"By the time I arrived down there, the soul fragment had the appearance of a ghost and was outside of the diary, the ghost took on the form of a fifteen year old Tom Riddle. But, the amazing thing was, young Mister Riddle was able to pick up... and use... a wand. He cast spells through it. He used the Flagrante charm to fire-write in the air. It was that event, more than anything else, which got me thinking about whether magic was in the body or in the spirit.
"It was also that event that got me thinking that a ghost always takes the form of the shape the body was in when it died. Riddle's... spirit... in the Chamber was of his fifteen year old self, and wearing his Hogwarts uniform, complete with his Prefects' badge. That is, the time the soul fragment was broken off. However, his spirit that was possessing Quirrell a year before was in the form of his mutilated sixty-plus year old self."
"Makes sense," said Croaker. "And your idea that unborn magical souls going into muggle foetuses is how we get muggleborns?"
"Again, it's a logical hypothesis. Muggle science in genetics tells us the likelihood of diverse muggleborns being conceived and having pretty much an identical magical disposition; such as the ability to use a wand, the same interaction with 'wizard' magic... rather than, say, elfish or goblin magic... and similar magical strength; would be considered by a muggle geneticist as so unlikely as to induce one to roar with laughter at the absurdity of it.
"However, having thought more on the subject, I've also reached a hypothesis that all muggleborns are actually the many times removed offspring of squibs. So, the two hypotheses are now in conflict. Or, are they?
"It could also be that both are correct. That is, magical souls are drawn to muggle foetuses that have a genetic predisposition towards magic due to their ancestry.
"I just don't know," he shrugged. "However, one day, I hope to find out."
Croaker looked back at Harry for a few moments with an inscrutable expression before he seemed to reach a decision. He gave a firm nod and said, "I'd rather you not."
Surprised, Harry asked, "Why ever not?"
"Consider
the
political
and
societal ramifications," the Unspeakable replied. "If the purebloods learn that their magical heritage has absolutely nothing to do with their... blood. It could bring down our society.
"Second, if it can be learned that a ghost can cast magic, it could have major ramifications with ghosts being used to cast offensive spells. Once you learn a fact, that fact can be used for nefarious purposes."
"It can also be used to lead the way into a glorious future," disagreed Hermione. "Scientists, the world over, have struggled with that concept in the muggle world for millennia.
"A perfect example is the thoughts and findings of Galileo Galilei," she began to explain. "In the late sixteenth century he put forward the hypothesis that the heavens... the stars, the sun and the moon... did not revolve around the Earth, as was the very popular belief of the day. Instead, he posited that the Earth was only another body within the firmament, and that it actually revolved around the sun.
"He then extrapolated on that and stated the sun, our sun, was only one of many within galaxies of such. This flew in the face of current thought. And it flew in the face of the dominant religious beliefs of the time. That is very much akin to the situation in magical Britain... perhaps the magical world, as a whole... today.
"Of course, we now know Galileo's views to be true. And that has led to astounding and enormous leaps in scientific knowledge; especially as it relates to astrophysics, space exploration and meteorology, to name a few such fields of study. "No, Mister Croaker," she said. "It's not the research and thoughts that are the problem. You need to prepare society... it's beliefs and it's mores... for the possible findings of what may well be discovered. What will be discovered sooner or later. You cannot stop it happening. As Professor McGonagall once told us; you need to do what is right, not what is easy."
"I have no intention of dumping this on magical Britain in one great dump of knowledge, Mister Croaker," said Harry. "I'll dole it out, piecemeal. We're first starting with the nature of the soul. And that'll be disseminated in the book on soul-bonds we're currently writing. And, it'll not be as a fact; it'll be as an idea... a concept. In other words, we're writing about how we feel we are souls with bodies, rather than bodies with souls. "That'll give the populace something to think about. It'll be something for them to consider for themselves. Then, we start coming out with the findings from observational evidence. And, finally, the findings from physical experimentation.
"And all that will be spread over many years. We don't want to dump it all in their laps as a fait accompli. They'll feel as if they just got smacked up the side of the head with a mackerel, and will illogically rebuke and rebut. We don't want that. We want them to accept the findings without a knee -jerk denial of the evidence similar to the responses against Galileo."
"And yet you did... as you put it... smack the populace in the side of their heads with a mackerel, when you released that information about the truth of Voldemort," argued Croaker.
"That's because we don't have time to hold back regarding Riddle," said Harry. "Riddle's been trying to get himself physically resurrected since at least 1991 that I know of. He tried in 1991-92 to get the Philosopher's Stone. And, he tried to suck the life force out of young Ginevra Weasley in 1992-93. I also believe it's his agents who have forced me to compete in the Tri-Wizard Tournament; possibly in an attempt to kidnap me. And his Dark Mark is darkening, which is leading his followers to believe he's on his way back to physical form.
"Sooner or later, probably sooner, Riddle will succeed; and we'll have Voldemort to face once more. Unless you have a way to entrap and then banish his spirit, he has time, determination and perseverance on his side." Croaker sat there for a few moments before he suddenly said, "Tell me about this soul container; this... diary."
So Harry led him through what he knew of it, other than he knew it to be called a horcrux. But he lied and told him that spirit Riddle told him he'd planned to make others, and probably had. But didn't tell him they'd found them and used the ritual circle in the Room of Requirement to banish the soul fragments from them.
Ritual magic was still banned by law, except for very specific purposes, within magical Britain. Besides, they didn't want the Unspeakables to find the ring before Dumbledore. That would be disastrous.
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