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Root never thought that what he longed for in his heart was such a simple thing.
A group of people, gathering in the garden?
"Hmm?" Suddenly, Root noticed that at the top of the magic mirror, in the sunny sky, something dark flickered among the clouds, vanishing in a flash.
Root narrowed his eyes. "What am I thinking about?"
"Gurgle~"
At that moment, his stomach rumbled, and a wave of hunger surged through him. He smacked his lips and turned to the food his parents had prepared—dishes he had loved since childhood.
Of course, given England's culinary reputation, many of the foods on the table were modern delicacies, available only in the era of food additives. Root also spotted Coke and Sprite.
"I'm a little hungry. Let's eat quickly."
Swallowing his saliva, he turned away.
"Luckily, they aren't anything weird. It seems I should also spend some time figuring out how to use magic to recreate my favorite foods from my past life."
Sure, he could make them manually, but wouldn't it be more convenient to just wave a wand and have food appear? Like the milk tea he had conjured when practicing Transfiguration.
Root pushed open the classroom door, glanced around, and saw no one. He left in a hurry.
Just after he departed—
Behind the magic mirror, space twisted, and two figures emerged.
Dumbledore sighed as he observed the remaining images in the magic mirror.
Harry and the professors were chatting, playing music, while Root moved through his family and friends, a bright smile on his face.
"There's no way this child will become a Dark wizard. Believe me, he won't study the Dark Arts," Dumbledore said, smiling in relief. "I just don't know what that black liquid he's drinking is. It looks like some kind of beverage."
His heart softened, for in Root's heart's desire, Dumbledore himself was present—sitting kindly on a nearby recliner, watching over the children as they laughed and played.
A rare and touching sight.
Watching the warm scene fade from the mirror, Dumbledore raised a hand to wipe away the moisture at the corner of his eye.
Snape pursed his lips, staring at his reflection until it disappeared.
"I can't possibly smile like that."
Dumbledore chuckled.
"Hahaha! What if you could?"
He turned toward the classroom door. "Can you rest easy about the boy now?"
Snape snorted coldly. "Trusting a motionless mirror? People are unpredictable."
Dumbledore shook his head and glanced back at the Mirror of Erised. His expression changed, eyes growing misty once again before he looked away.
"Severus, people change, but those wrapped in love remain steadfast in their true selves."
"Perhaps you don't understand, but love has a power that transcends all things—even life and death."
"So believe me, the truest self of a person is what is reflected in this mirror."
Snape's eyes flickered. He was silent for a moment.
"Hmph. Since he immediately understood the inscription on the mirror when he first saw it, I can only reluctantly believe that a truly intelligent person won't stray too far."
Dumbledore laughed again, pausing to look Snape up and down.
"Severus, your hair seems much fresher today. Your skin is looking better too—sunnier, even younger. That's wonderful."
Snape curled his lip. "Stop talking nonsense."
He turned to leave, but Dumbledore stopped him again.
"Severus, I think you should teach the boy Legilimency and Occlumency."
"What?"
Snape froze, frowning.
"He's only in his first year! Why does he need to learn such advanced magic?"
Dumbledore smiled slightly. "He is a kind and hardworking child. As Headmaster and Head of House, we must compensate for using our power to peer into the secrets of a student with such an upright heart."
With that, Dumbledore turned and left.
Snape silently watched him go, his expression unreadable.
After a moment, he raised a hand and touched his hair, then his cheek.
"This kid is good at inventing some strange potions."
Snorting lightly, Snape strode off, his usual brisk steps seeming just a little lighter.
At the same time…
Root arrived at the Great Hall. Though tempted to feast, he picked a dozen dishes and placed them before him.
After devouring them all, he returned to his dormitory.
Once cleaned up, he sat on his bed and checked the system prompts.
[Achievement]: Peep Into Your Heart
[Description]: You have seen your truest self!
[Requirements]: Look into your heart through the Mirror of Erised.
[Achievement Reward]: Continuous Spell × 10
"Oh? Continuous spell casting?"
Root raised his eyebrows.
This time, the reward wasn't Galleons, magic talent, or rare herbs.
Judging by the description, it seemed he could cast spells in rapid succession. And the ×10 at the end…
"Does this mean I can fire ten spells in a row?"
A mental image surfaced—
He stood before Voldemort in battle.
The Dark Lord laughed maniacally, raising his wand to unleash a Fiendfyre Curse.
In response, Root flicked his wand, sending ten fireballs flying at Voldemort like fireworks—each one hitting him square in the face.
"I wonder what the reward would be for defeating Voldemort with a Pink Fluffy Rabbit?"
Chuckling, he pulled out his wand to test his new ability.
"Alright... Petrificus Totalus!"
Root pointed his wand at a small wooden figurine on his bedside table.
Magic surged, and the figurine stiffened into stone.
But the magic didn't stop.
"Petrificus Totalus!"
The spell fired again.
Then again.
One by one, all the small objects on his bedside turned rigid.
The process was smooth—almost effortless!
After ten consecutive castings, Root felt a slight strain on his mental strength.
Shaking his head, he suppressed his growing vanity.
"Whew…"
It seemed that mastering this ability would take some practice.
(End of Chapter)
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