The waves rolled in with a whooshing sound, the heat distorted the air in the practice room, the walls around the door frame began to glow red, and the wooden door surface crackled and popped.
"Don't get agitated, we can cooperate."
The Gori says to raise your hand, and it's the same gesture, a slow and deliberate wave in the air.
The lava surge split in the middle, cascading down to the left and right sides to reveal a narrow passage in the center.
Herman gave him no chance to catch his breath. The separated lava changed shape before it hit the ground, gathering and condensing from both sides into two larger hands that simultaneously closed in from the left and right, slamming towards where Gori was standing.
But this time, the Gori didn't wait for the giant hands to close.
His body dissipated on its own, first fading from the edges, and then disappearing little by little from his feet to his head, like dust blown away by the wind.
When the two giant magma hands slammed together, they didn't trap anything in between; they only managed to slap together a wisp of drifting black mist.
The mist did not reform into a human shape after it dispersed.
Then the voice from the Gori rang out from all directions, directly into Herman's mind, clear as if the speaker were standing right in front of him, but all he saw was an empty practice room.
The voice came intermittently from around them. "You didn't tell Dumbledore about what happened on the train. You probably have a secret you don't want others to know, right?"
Herman frowned slightly when he heard this.
What the old man said is true.
I do have a secret, and it's the kind that's not easy to talk about.
The transmigrator's identity, the memories of more than twenty years of his previous life, and the original plot in his mind, although somewhat off-topic, still largely match up.
If Dumbledore found out about these things, Herman didn't know what Dumbledore would do.
Dumbledore is a Master of Legilimency, a fact clearly stated in the original text.
Although Dumbledore in the book appears upright, wise, and full of intelligence, that's just what's written in the book; it's the side the author wants readers to see.
Now I live in the real world, and I'm facing the real Dumbledore. A real person can never be summarized by just one aspect.
Why should I risk my life to create a character in a book?
So from the day he learned that this world belonged to Harry Potter, he had been deliberately keeping his distance from Dumbledore. His slightly unfriendly behavior during their first meeting was also because he didn't want to attract Dumbledore's attention, even though his identity buffs were fully stacked.
Herman, however, adhered to the principle of avoiding going to the Headmaster's Office and meeting alone whenever possible. When Flitwick recommended that he consult Dumbledore, he didn't take it to heart until Flitwick made an appointment for him to go to the Headmaster's Office.
He originally thought this would ensure his safety, since the protagonist of this world was Neville, the Son of the Champion, and the Harry Potter story unfolded from Neville's perspective, so how much interaction could he, Slytherin student from an orphanage, possibly have?
As a result, he inexplicably became the Child of Prophecy, and probably became a supporting character in an important subplot.
"Therefore, we can have new ways of communication, or rather, a new model of cooperation."
The voices in the Gori came from all directions, carrying the confidence of someone who had revealed their hand at the negotiating table.
Herman spread his consciousness, scanning the entire practice room.
He carefully searched every corner—the mannequins, the crucible, the long table, the sink, the walls, the ceiling—but found no trace of the Gori.
The old man's voice seemed to come from outside a dream, as if through something, yet it could be heard perfectly clearly.
Unable to find anyone, Herman could only speak to the air.
"What mode?"
"Since I can't control you, then let's cooperate. After all, the Prophecy indicates that only you can end the bloodline curse, so the sooner you begin your research on the Bloodline Curse, the sooner I can fulfill my long-cherished wish."
"Why should I?" Herman withdrew the lava beneath his feet, the stone floor solidified again, and the practice room returned to normal temperature. "I still have so much to finish: Transfiguration, Charms, Potions Class, Herbology —I can't fall behind on any of them. Besides, I have no interest in Vampire or anything like that."
The voice in the Gori paused for a beat, then resumed, carrying a confident tone.
"I can teach you magic. Some amazing magic that Hogwarts doesn't have, or magic that you desperately need and are interested in."
"For example," Herman said in a flat tone, not believing that a Vampire could offer anything more worthwhile than the Hogwarts curriculum.
There were no pauses in the Gori; they were probably waiting for him to ask that question.
"For example, how to keep secrets, prevent others from invading your mind, and how to prevent your dreams from being invaded."
Herman opened his mouth, wanting to refute, but couldn't find the right words for a moment.
It's a strange feeling, like a robber who just broke into your house through a window, got beaten up by you, then got up, dusted himself off, pulled out a catalog of security doors from his pocket, and asked if you wanted to install a security door.
But you know what, this security door is actually surprisingly effective.
What happened today is the best example.
If the Gori can penetrate his dreams, then other dark wizards, dark creatures, and even Dumbledore could theoretically use similar methods to peer into his memories.
If you learn how to lock your mind, you can defend yourself against Legilimency in the future.
Herman silently weighed the options in his mind.
One is the risk of revealing one's identity as a time traveler, and the other is the benefit of learning Occlumency.
If the former is not resolved, it will become a ticking time bomb sooner or later; if the latter can be controlled, at least the fuse of this bomb can be extinguished.
"Sure, what do you want?" Herman asked.
The voice in the Gori chuckled, "I want you to study hard, and of course, start your research as soon as possible, like dissecting Vampire Monster, how about that?"
The next morning, Herman was awakened by his own biological clock.
When he opened his eyes, the lake on the magical ceiling above him was already bathed in the morning light, and the emerald green ripples were a shade brighter than usual, indicating that it was later than his usual wake-up time.
He lay on the bed and checked his physical condition. His shoulders didn't ache, his legs didn't feel heavy, his mind was clear, and even his fingertips felt strangely energetic.
It's like I was given anesthesia last night and entered a deep sleep, without any dreams, and my body is rebooting.
However, the truth is that he did have a dream, and it was an extremely rich dream, or rather, he made a deal with the Gori in the form of a dream.
Herman rolled over, put his arm behind his head, and stared at the ceiling for a while.
Leaving aside the final deal, we fought two rounds with Gori beforehand, involving lava, giant hands, and armored warriors. It was quite a lively affair, but surprisingly, I didn't feel tired at all when I woke up this morning.