Hearing Professor Sprout's words, Char's eyes also showed surprise. The original books did mention that Gryffindor left his sword for truly brave students, and Slytherin left behind the Chamber of Secrets. However, there was no mention of Helga Hufflepuff leaving a similar design. But thinking about it carefully, it made sense. It seemed illogical that only Gryffindor and Slytherin would leave something behind for their students, while Ms. Hufflepuff, who was the most tolerant, generous, and sharing, would leave nothing. It seemed the original story simply hadn't covered this aspect. And even if a Hufflepuff student had obtained her inheritance, with the low-key character of the house, they wouldn't have made a big fuss about it like the heirs of Gryffindor or Slytherin. It was normal that it wasn't mentioned.
Looking at the mysterious door before him, Char took a deep breath. Since his aunt had let him in, and she looked so happy, he guessed there shouldn't be any danger, and there might even be some benefits. Helga Hufflepuff was a wizard standing at the pinnacle of the wizarding world. According to the system's rating, her magic should have reached the third level of sublimation. This was a world of difference from Char, who could only briefly achieve the second level of legendary power when he was on the verge of death by relying on the characteristic of Unyielding Force.
A hint of anticipation appeared in Char's eyes. He took a step forward and walked through the door. A moment later, the door closed behind him. He suddenly had a feeling similar to entering the Room of Requirement. However, what appeared before him was a room somewhat similar to the public lounge—not fancy, but warm and comfortable. As soon as he stepped into it, he felt a sense of safety and relaxation.
On the opposite wall hung a full-length portrait. A kind and amiable woman sat in the frame, holding a golden cup and looking at Char with a smile.
"Oh," she said, her voice warm and melodious. "Years have passed. Another student is here. Let me see... My dear, your name is Char, right? Char Sprout. Sprout is an ancient surname. I still remember the first time I met your ancestor. You've already triggered the rules I designed in your first year, dear Char. It seems you're a child of excellent character."
Char looked at the kind woman. Needless to say, everyone knew this was the founder of Hufflepuff, Helga Hufflepuff.
"Miss," he said respectfully, "it's an honor to meet you."
Ms. Hufflepuff smiled. "He's a polite little gentleman. I'm very happy to see such an outstanding little one, even though I only have one portrait left. Come on, it's our first meeting. Don't be nervous. Would you like a drink?"
Then, Ms. Hufflepuff snapped her fingers, and golden cups and plates appeared on the table, along with a transparent crystal jug filled with something purple-red that looked like wine.
A strange look appeared in Char's eyes. "This is... Transfiguration? But Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration states you can't create food and water."
Ms. Hufflepuff was even happier when she heard this. "Merlin, behold! The kids in our house have also made great progress. A first-year student knows about Gamp's exceptions to Transfiguration. I bet many Gryffindors may not know this even in their fifth or seventh year! Kid, you're a genius!"
Char looked confused. He always felt that this Hufflepuff lady was a little too indulgent towards her students. It felt like she liked her own child no matter what he did and had to praise him for everything.
At this time, Ms. Hufflepuff explained, "Don't worry, I don't have the ability to overturn the foundations of Gamp's Law. This isn't a Transfiguration spell. I'm just taking out the magical wine I stored at Hogwarts. Preserved in a specially crafted container and with magic, it has survived thousands of years without decaying. It possesses a richness and fragrance that surpasses all others. It even has some unique effects."
As Ms. Hufflepuff spoke, the crystal glass on the table floated up and poured out a small glass of the purple-red liquid. A strange fragrance then filled the air. After smelling this scent, an expression of disbelief appeared in Char's eyes. On his system panel, his magical strength, magical perception, and even his legendary life and legendary power were all a little brighter than before.
"This is?!"
Seeing Char's expression, Ms. Hufflepuff also showed a bit of satisfaction and pride on her face. "My skills in brewing fine wine and cooking delicious food are not inferior to those of some potion masters. Add to that a thousand years of brewing, and this wine is pretty good, right? It can increase physical strength and develop magical talents. After all, us Hufflepuffs mature late. After a drink, our talents will be revealed early. But the effect of this wine is also very strong. The students who drank it before had to sleep soundly for at least several days. I remember one even slept for almost a month. So don't drink too much. Come on, kid, drink it. The future will be better."
Under the watchful eyes of Ms. Hufflepuff, Char no longer hesitated. Just the smell of this wine could cause such a reaction on his system panel. If he drank it, the benefits should be even greater. He tilted his head back and drank the wine in the glass in one gulp.
Then, accompanied by a heat that spread from his abdomen, an unprecedentedly wonderful taste began to penetrate every inch of his flesh and blood. On the system panel, in his platinum-level magic perception, the color of platinum was becoming visibly richer. The change in his gold-level magic power intensity was even more obvious, the golden light shining brightly, with strands of platinum light beginning to spread within it. This change alone was enough to make Char feel the magic of the wine brewed by a Hufflepuff lady.
But what caught his attention even more were his legendary life and legendary power, which had been sublimated once. After one sublimation, the improvement of these two abilities had become slower and slower. After all, from the first sublimation to the second, it was a qualitative change, and the difficulty was probably several times higher than upgrading them from the legendary level. But now, under the influence of this wonderful wine, the growth of these two abilities, while not obvious, was indeed growing at an imperceptible speed.
At this time, Ms. Hufflepuff had been prepared for Char to fall into a deep sleep under the effects of the wine. But what she didn't expect was that he looked remarkably lucid and even seemed a little unsatisfied. This made her show a happy expression after a moment. "You have a nice physique, kid. It's a good thing to be able to eat. Our house is small, so we have to eat more."
Then, without any hesitation or reluctance, Ms. Hufflepuff filled his glass again. Char hesitated for a moment, but before he could speak, Ms. Hufflepuff said with a loving look on her face, "Don't worry. Drink as much as you can. It's okay even if we drink all the liquor here today. Before I died, I arranged that the liquor here would accumulate every year. Based on the frequency with which students came here in the past, it might take decades for even one person to come. Even if we drink it all, we can still have another small cup when the next student comes. Resources and the like need to be used. Just like making delicious food, if you don't eat it, then even the best food is wasted. Drink, my child, drink to your heart's content."
Char's eyes showed gratitude. He made no excuses. After all, it was something that could have such an effect on him now. Apart from the light balls rewarded by the system, there were really not many things left that could do this. Such an opportunity was impossible to refuse. He picked up the glass again and drank it all.
Accompanied by the heat surging again, on his system panel, those abilities continued to improve. Compared to the first time he drank, the effect was slightly weaker, but it was still very impressive. After Char finished his glass, Ms. Hufflepuff saw that he still showed no signs of getting drunk and continued to fill his glass one after another. In the end, she didn't even leave the last drop of wine in the crystal bottle, giving it all to Char.
At this time, Char couldn't help but let out a long hiccup, feeling a little hazy. But when his eyes fell on the system panel, the excitement immediately dispelled the slight drunkenness. The radiance of his legendary life and legendary power had increased slightly, visible to the naked eye. Although it was still insignificant compared to the progress of the second sublimation, on the road from legend to myth, this kind of progress was already very impressive. The extent of the improvement was not small. If he hadn't drunk so much of the wine, Char didn't know how much effort he would have had to put in to improve so much.
In addition, the platinum light on the words "magic perception ability" was even brighter, saving him the time of harvesting the goldfish spider plant two or three times. But what made Char most happy was the change in his magic power intensity. The original golden-level words had been mostly covered by platinum light. It was only one step away from truly being upgraded to the platinum level. Char even had a feeling that if he triggered the water-holding effect, he could rely on this ability to drive a breakthrough in his magic power and temporarily reach the platinum level. This was of great significance to him. His biggest weakness was his magic power, and it could be filled in temporarily, at least half a year earlier than he had estimated.
After these changes came into view, even Char couldn't hide his joy. He looked at Ms. Hufflepuff, just about to thank her, when he saw her looking at him with a very strange expression.
"No one has ever been able to drink a whole jug of my wine without getting drunk. Once, a giant stole half a pot from me. When I found it, it was almost drunk to death. The next time it woke up, it was three years later. Not to mention, this has been brewing for a thousand years. I'm afraid it could really make several giants drunk to death. Kid, you didn't react at all. This can't be explained by a special physique... unless..."
Ms. Hufflepuff's gaze grew intense. "You have the blood of the Titans?!"
Char paused. So far, it seemed there were quite a few beings who believed he was related to the Titans. The troll shaman, the North Sea giant monster... they were all so sure he had the blood of the Titans flowing in his body. He didn't expect that now, Ms. Hufflepuff also had such a misunderstanding. But why was she so excited about the Titan bloodline?
As this question flashed through his mind, in the portrait, Ms. Hufflepuff finally calmed down. She apologized. "I hope I didn't scare you, kid. I never thought that the bloodline that the four of us were searching for a thousand years ago would appear before me a thousand years later. It's truly an incredible thing. Even in our time, the Age of Olympus was a complete legend, and the Titans' bloodline had long since died out. I did find a Kraken in the North Sea and was thinking of bringing it back to Hogwarts to raise. But this guy was too cunning, and his bloodline was too thin. It wasn't worth the effort. After that, we all gave up hope, believing that as time went on, the Titan bloodline would only become thinner and thinner, or even never appear again. I didn't expect that I would actually see you today. It's a miracle!"
While speaking, Ms. Hufflepuff couldn't help but get excited again. "To be able to behave like this at your age shows that your Titan bloodline is very strong." She took a deep breath, a serious expression on her face, and asked him a question he hadn't expected. "Child, have you learned the Patronus Charm by now?"
Char paused, then nodded.
Ms. Hufflepuff's expression suddenly tensed. But after hearing Char say that his Patronus had not yet taken shape and could only release a wisp of silver smoke from the tip of his wand, she finally breathed a sigh of relief. Then, she made a request. "If you can, I hope that you, Char, will try your best to condense a higher level of Patronus. The higher, the better."
Char looked puzzled. From the information he had received before, the image of the Patronus depended on the wizard's own personality and consciousness. There seemed to be no distinction between high and low levels.
Ms. Hufflepuff seemed to know what he wanted to say. She curled her lips. "For wizards who don't pursue the ultimate in magic, a Patronus certainly doesn't have any level to speak of. It's merely a manifestation of their inner will. If it's not used to fight Dementors, then it's only useful for delivering mail. But to say that there are no different levels of guardian spirits is truly deceiving oneself. If you put a free-range chicken guardian and a phoenix guardian, a loach guardian and a basilisk guardian together, even a squib would be able to tell which is more powerful, right? In our time, the Patronus was an important part of evaluating a wizard. The rarer and more powerful the condensed Patronus is, in a sense, it also means that the wizard can reach a higher level. Also, it may have some special effects."
At this, Char couldn't help but think of Dumbledore's Patronus Charm, which he had witnessed firsthand. The sight of the silver phoenix flapping its wings was truly stunning. In the original story, other people's Patronuses, even the Patronus of the savior Harry Potter, only emitted a silver light. But wherever Dumbledore's Phoenix Patronus passed, the silver light was like fire, boiling and surging. Its atmosphere was indeed incomparable. Could this be the special thing about a strong Patronus that Ms. Hufflepuff mentioned?
Seeing his expression, Ms. Hufflepuff nodded slightly. "It seems you've seen similar Patronuses before. It's your headmaster, the kid called Dumbledore, right? He's truly a genius. He's come much further than I did back then, even further than the other three founders. I know his Patronus. It's the Phoenix. It's comparable to Salazar's Basilisk Patronus, and slightly better."
Then, in her voice, a hint of yearning and passion emerged. "But whether it's a phoenix, a basilisk, a horned snake, or even a kraken, although they are all extremely powerful guardian images, according to legend, there is another kind of guardian deity that is far superior. Back then, the four of us, not even the most talented and ambitious Salazar, had the chance to obtain it." She stared at Char and spoke word by word. "That's the myth. In the Age of Olympus, those beings who were worshipped as gods—the Titans. As guardian gods, their strength and uniqueness far surpass those of the Phoenix and the Basilisk. Even one of the ambitions behind the creation of the Patronus Charm was to recreate the glory of the Olympian era, to unite the Titans with one's will and bring the gods back. Otherwise, why is the spell called 'Expecto Patronum'? The gods to be called upon are the Titans!"
Listening to the information revealed by Ms. Hufflepuff, Char's heart was filled with turmoil. Dumbledore, Herpo's notebook, and now the portrait left by Ms. Hufflepuff—all of these top wizards in the history of the wizarding world, without exception, demonstrated the importance of the Patronus Charm. This spell really seemed to be related to some of the most hidden secrets in the wizarding world. Will. This spell was related to will, and willpower was one of the most important factors in magic. Whether it was the Big Four, Herpo in ancient Greece, or Dumbledore today, they had all reached the pinnacle of wizardry and were in pursuit of the mythical level of the Olympian era. But it seemed at the moment that none of these amazing wizards had succeeded. Could it be related to what Ms. Hufflepuff had said? The level of Patronus condensed by the Patronus Charm could, in a sense, represent the upper limit of a wizard. To reach the mythical level in the field of magic, was it necessary to condense the image of a guardian god comparable to the Titans? If so, then Char really couldn't be in a hurry to gather his Patronus. Although if he continued to develop in the directions of legendary life and legendary power, it was possible that his physical body could enter the mythical realm. But if it was possible, who would be willing to give up magic in the world of Harry Potter? In this way, the Patronus Charm was something he really needed to think about carefully.
At this time, Ms. Hufflepuff looked at Char and continued, "We have all failed in our pursuit of such a Patronus. But you have one thing we don't have: the blood of the Titans. The formation of the Patronus's image is related to things that are closely related to you. Salazar's wand used the horn of a basilisk as its core, and his family is inextricably linked to the basilisk. So when his Patronus took shape, it was logical that it would be the basilisk. Now that child called Dumbledore... I know this family. Those who are dependent among them are often accompanied by a phoenix. It is only natural to have the phoenix as the patron saint. And you, Char, you have the blood of the Titans. It is possible to use a Titan as a patron saint."
In the portrait, Ms. Hufflepuff, who had been sitting, had stood up without him noticing. Then, a scene that surprised Char appeared. A layer of dazzling silver light emerged from the portrait. A badger, like the one on the Hogwarts coat of arms, crawled out of the portrait. Ms. Hufflepuff's voice rang out. "Don't be afraid, child. This is my Patronus, which I left in the portrait using a special method. It is because of this that my portrait can communicate smoothly with people and preserve some of my memories and knowledge from my lifetime. I kept it just in case, for the moment when I might need it."
Char frowned, a little confused about what she meant. But the next moment, he saw the silver badger, and it was as if flames were burning all over its body. Pure silver light flowed out from it. Ms. Hufflepuff's voice grew erratic. "Child, it is almost impossible for human will to condense a myth into a guardian deity. The only way this can happen is if a wizard very, very close to the myth voluntarily gives up his Patronus, using it to transform into nutrients and nourish new hope. That's the only way there's a chance."
Char's pupils suddenly contracted. Only then did he realize what Ms. Hufflepuff was about to do. "Wait—Ms. Hufflepuff?!"
He really couldn't understand it. Was it necessary to go this far? After discovering that he had the potential to condense a mythical guardian god, Ms. Hufflepuff was just going to burn her Patronus? According to her, after the Patronus burned, her last remaining will in the world would also dissipate, and this portrait would become completely ordinary. Was it worth it?
Ms. Hufflepuff sighed softly. "Child, my will will not dissipate. Since the founding of Hogwarts, my will has been passed down in the best possible way. Even if there is special magic on the portrait that can slow down the dissipation of my will, after a thousand years, the power of this guardian deity has long since faded. Rather than continue to waste away, it is better to use it to create hope for the wizarding world. Hold your breath and feel the Titan blood flowing in your flesh!"
As soon as the words fell, on the silver badger, the flames burned even more fiercely. Pure silver smoke gathered towards Char. Silver smoke involuntarily gushed out from the tp of his wand, and it felt as if it had been nourished, beginning to grow at a very fast pace. It seemed like something was brewing.
Char sighed. He knew his own situation. He didn't have any Titan blood at all. Ms. Hufflepuff's hope of forging a Patronus of mythical proportions was likely to be disappointed.
But a moment later, an idea came to him. The piece of World Tree root that he had obtained emerged in his mind. The connection to mythology? Does the World Tree count? The roots of the World Tree, the son of the Fire God, the silver cup of Demeter... these are the mythical items I have currently obtained. It seems they are all closely related to the mythical World Tree. It's just a guardian... can it be a plant? How about... I give it a try?
Immediately, Char closed his eyes. Following Ms. Hufflepuff's instructions, he tried hard to recall the vague connection between himself and the roots of the World Tree, and the feeling of the roots being as heavy as a mountain that he had felt in the secret vault of the Ministry of Magic.
The next moment, in the silver smoke that emerged from the tip of his wand, something strange happened suddenly. It should have been an illusory silver smoke, but it seemed to have weight. The weight of a mountain was pressing down on Char as he tried to use the World Tree as his guardian.
Click.
In an instant, Char half-knelt on the ground. His skin and flesh were torn, and blood splattered like a stream. Even Ms. Hufflepuff was stunned by this scene. "This... how is this possible? How can gathering a Patronus cause harm to the body? Char, you have to stop!"
At this time, in Char's eyes, the flames that were already covering the silver badger's body were reflected. This flame seemed impossible to extinguish. The badger's body was covered with sores, and even Ms. Hufflepuff's voice was intermittent. Char could feel the purifying power coming from the badger continuously flowing into his body, serving as his nourishment, nourishing his guardian spirit.
For a moment, a conspiracy theory flashed through his mind. Maybe this is some kind of possession, like in the fantasy novels I read in my previous life? Perhaps there is some calculation of Ms. Hufflepuff's behind this? But he could clearly feel that there was nothing. Nothing. This was a gift entirely from the founder of his house. She had selflessly given the last drop of wine to him, and now, even her will was burning, serving as nourishment for this student whom she had just met once. Ms. Hufflepuff had never made any demands on him; she was completely devoted.
This made Char take a deep breath. He didn't like trouble or risk, but when faced with this, he had no choice. At the very least, he couldn't let Ms. Hufflepuff's sacrifice go to waste.
The next moment, there was a crackling sound. Char raised his head, his voice firm. "Ms. Hufflepuff—continue. I can still hold on."
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