Chapter 36: The Connection between Matter and Spirit (Patreon)

Once again in the Headmaster's office, Maca looked at Dumbledore's smiling face and felt a tingling sensation on his scalp.

The Occlumency technique was difficult to master, and his progress in it so far could only be described as average. But when facing Dumbledore, who was skilled in Legilimency, he couldn't help but think about using it—even though Dumbledore wasn't actually reading his thoughts.

Of course, if he were to say something irrelevant in front of Dumbledore, he would definitely sense it. It had almost become his instinct.

Severus Snape was currently looking at the Draught of Peace, lost in thought, while Professor McGonagall excitedly conversed with Dumbledore.

After a while, Professor McGonagall left the Headmaster's office, still wearing a smile, and nodded at Maca as she passed by.

"Mr. McClain, I believe your extensive time spent acquiring knowledge has certainly paid off," Dumbledore spoke calmly, his smile unchanged. "To achieve such accomplishments during your first year is unparalleled at Hogwarts. I don't think any other student, past or present, can match you."

"You flatter me, Professor Dumbledore, but I'm afraid—"

"When you have something to be proud of, you should express it. Suppressing it will only cause that pride to fester within you," Dumbledore looked at Maca meaningfully. "I believe you understand what I mean."

Did Dumbledore know something? But what exactly did he know?

"Uh, I think you're right..."

Maca realized that the old saying about the wisdom of age was true. In the presence of such a person, he found it difficult to find room for his cleverness. For instance, at this moment, he simply didn't know what to say and felt that whatever he said would be wrong.

"So, Severus, what are your thoughts on Mr. McClain's potion?" Dumbledore turned to Severus Snape, seemingly interested in his assessment.

Severus Snape stared at the potion bottle in his hand for a moment, then finally voiced his judgment.

"As far as the formula and preparation process of this potion are concerned, I wouldn't say they are particularly brilliant," Severus Snape said, "However, the creativity of using fairy wings to achieve invisibility is truly commendable. In the past, these materials were only used for beauty and entertainment purposes. No one had ever thought that the mystery of fairy invisibility lies in their wings."

"Indeed, nearly all wizards believed that the invisibility effect of fairies originated from their innate magical abilities." Dumbledore also nodded in agreement with Severus Snape's statement.

With that said, Dumbledore looked at Maca once again, a hint of solemnity in his gaze. "Mr. McClain, I wonder if you would be willing to submit your research findings to the International Confederation of Wizards for evaluation? It would ensure your name is recorded in the history of potion-making, and your invention would receive the protection of the Confederation's interests throughout your life... Of course, after your passing, the formula would be publicly disclosed, but personally, I don't see any downside to that."

Maca had also considered this issue, and now that Dumbledore mentioned it, he naturally had no disagreement.

"Of course, thank you for being willing to recommend my potion recipe with your signature." He immediately nodded.

Any wizard's inventions needed a recommendation from a member of the Federation to be accepted by the Federation. And since Dumbledore was the current president of the International Federation of Wizards, his personal recommendation was the best.

Once the Elixir of Invisibility received approval from the Federation, its reputation would skyrocket. It would be like a major advertisement with authoritative certification.

"This will bring in a lot of galleons!" Maca couldn't help but think.

This time, Dumbledore didn't say much more to Maca. He instructed Maca to go back and prepare three bottles of the Elixir of Invisibility and then let him leave.

The next day, during breakfast,

Maca was surrounded by Harry and the others. Harry and Hermione kept thanking him in low voices, while Ron felt guilty for not being able to help due to his injured hand. Especially Hermione, who had received a lot of help from Maca in her deep studies, was even more grateful to him for this incident.

"It's almost exam time, let's not disturb Maca anymore!" After a few words, Hermione hurriedly returned with Harry and Ron to the Gryffindor table.

Yes, they were unaware that the exam day was approaching. It was only now that Maca realized, belatedly, that he had been at Hogwarts for almost a year. Although his progress in Potion Making was evident, he felt that he had only achieved a little in that subject, while his performance in other areas was quite average.

To put it plainly, he didn't really consider himself as a "first-year student," but he couldn't blame himself either.

During this final period, everyone was busy preparing for the upcoming exams, but Maca didn't take them seriously. It wasn't that he didn't think the exams were important, but rather that he held himself to a higher standard.

Maca always felt that he might not even be at the level of a newly recruited Auror, and a sense of crisis always accompanied him. The thought of what might happen in the future gave him the urge to apply for a Time-Turner.

"And so far, there hasn't been even a slight hint of progress in the research of the Book of Truth, it's truly frustrating."

Helplessly, Maca pushed a pile of manuscript papers aside, and the wind outside gently blew, causing the pages of the book to flutter. If someone had been nearby, they would have been surprised because each page of the bound manuscript was filled with various strange symbols.

After Maca tried various methods of interpretation without any results, he decided to try a brute-force approach, which was copying. However, after countless attempts at copying, all he felt was annoyance.

"Rowena Ravenclaw called it the Book of Truth, but what exactly is truth in this world?" Maca couldn't help but start to wonder.

As they were talking, Maca's heart suddenly trembled.

"Wait a minute, I remember the first few questions in the Bronze Eagle..." Maca gradually picked up those memories that had been ignored by him, and whispered to himself, "'In the world, what is the truth?' My answer at the time was..."

"Matter propels appearance, spirit deduces rules... cyclic complementarity, symbiotic immortality?" As he spoke, he himself began to doubt it a little.

To put it plainly, it was just a wild guess back then. In Maca's mind, there was no fundamental basis for it. It was just a speculation based on those profound magical theories in the Restricted Section.

But now, it had become a vague breakthrough.

"In other words, as long as we find the connection between spirit and matter, perhaps we can make some discoveries!" Although uncertain, Maca visibly became excited.

In the following days, Maca's behavior made people reluctant to approach him because he often spaced out and couldn't hear others talking to him. He seemed completely immersed in the peculiar symbols on the Scroll of Truth, as if he had become a different person.

But luckily, most people had a tendency to be mentally absent lately because the exam date was getting closer.

However, during this time when everyone was busy preparing for their exams, a late punishment notice was delivered to Maca.

"Oh... right, even though I don't seem to have lost any points, punishment cannot be avoided. I have set an example myself." Maca frowned and shook his head, casually stuffing the note into the pocket of his robe.

At eleven o'clock that night, Maca arrived at the entrance hall and saw Filch waiting for him there.

Just as he was staring at Filch, Harry and Hermione arrived, followed by Neville. Of course, there was also Malfoy, who was the first to be caught by Professor McGonagall that evening.

"Follow me," Filch said, lighting a lamp and leading them out. "I think from now on, you should think twice before breaking the school rules, right?"

He looked at them with a sideways glance and continued, "Oh, yes! If you want to ask me, I have to say that hard work and suffering are the best teachers... It's a pity that they abolished the old-fashioned punishment of hanging you by your wrists, hanging you from the ceiling for several days. I still have those chains in my office, I often oil them, maybe one day they will come in handy. Okay, let's go, but don't think about running away. If you run away, you won't have a good time."

Maca didn't even bother to listen to Filch's complaints and nagging. He was too busy seizing the time to find some inspiration from thinking and speculation!

They strode through the dark grounds. Neville kept sniffing, while Harry kept thinking about what kind of punishment they would receive—it must be very terrible, otherwise Filch wouldn't sound so cheerful.

The moonlight tonight was very bright, but occasional clouds would drift by and cover it, leaving the earth in darkness.

They could see the windows of Hagrid's hut reflecting the light, which was not difficult to notice at night. Then they heard a shout in the distance.

"Is that you, Filch? Hurry up, I'm ready to leave."

Harry immediately felt a burst of joy—if they were going to work with Hagrid, it wouldn't be too bad.

His face immediately showed this relieved mood, but Filch said, "You probably thought you would have a great time playing with that idiot, right? Think again, kid—you're going to the Forbidden Forest! If you can come out unscathed, then I've underestimated you."

Upon hearing these words, Malfoy suddenly stopped in his tracks.

"The Forbidden Forest?" he echoed, his voice far from his usual calmness, "We can't go in there at night, there's everything inside—I heard there are werewolves!"

"Werewolves wouldn't like to live in the Forbidden Forest," Maca suddenly spoke up, "There's no place for them to lead a safe life there."