A Brief History of Soul Magic

"The family is researching several ancient topical potion formulas," Regulus replied after thinking for a moment.

"Similar to ancient ritual Totems, but hopefully safer and more controllable. We need to find a potion ingredient that can safely adhere to the skin, stably carry, and slowly release specific magical effects.

"This involves a whole series of issues, such as material compatibility, Magic Power penetration, and long-term stability."

Lily's eyes lit up. This had clearly stirred her intense academic interest.

"It sounds like expanding potions from internal use into topical application, while also making them compatible with a wizard's own Magic Power... That's so interesting!

"Can I help? I mean, if you need someone to analyze formulas with you or test some basic material combinations."

She volunteered eagerly, her face shining with anticipation.

Regulus looked into her eyes and saw nothing there but passion for knowledge.

He nodded. "If you're interested and willing to put in the time, I do need a reliable collaborator.

"However, this may take up quite a bit of your free time, and you may not see any significant results in the short term."

"That's fine!" Lily said without hesitation. "Being able to work on a subject like this is a reward in itself, and besides..."

She paused, her tone sincere. "Thank you for being willing to tell me these things—about Magic, about... the situation outside, and about the method for that essay last time.

"It makes me feel like... we're friends now, right? Friends should help each other."

Regulus gave a slight nod, his voice gentler. "Yes, friends. I'm very grateful for your help.

"If you ever need my opinion or help with Magic or anything else, please feel free to ask."

Friendship had never been one-sided taking or giving. It was an exchange and sharing of value.

Lily understood. She nodded firmly, a bright smile appearing on her face.

When they parted, Regulus seriously reminded her, "You don't need to tell anyone what I said."

Lily understood what was at stake. She nodded solemnly. "I promise!"

Regulus needed to prepare for tonight's plan: entering the Forbidden Section.

The Invisibility Cloak would have been the perfect tool, but he did not have one.

Then the Disillusionment Charm was a good choice.

It was an advanced spell, one that younger students did not normally master.

But the Black family's collection contained detailed records of it, and Regulus had long since read through them and memorized its principles.

The Disillusionment Charm was not true invisibility. It was more like optical camouflage.

It demanded a high degree of control over the caster's Magic Power and sustained concentration, but Regulus lacked neither.

On the Castle Seventh Floor, he found an abandoned Broomstick closet and locked the door behind him.

For his first attempt, he concentrated, spoke the incantation, and let Magic Power spread across the surface of his body.

He could feel the light beginning to distort, but the effect was extremely unstable. It was like looking through violently rippling water; the outline of his body flickered and blurred, utterly incapable of concealing him.

Failure. His Magic Power output was uneven, and his control over the light was too crude.

For his second attempt, he adjusted the output, trying to make the Magic Power cover his entire body more smoothly.

The effect was slightly better, but his body looked like a color-distorted chameleon patch, completely at odds with the texture of the surrounding walls. The slightest movement would expose him.

Still a failure. His imitation of the environment's colors and textures was not precise enough.

The third attempt, the fourth...

He kept adjusting everything—from the incantation and gestures to the details of his Magic Power output, then to sensing the surrounding environment and the details of light and shadow more precisely before trying to imitate them.

On his fifth attempt, he closed his eyes and guided his Magic Power like the finest brush, painting patterns of light and shadow across his body that perfectly matched the background.

When he opened his eyes, the raised hand before him had almost vanished. Only an outline perfectly matching the texture of the brick wall behind him remained, and as he moved slightly, that texture changed in sync.

Success!

But as far as the Disillusionment Charm itself was concerned, that level was still not enough for him.

Madam Pince might rely on sight, but Regulus considered more possibilities. What about Magic Power detection? Or Muggle thermal imaging? Could it fool those?

A new idea emerged. Could he construct an extremely thin isolating layer of Magic Power over the surface of his body—one that not only distorted light, but also blocked the heat, scent, and even Magic Fluctuation emitted by his body?

That was more difficult than a simple Disillusionment Charm. It required precise, multilayered weaving of Magic Power with different properties.

He tried again.

After failing twice more, on the third attempt, he used the light-distorting layer of the Disillusionment Charm as a foundation and wove an extremely thin inner lining beneath it with finer threads of Magic Power.

This inner lining had no offensive or defensive properties. Its sole purpose was to absorb and neutralize the faint thermal Radiation naturally emitted from his body, as well as the outermost ripples of Magic Power.

He felt his sense of presence diminish further under Magic Perception. He could not vanish completely, but it was enough to evade most ordinary detection.

Whether by wizards or Muggles.

The Improved Disillusionment Charm was initially complete. He released the spell and breathed slightly harder.

Late at night, even the Castle seemed to have fallen asleep.

Regulus returned to the entrance of the Library.

The Improved Disillusionment Charm took effect silently, blending his figure into the stone walls of the dim Corridor until he was almost impossible to notice.

Like a shadow without substance, he slipped past the sleeping Portraits, avoided the patrolling Filch, and finally arrived before the Forbidden Section.

Perhaps it was only an illusion, but even the air in the Forbidden Section seemed colder, filled with the scent of Parchment, dust, and some ancient Magic.

He headed directly to the place he remembered and found A Brief History of Soul Magic in a corner on the lowest shelf.

The book had been placed under a Protective Charm. Forcing it open or taking it away would trigger an alarm and might even damage the book.

But that did not trouble him. He did not need to take it away.

He stretched out his right hand, hovering it about an inch above the spine, and closed his eyes.

His already formidable mind had become far stronger than ordinary after repeated tempering. He spread out his Magic Power like an invisible scanner and began reading the book.

Regulus used Magic Perception to sense every trace of Magic Power left upon the pages. The thoughts and knowledge the author had poured into the writing had been preserved within the Parchment through Magic.

This method of reading placed an enormous burden on the mind and could not perfectly reproduce every detail or turn of phrase, but it was sufficient for his present needs.

Obscure and profound knowledge surged into his consciousness like a tide.

The nature of the soul and the source of Magic Power...

The factors affecting soul stability...

The manifestations and consequences of soul damage...

Then came the key point: Soul-Splitting Theory.

When his Magic Power touched that section, it became especially concentrated. The book described the feasibility of this forbidden act.

Through an extremely evil ritual, powerful Dark Arts, and the utmost desecration of life and death, a Complete Soul could be forcibly torn apart, with one portion stripped away and sealed inside a specific vessel.

As long as the Horcruxes remained intact, even if the physical body perished, the primary soul would not truly die. It could still exist in some form and might be able to reshape a body through a dark ritual.

The book sternly warned of the terrifying consequences of this method. A divided soul would remain forever incomplete, becoming unstable and filled with pain and twisted desires.

The process of creating Horcruxes itself would inflict irreversible corruption upon the caster, making him increasingly cold, insane, and inhuman.

Moreover, a subtle connection existed between the Horcruxes and the primary soul, which might also become a weakness that could be exploited.

Regulus's heart chilled. This confirmed just how dangerous and evil the path Voldemort had taken was.

But at the same time, another thought became increasingly clear: perhaps soul stability was the key to safely touching, or even using, the Dark Arts.

If the soul was resilient and stable enough, like an impregnable Castle, then even when using those corrosive dark forces, could one resist the damage?

The book mentioned that a handful of powerful Dark Wizards with steadfast minds had proven this conjecture. They frequently used the Dark Arts, yet remained unaffected.

He thought of Dumbledore and Grindelwald. At their level, what difference was there between Dark Arts and White Magic? Once used, it was used. What effect could it possibly have?

Probably none. At the very least, the original work had never mentioned any, so he would assume there was none.

Voldemort, on the other hand, had clearly divided his soul too early and too many times in pursuit of immortality, destroying the foundation of his own stability and leading to his eventual madness and inhumanity.

Regulus quickly skimmed through the other chapters.

Soul Attachment, involving possession and the transmission of curses.

Soul Imprisonment and the origins of ghosts...

At last, he stopped reading. Tonight's gains had far exceeded his expectations.

Not only had he confirmed the nature and dangers of Horcruxes, but he had also gained a clearer understanding of the importance of soul stability when venturing into dark realms.

At the same time, the other knowledge about souls had opened up many new lines of thought for him.