"Let me go first."
Penelope volunteered to test the potion for Ivan.
"This potion was prepared by me, so naturally, I should be the first to test it," Ivan replied. "I'll go ahead."
Thus, Ivan declined Penelope's offer, picked up the potion from the table, and walked to the designated natural magic fusion point.
Among the twelve types of natural magic, Ivan chose "Night" based on his and Penelope's individual characteristics.
Night, also referred to as "Starry Sky," represents the magic of celestial bodies.
The reason for this choice was that night magic was the purest and most accessible form of natural magic in the wizarding world.
Compared to night and celestial bodies, other natural magics—such as time, space, love, soul, death, and thought—were far too abstract.
Night magic, on the other hand, came directly from the starry sky visible to all living beings.
To create this potion, it had to be divided into three separate bottles so that each could absorb sunlight, moonlight, and starlight in three distinct locations.
The final step involved using magic to fuse the three portions together, balancing the magical properties perfectly.
"Now is the ideal time for me to take it," Ivan remarked.
Since the potion was tailored specifically for each individual, the timing and material ratios for Ivan and Penelope differed.
For Ivan, the best time to take the potion was 9:00 PM, while for Penelope, the optimal time was slightly later, at 9:10 PM.
Of course, this wasn't a rigid rule.
For example, Penelope's eagerness to take the potion first was partially influenced by Ivan's ability to fine-tune the timing differences through his magic.
Theoretically, it doesn't have to be night.
With Ivan's assistance, Penelope could complete the magical transformation even if she took the potion during the day.
After all, there is no difference between stars during the day and at night.
The reason stars aren't visible during the day is simply because the sun's brightness overwhelms their faint light.
However, the stars remain in place and do not vanish just because it's daytime.
That said, these details were irrelevant for Ivan and Penelope.
The secret world provided them with all kinds of environments. As Ivan had previously speculated, this place truly was like a treasure trove designed specifically for wizards.
It offered not only abundant resources but also a variety of magical plants and animals.
Now, even the environment required for harnessing natural magic had been perfectly arranged.
The two used Apparition to travel directly from the secret town to the summit of a high mountain.
This was the closest point to the sky they could find nearby.
"Black, a family name associated with the night," Ivan mused as he checked the time.
The crystal-clear bottle in his hand contained a dark liquid.
But upon closer inspection, one could see countless tiny stars within the potion, as though a galaxy had been captured inside it. It was both beautiful and mesmerizing.
"The Twenty-Eight Sacred Families?" Penelope asked.
"That's my guess."
Ivan said, "The ancestors of the Sacred Twenty-Eight families may have undergone magical transformations, which purified their bloodlines to some extent."
Of course, not every family succeeded in the process.
"The result of magical transformation isn't always straightforward success."
"Or rather, success can take on different forms," Ivan explained. "After drinking the potion, you either survive or you don't. For most wizards, as long as they survive, the magical transformation is not considered a failure."
He continued, "Take Voldemort as an example. He lost his handsome appearance due to the transformation caused by dark magic, turning himself into a noseless monster.
"Was that a failure?
"No, it definitely wasn't a failure.
"Voldemort obtained the power he desired, and the price was merely an appearance he didn't care about."
Ivan concluded, "For a wizard undergoing magical transformation, gaining power at the cost of some side effects isn't unusual. This outcome is often acceptable."
Hearing this, Penelope looked slightly uneasy.
As a young woman, she naturally didn't want to become unattractive.
Especially in front of Ivan, Penelope wanted to maintain her youthful appearance and avoid being disliked by him.
"Haha~ Don't worry, senior," Ivan said, noticing her concern and offering reassurance. "To put it simply, the side effects come from magical energy going out of control. With me here, your magic will remain stable, so there's no need to worry about that."
"Our magical transformation is a true success—not a half-baked one like theirs."
Voldemort's dark magic transformation gave him exactly what he desired.
In terms of raw power, it's not inferior to a perfect magical transformation.
However, the ancestors of the Sacred Twenty-Eight families were different.
Their so-called success falls into the third tier of what constitutes success.
The first level is a perfect transformation—gaining power with no side effects.
The second level is obtaining all the power but at the cost of certain side effects.
The third level, which applies to the ancestors of the Sacred Twenty-Eight, involves gaining no power but purifying their bloodline, with no side effects.
The fourth level is a failed transformation—you gain nothing but suffer side effects.
And the worst, fifth level, is complete failure, where the magical transformation results in death.
"For you, the most important aspect of magical transformation is purifying your bloodline," Ivan explained.
Every wizard in the magical world carries traces of ancient blood within them, as they are descendants of powerful beings.
Ivan had discussed this concept with Dumbledore.
They both shared the same belief.
Magic does not awaken in those who have no connection to it.
Grindelwald once said that magic would only bloom in certain groups of people.
The reason is simple: magic is not a product of this world. It originates from beyond this realm.
Ancient wizards used methods unimaginable to today's wizards to introduce magic from unknown places.
This act was akin to Prometheus stealing fire, which brought civilization to humanity.
The group of people who obtained magic during that time became the first wizards.
Afterward, countless years passed.
The original wizards passed down their bloodlines, and those who inherited these bloodlines became wizards—individuals capable of awakening magic.
As for the magic present in nature, according to Ivan's calculations, it is likely the byproduct of an intersection between two dimensions when the first generation of wizards connected to another realm, causing magic to spill into this world.
Of course, there's another possibility.
The world from which the first generation of wizards stole magic might not be one of the twelve natural dimensions but something above and beyond them.
It's possible that the twelve natural magical powers were created by the first-generation wizards themselves, using magic to shape and connect with this world.
If that's the case, Ivan could only marvel at the power of those ancient predecessors.
They stole power from the unknown, opened dimensions with magic, and even after their demise, left countless secrets hidden in nature, embedding their will everywhere.
To some extent, these ancient wizards were truly no different from gods.
"Do you see any bloodline in me?"
On the other side, Penelope, listening intently to Ivan's explanation, showed a curious expression. "Tracing back, my family doesn't have such a long history."