"So, Ravenclaw's diadem can enhance the wearer's intelligence—but because of that damned Horcrux, I don't dare to use it at all right now…"
Staring at the exquisite diadem that countless people had pursued in vain, as well as the astonishingly complex magical structure within it, Avada let out another long sigh. It truly felt like sitting atop a mountain of treasure yet being unable to take any of it.
"If only Rowena Ravenclaw had left behind the method for making this diadem… then I could just make a new one myself."
"Huh?!"
The moment this thought crossed his mind, Avada froze.
Right—why couldn't he make a new one himself?
The magical structure of Ravenclaw's diadem was laid bare before him. Though it was incredibly complex, given enough time, he could completely replicate it under the guidance of his Magical Perception. And in the process of replication, he might even be able to analyze the functions of certain structures, significantly deepening his understanding of mental power!
This was the unreasonable part of Avada's talent. If one were to use technology from his previous life as an analogy, Ravenclaw's diadem was like an extremely advanced polymer material. People knew that its performance was outstanding, but they had no idea how it was synthesized.
Avada, however, not only carried an "electron microscope" that allowed him to directly observe the molecular structure, but could also assemble those molecules atom by atom, forcibly building the material layer by layer. And if he possessed sufficiently profound knowledge of alchemy, it might not even be impossible to deduce the manufacturing process from the structure itself!
"Let's do it."
Avada immediately threw himself into analyzing the diadem. If the Horcrux and the diadem itself were not both matters of grave importance, he would have been tempted to keep it on him at all times and study it whenever he had a free moment.
"I can start by separating the structures that clearly aren't a single whole into individual modules, then analyze their functions one by one…"
He carefully manipulated his mental power, using his wand to try to recreate the structures he saw in the air. After disassembly, the magical structures became much simpler, but reconstructing them was still extremely taxing. It took over half an hour before he finally finished replicating the first module.
"Its function is… uh, linking to mental power?"
After completing the replication, it took Avada another half a day to gradually understand what this part did.
"It should be responsible for bridging the human mind with the intelligence-enhancing structures inside the diadem. The design is exquisite, but… it's way too complex. There's no way I can remember all of this!"
This highlighted another flaw of Avada's poor memory. Ordinary knowledge could be written down on paper and carried around for review, but how was he supposed to record magical structures like this?
He could arbitrarily select a medium and reshape the magic inside it into the desired form, but in less than five minutes that magic would revert to its original state. After all, if magic could be permanently fixed with a casual enchantment, then centuries of alchemical research would be nothing but a joke.
"Well, that was a whole afternoon wasted."
"Looks like I'll have to wait until I find the structure that actually strengthens mental power, then modify my own mind in one uninterrupted go."
Still, it wasn't a complete loss. Because he had personally analyzed it bit by bit, his understanding and memory of the structure far surpassed anything learned through rote memorization. After finishing the first module, Avada could clearly feel his grasp of mental power—and magic related to "linking"—improve significantly, accompanied by several new insights.
"Come to think of it… what would happen if this linking structure were used to directly connect two people's minds?"
"Wait—if I make the information flow one-way, and extend the link into the subconscious… wouldn't that be the Imperius Curse?!"
Avada felt as though he had stumbled upon something extraordinary.
"What's the incantation for the Imperius Curse again? Right—'Imperio'…"
"Based on the mental fluctuations caused by that pronunciation, and the structure of this linking module… if I try modifying it into a one-way link…"
After experimenting for quite some time, Avada realized that this module really did have the potential to evolve in the direction of the Imperius Curse!
Although his current understanding of mental power was still too shallow to reverse-engineer the true Imperius Curse directly, by adapting and repurposing what he already understood, he accidentally discovered the prototype of another fairly practical spell. He decided he would polish it further when he had the chance.
"Maybe when Rowena Ravenclaw made this diadem, she actually referenced the model of the Imperius Curse?"
He had originally thought this structure would involve the principles of Legilimency. He never expected it to directly lead to an Unforgivable Curse instead—perhaps that was simply the attraction between things of the same kind.
Avada didn't dwell on it and continued diligently analyzing the remaining structural modules of the diadem. After about two more hours, he finished examining two additional modules, discovering that their functions were "monitoring" and "protection."
In simple terms, they were emergency cutoff mechanisms. If anything went wrong with the wearer's mind or the diadem itself, or if someone attempted to invade the diadem through the mental interface, these two modules would immediately sever the connection. Because their functions were so singular and modular, Avada couldn't derive any new spells from them.
One thing worth noting, however, was that Voldemort's Horcrux magic did not touch these two modules at all. Instead, it clung directly to the diadem's purely physical layer, without interfering with its magical structure in the slightest.
Who knew why he hadn't done so—and fortunately, he hadn't. If a Horcrux with diary-level cunning were to gain the diadem's intelligence-boosting ability along with its fame and allure, the consequences would have been unthinkable.
Avada strongly suspected that, in that case, there would be no need for Voldemort himself to appear—this single Horcrux diadem could have ruled the wizarding world all on its own.
"The magic for destroying Horcruxes also needs to be researched as soon as possible… there are only five more years of peace left."
He rubbed his temples with a headache. Before the school year started, he had felt that time was plentiful—more than enough to finish all his preparations and still enjoy himself for a while. Yet now, in just his first term, his schedule was already overflowing.
Analyzing the diadem, improving his talent, researching Horcruxes, studying Potions and Herbology, teaching himself higher-year material…
Oh right—and today's homework.
The moment he thought of that, Avada jolted. He hurriedly returned the diadem to his private room and dashed off to the library. After greeting a few acquaintances, he pulled out his assignments and began writing furiously. Thankfully, first-year homework wasn't too heavy, and the difficulty was laughably low for someone who had just finished dissecting Ravenclaw's diadem. Aside from one essay that took a bit of time, the rest was completed with hardly any effort.
Once again returning just before curfew, Avada headed back to the Hufflepuff common room. As soon as he opened the barrel lid, he was greeted by a hubbub of lively discussion. Nearly all the first-years were crowded into the center of the room, chatting excitedly around several older students.
"What are you all talking about?" Avada asked curiously as he joined them.
"Tomorrow's common room tea party!"
Someone replied enthusiastically. "Tomorrow's Wednesday—it's the traditional Hufflepuff tea party! It's also the first time we first-years get to participate. Lots of upperclassmen will be there to answer our questions and help us get familiar with Hogwarts more quickly. Some first-years from other Houses will be invited too!
"And I hear that the volunteer cooks are especially good at making desserts and drinks…"
(End of Chapter)