Harry sat cross-legged in the Room of Requirement, surrounded by a tranquil garden that reminded him of his time in Japan. Small streams flowed between moss-covered rocks, and soft lights floated in the air like fireflies. He closed his eyes and focused on the virtue energy in his dantian.
The Room shifted slightly, providing a cushioned mat beneath him as he settled deeper into meditation.
"I need to know," Harry spoke into the quiet room. "Not just what makes the energy stronger, but why. What makes an action truly virtuous?"
He turned his thoughts to some of his earliest memories. The first clear memory that surfaced was flying as an eagle over the grounds of Hogwarts, diving after a rabbit that had no chance of escape. He remembered the thrill of the chase, the satisfaction of proving his superiority over smaller, weaker creatures. The memory brought a sour taste to his mouth now.
"I wasn't hunting for food. I was showing off to myself, proving I could do it. Proving that I was strong. The rabbit didn't need to die - I wasn't even hungry."
Not just that, there were many other instances: swooping down on mice, terrorizing smaller birds, using his larger size to bully other animals. Each memory made him more uncomfortable as he recognized the unnecessary cruelty in his actions. The virtue energy in his dantian stirred weakly, responding to his self-examination.
The floating lights dimmed slightly, matching his mood. Harry remembered the day Theodore Nott had insulted him, saying that the only reason he could turn into an eagle was because he lived at Hogwarts. That at least he had parents. The rage he'd felt…
Harry shifted on his meditation cushion, examining that memory more closely. He'd used fear mist to punish Nott for insulting him - and he'd enjoyed watching the other boy cower. The satisfaction of that moment felt wrong now, but the action itself...
No, Harry decided. Making Nott face consequences for his cruel words had been right. Justice demanded that actions have appropriate responses. But the pleasure he'd taken in Nott's fear... that hadn't been justice at all. That had been excessive pride, maybe even a touch of cruelty.
The virtue energy pulsed stronger as Harry understood. Justice should be impartial, just like how his Inner Eye would show him the objective reality of the near future. It shouldn't come with satisfaction or pleasure. It should simply be what needs to happen.
Harry stood up, needing to move. The Room shifted around him, creating more space. He started a basic firebending form, letting blue flames trail from his hands as he moved through the forms. The physical movement helped clear his mind as he considered his time at Hogwarts.
The Hero's Journal had guided him to many lost items over the years. A first-year's favorite quill, hidden behind a suit of armor. A Hufflepuff prefect's silver badge that had fallen between cushions in the library. Each time he'd returned these items, he'd felt good about helping... but had that been his real motivation?
Harry launched a stronger burst of flame, watching it dissipate against the far wall. No, he'd wanted to test the Journal's capabilities. He'd been curious about how it worked, treating the lost items as experiments rather than chances to help others. The people had been grateful, but he hadn't done it for them. Not really.
The flames turned slightly orange as Harry's concentration wavered. He took a deep breath, steadying himself. The blue color returned as he continued moving through the form.
But then there was Chiara. He'd stayed with her during the full moon, keeping her company in his eagle form while she suffered through her transformation. That hadn't been about testing abilities or gaining anything. He'd simply wanted to help someone who was hurting and alone.
Virtue energy strengthened greatly at this memory. Harry paused mid-motion, a small smile forming as he remembered how Chiara had curled up, finally able to sleep peacefully.
The room changed again, providing a window seat overlooking the lake. Harry sat down, watching the giant squid break the surface of the water. His thoughts turned to the Elixir of Life he'd given Grandpa Dumbledore...
He remembered the moment clearly - offering the Elixir, watching Dumbledore's initial refusal, then explaining how he wanted his grandfather figure to stay alive.
Yes, he'd wanted to help Dumbledore live longer, but there had been fear too. Fear of losing him, fear of being alone. The gift hadn't been purely selfless - he'd wanted Dumbledore to stay alive for himself as much as for Dumbledore.
Harry stood up and paced the room, which expanded to give him more space. The floor beneath his feet changed to smooth stone as he walked, matching his restless mood.
"But does that make it wrong?" Harry spoke to the empty room. "Can something good come from selfish reasons?"
The Room shifted around him, transforming into an ancient Greek classroom. Marble columns rose from the floor, and at the center stood a perfect recreation of the Oracle in the form of a statue. Harry froze mid-step, rage building in his chest at the sight.
Azure flames burst from his closed fists. The statue caught fire, marble cracking under the intense heat. Harry poured more power into the flames until they turned white-hot, melting the stone to slag in a near-instant.
He stopped, breathing heavily. The remains of the statue glowed red, droplets of molten marble falling to the floor.
"If you were alive..." Harry stared at the melted statue. "I would burn you just like this."
The virtue energy in his dantian surged strongly at this thought. Harry blinked in surprise, then understood. Yes, killing the Oracle would be virtuous. She had tried to take over his very being, to replace him entirely. How many others had she done this to over the centuries?
But the rage burning in his chest... was that virtuous? Harry asked the Room to create another statue with a thought, and blue flames consumed it immediately. The crackling of the fire matched his anger.
He remembered trying to heal Charlotte, wanting fame to become better at healing. The Oracle had been right about one thing - understanding his abilities had been the correct path. But she had wanted to steal his existence, to 'resonate' until nothing remained of Harry Potter.
Harry melted a third statue, watching marble turn to liquid. The rage felt... right. Natural. He couldn't just cut away parts of himself and still be whole. Rage at injustice, at those who would harm others... that was part of being human… or a wizard-angel hybrid, whatever he was now.
The virtue energy pulsed again, stronger than before. If burning an ancient being to death while feeling rage was virtuous... then virtue wasn't about suppressing emotions. It was about whether the action itself felt right.
Harry sat down on the marble floor, surrounded by cooling puddles of stone. The Room shifted again, becoming a mix of all the places he'd visited - the streams from Japan, the columns from Greece, the garden from the Flamels' home.
Something was changing inside him. The virtue energy in his dantian felt different, more alive. Knowledge flowed into his mind, clear as spring water. Within "Virtue Recognition", the first stage, he had completed "Awakening Virtue," its first layer of understanding. He'd been examining his actions honestly, trying to understand his true motivations without lying to himself.
Harry closed his eyes, focusing on the energy. Yes, he could feel it responding to his realizations. True virtue wasn't about following rules or suppressing emotions. It wasn't even about being perfectly selfless. The energy grew stronger as he understood - virtue was about doing what felt truly right, even if the reasons weren't pure.
Healing Charlotte had been right, even when he'd wanted fame. Staying with Chiara during the full moon had been right, even if he'd felt scared. Burning the Oracle alive would be right, even filled with rage.
The virtue energy surged, and Harry felt something crack inside him. Like a seed breaking open, new understanding bloomed in his mind. The energy began flowing out of his dantian, moving alongside his chi through his meridians.
Harry opened his eyes. A soft golden light reflected off the marble floor - his halo had appeared. He could feel the virtue energy flowing through his body, separate from his chi but following the same paths. This was "Virtue Flow," the second layer.
To progress through this layer, he needed to maintain constant awareness of virtue in everything he did. The virtue energy would grow stronger with each genuinely virtuous act, eventually filling all his meridians completely. Only then would he break through to the next layer - whatever that might be.
Harry raised his hand, watching from the corner of his eyes as the very faint golden light behind his head dimmed even further. Yes, he could control the halo now. Make it appear or vanish at will. But he sensed that any non-virtuous action would force it to disappear regardless of his wishes. And the halo wasn't just for show. Without it active, the virtue energy wouldn't amplify his existence.
The previous layer had strengthened him by ten percent during virtuous acts. Now, with "Virtue Flow," that increase rose to fifteen percent. Harry summoned a small crackling azure flame to his palm, feeling how the virtue energy's mere presence within him amplified the heat without mixing into the fire itself.
The Room provided a mirror, and Harry studied his reflection. The halo looked like morning sunlight through fog - barely visible unless you knew to look for it. He thought about the long path ahead. Maintaining awareness of virtue in every action wouldn't be easy. One moment of self-doubt, one act that Harry didn't truly, deeply believe was virtuous, and the halo would vanish.
Harry shook his head, and left the Room of Requirement, finding Chrysa sprawled across the corridor floor. The Nemean Lion cub perked up at his appearance, padding over to bump her head against his leg.
"Sorry for making you wait." Harry scratched behind her ears. "I needed some privacy to think."
They walked through the quiet halls of Hogwarts together. Harry kept his halo active - barely visible, but present. Why hide it? He was already well known throughout the world because of the Grand Exhibition. The way the audience had gasped at his lightning warriors, how Master Chen himself had praised his innovation...
The halo remained steady. Pride in genuine accomplishments felt natural, right. Harry smiled, reaching down to ruffle Chrysa's developing mane inherent to all Nemean Lions as they approached the Great Hall.
He paused at the entrance. Snape sat alone at the staff table, reading what looked like a potions journal while picking at a plate of sandwiches. The professor glanced up at Harry's entrance, then did a double-take.
"Potter." Snape's eyes fixed on the space behind Harry's head. "What exactly are you wearing?"
"Good afternoon." Harry walked closer, Chrysa trotting beside him. "I'm not wearing anything unusual."
Snape set down his journal, black eyes narrowing. "That... light effect behind your head. Remove whatever magical item is causing it."
"I'm not wearing any items." Harry sat down at the front of the Gryffindor table. Chrysa flopped down beside him, eyeing Snape's sandwiches. "It's just inherent magic."
"Inherent magic." Snape stood up, walking around the staff table. "You expect me to believe you've spontaneously developed a... halo?"
"Well, you've seen me create fire hot enough to melt steel and control lightning from the skies in the newspapers." Harry reached for an apple from the fruit bowl. "Is this really that strange?"
Snape circled Harry, robes billowing as he searched for hidden enchanted objects. "Potter, I grew up in a Muggle household. I know exactly what you're trying to imitate."
"I'm not trying to imitate anything." Harry bit into the apple, watching Snape grow more frustrated. "It just appeared some time ago."
"Just appeared." Snape pinched the bridge of his nose. "Like the lightning just appeared? And the fire? And the healing magic?"
"Pretty much." Harry tossed his apple core aside. Chrysa snapped it out of the air, crunching happily. "Would you like to ask Grandpa that I'm not wearing any items?"
Snape stared at him for a long moment. "You're serious."
"Always." Harry smiled innocently. "Want a sandwich, Chrysa?"
The faint halo flickered and vanished as Harry spoke - he knew exactly what would happen next. Chrysa bounded over to Snape's abandoned plate before Harry could pretend to stop her. The professor made a strangled sound as she delicately picked up a sandwich between her teeth.
"Your oversized cat just stole my lunch." Snape's eyes narrowed at the now-missing halo.
"She's a growing Nemean Lion." Harry scratched behind Chrysa's ears as she returned with her prize, the halo reappearing as his mischievous moment passed. "She needs the protein."
Snape looked between Harry's returned halo, Chrysa, and his now-empty plate. "I give up. Just... try not to blind anyone with your new... accessory."
"It's barely visible." Harry fed Chrysa another sandwich. "Unless you're specifically looking for it."
"Which everyone will be, once word spreads." Snape returned to his seat, summoning a fresh plate of sandwiches. "As if you needed more attention, spoiled brat. You really are just like your father, aren't you?"
Harry rolled his eyes. If Snape didn't compare him to James Potter at least six times every month, he'd worry the man had been replaced by a polyjuiced impostor. The professor's genuine spite was as predictable as sunrise.
"I've lived at Hogwarts since I was a toddler." Harry stood up, brushing crumbs from his robes. "You've had plenty of time to notice I'm nothing like what you imagine my father was by now."
"Imagine?" Snape's face twisted into an ugly sneer. "I knew James Potter better than-"
"No, you knew a teenager who bullied you." Harry met Snape's glare steadily. "And you've spent years taking that hatred out on his son. But I'm not him, and we both know it."
Chrysa growled softly, picking up on the tension. Harry placed a hand on her head, keeping his voice calm. "Come on, girl. Let's go practice some fire-painting."
They left the Great Hall, leaving Snape to stew in his bitterness. At that moment, Harry's green eyes darkened.
[Rot Grease - Elden Ring: Caelid Wilds] – Costs 50CP, 150CP available to spend.
Solidified grease made from a collection of rotten materials, smearing it on a weapon will allow it to afflict a target with the Scarlet Rot. It is considered a foul means of defeating one's foes, but when it comes to battle, the only thing that ultimately matters is who emerges victorious. You will receive a jar of this grease, which will replenish weekly.
Harry paused in the corridor, considering the offer. Some kind of poison or disease that could rot enemies... But when would he even use it? He preferred keeping his distance in a fight, and he didn't have a melee weapon anyway.
Fifty CP could buy much better things. He remembered that each of the enchantments he'd received had cost much the same – 20% magic resistance, poison and disease immunity, and enhanced potion-making talent. This… rot grease seemed worthless in comparison.
"No," Harry said out loud, making Chrysa look up at him. "Not worth it."