Harry Potter and the Obscurus

Chapter 11 Ancient Flame

"Honey Snowball".

Harry has to admit that when he received the note with those words written on it, he thought it was a prank. But as he later guessed, it was the secret password to Dumbledore's office.

Upon hearing Harry's voice, the enormous stone monster shook its hideously large head and leaped aside. The wall behind it split in two, revealing a spiral staircase. Harry gently knocked on the gleaming oak door and greeted it.

"Professor Dumbledore, may I come in?"

The door opened automatically, and Dumbledore's attire was much simpler than it was usually at school.

"Ah, Harry, you've arrived."

"Congratulations on joining the Gryffindor Quidditch team! How's your week going?"

"Not bad, Professor."

Harry looked around the layout of the headmaster's office as he walked briskly toward Dumbledore.

"I heard Severus will give you extra lessons every Friday. He's a very strict teacher. If you find this kind of school life a bit too much, you can..."

Before Dumbledore could finish speaking, Harry quickly interjected:

"Professor, I can keep up, no problem."

"Oh fine."

Dumbledore sounded a little disappointed, and it was clear that he wasn't very interested in being a tutor.

"Professor, what are we learning today? Did you destroy that thing?"

Dumbledore looked up at Harry, who had already walked to his desk, and with a wave of his hand, a candy flew straight behind Harry and turned into a chair.

"sit down."

Harry was stunned. He gently stroked the brass handle of the griffin and slowly sat down.

It's important to know that Transfiguration has strict limitations on the size and shape of objects. Even if a wizard has a thorough understanding of the object being transfigured, they cannot turn a tiny sesame seed into a giant dragon.

Harry had never imagined that a tiny candy could turn into something the size of a chair. Even more absurdly, Dumbledore had just performed a sophisticated and detailed transfiguration spell silently and without a wand.

"Let's put the crown aside for now, Harry. Some things need to be done at the right time... and I'd like to have a good talk with you before I officially start teaching you."

Harry realized that the topic was about to become serious after the headmaster’s words. He straightened his posture and nodded very solemnly to Dumbledore.

"Tell me, Harry, what do you think magic is?"

"what?"

Harry paused for a moment, then, drawing on the knowledge he had just learned from Professor Snape the day before, he slowly said:

“Professor, I think magic might refer to the extraordinary means displayed by using magical power, a power that distinguishes wizards from ordinary people.”

Dumbledore offered no comment on Harry and continued, "..."

"So do you think that this kind of power is inherently noble or superior?"

Harry seemed to understand Dumbledore's meaning, and his speech gradually quickened.

“Magic is amazing, and I love it. Since coming to Hogwarts, I’ve made new discoveries almost every day. But I never consider it noble or superior, Professor.”

"Can you tell me why, Harry?"

“I grew up in the world of ordinary people, Professor. In a technological environment without magic, we have television, telephones, and computers; we can predict the weather and cure diseases; we have even sent something called a satellite into space.”

"In terms of intelligence, I don't think so-called 'Muggles' are inferior to wizards. In fact, I think wizards will soon be overtaken by 'Muggles' in the next few decades."

"Of course, I'm not saying this because I think technology can surpass magic. Having the ability to master magic is certainly fortunate, but what I'm trying to say is that it's precisely because most wizards have a sense of 'nobility' and 'superiority' that the development of magic has been so slow. Whether in Flourish and Blotts or in the Hogwarts library, all the knowledge is ancient and outdated, as if the new generation of wizards are only standing on the shoulders of their predecessors and enjoying the fruits of their labor..."

Seeing Harry getting more and more excited as he spoke, Dumbledore smiled and raised his hand to interrupt him.

"Alright, child, you've explained it very well and clearly. It's truly remarkable that you've considered this aspect at such a young age."

"Just like you said, Harry, magic is a special gift. No matter how many people there are in the world, the number of wizards and Muggles remains at a constant ratio. In recent decades, more and more wizards have been born into Muggle families. This can no longer be explained by interracial marriage or other outrageous reasons, but those stubborn pure-blood families still firmly believe in the idea of ​​pure blood."

"Indeed, children with magical bloodlines almost invariably become wizards after birth, but during my time teaching at Hogwarts, I have seen quite a few outstanding children from Muggle families."

"Like Hermione?"

Dumbledore turned to Harry, smiled, and continued:

"Yes, just like Miss Granger."

"So you see, Harry, to become a great wizard, bloodline doesn't matter, it's not even as important as magic itself..."

"Nothing can defeat what? The professor?"

Dumbledore picked up his wand from the table, stood up, and said:

"You'll find out later, Harry. Now, let's get to class. Take out your wands."

Harry got up and did as he was told, excitedly imagining what kind of wonderful magic the headmaster would cast. But to his surprise, a familiar spell came out of Dumbledore's mouth.

"Incendio." (Burning Flames)

Watching the spherical red flame slowly rise into the air, Harry silently comforted himself: Hmm, this is excellent control. All the flames are concentrated together. Perhaps the headmaster wants to teach me the secret to controlling magic.

“Harry”.

Dumbledore asked softly:

"Have you mastered the incantation for the blazing flames?"

"Um...yes."

"Then let's chant the incantation."

"Incendio!" (Burning flames)

The orange-yellow flame that shot from Harry's wand, the instant it appeared, flew directly towards the red fireball summoned by Dumbledore. With a soft hissing sound, Harry's fire charm vanished into thin air. Dumbledore's voice then rang out:

"This is the Ancient Flame of Bryant, also known as the Everlasting Flame, a very, very profound form of magic. Unlike knowledge learned from textbooks, you cannot simplify it using spells or wands."

"The most special feature of the Ancient Flame is its perpetual combustion without the need for fuel or air. Even underwater, it will never disappear unless the wizard who created it deliberately controls it to go out."

Harry stared blankly at the ball of red flame, his mind replaying the headmaster's words, "You cannot simplify it with a spell or a wand."

Seemingly sensing Harry's thoughts, Dumbledore offered an explanation:

"Wands and spells are tools for wizards. They are very convenient tools, so convenient that they have become indispensable after they became widespread. But Harry, casting spells is just the appearance of magic. If you want to understand how to master them, you need to see through the shell to the essence. Otherwise, you will only ever be able to use magic."

"Professor, what about us?"

"You don't need to worry, Harry. Mastering magic requires exceptional talent and a lot of practice, and learning the Goblinsfire is an excellent way to do so. Today, we'll start by understanding the principle behind the Goblinsfire's perpetual flame."

"The Ancient Flame is relatively safer than some dark magic flames. Because it can burn out of thin air, it can even save you money on firewood in the fireplace if we handle it properly. Moreover, once the Ancient Flame is summoned, it no longer requires any extra effort to control; it will obediently stay in the place where it was created; and even if the caster dies, it will continue to burn."

"Is there any magic that can extinguish them?"

"As far as I know, no. So Harry, as I just told you, it's relatively safe."

As Dumbledore spoke, he summoned a photograph from a bookshelf in the distance.

“Look, I once gave it as a gift to the giants of the East. They enshrined it on an island in the middle of the lake and only used some of the divine fire during sacrifices.”

Harry said thoughtfully:

“I understand, Professor. If the immortal fire that was taken away ignites something else and spreads, it will become a disaster. So we must use it with restraint.”

Dumbledore gently shook his head and explained to Harry:

"You can rest assured about that, Harry. The flame taken from the Fairy Flame is just ordinary fire. Even if someone adds fuel or uses other flames to fuel it, the Fairy Flame will absorb it while remaining in its original state."

"The danger of the Grub's Flame lies in its absolute high temperature and destructive power. I'm controlling the temperature now so you can't feel it, but if I were to unleash its full power, this Headmaster's office would probably melt. So, you have to promise me, Harry, that you can only use the Grub's Flame when you're practicing with me, and don't gamble with the safety of your friends and the school's teachers and students."

Harry swallowed hard and nodded repeatedly to Dumbledore.

……

Over the next few hours, Harry tried to grasp the theoretical knowledge while simultaneously putting it into practice. But as Dumbledore used two "very"s to describe its difficulty, Harry couldn't even create a single spark of fairy fire.

On his way back to his dormitory, a thoroughly exhausted Harry kept replaying the key points of the Gryphon Flame in his mind. According to the Headmaster, even he himself had only been able to master the Flame because of his family lineage and the help of the phoenix.

Harry wasn't sure if Dumbledore had made this up to comfort him, but it certainly had the opposite effect. If even a genius like Dumbledore needed external help and fortuitous encounters to succeed in cultivating, what were people like himself, without a phoenix, supposed to do? Steal Fawkes from the headmaster's office?

"How about we learn some other simple fire magic first? Maybe we can find some tricks of the trade?"

The thought of having a chance to speed up his studies made Harry forget his hunger. He practically ran and jumped all the way to the librarian, Mrs. Pince.

“Mr. Potter, it’s time for dinner now, and I’ve already made it clear to you that I cannot allow you to borrow books from the restricted section without the professor’s authorization.”

“Mrs. Pince, I don’t intend to go to the restricted section this time.”

"Oh? That's something new. Okay, remember, no eating in the library and no damaging the books."

"Don't worry, I won't!"

……

Books like "How to Identify Terrestrial Herbs," "The Vampire Defense Manual," and "The Complete Book of Magic and Fire" are readily available in Hogwarts' library. Harry spotted what he wanted just seconds after walking to the shelf starting with the letter F.

The Encyclopedia of Magical Fire describes many types of magical fire. Wizards devised many interesting methods to start fires underwater, burn wood and charcoal without smoke, or deceive medieval witch hunters and Muggles.