Private Lessons in Advanced Spells

Anton was remarkably persistent. Even though the light rain in the forest never seemed to stop, he kept practicing the Displacement Soul Curse every day without fail.

That feeling of almost grasping something yet never quite catching it made him feel that he still had not mastered it.

"You've clearly gone down the wrong path." The Old Wizard drifted out from who knew where.

Anton smiled faintly. "Didn't go bother Mr. Pedro today?"

The Old Wizard cackled. "He couldn't stand my nagging anymore, so he activated the Time-Turner. He's probably planning to go back a few days and stop himself from making the Unbreakable Vow with you, then kick you out of the house."

Anton was stunned. "That's possible?"

The Old Wizard waved the hand supporting his head, as if shaking his head. "Impossible."

"He can't change anything. No one can use a Time-Turner to change anything."

"Besides, he has an Unbreakable Vow on him. If he stops himself from making it with you, Lupin can't end up in his hands. Then he'll have no chance to fulfill the agreement, and the only outcome is for him to die directly in the flow of time."

"Cackle, cackle, cackle. My foolish Teacher."

After finishing his daily mockery of his idiotic Teacher, the Old Wizard entered teaching mode.

"Dark Magic isn't something you can master by practicing on a tree. Although you look fairly convincing right now, you've only learned the basics."

Anton nodded. "That's what I thought too. It always feels like something's missing."

The Old Wizard floated closer. "In the past, I might not have been able to give you any profound answers. I could only tell you that Dark Magic is for killing people, not for playing around. You have to kill someone for it to work."

"Now, I have gained a new understanding of life and magic."

"Little bastard, remember this: wherever life passes, it leaves traces."

"When you kill someone, that person's miserable state will be deeply branded into your memories, into the depths of your soul. And that is the most fundamental source of Dark Magic's power."

"That memory, that experience, will quietly alter your heart and your will, and then be reflected in the magic released through your will."

"When you torture someone with the Cruciatus Curse, the longer the torture lasts, the more deeply you will understand those soul-piercing screams and twisted bodies. That is the secret of the Cruciatus Curse."

"This may be rather profound. I don't know whether you can understand it."

"I understand." Anton murmured, "Put simply, successful casting increases proficiency."

"???" Now it was the Old Wizard who did not understand.

"Nothing. Just a strange way of putting it that isn't quite accurate, but makes sense to me. Please continue, Teacher."

"Fine." The Old Wizard seemed somewhat sorrowful. "Things I did not understand before, even if you explained them in the simplest terms, I still could not comprehend after becoming a ghost."

Heh heh.

No need to be so dramatic.

You wouldn't have understood that even while alive.

Anton invited the Old Wizard into his Oak Cabin, pulled out some parchment, recorded what had just been said, and continued listening attentively.

"Following this line of thought, you'll discover something very wonderful." The Old Wizard placed his head back on his neck to preserve his dignity as a Teacher.

"Your life, your memories, your experiences—these will all become necessary factors that influence magic."

"Only by experiencing enough can you travel farther down the path of magic."

"And among all this, you must not forget that your will must remain unwavering from beginning to end. When your experiences become nourishment for your will, you will be able to easily control all those spells that supposedly require emotions."

"Now that the theory is done, let's have some practice."

"You've read my diary, so you should know that I have two spells I'm best at."

Anton's eyes lit up. "The Cruciatus Curse and the Shield Charm—the Shield Charm!"

"Cackle, cackle, cackle." The Old Wizard laughed. "Looks like you caught the key point. The Shield Charm."

"You were obviously fooled by its ordinary-sounding name and thought it was a simple spell." The Old Wizard waved his hand proudly. "No. In fact, quite a few people may understand it, but even in the Ministry of Magic, there aren't many who have truly mastered it."

Anton was surprised. "The Ministry of Magic?"

The Old Wizard nodded with a smile, and his head instantly fell off. He hurriedly caught it and set it back in place.

P.S.: In the original work, the Twins proudly told Harry Potter at their joke shop that the Ministry of Magic had ordered several hundred pieces of protective equipment enchanted with the Shield Charm, because not many Ministry employees could cast it.

"Understanding does not mean mastering." The Old Wizard waved his arms. "When you are ambushed, when you are tense during a direct confrontation, many spells you can normally cast smoothly will fail to come out. Only then will you realize how shallow your understanding of that spell truly is."

"The Shield Charm is a spell with enormous potential. Can you imagine what it would look like if you became a Shield Charm master?"

Anton swallowed.

The Old Wizard continued painting that wonderful scene. "Other than Killing Curses cast by exceptionally powerful Dark Wizards, every other attack will be ineffective against you. You need only stand there, and no one will be able to move you."

"And as it happens, while I cannot call myself a master of the Shield Charm, I can still be considered highly proficient."

"First, before I even explain the fundamentals of casting, let me tell you the secret to taking this spell to greater heights."

"That is a wizard's will!"

Anton's eyes brightened as he added, "Wizard is God!"

"Hahaha, you little bastard really are clever. Yes, exactly. It's still the same saying: command your magic, command this spell, command it to block all harm."

The Old Wizard had clearly come prepared.

He began with correcting pronunciation and Hand Gestures, then moved on to teaching him how to cleverly chant the spell quickly to reduce casting time.

Then, the Old Wizard began recounting in detail all 384 times he had cast the Shield Charm over the more than sixty years since learning it, commenting on and explaining every situation and response.

This course was destined to be a long one.

And so Anton holed up in the Cottage every day, tirelessly absorbing the Old Wizard's experience.

The notes on his desk had already piled into a small mountain.

Until one day.

Anna knocked on Anton's door.

"Mr. Pedro asked you to come over. Tonight is the Full Moon Night."

Before Anton could react, the Old Wizard was the first to let out a strange cackling laugh. "Wonderful! I finally get to watch my foolish Teacher use that foolish method to do something foolish."

He sank straight into the floor.

Who knew how he got through the stone door and returned to the wooden house on the small island.

Anna curiously looked at the towering stack of parchment, covered in dense writing. They were clearly some kind of materials. "You've written so much lately?"

Her childhood experiences had left her with relatively little contact with children her own age.

When Anton first arrived, she had been very happy. She thought she was going to have a companion. (She was only nine.)

Unfortunately, this little boy had no intention of becoming her friend.

The first time he came, he carried a middle-aged man inside, then sat in a chair with his eyes closed in silence.

When he came again later, aside from practicing spells in the woods during the first few days, all he did was shut himself inside the Cottage.

She had been curious, but according to aristocratic etiquette, a lady could not casually knock on the door of an unmarried man. That would be quite improper.

The little boy did not immediately answer her.

He merely looked at the materials with a strange expression and let out a long breath, as though he had put something down.

Then he gave her a brilliant smile, looking especially relaxed and at ease. "Yes. These are spells my Teacher taught me."