Hogwarts: From Selling White Peppers to Becoming a God

Chapter 386 Oath

Black Lake.

Murphy is taking a walk with Dumbledore.

The two walked a short distance along the gravel path when Dumbledore suddenly stopped, looked at the castle in the distance, and sighed. "What are you planning to do with Hogwarts?"

"It's no longer appropriate for Hogwarts to continue being a school. On the one hand, the portal to the spirit world still poses a risk, and on the other hand, the number of young wizards will increase significantly in the future, making it difficult for Hogwarts to shoulder the responsibility of educating all of them."

"However, this place has a long history and holds many secrets, so I plan to use it as a research and archaeological base."

"Murphy, I hope you understand that this school holds a very special meaning for many people."

"I understand, but why are you looking at me like that? I'm not going to blow up the school."

Dumbledore seemed somewhat incredulous. "I heard you blew up more than a dozen doors to get Snape into the Headmaster's office."

"Cough...it's all because of the tricks you played when you left..."

"That wasn't my doing; it was the will of Hogwarts itself."

"You're talking as if it's alive."

"It has existed for a thousand years, with countless spells interwoven within it. Even though I've spent more time at the school than most people, I've only glimpsed a small part of it. So many complex magical forces mixed together, for a whole thousand years, have imbued every brick and stone of Hogwarts with this magic. Who dares to say it's not alive?"

"Even now, I can still feel its special call."

Murphy glanced at the castle. "I'm sorry, Professor, even if it's alive, it hasn't spoken to me."

Murphy shrugged. "I guess it just doesn't want to talk to me."

Dumbledore was speechless for a moment. After a long while, he moved his lips as if he wanted to say something, but then held back.

"I guess you mean I lack reverence for certain things," Murphy joked with a laugh.

"Time has its own power, Murphy," Dumbledore sighed. "And so does history. But to you, my words may seem like nothing more than discarded clichés, since you are the victor."

Murphy gazed at the school for a long while before saying, "Hogwarts is a special place to me too. While it may not be as important as it is to you, it certainly holds a unique significance. Don't worry, I will protect your school. Perhaps one day you can even return to teach there."

Dumbledore shook his head, not taking Murphy's words seriously.

"Speaking of history," Murphy said, "Professor, how did you learn about the existence of the Oath? You must have studied this subject, right?"

Murphy's invitation to Dumbledore for a walk was not for idle chatter; he wanted to uncover the truth about oaths and gods, and Dumbledore was the wizard he knew who knew the most about this matter.

"Indeed, I have done some research," Dumbledore said. "What do you want to know?"

"Let's clarify something first. In my understanding, an oath is something like this: it's a spell similar to a 'charm of unwavering loyalty,' keeping magic as a secret, stored within the hearts of wizards, and all wizards are 'secret bearers.' It's precisely because of this secrecy that magic remains hidden from many people, causing the world's magical power level to decline, which ultimately led to the departure of the gods. Is that right?"

“Indeed,” said Dumbledore. “That spell has no name, but it is probably the origin of spells like the Unbreakable Vow and the Unbreakable Covenant. It is a very ancient magical power called ‘geis’ or ‘geasa,’ which means ‘oath.’”

"In ancient legends, oaths grant ancient heroes power, making them invincible. But at the same time, it is also a taboo and a weakness. Once the heroes break their oaths, they will immediately lose their power, suffer terrible misfortune, or even lose their lives."

"An oath is like an exchange of fate; it gives heroes power, but it can also lead them to destruction. The greater the power gained from an oath, the greater the price that must often be paid."

Murphy nodded. He had also seen some explanations of this ancient magic in books. "So, do you know who created this oath?"

"It is not recorded in the records that it was formed very anciently, more than a thousand years ago. However, some records show that some ancient druids were guardians of the covenant, and later this group of druids evolved into the Order of Merlin."

"I learned of the existence of the oath after I received the Order of Merlin, First Class, which allowed me to browse the history of some ancient jazz orders and discover some clues from it."

"Merlin?" Murphy paused for a moment, then asked, "Is it possible that he was the one who created this oath?"

Merlin is practically the god of wizards. He is probably the most powerful wizard in legend. If anyone in the past could have accomplished such a feat, Merlin seems to be the only candidate.

"Perhaps, but I can't find any relevant information..." Dumbledore said.

Murphy pondered for a while, but couldn't come up with any useful clues. Merlin lived in an era that was too ancient, and there were virtually no credible written records left behind.

After thinking for a moment, he asked again, "There's one more question. The purpose of this oath is to expel the gods, right? Why? Are wizards and gods enemies? What exactly are gods?"

"I don't know. Almost no pure-blood or half-blood wizards are interested in religion," Dumbledore said. "Perhaps wizards are indeed hostile to the gods, but I don't know the specific reasons."

"Alright, so you don't understand the methods for fulfilling the oath?"

Dumbledore shook his head. "Unfortunately, I don't know. But I have a guess. Magic that can cover the entire world like this would be difficult for a single wizard to accomplish; it's probably a ritual. And since it's an oath, and its effects are so powerful, making it effective would likely require an extremely heavy price."

"Okay." Murphy sighed, somewhat disappointed.

"What do you want to know about this?" Dumbledore asked.

Murphy thought for a moment and didn't hide anything. "Naturally, I want to find a way to deal with the gods. I think since the oath can seal them once, maybe it can do it again. As long as we know the specific method of forming the oath, we might be able to solve the problem once and for all, or at least weaken them."

Dumbledore frowned. "I think it's impossible for something like this to survive."

"The fundamental form of this oath is secrecy. Revealing the existence of this secret itself increases the risk of its exposure. This is why I was reluctant to tell you before. Those who made this oath will certainly try their best to eliminate any information about the existence of this secret."

"Therefore, until now we can only speculate on the general content of the oath, and we cannot know exactly what it is or how it works."

Ok.

Murphy could guess that was probably the case.

The idea of ​​figuring out how the oath works on the gods before trying again seems to be a dead end.

"Therefore, the revival of magic is inevitable."

(End of this chapter)