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I stood there pondering what Flitwick had told us while Hermione continued to ask questions.
"Is magic so different?" Hermione was clearly surprised, and I, too, was interested to hear. After all, the Basilisk's soul is absorbed by the sword. The sword is part of my soul, and my magic is changing.
"Absolutely, Miss Granger. Magic is incredibly multifaceted, and if you compare it to light, there are many more gradations and variations than there are colors discernible to the human eye. Although, in general, magic is quite universal, but its origin imposes certain properties, strengthened or weakened by the word during the creation of witchcraft. All other things being equal, a veela will be slightly stronger in fire-related magic and subtle enchantments, a goblin in earth-related magic, and simple bulky and powerful spells. A werewolf is noticeably easier to cast curses. Humans are equally capable of everything, but wand magic, charms, and spells are designed and calculated specifically for humans. So it may seem that human magic is universal. There are things in which a human is not strong at all."
"Like what?" Hermione couldn't resist asking.
"Rune magic. It is designed to produce effects of incredible complexity and abstraction in a single structure. The human mind and brain are simply unable to hold all the necessary images during witchcraft, to perform the most complex patterns of movements without mistakes, and to produce the right combinations of sounds. Therefore, at one time, runes were created, or rather, the existing writing system was adapted for magic. Didn't you sign up for the Ancient Runes? There you will learn that each rune, when filled with magic, carries in itself a strictly defined magical effect. Each new rune in the ligature increases the complexity of the effect exponentially, and their calculation is very complex. Therefore, do not be surprised when there is little practice there, but a lot of theory and study of runic languages. "
"Professor," a question has ripened in my mind. "And how does the soul affect magic, and is there any point in magical lineages and this centuries-old selective breeding of them."
"You're walking on thin ice, Mr. Knight," the professor admonished me with a smile. "Very controversial and unknown subjects really, especially with souls. With lineages and selective breeding, it's simple. Years of practice with magic requiring some feature of magic. Investing in that feature certainly affects the wizard's body. Throughout life, these influences accumulate, and a marriage with a partner with analogous or similar "accumulations" will allow consolidating the result in the offspring. However, one should not rush into this swamp at once - even among representatives of ancient Houses with a strictly defined direction of development in magic, the differences and advantages will never be more significant than species differences, even in half-bloods like me. And don't forget that for everything you have missed, you have gained something else, and for everything you gain, you lose something else."
The professor conjured up a glass of water and, having quenched his thirst, continued the story.
"The same applies to the soul. The practice of some magical discipline, along with the use of specific magic, affects the body. The body affects the mind. The body and the mind affect the soul. The opposite is also true, and these three aspects are in close correlation. Without any one of them, magic will not work. At all. Even created artifacts do not create magic - they are already products of magic, so magic in them does not require mind, but it is almost impossible without it to activate the magic of the enchanted object. Now, Miss Granger, have you noticed the difference between my magic and yours?"
"Yes, Professor. The magic around you seems more intense."
"Exactly. A wizard constantly produces magic throughout his life, and this background is its natural and unconscious dissipation. The older the wizard is, the stronger the magic is produced but provided that the wizard is practicing and evolving. But even just being in some kind of stagnation, a wizard continues to slowly build up his power until his death - this is the result of his soul's growth and development. At least, that's how it's commonly believed. An active mind allows the soul to develop faster and more qualitatively, and a developed body allows the mind to develop more qualitatively. At the same time, a strong soul is capable of powerful activity even in a feeble body with weakened capabilities. For this reason, even a wizard who is decrepit but has not wasted his life will be strong. Headmaster, for example. On average, wizards live about a hundred and fifty years, but due to his stormy youth filled with experiments, the esteemed headmaster is already... Already close to death, though just a little over a hundred. Yet he remains the strongest wizard in the islands and one of the strongest in Europe and both Americas, and he is not getting any weaker."
We stood there brooding, and we had a lot to think about. It turns out that many gestures in witchcraft fall off before anything else for the simple reason that anyone can do more magic on emotion and desire. The rest has to be worked out or somehow develop sensitivity to magic. And as luck would have it, there is no information on the subject in the absorbed grimoire or in the library.
"Well, Miss Granger, Mr. Knight. I hope I have answered your questions and we have more or less dealt with the subject. Now I'll write you a note for Herbology so Pomona won't scold you for being late."
"Oh, right!" Hermione could hardly keep her voice at an acceptable volume.
"Heh heh heh," laughed the professor insidiously. "No surprise there. You can spend more than a day talking about how spells are built after all and not even notice."
After getting the notes for the Head of Hufflepuff, we hurried to the greenhouses, where the lesson has probably been going on for a long time by now.
"What did we get out of this conversation?" asked Hermione, holding herself back from breaking into a run. I was walking just as fast.
"That witchcraft is a science after all, not magic."
"Very... briefly."