ALL NOVEL Chapter 19: Magic or Concept
[After Professor McGonagall's farewell, Harry began his first true seclusion. He persuaded the Dursleys to request a school leave until he entered Hogwarts, claiming that the family would be going on a trip. This was easy, considering that Harry was the best student in the school.]
[Now, he found himself in his room. With a wave, he pulled out all 187 books he had purchased from his emerald necklace. Faced with that sight, Harry was left speechless. With his fortune and thirst for magical knowledge, It was impossible that only this amount of books could satisfy your appetite.]
[However, a doubt haunted him: why did the Flourish and Blotts bookstore, in Diagon Alley, the main economic center of the magical world, only have that amount of useful books? When reviewing the titles of the other books, his expression became strange. Books like "My Secret Romance with a Veela" and "Ten Ways to Deceive Dementors" dominated the collection, while the truly useful ones were a minority.]
[Harry, however, was clever. Even without anyone telling him, he understood what was happening. The truly valuable books on magic theory and forbidden spells were in the hands of powerful wizarding families, or rather, the 28 pure-blood sacred families.]
[This didn't surprise him; after all, the best resources have always been concentrated in the hands of the noble and powerful. Even so, he pushed that thought aside, aware that reflecting on it would change nothing.]
[Harry was different from the wizards his age. While most would begin practicing magic immediately, he set aside the spellbooks and started with those on the History of Magic. He believed that building a solid foundation was essential, and knowing history would help him form his own view of magic.]
[Among the various spells he possessed, one allowed him to enhance the function of the left side of his brain, stimulating the cranial nerves and increasing blood flow to the areas responsible for logical and linguistic reasoning. This effect generated a controlled warming of the brain, speeding up his reading and comprehension abilities.]
[With this magic, he could read a regular book in no more than two hours. With 187 books at his disposal and dedicating 16 hours a day to reading, he would finish the task in just over 23 days, still having almost two weeks left before the departure of the Hogwarts Express.]
[However, Harry overestimated the skills of wizarding authors. Upon opening his first History of Magic book, he closed it after just 50 minutes, wearing a monotone expression. Why did it feel like he was reading a children's book?!!]
[Except for some unknown wizarding concepts, the book was filled with simple words, lacking anything obscure or profound. Some parts seemed to merely fill space, and Harry automatically ignored them. Distrustful, he continued reading the theoretical books.]
[As days passed, Harry fell into a sort of discouragement. He wondered if he should have followed Professor McGonagall's advice. In just five days, he not only read all the History books but also devoured the ones on magic theory.]
[Of course, he didn't study deeply; he just read and memorized. This made him realize that few wizards had a talent for writing, and most works were, in fact, copies of other authors. At least, Harry learned something about the state of the magical world.]
[He discovered that the history of the wizarding world was marked by centuries of conflict and secrets. In the past, wizards and Muggles coexisted, but the growing hostility and fear led to witch hunts, forcing the magical community to hide. The creation of the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy in 1692 was a landmark that definitively separated the two worlds.]
[Institutions like Hogwarts were founded to protect and educate young wizards, with their founders being Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin. Conflicts such as the Goblin Revolt and the rise of dark wizards like Gellert Grindelwald and Lord Voldemort marked magical history.]
[Harry was particularly impressed by the details of the First Wizarding War, of which he himself had been a part. The rise and fall of Voldemort shaped an entire generation, and now the magical world enjoyed relative peace.]
[When he turned his attention to the books on magic theory, Harry found explanations on how magic worked. Magic is a primordial energy present in the world, accessible to wizards through their magical blood. Spells, potions, and enchantments are ways to channel this energy, but effective use depends on mental focus, willpower, and the correct pronunciation of incantations.]
[Ancient wizards, as he read, developed theories on how magic could be refined, focusing on more powerful spells and, especially, on so-called forbidden magics. Harry discovered that control over magic was closely linked to knowledge of the arcane arts, and that powerful families monopolized access to more advanced magics, leaving the basic knowledge for the majority of the magical population.]
[A recurring idea caught his attention: the deeper the knowledge of magical history, the greater the control over one's own magic. This reinforced for Harry the importance of building his foundations steadily, as he had been doing.]
[Now, Harry felt more informed about the magical world, with his reserves of knowledge expanded. However, he knew that no matter how good his theory was, without practice, he wouldn't be able to notice the difference.]
[Finally, Harry opened his first spell book, the Standard Book of Spells - Grade 1, by Miranda Goshawk. He found his first spell: Lumos, an incantation that conjures a beam of light at the tip of the wand. Considering that Harry had already controlled elemental powers for years, he thought it would be a simple task. He raised his wand and intoned the spell:]
["Lumos... huh?"]
[Harry looked at his snake wand, which remained unchanged, and a look of surprise crossed his face, as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing.]
[Not believing in the evil, Harry raised his hand, and a sphere of pure light appeared in his palm. Well, it seemed that his magic still worked, but why couldn't he perform the spell?]
[As he recalled his theoretical points, Harry realized that his wand gestures were incorrect. He tried again, focusing on the details:]
["Lumos."]
[This time, an intense flame-like light appeared at the tip of the wand, illuminating his room. However, Harry was not impressed. As someone who had practiced the [Magical Training Method] for years and had almost perfect control over his magic, he clearly felt the magical flow moving in a specific cycle as he intoned the spell. But how could his magic move without his manipulation?]
[In this attempt, Harry did not intone the spell. He simulated the magical cycle of Lumos with his wand, and a small light appeared at the tip. Harry smiled. It seemed that, somehow, he had understood the method to cast the spell silently.]
[Harry didn't stop there. Miranda Goshawk's book contained dozens of spells, and Harry, of course, would try them all. He successfully cast six spells on his first attempt. However, as he prepared for the seventh, there was a sudden pause.]
["Alohomora, the Unlocking Charm, capable of opening locks...!!!"]
[Harry was initially calm, but then his eyes widened as he pondered the magic, and a shiver ran down his spine. He couldn't believe what he was reading.]
[A spell capable of opening locks?! Which locks? Harry read carefully the details of this magic and realized that doors, windows, and all kinds of locks could be opened. He took a deep breath, now truly confused, questioning if he had misunderstood the power of magic until then.]
[To illustrate better, imagine that the name of a deity is related to its power, like Zeus, the god of thunder, or Hades, the god of the underworld. These divine titles allow people to deduce their abilities and functions.]
[But what if the title were "God of the River"? To the ignorant, this title would seem insignificant and shameful. After all, how weak would a god have to be to govern just a river? But what is a river? A river can be a puddle of water in the street, a lake, a stream, or even an ocean. But would that be the end?]
[No! Completely wrong! The solar system can be a river; galaxies and the universe can be considered rivers. Even the long river of time can be defined as a river.]
[A concept is an idea that represents something, encompassing everything that exists and everything that could exist. It allows understanding and categorizing the world, transforming experiences into knowledge. Concepts shape perception and influence thoughts.]
[But what was Harry seeing now? He was, in fact, using magic that, in theory, is capable of 'unlocking everything.' While studying the magic Alohomora, Harry realized that if he truly mastered the incantation, perhaps there would be nothing he couldn't open or unlock. If we think of it only unilaterally, this magic may indeed seem like a spell for thieves and not a very powerful magic for combat.]
[But is that really the case? Harry knew that Taoist and Buddhist monks believe that unlocking the "Taoist heart" and purifying the mind is essential for spiritual ascension. The heart is seen as a center of wisdom and compassion, while the release of impure thoughts is fundamental to achieving enlightenment and connecting with the Tathāgata, or Buddha.]
[The magic Alohomora, which has the potential to open any lock, serves as a powerful metaphor: just as this magic allows access to new spaces, unlocking the heart and mind frees the practitioner for deeper levels of understanding and spiritual connection, promoting harmony with the universe.]
[At that moment, Harry felt a bit scared. Was this magic? No, this was concept, or rather, a conceptual magic. This time, Harry didn't bother practicing more magic and began to frantically search for more 'conceptual magics' in his books, and he really found one!]
[Scourgify, the Cleaning Spell, makes all the dirt in a given area disappear with a flick of the wand!!!]