A Simple Discussion of the World's Magical Environment

No one knew what Snape had gone to Dumbledore's office for, and Jon had no intention of asking around.

It was probably nothing more than matters concerning Harry Potter enrolling next year.

He hid behind a pillar by the window. Once Snape had gone in and closed the door, he turned and went downstairs by the other route.

There was no need to run into those professors, at least not yet.

He still had a private lesson with Helga that evening.

He hurried back to the Hufflepuff Common Room. After greeting a few classmates playing Wizard Chess there, he returned to the dormitory and discovered that all three of his roommates were inside.

"Why are you staying in the dorm? I thought you'd gone to explore the castle with the others."

On his way back, he had seen quite a few new students wandering through the castle. Exploring it was probably an essential activity for first-years.

"We were waiting for you."

Stephen curled his lip. "You asked us to bring your things back, but your bedcurtain has a sealing spell on it. We couldn't get in while you were away."

"Oh, my mistake. I'll treat you to a meal tomorrow."

"Then it's settled."

Stephen had been delighted to hear that Jon was treating them, but then he realized something. "The food at Hogwarts is free, and we can't go outside the school. What exactly are you treating us to?"

Fren and Scaly also cast Jon puzzled looks.

"Don't worry. It definitely won't taste like school food."

Jon gave a mysterious smile, then carried his Cauldron into his bedcurtain. That morning, he had already written a letter and sent his Owl, Kane, home with it, all to satisfy this craving.

Even without this incident, he had intended to treat his roommates to a meal.

It was a small habit he had developed in his previous life.

Fren poked his head inside and looked at Jon, who was busy at the desk. "We're planning to go have a look around the castle. Want to come with us?"

"No, I'm a little tired. You guys go ahead."

Fren withdrew his little head. Then Jon heard rustling outside, clearly indicating that the three of them had gone out.

"Bedcurtain Seal."

Jon spoke the incantation and sealed the bedcurtain, lest someone slip in while he was not paying attention. Then he took out the old Cauldron from his ring, along with the scraps he had secretly collected during class.

The scraps from both groups amounted to this small portion. Fortunately, neither group had done particularly well, or Snape would have noticed.

Of course, that might also have been because people like them were not worthy of attracting Snape's hatred...

"Regarding potion brewing..."

Jon muttered as his hands deftly sorted the various ingredients.

Potion brewing was not something usually involved in science and engineering, but conducting experiments was something science and engineering students everywhere had to do. When it came to steady hands and meticulousness, Jon did not think he was much worse than medical students.

Besides, class required them to strictly follow the tedious steps in the textbook, but there was no need to do that in private. The only goal was convenience. For example, pressing ingredients was more likely to extract juice than chopping them, so there was no need to deliberate before deciding.

Snape had discovered this problem back when he was a student. Yet even after becoming the Potions teacher, he still had not improved it.

Jon was in no mood to complain right then. All his focus was on brewing the potion.

A moment later.

"Did it fail again?"

Jon stared at the pot of black, viscous potion in the Cauldron, his brow deeply furrowed.

"Forget it. There aren't any spare materials left. I probably went wrong somewhere, and without enough ingredients, I can't make a comparison group. As for this theoretical guidance..." Jon looked at the Potions book beside him. It was riddled with mistakes and omissions, exhausting just to look at. "Better not to read it."

Achieving anything in Potions was indeed extremely expensive. In Jon's memories, Snape had not been particularly wealthy when he was young. The reason he had become a Potions master was likely because he possessed exceptional talent in the subject.

Clearly, Jon did not have that talent.

"I think that is a very mistaken belief. No matter how much my descendants' bloodline has declined, it cannot possibly be so poor that it possesses not even the slightest talent for Potions."

Helga Hufflepuff was deeply dissatisfied with Jon's lackadaisical attitude in this regard. Jon could understand that very well; after all, this witch had once been an exceptionally accomplished potion brewer.

"Or perhaps talent for Potions is not inherited through bloodlines, or perhaps there are other reasons. In any case, my first attempt at brewing a potion was unsuccessful."

"Oh, dear, I think no potion can be brewed successfully in a single attempt. You may simply need more practice."

"All right. I'll do my best to study Potions properly."

Only then did Helga nod in satisfaction. Since time was tight, the "grandmother and grandson" quickly got to the point.

"I've already read through all the books you sent in today. To be honest, these spells are not particularly practical, and they are quite weak as well."

"That's perfectly normal. Perhaps you did not realize it back then, but as time passes, the magical environment is actually getting worse and worse."

Jon shared his conjecture with Helga. A thousand years ago, the magical environment should have been fairly good. At the very least, Hogwarts' four Founders had all been legendary wizards. Yet in the current era, there were only Dumbledore and Grindelwald left. Voldemort perhaps counted as one too, but by the time Voldemort rose to power, Grindelwald had already fallen.

Theory always came from practice. Jon had found relevant theories in books, so those theories would certainly, at the very least, provide indirect evidence for what he was saying.

Helga sat quietly on the sofa, indicating that she wished to hear more. Jon organized his thoughts slightly before beginning.

"I roughly looked through some records from a thousand years ago up to the present. From the Middle Ages to now, you may not have been able to sense it while residing in a portrait, but magic power fluctuates."

Jon cautiously offered that much first, continuing only after Helga nodded.

"The magical environment we wizards live in is formed by magical particles that exist between heaven and earth. The density of these magical particles determines how easily wizards can cast spells, as well as the number of wizards.

When the magical environment is relatively good, the number of wizards is greater, including the likelihood of new wizards awakening among Muggles. So even in your era, when wizards lived under terrible conditions, they could still maintain their own inheritance and even contend with the Papacy..."