Snape stared at the three floating clones for a long time.
Ian Alvin Bones stood with his hands behind his back, his expression calm. The faint scent of potions filled the air, while the light reflected off the transparent cultivation tanks, as if even time had dissolved.
"Why not resolve the genetic collapse yourself?" Snape asked.
Ian turned his head, a faint smile curling at the corners of his lips. "Of course I can, but the result will be more interesting if a potions master handles it."
Snape narrowed his eyes slightly. "Provocation won't work on me."
"Haha." Ian's tone remained unchanged. "I just want to see whether you can combine potions with science. You're skilled at brewing potions, but you've never tried using them to stabilize the structure of life."
"You mean using potions to repair the clones' genes?"
"More precisely, to harmonize their magical frequencies," Ian replied quietly.
After a few seconds of silence, Snape said coldly, "If you really have a method, why go to all this trouble?"
"This is cooperation, not a demand." Ian pointed toward the cultivation tanks. "Can you see what's wrong with these bodies?"
Snape approached and examined them. The tip of his finger lightly touched the potion, and an extremely faint energy flowed into his skin.
A few seconds later, he frowned. "They're unstable at the cellular level, and the genetic chains are broken. The Source lies in the structure's resistance to soul resonance."
"Exactly." Ian nodded. "If a potion can make the body 'accept' a soul, then we can create a perfect vessel."
Snape pondered for a moment, then suddenly revealed a mocking smile. "You want me to feed herbs to Muggles prisoners and watch their internal reactions?"
Ian said softly, "Since you understand, I won't say more."
"Madman." Snape snorted, but he did not refuse again.
He turned and left, his robes sweeping through the air. His voice was low. "Prepare the materials required for the experiment. If we're really going to study this, don't waste my time."
His footsteps gradually faded. Ian watched his departing back, the corners of his lips curving slightly.
This is the Snape I know. Rational and suspicious, yet he never stops moving forward.
The research room fell quiet once more.
Ian walked toward one of the clones, raised his wand, and chanted softly, "Resero Codexvita."
The air flickered, and several silver beams intertwined into a runic matrix.
The magic around the clone suddenly began to flow, as if life were awakening.
Several seconds later, a string of complex energy lines appeared before his eyes—those were the Life Code.
He had been studying this spell for the past month.
It could directly read the "Life Code" of any living creature, without the need for machines or the Eye Magic technique.
He called it the Book of Life.
Ian focused his attention on the reading, his brow furrowing slightly.
"As expected... the life structure is extremely unstable, and the magical genes are completely blank."
That meant these clones had no Magic Core.
In theory, they were Muggles.
What changes would occur after their souls returned?
Ian pondered the question.
According to current theories, a wizard's magic originated from their bloodline. The bloodline determined the way magic flowed and the amount it could contain.
Yet souls possessed magical characteristics as well. If a soul could influence the body, then the "inheritance through bloodline" of magic might merely be a superficial phenomenon.
"What would happen if a wizard's soul possessed a Muggle's body?"
The question lingered in the depths of his mind.
He recalled the duel in the graveyard—when Voldemort was resurrected, Harry's parents' souls had briefly appeared and had still been able to cast magic.
Souls clearly possessed the ability to cast spells.
Then could a soul "restart" a body without magic?
If it could, that would mean—the essence of magic might come from the compatibility between soul and matter.
"If a soul can rebuild magic, then death is no longer the end, but another form of transformation."
Ian murmured softly, his gaze growing increasingly profound.
The laboratory was utterly silent. The hum of the machines mingled with the ticking of dripping water, like a cold-toned melody.
He gave his wand a light wave, sealing the light array.
"It's time to let Snape try his potion."
He turned and left, his thoughts churning.
If potions could stabilize DNA, and if souls could reignite magic, then the boundaries between death, rebirth, and eternity...
Perhaps they could be broken completely.
That is the true path of magic.
When he returned to Hogwarts, night had shrouded the castle.
Ian did not see Helena. She seemed to be avoiding him.
He sighed and took out the old book Neville had given him that morning. It was an ancient Treatise on Magical Plants, its pages yellowed and its cover wrapped in black Dragon hide.
He opened the book. Its fine handwriting listed the names of plants that had long since gone extinct—
"Moonshadow Grass, Night Spirit Flower, Ashsilver Vine..."
Each plant came with substitutes, theories of regeneration, and notes concerning the "harmonization of magical ecology."
Ian's eyes lit up.
If the records were genuine, these herbs could be combined with Alchemy to form a stable vessel for magic.
Perhaps this was precisely the key to resolving the clones' collapse.
He closed the book, his expression thoughtful.
"It seems the Longbottom Family's collection of books runs deeper than I imagined."
"Perhaps... Gringotts still holds secrets they haven't made public."
His thoughts continued to turn, but he said nothing more.
Moonlight streamed through the windows and spilled across the pages, reflecting a pale silver glow.
He closed his eyes.
Tomorrow would be the first day he truly became a professor.
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