Chương 18: 18: The Grangers
"Protego."
Standing up from the bed, Ivan waved his wand, but unfortunately, he failed to cast the Shield Charm.
Ivan tried several more times, but without exception, all attempts ended in failure.
"What's going on?"
Ivan frowned: "My magical power is definitely sufficient, but why can't I cast it?"
Suddenly, Ivan recalled the description of the Shield Spell: 'You need to have a strong belief in protecting yourself.'
"Strong, protect yourself, belief... Hmm."
"Yuumi."
Ivan thought of a solution. He picked up a box from the ground and threw it in front of his adorable ragdoll cat: "Come on, hit the box towards me."
"Meow?"
Yuumi didn't quite grasp what Ivan was attempting, but the obedient cat followed her owner's instructions.
The ragdoll cat swiped its paw and slapped the box towards Ivan's forehead.
"Protego!"
Seeing the box hurtling towards his face, Ivan waved his wand reflexively, and a faint white light emerged from the tip of the wand but quickly disappeared. Pop!
The next moment, the box collided with the air in front of Ivan, as if it had struck an invisible wall. "Success!"
Ivan couldn't help but smile.
"Ma—! Meaw!!" He picked up Yuumi and laughed, "No wonder the Shield Charm failed. It turns out that this type of magic requires emotional engagement to be successfully cast."
Ivan was pleased with himself for independently mastering the Shield Charm without any formal instruction.
You know, this is a spell that even many Aurors in the Ministry of Magic cannot cast proficiently, and Ivan is just a young wizard who hasn't even started school yet.
Thus, he continued to work diligently, focusing on refining his execution of the Shield Charm.
He first spent two hours practicing with his wand, and another hour working on silent casting techniques.
Regrettably, the demands of the Shield Charm were too high, and Ivan couldn't yet internalize it as his own wandless magic. "According to my estimates, the magical power required for the Shield Spell is about 10, which is ten times that of the Wand-Lighting Charm."
"The wand is a marvelous invention."
Ivan set the wand down, then picked it up again to appreciate the enhanced effects it provided.
As mentioned earlier, Ivan's Sycamore wand with Fenix core is particularly well-suited to him.
After just a few attempts, Ivan could successfully cast most of the spells from the first to fourth-grade textbooks.
Of course, the effectiveness and potency of these spells are not assured; they require substantial proficiency and attributes that Ivan is still exploring.
"That's enough for today."
Ivan glanced at the alarm clock on his bedside table.
Unbeknownst to him, it was almost nine o'clock.
This indicated that Ivan had been practicing magic for nearly eight hours since his return.
"There's no physical exhaustion, but I do feel somewhat mentally tired."
Ivan likened casting spells to solving complex problems. While it wasn't physically draining, the mental exertion was significant.
"Meow~~"
Even Yuumi seemed to pick up on Ivan's fatigue and started yawning.
Ivan slept well that night.
Moreover, he noticed that after a session of spellcasting, the turbulent magic within him, which he referred to as Momo, seemed much more subdued.
It was as if he had found a way to channel Momo's normally restless energy.
Ivan was uncertain if this would mitigate the threat posed by the Obscurus.
But for now, he had no other concerns.
Practicing and learning new spells was what Ivan enjoyed the most.
The tranquility of the Obscurus was an unexpected bonus.
"Hmm?"
Suddenly, while Ivan was in the communal bathroom, he caught sight of an image in the mirror.
It was an owl.
There was a letter tied to its claws, and Ivan saw Hermione's name on it.
Clearly, this was an unintended trigger of his divinatory skills.
"A letter from Hermione to me?"
Ivan quickly finished his personal hygiene routine, returned to his room, and then opened the window.
As expected, Hermione's owl arrived shortly thereafter.
"Coo~~"
Ivan removed the letter and, using a wandless Levitation Spell, summoned a bowl of cereal to welcome the owl.
He quickly read through the letter from Hermione.
The young witch invited Ivan to visit her home.
After learning about Ivan's background, knowing that he too was Muggle-born, and that the orphanage where he lived wasn't far from her home, Hermione's parents hoped that Ivan could stay with the Granger family for a few days.
Clearly, Hermione had her own motives.
The little witch seemed intent on catching up on her magical studies before the school term at Hogwarts began.
Ivan, known as a descendant of Merlin, intrigued her.
Hermione was proud, but she acknowledged that her magical talent might not match Ivan's.
But for Hermione, that was not an issue at all.
Facing a knowledgeable person, Hermione wouldn't feel envious; instead, she would strive to learn humbly.
Though they were of similar age, in Hermione's view, Ivan was like a talented, humble, and gentle senior, worthy of her earnest study.
"...Staying at hers for a while?"
Ivan considered it and felt that Hermione's proposal was quite appealing.
Firstly, he needed to practice magic, but the space in the orphanage was too confined.
Moreover, Ivan was concerned about being seen casting spells, and he was reluctant to cast memory-altering spells on familiar people.
Staying at Hermione's house would not only allow him to interact and study with her but also provide a much larger space for practicing magic.
Overall, this invitation would alleviate many of Ivan's concerns in the two weeks before school started.
"Thank you for your invitation..."
After deciding, Ivan quickly wrote a reply, and then waited patiently at the orphanage as Mr. Granger had requested.
Around 9 o'clock in the morning, Mr. Granger arrived at the orphanage where Ivan was staying.
Mr. Granger presented his dental qualification certificate, and Ivan agreed to stay at the Grangers' house for a few days since he and their daughter were about to start the same school.
Studying together would help them both better prepare for the upcoming school term.
Mrs. Mena considered briefly and, after instructing Ivan to call daily to report his safety, she consented to their plan.
"Fantastic, Ivan!"
In the car, the excited little witch shared with Ivan the various magical facts she had read about the day before: "Those books are really well-written, especially the basic spells for first-year students. I managed to successfully cast a spell yesterday."
"Magic is so incredible!"
Remembering the astonished expressions of her parents after her successful spell, Hermione felt almost disbelieving.
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