ALL NOVEL Chapter 31: Decades of Theory
While everyone was focusing on Harry's new version of the Expelliarmus spell, the Comparison Room also distributed a reward meant for Argus Filch, something that initially went unnoticed.
[Seed of Magical Essence: refined by the ancient method of alchemy, condensed from dragon blood essence and phoenix tears. It can awaken the dormant magical power within the human lineage.]
A small golden energy sphere was expelled from the golden curtain of light and, at an imperceptible speed to the naked eye, penetrated Filch's abdomen, settling three fingers below his navel.
All Filch felt afterwards was a sudden surge of magical power traveling freely through his meridians.
"Haha! This strange sensation... This power coursing through my veins... Is this magic?!"
Her excited exclamation caught everyone's attention, still shaken by Bellatrix's sudden declaration of death.
Everyone turned to look and saw the caretaker Filch, who had been guarding the hall's door moments ago.
Now, he wore an expression of excitement, his face flushed with emotion.
Before they could grasp what was happening to him, they witnessed something unbelievable: Filch waved his right hand toward the lamp he held with his other hand, transforming it into a menacing black whip with five-meter-long barbs.
If the Weasley twins hadn't figured out what was happening yet, they wouldn't deserve their reputation as Hogwarts' most troublesome duo.
"Fred! Am I hallucinating, or did caretaker Filch just perform Transfiguration?"
"I'm not worried about that now, George. I'm worried about our future night walks."
Fred looked as if he were living his last day on Earth, his expression utterly disheartened.
It must be said that in past years, whenever the twins were chased by Filch and his cat, Mrs. Norris, they inevitably felt a little embarrassed about using magic to escape Filch, given that he was a Squib.
Not to mention their advantage in possessing the Marauder's Map as early as their first year at Hogwarts.
It could be said that without Mrs. Norris's assistance, Filch would never have been able to catch the twins in his lifetime.
But now, it seemed the good times were over, and they would no longer roam Hogwarts as freely as before.
At that moment, a middle-aged woman with shoulder-length black hair approached Filch quickly.
She clearly took good care of herself, now her face bore only an expression of surprise as she alternated her gaze between Filch and the whip in his hand.
"Filch! You can use magic? Did your reward really grant you magical power? How do you feel?"
"I've never felt better than I do now, Irma Pince. I can't imagine what my life was like before this."
If a student had asked him these questions, Filch would not have bothered to answer, or he might have started an argument over the slightest misunderstanding.
But if it were Madame Pince, things would be very different...
New students might not know, but nearly half of Hogwarts was aware of the strange, close relationship between Argus Filch and Irma Pince.
Although nothing official, anyone who wasn't blind could see some tips.
There were even rumors that during Hogwarts' 1989 Valentine's Day Ball, some claimed to have seen Argus Filch and Madame Pince arrive together.
Some confirmed the gossip, while others dismissed it as mere rumor.
Without a way to uncover the truth without risking severe punishment at the hands of Filch or Pince, the matter was eventually left alone.
Returning to the present, Filch saw everyone focusing on him, and his joy suddenly plummeted.
His expression changed as quickly as flipping a book's page, but seeing even the professors seemed interested in his situation, he reluctantly shared a few details.
Filch reluctantly began to explain the effects of the Magical Essence Seed and how it was created using ancient alchemical methods.
When everyone heard that the Seed of Magical Essence could awaken dormant magical power in human blood, they were surprised but not as shocked as they might have expected.
After some thought, they realized that compared to Lily's resurrection or Nicolas's alternative immortality, Filch now possessing magical power was relatively trivial.
Even so, they were more intrigued by the fact that Filch had performed a difficult spell like Transfiguration on his first attempt.
For such a question, for the first time, Filch steadfastly refused to answer.
Even though the professors were also curious, his lips remained sealed, and only he knew the true reason behind his proficiency with spells.
It's no secret that Filch was a Squib and had spent decades working as a caretaker at Hogwarts.
But what no one knew was how distressing it was for Filch to watch Hogwarts students openly display their newly learned spells while he could only spend his life chasing after students on nightly escapades.
To satisfy his longing for magic, Filch often visited the library to explore the vast knowledge of magic.
Basic spellbooks, Transfiguration theory, and even concepts of dark magic did not escape his grasp.
After decades of uninterrupted study, Filch was confident that in magical theory, his level was at least on par with the four Hogwarts house heads—if not higher.
If Filch had had the chance to put his knowledge into practice, he would already be an ordinary Auror, it would not be impossible to even become an elite Auror.
Because of this, Filch understood well the allure of Hogwarts' knowledge for people like Harry Black, as he saw a reflection of himself in him.
And only Ravenclaw could offer Harry Black what he desired.
As expected, the emergence of Filch's magical power didn't cause much of a stir in the magical world.
One could say that their perspectives had been upended so many times that unless something on the level of resurrection happened, it would be hard to shock anyone.
But then came another question: it seemed the timelines of both worlds had caught up to the present. So, what would happen next?
However, they had no time to ponder when a sudden change occurred.