What is magic?

Magic, spells, gestures, emotions, thoughts, knowledge, magic wands, beliefs...

As the research deepened, Felix eliminated unnecessary elements step by step, and got closer and closer to the essence of magic. At a certain moment, Felix had this idea that magic is the basis for the existence of all incredible phenomena and the source of miracles, while the heart points out the direction of miracles.

When the two are combined, people can make their wishes come true.

The magic riot of the little wizards is the closest to this description. They have not mastered advanced spells, but under the guidance of strong emotions, in other words, a kind of spiritual power, they have completed advanced spells that many wizards cannot do in their lifetime.

Of course, this refers to the complexity of the operation of magic, not the power.

When the little wizards entered school, they began to systematically learn how to control magic and how to mobilize magic so that magic can be used at will. This is actually a transformation from instinct to skill, and a process from wildness to rationality.

Magic naturally constitutes a part of the wizard's cognition.

What will happen if this part of cognition is destroyed one day?

The scene happening in front of us seems to give the answer.

Felix stared at the hysterical Professor Bubbage. From his perspective, the magic in the professor's body was the most messed up thing he had ever seen before, like a ball of wool that was torn apart randomly. But he was sure that she was definitely not a Squib.

There was a real Squib living in Hogwarts School. His name was Argus Filch, and he was the administrator of the castle. Felix's eyes quickly glanced outside the crowd. Filch was standing at the door of the administrator's office next to the entrance hall. The sound of the magic phonograph came from the crack of the door that was not closed tightly.

He was holding a bunch of keys in his hand and looked stunned. Mrs. Norris was wrapped around his feet.

Felix retracted his gaze and he got confirmation from Filch again. The magic in their bodies was completely different. Squibs certainly had magic, but they could hardly play any role, and because they had never been trained, they were not as good as the normal little wizards in terms of quantity and quality. The magic in their bodies was extremely lazy, like a quiet pool of water... or more accurately, like a lifeless puddle.

"Professor McGonagall, it's better to take Professor Bubbage to the school hospital and let Madam Pomfrey check her out. She may have been hit by an unpopular curse." Felix reminded. This was of course an excuse, but some things didn't need to be made public.

He couldn't give an accurate conclusion now. Instead of saying half of it and letting students guess, he might as well keep his mouth shut for the time being.

After all, half-knowledge is no different from catching wind and shadows. They are basically a breeding ground for rumors.

Professor Bubbage heard this in a trance, as if grasping the last straw, and said in a panic: "Yes, it's a curse! Those books I brought back from the Muggle world have messed up my mind! Oh, my God! Every word on them contains a vicious curse..."

A loud inhalation sounded in the hallway.

"Muggle books contain curses?" A student asked in a low voice.

"It's possible. My mother told me to stay away from everything Muggle." Another student said seriously.

"Nonsense!" Hermione said arrogantly. The man stared at her, and when he saw the prefect badge hanging on her chest, he turned his face away unconvinced, muttering softly, "My mother said so."

"Caridi, let's go to the school hospital, you will definitely recover." Professor McGonagall said softly.

But Professor Bubbage just kept repeating these words, occasionally stopping to sniff hard. Felix shook his head slightly, his eyes flickering, and Professor Bubbage, who was close to collapse, slowly fell into Professor McGonagall's arms and lost consciousness.

The crowd was terribly quiet, as if the words she had just said were still floating in the air, turning into a terrifying creature and stalking them.

Felix had to say loudly, "Everyone!" His voice spread far away, and the students present looked at him blankly. Even the professors who came over looked at him at the same time, hoping to get an answer.

It was because the news revealed by Professor Burbage was too shocking: a normal wizard turned into a squib? This had never happened before.

"There is something wrong with Professor Burbage's body, there is no doubt about that, the reason is not clear yet, so I need you to stay calm." He spoke calmly, slowly moving his eyes, covering the people present, and radiating a convincing power from the inside out.

"I don't want you to forget my other two identities, Muggle research expert and memory therapist, so Professor Burbage's trouble happens to be my area of ​​expertise. Instead of thinking about it, you might as well ask me, of course, after the consultation."

He gave Professor McGonagall a look, she understood, and hurriedly left with Professor Burbage with her wand, and several professors followed. Snape stood by the wall, his black eyes turned, and he also walked towards the direction of the school hospital.

The students looked at each other

. "Oh oh" Justin Finch-Fletchley suddenly shouted, scaring everyone, and his companion next to him quickly dodged to the side, patting his chest exaggeratedly. "I remember that there may be cursed items in the Muggle world, but they all came from the wizarding world. Professor Hepp even helped me check a vase made by goblins!"

"Is that true?" asked his friend Susan Bones.

"I can testify to that." Ernie Macmillan, a Hufflepuff student who had just been frightened, said seriously, trying to save his image.

The frozen air in the entrance hall melted, and the discussion became heated. Many young wizards crowded around Justin to hear more clearly.

...

The school hospital was crowded with people.

Almost all professors came after hearing the news. There were many students standing closely together under the school hospital. Professor McGonagall had to go outside every few minutes to maintain discipline and make the noisy students shut up and not make trouble.

Some people, such as Hermione and Ron, were drafted and ran back and forth in the corridor. In a chaotic atmosphere, Madam Pomfrey completed the inspection.

"This is simply the strangest patient I have ever seen. Everything about her body is normal, except for her magic. This situation is often the most difficult to deal with. I can cure her even if she loses an arm." She kept shaking her head, revealing a puzzled expression. "I can't judge, but it should not be a squib, but this symptom..."

There was another noise outside. Professor McGonagall stood up with her chest heaving violently: "Those students can't look after the time! I must deduct points from them!" She rushed to the door angrily, opened the door, and stood outside a tall and thin wizard.

Professor McGonagall breathed a sigh of relief, "You are finally here, Dumbledore. Caridi..."

"I know everything." Dumbledore nodded at her, first looking around, his eyes seemed to have magic, calming the professor's restlessness, then he strode to the bedside, bent down to check Professor Caridi's condition, his silver-white beard dragged on the bedsheets.

After a long time, he straightened up, with a hint of confusion in his eyes. "I can conclude that she has not become a Squib, and of course it is not a curse."

"Principal Dumbledore, is it possible to be an Obscurus? I have read about it in the book, and the characteristics are very similar to the magic in her body," asked Madam Pomfrey.

"Absolutely not." Dumbledore said firmly.

He looked at the others present. Professor Flitwick said sharply, "I didn't find any hidden spells." Snape stood in the corner and said expressionlessly, "It's not the effect of the potion either." Professor Sprout also said, "She hasn't been in contact with plants like sneezeweed and scurvy recently."

"Maybe it's not the effect of magic." Trelawney, wearing a pair of large glasses, poked her head out from behind Professor Sinistra of Astronomy and Professor Grubbly-Plank, the substitute professor of Care of Magical Creatures, and looked in the direction of the bed. "

Thank you, Sibyl." Dumbledore said briefly.

He looked at Felix, who had just opened his eyes and had a strange expression on his face on the other side of the bed, and asked softly, "How are you communicating with Charity?" Several professors in the ward opened their eyes wide and stared at Felix's face, trying to see something.

Felix hesitated for a moment, "Albus, you'd better see it for yourself."

Dumbledore met his gaze calmly, his blue eyes dazed for a moment under the half-circle glasses, and then he found himself in a colorful and strange world: he couldn't tell up from down, left from right, and there was no place to stand under his feet. The surroundings were empty and dark, as if he was in the universe. Dumbledore looked around with interest. The winding double helix structure formed a series of golden stairs, extending from the near to the end of the infinite sight. Then a large area of ​​blue light balls radiated bright white electric currents like lightning, filling the only part of the gap. The gold and blue were intertwined but distinct, forming a large area of ​​dim light and shadow at the edge of contact.

"This is..." Dumbledore said slowly.

"Professor Bubbage's dream." Felix answered briefly.

As they were talking, a familiar voice came from somewhere. It was Caridi Burbagi. Her voice was much more ethereal than usual, with an echo, as if it came from the wilderness. Her tone was full of confusion and fear, coming from all directions: "Why... why is there no place for magic..."

Dumbledore's expression was solemn, and he began to explain: "Caridi had an accident during the summer vacation. She visited more than a dozen Muggle biologists in succession. The last time, she was very emotional. Maybe she had problems with her body at that time. The wand issued a warning to her, but unfortunately the Muggle professor she was talking to suspected that she was hiding a gun, rushed up to knock her out, and then called the police. When I brought her out, she became absent-minded..."

"Minerva told me about this." Felix showed a reminiscing expression: "At the International Conference on Muggle Studies two years ago, Professor Burbage showed her curiosity about biological knowledge, but the content of her research at the time was very basic, probably similar to the level of levitation spell in the first grade? Her lecture was interrupted due to an accident. At that time, the students of Ilvermorny attacked the Bustles Hotel... Since then, I have rarely paid attention to her research field and progress, but obviously Professor Burbage has not given up. Her research has become more and more in-depth in the past two years."

Dumbledore stared at Charity Burbage's strange dream, "She can't understand the new knowledge?"

"It's worse than that. She understands it, but can't incorporate it into her existing cognition." Felix said.

Dumbledore pondered for a moment, ignoring the erratic voice of Professor Bubbagh around, "Is it another system? A conflict with magic?"

"Magic and science," Felix said softly, "the two are like two circles. Over the past thousands of years, each has developed a completely different system. If you compare them: magic is emotional and changeable; science is rational and rigorous. The two are becoming increasingly distinct from each other, forming two brilliant flowers of civilization..."

"But unfortunately, our Professor Bubbagh accidentally discovered the intersection of the two," Dumbledore said with emotion.

"That's it," Felix said, "Her cognition is too biased towards wizards. As a wizard, she is undoubtedly qualified, but on the other hand, forgive me for being blunt, her scientific literacy is pitiful, but she wants to use the wisdom accumulated from life to understand another logically rigorous behemoth, which is hard to avoid problems."

"I see." Dumbledore exhaled lightly and looked at the dream in front of him, "Now that we know the reason, it becomes simple to solve the troubles of Caridi. There may be more than one way. Let Caridi choose the specific one after we go out."

Felix nodded, he also thought of it.

The most direct way is to let Caridi Burbagi forget this memory, and then treat her as a new little wizard and re-sort out her magic. The whole process is not difficult, of course, she may not be happy.

Another method is more difficult. Without erasing the memory, she must accept magic again under interference and consolidate her cognition.

But no matter what, Dumbledore must warn her not to contact this kind of "dangerous" knowledge in the short term.

Felix felt a little regretful, because his Christmas present had not been given out yet, but he didn't dare to give her anything related to the Muggle world now, because who knows if it would touch her nerves. This incident also alerted him. He had been secretly promoting the integration of the wizard world and the ordinary world in the past, but now it seems that he still has a long way to go.

Perhaps a buffer zone should be established between the two, between openness and closure, and careful choices should be made...

limited openness? Felix pondered.

Dumbledore sighed, "She should be the wizard who has studied this knowledge to the extreme in hundreds of years."

"She is indeed a pioneer." Felix agreed.

"What about you?"

"Me?"

"Your achievements in the field of Muggle Research are equally admirable," Dumbledore said softly, "I have read your book, which contains a considerable amount of... scientific knowledge, and as far as I know: what a person can express through language is only a small part of his wisdom." "

Do you think that my research is more in-depth than Professor Bubbage's?"

"This is also what puzzles me the most. You seem to have never been troubled by this? And you can apply this concept to the company you founded. It is said that a considerable part of the expenditure of Future World Company is used to purchase Muggle items, but these employees are not like Caridi... Well, the only difference I can think of is the different research fields." Dumbledore said in a tone of exploring the problem.

"There are indeed reasons for this." Felix said, "The development strategy I formulated for the company, at least the initial research direction is to absorb the concepts and uses of Muggle technology products, and then try to replace them with magic. I did not require them to master the principles, and the most important point is" he counted on his fingers: "mechanical structure, physics, chemistry... these concepts are either already known by wizards themselves, or are still blank, and there is no serious conflict with their cognition. Professor Bubbage is different. She has already touched on the most essential and intense issues." "

As for me, I am not affected. I think it may be related to my background. This makes me have awe of both magic and science, and I don't think I can easily control the power of both by myself." Felix said. Dumbledore

smiled: "Ah, I have a wonderful association. Just like what you said in the recruitment advertisement in the newspaper, what kind of sparks will be produced by the combination of Muggle wisdom and magic?"

"Yes, I will wait and see."

"You are too modest, Felix. If I were to find a word to describe it, I would say: remarkable results." Dumbledore said. In the dream, Caridi's voice was sometimes strong and sometimes weak, as if he had been wandering in the dream, searching over and over again.

"Genes... information... evolution... why is there no place for magic here?"

"Have you thought about how to deal with this problem?" Dumbledore asked thoughtfully.

Felix magically understood what Dumbledore meant: Dumbledore did not ask for the answer itself, that was unrealistic, and it was not something that could be answered immediately. He just wanted to know, if wizards and ordinary people are destined to merge, then how to deal with this kind of conflict of thoughts and concepts.

"I didn't think about it before." Felix said bluntly.

"What about now?"

"I have some ideas!"

Dumbledore looked at Felix with a smile. Felix seemed to have an illusion, as if he had returned to three years ago, they were sitting in the round principal's office, and he was undergoing a serious interview, not discussing problems in a professor's weird dream.

"In the short term, magic is magic, science is science, and a buffer zone is artificially drawn to give each other enough time to adapt." He said seriously.

The voices in the dream suddenly quieted down, as if Professor Bubbage's subconscious mind was also listening attentively. The surroundings were terribly quiet. The blue light ball and the golden double helix structure separated little by little, revealing a large black area in the middle.

"Limit the communication to a certain range?" Dumbledore nodded, "Not a bad idea, then who will be the bridge in the middle?"

Felix hesitated for a moment, but still expressed his thoughts: "The Ministry of Magic did this unintentionally before, and now Future World Company is actively promoting it. In the future, all the little wizards from Muggle families will work together..."

Dumbledore did not comment, but just said: "Let's go out first, the people outside should be waiting anxiously... Speaking of which, I wonder if Caridi will have a chance to be on the Chocolate Frog card? What will her introduction be?"

"It's really exciting."