Lost in the maze of her own thoughts, Hermione did not even notice Sagres passing by her.
It was only when she suddenly looked up, as if searching for an answer in the air, that her eyes met his.
Like someone grasping at a lifeline, or eager to voice her confusion, she blurted out, "Professor! I... I've consulted The Complete Guide to Common Dark Arts and Their Counter-Spells, The Adaptive Evolution of Defensive Magic, and even your Advanced Magical Topology... but it seems... it seems no single book offers a perfect answer!"
Her tone was filled with frustration, an emotion she rarely showed despite her extensive reading.
"Every countermeasure has flaws. Are we supposed to just passively memorise all these known dangerous patterns and then hope the next attack falls within what we've already studied?"
Sagres did not offer comfort, nor did he give a direct answer.
He simply spoke in his usual calm tone, "Miss Granger, books record the wisdom of the past. They are not a prison to confine your thinking, nor a universal answer to all unknown dangers of the future."
He paused, then continued, "Your enemy will not politely attack you chapter by chapter according to the Standard Book of Spells."
"So you mean?"
Sagres looked at the confusion and bewilderment in Hermione's eyes and gave his final piece of advice. "I mean, if you find that existing shields are not strong enough, and existing swords are not sharp enough, why is your first instinct always to search for older shields and swords in books, instead of trying to forge your own?"
With that, Sagres said no more and walked away.
Hermione stood frozen. His words were like a cold key, suddenly prying open a door in her mind that she had never thought to open herself.
She had always devoted herself to mastering and understanding established knowledge. Of course, she understood the concept of creation, and the professor had mentioned it to her before.
But she had always believed it was something for the distant future, a domain reserved for masters like Dumbledore and Flitwick, something she was not yet qualified to touch.
Yet at this moment, Sagres's cold words, combined with her recent frustration, produced a remarkable effect.
An unprecedented thought took root and grew rapidly: true power lies not only in how much known magic one has mastered, but also in the ability and courage to face and engage with the unknown.
If there were gaps in the existing magical system, why couldn't she be the one to fill them?
Once the idea appeared, it could no longer be suppressed.
Hermione was immediately captivated by this grand and difficult goal.
She was no longer studying merely for exams or to deal with the arena. Instead, she began a focused pursuit with clear goals of research and analysis.
She delved into the core principles of spell construction: how every subtle angle of a wand movement influenced the direction of magic, the relationship between the vibration of each syllable in an incantation and its magical effect, and the precise balance between concentration of will and magical output.
She worked tirelessly, often forgetting to eat or sleep, researching the subtle influence of Ancient Runes on magical shaping, and even attempting to reconstruct the thought processes of famous spell creators from fragmented records in the Restricted Section and Professor Flitwick's occasional guidance.
This process was far more difficult than simple learning and memorisation. Her copies of Principles of Magic and Introduction to Magic were nearly worn out.
During this time, she experienced countless failures: small explosions caused by unstable magic while attempting combined spells, carefully designed effects deviating completely from expectations or even producing the opposite result, and severe headaches and magical exhaustion from prolonged overexertion of her mind.
However, each failure deepened her understanding of the nature of magic.
After a period of painful refinement and systematic relearning, she was pleasantly surprised to find that she could now begin to grasp the deeper principles behind many basic spells and successfully combine two or even more spells with precision, producing a "one plus one is greater than two" effect in actual combat.
Just like her earlier fusion of Tempesta Devastation and Incendio.
But this was still not enough. She began preparing an even bolder plan, to truly create a completely original spell from scratch.
That day, she was once again in a quiet corner of the library, buried beneath a mountain of thick, ancient tomes: Magical Structure, The Essence of Magic, Ancient Runes and Spell Analysis…
Her brows were tightly furrowed, and her quill raced across the parchment, rapidly calculating complex runic sequences and magical node models.
"You look like you're trying to express magic with formulas."
An airy voice spoke beside her.
Hermione looked up and met Luna Lovegood's dreamy gaze.
Standing next to her was Astoria Greengrass, who was quietly observing the intimidating pile of books before Hermione with curiosity.
"Luna, Astoria."
Hermione greeted them, rubbing her throbbing temples. "No, I'm just… trying a few things."
"You're trying to create new magic, aren't you?"
Luna stated it as if she were casually commenting on what she had eaten for lunch.
Hermione was startled. "How did you…?"
"There are many little sparks of magic scattered around you from failed experiments. They flicker and drift, looking very confused, as if they can't find their way."
Luna explained seriously, then added, "It's amazing. My mother used to do that often as well."
"Your mother… she also created her own magic?" Hermione asked, curious.
Luna nodded.
At the mention of her mother, a trace of sadness flickered through her usually dreamy eyes, though it quickly faded back into their usual distant calm. "She died during a magical experiment. It was an accident."
Hermione's heart sank; she hadn't expected to hear something like that.
"Luna, I… I'm sorry."
"Oh, it's alright."
Luna shook her head gently, her voice soft and drifting. "Mum wasn't sad at the very end. She must have seen something very beautiful. Dad says that exploring the true mysteries of magic always comes with risks, but that shouldn't stop us from seeing more."
There was no fear in her words, only a strange sense of comfort and quiet courage.
Astoria spoke as well, her tone sincere and filled with admiration. "Creating your own magic… that's truly incredible, Hermione. I can't even imagine how much knowledge and courage that would require."
Hermione was moved by their reactions. Luna's words, rather than frightening her, strangely gave her a stronger sense of purpose.
She hesitated for a moment, then turned to Astoria and asked a question she had been holding back for a long time. "Astoria, do you… do you know about Professor Greengrass's past? Or rather, what was he like in your family… when did he start creating his own magic?"
Astoria seemed surprised by the question. She paused briefly before answering cautiously, "I'm not sure. Brother.. no.. Professor… he… I was just born when he started attending Hogwarts. And it's said that ever since he came to school, he has never returned to the Greengrass family estate. The elders in the family…"
She frowned slightly before continuing, "They speak of him very badly. They say he is unconventional, that he has defiled the family's bloodline, and that he is a disgrace to the family."
But she quickly corrected herself. "I know that's just what they say because they couldn't control him. The Professor I see is powerful and calm, and… he's doing truly remarkable things."
Her gaze fell on the heavy books in front of Hermione. "Just like what you're trying to do now. Perhaps that's why he chose to help you."
Hermione nodded thoughtfully.
Astoria's words were like a missing piece, allowing her to glimpse another side of Sagres, a solitary pioneer walking his own path.
"Thank you, both of you."
Hermione spoke softly. The loneliness she had felt in her solitary exploration seemed to ease, replaced by a firmer resolve.
She lowered her head once more, her gaze burning with focus as she looked at the complex formulas and runic structures before her.
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