章 26: The First "Spell" Seras Made

The days after receiving the physics textbooks from Dumbledore were spent eagerly flipping through their pages and desperately trying not to use magic in an unhealthy way. This stretch of days soon became a stretch of months as I felt my understanding of gravity deepen, both from a magical and a muggle perspective. I had memorized everything that I could about the subject but taking magic from theoretical to the real world where there may be a thousand variables I didn't know about scared me. However, if I could achieve this, it would finally give me some form of self-preservation for when I start taking forays outside of the mansion.

I started my experiments with some basic exercises. Sitting cross-legged on the floor of my room, I focused on my mana, trying to visualize it as a fluid force within my body. This process was something I had been perfecting since my days in the womb. I felt it flowing through me like water, moving with purpose and direction.

The next step was much trickier. I needed to push my mana out of my body and shape it to mimic the effects of the gravity rune. I concentrated on my hands, feeling the mana pool in my palms. Slowly, I tried to project it outward, attempting to create a field of energy that could influence gravity. I had learned one lesson from when I tried this before: don't instantly push all the magic in, take my time and hopefully no one would get hurt.

At first, there was nothing. The mana dissipated into the air, seemingly without effect. I tried again, this time visualizing the rune itself and the way it manipulated gravity. What had I done the first time that I was failing now? I pictured the mana flowing out of me and forming the intricate patterns of the rune in midair. This time, I felt a slight tug, a barely perceptible shift in the air around my hands. Encouraged, I pushed harder, trying to amplify the effect, but I could see the mana increasing without being sure I was seeing gravity, an invisible force, manifest.

I decided to try with an object, so I pried a gem off the vanity and placed it on the floor. The small stone trembled slightly, then rolled a few inches toward me. It was a minor success, but a success nonetheless. I repeated the process, each time trying to increase the strength and precision of the gravitational pull. I decided to peel another stone off the mirror and put it in a similar place. Would the spell affect both or just one? It turned out to be an area of effect in a way; the spell pulled both stones whenever I cast it. My control over how much area was covered was much more minimal when compared to my already small control over the power. Over the next hour, I managed to lift the gems a few inches off the ground and hold it there for several seconds before my concentration faltered and it fell back down.

The progress was slow and frustrating. My mana control, while advanced for my age, was still not refined enough to maintain a stable gravitational field. I took a break, flipping through the advanced physics book Dumbledore had sent. The sections on gravitational fields and forces were particularly relevant. I studied the equations and principles, trying to apply them to my magical practice.

After a short rest, I returned to my experiments with renewed determination. I decided to try a different approach. Instead of creating a continuous gravitational field, I focused on short, intense bursts of mana, hoping to create a pulsing effect. This method proved slightly more effective. The pebble responded more readily, lifting off the ground in small, jerky movements. It was far from perfect, but it showed potential.

I moved on to a larger object, a small wooden box. This time, I visualized the mana as a series of waves, pulsing outward in a rhythmic pattern. The box wobbled slightly, then lifted an inch off the ground before falling back. I repeated the process, each time trying to smooth out the waves and maintain a consistent lift. The results were still inconsistent, but there was definite progress.

By the end of the day, I had managed to lift the box a few inches off the ground and hold it there for almost a minute. My control was still shaky, and the effort left me exhausted, but I was improving. I knew it would take weeks, if not months, of practice to achieve the same level of control I had with the rune, but I was determined to succeed.

I jotted down my observations and results in my notebook, making detailed notes on what worked and what didn't. The variables I had tested were all useful for further experimentation. The key was not just in the amount of mana I used but in the precision and control of its flow. It was like trying to balance on a tightrope, requiring constant adjustments and fine-tuning. I was kind of disappointed that the answer wasn't something as simple as more mana means more control.

Once I rationalized my disappointment, I realized just what I had accomplished here. I was trying to cast magic that could have untold levels of power, and I had skipped both the wand and vocal part of casting. The spell I was casting was something of my own creation, and for it to make this much progress in a day, I wouldn't be able to add wand movements to my creation anytime soon. So if I wanted to try and improve the casting of my spell, it would be best for me to try and figure out how I could input some form of magical words.

But for now, I had to go to sleep. I would have a meeting with Dumbledore, as he had asked during our initial correspondence, tomorrow. The school year started a few weeks ago, making the lesson time with my godfather decrease. I had spent so much time with the man that I could tell the small differences in his mood, and with the school year having started, it decreased. Snape was never one to suffer fools, and a new class at Hogwarts simply meant a new cast of fools that he had to suffer. A while back, Snape asked me as a thought experiment to carry around a notebook of his "Surprise Inspections" that he used within his class and design my own. As such, a new notebook had been filled with multiple-choice quizzes and text questions quite similar to "pop quizzes" in my past life. Snape was set to give a "surprise inspection" tomorrow for years three and four during my meeting with Dumbledore. I truly pity those children.