Magical Studies at Hogwarts...

Chapter 21 Rigor and Assumptions

"Crunch, crunch"

Chewing on the pile of cockroaches, feeling their tiny claws constantly scurrying around in his mouth, the sweetness exploding in his mouth, Ike squinted his eyes in enjoyment.

Stuart, Terry, Michael, and Anthony looked at them with horror, as if they were looking at a monster. Morag, Mandy, and Padma turned their heads away early on, covering their mouths, their stomachs churning.

"Oh my god! I shouldn't have given you this!" Stuart tried to snatch the paper bag, but was hit by a combination of a leg-locking charm and a levitation charm, and his legs and hands were flailing in the air for a while.

"Alright, alright, I'm not eating anymore." Ike tossed another cockroach into his mouth and casually broke the spell. Stuart rushed forward the moment his feet touched the ground, landing several light punches on Ike.

Ike didn't dodge, but instead chuckled and grabbed a handful of food to throw into Stuart's mouth. Stuart was so frightened that he quickly backed away. Terry and the others who were watching the commotion were also in a panic. Morag screamed and ran to the dormitory entrance, only peeking out with his three little heads as Ike slowly approached Stuart and his three friends in the corner like a bully.

"Alright, I'll stop teasing you guys." Ike put the cockroaches back into the bag. "I'm going to the library to look up some stuff later. Anyone want to come along? I'll show you my Transfiguration homework."

Everyone shook their heads, and then Terry explained, "We're going to watch Quidditch later. Roger said they've prepared a new tactic and are going to try it out to see how it works."

"Alright, I'll go to the library by myself then." Ike still didn't feel anything for Quidditch and couldn't understand its charm.

After putting the cockroaches back in his dorm drawer and locking it, Ike went straight to the library, found "Mind: What You Don't Know" again, along with a thick book called "The Evolution of Magic," and sat down in his usual spot with both books in hand.

Hermione across from him didn't even look up, furiously scribbling notes. Ike didn't greet her either, opening "The Evolution of Magic" to himself; he needed to find the answer to a question in these two books.

"The Evolution of Magic" is a history book dedicated to introducing magic. It starts from mythology, goes to the world-destroying wizards of ancient times, then to the era of the four great masters of Hogwarts, and up to the present day, showing how magic has evolved from rigorous and rigid to casual. A clear development path is presented to Ike.

Myths are too ancient, and not much reliable information has been left from ancient times. But starting with Merlin, we can see that the power of magic is getting weaker and weaker, and human beings can no longer compete with nature. The story of Moses parting the sea has disappeared.

This process also represents a simplification of magic. This can be seen in the difficulty of learning ancient runes, or runes. Legend has it that ancient runes were the runes Odin obtained after hanging himself upside down on the World Tree for nine days and nine nights. Another theory suggests they were the script used by elves, or even originated from ancient wizards' observations of magical creatures. The exact origin is unreliable, but there is no doubt that ancient runes possess magical properties.

By inscribing specific runes onto an item, that item acquires specific magical properties. Reading several or even dozens of runes in a specific order can also produce special effects.

Ancient runes were extensively used in alchemy and are the most frequently found element on so-called divine artifacts passed down from ancient times to the present. It is certain that ancient runes do possess characteristics similar to runes and can also be used as incantations to cast special spells.

However, much of the ancient runes have been lost, and the existing runes are not fully understood by wizards. Like oracle bone script, most of the time we can only guess what they mean; very little can be truly determined.

Modern European magic largely originates from Latin. Whether the same spell is cast in English, French, or German, it will produce the same effect. From this perspective, Latin is the standard language of modern magic, and spells cast in Latin do indeed have a stronger effect.

If the illumination spell cast in English is like a 15-watt light bulb, then the Latin one is like a 20-watt one. The difference is small, but it's real.

In "The Evolution of Magic," an interesting theory is mentioned. The book argues that modern wizards use magic crudely, with most spells relying on the wizard's own magical power. As wizards become more proficient in using magical power, they no longer need spellcasting tools such as wands to cast certain spells. This is the origin of silent spellcasting and wandless spellcasting.

But ancient wizards were different. They used their magic to communicate with nature, making the power and effect of spells reach an unimaginable level.

This can be seen in the Fiendfire spell, which has a hint of ancient wizarding magic. After all, theoretically, Fiendfire can turn everything on Earth to ashes.

Ike had read "The Mind: What You Don't Know," a book that made him aware of the crucial role the mind plays in magic, and also revealed that much of the magic we know today is actually a product of "taken-for-granted" assumptions.

I wanted light, so a soft white glow appeared at the tip of the staff; I wanted things to disappear, so I created the Vanishing Spell.

Transfiguration is the epitome of "taken-for-granted" magic. It transforms into whatever "I think" something will become, without any logic whatsoever.

So here's the question: why are magic circles, magic barriers, magic rituals, and curses like the Unwavering Loyalty Curse, which must adhere to fixed principles, considered "strict"?

Ike flipped through both books again, but still had no clue. Scratching his head, Ike closed the book in frustration, rested his chin on it, and stared at Hermione, who was still writing diligently across from him.

The little witch felt uneasy under Ike's gaze. She looked up and glared at Ike, then pointed with her quill at the book under Ike's chin, signaling him not to bother her.

Ike squinted, continuing to stare at Hermione. A short while later, Hermione also closed her book, glaring fiercely at Ike.

The two stared at each other, neither saying a word nor moving.

After a long while, Ike finally spoke softly, "Hermione, what exactly is magic?"

"What?" Hermione was stunned by the question. "Magic is magic!"

"No... what's unscientific is magic," Hermione replied, nodding.

"That makes sense..." Ike said thoughtfully.

He realized he had gotten himself into a rut again. At this stage, there was no need to study the nature of magic or magical power. He only needed to continuously improve his control over magic, learn spells from easy to difficult, and improve his magical level. He would eventually find the answers to these questions.

For Ike, the answer "what is unscientific is magic" is enough.

Of course, some preparations still need to be made in advance, because some opportunities, once missed, are truly gone forever.

(End of this chapter)