Ron's recent feelings weren't particularly good, something everyone in Utopia could see.
"Do you think we should tell Neville that letting Ron have his love-hate relationship with Malfoy is fine now?"
Terry held up his book to hide his mouth while whispering to Sterling.
Sterling looked at Ron glumly flipping through Transfiguration notes and similarly raised his book.
"I think it's quite good. Much better than him being energetic and constantly making trouble with Malfoy. Look, he can even earn points from Professor McGonagall now."
Sterling had only told Terry that Draco was no longer suspicious, while maintaining the strategy of joint supervision by the Weasley twins and Neville for Ron.
The Weasley twins were necessary since Flint remained suspicious. Though Malfoy was proven to be the mole, he was only the mole for that one link. Who had brought Voldemort from the Forbidden Forest into the castle remained a mystery.
It might be Flint, or it might not be. After all, Voldemort had somehow become much smarter than during Quirrell's time, even using Malfoy as a smokescreen.
As for Draco, he was indeed no longer dangerous now. Sterling had specifically checked using "Witness of the Author".
The reason for keeping Neville's supervision of Ron was somewhat different from what he had told Terry, or rather, not the complete truth.
Part of it was indeed to keep Ron from getting absorbed in scuffles with Malfoy. He knew quite a few spells now. By Sterling's estimation, if they clashed now, Malfoy might not actually beat him.
The other part was...
Sterling's gaze swept toward Neville's area, hidden behind many flowerpots, where he was crouching to water a pot of dittany. His mental state, contrary to Ron's, had improved considerably.
Most importantly, he wasn't as timid as before. Perhaps because he felt he was protecting Ron?
Anyway, this was something Sterling was happy to see.
"I knew your target was Neville all along."
Sterling turned to meet Terry's bright eyes. He could only shrug helplessly.
"Alright, alright, but the part about Ron is also true."
"Your initial target was aimed at Neville from the start. Knowing this, you actually thought I'd believe what you just said?"
Terry looked at Sterling with mock-angry eyes. Just as Sterling was about to apologise for his concealment, he heard Terry's decisive voice.
"Do you think my brain is Gryffindor?"
So that's what he minded!
"I was being stupid myself, making up such a terrible reason."
"That's right. If it's not suitable to tell me, just say so directly. I'm not like Gryffindor, asking inappropriate questions without knowing better."
Sterling felt Terry had some house discrimination issues.
However, this matter really didn't matter whether he said it or not. His concealment was just so he could pretend nothing happened if this plan failed.
"I can tell you. Nothing that can't be known by others."
Sterling gestured for Terry to lean in.
"Remember the first time we gathered here, that magic I taught you with ridiculously high magic consumption?"
"Aurora?"
Terry certainly remembered that super magic-consuming but unremarkably effective hair-growth charm, plus the subsequent "Magic Power Shaping". Harry nearly succeeded but ultimately fell to insufficient magic power.
"To let Neville use 'Magic Power Shaping'?"
"Close. You know I have many special aspects. For instance, my eyes can discover things. When Harry was casting spells, I saw him 'absorbing' something to fill magic power gaps."
"Oh." Terry wasn't surprised.
Just seeing extraordinary things? How rare. Flip through magical history, and you could definitely find a handful. For a monster like Sterling, whom you couldn't find even searching all of magical history, it was reasonable.
Terry not only didn't find it strange but also had a "that's it?" feeling. Probably only Sterling's Animagus transforming into a magical creature could make him sigh, "Merlin, is this still human?"
"So I think that thing is the key to your successful spellcasting. Harry has many special aspects, but the ability to absorb that thing isn't unique."
"I believe that thing is emotional power."
"So Harry can absorb environmental emotional power to support his magic use. The reason for not succeeding last time was…?"
"Not enough." Sterling was pleased Terry's mind worked so quickly. "Neither his own magic power nor emotions absorbed from the environment were sufficient. I think mainly the latter."
"Harry's own emotions affect his absorption of environmental emotions. So if Harry were in a particularly heightened emotional state, he'd very likely succeed in casting."
"So you're cultivating Neville's emotions? But you mean Neville also has the ability to absorb emotions from the environment? What's his special point?"
"Not just Neville. You all do, but this ability seems rather slight compared to Harry's."
Sterling manifested two tubes, one large and one small, gesturing to Terry as a demonstration.
"Like these tubes. Compared to Harry, your emotional absorption effect is too weak, so much so that I didn't notice initially, only discovering it through later careful observation."
This was quite accidental. Tired from reading, he had rubbed his eyes and accidentally activated magical vision while Padma was practising spells nearby.
Sterling saw the threads on her body also slowly grasping something.
So actually, present-world magic also involved emotional power participation, but Avalonian magic raised this power's participation to terrifying levels.
"I understand." Terry nodded.
"You plan to improve Neville's emotional absorption efficiency by heightening his own emotions, hoping to make him successfully cast 'Magic Power Shaping' through this method?"
Talking with Ravenclaw was comfortable. No need to explain everything.
Sterling nodded satisfactorily.
"But I have another question. Why Neville?"
Terry asked this not from jealousy. Setting aside everything else, given his relationship with Sterling, if this really worked, wouldn't he get results too?
Bluntly speaking, if only one person in Utopia could learn, Sterling would definitely give him the opportunity.
"If you need particularly heightened emotional examples, don't you think Ron would be a more suitable target?"
"I feel like just having Malfoy fight him, then secretly supporting Malfoy to defeat Ron, his emotions would instantly explode."
"As for Neville, you want to cultivate his confidence? Frankly, if you want to cultivate this emotion to intense levels, I doubt whether you can do it, and even if you could, how long would it take?"
"Confidence? No." Sterling shook his head.
"Confidence is something Neville must have. He must believe in himself. This isn't just for learning 'Magic Power Shaping' but for all his future spell learning."
"I chose him because he's always had sufficiently intense emotions, just that this emotion has been suppressed in corners by his gentleness."
As the Mandrake leaf stayed in his mouth longer, Sterling gradually gained the ability to "sense emotions".
In his perception, Neville had a "volcano" in his heart.
Sterling knew why the last plan had gone wrong. Voldemort wasn't the key that could directly activate this volcano.
To make Voldemort become this key required some arrangements.