One with the Wand
The Chamber of Secrets. Read M
In the dimly Chamber of Secrets, a pattern with a cross at the center, extending to pentagrams and hexagons, was drawn on the floor. This was a transmutation circle specifically for stave making, a secret technique unique to Ravenclaw, belonging to a different school from the stave-making techniques of the Ollivander Family.
While the Ravenclaw lineage is far less renowned than the Ollivander Family, this doesn't mean the former is inferior. Rowena Ravenclaw herself was inspired by the Four Founders of Hogwarts when she invented the Four Houses of wandmaking.
As is well known, the creation of the Four Houses was actually supported by Magical Theory. This is why, in the thousand years since the founding of the schools, no one has dared to change this simple, crude, and controversial method of house division Dumbledore.
In Great Britain, Muggle elite high schools do indeed use a sorting system, but the purpose of this sorting is very clear: to encourage students to learn competition and cooperation, to give them a microcosm of society, and to accumulate the social experience and skills needed before entering the real world. Their sorting process is randomized, so that people from different cultural backgrounds, with different athletic abilities, different personalities, and genders can learn how to get along and cooperate, and ultimately integrate together.
Hogwarts, on the other hand, sorts students into houses based on four character traits: courage, wisdom, integrity, and ambition. Moreover, this isn't the students' own choice, but rather determined by an ancient Sorting Hat whose workings are shrouded in mystery. No matter how dissatisfied the students may be, they cannot disobey the Sorting Hat's orders.
As a result, on the day students enter school at the age of 11, they are labeled with personality traits and burdened with expectations that should not be placed on them at that age. For example, Neville must exert all his strength to draw courage in order to meet the expectations of the other Gryffindor; and Snape's addiction to Dark Arts and his eventual estrangement from Lily Evans are also influenced by the atmosphere of Slytherin.
That's bad enough, but what's even more serious is that this method of classifying students by their college has led to discrimination and prejudice.
In the original books, Ron and Hermione repeatedly expressed their longing for Gryffindor and their contempt for Slytherin. Even more outrageous was Hagrid, who openly said, "No wizard who goes astray has ever escaped Slytherin," a statement rife with prejudice. And this was said to Harry, who was just beginning to experience the wizarding world. It was at that moment that Harry's prejudice against Slytherin began to take root.
At Hogwarts, many people believe that Slytherin students, arrogant about their noble blood, discriminate against students from other houses. But conversely, don't the other three houses also discriminate against the "evil" Slytherin?
Therefore, this system of house division not only created discrimination, but also fostered division and hatred.
For centuries, Slytherin and Gryffindor have been locked in a bitter struggle, while Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw, though outwardly neutral, have always sided with Gryffindor. There's no way around it; after all, Slytherin produced Voldemort, and Gryffindor produced Dumbledore.
Even Dumbledore himself once told Snape, "Sometimes I feel that our sorting is too hasty." In his previous life, Skylar had wondered why Dumbledore, as the headmaster, hadn't proposed reforms since he had already seen the drawbacks of the sorting system. As the greatest and most renowned white wizard of his time, he would have faced the least resistance if he had led the reforms.
(Note: The original English quote from Dumbledore is "I sometimes think we sort too soon," meaning that the sorting of houses was done too early, depriving students of time to freely develop their personalities. The above quote is from the original text published by People's Daily.)
However, in this life, Skylar finally understood the reasoning behind the Sorting System. The so-called Four Houses actually correspond to four of the four elements in the theory of magic: Slytherin corresponds to the element of water, Gryffindor to the element of fire, Ravenclaw to the element of wind, and Hufflepuff to the element of earth.
This bears some resemblance to the "Five Elements Theory" and "Feng Shui Theory" studied by Eastern shamans.
For a long time, Hogwarts has relied on the fusion and interplay of the four elements to maintain the operation of the entire castle. In other words, to some extent, the sorting system is the foundation for the smooth operation of the magical magnetic field within Hogwarts. This is why no one dares to reform the sorting system.
Ravenclaw's staff-making arcane art is essentially a ritual that imbues a piece of wood with a unique magical attribute based on the combination of the four elements.
In this respect alone, it cannot be inferior to the Ollivander Family's technique of engraving alchemical patterns on wood and staff cores. However, the drawback of Ravenclaw's method is obvious: it requires the gathering of wizards of all four elements to jointly craft the staff, making it far inferior to the Ollivander in terms of versatility and convenience.
There are four people in the Chamber of Secrets at this moment— Skylar, Bathory, Annis, and Sarf. They are divided into four corners, standing at the ends of the cross. Each of them holds something in their hands, which are the materials to be sacrificed in the ritual. They were all collected by Skylar through Ali Bashir, his sister Gulana, and the Germany smuggler Nicholas from various legal and illegal channels.
Recalling the days a few years ago when he had to personally collect the ingredients just to concoct a Magic-Boosting Potion, Skylar couldn't help but feel a strong sense of satisfaction with his current network of connections. Now, with just a word, he could easily have the raw materials and ingredients he wanted delivered to him.
Whether it's the House of Malfoy, the House of Black, the Greengrass Family, or the Ravenclaw's Collection, all have some books on rod science. In terms of sheer volume of knowledge, Skylar may not be as good as Ollivander, but he is definitely enough to dwarf most people in the field of rod science. What Skylar lacked was simply an opportunity for practice.
During this period of time, thanks to Skylar's prior instructions, Sarf had also immersed herself in this area of knowledge.
According to the calculations of Sarf and Skylar, today is a day when Mercury is in the sky, and since the Snakewood belongs to Mercury in the herb sequence, the magical conductivity of the Snakewood will be enhanced by the astrological influence today, making it even more acute.
The Basilisk horn underwent a special treatment—it was soaked in the blood of the Basilisk's natural enemy, the rooster, for seven days and seven nights. After being air-dried, the Basilisk horn was displayed outdoors on a cloudless night, illuminated by as many stars as possible. Ancient texts believed this would enhance the wand's ability to communicate with magic in various fields.
Skylar placed the Basilisk horn in the very center of the cross, opened its mouth, and hissed.
Of the four people here, only Sarf understands Parseltongue. Skylar said, "Awaken! King of all snakes!"
The Basilisk horn emitted a strong, dazzling emerald green light.
Skylar stepped forward, tossing the stunned Horned Serpent he was holding, and proclaimed loudly, "In the name of the Pure-blood, I offer this sacrifice to the descendant of Cernunnos, invoking the mighty power of water!"
The Horned Serpent is Fantastic Beasts from North America. It can speak human language and is shrewd and cunning. In fact, it is a descendant of Cernunnos from Celtic mythology in the Muggle World. This deity represents Pure-blood nobility and corresponds to the "water element" quality behind Slytherin.
The Horned Serpent landed in front of the Basilisk horn, let out a shriek, and then its whole body turned into a pool of liquid-like blue energy, which was absorbed by the Basilisk horn.
Bathory was the second to act. She tossed the stunned, three-headed Runespoor forward, then opened her mouth and spat out a thick liquid resembling green blood. The liquid splashed onto the Runespoor, and the three heads emitted screams of varying lengths in turn. The Runespoor turned into a wisp of blue smoke, which was slowly absorbed by the Basilisk horn.
The Runespoor is Fantastic Beasts from Burkina Faso, Africa. It is known for its fierce and warlike nature; its three heads often engage in impulsive battles, completely forgetting that they share a single body. The death of one head is equivalent to the death of all three, corresponding to the "fire element" characteristic behind Gryffindor. Vampire blood, on the other hand, contains a quality called "Netherfire," making it ideal for crafting materials that embody the fire element.
The next to make a move was the Hag Annis Black. She cackled twice, tossed a chicken-headed, dragon-bodied monster into the center of the ritual, and made a strange hand gesture with her hands. A long, dark blue fingernail detached from her fingers and transformed into a beam of blue light, shooting into the monster's body.
That monster is actually Basilisk Cockatrice, the Cockatrice. Its gaze can be fatal or petrifying, and its breath is highly poisonous. It is obsessive and tyrannical; if it encounters an enemy who violates its dignity, it will hunt them to the ends of the earth, even at the cost of its own life. This corresponds to the Hufflepuff's "earth element." (Unexpected, isn't it? Extreme diligence, perseverance, and focus are actually forms of obsession.)
All the Hag live in dark, sunless caves year-round, and their bodies contain a strong earth element. Therefore, Annis's fingernails are perfect for refining earth element materials.
Sarf's expression was very solemn. She slowly walked to the center of the ceremony and carefully picked up the Basilisk horn from the ground.
"Aquila!" Skylar shouted coldly, and an eagle-shaped phantom materialized, emitting a long, sharp cry. Aquila radiated a colorful light, and with a powerful flap of its wings, two wing feathers transformed into invisible arrows that shot into the Basilisk horn.
"Sarf, now!" Skylar gave the final instruction.
Sarf opened her mouth, emitting a series of hissing sounds of varying lengths and pitches. She wasn't casting a spell, but rather communicating with the Basilisk horn, establishing a special connection between the wizard and the staff core.
What does it mean for a wand to choose a wizard? There might be some logic to this, as the wand core possesses emotional and will-driven properties, meaning wands made with different cores are destined to match wizards with different personalities and temperaments. But is this truly the only truth in the world of wand making?
If Skylar's method of forging the wand core succeeds, an unbreakable bond will be established between the wizard and the wand core, making the compatibility between the wizard and the wand far exceed any known combination.
[The "Basilisk horn" and "Sarf" are a perfect match!]
At the same time, Skylar murmured an ancient and long incantation. The deep murmur echoed in the Chamber of Secrets. The Snakewood floated into the air and slowly moved into Sarf's palm. Then it began to melt, slowly enveloping the Basilisk horn. Invisible to the naked eye, golden threads were interwoven into the wood. This was actually the Basilisk horn's intelligence growing and spreading within the staff like nerve threads in the human body, until the core and the staff fused together seamlessly.
Sarf grasped her brand-new wand, and a ring of lightning radiated outwards from her body.
A snake's head, about the size of a fingernail, protruded slightly from the wand's grip, its two crimson eyes gleaming with a predatory light.
Sarf closed her eyes, her long black hair moved without wind, fluttering in the opposite direction. Her aura grew stronger and stronger, and a huge serpentine phantom faintly appeared behind her.
At that moment, everyone present felt it—
The scents of Sarf and the wand had become indistinguishable, making it impossible to tell which was Sarf and which was the wand by their scent alone.
"Is this a unity of man and wand?" The well-informed Bathory quickly recognized the phenomenon. "Incredible! Even in my time, the craftsmanship that allows a wizard and wand to resonate to this extent was a legendary feat. No one had ever seen anything like it... My God, Skylar, what are you...?"
Bathory was at a loss for words. She had lived for centuries and seen all kinds of geniuses, but Skylar's talent, which was proficient in almost everything, was beyond the realm of genius in her eyes; he was worthy of being called a prodigy.
A wand is a wizard's second life, their most precious companion. The compatibility between the wand and the wizard is the most crucial factor in choosing a wand, a fact universally acknowledged by all wizards.
No matter what the wand makers of the time do, it is impossible to create a wand that perfectly matches a wizard with limited materials; at best, they can only achieve a high degree of compatibility.
The wand that Sarf held clearly resonated with her in a mysterious way, reaching the legendary state of "man and wand as one."
"I'm not seeing things, am I?" Annis said hesitantly, "Her magic level has broken through like that?"
Skylar nodded and said calmly, "Yes, the wand itself possesses magic. Reaching the state of 'man and wand as one' means that the magic within the wand is connected to Sarf's magic pool. From then on, the person and the wand can share each other's magic, so it's not surprising that her magic has broken through." Sarf's magic had already reached the level of Auror, and after this breakthrough, she officially stepped into the level of Auror.
"Impressive!" Bathory looked at Skylar with a half-smile. "Little brother Skylar, with such amazing skills, when will you make a wand for your sister Elisha?" Hearing this, Annis immediately perked up and listened attentively.
Pure-blood Vampire and Hag (Half-blood are allowed, which is why Phoebe has a wand), like House Elf and Goblin, are restricted by the laws of the Ministry of Magic and are not permitted to possess wands. This forces them to rely on their innate instincts to crudely unleash and utilize magic, preventing them from casting spells with effortless grace and thus affecting the full expression of their true power.
Therefore, Bathory and Annis cannot openly purchase wands through normal channels. Second-hand wands bought from the black market vary in quality and sometimes even exhibit anti-owner characteristics, making them less convenient to use than Wandless Magic.
"Don't worry," Skylar's lips curled into a slight smile, his eyes Winky, "I never mistreat my followers. As long as you haven't betrayed our covenant, I promise—there will definitely be a day when you can openly wield wands."