Hogwarts and the Holy Grail War

An old figure appeared in one of the picture frames, with a pale long beard and a thin face full of wrinkles. It was Percival, whom Ethan had often seen in his memories.

"how come……"

Percival looked at the scene in the rotunda with a little doubt. When he saw Ethan standing in the middle of the rotunda, who looked too small, he smiled kindly.

"It seems that someone has finally discovered this secret room of maps."

"I've seen you in the memories of the Pensieve. You are Professor Rackham, Percival Rackham, right?" Ethan walked under the picture frame, looked up at Percival's portrait, and asked.

"It's me," Percival placed his hand on his chest and nodded gently, "But I must admit that I didn't expect the person who appeared before me here to be so...young."

Percival looked past Ethan and towards Cassandra who was standing behind him with a confused look on her face but trying to remain calm: "...and she will bring her companions with her."

"Age doesn't mean everything. You and Isidora were about my age when you did great things at Hogwarts, weren't you?" Ethan replied neither humbly nor arrogantly.

"Yes, we were even younger than you are now. We already started to show our talents in school when we were in the fourth grade." Percival seemed to remember something and a nostalgic smile appeared on his face.

After all, who hasn't been young and frivolous? Judging from Percival's appearance, Professor Rackham must have caused a lot of trouble for the professors when he was young.

"Professor, I'm also a fourth-year student." Ethan pulled the corner of his mouth, revealing an awkward yet polite smile.

"You've been held back?" Percival asked reflexively, and then immediately held his chin up to ponder, muttering in a low voice, "This shouldn't be the case. Logically speaking, someone with this ability shouldn't have such a poor affinity for magic. What went wrong..."

"No, Professor. I just turned 15 this month." Ethan's smile froze on his face, and the corners of his mouth kept twitching. "And like you, I joined Hogwarts in my fourth year."

Why do you all think I'm so old? Am I really that anxious to grow older?

"Ah, I'm sorry, my young friend. I took it for granted." Percival smiled apologetically, "But since you can find this place, it means that you have the same power as us, right?"

"If you mean the ability to see traces of ancient magic. Yes, professor. I do have this ability." Ethan forced himself to suppress his emotions and nodded.

"I'm sorry to interrupt your conversation. Can I ask you a question? ... Professor Rackham." Cassandra walked to Ethan's side and bowed gently to Percival's portrait. "What exactly is this ancient magic that you have been discussing?"

Chapter 142 There is no such power

"Who is this lady?" Percival turned his gaze to Cassandra and asked Ethan.

"Sorry, Professor, I forgot to introduce you." Ethan spread out his palm and pointed at Cassandra, introducing, "Please allow me to introduce you, this beautiful lady's name is Cassandra Worley, she is also a student of Hogwarts, and I consider her as my... friend."

"Is this Miss Worley the same as you and me?" Percival's eyes revealed a hint of hesitation.

"No, professor. She is just an ordinary person and does not possess that kind of power." Ethan shook his head and added, "But she is a trustworthy companion. There is no need to hide our conversation from her. And her question is also the same as mine. What exactly is this ancient magic? Why do I have this power?"

Although this thing is extremely powerful and easy to use, and it does not require spells and wands to drive like ordinary magic, all you need to do is think about it, and the powerful magic power contained in your body can be transformed into the effect you want according to your will.

However, I still don't know what these powers represent. I just know that there are very few people who can use this power. But why does this phenomenon occur? Is it because most people really don't have this talent? Or is it just because there is no proper guidance?

All the questions seemed to be answered by Professor Rackham, and only he could answer his own questions.

"I understand your doubts, my young friend." Percival paused for a moment and then slowly answered, "It's just a long story."

"Ancient magic, as the name suggests, is a primitive magic used by wizards in ancient times. The magic in the world was originally this kind of extremely primitive magic, with simple effects but amazing power."

"However, while they are powerful, they are also difficult to control. If people with insufficient talent cast spells rashly, they may accidentally drain all their magic power and die. In addition, since there is no systematic teaching method, magic is also difficult to learn. It is common for people to accidentally kill themselves while learning magic."

"So we invented spells and wands. The wands act as a medium to better conduct magic power and limit the output of magic. The spells and wand-waving gestures are used to standardize the casting process. In this way, the entry difficulty of using magic has been greatly reduced, and the popularity rate has gradually increased. Those wizards who are not talented enough to cast magic can also use magic safely with the help of wands and spells. Gradually, more and more people can use magic, and more and more magic tricks are created. This has developed into what we generally call modern magic."

"But no matter how magic changes, its essence is the same: emotion and imagination. Spells and wands have always been just auxiliary tools. I believe you have also seen some wandless spells and silent spells, right? That is, when there are no wands and spells, wizards use their strong emotions to directly use magic."

"Ancient magic is to restore this essence, abandon spells, and cast spells only with imagination and emotions, so their power is much stronger than ordinary magic. And because the release method is more ancient, it is easier to produce different derivative effects according to the user's thinking, and it is highly malleable. It is also for this reason that modern magic, after being "tamed" by spells and magic wands, can hardly offset the effects of ancient magic, let alone cause effective damage to it."

"But as I said just now, although these magics are very powerful, they are difficult to control. Throughout history, only a very small number of people with this talent can use this power freely. And you, my friend, are one of them."

"So that's how it is. I roughly understand now." Ethan nodded and immediately understood.

To put it bluntly, it is the difference between a test machine and a mass production machine.

One is powerful, but few people can use it; the other is universal, but not powerful enough.

No wonder the flying technique he tried before consumed so much physical energy. It turned out that it was because the method of use was too simple. Basically, it used a large amount of magic power to lift himself up directly, which was far less sophisticated than the improved modern flying magic.

And just as Percival said, ancient magic is primitive magic that has not been developed and improved, and its functions are far less comprehensive than modern magic that has been developed for hundreds or thousands of years.

Therefore, the ancient magic recorded in the ancient book in the forbidden area is basically some big and bold ways, either various destructive magic to deal with enemies, or creative magic that can build tall buildings from the ground, or some long-distance teleportation or high-speed movement that can barely be classified as practical magic of life. There is no record of modern magic tricks of life.

This means that an ancient magician who could make clouds and rain with a wave of his hand and move mountains and fill the sea with the snap of his fingers may not even know the automatic cleaning magic and lighting spells, which are the most basic skills of modern wizards.

Thinking about it, it feels quite disconnected.

But then again, didn't Percival just say that people with insufficient talent would find it difficult to control the intensity of ancient magic and would have their magic power drained directly?

"hiss--"

Ethan suddenly gasped to himself.

He suddenly remembered that Professor Figo had tried to use ancient magic himself before, and he was really lucky that he didn't have his magic power drained away at that time.

"I'm glad you understand. I'm sure you've noticed by now that this special talent allows us to have a unique connection with all types of magic." Percival continued, "In your future journey, you will have the opportunity to further hone this rare talent. When the opportunity comes, please make good use of it."

"I understand, professor. Thank you for your reminder." Ethan nodded.

I can have a unique connection with all types of magic. I think it is because of this talent that I can quickly master and master all kinds of magic.

"Very good, we still have many things to discuss further." Percival nodded slightly, "But first, you should have found this place with the help of a map in a book. Please put the book on the pedestal at the entrance of the secret room."

"Professor, I didn't bring that book." Ethan scratched his ear, took out the two fragments of pages that Cassandra had held from his trouser pocket, and said embarrassedly, "I only have these two pages. Do you think you can make do with them?"

Chapter 143 I'm Not That Kind of Casual Person

"What did you say?!"

Percival was a little nervous.

He, Percival Rackham, a prophet, a professor at Hogwarts School, a user and guardian of ancient magic, the one who punched dark wizards and stepped on rebellious goblins, had experienced many storms and what kind of scene had he not seen?

Well, actually he knew that he was just a portrait, a magical AI that simply copied Percival's memories and thoughts when he was alive, not the real Percival.

But he had never seen such a scene.

Logically speaking, you have obtained a classic book from ancient times, which records many long-lost secret methods and a treasure map leading to unknown treasures. Normally, shouldn't you take good care of it for fear of any damage?

Even if the book is a little thick and carrying it with you might delay your movements, why not just draw a copy based on the map? Why not just tear up the last two maps and bring those two pieces of paper with you?

Are today's students all behaving in such a tough manner?

Well, actually this wasn’t Percival’s fault. It was mainly because Ethan’s wording was indeed a little inappropriate.

"Uh, Professor. You may have some misunderstandings. When I went to the basement of the restricted area to get the book, I didn't know who had torn off the map on the last two pages of the book."

Ethan also realized that his wording was a little ambiguous, and he scratched his ears and explained, "I was delayed for a long time because of the missing two pages, otherwise you would have seen me in the map chamber a long time ago. It was also a coincidence that I happened to find these two pages somewhere else today, and then I just followed the instructions on them and came here. I didn't tear the pages off for convenience."

"I see. Well then." Percival sighed, "You should bring the book over first. The rest of the content can only be fully explained to you with the help of the book. As for the two fragments, just put them back into the book. They won't be in the way."

"Okay, professor. I'll bring the book over right away." Ethan nodded. "Please wait a moment."

"Okay, I'll wait for you here. We'll talk more about this after you bring the book over."

"By the way, Professor, I want to ask you one last question." Ethan looked up at Percival's portrait. "The vault at Gringotts, the corridor under the restricted area, and the memories in the Pensieve... Did you foresee that I would come here?"

"Although I can't reveal more to you under the current circumstances, I can tell you that it's not surprising for me that you're here." Percival smiled meaningfully, turned aside and walked out of the frame.

"Ah, are all these old guys so riddle-like?" Ethan held his forehead and sighed, then turned around and waved to Cassandra, "Okay, we should go."

A curved double-flight staircase rose slowly from behind the curtain they had just entered the hall, connecting the floor of the map chamber to a pointed metal door in midair. On the platform at the top of the stairs was a one-meter-high stone podium facing the door.

I guess this podium is the pedestal that Percival mentioned.

Ethan walked up the stairs to the pedestal and tried to place the two pages of paper on the pedestal. After waiting for a while and finding no response, he had to put the two pages of paper away again.

It seems that this attempt to muddle through is really not working.

"Aren't you leaving yet?" Ethan leaned his upper body on the podium and shouted to Cassandra, who was still thinking with her chin in her hand at the bottom of the stairs.

"Huh? Oh, I'll be right there."

Cassandra woke up as if from a dream. She responded to Ethan and walked up the stairs in two or three steps to come in front of Ethan, but her tightly furrowed brows were still there.

"What are you thinking about?" Ethan looked at the frowning Cassandra and felt that she looked cute, so he couldn't help laughing out loud.

"Nothing, I just feel that Professor Rackham is a little...hiding something." Cassandra half lowered her head in thought, not paying attention to Ethan's mental state at the moment, otherwise she would have gotten angry again.

"That's normal. After all, according to the general routine, this kind of secret treasure passed down from ancient times will have some levels to test the visitor's character. Only after knowing that you are harmless can they give you the things with confidence. Professor Rackham doesn't know us yet, so of course he won't tell us everything at once."

As Ethan spoke, he knocked on the metal door. The ancient magic symbols on the door lit up white light, and the two tightly closed doors clicked open to the other side, revealing the corridor behind the door and the spiral staircase at the end that spiraled upwards.

"Where did you hear this routine from?" Cassandra complained, holding her forehead with her hand. "It feels even less reliable than Professor Quirrell's Defense Against the Dark Arts class."

"Um...is this basic common sense for us Chinese?" Ethan scratched his head, feeling a little embarrassed.

After all, according to the times, online literature had not yet become popular, and the two books that brought immortality novels into the vision of most people, which cannot be mentioned here, had not yet been published. Only "The Legend of Swordsman of Shu Mountain" was still somewhat famous. This kind of thing really cannot be considered common sense.

But it's fine as long as we can get through this moment.

"Well, let's not talk about this." Ethan quickly changed the subject, holding two fragments of pages in his hand and shaking them at Cassandra, "If you have no objection, I will take these two fragments of pages from you. After all, you have seen it, and this matter is quite important to me."

"Well, take it if you need it. It's of no use to me anyway." Cassandra responded absentmindedly.

"What's wrong with you? You seem to be in a bad state?"

"I just feel a little frustrated." Cassandra sighed. "I thought you were just lucky to win last time, and I was hoping to turn the tables in the next wizard duel. I didn't expect you to have such extraordinary abilities. Now there's no chance that I can beat you."

"I can't help it. This depends on talent. Most people can't learn it." Ethan spread his hands with an innocent look, "Besides, I told you before that I'm strong, but you didn't believe me."

"Hey, hey, I'm telling you. When a girl is hit and feeling down, shouldn't she be comforted?" Cassandra put her hands on her hips, looking a little dissatisfied. "How can you brag about yourself like this? It's not considerate at all!"

"But you're not my girlfriend, why should I be so considerate? Besides, what if someone sees it, how bad will that be? I'm not that kind of person, Miss Cassandra, please respect yourself."

"you!"

Chapter 144: Some people always call me old-fashioned. Let me clarify here that I am not old!

Seeing Ethan's expression becoming more and more wicked, Cassandra clenched her fists in her sleeves again and again, and her upper and lower rows of silver teeth rubbed against each other, making a creepy crunching sound.

The reason this guy is still alive is definitely because I am too kind.

But I can no longer beat him. No, I should say that there was no possibility for me to beat him from the beginning to the end.

So angry.

"Are you okay? What are you thinking about?" Ethan was in a good mood because he successfully teased Cassandra, and he walked up to her and pretended to be concerned.

"It's none of your business!" Cassandra resisted the urge to punch him in the nose and squeezed out a word through gritted teeth.

"I don't care, so why are you so fierce?" Ethan quickly took two steps back, looking like an aggrieved young wife. "I just said a few words, you are not angry because of this, are you? The eldest daughter of the dignified Volley family, you are not going to beat me up for this, right? No way, no way?"

Cassandra glared at Ethan angrily, murderous intent gradually spread in her heart, and her clenched fists trembled constantly.

Hard, hard, fist hard.

-

"Look, I was just joking with you, why are you so excited? Look at the way you hit me..."

Ethan covered his side with a grin, and walked up the spiral staircase into a dark room. The room was empty, with nothing but the stone walls around it, and a few faint lights that could not be identified from somewhere.

And what's strange is that although it looks like an abandoned room, the floor is surprisingly clean, without even a trace of dust.

"You deserve it! Who made you say such rude words just now? Not to mention me, anyone would have to give you a couple of beatings." Cassandra followed Ethan up the spiral staircase into the room, rolled her eyes at him and scolded him.

"So how do you feel now? Are you in a better mood?" Ethan turned his head and glanced at Cassandra, with a faint smile on his lips.

"you……"

"When you put a lot of effort into something, but find that the goal you have tried your best to achieve can be achieved easily by others, no matter who you are, you will feel frustrated and aggrieved. If you have emotions, it is better not to hold them in your heart, it is better to vent them." Ethan walked to the locked iron gate at the end of the room, hooked his index finger and knocked on the latch with his knuckles, and the gate opened with a click.

Ethan pushed open the gate and walked to the corridor outside the room. He held the gate with his hand and waited for Cassandra to come out. "A king has his talents, a chef has his talents, and everyone has things they are good at and things they are not good at. If you find that you can't make a difference in a certain field, then you might as well try another direction. Don't get yourself into a dead end."

"But a guy like you who is almost omnipotent probably doesn't have anything that he is not good at, right?" Cassandra's lips curled up slightly, and her gaze towards Ethan softened a little. "Or do you plan to stop being a human being?"

"Who said that? At least I really can't handle Professor Binns' History of Magic class." Ethan said with a bitter face, "You've seen it before. As soon as he starts teaching, I fall asleep on the desk. I don't even have the chance to resist. From this point of view, those of you who can hold on for a whole class without falling asleep are ten or even nine times better than me."

In fact, he didn't want to sleep in class, it was just that Professor Binns' class was too hypnotic.

Well, I don’t want to.

"What's that? If you want to comfort me, at least give me a better reason. Do you think I will be satisfied if I surpass you in this aspect?"

"I'm just telling you the truth. You have to figure out the rest on your own." Ethan walked to the other side of the fork in the road, pointed at the wall at the end of the road, looked back at Cassandra, and asked, "Is this where you took the wrong road before?"

"Yes, that's it...what are you going to do?" Cassandra saw Ethan was about to touch the wall, and quickly grabbed Ethan's other hand.

What if this guy is teleported to the Forbidden Forest again? I don't want to follow him into the Forbidden Forest again.

"It's okay." Ethan patted the wall tiles. In his field of vision, there were a few tiles emitting faint blue light, but the light had gone out with his two knocks just now. "This is just set up as a door key. I have already removed the magic on it. Now it's okay for you to touch it anyway."