Hogwarts Study Panel

Chapter 186: The Thread of Origin

While alchemists are immersed in the endless and profound realms of materials, runes, and the effects of combinations, they forget the power of magic itself. Magic is an art, not a science.

Only carefully crafted potions can have the proper effect—this cautionary saying comes to mind;

When Master Zygmunt Bach was on the distant island of Hemetra, keeping company with rats;

When Master Libashu Pollack put pen to paper.

The spells and potions are now connected by a fundamental thread.

We have made the necessary efforts, and the system of magical potion will domain has been revealed.

But where is the path to alchemy?

Sheen heard the heavy rain outside; dark clouds swept across the castle, and lightning illuminated Sheen's resolute green eyes. He continued writing:

It's not hard to notice.

Among the ingredients of the compound decoction: Lacewing Fly means "link" (Lace is the meaning of "link").

Leeches aim to absorb the essence of others and transform it into their own.

Fluxweed is considered to express the fluidity between the appearance and body shape of the two (Flux means flow);
Knotgrass connects the two (Knot is a knot);
African tree snake skin means that the last user will shed the skin and start anew.

Alchemists who know these secrets are often more adept at brewing the final potion.

Has the potion's ingredients changed? Has the heat and stirring technique become more precise? No. It's simply that the wizard himself has found the perfect soul that resonates with magic.

Alchemists kept their pursuit of wealth and a perfect soul a secret, but the answer was already right before their eyes after much searching and contemplation.

Spells, potions, and alchemy should all be connected by a fundamental thread.

This line represents the ritual.

The hand gestures and pronunciation of spells; the ingredients, stirring, and heat control of potions; the materials, ancient runes, and engraving techniques of alchemy...

The complete ceremony

Thunder rumbled in the distance, and a torrential downpour began.

If anyone else truly understands the rituals of potions, if anyone has ventured far enough into the spiritual realm of potions to bring its core principles to alchemy…

Even Professor Snape would admit that there is currently only one person in the wizarding world—

That is the wizard Grimm, who inherited the improved rituals, perfected the guidance method, and summarized the integrated enlightenment method.

Judging from the development of compound potions, the rigor of potions stems from their long existence, allowing the remaining methods to be sufficiently excellent through natural selection.

Alchemy, however, is different. Its wider applicability stems from its ambiguity and obscurity, allowing each wizard to draw upon the ritual power they desire from obscure symbols and vague phrases.

So when Sheen compared the ritual steps of Polyjuice Potion to those of Fantastic Beasts Transforming Cookies, he was convinced that a new ritual had emerged.

He once again stood on the shoulders of giants.

When Sheen left, the fireplace flames were hotter than ever.

The torrential rain began, and the wind howled.

The silver knife sparked as it was sharpened in the dim light of the Hope Hut.

As curfew gradually passed, Hogwarts Castle was entering its final moments before falling asleep, but something seemed to be awakening within its slumber.

Reforming rituals fosters a connection between souls;
Willpower-guided methods strengthen beliefs;
The fusion of enlightenment methods leads to sublimation... Finally—

Sheen failed.

He stared at the strange cat-shaped cookie for a long time, a bright smile spreading across his lips.

He certainly failed, but it wasn't his ritual that failed; the flaw lay only in his lack of understanding of Mrs. Lorris.

Mrs. Lorris, is it asleep?

Sheen suddenly realized that the cabin was pitch black and that an hour had passed since curfew.

He waved his hand, and the Nimbus 2000 floated over. Before leaving, he paused slightly, wondering where the postcard on the table came from.

The spires of Ravenclaw Castle were illuminated by the bright moonlight, and Sheen, though alone, did not feel lonely.

He felt an immense sense of satisfaction, knowing that so many great figures of the magical world were with him. Any lingering confusion about the obscurity of alchemy vanished completely.

He, on the contrary, felt genuine admiration for Zosimus, the alchemist from Panopolis in 300 AD.
It was his appearance that led to the emergence of a large number of alchemical works that differed from the earlier papyrus documents.

It was also in the writings of the sorcerer Zosimus that the methods of alchemy became more subtle and ambiguous; for example, he began to use riddles and vaguely defined phrases.

Zosimus the Wizard. He was one of the first alchemists to use mystical descriptions and symbols to conceal his thoughts, and he also established this core tradition of alchemy for later generations.

This tradition brought unimaginable wealth to alchemists as they transformed the world.

……

Inside the Ravenclaw bedroom, the magic lantern was still on the window, and the young wizard, who usually waited a while, had already fallen asleep.

He held a strange-looking wizard's chess set in his arms, as if he had been waiting for a long time.

Sheen quietly placed a "Gandoka Knight" in his group of knights, and the usually talkative and boastful knight fell silent—he had drunk too much and fallen asleep.

Yes, this was designed by the Weasleys. Young wizards can purchase matching items for Weasley and Grimm's Trick Room based on the personalities of a very small number of chess pieces.

However, it won't disrupt the game balance. First of all, the accompanying items have both advantages and disadvantages. For example, the "Gandoka Knight" will most likely fall asleep, but there is a small chance that he will trigger the Jazz's "High-spirited Mounted State," which will randomly take away two people with bad character (who may be on your side).

Secondly, Sheen never thought the Queen would directly kill the King in Wizard Chess; there were too many arguments about game balance.

However, Sheen's will was too strong, and the pieces were too outrageous, which gave the young wizards room to maneuver.

The view from Ravenclaw Tower was beautiful. Sheen leaned against a transfiguration cushion and directed a small portion of the fireplace to run over and burn at his feet.

The torrential rain was thus kept out.

Sheen flipped open the postcards on the table and already knew who had sent them.

The postcard depicts beautiful coastlines, canyons, and castles. There's also a letter with a greeting card tucked inside.
[Sheen:]
Far away in St Andrews, the cold winds of the North Atlantic are sweeping across the grass of the Old Stadium, so the sound of the North Atlantic winds is buried under the postcard.
In the Glencoe Valley of the Highlands, the snow-capped mountains and the horizon outlined the silhouette of a crouching giant, so I brought some rocks from there.
On Christmas Eve in Edinburgh, the fir trees at the Christmas market at the foot of Castle Hill are enchanting; I wish you could feel some of that feeling through their branches.
I figured you wouldn't have time to go, so I had to bring some back for you.

After all, we're in this together.

—Your loyal Justin

Underneath the postcard was a small tape recorder, a small stone, and a fir branch.

On winter nights, the sound of the tape recorder mingled with the howling wind atop Ravenclaw Tower.

(End of this chapter)