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Chapter 39: Transaction with Dumbledore
Professor Flitwick had solved several of Ezio's major magical hurdles at once. After resolving the issue of the solidified spells lacking mass, he also introduced Ezio to the method of developing his own spells.
The difficulty of this task was not excessively high, but it required a solid foundation, of which Ancient Runes were the most important part.
The current system of spellcasting with incantations was an evolution of the rune-based casting system. It could be said that runes were the cornerstone of magic. In alchemy, runes are still widely used today. These magical characters, which allow magical energy to flow on the surface and within materials, are fundamental to imbuing alchemical creations with extraordinary power.
The reason why goblin-made magical items were so sought after by wizards was that goblins had their own independent written language, which meant that goblins had pioneered a casting system completely different from that of wizards. This allowed their magical items to possess certain unique powers that wizards could not replicate. However, this did not mean that goblin magic was superior to wizarding magic.
Three consecutive Goblin Rebellions had resulted in heavy losses for the goblins. Once upon a time, the magical civilization of the goblins had been comparable to that of the wizards.
"Do you know why there is such a large gap between slang-like magic and standard spells?"
Professor Flitwick posed a rather critical question in spell development, then answered it for Ezio: "Standard spells and slang have a very similar point, which is that they are both telling magical energy what kind of power you want it to exert, what you want it to do."
"But the effects they produce are worlds apart. The fundamental reason for this is that standard spells are created by first completing the combination of runes to determine the magical effect, and then converting it into an incantation. This allows a spell to produce a stable and consistent effect across different wizards, without too much variation. This is also one of the definitions of a standard spell."
"If you want to start researching your own magic, the first thing you need to do is learn Ancient Runes, then learn how to combine them, memorize the runic vocabulary, and understand the power that these phrases represent.
For example, if you want to design a new explosion spell, you can combine runic phrases related to fire, impact, energy, eruption, and so on, to get a brand new explosion spell customized with a fire effect, a specific burst intensity and direction, and even a targeted effect."
"And just finding these phrases is not enough. You also need to experiment to find the intermediate words that can connect these phrases, allowing the power of the different runic phrases to be linked together. Only then can you design a qualified and effective new spell. This is not an easy task. It requires the accumulation of knowledge, bursts of inspiration, and a little bit of crucial luck."
"This is also why the birth of new spells is so slow. Because there are too many combinations between phrases. Sometimes, you can't even find a suitable phrase to express the power you want, and you need to research and explore new phrases yourself."
"The more power a spell tries to express, the higher its difficulty. That's why standard spells are basically single-function magic. This makes it easier for people to learn quickly, and also makes it convenient for wizards to fine-tune spells for specific needs. The simplest examples are the Wand-Lighting Charm and the Stronger Wand-Lighting Charm, Lumos and Lumos Maxima."
"Although your current accumulation is not yet enough for you to develop your own magical spells, since you want to do so, you can start to get in touch with Ancient Runes now, to learn and recognize them. I can recommend a few introductory books for you."
Ezio left, book list in hand, feeling extremely satisfied. The knowledge he could learn at Hogwarts far exceeded his expectations. To be honest, outside of Hogwarts, getting a master-level scholar like Professor Flitwick to give you a lesson was something that money couldn't buy. But at Hogwarts, everything was free. All you needed to do was to give these teachers respect, follow their teachings, and complete their homework.
After leaving Professor Flitwick's club, Ezio went to the library. The books on Flitwick's list could mostly be found in the library. He would definitely order his own copies, but borrowing some from the library first was also necessary. Ezio didn't like to wait.
"So, what are they complaining about?"
He looked at the young wizards in the library rushing to finish their homework, their faces glum. He could only sigh that they were blessed but didn't know it. But he didn't insist. After all, their lives and deaths had nothing to do with him. If there were no interests involved, he couldn't be bothered to care about others.
After receiving this magical enlightenment from his professors, Ezio's life at Hogwarts gradually fell into a routine. Classroom, library, training ground—this three-point life was not dull, and time passed quickly.
The changes in Slytherin were also visible to the naked eye. In the second week of school, Rabastan had already established the class ranking within Slytherin. He had redefined the elite society that originally existed within the house, optimized its internal selection and elimination rules, and applied them to the entire Slytherin house.
Life became difficult for the idiots. With Snape's indulgence, these individuals, who had neither brains nor any special skills, were reduced to the status of untouchables in Slytherin House in a short period of time.
Those who tried to resist would often find themselves in a toilet stall the next morning. They themselves didn't even know when they had been thrown there, their heads brutally shoved into a toilet, and the flush button pressed, torturing them to the brink of drowning until their bodies went limp, never daring to make another move.
It wasn't that they hadn't thought of sending letters home, but their waiting was met with a dead silence. Also, Neil had gotten a size fatter recently.
In this silent terror, this small minority of Slytherins finally understood their current situation. Resistance only brought terrible punishment and the cold pressure of their fellow housemates.
Slytherin fell into a kind of unusual fervor, because most of them had benefited from the class division and enjoyed the pleasure of being the upper class trampling on the lower class.
Ezio was well aware of what kind of social structure was the most stable: not a pyramid, but a spindle shape. The very few at the top held the most power. They controlled the leaders of a small group, who were supported by those below. These small leaders then commanded the largest number of middle-ranking members, who made up seventy percent of Slytherin's population. Below the middle, there were the exploited, who made up about twenty percent of the total number. They needed to provide services to those in the middle in exchange for the right to survive in Slytherin. Although they undertook some dirty and tiring work, their lives were not unbearable.
Because below them, there were those who had been reduced to untouchables. This group of people had been stripped of their human rights within Slytherin House. Knowing only how to be foolish and unable to provide any value to the house, they were kicked out of the dormitories. Snape would pass through the corridors indifferently, and a single cold word, "useless," would shatter all their remaining illusions.
This change was naturally noticed at Hogwarts, but the people from the other three houses didn't find it particularly strange. Slytherin had always practiced the principle of the strong being revered; it was just that this practice was now a bit more radical than before. After discovering that the disgusting Slytherin idiots from before had gradually disappeared, some people even applauded it. Annoying people were never liked by others.
The professors who had originally wanted to persuade Snape not to let Slytherin fall into its current state also gradually gave up the idea after seeing the new vitality displayed by the house. In the past, the most serious students in class should have been the Ravenclaws. But in the current fierce internal competition, in order not to fall in rank, in order to escape their current class, even those who were once considered idiots had learned to use their brains and learned what they should be doing in the classroom.
The house point hourglass, showing them ahead of second place by miles, was the best self-introduction Slytherin could offer to the outside world.
Ezio had completed his restructuring of Slytherin. He knew that this model might not be sustainable for long. A backlash was bound to occur after this academic year ended. Some people would leave Hogwarts; some people would have their families put pressure on Hogwarts. Dumbledore might intervene, leading to the dismantling of the current structure.
But all he needed to do was to establish the existence of the classes. As long as the definition of class was maintained within Slytherin, then even if the current structure was broken, he could still use the house's resources for himself.
'Getting Harry to work with Snape on the precise quantification of Potions is enough to stabilize him. Harry is also at the top of the food chain in Slytherin, which is something Snape is happy to see.'
After the situation had stabilized, Ezio made a summary of recent events. "But Dumbledore seems to have objections to this. He doesn't like the internal class division I've introduced because it's too unfriendly to a small group of people. Voldemort was limited to forming his own faction; I'm already blatantly exploiting my classmates."
'Then it's time for the first transaction of interests.'
Ezio closed the Ancient Runes book in his hand. How long the current model of Slytherin could be maintained actually depended on Dumbledore's choice. If he thought it was inappropriate, then everything would have to come to a halt.
'A Horcrux from Voldemort should be enough to cover the fee, right?'
He returned the book, then walked up the school stairs to the seventh floor of the castle.
'I need a room to hide things. I need a room to hide things. I need a room to hide things.'
Ezio paced back and forth in front of the blank wall opposite the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy being clubbed by trolls, constantly thinking this sentence in his mind. When he turned his gaze to the wall, a wooden door appeared before him.
A few lamps were lit in the dim room. The dusty junk room stored the secret treasures left here by Hogwarts students over hundreds and thousands of years.
*****
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