Aeternum: Group Chat

Chapter 55: New Magic Ritual!: The Magic Inside a Squib!

"Damn it all..." Harry groaned loudly before slumping into a chair. His head ached and his eyes felt a little heavy, but he didn't take his eyes off the table in front of him. They were pieces of metal with a hilt and a small crystal between the broken blade and the hilt.

For the past month, he'd been trying to create something that would allow non-magical people to use magic. But there were some problems. First, he discovered a small crystal that could absorb magical particles from the environment and imbue an artifact with them. The problem was that it wasn't convenient at the moment. After a single use, the weapons would shatter, leaving only the crystal intact. In addition, there was still the problem of the spiritual energy of those without the gene that allowed them to properly use that energy and slowly grow it. So, even if he built the perfect artifact for non-magical people, they would still be unable to continue growing and would be at a disadvantage, which would cause discontent among those people.

Harry's primary goal wasn't complicated; the only thing he cared about was finding the right people to teach and ensuring the students actually did their main job of studying and researching. This was a bit more difficult than securing some land and buildings for the Aeternum University of Magical Research and Engineering.

After all, the secondary goal was the most extreme; he had to create not only something that would allow non-magical people to use magic, but also to grow their spiritual power and slowly advance in magic so as not to create discontent. At the same time as all this, he needed the support of someone with great political power to avoid causing problems with the Muggle side, and preferably it had to be a Muggle. The secondary goal, which seemed to be one, actually branched into many smaller ones, but they were still extremely important.

"Wait a minute..." Harry sat up straighter, resting his elbow on the armrest of his chair and lifting two fingers to stroke his chin, deep in thought. After thinking for about thirty minutes, he pulled out his phone and started a private conversation with Naruto.

Harry Potter: "Hey, Naruto! I have something important to discuss!"

Naruto: "Huh?" What's up, Harry Nii-chan?"

Harry Potter: Everyone in your world has chakra, right? Even untrained villagers.

Naruto: Well... yes. But, the villagers actually have a much smaller amount. Of course, with training it can definitely grow!

Harry Potter: Thanks, I had that slight doubt!

Harry said goodbye before putting his phone away and smiling. Now, with a clue, he needed to start planning his next step. He pulled out a large scroll before throwing everything on his table to the floor and began to draw. Letters, circles, signs, and runes were drawn quickly and fluidly as Harry muttered.

"Chakra is spiritual and physical energy mixed together. When they mix, they form another energy..."

"If I can awaken chakra in normal people, they too would be able to use spiritual energy on its own. Combined with a magical artifact, they would be able to collect and utilize magical particles, thus being able to use magic."

"A ritual to accomplish this shouldn't be a problem... the challenge would be to create something so they can grow without relying too heavily on magical artifacts. Meditation and absorption? Perhaps a technique?..."

"Constant training also makes increasing spiritual energy possible, but since it's related to the soul and psyche, understanding is also important. After all, if you don't understand spells, even with willpower you won't be able to cast them... When you cast Bombarda, you imagine an explosion, but if you don't understand the latter, then you won't be able to imagine an explosion and have the will to create it..."

Harry continued to mutter as he created the outlines for his ritual, not even realizing how much time had passed. But when he finished, he ran off. When he reached his destination, he was still muttering, but said a password before climbing the stairs, opening a door, and seeing a phoenix.

"Harry?" Dumbledore asked, surprised.

However, the young wizard didn't listen. He ran to the phoenix, grabbed a quill, and stuffed several handfuls of ash into his jacket before running outside, ignoring the headmaster's puzzled look and Fawkes's indignant squeal.

"Come on, mate. It seems Harry's onto something important. We'll follow him in case he needs help or becomes dangerous." Fawkes nodded before perching on Albus's shoulder. They burst into flames before Apparating into the Hospital Wing, blinking as Harry took several potions before leaving, still muttering and ignoring Poppy.

The next stop was the Potions room, where he grabbed some ingredients, some of them a little tricky to find.

Albus blinked twice as Harry forcibly grabbed Argus Filch and dragged him into his personal professor's room. Filch was petrified as Harry drew a ritual circle on the floor, leaving several empty circles where he placed the ingredients and the phoenix feather. Finally, he placed Filch in the middle and covered him with phoenix ash.

"A ritual? And combined with a bit of alchemy?" Albus was perplexed and confused. He had never seen a ritual like this, even with his years of knowledge and experience. But he knew Harry wouldn't harm an innocent person, so he just watched.

Harry knelt and poured all his spiritual power into the magic circle before shouting loudly.

"Activate!"

With his words, the circle glowed a pale blue, still illuminating the bright room. Albus watched as the phoenix feather and the other ingredients turned into a liquid-energy that rushed into Filch's body. The man couldn't move, but he could feel something entering his body, and it seemed to make him stronger and more energetic. Soon, the ash entered his body, leaving him completely cleansed before his pores opened and released a gray, nauseating liquid.

When it was all over, Harry ran over, grabbing a bluish crystal and placing it in Filch's hand before standing behind him and placing his hands on his head. "Listen carefully, Mr. Filch. When I remove the petrificus, I want you to concentrate as much as you can in your head, right on the spot I'm touching. Close your eyes, imagine a light, and use all the strength within you to say Lumos."

"Please, I know you're upset, but believe me, once this is over and working, you'll be a happier man."

Filch couldn't move, but he wanted to frown and curse Harry and all his ancestors. But something told him that if he didn't listen, he might regret it. Then, when he felt he could move, he closed his eyes and felt something moving inside him, moving slowly from his head to his arm and then his hand. Finally, imagining a light...

"Lumos!" he shouted loudly and froze as he watched the blue stone glow for a moment before the room filled with white light.

"Hahahaha! Yes, hell yes! I did it!" Harry laughed out loud as he raised his head, pleased and satisfied that it worked.

"I... I... did I just do magic?" Filch whispered in disbelief.

"Harry... this... this..." Albus was shocked, speechless. He had no idea what to think or say in this situation. Harry had created a ritual capable of allowing a Squib to use magic. This was something once thought impossible! It was something wonderful!

"Huh? Headmaster, what are you doing here?"

"I followed you... you ripped one of Fawkes's feathers off by force."

"Uh... sorry, mate," Harry now looked embarrassed as he apologized to the phoenix. Fawkes squeaked a little in annoyance, but also seemed happy with the end result. He accepted the apology.

"Thank you!" Filch suddenly stood up and hugged Harry tightly as he wept. "Thank you, really thank you, Harry Potter!"

Harry just nodded and patted the man on the back, trying to comfort him.

"Harry... how did you come up with this?" Albus asked as he took a few steps forward.

"I've been wondering for some time why Squibs couldn't use magic. I was recently thinking about ways to make this possible; then I realized that perhaps magical particles couldn't be used by them. Even if my idea didn't work, it wouldn't harm Mr. Filch."

"Just think about it... magic doesn't grow through training alone; magical particles are important, and a small portion of them should enter our bodies. Thinking about this, it occurred to me that perhaps that didn't happen for Squibs. They have the gene for magic, but they can't access magical particles to cast spells."

"What the ritual actually does is cleanse the body of impurities and unblock the pores for the absorption of magical particles; only then could they enter the body and interact with spiritual energy and, therefore, the soul and psyche of a magical person. At the same time, some ingredients, like the phoenix feather, nourish the life force of the person undergoing the ritual." And finally, this life force energy is used to create a small connection that lasts long enough to create a small shift in the spirit energy, enough to make it grow a fold and give the person easier access to its energy."

Harry had a huge grin at this point. "This all culminates in the now unlocked ability of a Squib to perform magic."

"Wonderful!" "Splendid!" Albus exclaimed, delighted by this.

"Mr. Filch!" Albus called, catching the man, now a wizard,'s attention. "If you'd like, I can accompany you tomorrow to buy a wand so we can speak to the Ministry about your now-unlocked magic."

"Please, Headmaster, that makes me very happy," Filch nodded, his eyes brimming with tears.

"Then you can go rest. We'll leave early tomorrow."

Filch nodded happily. He left, but not before thanking Harry once more and saying his goodbyes properly.

"What will you do now, Harry?"

"Adapt the ritual a little. After all, even if there are wands with phoenix feathers, they are still rare. I need something that will serve a similar purpose but isn't as rare."

Albus nodded, but asked a question he was very curious about.

"Why did you do this, Harry?" As wonderful as it is, I don't see you doing this without a greater goal in mind."

Harry looked at him seriously and answered with a question.

"The wizarding world has always been distrustful and, in some cases, arrogant toward the non-wizarding world, hasn't it?" Harry immediately walked to his desk, grabbed several pieces of parchment, and began writing once more.

Albus froze in place before slowly leaving without saying anything. He was an extremely intelligent and cunning man; how could he not know the answer behind that question?

As he closed the door, he let out a sigh.

"This world... before long, it will begin to change, and the winds of the next generation will be powerful."

"I wonder... What would this world be like without Harry Potter?"

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