Anton was exceptionally tenacious. Even with the rain in the forest falling without end, he kept up his daily practice of the Displacement Soul Curse.
That feeling of almost grasping it, yet never quite managing to, made him think he still hadn't mastered it.
"You're clearly going down the wrong path." The Old Wizard drifted out of nowhere.
Anton smiled faintly. "Didn't you go bother Pedro today?"
The Old Wizard cackled. "I annoyed him so much he couldn't stand it, so he activated the Time-Turner. I expect he's planning to go back a few days and stop himself from making the Unbreakable Vow with you—and throw you out of his house."
Anton stared in shock. "You can do that?"
The hand holding the Old Wizard's head wobbled as if shaking it. "Impossible."
"He can't change anything. No one can use a Time-Turner to change anything."
"Besides, he's also bound by an Unbreakable Vow. If he stopped himself from making it with you, Lupin would never have ended up in his hands, and he'd have no chance to fulfill the agreement. He'd simply die in the flow of time."
"Cackle, cackle, cackle. My foolish teacher..."
After his daily teasing of his own stupid teacher, the Old Wizard settled into teaching.
"You can't master Dark Magic by practicing on a tree. You may look like you know what you're doing, but you've only learned the rudiments."
Anton nodded. "I thought so too. It feels like something's missing."
The Old Wizard floated closer. "In the past, I might not have been able to give you a profound answer. I could only have told you that Dark Magic is for killing, not for playing around with. You have to kill for it to work."
"Now, I've gained a new understanding of life and Magic."
"Little brat, remember this: wherever life passes, it leaves a Trace."
"When you kill someone, the sight of their suffering will be seared into your Memory and the Depths of your Soul. That is the most fundamental source of Dark Magic's power."
"That Memory, that experience, will quietly change your heart and your will, and then be reflected in the Magic you cast through your will."
"If you use the Cruciatus Curse to torture someone, the longer you torture them, the more deeply you'll understand their heart-wrenching cries and the contortions of their body. That's the secret of the Cruciatus Curse."
"This is a bit profound. I don't know if you can understand it."
"I understand," Anton murmured. "Put simply, effective spellcasting increases your proficiency."
"???" Now it was the Old Wizard's turn to be confused.
"It's nothing, just a weird way of putting it that isn't quite accurate, but makes sense to me. Please, go on, teacher."
"All right." The Old Wizard sounded a little sad. "There were things I couldn't understand before. You could explain them as simply as you liked, but now that I'm a Ghost, I still wouldn't understand."
Heh.
No need for that.
You wouldn't have understood even when you were alive.
Anton invited the Old Wizard into his Oak Tree Cabin and brought out some Parchment. First, he wrote down what he'd just heard, then continued listening attentively.
"Following this line of thought, you'll discover something quite remarkable." The Old Wizard set his head on his neck, maintaining the dignity expected of a teacher.
"Your life, your Memories, and your experiences will all become essential factors that influence Magic."
"Only by experiencing enough can you go further along the path of Magic."
"And through it all, you must never forget your will. It must remain unwavering. When your experiences become nourishment for your will, you'll be able to control all those spells that supposedly require emotion with ease."
"Now that we've finished the theory, let's get practical."
"You've read my diary, so you should know I'm best at two Charms."
Anton's eyes lit up. "The Cruciatus Curse and the Shield Charm—the Shield Charm!"
"Cackle, cackle." The Old Wizard laughed. "Looks like you've grasped the point. It's the Shield Charm."
"You've clearly been fooled by its ordinary-sounding name into thinking it's a simple Charm." The Old Wizard gestured proudly. "No. Plenty of people may understand it, but even at the Ministry of Magic, not many have truly mastered it."
Anton was astonished. "The Ministry of Magic?"
The Old Wizard nodded with a smile, and his head immediately fell off. He hurriedly caught it and put it back in place.
The Twins once proudly told Harry Potter in their joke shop that the Ministry of Magic had ordered several hundred pieces of protective equipment enchanted with the Shield Charm, because even among the Ministry's employees, few knew how to cast it.
"Understanding a Charm doesn't mean you've mastered it." The Old Wizard waved his arms. "When you're ambushed, or tense in the middle of a face-to-face battle, you won't be able to cast many spells that normally come easily. That's when you'll realize how shallow your understanding of the Charm really is."
"The Shield Charm has great potential. Can you imagine what it would be like to become a master of the Shield Charm?"
Anton swallowed.
The Old Wizard continued to paint that wonderful picture. "Apart from the Killing Curse cast by an exceptionally powerful Dark Wizard, no attack will affect you. You'll only have to stand there, and no one will be able to move you."
"As it happens, while I can't call myself a master of the Shield Charm, I can certainly say I've mastered it."
"First, before I even explain the basics of casting, let me tell you the secret to taking this spell to a higher level."
"That's Wizard Will!"
Anton's eyes lit up. He chimed in, "Wizards as Gods!"
"Hahaha, you little brat really are clever. Yes, exactly. As I said before, command your Magical Power. Command the Charm. Command it to block all harm."
The Old Wizard had clearly come prepared.
He began by correcting Anton's pronunciation and wand movements, then moved on to how to say the incantation swiftly and cleverly to reduce casting time.
Then, the Old Wizard described in detail all 384 times he'd cast the Shield Charm over the sixty-odd years since he'd learned it, commenting on and explaining every situation and reaction.
This course was bound to be a long one.
Anton spent his days cooped up in the cabin, eagerly absorbing the Old Wizard's experience.
The notes on his desk had piled up into a small mountain.
Then, one day—
Anna knocked on Anton's door.
"Mr. Pedro wants you to come over. Tonight is the full moon."
Before Anton could react, the Old Wizard let out a strange cackle. "Wonderful! At last, I'll get to watch my foolish teacher do something foolish in that foolish way of his."
He sank straight into the floor.
Anton had no idea how he got through the stone door and back to the Wooden Cabin on the Island.
Anna looked curiously at the towering pile of Parchment, covered in writing. It was clearly some sort of study material. "You've written all this in such a short time?"
Because of what she'd experienced in childhood, she'd had little contact with children her own age.
When Anton had first arrived, she'd been very happy. She thought she'd have a little friend. (She was only nine.)
Unfortunately, the boy hadn't seemed interested in becoming her friend.
The first time he came, he carried a middle-aged man inside, then sat silently in a chair with his eyes closed.
After that, aside from practicing Charms in the forest during the first few days, he only ever stayed cooped up in the cabin.
She was curious, but according to the etiquette of the nobility, a proper young lady couldn't just knock on the door of an unmarried man's home. It would be very improper.
The boy didn't answer her right away.
He only looked at the study materials with a strange expression and let out a long breath, as if he'd finally put something down.
Then he gave her a radiant smile, looking especially relaxed and carefree. "Yeah. These are the Charms my teacher taught me."
Before you continue