Experimental Chamber
"Of course not. To be regarded as the most precious legacy by Gryffindor, it can't be that simple," Aslan said. "You know that the essence of life is matter, spirit, and soul, right?"
Skylar nodded; he had discussed this topic with Aquila a long time ago. Matter refers to the physical body, spirit to thought, and soul to emotions.
"And wizards, in the very structure of life, have two more essential qualities added—one is the magic derived from their bloodline, and..." Aslan said.
"Personal strength," Skylar said, a flash of realization in his eyes. "I understand now. So, the significance of the Heart of Valor passed down in Gryffindor probably lies in its ability to enhance a wizard's personal strength."
"That's right," Aslan scratched his nose with his paw, clearly surprised by Skylar's answer. He suppressed any disdain he held for the fifteen-year-old boy and said, "As expected of Gryffindor's chosen successor, you guessed it so quickly—"
Aslan seemed lost in thought, pausing for a moment before continuing, "Among the Four Founders of Hogwarts, Gryffindor knew fewer spells than Ravenclaw, his physical abilities were not as strong as Hufflepuff's, and he didn't have the natural talent of a Parseltongue like Slytherin. Yet, he was regarded by the wizards of that era as the strongest in actual combat among the four. In his more than three hundred duels in his life, he only suffered one defeat, and the reason for that lies precisely in this."
Aslan said with deep reverence, "Gryffindor possesses a personal strength that the other three Founders lack. It is a will as fierce as a flame, one that never gives up and never surrenders. The more desperate the situation, the more potential he can unleash beyond his ordinary level. He may not be the strongest, the fastest, or the most resourceful, but he will definitely be the one who fights to the very end."
Skylar frowned and said, "But I didn't feel anything after absorbing the Heart of Valor."
The moment he finished absorbing the Heart of Valor, he eagerly Divine Insight of Amaterasu, but he didn't notice any changes within himself—the so-called power of personality is actually similar to willpower and enlightenment; how could such an ethereal thing be passed down through magical power?
Aslan smiled and said, "Heir of Gryffindor, the answer to this question is for you to find—I believe you can do it."
Skylar pursed his lips; he had known Aslan would give this answer all along. But he wasn't actually discouraged. The fun of magic lay in exploration; if the answer wasn't something he figured out himself, it would be too boring.
Personal strength... willpower...
A strong personality can provide resistance to the Imperius Curse; based on this, we can infer...
Skylar had a vague idea in his mind, but he needed to conduct some experiments to prove his conjecture.
Skylar's set aside our thoughts on Heart of Valor for now and return the topic to the Time-Turner.
"Aquila, you just said that I have power beyond that of ordinary wizards, so does that mean I might be able to avoid or resolve the backlash of the power of time?" Skylar asked.
"Yes, it's a technique similar to soul splitting, but it's not a permanent soul split like Horcrux. Instead, it separates a wisp of consciousness to attach to an animal, plant, or even a corpse, and then uses Time-Turner to travel through time. If all goes well, the separated consciousness can return to the original body... But doing this requires a lot of magic power, and there's also the risk of the fragile consciousness being damaged in the past. Are you sure you want to do this?" Aquila asked cautiously.
"Magic isn't a problem. Even if my own strength isn't enough, I still have the Sorcerer's Stone," Skylar said confidently. "As for risks, they're not a problem either. This time travel is just to observe this old house; I won't get involved in any events."
"Have you decided what you want your consciousness to attach itself to?" Aquila asked.
Skylar smiled faintly, remaining silent, but his gaze fell upon Aslan.
"What?" Aslan's mouth dropped open, and he scratched his head with his claws. "You want to attach yourself to me?"
"Of course," Skylar said confidently, "You are a magical creation that has lived for a thousand years, and have been proven to be immune to the erosion of time. Aquila still has to stay here to perform the magical ritual of separating consciousness. Who else could I choose if not you?"
"Ah..." Aslan said with a bitter face, "Well, what can I do? I just swore to follow you, and I feel like Gryffindor has really screwed me over..."
"Hahahaha," Aquila laughed gleefully at Aslan's pathetic state, as several feathers shot from his body and landed on the ground, instantly transforming into a magic circle. He said, "Now that everything is ready, let's go. Stand in the center of the circle and unleash your magic to its maximum."
"So that's how it happened," Skylar sighed. He had just witnessed the decline of the House of Selwyn, this ancestral lineage, as an observer. It turned out that during the First Wizarding War instigated by Voldemort, the wizard who possessed the key and the patriarch Trelawyn both joined the Death Eaters. However, he later became troubled by excessive killing and, not wanting the power he held to fall into Voldemort's hands, he chose to commit suicide, thus ensuring the secret of the key was lost forever, leaving even Trelawyn helpless.
This is yet another tragic story of an unsung hero, much like Regulus Black.
Now is not the time to dwell on the past.
Skylar picked up the dial phone and dialed a specific number. The dial phone transformed into a Portkey, and with a whoosh, Skylar was pulled into a vortex by an invisible force and disappeared from the spot.
Skylar entered a rather spacious, square-shaped Chamber of Secrets. The Chamber of Secrets appeared to be underground, with no windows on any side. Only a chandelier inlaid with green crystals on the ceiling cast a faint green glow, and a chilling sense of oppression permeated the surroundings.
Judging from the bottles and jars on the walls, and the instruments and test tubes piled up on the U-shaped table in the middle, this is an alchemy laboratory.
The bottles and jars contained various strange specimens and unidentified liquids, which looked like the organs of some kind of creature. A long table surrounded an old-fashioned execution platform that Scabbers with blood and looked gruesome and terrifying.
This laboratory is completely different from the private laboratory in Skylar's Suitcase Space. The dim lighting, damp air, and faint smell of decay make the atmosphere here gloomy and oppressive, almost as gloomy as Snape's Potions Classroom.
With a crackling sound, Winky, through his Apparition connection with Skylar, apparated Sha'erfu into the laboratory.
Winky screamed in surprise, then instinctively covered her eyes, clearly startled by what she saw.
"Where is this?" Sha'erfu showed no fear whatsoever. Instead, she looked around with great interest and asked.
"It must be the place where the House of Selwyn secretly conducts dissection experiments..." Skylar said. The Ministry of Magic does have regulations on magical research, and such cruel experiments involving the dissection of living animals are almost certainly a violation of wizarding law. However, when faced with powerful Pure-blood families, who are major taxpayers, the Ministry of Magic often turns a blind eye.
Skylar knew about this because the House of Malfoy also had a similar secret laboratory, but the key was in Lucius's hands, and he himself had never been inside.