Chapter 157: Ritual Magic
In truth, this discovery brought no real benefit to Phineas. At most, it served as a warning—if he ever needed to seek out Slytherin's Chamber of Secrets, he would have to be extremely cautious. The likelihood that Slytherin himself was hiding there was high.
This realization only reinforced a long-standing suspicion of Phineas's and nearly made him forget the original purpose of investigating the castle's center: to free himself from surveillance. Although the control center of Hogwarts Castle was now in Dumbledore's hands, the only individuals able to monitor Phineas's location were those at the control center and George, who possessed the Marauder's Map.
But this still posed a threat. Dumbledore would eventually age and die. Phineas couldn't quite recall whether he had graduated by the time of Dumbledore's death in the original timeline. If he hadn't, he would inevitably fall under the watch of a different Headmaster.
The control center itself wasn't too problematic. The Marauder's Map, however, was a far more dangerous issue. That map could be lost, stolen, or passed on to someone else.
Its lack of distance limitations made it extremely dangerous—it could monitor the location and behavior of anyone in the castle, no matter where the user was. While Phineas trusted George and Fred, the map itself was still vulnerable to falling into the wrong hands.
The enchantments hiding information on the Marauder's Map were not impossibly complex. A determined and skilled wizard could eventually crack them—especially in a world where legendary wizards still roamed.
There were only two real ways to avoid being monitored by the castle's control systems: treat the symptoms or treat the root cause.
The symptomatic approach would be to use a shielding spell—essentially hiding his presence from the map, even though the control center would still technically be monitoring him. Wizards like Dumbledore could easily sense something was amiss, but this method didn't require particularly advanced magic. A simple shielding charm, combined with a confusion spell, would allow Phineas's name to be hidden from the map.
The root cause, however, required eliminating the connection itself.
In magical theory, magic is classified into various types: Transfiguration, Conjuration, Curses, Soul Magic, Blood Magic, Magic Circles, and Ritual Magic.
Modern magical education primarily focused on Transfiguration and Conjuration. Students who advanced far enough might encounter ancient runes and magic circles. Darker branches, such as curses and soul magic, were documented in forbidden texts. Blood magic was typically passed down within pure-blood families. But Ritual Magic—despite being the simplest—was the most elusive and least understood.
Ritual magic didn't even require a wizard to perform it. Even a Muggle, if they followed the instructions precisely, could trigger its effects. It often involved elements of belief—such as offerings and summoning rituals.
One well-known form of ritual magic was the Goblet of Fire. People mistakenly believed the Goblet alone had magical properties, but the act of entering a name into it was itself a ritual. Throwing a name into the flames was equivalent to signing a magical contract—even if the person submitting the name wasn't the person being entered.
Another example was the system of surveillance used by Hogwarts itself, which was also a form of ritual magic—and a permanent one at that.
First-year students did not arrive at the castle by carriage like the older students. Instead, they crossed the Black Lake. While this was said to honor the path of the four founders, in reality, it was part of a ritual.
Long ago, the founders themselves crossed the lake upon first entering the castle. Today, that crossing allowed students to pass through the magical formation beneath the lake.
As they glimpsed the castle for the first time from the water, the sight would imprint itself into their minds. Coupled with the magical aura beneath the lake, it acted as a coordinate—an identity tag—linking them to Hogwarts. From then on, they could be monitored by the castle's control center. The Trace on underage wizards functioned similarly, though it was time-limited and focused on both the wizard and their wand.
This explained why visiting students from other schools did not appear on the Marauder's Map—they had never undergone the Black Lake ritual and therefore had no connection to the castle.
(As for the Marauder's Map itself, Phineas doubted the four creators had the power, as students, to cast a soul-binding spell covering the entirety of Hogwarts. Displaying true names alone was a powerful magical feat—true names held deep significance in many magical traditions. In Egyptian lore, pharaohs bore the names of gods. In European legends, knowing a demon's true name granted control over it. The ability to reveal a person's true name was more than mere cartography—it bordered on soul magic.)
According to the research Phineas had conducted, his conclusions were correct. The bond between Hogwarts and its students was forged through the Black Lake ritual. Hence, anyone who had undergone that rite would be visible on the Marauder's Map.
Sakaski, however, had never graduated from Hogwarts. He had never experienced the lake crossing. Thus, he had no magical link to the castle and would not appear on the map.
But Phineas recalled something troubling. At the time, he had believed he saw Sakaski's name on the Marauder's Map, which led to many false assumptions—like thinking he had entered the Room of Requirement.
Yet now, it dawned on him: he had never actually seen Sakaski's name.