Magical Studies at Hogwarts...

Chapter 177 The New Laboratory

"I heard you've already read all the books they sent?"

In the basement of Malfoy Manor, Old Voldemort sat at one end of a long table and spoke softly. In front of him was a perfectly cooked steak, a small piece of which had just been cut off and had not yet been eaten.

"I've finished watching it." Ike took a bite of risotto, wiped his mouth with a napkin, and replied.

"What boundless energy!" Old Fu said calmly, his tone ambiguous, neither a compliment nor anything else. "You understand everything?"

"Okay." Ike nodded.

These books from pure-blood families were of great help to Ike, but at his current level of magic, they weren't particularly difficult. At least, they didn't offer Ike much inspiration or help him find a way to advance his spells to level 7.

"I heard about what you did in the second event of the tournament. For someone who can already use the Sea Control Technique, those things were indeed of limited help." Old Fu put down his knife and fork, his red eyes looking at Ike. "But you should know, little Ike, knowledge can be cheap, or it can be expensive."

"Are you ready to explore the true meaning of magic?"

"I'm ready." Ike's eyes were burning with a thirst for knowledge, and that intense emotion made Old Fu nod in satisfaction.

"Don't worry, little Ike, you'll get what you want. The Dark Lord never mistreats those who have helped him," Old Voldemort said meaningfully, then picked up his knife and fork and began to enjoy the food that Malfoy had carefully prepared for him.

"Okay, teacher."

Ike wasn't in a hurry; he was quite certain that Comrade Old Voll needed him now.

As long as he has value, he will definitely get what he wants...

Normally, Ike wouldn't dine with Old Fu, but today was a special case. After finishing his meal, Ike gave Old Fu a slight bow and left the basement, which had essentially become Old Fu's private space.

As they went up the stairs, Lucius, Crabbe, Goyle, and Wormtail were standing outside the door. He nodded to them, and Lucius and the others immediately bowed slightly.

Ike holds a special position within the Death Eaters.

There is a fundamental difference between students and servants. With Comrade Voldemort backing them up, Lucius and the other Death Eaters dared not show the slightest disrespect.

Anyone can see how good Comrade Old Fu is to Ike.

"Mr. Malfoy, there's something I'd like to ask for your help with." Ike stopped in his tracks, and Lucius quickly asked, "Young master, what is it you need?"

"I want a quiet room to conduct some magical experiments, somewhere secluded, preferably in the manor but not in this castle," Ike said. "You know how dangerous magical experiments are..."

"No problem, it's a very simple matter," Lucius said.

"Thank you, Mr. Malfoy. If it's convenient, please prepare a cauldron, a quill, a carving knife, and some common magical materials for me."

"Okay, I'll let you know when I'm ready."

Lucius was very efficient; early the next morning, he brought Ike to a small tile-roofed house near the woods in the north of the manor. Pushing open the door, it was clear the house had been tidied up. All four walls were lined with shelves filled with all sorts of magical materials, from potions to alchemy; except for a few extremely rare ones, almost everything was there.

"Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Malfoy," Ike said calmly. Lucius quickly bowed in return, but did not stand up immediately.

"There's something I hope you'll grant me."

"Please speak."

"I'd like to have Draco come over and be your assistant before the start of the semester..."

Ike looked at the somewhat humble Lucius and nodded in agreement. He knew exactly what Lucius was planning, but he neither exposed him nor refused. After all, no matter how you looked at it, it was never a bad thing for Draco to be stronger.

But it's clear that Draco himself doesn't really think so.

Ever since Voldemort and Ike moved into Malfoy Manor, Draco's life has been miserable. Aside from not being able to be as carefree as before, Draco lives in constant fear.

Don't be fooled by how he always used Voldemort to scare Harry at school; nobody would actually want to spend every day with such a dangerous person.

"You know about Wolfsbane Potion, right?" Ike casually remarked to Draco, who was standing beside him, struggling with his own thoughts, as he picked out potion ingredients from the shelf.

"I know." Draco wasn't in a good mood, which Ike could tell, but he ignored it and instead ordered in an almost commanding tone, "Then what are you waiting for? Prepare the materials for me. You need to make at least one serving by yourself before school starts."

"This... can't be..."

"Nothing is impossible, Draco." Ike shoved a list into Malfoy's arms, staring intently into Draco's eyes, his tone stern. "Now, you can't go back to what you used to be..."

Draco remained silent for a long time before finally nodding and preparing the potion ingredients for Ike according to the list. Ike paid little attention, took the ingredients he had just found, went directly to the cauldron, lit a fire with a flick of his finger, and began to brew the wolfsbane potion.

"Remember Lupin? In his third year, Snape would brew him a dose of this wolfsbane potion every month." Ike casually remarked as he rhythmically added the potion ingredients to the cauldron. "It's not actually difficult, just very tedious. As Snape said in Potions class, it's a precise, rigorous, and beautiful process that allows no room for error..."

Draco stood by, watching quietly as Ike, like a machine that never makes a mistake, put one material after another into the crucible. The whole process lasted for more than an hour without the slightest interruption.

Draco watched for a full four hours without saying a word, just standing there watching until Ike finally put the lid on the cauldron.

"Do you know when it will be ready?" Ike asked.

"I know, it's on the list you gave me," Draco replied.

"Then, the task of opening the lid is yours," Ike said. "And then, you can begin your attempt..."

After giving Draco his spot at the potion-making station, Ike went to the other side of the room, picked up a carving knife and a piece of obsidian, sat down in a chair, and began carefully carving runes on it.

In terms of potions, without obtaining new potion recipes, Ike has little room for improvement. Indeed, he could try inventing a new potion, but that would be a thankless and arduous task, and wouldn't suit his current needs. Instead, in the areas of ancient runes and ancient magic, thanks to the libraries of those pure-blood families, Ike has some new ideas he'd like to try.

For example, building a bridge connecting ancient magic and modern magic...

(End of this chapter)