He who had become famous for capturing Voldemort—walked in.

He brought the chill of the corridor into the classroom, and the first-years fell silent at once. He stepped onto the podium and surveyed the room. A scroll of parchment on the lectern flew into the air and began calling the roll in a loud, clear voice.

Five minutes later, he spoke: "I am pleased to see that no one is late. My name is He Shenyan. You may call me Professor He or Mr. He."

"This is a brand-new course, and it is the key for you to knock on the door of true magic. I will not demand that you take it seriously, because learning is your own responsibility."

"But I hope you understand that watching others hold the key to truth and step through the gate, while you are left outside, is a very painful experience. Especially when you had the chance to enter that door just like them."

He spoke calmly, without much emotion. Yet, everyone held their breath, listening intently to every word.

"Now, I will distribute the textbooks. Please note that this book was written by me personally. It is made of special materials and cannot be bought outside. Therefore, if you damage or lose it, do not be afraid. Just come to me for a replacement. My office is the third room on the right on the second floor. If you have any questions, you are welcome to ask me at any time."

As soon as he finished, a thin book appeared on everyone's desk. It had a brown cover with the title Basic Theory of Magic written on it. Then, without a breeze, it flipped open to the first page on its own.

"Please read the contents of the first page carefully. I will begin asking questions in fifteen minutes. You may discuss and exchange ideas, but please keep your volume down."

With that, he left the room, leaving the quiet first-years to read their books.

Harley studied the preface intently, reciting in her heart: To learn magic, one must first understand the essence of magic.

People are born with magic to varying degrees; this miraculous power is stored in the brain. Due to individual talent, the total amount of innate magic varies. If you find that your magic is not abundant after learning meditation (page 45 of this book), do not be discouraged. These things can be changed through effort.

On the path of magic, there are no shortcuts and no room for trickery. You can only solve problems with your own hard work, seriousness, and intelligence. Most importantly, you must be earnest.

She soon became engrossed in the book. The first page was only a few hundred words, yet it detailed the origin of magic and the connection between the body, soul, and will. It explained how magic was utilized, and so on.

It wasn't until Professor He returned that she realized fifteen minutes had passed so quickly.