Rhys's gaze deepened, filled with a profound and distant memory…
Outside, the wind and snow howled, battering the walls and door of the wooden cabin.
The dilapidated hut looked as though it might collapse at any moment, yet under the protection of four young wizards, it would remain unscathed even in the fiercest of storms.
"So, we can enchant the cabin to make it indestructible, but we can't use magic to make it warm inside?" Helga questioned, looking at her friends who were busy starting a fire and chopping wood.
"That's the nature of magic!" Salazar Slytherin said with a grin as he fiddled with the firewood. "Just because we can reinforce the cabin doesn't mean we've mastered heating spells. But you could ask Godric—he's the fire expert."
Helga turned to look at Gryffindor, but the young knight simply shook his head, indicating he couldn't help.
In such a blizzard, a magically conjured flame wasn't enough to fend off the cold, and if Gryffindor were to exert his full magical strength, it would exhaust him quickly. One misstep, and he might even set the whole cabin on fire. So, in the end, using regular firewood to keep warm was the safest option.
"I didn't know you were good at carving," Helga remarked, noticing two intricately carved wooden animals—a lion and a snake—next to Salazar. She moved closer to examine them, marveling at how lifelike they were, with a pile of wood shavings nearby that could be used to kindle the fire.
Salazar gave her a peculiar look, saying nothing, then picked up another piece of wood. He drew out his wand and pointed its tip toward it.
Wood shavings floated down from the piece of wood, and soon a lifelike little badger appeared in Salazar's hand.
"Pfft.. I'm a wizard, Helga."
Salazar said, handing the carved badger to Hufflepuff.
In Salazar's view, if they didn't need shavings for kindling, he could have simply transformed the wood directly into little animals. Of course, at the heart of it, he was just bored; the four of them were trapped by magic and the snowstorm with nothing else to do.
Helga's face reddened. She said nothing more, taking Salazar's carved figure and bringing it over by the fireplace.
"Better to burn them for warmth," she muttered to herself, though her gaze drifted back toward Slytherin, sitting nearby.
Salazar didn't react, just continued fiddling with the logs Godric had chopped, pondering what to carve next—maybe another animal, or perhaps even a human figure?
"Hey, I'm really going to burn it, you know? Maybe I'll start with this little snake—"
Salazar: Eh?
"Firewood is meant to be burned, you know!" He looked up, giving Hufflepuff a rather confused glance, entirely unsure what she was trying to do.
Helga furrowed her brows; Salazar's words left her speechless. Even though Slytherin had said it was fine, she didn't end up burning his carvings as firewood. Instead, she carefully set the small wooden sculptures aside and used regular logs to start the fire.
Once the fire was crackling, Helga started cooking. Soon, the cozy cabin was filled with the aroma of stew.
As they waited for the food to cook, Helga spoke up. "Salazar, could you teach me that spell you just used? I can trade one of my food-related spells in exchange—a charm to keep meat fresh."
Salazar looked at her in shock.
Helga, as talented a witch as you are, and you don't know basic Transfiguration?
"I really don't," Helga's face turned even redder. "All I know are some food spells passed down by my mother and a few basic earth charms."
Hearing this, the other three let out a collective sigh.
Helga's struggle was no different from theirs. Each of the teenagers had gaps in their magical knowledge.
Salazar only knew potion-making, some basic Transfiguration, and a few offensive and defensive spells.
Ravenclaw, for all her wisdom, had hardly any experience in real combat, and her magic outside Transfiguration was limited to things she had "seen" or "heard of." As for Gryffindor, his skill set was even more limited; as he put it, he was simply "a knight who could enchant a sword and shield with flames."
This was the state of wizarding knowledge at the time.
Beyond family-taught magic, learning new spells was incredibly difficult. The only real avenues to gain knowledge were through equal exchange or through violence.
Most magical families understood this and passed down spells orally; very few wizarding families dared to record their spells in books in this chaotic era.
It was said that some young witches, just to learn a spell or a potion recipe, would willingly serve old wizards, half-buried in the ground, for years as their literal servants. Other wizards found this understandable, and some even thought she was getting a good deal. Going north or south to seek out deities was also an option, but that was far worse than serving an old wizard!
The old wizards would eventually let you go, but nearly immortal deities would enslave you for life—an existence you could never escape.
After a long pause, Slytherin agreed to Helga's proposal. Gryffindor and Ravenclaw both stood up, ready to step outside to give them privacy.
"That's not necessary."
Surprisingly, Slytherin stopped them, gesturing for them to sit down and listen as well.
"This is a clumsy little trick. There's no need for you to leave; we'd lose all the warmth we finally managed to gather in here." Slytherin pulled his robe tighter, suggesting they save themselves the trouble.
Gryffindor chuckled sheepishly and returned to his seat, while Ravenclaw remained standing, looking thoughtful. Slytherin paid her no mind and began explaining.
Of course, he wasn't as selfless as he appeared.
Slytherin had his own calculations—Gryffindor was his close friend, with whom he shared everything freely. As for Ravenclaw, a master of Transfiguration, there was no way she didn't know such a basic trick, so letting her listen wouldn't matter.
After Slytherin's explanation, Hufflepuff's eyes lit up with understanding. She picked up a piece of wood and quickly "carved" it into the shape of a little badger.
"Amazing!" Slytherin couldn't help but admire someone who could pick up a spell after hearing it just once.
"It's because you explained it well." Hufflepuff blushed again.
"It could be done like this too," Ravenclaw said as she moved between them, took out her wand, and tapped the wooden badger in Hufflepuff's hand, making it come to life.
"The principle is actually quite simple…" She then shared a small Transfiguration trick, leaving Slytherin and Hufflepuff in awe.
Gryffindor, watching from the side, felt deeply moved. Through this exchange, the four of them had each learned something valuable—more than what a year of solitary adventure could have taught them.
"If there ever were a wizard skilled in dueling like me, knowledgeable in potions like Slytherin, proficient in Transfiguration like Ravenclaw, and with Hufflepuff's expertise in food magic, that wizard would be unstoppable," Young Gryffindor said, genuinely impressed.
Slytherin, sitting beside him, chuckled. "We could take on an apprentice, teach them all our spells, and then produce the strongest wizard."
It was the most amusing idea, and both Gryffindor and Slytherin burst out laughing. The thought was too idealistic.
Why would they ever share their painstakingly collected spells with a stranger?
In the wizarding world, only family bonds could foster that kind of sharing!
To truly create what Slytherin described, that child would practically have to be a child shared by the four of them.
The speaker had no intention, but the listeners took it to heart. Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff both lowered their heads, seemingly lost in thought.
After a while, Hufflepuff suddenly raised her head and told her three friends that she wanted to establish a magic school someday, to pass on her food magic.
Gryffindor and Slytherin looked up at her, utterly stunned, unable to understand why Hufflepuff would make such a choice.
Even more surprising, Ravenclaw actually supported Hufflepuff's decision.
"Did you put some mushrooms in that soup that shouldn't have been there?" Slytherin finally asked, after a long pause.
________
Read 12 Advance chapters:
Patreon.com/HornyFBI