Chapter 31: The First Lesson (Part II)

Morris smiled slightly and nodded. "That is a good question, Miss Clearwater."

"The distribution of power in wizarding society may appear on the surface to be determined by magical ability, but in reality, other latent forces are at work—wealth, lineage, educational resources, and even the understanding and manipulation of rules."

"These factors collectively shape the power structure of the wizarding world."

As he spoke, he walked over to a scroll on the wall and pointed to a depicted scene of a wizarding council. "This is a tapestry of a wizarding joint council from over a dozen centuries ago."

"As you can see, the distribution of power at that time was not based solely on magical ability, but was determined by a variety of complex factors."

"The wizards who occupied the seats of honor were not necessarily the most powerful wizards, but they likely possessed wealth, knowledge, or control over some critical resource."

"Therefore," he turned to face the students, "power is not merely reflected in magic, nor is it limited to individual capability. Power exists broadly in the insight into one's environment, the control of resources, and the understanding of social rules."

"This is the core philosophy I hope to convey to you through this course."

Percy could not help but ask, "Then why do we need to learn this? Will it be of any practical use to us?"

Morris looked at him and said earnestly, "The simple answer is this: understanding how society functions allows you to better protect yourselves while simultaneously making better use of your own power. Whether as individuals or as wizards, you cannot exist in isolation from the world."

He waved his wand gently, and a few lines of text appeared on the blackboard:

"Power, Rules, Choices—the three cornerstones of wizarding society."

"In today's lesson, we will begin with these three aspects to explore the foundations of wizarding society." He paused, scanning the room once more. "It may overturn some of your inherent perceptions of the wizarding world, but that is the very meaning of learning, is it not?"

Percy straightened his posture, Penelope bowed her head to take quick notes, and Marcus leaned back in his chair, maintaining an air of indifference.

"This is a course about thinking. I do not demand that you accept everything I say, but I do hope you learn to ask questions, to reflect, and to choose."

Morris stopped in the center of the classroom and glanced at his watch, ensuring there was still enough time.

He looked up and said in a measured, unhurried tone, "Since we have just mentioned the cornerstones of wizarding society, let us start with the most fundamental question: what do you believe is the underlying rule of wizarding society?"

The question brought a brief silence to the classroom.

"Percy Weasley." Morris fixed his gaze on Percy, calling his name.

Tapped, Percy immediately sat up straighter. "Professor, I believe it is the law. The order of wizarding society is maintained by the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy and other relevant regulations."

Morris nodded and turned to Penelope. "Miss Clearwater, what is your view?"

Penelope pondered for a moment before saying, "Professor, I believe it is education. Through learning magic, we are able to pass down knowledge and play our respective roles in society."

"An interesting perspective." A faint smile tugged at the corner of Morris's mouth before he turned to Marcus. "Mr. Flint, what about you?"

Marcus shrugged and replied lazily, "Power, I suppose. Whoever has the strongest magic calls the shots, right?"

The classroom fell silent. Everyone looked at Morris, waiting for his response to this blunt—and perhaps somewhat offensive—answer.

Morris showed no sign of displeasure. He simply smiled faintly and said, "Mr. Flint, your point is very direct, and it is not without merit."

"Indeed, the strength of one's magical ability determines a wizard's status to a great extent. But power is merely the outward appearance; what truly determines the source of power is the mastery of 'rules' and the understanding of 'choices'."

He waved his wand again, and the writing on the board became clearer:

"Power, Rules, Choices—the three cornerstones of wizarding society."

"Power is explicit; we can use our wands to cast spells and solve problems with magic—this is the power you learn and use every day. Rules are implicit; they work quietly in the background, whether it is the laws of society, the superiority of bloodlines, or the allocation of resources—the rules shape the framework of our lives. And choices are the final manifestation of all power and rules—how you choose to wield your power and how you find your place within the rules."

Morris paused, his gaze growing deeper. "In wizarding society, what truly determines your future is not how many spells you know, but how you understand and utilize these rules, and every choice you make at critical moments."

The students fell silent. Percy bowed his head in thought, Penelope was already taking rapid notes, and even Marcus momentarily set aside his nonchalant demeanor—though he did not fully grasp the concepts, he felt, for some reason, that what Morris was saying was profound and rang true.

Morris continued, "The goal of this lesson is simple: I want you to learn to think about these three questions: First, what is power? Second, how do rules shape power? Third, how do you find your own place within those rules?"

He swept his gaze over the group and said slowly, "These questions may not have clear-cut answers, but they will accompany you throughout your lives. If you can leave this class with more questions than you arrived with, then today's lesson will have been a success."

The classroom fell quiet again, but this time, the silence was heavy with thought.

Following this, Morris lectured on many things related to the history of magic.

He spoke of the pyramid structure of wizarding society.

He spoke of Maslow's hierarchy of needs.

He spoke of...

Ten minutes before the end of the class, he walked to the podium and waved his wand gently, causing sheets of parchment to appear before each student.

"For the remainder of today's time and as your homework," he said, "I would like you to attempt to answer one question: 'In wizarding society, is power equivalent to authority?' You may express your views in any way you choose, whether by writing an essay, drawing, or otherwise. I do not care about the format; I only care about the content."

Admittedly, it was a good question.

If one steps outside the world itself and considers it from a higher dimension, the answer remains elusive.

Many believe that power is everything; the Morris of the past had once thought so too.

He had believed that if he possessed extraordinary magic, he could easily achieve revenge or bring about change.

However, when he began to act, aside from the mountain that was Dumbledore standing before him, he had developed two questions:

First: How was this approach any different from Voldemort's?

Voldemort tried to conquer everything with power, turning the world into his own dictatorial empire.

Yet, he failed. Was this failure an accident or an inevitability? If Harry had not existed, would Voldemort have succeeded?

Historical materialism points out that while historical figures can influence the course of events, they cannot change the fundamental trends of historical development.

Therefore, Voldemort's failure was inevitable.

Even without Harry, someone else would have assumed the historical responsibility and pushed history forward.

Second: Can power truly allow one to "do whatever one wishes"?

Is there an upper limit to magical power?

From Dumbledore to Merlin of the Middle Ages, from the four founders to Herpo the Foul, wizarding power has not undergone a qualitative leap.

Perhaps ancient wizards were strong, but there were limits to that strength.

Even with Herpo the Foul researching Horcruxes, and Voldemort splitting his soul into seven parts beyond the original foundation of Horcruxes, he could not resist the power of love and the resistance of history.

Does more powerful magic exist in reality?

That remains an unknown.

At the very least, the current Morris had not seen any opportunity to transcend everything.

Therefore, there is no absolute power, and thus, there is no possibility of "doing whatever one wishes" based on sheer force.

The answers to these two questions sparked further reflection:

Why did Dumbledore stop Grindelwald?

Because he understood that such reform was doomed to fail, and even if it succeeded briefly, someone would eventually overthrow it.

Why did Dumbledore suppress his own ambition?

Because he knew that under the premise of inevitable failure, every "dictatorial" action taken would only bring more suffering to this era and the wizards living within it.

The trajectory of history has long since shown that oppression inevitably invites resistance.

No matter how great the power, it cannot make everyone follow willingly, because humanity dares to face death for the sake of ideals and equality.

This is the reason why human civilization is so brilliant.

Therefore, power is not omnipotent, and "power represents everything" is merely a lie told by the defeated.

History is created by the masses; they drive social development, transcending the boundaries of nations, beliefs, and parties.

Thus, the answers to these two questions simultaneously formed the existence of another question—in a wizarding world where the power system has not collapsed, what does power actually represent?

This also gave rise to the project Morris had assigned his students today: whether power is equivalent to authority.

Admittedly, it was a very complex question.

Morris looked forward to seeing what kind of answers these young wizards would provide him when the next lesson arrived.

The bell rang. Morris stood up straight, placed his hands behind his back, and watched as the students left the classroom one by one.

His gaze lingered on the back of each student for a moment, as if evaluating something.

When the room fell silent again, Morris turned to look at the sunlight outside the window, a cryptic smile playing on his lips.

"A decent start."

He whispered to himself, turned, and left the classroom, ready to greet his new day at Hogwarts.