Chapter 57: The Secret Code of Meditation
"That's a great decision. During the summer vacation, I'll assign training tasks to all of you—including Malfoy. If you fail, I won't punish anyone. But if no one trains over the summer, then don't complain when you're defeated by your opponents during practice."
George clapped his hands, single-handedly making arrangements for the summer break of all four of them.
With a flick of his sleeve—fully aware of the scheme he had just set in motion—he quietly slipped away.
When Harry and the other two left the Mutual Aid Society, they were brimming with fighting spirit. It wasn't until they were on their way back to the dormitory that they suddenly realized something odd.
"It feels like we were tricked by George. First he told us bad news, then he turned the bad news into good news. And in the end, he assigned us a pile of homework—and we even smiled and pledged our loyalty to him."
Ron had felt something was off the whole way back, the same uneasy feeling he used to get when one of his older brothers had fooled him. After thinking it through carefully, he pinpointed the key issue.
"That does seem to be the case. Training with Malfoy isn't exactly good news—but beating him definitely is," Harry said helplessly, rubbing his head.
Being mocked by Malfoy in class was one thing; being unfairly treated by Professor Snape was another. Malfoy could insult him all he liked, but if Harry retaliated, Snape would probably deduct points. So Harry figured that if he could defeat Malfoy outright, then training alongside him might actually be tolerable.
"Clever George turned a bad thing into a good thing—just like he said, it's all about changing your perspective," Hermione said. She had already grasped George's thinking.
There was conflict and hatred between them and Malfoy, but as long as they had no intention of killing him, those contradictions weren't truly matters of life and death. In such a situation, a few clever maneuvers could create a win-win outcome.
If George didn't personally hate Malfoy, then the matter certainly wasn't unforgivable. Malfoy, after all, was a textbook example of an obnoxious brat for his age. That might not amount to some monstrous crime, but boys like him could easily meet bad ends if they weren't careful.
On the other hand, George was a Ravenclaw. He had almost no real contact with Malfoy. As long as he kept his wits about him, he was practically immune to troublesome brats. No matter how annoying they were, they wouldn't recklessly court disaster.
If Harry and Ron were strong enough to strike back at Malfoy, even a bully like him would avoid them. Every brat who survives—especially the more cunning ones—has a talent for sensing danger.
They always find someone weaker to bully. Those who claim to love violence don't truly love violence—they simply enjoy picking on the weak. The moment they encounter someone stronger, they become more anti-violence than anyone else and are quick to magnify the weaknesses of the strong.
The conflict between Harry and Malfoy wasn't severe enough to push them into killing each other. Under such circumstances, their hostility could even become a tool in George's hands. After careful consideration, George decided to turn Malfoy into a "silver carp"—a rival to spur Harry and the others to grow faster.
Bad news became good news, and at the same time it stimulated the trio's competitive drive. It was a worthwhile deal. More importantly, George now had a legitimate reason to help Malfoy. Under the circumstances, he could ignore Harry and the others' dissatisfaction and arrange for them to train together—neither too friendly nor too hostile.
Sure enough, just as Ron had predicted, Malfoy had spent considerable effort investigating George's preferences, trying to grow closer to him. Determined to win George over, he did not hesitate. Besides some initial small gestures, he had presented several Slytherin-exclusive books and waited patiently until George neither rejected him nor refused the possibility of accepting him.
Malfoy then raised the stakes and sent a book titled The Secret of Meditation. Though he had made up his mind, his minimum goal was to ensure George remained neutral between him and Harry. He also hoped to gain some benefit from George, though he didn't dare produce the Dark Arts books hidden in his family's collection.
Malfoy was no fool. He would never try to deceive George outright. He wouldn't scheme recklessly or push George into a corner. A carefully prepared gift could not be too extravagant, too secretive, too casual, or too mediocre. Malfoy had spent a long time searching through his family's collection for something that would truly interest George.
Meditation was a method of mental cultivation passed down from ancient wizards. It was said to possess mysterious functions and had once been an indispensable practice among ancient spellcasters. But for reasons unknown, wizards had gradually abandoned this discipline.
As time passed, even the purpose and meaning of meditation faded into obscurity. In modern times, a few wizards had attempted to revive the practice. After years of effort, however, they could only conclude that the magical world had lost this inheritance. No one knew what meditation truly did, nor how to properly practice it.
After years of research, the only tangible evidence left by one such wizard was this book—The Secret of Meditation.
Malfoy knew George loved reading and spent much of his time in the Hogwarts library. It was said that he had already finished most of the historical volumes there.
Though Malfoy doubted George had truly read through thousands of pages of dry travelogues and historical records, he knew George had a keen interest in ancient knowledge and lost arts. After careful consideration, he made a calculated choice: in ancient times, this had been an important book; now, it was little more than an obscure and uninteresting relic—perfect for George.
He didn't expect George to abandon Harry just to befriend him, but he was determined to leave a favorable impression. That would make future cooperation easier. With enough investment, even securing George's neutrality was not impossible.
In the Ravenclaw common room, George gently ran his fingers over the thick volume of The Secret of Meditation. The aged leather cover revealed its antiquity. The densely patterned star charts on its pages, along with the extensive magical texts inside, testified to its historical weight. Marginal notes written in various magical scripts recorded the author's fascination and passion for ancient wizardry.
The wizard who had attempted to restore meditation had clearly poured great effort into the task. The book compiled every surviving ancient meditation technique and included detailed annotations. Unfortunately, it failed to explain how to truly practice it—or what its effects would be. Those were the most crucial elements.
In the end, he had neither restored the art of meditation nor revived the formidable power of the ancient wizards.
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