Chapter 100: Professor Binns' Answer

In the endless river of time, it seems as if time itself is a silent painter, quietly illustrating the changes of the world with delicate strokes.

As time passes, those moments that once burned with passion and stirred the heart gradually lose their original brilliance under the erosion of time.

Calm days are the norm in the castle; they flow like a gentle stream, neither hurried nor slow.

The young wizards also enjoyed the little things in their lives during these days.

...

By the end of October, the temperature at Hogwarts had already dropped to single digits.

Although it was cold, everyone was enthusiastic because they were about to celebrate the first festival of the school year—Halloween.

On October 31st, the day of the Halloween feast, although the official holiday wouldn't start until tomorrow, the entire castle was shrouded in a mysterious and eerie atmosphere.

The portraits on the walls of the corridors were all dressed in their own Halloween costumes—some wore pointed wizard hats, others donned black cloaks. They laughed and chatted, as if they too were celebrating this special festival.

Today, the young wizards were destined to have no heart for classes, whether it was Potions or Transfiguration.

Of course, if they were lucky enough to have History of Magic today, they could have a good nap to recharge for the evening's banquet.

After all, no one expected a ghost professor to get angry.

Yes, Professor Cuthbert Binns of History of Magic was a ghost.

He was once a knowledgeable, quick-thinking, and clear-minded professor. But one day, during class, he left his body behind in the staff room, and since then, Hogwarts gained a ghost professor.

Although Professor Binns was a ghost, his special identity didn't affect his excellent performance in teaching History of Magic. He could still impart his knowledge to the students.

On the second floor of the castle, in the History of Magic classroom.

The young wizards sat according to their houses, distinctly occupying their respective territories.

However, at this moment, whether they were from Slytherin or the adjacent Hufflepuff, everyone maintained a unified posture, using thick copies of "A History of Magic" to prop up their chins, then closing their eyes and falling into a deep sleep.

Professor Binns was quite interesting; he never took roll call, nor did he care what the students were doing, as if the world consisted only of the classroom and himself.

With a monotonous and boring voice, he recited content that was evidently older than the textbooks in their hands.

All this sounded like a rigid, pre-set tape recorder, making the History of Magic class the universally acknowledged best class for a nap.

However, there was one exception in the Slytherin territory on the left side of the classroom.

Ino not only listened intently to Professor Binns' recounting of magical history, but also took notes diligently with an automatic quill on parchment.

What others found to be a dull history of magic, to him, was like an epic tale, full of dragons, wizards, potions, magic, and even stories of humans falling in love with intelligent magical creatures—if you could ignore the hypnotic tone.

Today's History of Magic class intrigued him because Professor Binns was talking about modern history.

"...Muggles were not as weak as wizards imagined, especially when they raised their flaming weapons."

"...Unable to endure hiding in the dark corners of the world, wizards finally had enough of living in constant fear for their lives. A miraculous spell was invented."

"...This marked a crucial turning point in magical history. Based on the Banishing Charm, a new Muggle-Repelling Charm emerged!"

Though there was no bard's rhythmic rise and fall, Ino listened with great interest. Today's lesson confirmed his earlier belief that the magical world was anything but simple.

Looking over the entirety of magical history, he noticed that whenever wizards encountered unsolvable and life-threatening problems, a specific spell would eventually be invented.

Take the infamous Dementors, for example—these creatures couldn't be killed or banished and fed on emotions and souls. Many wizards were terrified under their influence, but before long, the ancient white magic—the Patronus Charm—was invented.

Similarly, the Muggle-Repelling Charm came about in response to the threat of firearms, an unreasonable and almost unfair charm that simply emerged.

Professor Binns' lecture continued.

"...Once the charm is cast, Muggles will leave the wizards' presence in confusion, as if nothing ever happened. Even well-trained Muggle armies are no exception; they can't find the enemy, not even remembering who the enemy is."

"...Let us remember this turning point, the point at which the magical world continued to thrive. Now, let's honor this spell. Take out your wands, turn them twice downward, then quickly flick upwards, and say loudly with me, 'Aladimobiudaampa,' just like that."

Although he was a ghost, curiously, Professor Binns still had a semi-transparent wand.

However, Ino had no time to dwell on this; he was meticulously practicing the Muggle-Repelling Charm as instructed by Professor Binns.

"Aladimobiudaampa..."

The Magic Wand's tip flashed briefly. Although there was no visible effect, he had a feeling that the spell had worked.

An ordinary History of Magic class, with the unexpected gain of a rare spell—such a little surprise was truly delightful.

Thinking this, Ino raised his hand and, with Professor Binns' permission, asked:

"Professor, I have a question. Muggles have cameras, even cameras that can shoot continuously. I mean, if they use a camera to capture wizards, wouldn't the Muggle-Repelling Charm lose its effect?"

He didn't dare mention video cameras, satellites, or mobile phones; after all, challenging an old scholar's knowledge could be quite daunting.

"Your question... is very... interesting!" At this moment, Professor Binns seemed like an old machine starting up and running smoothly.

"Very well, it's been many years since anyone asked a question in History of Magic class!"

Professor Binns seemed like a different person—not only did he speak without pauses, but his voice and tone were filled with vitality, despite still being a semi-transparent ghost.

"In fact, you could ask me even more tricky questions, but my answer would always be the same: never underestimate wizards."

Professor Binns paused slightly, then continued with a confident tone:

"The history of wizards is long, much longer than that of Muggles. During this long history, we have encountered more severe and dangerous situations, so we believe in magic, and magic has never let us down."

"So, whether it's the camera you mentioned or something even more powerful, when wizards' survival is seriously threatened, new spells will always be invented to deal with these things, though the process may involve hardship and sacrifice."

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