Hogwarts: Harry Returns from Azeroth

Chapter 178, Section 177: The Popular James and the Apprentice.

"I want a really, really cool, and really, really glamorous entrance, Harry, you know what I mean."

These are James Porter's original words.

The ancestral spirits summoned through ancestral totems do indeed emit a ghostly blue soul light. This illusory semi-transparency and color is one of the differences between the souls summoned by shamanic magic and the ghosts of wizards, whose ghosts are milky white and semi-transparent.

Although they do look different, the light emitted by a normal ancestral soul is not as obvious as it is now, and even in the bright sunshine, it has tinged the face of the person sitting in front with a blue hue.

After the initial burst of intense, eerie blue light dissipated, James Potter knelt on one knee in a very cool pose—a pose he had hesitated over for a long time before deciding on, and which he also referenced some Muggle comics he had read in his lifetime.

The effect was outstanding, successfully silencing all the students present.

Everyone stared wide-eyed at the suddenly appearing figure with a semi-transparent body, so much so that those sitting at the back had to stand up to look out, or simply crouch down and move forward to get a better look.

A larger version of Harry Potter—no, to be precise, Harry Potter should resemble this man. He looks more mature, with some remaining blue stubble on his chin, wearing glasses, and sporting a bright smile.

Every child from a wizarding family recognizes this face, for they have all been to Godric's Hollow with their parents, seen the memorial statue of the Potter family, and no one is unaware of the name of this family of three—James Potter! This is James Potter!!

"Merlin's underwear..."

A collective gasp rippled through the crowd.

What did they see?
Professor Potter was telling the truth—he really summoned his father's spirit?!
The souls of the dead?!
“Hey kids, hello everyone,” James Potter raised his hand and greeted them cheerfully. “Hello to those over here, and to those over there too—oh, Professor Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, it seems like the last time we met was… I mean, it’s nice to see you all.”

James Potter winked as he spoke, alluding to the gathering in Harry Potter's suitcase world last year, where Professor McGonagall looked like she'd seen a ghost when she saw him and Lily.

Yes, it really is a ghost.

“Oh, it has been a long time, James,” Dumbledore said cheerfully. “I’m relieved to see you’re doing well over there.”

“Of course, I’d be very happy—especially now that I can come back to this world anytime to have some fun,” James Potter shrugged. “It’s just a shame I can’t eat or touch anything. It’s a bit of a disappointment.”

“You’re lucky enough to be able to see this world again, James,” Professor McGonagall smiled. “You can’t ask for more.”

“You’re right, Professor.”

It was like being at home. James Porter flew from mid-air in the front court to the back court with one hand on his hip, waving to the excited students who were greeting him all the way, like a big star visiting his most loyal fans.

"So—Mr. Potter, you really exist?!" After James Potter finished surveying the area and landed back beside Harry, a Ravenclaw student couldn't help but stand up and shout, "It's not some illusion magic? Nor are we hallucinating—sorry, I'm really curious!"

“Oh, of course I am real.” James was extremely excited to be able to reappear in front of so many people. He darted directly from Harry’s side to the Ravenclaw student, or rather, he passed right through the student’s body.

"Merlin! This feeling—it's so cold!!" The student couldn't help but hug his arms and shiver. He exclaimed, "It feels just like a ghost passing through my body! This is so cool!"

"Right? Pretty cool, right?" James patted the student on the shoulder with a smug look on his face... well, he should have just pretended to pat the student's shoulder, which made the student shrink back from the cold. "Of course I really did it, kid. That's the magic of magic."

No further proof is needed; the very fact that James Potter's spirit has appeared at this moment is the best proof.

With Harry's permission, the students lined up one by one to the front to shake hands with James, and the bolder ones could even give him a hug. James, of course, would not refuse such a small thing.

By personally encountering the existence of the ancestral spirits, touching the ancestral totems that were being planted in the ground, and memorizing the unique patterns on the totems with wide eyes, the students' curiosity was fully satisfied.

"Remember, unlike those professions that specialize in the power of the soul and can cut, twist, deform, and shape the soul, all we shamans do is invoke the souls of our ancestors—this is very important."

Once all the students had settled back into their seats, Harry continued his lecture.

"This means that we are merely borrowing the power of the ancestral spirits, and we cannot force them to act against their will—remember what I just said? The souls we invoke are ancestral spirits that are related to our own bloodline or to the bloodline of the person being ceremonially worshipped."

“I don’t think any of you would be so heartless as to toy with the souls of your ancestors, would you?” Harry shrugged. “Of course, just like with the other magic we use, if someone uses it to do bad things, Azkaban will naturally have one more resident.”

Harry's words immediately drew laughter, with the students deeming such an act of filial impiety utterly foolish—they certainly wouldn't toy with the souls of their own family members.

Amid the laughter, Dumbledore nodded slightly, secretly relieved.

A shaman's soul magic doesn't involve directly using or further shaping soul power to achieve specific effects. Instead, it involves invoking the souls of one's ancestors, who are connected to the shaman's bloodline, and then casting the spell through the ancestors. The entire process isn't a direct connection between the user and the magic; there's an intermediary involved. Essentially, the ancestral souls themselves cast the soul magic.

The idea that a dead soul, no longer in this world, and unrelated to human laws and morality, could use the power that exists within a soul—all of this sounded perfectly reasonable—gained Dumbledore considerable confidence in persuading the other wizards in Wizengamori afterward.

Yes, it also reduced a lot of the difficulty for him.

“We understand, Professor Potter,” a student shouted. “Just as we should approach the elements, we should not force them, but ask for their help—well, I think my grandfather’s spirit would be willing to help me.”

"hahahahahahahaha."

When the student spoke of his grandfather's spirit, the uncertain look on his face made everyone else burst into laughter.

“Your understanding is correct,” Harry said with a smile. “Never forget this mindset. Just as you wouldn’t want anyone to force you to do something you don’t want to do, the elements and spirits wouldn’t want to be forced—and not only that, you should also be mindful of this when dealing with your friends.”

Professor McGonagall nodded. She thought Harry had done a good job, and it was a good thing that he was able to further educate his students on character during the lessons.

After demonstrating what he was supposed to demonstrate, Harry finally brought out a large chest of Earth Pact Potions. The students then moved on to the part they had been most looking forward to—drinking the Earth Pact Potions and establishing a connection with the earth element through various magical means, thus becoming a shaman priest.

Elemental magic is cool, soul magic is magical, and the unique magic of shamans, so different from wizard magic, deeply attracted the young wizards. Especially after Harry's demonstration today, everyone was eager to summon their ancestors and chat with them about the interesting things that happened in the past.

Children who have lost loved ones at a young age are especially eager for the magic to summon the spirits of their ancestors.

It's a bit too cruel that we've already witnessed such amazing magic, but are stopped here because we can't establish a connection with the elements.

"First, drink slowly, don't choke; second, don't do anything strange while feeling the presence of the earth element. I don't want to see anyone burying themselves in the ground or hanging from a tree; third, keep a peaceful mind. Even if you ultimately fail to establish a connection with the element, it doesn't mean your path ends in death."

"My lessons will continue, and becoming a shaman is just one branch of your life choices. Don't see this profession as your whole life. You will have many more choices in the future. That's all I have to say. Now, drink."

Not only did the Hogwarts students drink the Earth Pact potion in unison at this moment, but the Squibs on the other side also excitedly drank the potion in their bottles.

Amidst the stunned expressions of these people, Harry even led four centaurs out of the nearby Forbidden Forest and gave them Earth Spirit Potion—before these centaurs emerged from the Forbidden Forest, no one had even noticed that there was such a group of 'people' studying in the nearby forest.

These centaurs were also considered Harry's apprentices. They missed the opportunity to be approached by the elementals as soon as they appeared in the centaur tribe, so at Triton's request, they came to Harry's side, became his apprentices, and learned a different way of shamanism than the centaur tribe.

In the future, they will become a bridge between the centaur tribe and the outside world, and they will also fill in the gaps in the shamanic spells that the centaurs have developed themselves. They will also be the initial members of the Earth Ring, agreeing with Harry's ideals, and will be an invaluable asset.

The students, including the Squibs, were naturally very curious about these suddenly appearing centaurs, but the most important thing right now was to seize the time to comprehend the existence of the earth element, so they didn't crowd around them.

Nothing unexpected happened after that, and Harry didn't find any promising talents who could rival Luna's. The class proceeded as planned.

As darkness fell, Harry officially announced the end of the class, and amidst a chorus of wails, he gained a new batch of apprentices.

Still, not many people sensed the presence of the earth element. The Gryffindor twins, Fred and George, sensed it simultaneously, Hufflepuff had three students, Ravenclaw had only one, and Slytherin had an astonishing four—it was simply unbelievable.

Unlike last year, with very few exceptions, almost all the Slytherin students came out to listen to Harry's lectures this year.

These cunning little snakes know what true power is and how to bow down to benefits in order to gain real advantages—Draco Malfoy was a bullied figure in Slytherin before becoming a shaman last year, but after becoming a shaman, he practically ruled the entire Slytherin.

He's incredibly strong. Even the older students couldn't do anything about Draco Malfoy under the school rules. Of all Harry's apprentices, Draco was the only one who took physical training very seriously, yearning to have a body as strong as Harry's.

That's why those Slytherin students who were thoroughly beaten by Draco last year came to class this year with exceptional understanding, setting aside their pride and reserve—Draco was already powerful enough, and if they didn't learn from him, wouldn't they be letting Draco forever ride on their heads?!

Compared to this, the fact that Harry killed Voldemort could be temporarily set aside in the minds of these pure-blood nobles.

They went there to learn the technology! Their commitment to pure-blooded glory will never waver! — At least that's what these little snakes say themselves.

In short, these four Slytherin students made quite a splash. They immediately sneered at Draco, who returned the sneer, cracking his knuckles in a snapping sound.

The students who were not selected were naturally unwilling. They looked with envy and jealousy at the students who had become shamans and couldn't hide their joy. But what they found even more unacceptable was that seven shamans had also emerged from among the squits.

It's absolutely unbelievable!!

(End of this chapter)