As night fell, Andy lay awake in bed, his mind replaying the conversations he had had at the office during the day.
He had to admit that Professors McGonagall and Slughorn were very knowledgeable. Not only they answer Andy's questions about magic transfiguration, but they had also given him a new way of thinking.
'The dormant second mind...'
Dormant was not exactly the right word.
Take the Animagus transformation, for example. When Andy first transformed, he did feel a second heartbeat and the mental state and emotions of an animal.
But after that, he never felt that way again.
Because of this, in Andy's opinion, it is better to say that the second mind has completely disappeared and been swallowed up by the human mind than to say it has fallen into eternal slumber.
Well... you could also say it had been digested.
Because all joy and anger will eventually fade away.
Humans cannot retain the same emotion for long, even the most unforgettable memories will gradually fade with time.
This is the self-digesting ability of humans.
Food can be digested, and so can emotions.
Digestion is a basic bodily function.
If the second mind created by magical transfiguration is actually hidden within the body, it will definitely be gradually assimilated by our body.
For this reason, Andy rejected the possibility of 'merging the second mind' after careful consideration.
Instead, Andy was inspired by Slughorn's mention of 'magicalisation of the body'.
Although the Soul can exist independently of the body, and in some ways, it is no different from having eternal life,
This is not Andy's ultimate pursuit.
Once the body dies or is destroyed, there is no guarantee that Andy's soul will not turn into a ghost.
What's more, a soul without a body will lose the possibility of further improvement. As the body's hormones play a big part in the rise of many emotions, which is important to mind.
For Andy, that would be simply worse than death!
The importance of the body is second only to the soul!
So...
Can a magicalized body remain ageless and eternal?
"Hmm..."
Andy pondered in his mind.
The magic transfiguration Andy wants is not the kind of magic transfiguration that incorporates the magic of nature into the body.
Rather, he wants a true transformation of the body.
If he had to explain it, it would be: once injured, the body can be completely healed through magic alone.
Take Voldemort's resurrection ritual as an example.
What Andy wants is to skip the resurrection ritual and just use magic to rebuild the body.
He wants to regenerate even severed limbs!
If he could truly achieve that, Andy felt that he could live forever and never grow old.
Andy lay on his bed for a long time, contemplating, and finally decided to start with Voldemort's resurrection ritual.
The bones of his father, offered unintentionally.
The flesh of his servant, offered willingly.
The blood of his enemy, forcibly taken.
In this resurrection ritual, what is important: the three ingredients – bone, flesh and blood? Or the three emotions – unintentional, voluntary and forced?
But no matter what, there is no doubt about one thing!
This resurrection ritual requires the power of the mind.
"Hmm..."
Andy tried to sum it up.
First, a cauldron of potion.
Second, his father's bone, the servant's flesh and the enemy's blood.
Finally, the three emotions – unintentional, voluntary and forced.
Of course, the latter two can also be seen as one.
'Is there any logical relationship between them?'
Thinking about this, Andy felt a little overwhelmed.
Since there was no 'Potions' attribute on the system panel, Andy did not put too much effort into studying potions.
After all, human energy is limited.
Compared to the young wizards at school, Andy's potion-making skills were naturally outstanding. But compared to people like Snape, Andy's potion-making skills could only be considered average.
If he knew the recipe, he could brew a potion.
But if Andy was asked to analyse the composition of a particular ingredient, or even to improve a recipe or create a new original potion, then that would really be too difficult for him.
Of course, Andy can brew the potion that Voldemort used to recreate his body. But if Andy is asked to analyse the potion's ingredients, he can only respond with regret: I'm afraid I can't do that!
'Let's ask Professor Slughorn first!'
Andy mused, 'If that doesn't work, then I'll have to ask Snape.'
Today's conversation has made Andy re-evaluate Slughorn, and it also made Andy think of something he had been ignoring.
—Before Voldemort created the Horcruxes, he specially consulted Professor Slughorn.
What does this imply?
It implies that Slughorn knew the method of creating the Horcrux long ago!
The important thing is that he didn't create a Horcrux!
Well...
As for whether he secretly created one, that is unknown.
In short, Slughorn is by no means as simple as he seems. He may not be strong, but he is certainly knowledgeable.
"Hoo..."
Andy let out an audible sigh.
Not having a direction is a very uncomfortable thing.
But once he had a direction, even if the path ahead remained unknown, Andy could continue to research without distraction until he determined where the path led.
***
The weekend had come again.
Knock, knock, knock!
Creak –
Professor Slughorn opened the door to his office, and upon seeing Andy, he enthusiastically greeted him: "Oh! Mr Collins, welcome!"
"Good morning, Professor!" Andy said with equal enthusiasm.
"Have a seat."
Slughorn said. "I'm glad you came to see me. Every professor wants to teach a brilliant student."
"You are a knowledgeable professor," Andy said politely.
"Thank you!"
Slughorn accepted the compliment readily and then asked, "Do you have any questions?"
"Yes."
Andy nodded, and after weighing his words carefully, he spoke, "The bones of the father, offered unintentionally; the flesh of the servant, offered willingly; the blood of the enemy, forcibly taken."
Slughorn's expression changed slightly when he heard this.
"Unintentional, voluntary and forced,"
Andy continued, "I've been thinking about this a lot these days, and I've discovered that Voldemort's resurrection ritual involves the power of the mind."
"Professor, what does the mind have to do with recreating a body?"
Slughorn let out a quiet sigh of relief when he heard Andy's question.
As long as he didn't ask about the Horcrux...
"I must say, Mr Collins, you always manage to notice details that others miss."
Slughorn said with a tone of appreciation. "I've read your thesis on the mind control magic, and it's very well summarised."
"Wizards always use their minds when they use magic. Even for an evil ritual, it's the same."
"You should know how certain environments affect our mental state. That is why rituals need to be carried out at a certain time, place and weather."
"Mental strength can affect the effect of magic, and naturally it can also affect the effect of potions."
"You can think of them as an invisible ingredient added during the brewing process."
Slughorn paused suddenly at this point.
He had realised what Andy is trying to do.
----
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