Many Thanks to La Flames, Impreux, DetectiveJones, Aethergrey314, Cujo, and Stephen for their Patronage!♥♥
(*^ ‿ <*)♡
__________
"Let's get started, Neville. Your goal is to master the first spell taught by Professor Flitwick in class: the Lumos spell."
Ivan selected the basic spells from the textbook and carefully broke them down, explaining the principles behind them and offering tips on casting spells to Hermione and Neville, based on his own understanding.
The little witch was truly brilliant. She noted down everything Ivan said, and whenever something wasn't clear, she asked questions immediately.
Ivan noticed that Hermione had an impressive finesse when it came to controlling magic.
This wasn't due to willpower but rather a demonstration of her high level of thinking.
However, compared to Hermione, who grasped things almost instantly, Neville's situation was far more challenging than either of them had anticipated.
To be honest, teaching Neville was making Ivan feel the weight of the task.
"S-sorry, Ivan," Neville mumbled, his head hanging low as tears welled up in his eyes. "I'm just... too stupid."
Ivan glanced at the time—it was already 8 o'clock in the evening.
Three hours had passed, and apart from guiding Hermione at the beginning, Ivan had devoted almost all of his attention to Neville.
While this process did help Ivan identify gaps in his teaching, the lack of progress was starting to give him a headache.
"There's no reason to be sorry," Ivan muttered to himself.
Ivan wasn't upset; he was very patient and didn't dislike Neville's struggles at all.
A transparent light shield, faintly glowing, enveloped the three of them, shielding the dormitory from any potential damage caused by their spell practice.
This was something Ivan had specifically prepared for Neville.
Its prototype was derived from the Protego spell, and Ivan had mixed it with elements from the Protego Totalum and the general protective charm. It was the most complex spell Ivan had created so far.
He called it the "Body Protection Spell," also known as "Exorcism and Body Protection."
The spell's upper limit wasn't particularly high, but its strength lay in its sustainability and adaptability.
For instance, right now, Ivan had divided the practice area into two sections, like two bubbles touching each other—one side for him and Neville, the other for Hermione.
Without this precaution, Ivan wouldn't have felt confident or safe allowing the two to cast spells inside the dormitory.
"I need to think about it carefully. Neville, you should look over the Herbology material for now," Ivan said, temporarily stumped on how to help Neville. Neville obediently took out his books, showing no discouragement and following Ivan's instructions without hesitation.
"What's going on with Neville?" Hermione asked quietly. Ivan frowned and replied, "I think he might have been affected by a crude version of the Obliviate spell when he was younger, which damaged his cognitive abilities."
"Oh My! What can be done about it?" Hermione asked with concern.
Ivan had already shared with Hermione the six basic attributes he had defined.
Thinking, as Ivan described it, included factors like reaction time, body coordination, spell control, memory, and calculation ability.
4 points in Thinking doesn't mean that all subcategories need to reach 4 points.
In fact, if any of the subcategories reaches 4 points, the Thinking attribute can be considered 4 overall.
Take Harry, for example. Ivan believed Harry had a Thinking attribute of 4, just like Hermione, but their strengths were different. Harry's high Thinking score was reflected in his quick reaction time, giving him an unparalleled advantage in Quidditch and combat.
Hermione's Thinking was reflected in her learning, but when it came to physical skills, she was no different from an average person.
"Let me think about it some more," Ivan said, feeling somewhat helpless regarding Neville's struggles.
The one thing he was sure of was that Neville's potential wasn't lacking, and his future held promise.
The reason Neville was having difficulties might have been due to his young age and his current lack of mental maturity.
"I'll try my best to help Neville build a strong foundation," Ivan finally decided. He resolved to help Neville practice spell manipulation as much as possible, helping him develop muscle memory.
There wasn't much else Ivan could do for now.
Neville's memory was truly poor, whether it came to recalling information or grasping understanding.
And so, the three of them studied together into the night.
Although Ivan spent most of his time teaching Hermione spellcasting techniques, Neville managed to pick up a few things as well.
Well, at least before he forgot the knowledge, Neville felt like he had mastered it.
So, he went to bed, and the next day...
Neville: Hey? What did I master?
...
Ivan and Hermione were eating breakfast in the Great Hall, secretly holding their foreheads and feeling helpless about Neville's forgetfulness.
Fortunately, neither of them was the type to give up easily.
They didn't resent Neville for his struggles, and this kindness touched the shy boy deeply.
From childhood to now, aside from his family, Ivan and Hermione had been the kindest to him.
Neville wasn't lacking in perseverance. He genuinely worked hard and listened carefully.
However, his memory was terrible. He thought he had memorized many things, but would forget them not long after.
Neville could only repeat the lessons over and over again to make sure Ivan and Hermione's efforts weren't wasted.
"In this class, we will learn how to turn a match into a needle."
The Transfiguration class officially began, and the first thing they had to learn was how to transfigure a matchstick into a needle.
In class, Ivan didn't even need to use his wand. He simply waved his hand, and the matchstick on the desk transformed into an extremely thin silver needle.
Not only that, but Ivan also engraved patterns on the silver needle, bit by bit, making it even more intricate.
"Beautiful Transfiguration!"
Professor McGonagall immediately noticed Ivan's performance.
No wand, no sound, and precise casting. Even though Professor McGonagall was mentally prepared, she was still amazed by Ivan's skill and talent.
"Gryffindor gets 5 points for Mr. Ambrosious' outstanding performance!"
Soon after Ivan, Hermione also successfully transformed her matchstick into a silver needle, and Professor McGonagall awarded Gryffindor an additional 2 points for her achievement.
This delighted Professor McGonagall for the better part of the class, until our resident explosion expert, Mr. Seamus, once again demonstrated his unique ability to turn every spell into an explosive one.
"Hold your wand firmly and clearly picture the shape of the needle you want to transform the match into."
Ivan sat in a row with Hermione and Neville, with Harry and Ronald on his other side.
At that moment, Harry was asking Ivan for advice on the technique for transfiguring a matchstick into a silver needle.
Ivan didn't hold back and explained the key principles of Transfiguration to Harry, based on his current understanding.
"I—I did it!!"
With Ivan's guidance, Harry quickly grasped the trick. He held up his matchstick, which now had one pointed end, and was ecstatic. "Thank you, Ivan, you're amazing!"
The slight change in the match seemed small to Ivan, but it was a crucial first step for Harry.
As for Ronald...
"Well, I think you should consider getting a new wand."
Ivan really couldn't offer much advice to Ron. He had no ill will toward him, but no particularly strong feelings either.
So, he straightforwardly told him that the problem wasn't necessarily with Ron himself, but with the wand he was using.
The old wand was not compatible with Ron's magic at all.
In addition, Ron's basic attributes were very mediocre, which meant that he was destined to have a hard time achieving great success. . .
_______
Read 15 Chaps ahead:
P@treon.com/HornyFBI
Many Thanks to Eli, Robert L, Joshua Desouza, Glen, Zuyao Wu, AchlysApep, and IDaGoat Mypark for becoming new Patrons!♥♥
(。•̀ᴗ-)✧
__________
Ivan was not without a solution.
But he had no reason, nor the inclination, to help Ron improve his attributes.
Yes, improve attributes.
During his time at Hogwarts, Ivan had discovered a way to enhance one's attributes—magical transformation - Rituals.
Magical transformation was an extremely advanced subject, encompassing knowledge of potions, spells, transfiguration, and even dark magic. It was an important method for ordinary wizards to ascend to the ranks of top-tier wizards.
However, magical transformation was extremely risky, with a survival rate of only one in ten—essentially a gamble with one's life.
Looking around Hogwarts, Ivan knew that even professors like McGonagall, Flitwick, and Sprout had never attempted magical transformation, and they remained ordinary wizards.
For most wizards, becoming a master of magic was the highest level they could hope to achieve.
Ivan, who had read the original books and seen the films, understood very well that the gap between magic masters and true great wizards was a chasm the former could scarcely comprehend.
'No wonder reaching 5 points in an attribute is considered legendary,' Ivan thought to himself.
He possessed the magic eye and spiritual vision, which, combined with his ability to see magic on a deeper level, gave him an unparalleled advantage when it came to understanding magical transformation.
Unfortunately, despite his research, Ivan had yet to find any books on magical transformation in the library. He suspected that the relevant materials were likely hidden away in the Restricted Section.
'I won't be able to rely on myself for everything in the future,' Ivan reflected.
At the moment, the only people he could truly trust were Hermione and Yuumi.
This cat and person were his confidants.
Though the little witch was talented, Ivan could already see the limits of her future potential.
At best, she would reach the level of Professor McGonagall and become a master of spells.
'But with me guiding her, she should be able to go further beyond that,' Ivan thought confidently.
His plan was to study diligently at Hogwarts for a few years.
Once he accumulated enough knowledge, he would begin conducting experiments—starting with small animals, and eventually Yuumi.
Unless the magical transformation was successfully completed on Yuumi, Ivan wouldn't dream of risking Hermione's life.
Yuumi: Thanks a lot my Human! (Sarcastically, of course.)
"Alright, children, today's class is over," Professor McGonagall announced, signaling the end of the lesson. The young wizards put down their wands one by one.
Ivan glanced around and realized that, aside from him and Hermione, no one had fully succeeded in their first Transfiguration lesson.
At best, a few like Harry had managed to transform one end of the match into a needle.
But the majority, including Ronald, Neville, and Seamus, hadn't managed any transformation at all.
Next up was the class all the young wizards eagerly anticipated—Defense Against the Dark Arts.
However, Ivan didn't have high hopes for it.
Sure enough, in the Defense Against the Dark Arts class, Professor Quirrell's performance was almost laughable.
The classroom where he taught was filled with the overwhelming smell of garlic. Everyone said that this was to ward off a vampire Quirrell claimed to have encountered in Romania—he feared the vampire might return to capture him.
Quirrell also boasted about his scarf, saying it was a gift from an African prince, who had supposedly rewarded him for helping banish resurrected zombies.
But whether anyone actually believed him was another story altogether.
During the class, Seamus Finnigan had the nerve to ask how Professor Quirrell defeated the resurrected zombies.
Quirrell's face turned beet red, and he stammered, mumbling something about the weather, clearly trying to dodge the question.
'This guy acts like a complete fool,' Ivan thought to himself, watching the scene unfold.
He suspected that Quirrell actually believed his poor acting skills were enough to deceive everyone at Hogwarts, including Dumbledore.
But to Ivan, Quirrell's performance practically screamed, "I have a problem!"
'Voldemort must have lost some of his cunning by splitting his soul like that, and now he's relying on someone like this to host him,' Ivan mused, shaking his head. Still, given Voldemort's desperate state in the forests of Albania, perhaps he couldn't afford to be picky.
After class, Hermione and Neville flanked Ivan on either side, walking with him down the corridor.
Hermione, usually a respectful student, was visibly frustrated.
"Ivan," she said with a frown. "Hogwarts' Defense Against the Dark Arts class is such a letdown."
It wasn't like Hermione to speak ill of her teachers, but even she couldn't help it this time. Quirrell's pitiful display was far below her expectations.
"Nothing unusual, Headmaster always invites this type of guys.. No sane person will accept this post after all." Ivan said calmly. "I heard that the Defense Against the Dark Arts class at Hogwarts is cursed. The professor for this course can never teach for more than a year."
"Is that true?" Hermione's eyes widened in surprise, and Neville looked frightened, as if something terrible might happen in their Defense Against the Dark Arts class.
"Don't worry," Ivan reassured them. "The curse doesn't affect students, only the professors."
"That's still scary," Hermione said, already beginning to wonder if she should comfort Professor Quirrell. After all, he was risking himself to teach them—despite his poor teaching skills.
"Relax," Ivan continued. "If Hogwarts dares to hire him and Professor Quirrell dared to apply, there shouldn't be any real danger. Professors at Hogwarts aren't forced to stay; if it gets too much, they can resign. Dumbledore wouldn't let anything bad happen to them."
As they walked and talked, it was mostly Ivan and Hermione carrying the conversation, with Neville quietly listening alongside them.
"Oh, by the way," Ivan said, remembering something important. "Let's be cautious in tomorrow's Potions class. Keep a low profile."
"What?" Hermione and Neville exchanged confused looks, unsure of what Ivan meant.
"You'll understand tomorrow," Ivan replied, not elaborating further. He then led the two to the library, where they planned to borrow some books and take them back to the dormitory to read later.
The Potions class was held in a basement classroom. It was much colder there than in the main part of the castle above.
Glass jars lined the walls, filled with animal specimens floating in murky liquid, making the place feel even more unsettling.
When Ivan, Hermione, and Neville arrived, several students were already seated in the classroom. Most of them were from Slytherin.
For first-year students, Potions was a shared class between Slytherin and Gryffindor, and this would be Ivan's first formal encounter with the Slytherin students.
Malfoy, along with his usual companions, Goyle and Crabbe, sat together.
A short girl, Pansy Parkinson, was seated near them. Ivan remembered her name from the introductions.
"Look who it is!"
Malfoy sneered as soon as he spotted Ivan.
In a mocking tone, he added, "The famous Ivan Ambrosius. Everyone's saying you're the most outstanding first-year wizard."
"!!"
Ivan raised an eyebrow, stopping Hermione from responding before she could speak. He calmly replied, "Oh, what was your name.. Ah! Malfoy, I remember meeting you in the train. Alas, I don't really understand your logic."
"That.. let's not talk about that meeting."
"Yeah, it wasn't a pleasant one after all." Ivan chuckled.
Their brief exchange quickly attracted the attention of the other students in the room, but no one seemed eager to get involved.
Malfoy, with his pure-blood background and aristocratic family status, commanded a certain level of attention among the first years, especially in Slytherin.
Ivan was even more extraordinary.
He was born in the Muggle world, but in just a few days, the magic talent that Ivan showed in class was enough to make all the young Gryffindors look up to him.
In a word, the two were not people they could mess with.
_________
15 Advance Chapters—P@treon.com/HornyFBI
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