Hogwarts: Harry Returns from Azeroth

Chapter 173, Section 172: The Shaman's House and the Squib's Redemption
Or rather, the root of that totem is the house itself, which has been completely hollowed out. It seems to have three floors, with deliberately left-in windows and doors.

While viewing the massive totem from inside the castle, they were struck by its grandeur and magnificence. However, upon closer inspection, they discovered that the totem now appeared somewhat rough around the edges.

Harry was sitting cross-legged on the head of an earth elemental, floating outside the totem. As he waved his wand, people below could see various intricate patterns gradually appearing on the surface of the totem. The falling wood chips were like snow, so choking that people dared not get close.

"Professor Potter! What is this?!" Some of the bolder students had already shouted at Harry.

“My office!” Harry shouted, turning around. “And the future classroom for Shamanism!”

"That's so cool, Professor Potter!!"

The students who gathered around cheered immediately. It was too cool to have a class in such a cool totem. They couldn't wait. However, some of them were a little disappointed when they thought that they might never see the element until graduation.

"Hey! Watch out! Kids, don't get too close!" Just then, Hagrid emerged from the totem carrying a thick stack of planks. He roared, "I know you might be in a hurry, but this place isn't fixed yet! — How about I make you some tables, Harry!"

"Thanks!" Harry yelled down. "I'll buy you a drink later!"

"Then I'll be waiting, haha!"

Hagrid's gruff laughter echoed almost throughout the clearing.

Shrugging, Harry continued working. After carving the patterns on the exterior of the totem structure, he still needed to paint it.

In support of the new curriculum and new types of magic, Harry received a special grant from Dumbledore for the purchase of teaching materials and the construction of an office for the Shamanism class.

To be fair, the amount of money wasn't much, since the school board was quite strict with the school's budget. It wasn't even enough to cover the cost of the totem on the ground, so Harry had to add some himself—for which he had even cut down all the tall trees in Mulgore, the world of the suitcase, as raw materials.

It's hard to describe how Angry Horn felt when he woke up to find his territory completely barren. It was the first time Harry had ever seen such a bewildered and confused expression on that dragon's face.

Compared to other dragons of the same kind, Angry Horns was indeed more intelligent than other dragons of the same age under Harry's careful care, but he was unable to speak human language due to his physical limitations.

Thanks to the great Potions Master Severus Snape, Harry scattered a large amount of growth potion, and the newly sprouted saplings helped to calm Harry's rage.

Otherwise, Harry always felt that his little house probably wouldn't survive under the claws of an enraged dragon... after all, he couldn't stay in the box forever.

Always be wary of a dragon's vengefulness—especially a female dragon.

As Harry learned and mastered spells, his power to turn dust gradually grew stronger. The entire process of building this landmark totem building didn't even require Dumbledore's help. Well, in fact, even if Harry wanted to ask Dumbledore for help, he couldn't.

After receiving that special funding, Dumbledore immediately made it clear that a friend abroad needed to see him and that he would be away from the school for a long time.

The old man runs quite fast.

Everything was proceeding smoothly. With the help of the miraculous power of magic, Harry finished carving the totem structure in just two days. The overall shape was quite similar to an enlarged version of the totem that Harry had carved before. The top part of a huge cylinder was shaped like a pair of bull horns, and the corresponding part was shaped like a bull's head.

Unlike the giant totem in Thunder Bluff, which had spiral staircases and empty spaces for flight points on its surface, this totem does indeed lead to the highest point, but one has to go up through the hollowed-out middle.

On the outside, the totem is decorated with a mix of cyan, red, white, and black colors. The middle and lower parts are inscribed with text written in Minotaur and elemental languages—mainly about the shaman's creed and the characteristics of each element, as well as parts related to all spirits.

Please imagine the changes yourself ↓
The apprentices would eventually understand the meaning of the inscription on the totem, so Harry simply carved all the relevant information about shamans into it.

On the night the landmark totem was completed, Harry held a bonfire party in the open space in front of the totem, inviting all the students and professors from the castle to attend.

The once familiar place has become incredibly strange. After working for so long, what Harry built was not just a totem structure, but nine totems of varying sizes centered around this giant totem.

Three-leaf windmills were even erected above many totems, and five blue tents were irregularly placed around the giant totem, each enshrining one of the four different elements and all spirits.

Logically, the last tent should have been dedicated to the ancestors of his tribe, but considering that Hogwarts was just a school and his future apprentices were only there to learn, Harry changed the ancestral worship to a worship of all spirits.

Of course, he would still teach his apprentices how to worship their ancestors and communicate with their spirits, but since he was not a member of their tribe, he would let them do such things on their own later.

There was no need to tell the other professors and students about Azeroth, not even about the Tauren tribe—but Harry still decorated the area with a Tauren flair, from the tents and colorful flags hanging in the air to the totems and carvings everywhere.

In the students' eyes, everything Professor Potter created was nothing more than exoticism... They would find it novel and interesting, but that was all.

The minotaurs never hesitated to share their joy, especially something as seemingly as establishing a new tribe. Harry had prepared a huge bonfire, endless drinks, and plentiful roasted meat—of course, no alcohol; Professor McGonagall wouldn't allow it. Even so, the students went wild. When Fred and George jumped onto the table with deafening bellows, the atmosphere reached its peak—even Professor McGonagall smiled slightly.

Silent all night.

The Ministry of Magic is encouraging of shamanism, a profession that is... well, not exactly new, but certainly different from the traditional image of shamans. At least it represents a new career path and job opportunity, which can solve the problem of many recent graduates not being able to find suitable jobs and increase the Ministry of Magic's support rate.

It was a new cake, so no one specifically objected to it.

The Ministry of Magic actually pays close attention to Harry's every move, the originator of elemental magic, and even requires him to regularly report to the Ministry on changes in the elements and the list of new shamans.

Therefore, Harry had anticipated that the news of him building a new building for Hogwarts would reach the ears of the Ministry of Magic, or rather, the vast number of wizards in the wizarding world.

There will be wizards who support the changes Harry brings, and there will certainly be wizards who believe that the series of buildings Harry built defile the ancient Hogwarts. But what Harry did not expect was that the first thing to cause a stir was not this huge totem, but Filch.

To be precise, it should be called a dud.

[Shocking! The magic of the Squib!!!]

As expected of Rita Skeeter, the title she came up with was so captivating that no wizard could look away—Squibs and magic, how are these two things connected?

Many people opened the newspaper with the intention of having a good laugh, expecting it to be another satirical piece by the famous reporter Rita. However, as they continued reading, their smiles gradually disappeared, and they became serious.

[...It's difficult to describe my feelings right now with simple words. My hands were even trembling as I wrote this article, and I imagine that you, who are reading this right now, are as well. We are all trembling at this magic that is enough to shock the world...]

[...Decades passed, centuries passed, millennia passed—but even after such a long time, and wizards have possessed magic for so long, this is the first time that a Squirrel has had the opportunity to use magic...]

[...A pain has accompanied us throughout this long time, omnipresent like a shadow. No one knows whether it is a curse of blood or the price of magic. Yes, especially for those noble bloodlines with ancient traditions, this pain has always accompanied every wizard—that is the Squib.]

As a journalist who dares to speak the truth, I am never afraid to offend those with power and influence. Yes, with a righteous heart, I must speak out about this matter and make it public… that is the fate of the dud.

[...We all know they exist, yet we consciously ignore them. Squibs—Muggle-born wizards don't understand the meaning of this word, and only those wizards of noble blood know how heavy its meaning truly is, and what fate awaits a Squib...]

[...excluded from magical society, not even acknowledged by their own families, as if they never existed in the world...]

[...Imagine your own family member, sibling, son, or daughter, because he or she is a Squib, so you have to send them away immediately and erase their record of existence—please note, this is a method that only exists now.]

[And in even more ancient times, even just a few decades ago, Squibs born into wizarding families would be secretly executed, as if the child had never existed... Yes, I said it, and even I'm surprised at my own audacity; she actually said it, this deliberately erased history...]

Rita Skeeter was firing off like a high-pressure water gun cleaning a dirty tapestry; her excitement was palpable between the lines of the article. Harry could almost picture the journalist's fervent smile and the flying quill pen.

But now, everything is different.

[With a shocked and excited heart, I announce to you all a fact—from this day forward, even Squibs have the opportunity to master magic.]

No more enduring the pain of separation from loved ones, no more suffering the torment of emotions and the loss of honor—yes, elemental magic! The unique magic pioneered by Harry Potter, the youngest professor in the entire history of Hogwarts, is the very magic that the Squib can wield!!

[At great risk, I personally interviewed Mr. Argus Filch, the current castle caretaker of Hogwarts—yes, you've probably guessed it, this wizard who has served at Hogwarts for over thirty years is a Squib!!]

However, what I want to tell you is that during this interview, Mr. Filch very proudly demonstrated to me the magic he possessed—those amazing earth and fire elemental spells—and proudly proclaimed the greatness of Harry Potter!

[Last year's events were about Harry Potter giving this castle caretaker an opportunity, allowing him, after decades of torment, to finally master magic and no longer live with envy and hatred—do not doubt that these are the very words Mr. Filch himself told the author.]

He personally admitted that he used to be filled with jealousy and malice towards the students in the castle because of his Squib identity, but now everything is different, and Mr. Filch is willing to apologize to the students for his past incompetence.

In Rita's writing, Filch almost becomes a, well, a saint who has turned back from the wrong path. She is praising Filch like crazy, but what puzzles Harry even more is when Filch accepted Rita's interview?
The oldest apprentice never left the castle; he was devoted to his job.

[...Anyone with a conscience would surely forgive Mr. Filch's mistakes, because now that the veil has been torn off, we all know what kind of lives the Squibs once led. I cannot imagine how many Squibs in the world are living lives like Mr. Filch's, or even worse.]

[...We should feel sorrow, we should feel compassion, for those are the finest qualities of us as human beings...but before that, I believe we should say thank you to Harry Potter, to our Professor Potter, for those Squibs that no one once paid attention to.]

(End of this chapter)