Tver was immediately horrified by Godric's idea.
"But the Black Lake may sit above Slytherin's dungeon, but there's still a thick layer of earth and stone between them! There's no need to waste the soul power you've preserved!"
Better to leave it to me!
"What, you don't believe me?" Godric's competitive spirit flared. "Do you know why there's a sinkhole in the Black Lake?"
"It's because when Salazar and I fought, well, argued, we moved the battlefield above the Black Lake so the castle wouldn't be affected!"
"And that pit? I made it myself!"
He raised his fist proudly, as if he had punched it out rather than blasted it with magic.
"Last time I didn't break through the lakebed. But this time I've found the weak point. One strike and it'll go straight through!"
Even so, Tver could not help feeling stunned.
The battle had taken place above the Black Lake. To punch through such deep water and leave a massive crater in the lakebed was no easy feat.
Even for Tver...
Hmm. Actually, I could probably do it without much trouble.
Tver stroked his chin thoughtfully. Still, as a practical man, he would never waste effort on something so pointless.
So this is Godric Gryffindor, huh...
Tver muttered inwardly.
But to avoid provoking Salazar into climbing out of his coffin in rage, he quickly pressed Godric's raised fist down in a calming gesture.
"Why go that far? Your grudge with Slytherin doesn't need to drag innocent young wizards into it."
"Relax." Godric twisted his wrist and easily shook off Tver's hand. "I'm only destroying the Slytherin common room."
"Actually, the castle originally had a tower reserved for Slytherin. Salazar was the one who insisted his students live in those dark, damp dungeons."
Tver suddenly remembered there really was an unused tower in the castle. It had once been used to hold Peter Pettigrew, and Dumbledore had said it stored the Book of Admittance and the Quill of Acceptance.
"Why design it that way?"
"To prevent Slytherin students from becoming isolated."
Godric sighed. A faint gloom crossed his usually cheerful expression.
"Isolated?"
"Exactly!" His face grew serious. "You know the traits Salazar left to his house, don't you? They're not exactly likable."
"If Slytherin students live somewhere as dark as a sewer, far away from the other houses, it's easy for their thinking to grow darker too. That creates distance between them and everyone else."
"A thousand years have passed. I don't even need to look to know that Slytherin students must be unpopular at school."
"Who would want to be friends with a group of young wizards who spend all day gathered in the dungeons researching strange magic and refusing to talk to others?"
"Everyone except Salazar saw this coming. Honestly, Salazar himself probably understood it too. He just trusted his own house too much."
"After that, our disputes grew worse and worse until they couldn't be reconciled. You know what happened in the end."
"Heh." Godric chuckled softly.
"To be honest, I understand why Salazar left the Chamber of Secrets and the monster inside it. I also understand that he wanted to protect Hogwarts."
"But sometimes he went too far. His hostility toward Muggles was too strong. That kind of thinking easily pushes Slytherins who inherit his ideas toward extremism."
"So I must have the power to correct that mistake. And now it is time for that power to be used!"
Magic surged around him again. The already unstable Headmaster's office began to partially collapse.
Tver could only sigh helplessly.
Now he finally understood Salazar's feelings.
Godric really would, and absolutely could, punch a hole straight through the castle.
"The problem is that Mr. Salazar never truly left Hogwarts. In the Chamber of Secrets, he fused his body with the castle itself."
"Judging by the power you have left now, you probably cannot compete with a Salazar who can command the castle's magic."
"What? He actually had the same idea as me?!" Godric shouted, unsure whether to be pleased or annoyed. The magic around him dispersed once again.
"No wonder! Ever since Salazar 'left,' I've always felt the castle resisting me. It forced me to put my research on hold!"
"Your research? What does that have to do with Salazar?"
Tver had the feeling that the Gryffindor founder's train of thought jumped all over the place.
"Ahem." Godric coughed awkwardly, looking a little embarrassed. "My research, of course, was about the difference between wizard and Muggle souls."
"With the help of Dementors, we discovered that the reason wizards can use magic isn't because our bodies are different. It's because of our souls!"
"So if we can find the difference between the two, we will understand how wizards come into being. Then Muggles could gain the ability to use magic too!"
"And then wipe out all the wizards?" Tver said suddenly.
"Uh…"
Godric was momentarily speechless.
"Actually… Muggles might not go that far. Among their vast numbers, as long as the majority are good people…"
"But even a small evil minority would still outnumber the much smaller wizard population."
Tver finally realized that Salazar's worries had never been baseless.
Never put human nature to the test.
If Godric's research had really succeeded back then, pure-blood wizards might now be nothing more than toys for magic-wielding Muggles.
Of course, it was not impossible for Muggles to gain magic. But that could only happen after both sides had fully integrated and lived together peacefully for a long time.
In any case, it was not something that could happen at this stage.
Judging by the hesitation on Godric's face, he had probably realized that problem as well, which was why he stopped his research.
Otherwise, even Salazar, merged with the castle, would not have been able to interfere much.
"So how does your research relate to Salazar?" Tver asked again.
"Ah, well, when it comes to soul research, Salazar was the real expert. So I often snuck... uh, I mean, observed... his notebooks, haha…"
Godric scratched his head and laughed foolishly for a moment. Eventually even he felt awkward and cleared his throat, his expression growing heavier.
"I know I can be a bit unreliable sometimes. But Tver, the wizarding world is destined to be absorbed by the Muggle world."
"We're originally the same kind of people. We shouldn't, and cannot, treat each other as enemies."
"In our era, Muggles feared young wizards. But it was not because they were ignorant. It was because wizards went too far."
"Many wizards relied on their magic to bully Muggles freely, even provoking wars between them."
"To those wizards, living human beings were nothing more than toys."
"Wizards liked to think of themselves as gods ruling over humanity. But the truth is that Muggles keep progressing. Their tools grow stronger and stronger, their weapons sharper and more refined."
"As for wizard magic, to be blunt, people like us are already close to the limit."
"Wizards have limits. Muggles do not."
Godric walked up to Tver and looked straight into his eyes, his gaze burning with conviction.
"So in the future, will the ones being oppressed become the wizards?"
...
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