Chương 17: Setting a Small Goal.

AU: Since I am incapable of posting chapters in the early morning, I will be posting them around this time the day before. This means that this chapter is tomorrow's chapter, and tomorrow I'll post the day after's chapter at around 7 p.m. Also, thank you, mad_joker_1992, for the powerstones and everyone else. With that out of the way, enjoy!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Before the end of class, Professor McGonagall assigned a seven-inch-long homework. She also requested everyone to practise more after class, expecting to see improvement in the next lesson. For most students, their transformation might not necessarily have advanced after waving their wands for a class, and their arms might even have gained a bit of muscle instead.

Kevin noticed Ron's frustrated face while he was packing his things, complaining, "I suspect there's something wrong with my match; it never changed!"

Harry also shrugged, saying, "My match just turned over."

They both turned their eyes to Kevin with a resentful look. The resentment stemmed from underperforming students' frustration with exceptional students. Why was it that the person they shared a compartment with on the train was so outstanding?

Kevin shivered. He understood very well that there was already a thick wall separating him from Harry and Ron.

The afternoon brought Charms class, and this time they would share it with Slytherin. In fact, all classes on the schedule were conducted together with two houses, and each class's combinations changed to ensure that students from all four houses had several classes together during the week.

Kevin felt that this approach aimed to foster connections among students from different houses. After all, Hogwarts' sorting method was based on personality rather than specialisation. It was easy for young wizards to form cliques, which could lead to mutual antagonism.

The Charms classroom was in the left corridor on the fourth floor. As they walked there, they didn't find it surprising to see the caretaker, Mr. Filch, and his cat, Mrs. Norris. Because the right corridor on the fourth floor was a restricted area, Mr. Filch patrolled this area regularly to catch any young wizards sneaking in.

Nobody wanted detention, so everyone obediently turned left.

The classroom had rows of desks, with students sitting opposite each other. Professor Flitwick, the head of Ravenclaw and the Charms professor, was surprisingly short. He had to stand on a pile of books to be able to reach the lectern.

Many suspected he had some fairy blood, but regardless, it was widely acknowledged that Professor Flitwick was a master of various charms. Rumour had it he had been a duelling champion in his youth.

Kevin believed it because his height provided a natural advantage, making it challenging to aim at him. As introduced by the female prefect earlier, Professor Flitwick was a humorous person. When he called Harry's name during the roll call, he immediately "excitedly" screamed and fell off the pile of books, much to the students' amusement.

"Alright, students, please turn to Chapter One of 'The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1.' We'll discuss the basic principles of magic." Professor Flitwick's voice was somewhat high-pitched but still impossible to ignore.

Unlike arcanists, who had a broad and systematic understanding of magic, wizards tended to have a one-sided and very intuitive perception of it. Many of them held different views.

However, when it came to basic principles, they generally had a consensus: casting magic required two elements: magical power and willpower. Magical power was the raw material, and willpower was the machine that produced the product called magic.

A wand's function was to concentrate magical power, while wand movements and incantations served not only as guidance for the magic but also as suggestions to the caster's subconscious, allowing them to channel their magical power and focus their will.

For beginners, wands and spells were very convenient tools. Following the instructions could allow even those who had no idea how the spells worked to cast them successfully.

However, with continuous practise, wizards gained a deeper understanding of the spells. When a wizard became proficient in a spell, they could use it effectively even without the incantation. Instead, they channelled their magical power according to the desired effect, using their own will to guide it.

This was known as "wandless magic" or "nonverbal magic." However, only a few practised wizards could reach this level.

For those who delved deeply into a spell, they might alter the wand movements and incantations, deconstructing and reassembling them to create new spells, thereby achieving 'transfiguration.'

In this respect, Kevin greatly admired Professor Snape. He was indeed a genius, not only a potions master but also a grandmaster in Legilimency and Occlumency, which was why he had the confidence to act as a double agent in front of both Dumbledore and Voldemort, two contemporary masters of Legilimency.

However, Snape's mastery of magic went beyond that. During his school years, he had created several dark spells, and each one of them was a universal charm.

So-called universal spells refer to spells that most wizards can learn and use proficiently. In fact, throughout history, there have been quite a few wizards who invented their own spells. However, very few of these spells have become widely known and used. This is because many spells, when first created, are highly personalised to their creators, perfectly matching their personalities, physical characteristics, and casting habits. When someone else tries to use these spells, they often stumble, and some spells might even depend entirely on the creator's unique talents and can't be used by others, even if they learn them. It's only through rigorous adjustments that a new spell can become suitable for most wizards.

Snape's spells were almost all like this. For example, the spell he created, [Sectumsempra], is still widely used at Hogwarts. The most outstanding one is [Sectumsempra], created by Snape during his fifth year. Even in dark magic, this spell is exceptional. Not only does it have incredible destructive power, but it also causes continuous bleeding that can't be healed. It's not only unhealable, but it also leaves no visible or tangible effects. Unlike other dark spells that come with flashy special effects, which were like saying to your opponent, "I'm going to kill you; hurry up and cast a shield charm!"

[Sectumsempra] was completely different from those flashy, dark charms. It had virtually no sound or light effects, except for the incantation. It was an essential choice for home, travel, murder, and arson.

Unfortunately, his connection with Lily Potter prevented him from delving deeper into dark magic. Otherwise, Kevin believed that Snape had the potential to become a dark magic master on par with Dumbledore—perhaps even more powerful than the noseless one.

With such a role model as Snape, Kevin couldn't afford to fall behind. With his extraordinary insight, he couldn't set his standards too low.

Kevin set a small goal for himself: to double the number of spells on the list of universal spells before he graduated. However, no matter how grand the goal, he had to start with the simplest spells.

In his first Charms class, they learned the [Lumos] spell. Professor Flitwick looked around and asked, "Who knows the incantation for the Lumos spell?"

Seeing that none of the students responded, Kevin immediately raised his hand and said, "Lumos!"

After all, it was his own house's professor, and he felt like he should show some support at times like these.

"Very good! Your incantation tone is very standard! Five points to Ravenclaw!" Professor Flitwick complimented him, clearly pleased.

The class then moved on to the practical stage, and Professor Flitwick had the students practise the spell. Kevin had already learned this spell on the first day he got his textbook and had even developed an advanced version, which he called [Dancing Light], so he used it right away.

"Very good, Mr. Green; you've succeeded! Perfect radiance! Another five points to Ravenclaw!" Professor Flitwick was praised with satisfaction.

Ravenclaw students were intelligent, but they cared more about individual achievement and hobbies than collective glory. This attitude often resulted in Ravenclaw being overshadowed in the House Cup by Slytherin and Gryffindor.

Finally, this year, an outstanding student with a desire to excel appeared.

In Professor Flitwick's eyes, Kevin was far beyond the other students. This led the Ravenclaw head of house to seize the opportunity to earn a few extra points for his house.

Beyond the points, Kevin had an additional gain from this class. During the free practise period, he consulted Professor Flitwick about advanced uses of the Lumos spell. Professor Flitwick was generous with his favourite student.

[Learned Ultimate Lumos (Lumos Maxima).]

[You understand arcane magic and have grasped the core concepts of the Ultimate Lumos. You've also made an upgrade.]

[Your Ultimate Lumos is now the [Daylight Charm] (Daylight Charm: Illuminates a certain area as brightly as daylight. The light produced by this spell has the same effects as sunlight, such as repelling vampires)."]

Kevin had taken another step towards his small goal.