r18novel Chapter 102, Section 101: A Person Favored by the Gods? The Gringotts Case!
Chapter 102, Section 101: A Person Favored by the Gods? The Gringotts Case!
Chapter 102, Section 101: A Person Favored by the Gods? The Gringotts Case!
Inside the quiet office.
Snape frowned as he stared at the notebook in front of him. The words appeared and then slowly disappeared, but the words that had appeared seemed to be deeply imprinted in his mind.
It is completely impossible to dispel.
[Taboos among mortals require the permission of the gods]
Judging from the effects of that finished potion, it could give magical power to creatures that had no magical power, which was indeed a taboo that should never have appeared in the human world.
Snape agreed with the diary's point.
However, what bothered him most was the phrase "requires the permission of the gods."
"It requires divine permission to create the so-called Apocalypse Potion, doesn't it? --- But the key to this Apocalypse Potion seems to be the Infinite Power Potion brewed by Ian Prince."
Snape was certainly not an atheist, but he was not a theist either.
Like most wizards, he only believed what he saw with his own eyes. Perhaps it was this wizarding logic and rationality that allowed Snape to notice some anomalies in the notebook's information.
"This notebook, which is thousands of years old, not only knows the names of the potions I've prepared, but it has also named them, and it even knows the name of the Infinite Power Potion."
This is the most chilling and unsettling part. If the so-called Apocalyptic Potion recipe already existed, it might not just shake the very origins of wizarding.
No one knows whether God exists or not.
But those who shake worldly beliefs will surely suffer calamities comparable to divine punishment.
If he hadn't been the one who personally concocted that potion, Snape felt he would have wanted to kill the guy who uncovered such a mad truth at all costs.
He himself was not a good person, so he was well aware of the consequences of concocting such a potion, and there were still countless people in the Muggle and wizarding worlds who were far worse than him.
This is why Snape learned about the Rejuvenation Potion from his notebook, searched for various alternative materials, developed a modern version of the formula, and completed his work, but never dared to reveal it.
Dud resuscitation agent.
As the name suggests, it is a potion that can revitalize the "dead" magic of Squibs. It can only last for three to five months instead of maintaining its effect in the long term. Even so, Snape, who knew the dark side of the wizarding world, still dared not make this replica public.
I don't even dare to mention it to anyone else.
It was only when he realized that Ian's Infinite Power Potion could actually be used for something else that he could no longer suppress his obsession with achieving a certain magical potion. However, he never expected that this forbidden work was actually recorded in artifacts from thousands of years ago, and the name Infinite Power Potion was also found in the recipe.
"I always thought it was a name that little bastard made up himself." Snape frowned. "But there's something that doesn't make sense—if the recipe he found clearly told him that such a potion existed in the recipe, the person who wrote the recipe would have had no reason to hide this Infinite Power Potion in a Love Potion."
"According to historical records, Morgan von Morgan doesn't seem like the type to have such a perverse sense of humor. Perhaps it's out of consideration?" Snape could only speculate as best he could.
to be frank.
If we ignore how Ian knew that the precursor to the Apocalypse Potion was the Infinite Power Potion, Snape could actually understand why Morgan Witch would hide such a formula within the Love Potion.
Those who seek change will inevitably face enemies from all corners of the world.
At least from the wizards' perspective, that's certainly true—it will shake not only the current relationship between Muggles and wizards, but the truly terrifying thing is that such a potion can rewrite the origins of wizards.
With the sacred origins of wizarding no longer present, Snape could hardly imagine the perilous chaos the Innovators would bring, perhaps even a wizard like Dumbledore couldn't withstand the backlash.
Even legendary witches are no exception!
This is far more terrifying than what Dumbledore's little-known friend, Gellert Grindelwald, that old man imprisoned in the Lonely Castle, wanted to do back then!
No wizard would allow someone to reveal such a formula. If the formula Ian obtained also came from Morgan, Snape felt that some things would make sense.
The legendary witch discovered the origins of wizarding, or rather, created another possibility for the origins of wizarding, and then, in a past era, she broke the forbidden potion into two parts and stored them separately. One part was written in her notebook, and the other part was collected by the Hogwarts library many years later.
This is absolutely a reasonable guess.
In Snape's view
The legendary witch who discovered this potion must have felt the same fear and distress she had experienced thousands of years ago, otherwise she wouldn't have broken down the recipe to preserve it.
The sealing off was out of fear.
They stayed because they were unwilling to accept defeat.
Snape felt that his own mindset was remarkably similar.
of course.
There are also differences.
"This requires the consent of the gods, and perhaps it is a secret belonging to the ancient wizards." Snape felt as if he had glimpsed some of the reasons for the power of the ancient wizards.
He couldn't help but cover his forehead, his brows furrowing deeply.
It's not about questioning the existence of God.
After all, there were still descendants of priestesses of God at Hogwarts, and wizards had always believed in the story of Death and the three brothers. Snape simply felt that even if gods truly existed in this world...
It shouldn't be a situation where one can easily gain their approval, right?
Ian can brew the preliminary potion! This obviously indicates something very special. Snape couldn't understand what kind of god would favor that clever little rascal Ian.
"Perhaps the so-called need for God's permission is just a matter of performing some kind of special ritual?" Snape really didn't want to believe that a potions master like himself couldn't get any divine permission, while someone like Ian who didn't care about appearances could get it. Surely it couldn't be that some ethereal god only cared about looks and hair volume?
"It is also possible that the first person to touch that legacy will be able to receive the special ritual blessing left by Morgan. The so-called divine permission is just Morgan's embellishment of that ritual."
This was a guess that made Snape feel slightly less resentful. His pride did feel a little better, but it was followed by a sense of regret. If he hadn't let Ian destroy the original source of the formula, perhaps he could have received the ritual blessing from that source as well.
after all.
No one can say for sure whether this "promise" will only be bestowed upon one person.
"Perhaps I can use the Time-Turner to go back and intercept that little bastard." The thought had barely crossed his mind when Snape immediately shook his head and dismissed it.
This is also because of self-esteem.
He went back on his word in front of his nephew.
Doesn't Snape have any pride?
Besides, since Ian didn't run into him at the library, it proves he clearly had no chance of saving that remnant of history; whether he went back or not, the outcome was essentially the same. Any wizard with even a modicum of skill...
Everyone is well aware of the terrible consequences of manipulating time, and no one would want to touch time unless absolutely necessary.
It is also taboo.
To challenge another taboo for a potion that cannot be revealed in the light is clearly not a wise choice; who doesn't know that those who play with time will ultimately be played with by time?
People can only witness history.
History cannot be changed.
For many years.
This has become an unchallengeable truth.
No one can shake its position.
After leaving Snape's office, Ian immediately rushed back to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. Fortunately, Ian managed to make it to the class, but unfortunately, he only made it to the end and could only watch helplessly as a group of young wizards walked out of the classroom, both frightened and excited.
"Oh! Professor Gilderoy Lockhart is absolutely fantastic! His lectures, though terrifying, are truly educational! He even showed us how to deal with the Imperius Curse!"
"Did you see that centaur try to escape and then get frozen in place by magic? It started swearing at us, and Professor Gilderoy Lockhart just made its mouth disappear!"
"Do you think that last centaur is dead or alive? I feel its heart is mostly dead—it didn't even move when you shoved the wand right up its ass!"
"It deserved it! I only regret that my wand isn't long enough!"
"Exactly, exactly, didn't you see the professor's roommate get kicked against the wall? Just like Gilderoy said, these centaurs are all beasts."
Standing at the classroom door.
Listening to the chattering of the young wizards as they came out, Ian felt as if he had been struck by lightning. He had clearly missed a great deal of the exciting scenes in the Defense Against the Dark Arts class.
Even when the young wizards greeted him, he found it difficult to force a smile.
It's all obviously the fault of that old bat who likes to cosplay as the little wizard in the office.
"At least he promised to bring me something back to the orphanage for Christmas—" That was probably the only way Ian could console himself. He couldn't find anything to steal in the empty Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, probably because of the Dementors earlier; Gilderoy Grindelwald hadn't even left a piece of cloth in the classroom.
"Michael, I heard you were put against the wall. William, did you take any pictures of the scene?" At dinner, Ian saw Michael with his head wrapped in bandages.
And when William raised his hands to show his broken hands in response to his question, it turned out that the little professor roommate that the young wizards were talking about, who was put against the wall, was not a singular word.
That Professor Lockhart is so mean! He actually sent Michael and me to fight a centaur!
That centaur really wanted to kill everyone present!
"I think this professor should be locked up in Azkaban!" William complained to Ian, still shaken, his expression filled with resentment towards Gilderoy Grindelwald.
"It kicked me right on the forehead, it really hurt!"
Michael was also terrified.
Compared to the black guy who kept showing off his chicken leg even after suffering a concussion, William kept complaining and venting, practically giving a full-on insult to Gilderoy Grindelwald's entire family.
He clearly didn't know who he was cursing.
Ian, who had been sitting quietly listening, looked up at Gilderoy Grindelwald on the professor's desk. He only hoped that his roommate, who aspired to be a new generation of saints, would never discover Gilderoy Grindelwald's true identity. Of course, more importantly, he hoped that his good roommate's fanatical family members would never find out about what had happened today.
Otherwise.
Since William's family did not personally see him off on his voyage due to familial ties, Ian felt that he might have to prepare a bed for William at the Woods Orphanage.
"Say less, say less—." Ian stuffed a large turkey head into William's mouth. Although Thanksgiving hadn't arrived yet, turkey was a common food, and today was the eve of Halloween, so the Hogwarts dinner was a bit more lavish than usual.
Even the entire auditorium had been decorated, with a thousand bats fluttering on the walls and ceiling, and a thousand dark clouds swarming around inside.
Many of the enormous gnome lamps were turned into lanterns, and the pumpkins were so big that they could even be made into small boats, much larger than when Ian had seen them at Hagrid's place.
The atmosphere was created very well.
There were even several human skeletons that could move, each holding a different musical instrument, wandering back and forth in the hall, performing hellish music for the young wizards.
It really has a Halloween vibe, with bassists, drummers, guitarists, accordion players, and pianists all being skeletons of varying heights who chuckle and make weird noises.
When Ian reached the Ravenclaw table, he curiously touched it—and it really was a pure human skeleton. He wondered what era the cadaver was from.
"Oh, don't touch my head!" William was slapped on the top of the head by one of the hidden skeletons, and his mouth, which had been so full of complaints that even a turkey's rear end couldn't shut up, finally stopped grumbling about the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. All the students felt both curious and a little scared, but quite a few dared to do it like Ian did.
Perhaps it was Gilderoy Grindelwald's doing, but the wizards of all grades were noticeably bolder.
These gentle skeletons were far friendlier than the ones we'd seen in Defense Against the Dark Arts class.
"Dumbledore is so confused!"
Ian still found it unbelievable that Grindelwald was at Hogwarts. On his way to the dinner party, he had overheard a sixth-year couple discussing Defense Against the Dark Arts. They mentioned that Gilderoy Grindelwald had hinted in their class that some wizards who desired powerful magic could visit him in his office after class.
What kind of powerful magic?
The Crucifixion?
A deadly curse?
Or is it a gas stove?
Perhaps Hogwarts students will no longer have to worry about not having the opportunity to study in Nurmengard, because some people seem to have moved Nurmengard directly to Hogwarts!
"Will Voldemort really be facing a bunch of students who love to gossip next year?" Ian felt a vague sense of unease. He didn't know why, but he always felt that some learning environments were being changed.
[Gringotts is invaded by a mysterious person! The goblins deny that anything is missing!] Besides monsters and ghosts, the daily news is also a major topic of discussion during Halloween.
Especially these kinds of sudden events.
As owls, some even dressed up in Halloween attire, arrived in the Great Hall, the young wizards of all ages became excited, a scene likely the first of its kind to occur in Gringotts in recent years.
Even the professors looked on incredulously.
"Who is it! How dare they be so audacious!" Gilderoy Grindelwald's performance was truly exaggerated; his horrified expression made it seem as if he had never done anything like this before.
"Luckily, I don't have any savings in Gringotts."
Ian was probably the least concerned person about Gringotts being robbed.
He even suspected that the fairies might be staging their own performance.
"Great! I've finally waited for you!"
After the dinner.
Seeing Gilderoy Grindelwald take Aurora away, Ian immediately pulled out his Marauder's Map. Today, he finally saw Dumbledore's name on the map—Dumbledore, who hadn't returned for a long time, was absent from Hogwarts' Halloween Eve party.
This is clearly inconsistent with Dumbledore's usual style of doing things.
"Hiss, could he be getting senile and want to slowly hand over the principal's position to Aurora's grandfather? That old man Grindelwald has been sleeping in his office several times these days!"
A wildly imaginative idea.
Ian couldn't resist the urge to run to the headmaster's office to arrest the old headmaster who had sneaked back to school, but he was stopped by Snape, who looked all bashful, as soon as he stepped out of the Great Hall.
"Did you destroy what you were told to destroy?"
Snape's eyes were fixed on Ian's face.
"I've always been very obedient; it's no longer in the library." Ian blinked, choosing to respond with the truth. Of course, he wouldn't let Snape seize the opportunity to scold him.
"Ruined—very good, it seems you've taken my words to heart." Snape's eyes flickered a few times, but his expression didn't seem too pleased.
There was a complex feeling that was hard to describe.
A sense of relief?
A sense of loss lingered... Under Ian's watchful gaze, the old bat didn't ask any further questions. He simply tossed aside his robe and cloak and strode out of the hall.
"You should probably get some more sleep; your eyes are as black as coal!" Ian shouted at Snape's retreating figure, genuinely worried that Snape would turn him into a lich.
After watching Snape, who hadn't given any response, disappear from sight, Ian resumed his jogging, making sure Ariana's letter was still in his robes.
Along the way.
Even when the young wizard greeted him, he only waved in response. He ran up to the eighth floor, panting. Ian was genuinely worried that the old headmaster had just come back to use the restroom and then disappeared again.
Outside the principal's office.
The enormous and hideously ugly stone beast remained crouched at the entrance as always, with a ferocious face and sharp teeth, as if it were ready to pounce on any intruder who dared to approach.
"Password!"
The stone beast made a dull sound towards Ian.
"Jelly Slug".
This is the password from last time.
But it's clear that the principal had already been replaced.
The stone beast continued to stare at Ian, showing no intention of jumping away.
"Blow-Up Super Bubble Gum"
Since Ian had not received an invitation, he could only guess the password to the gate. However, his luck was obviously not that great, as the motionless stone beast still did not respond to his command.
"Lemon Snowball Candy"
Continue to speculate.
The door still couldn't be opened.
"A string of cockroaches!"
Ian thought for a moment and came up with another possible password—the stone beast moved. However, it just shook its head at Ian and remained lying on the gate, refusing to move.
"Open the door!"
Ian couldn't think of any other snacks Dumbledore liked. Frustrated, he reached for the stone beast, only to find that the beast had jumped aside first, revealing the wall behind it.
"Hiss~"
Ian had no idea he would be caught off guard.
"You're really interesting~"
He glanced at the stone beast in surprise, then jogged up the stairs to the wooden door of the principal's office, where the half-open door revealed light from inside.
It did not turn off automatically.
It's as if the owner of the room is waiting for the visitor to arrive.
"Were you waiting for me?"
Ian peeked through the crack in the door.
Albus Dumbledore was sitting behind his desk, twirling a golden object in his hand in the flickering candlelight.
The old principal's gaze was very focused.
Ian examined it carefully.
The thing that Dumbledore was constantly turning gleamed with a golden luster.
It is a cup with a solid gold handle.