The Way of Water

An Introduction to Namaturgy

Preface

By Salazar Slytherin

Throughout the centuries, many scholars have tried to understand what is magic. Whereas some argue that magic is an agentless all-encompassing universal energy from which reality emanates from, others support the idea that magic is way more than just that. They believe that magic is one of the manifold manifestations of a self-conscious creator. Therefore, magic would not be the primordial source of reality itself, but one of the expressions through which the creator makes themselves present. Over the centuries, this creator has received many names. In Ancient Mesopotamia, they were called Anu, the divine personification of the sky and magic. In Ancient Egypt, they were known as Amun-Ra, the Greatest, the one who brought light, creation, and magic to the world. In Ancient China, they were called Shangdi or Tian, the Emperor of the Universe, the ultimate spiritual power. At present, they are known as The Creator or even The Great Architect of the Universe.

It must be said that it is not without reason that many have come to believe about The Creator. One of the most popular ways to empower rituals is to mention one of The Creator's names. While, of course, this fact doesn't necessarily mean that The Creator must exist, it can be a reason for belief. For how else can the use of The Creator's name make rituals more powerful if not because The Creator exists? Here, though, it is necessary to remind that magic transcends logic and that even if we seem to have gotten to a point where there is no other reasonable explanation (other than believing in this entity, of course), magic can't be so easily explained. There are several components that make spells more powerful that don't include saying The Creator's name. For instance, utilising certain symbologies, the Power of Will, the Power of Sacrifice, etc. This shall be discussed more extensively in the next chapters.

Similarly, there are also inconsistencies in the premise that magic is just an agentless source of energy. For instance, a fact that comes into conflict with this premise is what is known as "The Preferences of Magic", e. g. magical places or objects where the presence of magic is stronger without apparent reason. By the same token, the Dark Arts have their own mechanisms, and their use has specific consequences for the wizard (or witch) not seen in other branches of magic. If magic comes from the same source, then, how can we explain these facts? These questions need to be answered. As such, a new form of understanding magic is required. Because by doing so, a new better, stronger, and more stable way of using magic could be designed. And such thing isn't impossible, as we will see eventually.

"-arry? Harry!"

"Mhm?"

"So, what have you read? Are there any powerful spells inside?" Sirius asked excitedly.

Harry shook his head.

"Not at the moment, no"

"So, what have you read?"

Harry ruffled his hair.

"For the time being it seems like a treatise of magic theory. But I won't know for sure until I read more," said Harry, thoughtfully.

"Ugh, magic theory? That isn't fun. I would love it if you found some cool spells to teach me. That would be smashing," said Sirius, a smile on his face. Harry rolled his eyes.

"All right. Let's go have lunch, I'm hungry-"

"Yep. Me too…"

As they walked downstairs, many people could be heard sitting around the kitchen. Harry could make out Remus, Fred and George and Ron.

"HARRY!" a feminine voice cried from Harry's behind.

Harry promptly turned his head. He smiled.

"Hello, Hermione. What's up?"

Hermione frowned. "What do you mean 'what's up'? What's up with you! We've been looking for you this morning! Why did you leave without telling us? You know it's dangerous."

"Uhm, yeah, I know, but I was desperate to go outside. Besides, I wasn't alone. I was with Sirius," said Harry looking at Sirius.

"Who isn't the best adult to join you! He's still wanted at the Ministry!"

"Hey, hey, Harry and I just went to the Muggle world to relax a bit. So don't worry, okay?" appeased Sirius with a smile.

"You know you appeared on Muggle news two years ago. Someone could have recognised you," Hermione replied. Her lips were pressed together.

"Mhm, I don't think so. After two years of bathing and taking care of myself I'm very different from the pictures the Ministry showed to the Muggles two years ago. Besides, I'm sure almost nobody from the Muggle world remembers my face, now."

Hermione seemed to want to continue arguing with Sirius but receded as she saw Sirius wasn't going to change his opinion.

"Next time at least let us know," the brown-haired girl admonished quietly.

"Alright, let's eat something!" Harry said, trying to ease the tension.

As they entered the kitchen several people greeted Harry, some more cheerful than others. In the long table were sitting Ron, Fred, George, Remus and Mr. Weasley. It looked like the food had just been served, but yet to be eaten. Harry felt a little touched they had waited for him and Sirius to eat.

"Harry!" exclaimed one of the Weasley twins. "We've been looking for you for over two hours. Just hope you had fun! But next time tell us so we can join you on the mischief!"

"Yeah, Fred. I am saddened Harry hasn't told us anything about today", George replied with fake sadness.

Meanwhile, Mr. Weasley had stood up to shake Harry's hand.

"Harry! Nice to see you. I have to say, I am happy to see you well. Molly was very worried about you, but I was sure you were all right," said Mr. Weasley with a kind smile on his face.

"Yeah, about that. I'm sorry I haven't told you where we have been this morning. It's just… We needed to disconnect a bit."

"Oh, don't apologise, Harry. I understand. Sirius went with you, right?"

"Yeah, he was."

"Then I don't see, with caution, how was your little escapade that bad."

Mr. Weasley winked at Harry. Harry smiled.

"Thank you, Mr. Weasley. Next time I'll let you know."

Lunch continued in the same vein, with people asking either Harry or Sirius where they had been and both evading the questions vaguely. When Mrs. Weasley arrived at the table, she was especially insistent, but eventually she relented. Even she saw they wouldn't give in, so the topic soon changed, and now they were talking about the summer, O.W.L.s, or the Ministry and its incessant attacks to tarnish Dumbledore's reputation and, to a lesser degree, Harry's.

Harry meanwhile was strangely absent, thinking about what he had read in the scroll he had found. He couldn't help but feel the text would change his way of seeing magic, and he couldn't wait for it. If there was something he had realised after his confrontation with Voldemort in June was that he needed to become way better in magic than he was. And perhaps this scroll could help with that.

This problem was something that had troubled Harry greatly since he met Voldemort in his first year. By now he understood the wizarding world was at the mercy of the most powerful. And magic wasn't as easy as waving a wand and getting the desired effect. No, magic, it seemed, abided the same rules as other disciplines; that is, if you studied it, you got better, key word being studied. Now that he had finished his fourth year, Harry understood that spells were constructed through fundamental principles that regulated most magic. And some of these principles were hard to understand. Really hard. Due to that some spells were more difficult to cast than others.

As Flitwick had said, spells were based on arithmantic formulae and (or) runic languages, which, thankfully could eventually be reduced to mere words and more basic principles. Harry understood that. But he didn't know how to start to study them, because when he read more advanced books, there were so many complex terms he couldn't even start to hope to assimilate that knowledge until he studied more.

When the group finished lunch, Harry hurriedly got back to his room. Thankfully lunch had continued as normal, and the others hadn't decided to press on what Sirius and he had been doing. Harry didn't want to explain his scroll. Behind him followed Ron and Hermione.

After they got to Ron's and Harry's room, Harry closed the door.

"I know, I know. I will explain," said Harry anticipating the question. "I went with Sirius to a Muggle Museum. To the British Museum, if you may know, Hermione."

Hermione frowned.

"Why did you go there?"

"Well, I wanted to get out this place. I've been holed up for five days already and the only thing I've done has been cleaning, playing chess, or studying. I felt holed up," finished Harry, a bit defensive.

Hermione nodded. "I understand, Harry. It just… I'm surprised you went to a museum. I didn't think you were interested in such a place."

Harry shrugged, "well, I saw a leaflet of it roaming in a street in Little Whinging before getting here and got curious."

"So that's where you were? And here I thought you had been somewhere more exciting," said Ron.

Harry smirked. "Sorry, Ron. Next time I'll take the plunge, I assure you."

Ron smiled. "As long as I can go with you."

"Boys! Let's focus. So, was that all you want to tell us, Harry?"

Harry marvelled at Hermione's sixth sense. There was definitely something more he could say. But he decided he wouldn't. Not for the time being at least.

"No, that was it," said Harry, looking elsewhere.

Hermione didn't seem all that convinced but decided not to push more.

Understanding Magic may seem a hazardous task, full of impossibilities and contradictions. It would not be without reason if someone claimed it as a futile undertaking. Nonetheless, there is a way to understand Magic. And that is through systematisation. In fact, it is thanks to systematisation that we can study its properties and, therefore, understand Magic's nature. Of course, this would raise the question of whether we would be truly understanding Magic's nature or just the nature of the Magic transformed by a system.

In any case, without a system, harnessing power is nearly impossible. That is why Magical creatures such as goblins or house elves aren't as powerful as wizards or witches, as their systems are quite rudimentary. Of course, that doesn't mean these magical races can't pose a threat to us because they can— precisely because their magic functions with other rules, they could potentially bypass some of ours. For instance, house elves can apparate in places with anti-disapparition wards because their form of apparition is governed by other principles than ours.

And what, exactly, are magic systems? Magic systems are the underlying rules that govern a branch of Magic. At least this is my conclusion after having studied it for many years. And that assumption entails the following one: Magic as an entity, does not exist. Magic, in fact, should be called Magics. Because although they may come from the same root of energy, they manifest in the ways the magic systems command.

And is it possible to create a system? Or do we have to make do with the systems that we have already? I believe it should be reasonable to think that the very existence of a system implies there has been someone who has designed it, because otherwise it wouldn't be a system, but something else. In other words, semantically speaking, a system implies the need to have been created by a rational being. And indeed, it is possible to create a system. In fact, I have created one.

As this is the aim of this scroll: To teach its reader of the System that I, Salazar Slytherin, its creator, have concocted after all my life. In alchemical terms, I believe this could be known as my Magnum Opus- a new Branch of Magic that has its focus on adaptability and mental strength: A system that overcomes conventional arithmancy and that has, in my humble opinion, spells that are more effective, that is, spells that are more powerful and its magic expenditure is less.

In essence, this scroll signifies the birth of a new branch of magic that I have called Namaturgy, from the Greek νμα,which means fountain, or water flow. I have also called this new branch of magic "The Way of Water" for obvious reasons, and I will use both terms interchangeably. Now, let us deep into this new dimension of Magic.