NOVEL NEXT Chapter 90: Chapter 89
"These runes are designed to keep any external influences from befouling the results," Emily explained upon seeing his curious look. "As well as to keep your own magic from leaking out so that we can get a more accurate reading of your magical index."
"And what is a magical index?" asked Harry, now curious. This was not something he had heard of before.
"Magical index is the term associate with how large a witch or wizards magical reserves are based upon what is called the Merlin Power Scale. It's a very generalized way of cataloging the size of someone's magical core. The more magic you have, the larger your core is, metaphysically speaking at least, since a magical core is not something that can be physically measured."
"So essentially it tells you how strong a persons magic is?" Harry asked for clarification. This was interesting. He had always wondered how strong he was compared to others. He knew that his magic was stronger than most, even the seventh year students he had met did not seem as strong as him, but he did not know just how strong he was beyond abstract concepts of power.
"Not really," Emily did not stop casting even as she spoke. A soft green glow soon covered Harry's body. The pen hovering over the parchment began writing. "It tells us how large your reserves of magic are by collecting and cataloging the excess magic that all witches and wizards release when they're magical core is 'full' for lack of a better term, but it does not give an accurate account of how powerful someone is. Power and the size of your magical reserves are two different things. Think of your reserves as the well from which you draw magic, and your power as the amount of magic you can pull from that well at any given time to cast a spell and you'll understand the difference."
"I see," Harry mused over her words. He did understand what she was talking about, it was a fairly simple analogy that did the task of conveying what she wanted very well. It also explained why these runes were here. "And that is what these runes are for, I take it? They are keeping my magic from going anywhere so you can get an accurate estimate of my reserves?"
"Yes, that's it exactly." Emily seemed pleased by the conclusion he came to. "When a witch or wizards magical core is full, they are always releasing a set amount of magic into the air based on how large their reserves are. The more magic you have, the more magic you release when full. This magic than dissipates into the atmosphere and becomes one with the world."
Which would explain to Harry why places like Hogwarts, Diagon Alley and Rue de la Magie felt so magical. All those witches and wizards wandering the area releasing magic that became one with the atmosphere around them was bound to leave a lasting impression.
Emily soon stopped casting as the spell became complete. The glow surrounding Harry brightened for a second, before dying down. At the same time, the quill stopped writing and moved off to the side where it lay down as if dead.
Picking up the parchment, Emily read through the information there, her eyebrows getting higher and higher into her hairline the further she read. Harry watched, curious as to what it contained.
"Is there something wrong?"
Emily looked over at him, startled, before shaking her head.
"No, no, nothing's wrong," she assured him, smiling a bit shakily. When he raised an eyebrow she spoke again. "I'm serious, there is nothing wrong with you. In fact, you are in perfect shape."
"Then why are you so surprised?" asked Harry. He did not give her a chance to respond. It was a rhetorical question, and he already had a hunch. "I take it you are surprised by my magical index rating?"
"That is one thing, yes," Emily took a deep breath, as if preparing herself to say something she herself was having trouble believing. "Checking someone's magical index is an important procedure that must be repeated yearly because a witch or wizards magical reserves grow yearly as they use more magic. Or they should. It's important to note how quickly or slowly their reserves grow because if their magic is not growing properly, it may lead to their magic stagnating or could be a sign that their magic has been tainted or poisoned."
Harry remained dutifully silent. He knew that she was going somewhere with this, and that whatever she was about to tell him needed context for him to truly understand the significance of what she was saying. Plus, he would not like it if someone interrupted him when he was giving someone important information.
"I have been doing these yearly check ups for many years, Harry, for both young children and adults." She took a deep breath. She was about to drop the bomb shell. "In all my years, I have never seen a magical index this high from someone so young. Even most adult witches and wizards do not have an index as high as yours."
"I see." Then it was as he suspected. "Would it be possible to know what my magical index is? Also, is it possible for you to tell me what the average magical index is for context purposes?"
"Yes, I believe that's doable," Emily nodded after some thought. "So long as I do not give away someone's actual information, I should be able to tell you what the average index ratings are."
"To start, your magical index is 56,301."
"That's divisible by seven."
"It is at that," Emily nodded. Seven was a very powerful magical number, along with three and thirteen it made one of the most powerful numbers when enacting magic rituals or casting spells.
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