A Professor of Magic at Hogwarts

Chapter 199: Ancient and Modern

Hermione seemed to recall something, "Professor, was it this magical script you used in last year's public class?"

"No, in the public class, I demonstrated genuine ancient magic. It just had this magical script at its core," Felix Harp explained.

He glanced at the time and gently added, "We're almost done for today. As for delving into the power of individual magical scripts, I've scheduled that part for tomorrow. You can try it on your own after you return. There's no danger, though it might pose some challenges."

"Challenges?"

Felix Harp's lips curled into a slight smile, "If I remember correctly, the effect of one magical script I taught you is quite intriguing. I wonder if you can discover it?"

Hermione felt a hint of resentment. The professor's mischievous streak was showing again...

By this point, Hermione had a grasp of the logic behind the practical ancient magical script system—akin to the dismantled radios she had worked on.

Magical scripts formed the foundation, equivalent to the electronic components within a radio; both single magical scripts and electronic parts were relatively independent, capable of showcasing their own characteristics. For instance, the heat generated by a resistor, the light emitted by a small bulb, and the illuminating magical script the professor had displayed.

These characteristics inherently held no concept of superiority or inferiority, but once subjective judgment entered the picture, distinctions arose. Luminescent characteristics were undeniably more valuable than heating characteristics...

And magical script circuits corresponded to the circuits within a radio. By now, magical scripts were combined to form circuits, possessing specific magical functions. Like the burst magical script circuit the professor had demonstrated early on.

She still remembered his description of it as "extremely unstable," indicating that even single magical script circuits were challenging to stabilize.

Only when multiple magical script circuits collaborated could a fully functional magical script creation be crafted, much like her beadwork bag.

As for ancient magic, her exposure to information was limited, but she tentatively believed it followed a similar relationship.

Hermione thought that drawing this analogy made understanding easier. She shared her thoughts with the professor, looking at him with an expectant gaze, "What do you think?"

Felix Harp returned an approving look, "You've summarized it vividly, Miss Granger. For your current level, this interpretation suits well."

The young witch nodded; she had encountered a wealth of new knowledge today and needed to reorganize her thoughts once she returned.

...

Once Hermione had left, Felix Harp sat on the couch, his harvest from tonight leading him to deeper contemplation on the differences and similarities between ancient and simplified magic.

His prior assumption was that ancient magic was immensely powerful but difficult to control, while simplified magic, although not overwhelmingly potent, was entirely adequate. Its greatest advantage lay in its simplicity and ease of learning, with a lower probability of going awry.

Yet, in truth, the replacement of ancient magic with simplified magic was almost inevitable—

Simplified magic could essentially be seen as an amalgamation of incantations + spellcasting motions + manipulation of magical power.

'Incantations' represented the power of the mind and could be omitted once proficiency was achieved, leading to nonverbal spellcasting;

As for the latter two—'spellcasting motions' and 'manipulation of magical power'—in most cases, they could be conflated.

This was because, in the system of simplified magic, spellcasting motions and manipulation of magical power were intricately linked. Each spellcasting motion corresponded to a method of manipulating magical power, which was the essence of the entire simplified magic system.

This approach brought about remarkable benefits:

Wizards need not invest extensive time in learning how to manipulate and harness their magical power; this knowledge was naturally integrated into the Hogwarts curriculum.

In theory, once you learned the standard spellcasting motions, you were eligible to master most spells within the same system.

The reason not all spells are included is that some obscure spellcasting motions have been omitted from the current Hogwarts curriculum. This means young wizards cannot master the magical power manipulation behind these motions.

However, if a professor wishes to provide extra instruction, they could spend more time on new spellcasting motions while explaining spells. Young wizards might find these spells slightly more challenging, but they would still manage.

It's precisely because spellcasting motions and magical power manipulation are closely intertwined that many young wizards are only familiar with the former, while the latter remains elusive. However, this doesn't hinder their use of magic in the slightest.

An extreme example would be: some exceptionally talented wizards can grasp corresponding spells by observing them just once, memorizing both the incantation and the motion.

Moreover, when one becomes sufficiently familiar with an incantation, the need for the corresponding spellcasting motion can be eliminated. Everything seems to revert back to the manipulation of magical power itself.

However, the majority of wizards never truly comprehend this process.

If unsatisfied with the school's curriculum, the Hogwarts library holds a wealth of resources for young wizards to reference and delve deeper into learning, provided they choose the right books.

All of the aforementioned considerations are indeed advantages of simplified magic—easy to learn, self-contained, and with potential for further improvement.

This is far superior to ancient magic.

Remember, ancient wizards lacked standardized spellcasting motions. Learning an ancient spell meant embarking on an adventure, so they naturally leaned towards mastering magic of a similar type to reduce the risk of learning new spells.

Furthermore, the ancient wizardry's apprentice-master tradition, combined with the lack of modern communication, led to severe specialization. Many wizards only mastered a few fire spells in their entire lifetime.

Felix Harp's speculation indicated that only when he grasped the characteristics of numerous practical ancient magical scripts and their combinations could he truly harness the might of ancient magic.

Even a few fire spells, in his hands, could ignite an inferno.

However, simplified magic isn't without its drawbacks—

This approach resulted in an inevitable consequence: for present-day wizards, the older the magic, the harder it is to master.

This is because some ancient magic inherited the ancient wizards' understanding of magic, an understanding that clashes with the current magical system.

For instance, the Patronus Charm focuses more on the application of mental strength.

Furthermore, its method of magical power manipulation isn't encompassed by the basic spellcasting motions taught at Hogwarts. This implies that one would have to relearn several, even a dozen, methods of manipulating and harnessing magical power, which stumps over ninety percent of wizards.

Felix Harp realized this early on and sought to break free from the constraints of simplified magic.

He started by delving into books in the library to learn more about manipulating and harnessing magical power.

He even attempted to uncover potent spells from various ancient tomes, mastering and controlling them.

In truth, this was the path many wizards chose—pursuing powerful magic to enhance their mastery of magical power and understanding of magic.

Later, Felix Harp set his sights on practical ancient magical scripts, which he believed pointed directly to the essence of magic, and developed his skills to where he is today.

But now, looking at it, are magical scripts truly the essence of magic?

In just a year, he had witnessed Slytherin's blood magic, Ravenclaw's memory magic, and Dumbledore's latent talent in transfiguration.

Everyone was on the right path, though Felix Harp had no doubt that his chosen path held the greatest potential.

If he were to judge now, the essence of magic was one and only one thing—magical power, the innate magic within a wizard.

With magical power, the diverse and colorful world of magic flourished.

This chapter tied up some loose ends from the original text, though the writing was quite complex. I'd like to hear your thoughts. If you're not fond of this pure theoretical exposition, I'll reduce it in the future.

Also, just two chapters today.

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