Standing at the door of the orphanage, Ivan felt as if he was entering another world.
Next to Ivan was a cart, laden with all the items he had purchased in Diagon Alley. On top of the cart, two cages housed an owl and Yuumi respectively.
Compared to the sedate owl, Yuumi was actively observing the Muggle world with curiosity.
The fluffy little cat attracted a lot of attention as soon as she arrived, especially with her agile movements which were truly endearing.
"Okay, we're home."
Ivan wheeled the cart into the orphanage, greeted Mrs. Mena and the staff, and then headed straight to his room.
Opening the cage, Ivan lifted Yuumi out.
The little cat didn't struggle; she was very intelligent and recognized that Ivan was her master.
"Meow~~"
After a cute meow, Yuumi settled beside Ivan submissively. She looked around, but ultimately shook her head with a hint of regret, as if she was slightly disdainful of the shabby room.
"Well, the conditions are indeed poor."
Ivan doesn't speak cat, but his four-point soul vision intuition allowed him to grasp what Yuumi meant: "Don't worry, I will have someone arrange a new house while I study at Hogwarts."
"When we come back from Hogwarts, we can live in the new house."
Over the years, Ivan has changed his appearance more than once, making his initial financial accumulation through football betting and other gambles.
Now, Ivan had accumulated enough money to live a comfortable life.
Moreover, he had fabricated a wealthy non-existent individual through various means such as insurances, bank accounts, real estate investments, and cash flows.
According to Ivan's plan, he would be adopted by this fictitious rich man and then move into a villa registered under the rich man's name.
This was what Ivan meant when he said he would leave the orphanage after the first year. Hehe~
"Meow~~"
"Are you hungry, little one?"
Ivan took out the snacks he bought in Diagon Alley from the box, served some to Yuumi, and then took out the first-year spells textbook and began to read.
Professor McGonagall had mentioned that the Trace would be cast during the first summer vacation for freshmen at Hogwarts.
This meant that for the next two weeks, Ivan could practice magic without any concerns about being detected by the Ministry of Magic.
"Ok! Dear me, your future looks exciting! BUT you still have to be careful."
The Obscurus within Ivan was immensely powerful, and any careless use could cause significant damage.
Even though he now possessed a wand that granted him remarkable control over his magic, mastering the use of this power was still a major challenge.
"Let's try it first."
Ivan opened the "Standard Spells, Elementary." He read through the book swiftly, almost absorbing ten lines in a glance.
"Charms are different from Transfiguration spells. Charms imbue specific properties onto an object or creature, while Transfiguration spells transform it into something entirely different."
In the first-year spells textbook, a total of nine spells are recorded: the Softening Charm, the Severing Charm, the Unlocking Charm, the Levitation Charm, the Locking Spell, the Mending Charm, the Banishing Charm, the Wand-Lighting Charm, and the Fire-Making Spell.
"It doesn't seem that difficult."
After reading through the textbook, Ivan mentally reviewed the spells several times, then organized the key information and categorized it for better understanding.
"Let's try it first."
"Start with the simplest one."
Theory is theory, after all; the actual effectiveness of a spell depends on its execution.
Ivan pulled out his wand from his sleeve, flipped the book to the section detailing the Wand-Lighting Charm, and chanted the incantation: "Lumos!"
As he spoke, a silver-white light emanated from the tip of his wand, serving as a small light source. It was bright yet not blinding, casting a reassuring glow that seemed to illuminate the soul.
"Success."
Ivan was not overly excited about successfully casting the spell. He was already familiar with magic, capable of casting spells wandlessly and controlling the Obscurus.
What intrigued Ivan more was the novel experience brought by casting his first spell with a wand.
"Just as I thought, the magical power in this world isn't merely a type of energy, but a 'force'."
In essence, magic is like objects of varying weights, and magical power is the strength required to lift them.
Consider the "Lumos" spell as an example. The magical power it requires is very minimal.
Low magical power requirements indicate that the force needed is weak and the difficulty of execution will correspondingly be lower.
"So, how about this?"
This time, Ivan decided to cast a spell wandlessly, without verbal incantations.
Almost immediately as he waved his wand, Ivan knew he had successfully cast the spell.
However, with the successful execution of the spell, a sense of unease crept into Ivan's heart: 'Did I use too much force?'
"o—SHIT!!"
"Meow!!"
Amid Yuumi's cries, Ivan was blinded by a dazzling white light.
The intense brightness stung his eyes, and even Yuumi, who had been eating, leapt up in alarm and scurried to hide at Ivan's feet.
"Ah, sorry, Yuumi, are you okay?"
Ivan, momentarily dazed, rubbed his eyes and took a moment to recover.
Looking down at Yuumi, who was climbing up his legs with the help of his trousers, he noticed the snacks scattered all over the floor. The little cat stared up at him with a look of reproach in her eyes, clearly upset by the disturbance.
"Well, that, ehm* little Yuumi, life is full of surprises, we have to adapt to unexpected situations."
In simpler terms, he hoped the cat would forgive her owner, right?
"???"
Yuumi might not understand human speech, but she could certainly pick up on Ivan's dismissive tone.
"Meow..."
The adorable little cat meowed in displeasure, expressing her dissatisfaction with her less-than-considerate owner.
"It was just an accident, I promise."
Ivan smiled apologetically, acknowledging the risk of the spell spiraling out of control.
He lifted Yuumi onto the table and filled her bowl with a generous amount of cat food as an apology. Then, as she licked his fingers, it seemed as if she was saying, "Bad master, but Yuumi forgives you."
"This little foodie."
Ivan muttered under his breath, his thoughts drifting back to the mishap with the spell.
"Just as I suspected, the illumination spell shouldn't use too much magical power; otherwise, it causes unpredictable alterations to the spell."
"Failure? Mistake?"
Ivan furrowed his brow slightly: "No, I think it's more of an expansion, an enhancement of the Wand-Lighting Charm."
Lower-level spells don't demand high magical power, meaning that if Ivan wants to cast them successfully, he must control his magical output.
This proves challenging for someone with potent magical abilities like him.
If the magic index required for successfully casting the Wand-Lighting Charm is 1, then Ivan was using 10 times that amount of magic power.
Previously, Ivan couldn't achieve this because he lacked a magic wand.
But now, with the aid of the Fenix Wand, as long as Ivan understands the technique, he could control not only the Wand-Lighting Charm but also more complex spells, like a level 20 Fiery Spell or even spells with a difficulty of 30.
"Yuumi, close your eyes."
With this in mind, Ivan took out a pair of sunglasses from the cabinet and drew the curtains closed.
Yuumi, picking up on her master's cues, quickly lay down and adorably covered her eyes with her paws.
With everything prepared, Ivan picked up his magic wand, recalled the sensation of casting without a spell from before, and waved the wand again.
Buzz!!
Again, without uttering a sound, a light as bright as a flash bomb illuminated the room.
However, this time, thanks to their precautions, neither Ivan nor Yuumi was affected by the brightness of the spell.
"Interesting!"
Ivan removed his sunglasses and smiled, "Just as I thought, as long as you remember the feeling when casting this spell, you can replicate it."
"But, what is this?"
A Flash Charm, or a vision-affecting charm?
Although he had only experimented with one spell, Ivan successfully discovered that the same spell could manifest differently depending on the amount of magic power used.
"One thing is certain, the effect of the spell is not directly proportional to the strength of the magic power."
In essence, magic in this world differs from that in fantasy games. You cannot simply inject more magic power into a small fireball to transform it into a large fireball or a pyroblast.
In fact, even a slight variation in magic power can completely alter the outcome of a spell.
Take the Lumos Charm, for instance: casting it with a magic power of 1 results in a simple illumination, whereas using a power of 10 transforms it into what might be called a 'flash spell.'
However, this shift from 1 to 10 in magic power isn't merely a change in brightness.
Ivan's soul, elevated to 4 points, seemed to intuitively warn him against arbitrarily altering the strength of magic power in a spell.
A mere failure is manageable, but an unexpected result could be disastrous.
"Standard Spells, Elementary" recounts an incident where a wizard named Baruffio mispronounced a spell—saying "s" instead of "f"—and ended up with a bison on his chest.
This illustrates the potential dangers of losing control over a spell.
With Ivan's current level of magical skill, random modifications to spells could easily harm him.
If it were just himself at risk, Ivan wouldn't worry.
Being a silent person, even a direct hit from a Blasting Curse might leave him unscathed.
But what about others?
Yuumi, the owl, this room, and even the friends and staff at the orphanage—these considerations compel Ivan to proceed with caution.
If he truly wants to continue experimenting, he should either find a secluded area or ensure thorough protective measures are in place to prevent accidents.
"Come to think of it, I recall Harry Potter had a classmate who seemed to cast an explosive spell no matter what spell he attempted."
"How did he do that?"
Ivan was still puzzled about the specific reason behind the classmate's unusual spellcasting.
He was certain that the little wizard's issue was not merely due to an excess of magical power.
"In short, it's quite excessive to increase magical power tenfold all at once."
"Haah.. Let's master the first-year spells first."
Utilizing his magic wand to channel his magical power, Ivan easily cast the nine spells listed in the first-year textbook.
There were no mishaps; he executed each spell smoothly and effortlessly.
It was as natural as instinct.
During this practice, Ivan successfully memorized the precise amount of magical strength required for the successful execution of these spells.
He didn't attempt to experiment further immediately but chose to continue studying, spending an afternoon to deeply engrain the contents of the first-year textbook in his memory.
After dinner, Ivan started reading the second-year spell textbook.
The second-year textbook listed a total of six spells: the Dancing Spell, the Engorgement Charm, the Freezing Charm, the General Counter-Spell, the Obliviation Charm, and the Squeaking Spell.
With the aid of his magic wand, Ivan successfully cast these spells effortlessly on his first attempt, just like the first-year spells.
Among these, Ivan singled out the Freezing Charm for special attention.
"Yuumi! please knock that orange!"
"Meaow? Meow!"
"Immobulus!"
"Good girl! Now that! knock that!"
"Immobulus!"
He repeatedly cast the Freezing Spell using his wand, aiming to gain a clearer understanding of the magical power required to successfully perform this spell.
"Will?"
During this exercise, Ivan discovered another intriguing facet of magic: the necessity of a firm will in spell casting.
"The role of the will attribute is to stabilize the output of magical power, which manifests in the ability to cast spells smoothly and ensure that magic does not spiral out of control."
For instance, the Freezing Charm in his practice seemed more akin to reducing the speed of molecular movement, as understood in scientific terms from his previous life, rather than merely 'freezing.'
Of course, it isn't exactly the same, but there are similarities.
The effect of the Freezing Charm is to decelerate the movement of objects.
Its manifestation somewhat resembles time deceleration, allowing both living and non-living things under its influence to move at a slower pace.
"Hmm, so when casting this spell, you need an unwavering intent to slow things down."
Ivan surmised that the essence of the spell was likely a form of psychological suggestion to fortify his resolve: "Casting spells without incantations is possible because you are sufficiently skilled and have integrated the spell into your instincts."
Just as with one's native language, when you see the word 'horse,' you instantly think of the animal.
Ultimately, it boils down to basic human cognition.
"If that's the case..."
Ivan closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then raised his wand.
Yuumi, observing nearby, saw this and immediately knocked an empty snack box onto the table.
This was precisely the support and assistance Ivan had requested from Yuumi while he practiced the Freezing Charm.
"Slow down!"
Ivan opened his eyes and waved his wand, channeling the necessary magical power for the Freezing Spell while focusing all his will.
Hu~~
Quietly, the box began to float in the air.
Upon closer inspection, one could see that the box was descending bit by bit at an exceptionally slow pace, following its original trajectory.
"Fuck Yes!!"
Ivan's eyes sparkled, and his grip on the wand tightened slightly.
"Just as I suspected, the essence of the spell is a strong psychological suggestion."
The phrase "slow down" that Ivan had silently recited in his heart was in "English Language" and not Latin which the HP books use to cast spells.
No, it shouldn't just be termed as "English"
More accurately, it was his interpretation and the necessity of the concept of "slow down."
Thus, Ivan succeeded in casting a silent Freezing Charm, not by silently reciting the incantation, but by embracing and internalizing the essence of the command.
However, Ivan was not content with just this achievement. He continued to practice, aiming to further analyze the magical power requirements for the Freezing Charm through repeated execution.
You may also Like
Paragraph comment
Paragraph comment feature is now on the Web! Move mouse over any paragraph and click the icon to add your comment.
Also, you can always turn it off/on in Settings.
GOT IT