Connor's Hogwarts

"Connor, you're here."

"Well, I'm here."

"Are you ready?"

"Yes."

"Then let's get started."

In the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor's office, Connor took out a half-finished background painting. After seeing it, Professor Nott nodded with complicated eyes and said, "I'm interested. Thank you Connor."

Apparently Professor Nott also knew that painting this background was not easy.

"Nothing, this is what I should do." Connor shook his head.

Professor Nott didn't talk nonsense. He took out the pensieve and asked, "Which picture do you need?"

"Just go there at the end, where Miss Mandy comes out for the Auror interview."

Professor Nott nodded, took out his wand and pointed it, an ink shadow rose from the meditation disk, like a thick smoke swirling in the air, dancing and deforming, and finally transformed into the appearance of Miss Mandy, and the scattered ink shadows turned into As a background, the memory that could only be seen in the meditation disk was presented by Professor Nott's superb magic control.

"A little trick, I hope it can help you." Professor Nott smiled modestly.

Connor silently memorized this pretending technique, then set up the painting tools and said with a smile: "No, it's a big help. It will be much easier to draw."

"Then I won't disturb you, please start." Professor Nott walked aside silently, found a position where he could watch Connor draw and stood quietly, with a look of anticipation and excitement.

Connor took a deep breath and started painting

Connor is no stranger to making magic paintings, but this is the first time he has made high-level magic paintings. The difference between high-level magic paintings and ordinary magic paintings is that when painting high-level magic paintings, the "action" and "verbal" magic patterns are cast at the same time. When doing so, it is necessary to leave a "leave trace" of the location of the magic pattern.

The painting method of magic painting is different from that of ordinary oil painting. Ordinary oil painting does not have a complete background picture. When painting characters on a blank background, it is very troublesome to mix multiple colors together.

But magic paintings are different. The background and characters in magic paintings can be separated. When the oil paint fused with magic falls on the painting paper, the paper is no longer flat.

There is a real layered space in Magic Painting, just like the layers in CAD. The background and characters belong to two different layers.

That's why Connor can draw characters on the drawing paper with the background drawn, and advanced magic painting also has a third "memory" layer. This layer is built in the character layer. Connor draws it when he is painting. You need to leave space for this layer, just like you need to leave space for the character layer when you draw the background layer.

This is a profound magic pattern control skill. When the school started, Connor might have been reluctant to do this step. Now he can do it with ease, but it is not easy. Connor quickly devoted himself to the world of painting. .

For a moment, the only sound left in the room was the swishing sound of brushes smearing on paper, and it was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.

Behind him, Professor Nott was also watching carefully, watching the longing figure slowly emerge on the drawing paper, with complex expressions on his face that were alternately sad and happy.

Time passed slowly until lunch time, and the silence in the room was finally broken.

"Phew~ It's done!" Connor took a deep breath and put down the brush.

Professor Nott walked forward quickly, looked at the familiar figure in the painting, and trembled with excitement: "Okay! Very good! Great!"

Miss Mandy in the painting blinked her eyes and said with a smile: "Hello!" Mandy's eyes were a little confused, but her smile was bright, like a wise woman.

Connor quickly took out his wand and said, "Professor Nott, there is one last step to take. Let's extract your memory fragments."

"Okay! Okay!" Professor Nott took out a small bottle from his pocket. There was a blue filament swirling in the bottle. It was a tangible memory that could be copied or extracted from the consciousness space through special magic.

Connor also waved his magic wand, and Miss Mandy in the painting suddenly froze. This was Connor controlling the "Leave Traces" magic pattern and connecting to Miss Mandy in the painting. Connor had not yet mastered it when school started. Magic can now be used.

Connor took the small bottle from Nott's hand and "poured" the contents out. Then, under the pull of Connor's magic power, the blue thread floated into the painting and merged into Miss Mandy's body.

Miss Mandy in the painting closed her eyes.

Connor waved his wand again and closed the magic pattern. His first work was completed.

"Huh, luckily you have fulfilled your mission." Connor said: "Miss Mandy is digesting your memory and will wake up soon. My mission will be completed in that moment."

"Okay! Great! Thank you very much, Connor, really, you don't know how happy I am now. Thank you! Thank you!" Professor Nott took the portrait with a little trembling, and wanted to reach out and touch it, but hesitantly put it down. , was a little incoherent with excitement, Connor saw the sparkle in the corners of Professor Nott's eyes.

"It's nothing. This is what I promised. I just did what I should do." Connor smiled. Seeing Professor Nott so happy, Connor was also very happy.

At this time, Miss Mandy in the painting opened her eyes. She frowned first, then looked at Connor, then at Professor Nott, and then she said to Professor Nott: "Are you Sack?"

"Yes! Yes! Mandy, long time no see." Professor Nott's voice was trembling.

"So, have I turned into a painting? Is this the magic of the Lake family? It's so magical..."

"Yes, this"

"So I'm dead."

"."

"."

"Mandy, you."

"Hahaha! It's nothing. I'm just dead. Who won't die?" Mandy waved her hands and smiled brightly, but her eyes became hollow again when she smiled. She said: "But Sark, I feel It’s so strange, it turned into a painting.”

"Professor Nott," Connor frowned as he looked at Mandy, who was acting erratic and acting strangely, and couldn't help but ask, "Excuse me, how many memories did you leave behind in the trace magic?"

"." Professor Nott opened his mouth, closed it again, and remained silent for a while before saying, "I'm sorry, Connor, I only have the memory of her from those eight years."

"What!? Professor Nott! You obviously know." Connor looked at the silent Professor Nott, swallowed back what he wanted to question, sighed and said: "Forget it, I don't care, my mission has been completed That’s done, I’m leaving now, Professor.”

After saying that, Connor turned around and left, but as soon as he opened the door to the room, Professor Nott's voice came from behind.

"Wait, Connor." Professor Nott stepped forward and said, "I'm sorry, Connor, this is indeed my selfish request, and I concealed it from you."

"It's okay, Professor. After all, I haven't asked you in detail before. But you have to understand that just eight years of incomplete memory is not enough to restore a person. This is no longer the Miss Mandy in your memory."

"I know, I know, but this is enough, enough." Professor Nott said in a low voice: "I know you put a lot into this painting. It is my fault that it became incomplete. I'm sorry, and please forgive me for this somewhat selfish request from an old man."

Looking at Professor Nott with his head lowered in front of him, Connor really didn't know how to deal with it.

Indeed, as Professor Nott said, Connor was a little unhappy. After all, this was the first work that Connor put a lot of energy into. Of course Connor wanted it to be perfect.

If you want to use magic paintings to restore a person, even using his own eight years of memory is far from enough, let alone eight years of memory extracted from the perspective of a bystander.

Connor originally thought that Professor Nott would put all the memories of Miss Mandy into the painting.

Professor Knott once said that Miss Mandy died in 1969. Miss Mandy was already 36 years old at that time. Connor thought that the memory of more than 20 years could barely restore a character. But I didn't expect that Professor Nott would play such a trick, and only invested in the memories from Miss Mandy's admission to becoming an Auror.

At this time, Miss Mandy in the painting is only a "defective product". She has a "way of thinking" that Connor gave her from Professor Nott's memory and a pitiful "memory". This magic painting is undoubtedly If you fail, even if the painting will become more humane in the future with the accumulation of new memories, the Miss Mandy at that time may be far from the real Miss Mandy.

So no matter from which angle you look at it, Connor's first magic painting is a failure.

Connor sighed and said: "As of now, I have nothing to say. When this magic painting is completed, it will have nothing to do with me. Please treat it kindly."

Connor said nothing more and turned to leave.

Behind him, Professor Nott raised and lowered his hand, and finally closed the office door.