Hogwarts Wasteland: The Witch from the Borderlands

"So the Philosopher's Stone didn't die in the fires of Paris with Nicolas Flamel!" Hermione thought to herself, recalling the information Harry had given her earlier.

"If it weren't for me, even if Nicolas Flamel was defeated, he wouldn't have died there with the Philosopher's Stone." Phoenix was clearly even more somber.

"Don't say that. It's precisely because he knew the Philosopher's Stone was more valuable to you than to him that he left it to you before he left," Professor McGonagall gently comforted him.

She turned to Hermione and said, "Without this Philosopher's Stone, there would be no Hogwarts as we know it today, and the European wizarding world would have been completely wiped out fifty years ago."

The phoenix continued in an aged voice, "Yes, the nuclear bomb exploded over Hogwarts. The concealing and protective spells were torn apart like paper. I used the Philosopher's Stone and the magic left behind by the four founders to absorb and control all the power of the explosion within the Philosopher's Stone."

Hermione imagined the scene: Dumbledore, dragging his broken body, facing an apocalyptic situation, and turning the tide. Although he relied mostly on the power of the castle and the Philosopher's Stone, it was still quite awe-inspiring.

"But the Philosopher's Stone was not created to store energy, and the power of the nucleus was too violent and uncontrollable. They completely changed the properties of the Philosopher's Stone, turning it into a magical nuclear bomb that was full of radiation and could explode at any time."

Hermione broke out in a cold sweat. Had Hogwarts been carrying a nuclear bomb that could explode at any moment for fifty years?

"Why not just throw it out?" she couldn't help but ask.

"Let's find a deserted spot on the sea, it'll be okay if we detonate it, right?"

"Because it is connected with the magic of the four founders, and also with Hogwarts," McGonagall explained.

"If it is taken away, Hogwarts will lose its original magic and may collapse completely, or even worse. The protective contract that the school originally had for its students will become invalid and may even backfire. The castle will automatically seek a new source of magic until it drains every student who has signed a contract with it."

"Of course, that's just a worst-case scenario."

Hermione now realizes that when children complete the Sorting Ceremony and become part of Hogwarts, they automatically sign a contract with the school. The contract stipulates that Hogwarts will provide each child with implicit protection, though not too strong. If a Killing Curse were to be aimed at their face, Hogwarts would say, "I don't have that kind of power."

Hearing this, Hermione roughly understood that the Philosopher's Stone, the magic of the four founders, and the massive nuclear explosion were all tied together like a hot potato that couldn't be thrown away. They could only hold it in their arms with trepidation, trying their best to prevent it from going wrong. And these professors had actually maintained this balance for fifty years with almost naive and crude methods!

"So you used your magic to keep it going for fifty years!?" Hermione asked incredulously.

"Yes, Merlin stood by us when we didn't even know about radiation," Phoenix said, trying to sound as joking as possible. "Perhaps with the help of Felix Felicis? In any case, we were lucky enough to maintain it until you came along."

"We made Hogwarts rise from the ground and walk non-stop, in a sense, to consume the almost overflowing power within it. This has improved its stability a lot over the years, and we have also learned more and more about radiation, even daring to try to use it to absorb other radiation sources," Professor McGonagall added.

"Chernobyl!" Hermione exclaimed immediately, "Besides holding the wand selection for new students, you also used Hogwarts to absorb the nuclear waste leaked by Chernobyl!"

"Yes, after learning that your thesis on Brilliant Stone magic was completed, we wanted to use your more mature theory to transform it, making it a pure and controllable Brilliant Stone!" McGonagall looked at the stone radiating a beautiful glow in front of her.

"Yes, Brilliant Stone, that name is indeed very fitting." Hermione took a few more steps closer, carefully sensing the power of the Brilliant Stone before her.

It must be said that there are no mediocre professors at Hogwarts, except for Lucius, of course. Whether it is Flitwick, McGonagall, or the most powerful white wizard Dumbledore, they all absorbed and understood their papers at the fastest speed and put them into practice.

However, it is really too much to ask to solve a world-class mathematical problem with a first-grade elementary school formula. Even if the first-grade formula is the foundational theory, it is still like building castles in the air to control such terrifying energy.

The professors relied on decades of accumulated experience to figure out how to operate, which just goes to show how incredibly bold the wizarding world is.

"We considered bringing you earlier tonight, which might have increased the chances of success, but we were worried that if something went wrong, it would expose you to the most dangerous situation," Professor McGonagall said softly.

Thankfully, Hermione's third eye alerted her to come and take a look; otherwise, one wrong move and this terrifying energy core could have transformed the castle and everyone into crystalline creatures, making it useless to hide anywhere.

"The overall direction is fine. The professors are better than me in both theory and practice." Hermione reached out and used the same splendid magic to guide the energy, carefully parting the obscuration and observing the inside of the splendid.

This stone was originally a Philosopher's Stone, or Philosopher's Stone, the pinnacle of alchemy. Wizards' ideal of it was to grant any wish, though that was just an expectation. Its greatest function was to turn stones into gold and to create elixirs of immortality.

Dumbledore himself was a highly skilled alchemist, and he was recognized by Nicolas Flamel. Under the influence of the magic he and the four founders of the House left in the castle, the transformation of the Philosopher's Stone was quite ingenious. Hermione couldn't understand this part yet, but the pure sapphire structure on the outside was her area of ​​expertise.

The research on pyroxene in the Borderlands, especially the Origin School, has reached the point where it can transform organic and inorganic matter. With the magical accumulation in her mind, it is enough to help the professors analyze it.

"The stable structure of the outer perimeter is somewhat different from what I expected. Perhaps this adjustment would be better..." She couldn't say that this was different from the theory of the boundary, so she could only use herself as a pretext to fine-tune the external energy structure of the pyroxene.

"I don't understand how the Philosopher's Stone works, nor do I know the magic of its founders. The internal structure of this stone is too complex. It may take me a long time to understand it, and it can't be done immediately, but I can ensure its stability in the short term." Hermione turned to look at Dumbledore.

"Professor, may I come here to observe it often?"

"Of course, child. That's exactly why I asked you to come here. You have an innate talent for radiant stone magic. Perhaps you are more suitable than us to protect its stability," Phoenix said readily.

"Can I use some of the splendid energy? Just a little bit, to charge my wand." Hermione raised her wand, which had very little splendid energy left.

In fact, powerful stellar mages are already capable of being independent of stellar stones. After all, a meteor shower cannot be powered by a small piece of stellar stone embedded in a wand. In the later stages, a physical stellar stone is more like a catalyst, like a wand, which can better help mages communicate with the power of the stars. However, Hermione cannot do this yet, which is why external stellar stone energy is particularly important.

For the people of this world, the significance of pyroxene magic lies more in the conversion and control of radiant energy, so even without in-depth study, it doesn't have much of an impact.

"You deserve it," Dumbledore said with a smile.

Hermione was overjoyed; with a plentiful energy supply, her comet Yazler was already incredibly thirsty!

"I will take good care of this pyroxene! I promise!"

McGonagall patted her head. "Alright, you've done enough for Hogwarts. Now it's time to take you back to sleep."

Hermione nodded obediently, then suddenly seemed to remember something: "By the way, where's Hagrid? Is he and Aragog guarding the Brightstone outside?"

McGonagall nodded: "Yes, tonight is a crucial day for the pyroxene's reconstruction, and we cannot allow any accidents to happen."

"So the Green Flame Party is here to steal the Radiant Stone?" Hermione felt that many questions had come together.

"Even unstable brilliance is a powerful energy source that is coveted enough, so it's normal for Voldemort to want to seize it," Dumbledore said. "In fact, not only Voldemort, but many forces have inquired, openly or covertly, about the energy source that has enabled Hogwarts to continue operating for fifty years. After all, no one's Transfiguration is that powerful."

"It's not that no one has tried to make something similar, but the results haven't been very good," Professor McGonagall said with no small amount of arrogance. Hogwarts is the best in the world, no matter what.

Hermione nodded as if she understood. She glanced at the Brilliant Stone, drew a small amount of energy from it with her staff, and then returned to the common room with Professor McGonagall, satisfied.