11 The Official Gossip Board

September 15, 1991

02-Gaia

Observation Entry #47

Spaced evenly across Gaia, seven gigantic trees taller than the highest mountains held up the sky. How they managed to grow from pieces of paper, I have no idea.

Even from thousands of kilometers away, one could still see the towering trees clearly in the distance. Their size was so impressive that it wouldn't be a surprise if one day, they supported an entirely separated world in their branches.

Thus, taking inspiration from the old Nordic legends, I collectively called them the Yggdrasil trees.

Now, on this day, I didn't simply plan on just admiring these trees.

I came here because I finally managed to hunt down and coax a ghost into Gaia.

Moaning Myrtle, I believe her name was.

I found her flooding the corridors near the abandoned girls bathroom one evening after lessons with Professor Quirrell, and surprisingly enough, once she saw my face, she quite willingly followed me into the portal.

And, with the experimental subject procured, came the next part; observing for changes.

During the first week, Moaning Myrtle seemed to listlessly float around the lake where I dropped her off, not wandering too far and occupied her time with splashing water all around.

Then, by the beginning of the second week, she got curious about the Yggdrasil tree in the distance and began to float towards it. It seems that she underestimated the distance between her and her destination as, on the second day of her journey, she abruptly gave up and went back to the lake where she stayed until the fourth week.

On the fourth week, still no signs of mutations, she found a small stream leading out of the lake which she followed until it became a river, and gradually, trailed into the ocean.

In this ocean, she would continue to float around aimlessly until the end of the third month where she finds herself in one of the smaller island.

She would stay there until the end of a full revolution around the sun.

After watching the condition of Moaning Myrtle for a whole year without a sign of her mutating, it became clear to me that the mutation does not affect ghosts. Or, atleast, it didn't affect her.

I cannot be fully sure unless I do more experiments using different ghosts but, for now, with the experiment concluded, I thanked Moaning Myrtle for her participation and sent her back to her bathroom.

Entry End

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The sky on the canvass was a cloudy grey, the ocean below it dark and chaotic.

From within the depths, black tentacles reached for the sky, piercing through a lone wooden ship.

Like tiny ants, the crew mates fell into the ocean, their deaths no more than little details under his paintbrush.

Harshly, the ocean winds blew the sails away, and the waves gobbled up the oars.

Calmly, the tune of Canon played through a phonograph, as Ayato Fuji slowly drank his tea, a book on his lap, but his eyes were drawn towards the boy sitting before the canvass by the window.

"What is-" From the entrance, Terry Boot looked at this scene in curiosity, only to be hushed by the senior.

"Shh.." Ayato smiled at him. "Ymir is painting."

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Today, he finally confirmed one thing.

The mutation does not affect ghosts. It only has an effect on those with tangible bodies. Thus, the things that cannot be physically grasped will not mutate.

So to say, the air, souls, or signals.

That gives him another idea for his Gaia portkey plan.

As separating the soul from the body would become dangerous after a prolonged period of time, he thought of another alternative.

The astral body.

Simply put, it was the unconscious mind that had been given a definite form. A dream version of the self, so to say.

Inside a dream, one is not able to use their physical body, but, they are still able to experience sensations and have thoughts in a way, particularly, through lucid dreaming.

If he is able to make a portkey which induces the holder to have lucid dreams, then connect their dreamscape to Gaia, so the two realms become superimposed, it might have a better effect than just simply transferring their physical bodies to Gaia.

In their dreams, they will not think too much about what is happening, thus their imagination will become unhindered by logic.

After all, in dreams, anything can happen.

So, if they create a living dragon in their dreams, they wouldn't know that they really did create a real dragon in Gaia.

But, that was the general idea, atleast. For now, the real problem was to actually make it happen.

Making a portkey that transports people to Gaia was already hard enough on its own, and now, he even needed to add a lot more functions to it.

He'd have to consult those mysterious books again as well as ask for Professor Quirrell's ideas.

Hmm... Professor Quirrell..

That reminded him of the images that flashed into his mind several days ago.

It must be hard for one body to carry two souls.

Since Professor Quirrell did provide him some help with runes, he might as well give him a gift as thanks.

How about a Soul Stabilizer Potion?

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Theoretically, if certain parts of the rune used to compress objects are used in conjunction to the runes used to obliterate the mind that's included in the Imperius rune, it should be possible to create a pure soul orb.

Now, if Professor Quirrell confirms it's validity, all that's left is to actually ensure that the egg is able to smoothly absorb it.

And, that's probably another separate rune to figure out.

Suddenly, the door to the bedroom burst open, and Anthony Goldstein came stomping in, his expression indignant and stormy.

"Alright, Harry Potter isn't as good as people make him out to be. There! I said it!" He fell onto his bed and declared.

Slowly, he put down his quill and shifted his attention to his roommate. "Explain?"

Immediately, Anthony sat up straight, pillow in hand and ready to tell the story, as though that one word was all he'd been waiting for.

"Before I tell you the the long story-" He took a deep breath, looking at Ymir somberly. "Did you know that Harry Potter actually became the Seeker for Griffindor's Quidditch team?!"

He did? Ymir thought back to Pansy's story on how Harry Potter and Draco had fought against each other on brooms, and how Professor McGonagall had seen it.

"No." He said thoughtfully. "But that is against the rules, is it not?"

"Yeah! Very against the rules! It's even said in the Hogwarts letter that first years aren't allowed to bring their own brooms!" Instantly, Anthony answered with a huff. "How is he going to play Quidditch without a broom?!"

By now, it was quite obvious that Anthony didn't like Potter. Ymir concluded in his mind. Or, to be exact, didn't like how Harry Potter was being treated specially.

"All students are treated equally my a-" Anthony bit his tongue. "Anyways, I heard from Parvati Patil, Padma's Griffindor twin sister, that she overheard Weasley and Potter talking in their common room about how Potter was pushed to become the Seeker by Professor McGonagall herself!"

Professor McGonagall? Ymir raised an eyebrow. Wasn't she supposed to be the strict, rule-abiding one? Well, that just proves how she really was a Griffindor, it seems.

"And the reason he became a Quidditch Seeker as a first year was because he disobeyed Professor Hooch's instructions to stay put and caught Longbottom's falling ball!" Anthony's face reddened in anger. "And then, when you, quite literally, saved Bones from breaking her bones, all you got was 'Oh! Wonderful! 50 points to Ravenclaw!'"

Because Professor Flitwick wasn't there to witness it?

On another thought, if Professor Flitwick did witness it, he might have fainted first before anything else, so it really wouldn't be a good idea.

"Like, how is any of that fair?!" Anthony threw his hands up in indignation. "If this isn't showing favoritism, I don't know what is."

To his rant, Ymir just silently nodded.

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There is a fine line between genius and insane.

And, most of the time, people won't even realize when they've already crossed it.

The brain is capable of storing much more memories than people give it credit for.

But, never has anyone claimed that they've filled their brain to it's fullest capacity.

The mind can never be underestimated. For it is the mind that dictates all in existence.

And, when the mind becomes the universe...

The possibilities are endless.

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"Hey, Schreiber." Anthony said idly as he paused from rummaging through his closet. "I don't know if you've noticed, but this really sketchy book of yours keeps getting into my stuff."

Ymir furrowed his brows and looked up from his journal. "Which one?"

Anthony glanced at Ymir then looked back into his closet, as though to confirm something. "The grey one with no name on it."

"Oh, the book of Lost Souls." Ymir nodded to himself. "Yes, that one tends to wander, but it seems to have taken a liking to you particularly."

"Huh?" Anthony was confused. A wandering book?

Ignoring Anthony's unspoken question, Ymir continued. "Perhaps you have a talent that you yourself were unaware of."

A talent? He's able to fit 35 marshmallows in his mouth at once. Is that a talent?

"So, what now?" Anthony tried to lift the heavy book out of his closet. "Am I just going to let it sneak into my stuff for the rest of the year?"

"If it has taken a liking to you, then there's nothing else you could do but to accept it." Ymir shrugged helplessly, spinning his quill on his fingers. "But, you might go insane if you try to read it so..."

Anthony choked and nearly dropped the book to his feet. "How are you able to say that so calmly?"

And, once again, the question got ignored.

"I think I've read it somewhere in the Secrets of the Cosmos..." Flipping through the pages of his journal, Ymir muttered. "Ah, yes! The protection rune."

"A protection rune? To protect what?" Anthony was becoming more confused with each passing moment.

"Your mind, in case you read it." Ymir said as he pulled out a vial containing a dark red liquid from the drawer on his bedside table. "For that, I'd need to draw a rune on your forehead with this...ink."

Anthony stared at the vial blankly. "That's blood, isn't it?"

Ymir blinked slowly. "Yes, but it's mine so it won't leave you any harm."

Ymir's blood was strange. It didn't have the usual smell of rust, and instead, smelled like char and ashes.

"This is kind of cool actually." The strange smelling blood dripped down his nose bridge as Ymir drew on Anthony's forehead. "Makes me feel like an ancient sacrifice to an evil god."

"There is no evil god here." Anthony heard Ymir mutter under his breath. "Only chaotic entities."

"What?"

"And, we're done." Before Anthony could begin questioning, Ymir suddenly pulled away.

"That was quick." Anthony's head felt strange. "So, can I read it now?"

"Yes, it should be fine." Ymir shrugged and went back to his journal.

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"Top five cutest boys in our year? Easy!" Pansy grinned to Daphne as she stole a Berliner from Ymir's plate. "Malfoy, Schreiber, Zabini, Nott, and Macmillan!"

It was lunch break and somehow, Ymir once again found himself dragged into idle chatter with Slytherins, except, this time, it was them who welcomed themselves into the Ravenclaw table.

Though, fortunately, this time, it was only Pansy and Daphne who sat with him while Draco and Blaise sulked on their own in the Slytherin table.

"Oh?" Daphne hummed meaningfully. "Three Slytherins, one Ravenclaw, and one Hufflepuff? The bias is quite strong here, don't you think? Not to mention that four of those happen to be your friends."

Ymir sliced his bratwurst into even pieces, only for some of them to be stolen from his plate again.

"What can I say? Slytherin just happens to be the most good-looking house!" Pansy smiled haughtily. "And all my friends looking good is just pure coincidence."

To this, Daphne laughed as she rolled her eyes.

"Though, I can't help but notice that there are no Griffindors in your list." Pushing away her unfinished salad, she continued to ask. "Why is that?"

"I mean, I don't find any Griffindors in our year attractive." Pansy appeared thoughtful for a moment and spoke with her voice lowered. "Plus, well... they're Griffindors."

Daphne raised a disbelieving eyebrow. "Not even Harry Potter?"

"Harry Potter? He's... average." Pansy said with a cringe. "He might look cuter if he fixed his hair and removed those unsightly glasses."

"Heh. Potter really is average-looking." On the other side of Ymir, Anthony butted in, scoffing.

Surprised, both Slytherin girls regarded the blond boy with scrutiny. "And, you are?"

Setting down his fork, Anthony introduced himself. "Anthony Goldstein. Schreiber's roommate."

"Oh?" Daphne tilted her head, trying to remember which family was Goldstein. "Pureblood?"

Discretely, Pansy shot Ymir a curious look, to which Ymir just leaned back and sighed.

"I should be a half-blood, technically?" Anthony himself looked a bit unsure. "I mean, on my father's side, I'm a 6th generation wizard, but on my mum's, I'm 2nd generation."

Daphne blinked and did a quick mental calculation.

"Hmm... Well, good enough, I suppose." She muttered and her form visibly relaxed. "Now, what were we talking about again?"

"Harry Potter." Ymir provided helpfully, nudging his plate away from Pansy's grabby hands.

"Ah, yes..." Anthony rolled his eyes. "Harry Potter."

Curiously, Pansy and Daphne looked towards Anthony. "You dislike Potter?"

To which, Anthony let out an aggravated huff. "Yeah... I mean, I get it. He's the savior of the Wizarding World-"

"The British Wizarding World." Ymir clarified. Deutschland didn't need Harry Potter's saving.

"Yeah. That. And it's not like he earned the title himself!" Anthony continued, his rant from several nights before still unfinished. "Like, come on! He was a baby! Most likely, it was his parents who did all of the work, and the title of savior just fell on him because he was the only one who survived!"

"He's the Boy-Who-Lived-" Daphne tried to argue, but Anthony cut her off.

"Exactly! He's just a boy who happened to live!" Anthony said through gritted teeth. "Everyone should stop treating him as a hero because he's not!"

"What's his deal with Potter?" Pansy whispered to Ymir's ear.

Ymir sighed.

"I think, the thing about Potter, is that everything that was written about him before, made him out to be this perfect being that was specifically sent to the Earth to save the British Wizarding Society." He spoke calmly. "And, people just couldn't accept it once they realized that he was actually just an ordinary child who doesn't even know his own worth."

Suddenly, they all quieted down, thoughtful.

"Unrelated to the topic, but have you all heard about the anonymous donation that arrived at Hogwarts this morning?" Sensing the stiff atmosphere, Pansy immediately changed the subject.

"About those thirty brooms?" Daphne quickly caught on.

"Yes." Pansy nodded, victoriously enjoying the last Berliner which she managed to snatch from Ymir.

"About bloody time!" Anthony shot up. "I heard from the seniors that the old brooms we've been using have actually not been replaced for twenty plus years already!"

Ymir frowned at that.

"That can't possibly-" Daphne sputtered in shock. "My family has been sending monetary donations to Hogwarts each month! You can't tell me that all that money is being spent on only food, right?!"

"Actually, the same goes for my family." Pansy inputted, glancing towards the Slytherin table. "And the board of directors as well."

Ymir's eyes trailed towards the Professor's table meaningfully, remembering the run-down state of several classrooms. "Someone needs to check the Hogwarts ledger."

All of them nodded in agreement.

"Ugh! It would be so much easier if we have a faster way to spread news here instead of relying on word of mouth." Anthony suddenly groaned. "That way, we'd actually know which gossip is real and which ones are fake."

"Indeed." Daphne agreed. "For two weeks, I thought Schreiber and Zabini were dating, only to find out later that Zabini was actually interested in Turpin!"

Ymir nearly choked. "Pardon?"

"Oh! That gossip was started by Bulstrode because she once saw Blaise kissing Ymir's History notes piously." Pansy clarified with an amused smile. "It was that one time when Blaise fell asleep during class and didn't take notes so he borrowed Ymir's."

"If only there was a way we could pass gossips legitimately." Anthony sighed forlornly and the rest followed.

"Newspapers." Seeing the three of them like this, Ymir sighed helplessly. "Create a newspaper for Hogwarts."

Instantly, all three of them sat up straight, regarding Ymir with bright eyes, staring at him expectantly.

"..." At that moment, he knew that he would end up regretting what he was about to say, but he went on anyways. "I read in the rules that students can apply for the creation of a club as long as they fulfill several criterion."

All eyes and ears were on him immediately.

"First, the club must have the approval of three or more professors and the guidance of a house dean." Ymir stated the rules. "Second, they must have five or more active members."

The three children were already beginning to plan out who they were going to invite to the club inside their minds.

"And, lastly, they must provide an honest record of their activities to the Headmaster, or the Vice-headmistress, each month." Ymir finished, looking towards the three who could barely stay still in their seats in eagerness.

"I'm going to go and ask for Professor Flitwick's permission!" Not even finishing his food, Anthony shot up from his seat and was off.

"I'll look for more members!" And then, Daphne was gone too.

"I'll draw out the club form." Unlike the two who got up in a rush, Pansy stood up, much calmer and waved goodbye to Ymir.

Finally, everything was silent once again.

"So..." With an intrigued smile, Ayato Fuji sat down on the seat Anthony vacated. "I heard you were going to make a Newspaper club."

Ymir let out a deep sigh.