Resting on the chair conjured for him by the Room of Requirement, Gilderoy felt the faint heaviness of his training with Flitwick still lingering in his body, but his mind refused to settle
A sudden idea lit his eyes. If this room can produce anything I need… then there must be rare tomes here. Something ancient. Something from the founders.
He focused sharply. I require a book from one of the founders.
The air rippled. A thin tome materialized with a soft thud. The name Rovena Ravenclaw was written in black ink across the corner of the cover.
Gilderoy whispered, stunned, "Rovena Ravenclaw's book…"
He dropped to the floor, sitting cross-legged, pulling the tome into his lap. Candlelight washed over the medieval script, the pages smelling faintly of old parchment and metal. He dragged a finger across the first page and began reading.
This was no Hogwarts textbook. This was Ravenclaw's private research—her personal notes, theories, and observations that had never reached public hands.
Most wizards assumed magic came from within, uniform and natural. None of them knew about cores, about the rivers and oceans that would form at maturity, or the rituals capable of reshaping them.
Gilderoy felt the weight of that truth settle on him.
The first section was Magical Theory. He leaned closer, tapping diagrams with his wand.
Ravenclaw's chapter described the magical core in simple terms: a capacity, nothing more. A limit to how much magic a witch or wizard could hold at once. Not a reservoir that "shaped" spells,— just raw storage, the thing that determined whether someone could cast ten spells or a fifty before running dry.
Her margin notes drove the point home:
The core does not decide spell quality. Only quantity. Control determines everything else.
Ravenclaw broke the theory into two branches: Body Fortification and Mental Discipline.
Body Fortification, she explained, strengthened the body so it could handle higher magical flow without strain.
Mental Discipline focused on something entirely different — not alignment, not emotion, not mystical "syncing." It was simple, measurable control: holding a spell steady, adjusting output mid-cast. The mind didn't guide the core; it guided the casting.
Pre-Maturity Core Structure
Ravenclaw explained the spherical core inside young wizards. A small, dense construct, untouched and sealed until maturity. At nineteen, it would burst and spread into rivers and oceans.
Natural—yet influenceable.
Gilderoy paused, breath steady. So this is why Dumbledore and Voldemort stand above everyone else… and no one else knows this? Not even the Ministry?
He noted down key sections.
Another passage detailed her early correspondence with the other founders — the way they traded drafts, adjusted runes, and argued over structure. The ritual had been a joint project, all four contributing pieces. But a later entry made him pause.
All four founders had created the ritual together, recording it carefully and passing it down. They believed it complete.
Much later, Ravenclaw realized the ritual had a hidden flaw—one requirement had been overlooked. The spellwork had to be performed while the wizard or witch still carried a core, before it matured into rivers and oceans. Once that transformation occurred, most of the potential was lost. She kept this knowledge secret, leaving the founders' version otherwise untouched.
Gilderoy exhaled slowly. So Voldemort must have used Salazar's incomplete version after his core settled. That explains why he became powerful.
A small note caught his eye—Salazar Slytherin had a Muggle wife and respected her family.
Gilderoy blinked. So the pure-blood ideology he left behind is a lie. Typical. This will come in handy later.
Further pages confirmed that Godric and Salazar's annotations never altered the ritual—they merely recorded it. Dumbledore, it seemed, had access to Godric's incomplete version, which explains why he became strong, though not as strong as Voldemort, who had supplemented his with other dark rituals.
Near the bottom of a sheet, he found a single line in Ravenclaw's smaller handwriting:
Young mages who attempt the ritual after their cores settle will still gain strength — solid strength — but the peak remains out of reach.
Gilderoy tapped the margin, thoughts racing. So that's what Voldemort and Dumbledore did — partial success only. If I perform the ritual with my core still intact, I can reach its full potential.
His mind raced ahead, imagining his core brightening, pulsing with controlled energy, each surge weaving into the next, expanding and stabilizing in a way he had never felt before. The thought quickened his pulse. This… this could change everything for me.
After hours of theory, he reached the next section:
The Physical Reinforcement Ritual.
This one was different—meant to strengthen the body itself. Bone, muscle, regeneration. And unlike the core ritual, this could be done any time before maturity.
The potion instructions were detailed. He traced the diagrams with his wand and tested the Latin incantations under his breath:
"Corpus refoveo." "Os roboro." "Sanguinem renovare."
The sequence was exact.
Gilderoy exhaled slowly. Snape is going to question every ingredient I ask for. And I'm not explaining why.
The margins were packed with Ravenclaw's personal notes—warnings, minor corrections, fine adjustments. Her thinking was sharp and methodical. The more he read, the more respect he gained.
Hours passed unnoticed. Gilderoy reorganised his copied notes: potion preparation, ritual structure, timing, alignment, posture, concentration. Every piece mattered.
By the time he closed the book. Midnight had likely passed.
He stretched his shoulders, the long hours catching up to him, but his mind felt clearer than ever.
He now held knowledge no living wizard possessed—magic core theory, and Ravenclaw's perfected rituals.
He stood, placing the tome gently back on the ground. The book vanished as if it had never been there. I'll be back here after I gather the ingredients for the ritual… and I'll do it as soon as I can.
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Just noticed fewer power stones last week 😅 Totally get it since I didn't upload—but the chapter's up now, so drop those power stones now lol 👀💎💎
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