Listening to Hagrid's introduction to Harry along the way, Zaldimar said indignantly, "Hogwarts? The best magic school in the world? It seems they clearly don't know about the existence of Dalaran."
Even though Dalaran was currently sealed within a massive arcane protective shield and undergoing reconstruction, it remained the sacred temple of magic that all mages aspired to reach.
Jyssetta added, "Don't be so quick to judge. Little Harry hasn't even arrived at Hogwarts yet. Perhaps that place really is extraordinary."
Raymond desperately hoped the plot would move faster so he could reach Hogwarts sooner and uncover the secrets of how Teacher Wayne became an "all-school archmage."
But before that, Hagrid led Harry—and the movie-watching audience—to the magical commercial street known as Diagon Alley to purchase the magical items required for school.
It was here that the three spellcasters discovered many similarities to their own world.
For instance, the operation of flying broomsticks. Such magical items also existed in the World of Warcraft, but these profound spells had been lost for a long time since the destruction of Dalaran.
Then there was the bank called "Gringotts," entirely managed by Goblins. Although their skin color was different, the Goblins in the Harry Potter world were similarly short, with large ears, pointed noses, and a greedy, treacherous nature.
There were also magical inks, scrolls, and spellbooks that evoked memories of their early days as apprentices. These were things almost every spellcaster had to touch when learning spells from scratch.
However, there were differences. One was the requirement of a magical pet; Hagrid chose a white owl named Hedwig for Harry. This was unimaginable to the trio, as their magic instructors would never have allowed them to bring pets to school.
Another point was the weaponry. In the movie world, a wand made of holly with a phoenix feather core chose Harry, becoming his first wand.
While Raymond and the others each possessed their own wands, those were merely auxiliary tools used to attack targets in situations where casting wasn't required. What truly enhanced their magical combat power were two-handed staves, which were much thicker and longer than wands, or items like magical daggers, hammers, and orbs.
Zaldimar and Jyssetta's opinions diverged once again. Zaldimar believed this was proof that Hogwarts' magic research was inferior to Dalaran's, relying on a tiny wand as a casting weapon. Jyssetta, however, argued that this might prove Hogwarts mages had evolved to a higher level where they no longer needed staves or other props to boost their mana, being able to cast with just a wand.
If their disagreement was merely a professional discussion on magic, it wouldn't have caught Wayne's attention. But Raymond's next words were what Wayne found truly incredible.
After boarding the Hogwarts Express via the famous Platform 9¾, Raymond marveled at how the train was much more advanced than the Deeprun Tram connecting Stormwind to Ironforge. He then proceeded to make a series of predictions about the characters appearing later.
When the students finally arrived at Hogwarts and faced Professor McGonagall's welcome and lecture, he slapped his thigh and declared that this woman, who looked like an old crone, would definitely make things difficult for Harry at every turn.
That wasn't even the most impressive part. The most impressive part was when Albus Dumbledore, the Headmaster of Hogwarts and widely considered the greatest wizard, appeared to preside over the Sorting Ceremony. Raymond firmly told everyone that this kind-looking old man who watched Harry so closely would be the biggest plot twist of the story—the ultimate villain.
Wayne looked at Raymond, nearly wanting to applaud his apprentice. He even wondered what kind of childhood Raymond had and what sort of education he had received. Getting one thing wrong was nothing, but getting every single prediction wrong required a certain kind of talent, much like getting them all right...
When the Sorting Hat began testing each new student, an option appeared, allowing the five of them to decide whether to watch the full ceremony for all hundreds of students or follow the original pace to witness only the main characters' results.
All five chose to participate in the full process. Of course, they didn't really care which house the stranger children were sorted into; they wanted to seize this rare opportunity to move through the Great Hall and the main castle, observing every detail of this awe-inspiring magic school.
Naturally, according to the plot's progress, the places they could go were limited to public spaces, but it was still enough for them to willingly spend several times the original duration on these interesting and imaginative things.
The people in the paintings on the walls didn't just move; they could actively communicate with the outside world. It turned out their souls remained in the school after death. Not only that, but some paintings hid secret passages or dark rooms that could only be entered by solving the portraits' riddles.
This made them fantasize about whether their world could also use magic to preserve the images and wisdom of the deceased. They could even communicate with a young Arthas, questioning him on why he would fall so low as to become a Death Knight who killed his father, usurped the throne, and slaughtered the living.
They walked into a classroom for upper-year students and listened to a lecture for a while, which moved Zaldimar nearly to tears.
The 50-year-old novice mage trainer told the group that although his magical ability meant he had never been qualified to study in Dalaran—let alone join the elite Kirin Tor to become an archmage—he clearly remembered the scenes of wizard apprentices attending classes before the Opening of the Dark Portal, twenty-four years ago.
Back then, whether in the once-undestroyed Stormwind or the vibrant capital of Lordaeron, magic courses in magic academies were similar to those at Hogwarts: defensive spells, transfiguration, light charms, plant growth spells, wine-making spells, teleportation, slow fall, and other spells that improved life efficiency and self-protection.
At that time, many people studied magic simply to make life better, to protect family and friends from wild beasts, to make crops grow faster, and to help those in need. Back then, mages who focused solely on damaging spells or forbidden magic were seen as outcasts and megalomaniacs.
An example was Kel'Thuzad, one of Antonidas's apprentices and once a member of the Council of Six. He later betrayed the world, helped the undead and demons destroy Dalaran, and assisted Arthas in killing his teacher, Antonidas. Because of this, even though Antonidas is revered by later mages, many still believe that failing to discover and stop Kel'Thuzad's ambition in time was a major stain on his glorious life.
But it wasn't really Antonidas' fault. He was an archmage, not a prophet. At the time, most people never imagined the Dark Portal would open, or that bloodthirsty Orcs, terrifying demons, and the Scourge would arrive one after another to bring calamity to this seemingly cursed world.
It was from that point on that the focus of spellcasters began to shift from lifestyle and defensive magic to combat magic.
Mages like Zaldimar were forced to relearn, picking up staves to join the fight, and teaching young apprentices damaging spells like Fireball, Frostbolt, and Arcane Missiles instead of Light, Conjure Food, or Rain spells.
But twenty-four years later, peace had not returned. Not only did the mage's staff become a weapon, but the emergence of Paladins meant the pure Holy Light merged with the sword to become the ultimate method for repelling demons and undead. Hunters, warriors, and rogues all joined in, and even Druids, who originally advocated harmony with nature, began to learn offensive natural spells.
Even more terrifying, some among the Priests, who had always held the Holy Light as their faith, began to study how to use the energy of Shadow magic for killing. Much like the Warlocks who summoned demons—a profession that didn't exist in the past—it all became increasingly common.
More and more people mastered the ability to fight and applied it, yet it did not curb the war; instead, it made the number of people participating in war grow larger.
Even the Gnolls, who once attacked with claws, were forced to pick up weapons, and a small portion even began to chant Shamanic spells using their innate abilities. The same applied to Murlocs, Kobolds, and the Defias Brotherhood, who chose uprising over negotiation.
Zaldimar spoke as he reminisced. Among the four listeners, Jyssetta was 39, Lyria was 38, and Raymond was 35. Twenty-four years ago was roughly when they had just begun learning combat techniques or had recently finished their initiation. Zaldimar's oral history perfectly matched their experiences.
And although 20-year-old Wayne had not experienced those changing days at all, he had heard a phrase before his crossing:
"War, war never changes."