Chapter 45. Original Magic
"Professor, what do those earliest kinds of magic refer to?"
Amid the students' cheers, Duncan raised his hand and asked.
Listening to Professor Flitwick's account, he couldn't help thinking of the spells he had learned via the Magical Sticker—no incantations, no gestures, just a thought to cast—which sounded very similar to what Professor Flitwick was describing.
"This is a long story...."
Professor Flitwick smiled.
"Are you familiar with the history of wizards?"
Seeing only a few people nod, Professor Flitwick said, "Then I'll give you a brief talk."
"Before Hogwarts was founded, witches and wizards did not live apart from Muggles, and at first everyone got along fairly well."
"But gradually, Muggles became afraid of the power witches and wizards possessed, and they began to capture and hunt them on a large scale."
Professor Flitwick sighed.
"That was a tragic period, and many innocent witches and wizards lost their lives in that dark time."
"Only a few survived, and even they were forced to live in desolate places, afraid to let others know their true identities, living like rats in the gutter—cautious, never seeing the light of day."
He looked around at everyone.
"Perhaps some of you are puzzled—how could weak Muggles drive powerful witches and wizards into headlong flight?"
"But that is exactly what happened! Because witches and wizards of that era could not truly cast spells."
"Yes, you heard me correctly."
"At that time magic had not yet become a system."
"No one taught them how to use the power within their bodies."
"It was like when you were very young—you could only, by accident, trigger your magic and cause some curious change that affected the outside world."
"Power that could only be triggered by luck was no match at all for Muggle soldiers in full armour, and witches and wizards had no ability to resist."
"That miserable time lasted for quite a long while."
"Witches and wizards racked their brains to master the power within them, but progress was slow, because magic that occurred only by chance was far too difficult to record."
"Just when witches and wizards were about to give up, a great wizard appeared."
Professor Flitwick's tone rose sharply.
"He was the founder of the magical system, and the very person whose name you so often have on your lips—the owner of Merlin's beard—the legendary wizard, Merlin!"
Professor Flitwick's playful line dispelled the slightly heavy mood in the classroom, and a few students with a low laugh threshold actually laughed out loud.
"He was born in the wilds, and from birth had an extraordinary gift for magic."
"He could understand the language of animals and befriend all manner of powerful creatures."
"More importantly, he had a kind heart."
"As he travelled in adulthood, he saw with his own eyes the hard straits of witches and wizards."
"His heart was filled with pain."
"So he made up his mind to change their situation."
Hearing Professor Flitwick's words, Duncan felt a sense of familiarity, as if he were listening to a story about himself, because he had those very abilities.
Only, his abilities were granted by the System, not innate.
Could it be that Merlin also had a System back then?
Or did my System come from Merlin?
While Duncan's thoughts wandered, Professor Flitwick continued, "In constant study and research, Merlin drew inspiration from his animal friends."
"He found that magical creatures could use certain magic at will, rather than relying on luck like humans."
"Merlin decided to start from magical creatures and see whether he could learn, through them, magic that witches and wizards could freely cast."
"Of course, he succeeded; otherwise, we wouldn't be sitting here having a lesson."
Professor Flitwick smiled.
"From dragons and Fire Crabs he learned magic for releasing flames."
"From the Kelpie he learned Transfiguration."
"From the Demiguise he learned the Disillusionment Charm..."
"In short, he gave witches and wizards a chance to take hold of the magic within them and a hope of survival."
"But unfortunately, though the magic Merlin developed was powerful, it was extremely difficult to learn."
"His magic, unlike what we use now, had no incantations and no set wand movements."
"Learners could only rely on Merlin's explanations and attempt it again and again until they were fully familiar with it and their bodies remembered the trajectory of the magic's flow."
"You can imagine how dangerous that method was," Professor Flitwick sighed.
"A slight mistake could mean death."
"Even so, no one gave up."
"They paved a road with their lives and passed Merlin's magic all over the world."
"After the magical system was initially established, the lot of witches and wizards improved considerably."
"In their wars with Muggles, they gradually gained the upper hand, and life slowly grew better."
"After that, through continual research, witches and wizards discovered the special role of language and wand movements in spellcasting, and eventually improved things into the charms we use today."
Professor Flitwick exhaled, having finally brought the story to an end.
"Professor, so the 'earliest magic' refers to those spells Merlin developed?" Duncan raised his hand and asked.
"Exactly."
"According to records in ancient texts, that magic was more efficient than what we study now, quicker to cast, and more powerful."
"But because it was too hard to learn and full of danger, once the magical system was updated again, few people studied it."
"As time went on, the original magic was buried in the long river of years, and only a few scraps about it remain in certain ancient books."
Professor Flitwick looked genuinely regretful, as though sorry never to have seen that kind of magic himself.
Duncan pressed his lips together in silence, thinking about the Treasure-Seeking Charm he had learned.
Was it the 'original magic' Professor Flitwick had mentioned?
Was there any connection between the two?
"My System doesn't seem simple at all..." Duncan thought to himself.
If he didn't want to expose himself, then for now this question could only be answered by his own investigation.
At the front atop the pile of books, Professor Flitwick resumed his lesson.
He had everyone take out their wands.
He first demonstrated the movements for the Levitation Charm—swish and flick.
Then he had everyone repeatedly practise in various positions while he corrected mistakes.
And Professor Flitwick forbade anyone from speaking the incantation before the movements were fluent, lest some dangerous accident occur.
"Duncan, what are you thinking about?"
Neville, happily swishing his wand, noticed Duncan was a bit absent-minded and asked.
"Nothing."
Duncan put away his stray thoughts and practised with Neville.
"Maybe I got up too early today and I'm a bit sleepy."
"Oh."
Neville nodded, glanced at Professor Flitwick, who had come down from the stack of books and was moving about the classroom, and whispered, "How about you nap for a bit?"
"I'll keep an eye on the Professor, and if he comes over I'll wake you."
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