Magical Studies at Hogwarts...

Chapter 337 The Gift of Slytherin

The four founders of Hogwarts each have their own unique characteristics, which are basically the same as the characteristics of the four houses they left behind.

Gryffindor's courage, Ravenclaw's wisdom, Hufflepuff's tolerance and kindness, and Slytherin's ambition—every student in the Sorting Hat today shares some similarities with the founders of their respective houses, which is one of the reasons why the Sorting Hat exists.

From a certain perspective, the current Hogwarts House Cup is a continuation of the ideological struggle between the four great wizards a thousand years ago. And coincidentally, the current situation in the wizarding world is quite similar to that of a thousand years ago.

The continuation of the Gryffindor and Slytherin rivalry can certainly be viewed in this way.

Therefore, it is perfectly acceptable for someone to believe that history is a cycle.

Just like the current situation, it can be seen as a battle between black and white magic. A thousand years ago, Gryffindor and Slytherin were skilled in these two types of magic, respectively.

Dark magic is powerful, that's undeniable; it can accomplish almost anything in the world. Immortality, rejuvenation—dark magic can achieve all of these. Unlike white magic, it doesn't have as many prerequisites, and most forms of dark magic are easier to master than white magic.

Like the Patronus Charm, the most famous white magic today, its learning difficulty is outrageously high, yet it can only be used to ward off dark creatures. The Death Curse, on the other hand, can take a person's life as long as one has a strong desire to kill.

Perhaps it is because of this characteristic, and because black magic does indeed affect the spellcaster's personality and emotions to some extent, that it is considered evil and taboo.

This is the general understanding of black magic in the magical world today.

But to Ike, this was just a stereotype. Although he was affected when he first came into contact with dark magic, it no longer stirred his emotions.

The level 7 brain occlusion technique is just that unreasonable.

This is also his greatest advantage in daring to delve into the gifts from Slytherin.

Upon returning to Malfoy Manor from Diagon Alley, Ike immediately locked himself in the small house in the courtyard and didn't step out for a full month, devoting all his energy to studying those things.

The contents of the box had clearly been organized by Voldemort, divided into two parts: one containing Slytherin's and Voldemort's collection of Dark Magic, and the other a series of experimental records. The two were roughly equal in quantity and weight, practically a 50/50 split. Although placed in a small box, they filled the entire laboratory when taken out.

It took Ike a week just to skim through all this stuff, and he managed to gain a basic understanding.

There's not much to say about dark magic; Ike only decided to learn a few. He already possesses a considerable number of spells, enough to handle most situations. Learning new and interesting ones is sufficient; there's no need to further expand his arsenal.

Moreover, he didn't think that these ancient black magic spells could greatly improve his combat power. In fact, in the past two years, he still preferred to use the magic developed from the Ravenclaw manuscript in battle.

With the addition of the Explosion Curse, Shattering Curse, Fiery Curse, and Unforgivable Curse, it's truly enough.

However, the remaining research data is much more complicated.

As the most research-oriented of the four leaders at Hogwarts, Ravenclaw and Slytherin shared the goal of reconstructing the complete ancient magical system, albeit through different methods. Ravenclaw leaned towards theory, while Slytherin focused on magical experiments. These experiments encompassed not only spell development but also a wide variety of strange and unusual works, a significant portion of which involved human experimentation.

Therefore, it's no wonder that Slytherin has such a bad reputation; his experiments were truly wicked!

Dissecting wizards' corpses to find the reason for their magical powers; transplanting wizards' internal organs and blood into Muggles to see if they could master magical power; and attaching magical creature limbs, internal organs, and blood to people, attempting to use magic to extract their souls—all these are experiments that could result in a Dementor's kiss without trial.

Ike was both terrified and fascinated by what he saw. The ingenious ideas and rigorous experimental data saved him a lot of work, gave him new inspiration, and even showed him another side of magic, making him aware of the biggest difference between ancient and modern magic:

rigorous.

Ravenclaw's manuscripts mention that ancient magic placed more emphasis on hand gestures and incantations during casting than modern magic, because even the slightest mistake could lead to spell failure and very serious consequences.

Modern magic also has corresponding regulations on this point, but due to the existence of silent spells and wandless spells, hand gestures and incantations are not so important for wizards who have mastered these casting techniques. Like Ike, most of his spells no longer need to strictly follow the casting procedure; a simple wave of his hand or a finger movement is enough.

The Ravenclaw manuscripts state that this difference stems from the fundamental differences between ancient and modern magic. Modern magic, born from the ruins of ancient magic, is simpler and more focused on the emotions and feelings of the wizard during casting, making it more idealistic. Ancient magic, on the other hand, while its origins remain undetermined, is undoubtedly more profound and powerful.

Like firecrackers and mushroom eggs, both are essentially explosions, but the former only produces a loud bang, while the latter can destroy a city. In terms of magic, it's probably the difference between a fire spell and a Fiendfyre spell.

Strictly speaking, Slytherin's research wasn't particularly important to Ike, especially regarding his ultimate goal; in fact, it could be considered useless. However, what Ike needed wasn't that research itself, but rather Slytherin's approach to understanding magic—something highly valuable for his consideration.

After a long absence, Ike once again dug out the Ravenclaw manuscripts he had copied, comparing and verifying them with Slytherin's research. Although it might not improve his strength much, many questions that he had only vaguely understood or were just guesses about before were now answered, and even those that he didn't yet have a solution in mind.

Just like the magic that allowed Voldemort to regain his physical body, it was a standard ancient magic. The cauldron and the potion inside, as well as his father's bones, the servant's flesh, and the enemy's blood, were all essential. Only when all the conditions were met could Voldemort obtain a body that could accommodate his broken soul, possess the ability to cast spells, and have no adverse effects.

If it were simply a matter of acquiring a physical body, there would be no need for such a complicated process. When he possessed Quirrell, Voldemort could have easily eliminated Quirrell's soul and taken over his body.

But as Slytherin's research states: magic is a miracle, and every wizard's soul and body are unique. The Resurrection Charm also has its limitations.

It robs wizards of one of the most important qualities: growth!

(End of this chapter)