Chapter 111 Mystery of history - Harry Potter: The Rise Of Malfoy

Chapter 111

It was the third week of the new semester.

All fourth-year students noticed that their workload had noticeably increased this term. When the students loudly complained about Professor McGonagall assigning too much homework for Transfiguration, she explained the reason.

"You are entering an important period in your magical education!" she told them, her eyes flashing with authority behind her square spectacles, "Your OWL exams are approaching—"

"But we won't take the OWL exams until fifth year!" Blaise Zabini exclaimed angrily.

"That may be, Mr. Zabini, but trust me, you need to be well-prepared! In this class, only the two Mr. Malfoys have consistently managed to turn a hedgehog into a satisfactory pincushion. I should remind you that your pincushion still curls up in fear when someone approaches it with a needle!"

On the other hand, Professor Binns finally finished recounting the Goblin Rebellions and began preparing for the fifth-year OWL exam, compiling and integrating the lengthy history of the wizarding world.

The history of the wizarding world begins with Ancient Egypt and Ancient Greece, the earliest period for written records of the wizarding world, although most records have not survived, or have not survived in complete form.

Before these two civilizations, there was the period collectively referred to as prehistory.

This falls outside the OWL exam scope, so it is omitted here.

It wasn't until 500 BC to the 4th century AD that the historical system of wizards gradually matured. Historians collectively refer to this period as the "Ancient Age," which corresponds to the Muggle historical "Classical Age."

At this time, both Ancient Egypt and Ancient Greece were still in their glory, and the Ollivander family officially emerged in Mediterranean countries, founding a wand-making dynasty. In Ancient Greece, four powerful wizards, the nefarious Helios, Circe, the invincible Andros, and the prophet Mopsus, were revered or feared by many.

After the Ancient Age concluded, came the so-called "Middle Ages," referring broadly to the period from the 5th to the 15th century.

The 10th century was particularly vibrant, with the four founders of Hogwarts, the founder of Durmstrang, Merlin, Morgan le Fay, Cliona, Morgana, and King Ragnak I being influential figures of this era.

(Note: Cliona is an Irish female Druid, an Animagus in the form of a sea bird, who discovered the uses of moon dew and is skilled in bird language and healing magic, as described in Chocolate Frog cards.)

(Note: Morgana is an Irish witch, an Animagus in the form of a raven, ancestor of the Sayer family, which includes Isolde Sayer, founder of Ilvermorny, as noted in Pottermore's Ilvermorny chapter.)

In their subsequent generation, many legendary figures also emerged, such as Hagrid (not the half-giant), who founded Hogsmeade, Armand Malfoy, who established the Malfoy family, the Peverell brothers who created the Deathly Hallows, and the peculiar Yorick, who wore a jellyfish as a hat, among others.

(Note: The granddaughter of the third Peverell brother married into the Potter family in the 13th century, and projecting back two generations, the era of the three brothers was approximately the 11th century, which coincides with the time the Malfoy family landed in Great Britain.)

The period following the Middle Ages is referred to by historians as the "Early Modern Age," encompassing the 16th to 18th centuries, during which figures like Nicolas Flamel, Paracelsus, the founders of Ilvermorny, Axtis and Azkaban, Gringotts and Knockturn Alley, and Silver Spear emerged.

Starting from the 19th century, the historical narrative is collectively known as "Modern History."

Although Professor Binns's lectures remained monotonous and dull, causing the young witches and wizards to feel drowsy, many managed to muster the energy to take notes upon realizing the relevance to their exams.

Soren, however, listened with great interest. For him, understanding magic was an urgent need, and the history of magic was a subject he couldn't miss. The history of magic was a passion for him; his hidden adventurous spirit thrived on ancient tales and legends.

Another rare student who could resist the hypnotic tone of Professor Binns was Moray McDougall, who sat to Soren's left, diligently taking notes. On Soren's right was Daphne, who had fallen asleep within the first ten minutes of the class.

As soon as the class bell rang, the restless first years quickly exited the classroom. Professor Binns remained unmoved, quietly standing at the lectern while watching them leave.

Soren took the initiative to approach Professor Binns and asked, "Professor, may I inquire about the origin of magic?"

"Oh, I can see you are a child who loves to learn," said Professor Binns, his ghostly face twitching with surprise. He had a bit of an impression of this boy, as he seemed to have previously expressed quite an impressive view on the fairy rebellion, although he still couldn't recall Soren's name. "You are..."

"I am Malfoy, Professor."

"Mr. Malfoy, this question is difficult to answer, as ancient history has left us with very few written records. The wizards of that era rarely chose to become ghosts to guide later generations..."

"The prevailing view is that magic originated in ancient times," Professor Binns continued, "In ancient times, the world was not like it is today; the terrain was desolate, the climate harsh, and only the strongest species could survive. The beings that dominated the world were not us human wizards, but rather the immensely powerful ancient dragons and giants..."

"We cannot know exactly what ancient dragons and giants looked like, but we can imagine their forms based on their descendants—the dragons and giants that exist today. They were very different from these descendants; their powerful bodies could adapt to extremely harsh environments and possessed the power to destroy the world. That power was the early form of magic..."

"Of course, there were other species in the world at that time, including the ancestors of the current elf race, the ancient elves, as well as the ancestors of the fairy race, the ancient fairies, etc. However, the power of these species was far weaker in terms of destructiveness compared to the two mentioned earlier. Moreover, much archaeological evidence suggests that their personalities favored peace and order, disliking chaos and war, so these species chose to remain hidden. Therefore, the two great races of ancient dragons and giants engaged in a protracted war to compete for the scarce resources in the world..."

"And then, humans appeared, beings that were much smaller and weaker. Although humans appeared insignificant in such an environment, they had a strong reproductive capacity and a strong will to survive. The mutations that occurred in some ancient humans can also be regarded as the first magical uprising in human history..."

"That power is referred to by later generations as the 'Chaos Power', the first source of magic for humans, passed down through the bloodline to future generations, forming the diverse wizarding families of today... This information can be found in the records of some pureblood wizarding families with ancient lineage. Well... this may also be part of the reason why some wizards adhere to the idea of pureblood superiority."

So this was the source of the so-called bloodline power. Having cleared up many doubts, Soren continued to ask, "Professor, you said this is the first source of magic for humans; do we have other sources of magic?"

"Yes, child, you are correct," said Professor Binns, pleased with the attentive attitude of his student. He continued to explain, "Although there was Chaos Power, humans still appeared weak. However, the astonishing number of humans had reached a point where the ancient dragons and giants could not ignore them. Furthermore, the long war had made their populations dwindle, leading them to enlist humans into their ranks to fight on their behalf."

"In order to attract human allegiance, they were willing to bestow part of their innate bloodline power to those humans willing to ally with them. This is the second source of magic for humans—the dragon power and titan power bestowed by the two great races. In summary, these three types of magic have historically been recognized as the sources of magic possessed by human wizards."

Soren nodded frequently. Professor Binns, after finishing a lengthy explanation, showed no signs of fatigue and was obviously enjoying himself, which was largely attributed to his status as a ghost. "Do you understand this explanation?" Professor Binns said kindly.

"Yes. Thank you for your answer, Professor Binns," Soren hurriedly replied.

"If you have any questions about the history of magic, feel free to seek me out again. It's rare to find such a studious student these days," Professor Binns said contentedly as he tucked away his ethereal textbook and floated out of the classroom. "See you next time, Mr. Malfoy."

Professor Binns rarely remembered students' names, but evidently, this inquiry had made him remember Soren's name.