A Web Of Magic

'Is that the same guy Helena spoke about? So, he was a descendant of Slytherin? But why would he curse the diadem then? Just to spite Ravenclaw? That doesn't make any sense,' Magnus mused. He decided to ask the book about him.

"So, this Tom Riddle was the last Slytherin descendant to come here? What can you tell me about him?" Magnus enquired.

"Oh him? He was the smartest of them all yet also the most ambitious. He thought he could hide from me with his good boy façade, but I could read his mind just the same. Very proud that one and very angry. He longed for affection he didn't have and for blood he couldn't have," the book said but it didn't explain any further.

"Is that so? I heard he put a dark curse on the diadem of Ravenclaw. Do you know anything about that?" Magnus asked hopefully.

"He cursed the diadem? That'd take one mean curse to do that. But I don't know anything about that. He wasn't capable of such feats when he came here. He likely did it after he came here," the book said. Magnus looked disappointed but the next words of the book gave him some hope.

"Just because I don't know doesn't mean I don't have the knowledge written in me or perhaps it's inside the hidden knowledge of Slytherin. The world is wide, I'm sure you'll find what you're looking for somewhere. Now cheer up. You have the inheritance of two of the greatest wizards of their time to look forward to," the book encouraged him.

The book took him to the right corner of the laboratory. A Triskelion symbol lit up on the wall with their approach and a part of the wall vanished. In front of Magnus laid a laboratory larger than the one they were in before. Glass containers that probably once held human-sized specimens filled the right side of the new lab. The left side of the lab was filled with tables on which were cauldrons, more glass equipment and other instruments. There were also many rolls of parchments scattered all across the tables. The book went dormant and sat silently on a table nearby. Magnus checked for danger once again and finding none, he walked to the tables.

Magnus casually picked up some of the parchments to see what they were about. He even used [Identify] for good measure. At a quick glance, he saw some were about bloodline experiments, some were research on all manner of curses while some were about organ transplants and healing. There were even some notes on wand making. [Instant Read] put each of them at over 50 points per page, some even reached 100 points. 'It would probably take some 2000 points to instant read all of these? Good, it's finally worth coming here. Maybe I can even use this place as my own lab. Now that I think of it, how many points does the book from Merlin require me to [Instant Read]?'

He quickly picked up the book and checked. It showed 3000 points. 'Oh boy. Jackpot!' Magnus was filled with glee. This is how a real inheritance should look like. 'The Ravenclaw inheritance looks like just a consolation prize when compared to these two. It was still very valuable though. It gave me mind enhancement techniques that I'm yet to find anywhere else.'

Magnus realized that the knowledge here would take him a long time to read and digest. He looked at his impact points to see where he stood. It showed him 1460 points. That was nowhere close to the points required to [Instant Read] them all. He realized he had to take it slow and go through everything one by one. He picked some parchments whose topics caught his eye, especially the one on curses. He planned to take them out along with the book of Merlin and read them back in his room. He could always come here later whenever he wanted to do some experiment or pick up the remaining material. There's only so much his bag could carry. 'Alright, I really need some extension bags. I still can't get the charm right if not I would've done it myself.'

Once he checked to make sure he had everything he needed, he decided to go back. His stomach was protesting in hunger. 'Do I have to go back the same way again? That'll be a pain every time I come in. Wait a minute. The lab was built during Slytherin's time. That means the bathroom couldn't be the way to come in, right? It should've only been built later. It blocked my divination attempts before from the outside, but what about now that I'm on the inside?'

He quickly divined for a way out and well what do you know, he was right. There was a long ladder hidden in one discreet corner of the chamber just outside lab. it was attached to the back of the column and was hidden in its shadow. Usually people would only look at the walls for entrances and not at the columns thus overlooking it. After making sure it was safe, Magnus climbed up the ladder carefully. It was over 100 feet high, so it was a long climb. The snake that was hovering beside him reduced its shivering the farther they got away from the chamber. There was a trapdoor at the top that once again required Parseltongue to open. Once he was out, he realized that he wasn't completely back yet and there was another secret passage to go through. Three secret passages later, he ended up near the Hufflepuff common room corridor.

'Smart, no one would look for Slytherin's lab near the Hufflepuff common room. But these descendants are very paranoid. It takes too long just to go and come back,' Magnus was annoyed. Thus, he decided to limit his visits unless he was planning to stay for longer durations. It was just not worth it for short visits. 'I also need a better solution than carrying a snake around all the time. Thank you for your services,' he looked at the snake and quickly vanished it away with the Snake-Vanishing spell- Vipera Evanesca. He made it back in time for dinner and quickly filled his stomach.

Few days later, Madam Pomfrey came to him with good news. The administration at St. Mungo's was very happy to learn and purchase Magnus's healing spell- Healing light. They'll be sending two Healers-in-charge to Hogwarts in order to test the workings of the spell. If they are satisfied, they'll be happy to go ahead with the deal. Magnus was only happy to make more money.

That weekend, the Healers from St. Mungo's came as informed. They were Hippocrates Smethwyck and Miriam Strout- Healers-in-charge of the first and fourth floor at the hospital respectively. They were long term acquaintances and friends of Madam Pomfrey. They were very interested in Magnus after they had seen his handiwork with Pandora Lovegood. They met him in Madam Pomfrey's office. A surprise addition was Prof. Flitwick who gave him a smile upon entering.

The two Healers-in-charge spoke to him about his learning experience and his work with Pandora Lovegood for a good hour. Only then did they start talking about his spell. They were also interested in his Healing Fog spell he had used to heal Pandora's delicate internal injuries. First was the explanation of the spells followed by a demonstration. Needless to say, all those present were very impressed. They were all masters of their craft and could easily understand it all.

In the end, they agreed to buy those spells at 200 galleons each. Magnus learned today that Healing spells were apparently the priciest of them all. Anyone can make an offensive spell, but Healing spells were rare. It needs not only the understanding of wizard's physiology but also a good grasp of magical theory. Now that his Healing has almost reached Lv5 and Magical theory reached Lv5, Magnus could probably make similar spells of his own so he didn't worry about selling them. the deal came with a condition attached. Magnus shouldn't teach or sell the spell to anyone else. That'd be the sole authority of St. Mungo's. He could still use it for his own usage. Magnus was fine with that. If he really wanted to teach others, there are other spells.

Once the deal was done, they signed the agreement with Madam Pomfret and Prof. Flitwick signing it as witnesses. They all had some tea and then went about their own ways. The Healers couldn't be out of St. Mungo's for long after all. As Magnus and Flitwick walked backed to the Ravenclaw tower, he asked the professor the question that had been bugging him.

"Professor, why does it feel like I'm missing something?" It all seemed very official and like an enquiry to him than just a simple deal.

"As observant as ever Mr. Webb. It wouldn't do well to spoil it now, but let's just say today was an interview of sorts," Flitwick said with a smile.

"An interview for what?"

"They wanted to make a certain decision, so they came to get a feel. Don't worry Mr. Webb, it's a good thing. You might even become famous if all goes well," Flitwick said mysteriously.

'Fame huh? I'd like that.'