The issue with the school meals could be solved with a simple bidding process. Owen only needed to mention the idea, and Professor McGonagall immediately knew how to execute it, so the young wizard didn't need to distract himself with the details. What he really needed to learn was the operational structure of the castle.
Leaving the professor's office, it was dinnertime. Today, Owen sat at the Gryffindor table, specifically observing their dining habits. Honestly speaking, it was bad!
The older students could control their intake, neither starving nor stuffing themselves. But many of the younger students had no self-control; they ate as if trying to burst their stomachs.
This unrestrained eating habit wasn't a new phenomenon. Slytherin was the most disciplined; due to their backgrounds, they at least maintained table manners. Hufflepuff was the most casual; being so close to the kitchens, their mealtimes had practically no restrictions. Ravenclaw had a strong academic atmosphere, but the habit of dipping chicken legs in soup while writing notes on the table still needed improvement.
After dinner, Owen walked out to the lawn outside the castle and sat down comfortably on the grass. Soon, someone ran out clutching a thick notebook and sat opposite him. "Owen, there's so much I don't understand..."
"Hermione, please wait ten minutes."
Ten minutes later, the lawn was packed. Second, third, and fourth-years made up the majority. The first-years couldn't even squeeze into the inner circle and had to listen from the outskirts.
"Last year, as first-years, you simply learned what magic was and how to use it. But this year, regardless of your grade, you are encountering new curriculum much harder than last year's. This is normal. But you must grasp one key point: for you, there is no barrier of talent stopping you from learning magic. Being able to come to this school is proof of your talent. What you lack is simply understanding."
Owen took Hermione's notebook, looked at the questions, and smiled gently. "In your understanding, are specific wand movements and incantations absolutely necessary to cast a spell?"
Owen raised his right hand, extended his index finger, and a soccer-ball-sized orb of light appeared at his fingertip. Its soft, non-blinding light instantly illuminated the entire lawn.
Even the first-years who had only been at school for a few days knew what this spell was. It was the very first charm everyone learned: the Wand-Lighting Charm, Lumos.
After demonstrating silent, wandless magic again, Owen pulled out his small wand. He calmly twirled it in the air and incanted, "Lumos."
Another orb of light, the size of a washbasin, appeared and floated in the air, just like the first one.
"Can you see the difference?"
The young wizards nodded. Anyone could see it—one was big, one was small. The difference was obvious.
"Spell gestures are essentially drawing runes in the air. Incantations are used to better mobilize our own magical power. Combined, they allow us to cast the corresponding magic more easily. Therefore, the spells we are learning now are simplified versions. We only need to mechanically reproduce the steps to use the magic. Do you think this is good or bad?"
No one spoke. The students fell into deep thought. Of course, not everyone; some simpler minds were just confused. Looking at Ron standing behind Hermione, Owen wondered why the boy had even bothered to come.
"This method stifles the emergence of geniuses and makes the wizards of the magical world mediocre. It becomes very difficult for legendary wizards like Dumbledore to appear. But think about it from another angle: this simplified method allows for a greater number of wizards, ensuring the inheritance of magic continues more effectively."
Owen smiled at everyone, enunciating each word clearly. "So, we can start with mediocre learning. through hard work, we can transform ourselves into geniuses. For example... Lumos Maxima!"
This time, the incantation didn't change much, but the wand movement had subtle differences. The light that erupted wasn't gentle like before; it instantly illuminated all of Hogwarts as if the sun had risen.
Academic work, in Owen's view, wasn't burdensome. Finding learning difficult was usually because one hadn't found a goal yet—it was a cognitive issue.
So what he needed to do now—or rather, what the professors wanted him to do—was to become a role model for the students. To give them a clear, visible, tangible, and approachable goal to chase.
After the light faded, Owen continued, "Perhaps some of you think that silly wand waving and repetitive incantation memorization is boring and dull. But do you know? The reason I can do this is because I have practiced every single spell thousands, even tens of thousands of times. In your eyes, it's repetition, it's construction. But for me, it has become instinct."
"But we've never seen you practicing that hard?"
Owen glanced at Ron, who had spoken, and shook his head. "I don't have the habit of displaying the process of my hard work, because I don't need anyone's approval or praise."
Stars appeared in the eyes of the young wizards. That line was just too cool!
Hermione raised her hand. "But once we leave school, we can't use our wands. How can we practice?"
"You can use a twig as a substitute to practice the movements and incantations."
Hermione slapped her own forehead—hard enough to leave a red mark. "Why didn't I think of that!"
Looking at the regretful young witch, Owen smiled and reached out. A soft white light glowed in his palm as he pressed it against her forehead. "It's not too late. Or rather, it's never too late to start working hard. Alright everyone, time is up. I'm heading back. If you have any questions, we can continue after dinner tomorrow."
Owen withdrew his hand, leaving the witch's forehead smooth and pale again. Then he levitated off the ground, spun in the air, and flew back toward the castle.
The students sitting on the grass began to stand up in groups of twos and threes, walking back with excited expressions.
Aimless learning is exhausting, but with a goal right in front of them, learning was no longer so dull. It was just practicing a spell thousands of times, right? If Owen could do it, they could do it too! So...
I will definitely be the next Owen!!!
---
"So you believe talent isn't important?"
Taking the ingredients from Professor Snape, Owen glanced at the color of the potion and began processing quickly. "Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration. But without that one percent, you'll never reach one hundred percent."
Snape nodded. "Well said. Once you finish this batch, take it with you."
Invigoration Draught. It could revitalize someone who was mentally exhausted. And this cauldron... contained enough for ten people. This wasn't for him at all. Snape wanted to use Owen's hands to deliver these potions to the little snakes, because this year's incoming Slytherin class had exactly ten students.
"Professor, you know I have a spell that can induce rapid deep sleep, allowing for the quickest recovery of physical and mental energy."
With his back to the young wizard, the corners of the greasy-haired professor's mouth turned up, but his tone remained unchanged. "Suit yourself!"