"Collins, is there anything else?" Dumbledore continued to ask.
"There are too many to ask!" Andy was a little helpless.
Andy had a lot of questions to ask, and there were a lot of unknowns. But Dumbledore was neither Andy's omniscient grandfather nor the artificial intelligence of the system.
He would not answer too confidential questions.
Sometimes Andy really wanted to get rid of Dumbledore and then put his soul in his pocket and carry it with him.
And then...I can ask my questions all I want.
If that doesn't work, Grindelwald can go in the pocket too!
As for Voldemort... Well, Voldemort can go to hell for rest. People whose souls have split into several pieces can no longer communicate normally.
Dumbledore smiled and suddenly said, "You might be interested in the soul."
"From a magical perspective, the soul is the essence of human existence. It is a transcendental entity that has independent consciousness and will."
"The soul is considered eternal and not subject to the constraints of time and space."
"The mind, on the other hand, is the human spirit's lifeblood, the driving force behind behaviour and thought, and the centre of emotion and perception. We usually harness the power of the mind to control magic."
This was a pleasant surprise!
Andy looked at Dumbledore in delight.
Headmaster, tell me more!
Snape was also a little surprised. He couldn't understand why Dumbledore suddenly told Andy all this.
Dumbledore obviously didn't disappoint Andy, and continued, "The mind is immaterial, but unlike the soul, it is not eternal."
"The soul is a being that transcends human physical and mental strength. It is considered to be the true face of human existence."
Andy looked at Dumbledore with eager anticipation...go on!
Dumbledore smiled kindly and indicated that he had finished.
Andy: "..."
That's it?
In a sense, Dumbledore's explanation of the soul is very similar to the theory Andy had proposed earlier.
—The real world is made up of atoms, and the soul does not belong in this world made up of atoms.
The soul transcends the world made up of atoms!
Andy suddenly thought of an interesting point.
Some people say that the end of science is theology.
It is said that many well-known scientists became obsessed with the field of theology in their later years.
So...what is the end of magic?
Andy thought, 'Magic and science are actually exploring the composition of the world. They seem to be very different, but the world has always been the same.'
Therefore, in terms of interpreting the world, magic and science may have some similarities.
"So...the soul is special?"
Andy asked thoughtfully, "And the mind...is the power within ourselves?"
"I think so!" Dumbledore nodded.
This statement broke one of Andy's previous beliefs.
Andy had previously believed that the mind, thoughts, and will all originated from the soul and that the soul was the source of all mental power.
But Dumbledore obviously didn't think so!
In Dumbledore's words, only thoughts and will originate from the soul's power, while the mind was independent—or rather, the mind was related to the human body.
"So... what ghosts lack is actually mental power?"
Andy continued, "The mind controls magic! So although ghosts have magic, they cannot use it because they lack some of their mental strength?"
Andy thought about it carefully.
Ghosts can think and remember their past lives, and they also have magic.
If the theory of 'the mind controls magic' is based on this, then ghosts may indeed not have a mental attribute.
Without mental strength, ghosts cannot control magic and naturally cannot use it.
Following this theory, Andy also understood why his fat cat patronus was so special.
It was made up of Andy's mental strength and magical powers. As long as Andy was alive, it could use all the magic Andy had mastered – at least all the white magic.
It was Andy's mental strength that supported the fat cat patronus in using magic!
If Andy died...
The fat cat patronus might dissipate, or because of its own special nature, it could remain in the world for some time – but it would definitely lose the ability to use magic.
"Yes!"
Dumbledore said. "Ghosts have no 'mind'."
"Ghosts can think, but they lack the motivation to do so, so they always find something from their past to do. Ghosts can be happy or angry, but they can't remember that feeling."
"A fleeting emotion that quickly dissipates."
Andy nodded slightly at this.
Dumbledore had said before that the mind is the driving force behind behaviour and thought, and the centre of emotion and perception.
Without the motivation to think, there is no centre for emotions...
That sounds a bit miserable!
Andy had only known that very few wizards chose to become ghosts, but he had never known what it was like to be a ghost.
But now... Andy knew!
"Thank you, Professor," Andy said sincerely.
Dumbledore's words had solved the question Andy had been seeking to answer for a long time.
The soul contains the cognitive system (mind) and the will.
The mind is separate. Its existence may be related to the human body.
That is why the attribute of [Will] is immune to the negative effects of dark magic.
Because what dark magic pollutes is always the human soul.
The mind has a kind side and an evil side.
It is just a matter of choice.
And the mind belongs to the soul, so the soul can think and choose – the soul can choose the kind side or the evil side of the mind.
So...
The mind controls magic.
Will prevents dark magic from polluting the soul.
Andy quickly sorted out the logical relationships here.
It's a bit complicated!
But he must say, once he understood the logic, a lot of his questions were answered.
So Andy sincerely hoped at the moment that Dumbledore could live a few more years – his centuries of life wisdom, as well as the knowledge and insight accumulated over the past century, were of great help to Andy.
Especially this time!
Andy's whole being suddenly perked up.
"Professor Dumbledore, I'd like to go back and sort out the things I've learned from this conversation. Thank you, it's always a pleasure to talk to you."
Andy got up and said, "Goodbye, Professor Dumbledore, Professor Snape!"
Dumbledore nodded, "Collins, I'm glad you've learned something... Goodbye!"
Andy nodded slightly and left the Headmaster's office.
Snape: "..."
Snape felt a little redundant here.
He had heard every word of the conversation between Andy and Dumbledore. He understood perfectly what was going on here, he understood what they were talking about.
But...what did it have to do with magic?
Souls and minds...isn't that a philosophical question?
----
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