Chapter 126: The Truth Behind the Pages
The three Gryffindor's nodded. What Phineas said was indeed the most likely explanation.
"Is there any other possibility? Since Gryffindor left the treasure, it wouldn't be inaccessible to others," Fred said reluctantly.
Phineas nodded, looking at the scattered pages on the table.
"He must've left other things inside. Otherwise, this book would be completely redundant. The notes he left don't need to be hidden separately in a book—he already used a degree of text replacement and encryption."
Lee Jordan asked,
"Do you think there's something equally important in the book? But haven't we already tried everything multiple times?"
Fred agreed,
"That's right, we've tried all the writing magic you recorded here. The pages didn't change at all."
Phineas shook his head.
"Yes, but I was wondering—what if, like that treasure map, the enchantment wasn't on the entire page, but on a specific word?"
George's eyes widened. He looked at Phineas in disbelief.
"You mean you want to try them word by word?"
Fred exclaimed,
"Oh Merlin, there are at least hundreds of thousands of words in here. Trying them one by one—how long would that even take?"
Phineas gave a helpless shrug.
"Try slowly. After all, it's a finite task, and there'll be a day when we finish. And Gryffindor's treasure is definitely worth it, isn't it? If we can find a way to obtain it without having to go through the Black Lake, wouldn't that make everyone happy?"
George and Fred exchanged a look, then turned to Phineas and said,
"In that case, we'll help—for the treasure!"
Since the twins had spoken, Lee Jordan also offered to stay and help.
With all of them working together, their progress and efficiency improved. Phineas asked Puff to prepare a bed in the box, and the four of them chose not to return to their house dormitories that night, instead staying in the box.
"Phineas, let's discuss something."
The next day, after a night's rest, George and Fred approached Phineas and whispered.
Phineas immediately knew what they were thinking and refused.
"Don't even think about it!"
George and Fred exchanged glances, then sat down beside him.
"No, mate."
"That's right—help us out."
Lee Jordan looked at the three of them in confusion.
"What are you talking about?"
George grinned.
"This box of Phineas's is so useful."
"Especially for nighttime adventures."
"We wouldn't need to go back to the dorms. Just take this box with us, hide in it whenever needed."
Fred and George explained their plan, alternating sentences.
Phineas rolled his eyes.
"I knew it. Don't even try. Whether or not it's right isn't the issue—I still need this box. I'll get you one like it when I can. That's final."
Hearing this, the twins looked at him with sparkling eyes.
"Are you serious?"
Phineas nodded.
"Seriously. You usually work on prank props in empty classrooms—not only is it dangerous, but accidents often happen. If I get you a similar box, at least you won't have to sneak around just to experiment."
George and Fred high-fived excitedly and threw themselves back into searching for clues, casting spells on the pages in their hands with renewed energy.
Lee Jordan blinked in astonishment.
"Is that even possible?"
As their roommate, he knew better than anyone how mischievous the twins were, and how hard it was to get them to focus on anything—even if it interested them. They were talented, but scattered, rarely staying serious. Yet after just a few words from Phineas, they were diving into the work like professionals. It shocked him.
Phineas smiled and said to Lee Jordan,
"Of course. They may be a little out of the ordinary, but they have things they're passionate about—like adventuring and making their own prank props. I just combined the two. Naturally, their drive kicks in. They're still eager for adventure, after all."
Lee Jordan nodded thoughtfully, then joined the others. He was eager for adventure too, after all.
Watching the three occasionally bicker while carefully deciphering the pages, Phineas smiled, then turned his gaze to the pages in his hands. At the same time, he activated the magical visual effects of Jonathan's Echo to observe the magical traces on them.
All existence leaves traces—and magic even more so. The traces left by different people vary depending on personality, habits, and the type of magic used.
A great wizard can observe these traces. A legendary wizard can go further—deducing the magic cast and even identifying the caster.
What Phineas had to do now was analyze Gryffindor's character and the magic he cast, based on the traces left behind.
But what he saw was completely unexpected.
This is impossible!
Phineas was shocked, struggling to accept what he saw.
There was no text-based secrecy spell on the pages. Not even a confidentiality charm.
Instead, the pages had been affected by a Transfiguration spell.
Yes—these pages weren't simply unaffected, unchangeable, or indestructible. The pages containing Gryffindor's notes had been Transfigured.
An unfinished Transfiguration spell.
If Phineas didn't have the magical vision granted by Jonathan's Echo—something that gave him early access to abilities only legendary wizards possessed—he would never have noticed this.
Unless he had mastered high-level Transfiguration and was especially sensitive to it, there would have been no way to uncover it.
"Okay, guys, I think I've found a solution to this puzzle."
Since the Transfiguration spell was incomplete, there were only two ways to resolve it: either finish the Transfiguration, or undo it.
The first half of Gryffindor's spell had already been cast—what the pages were meant to become had already been defined.