Her Influence

The talisman led Lucretia to the Chameleon Water Grass.

This time, before she had even fully approached, the water grass began to change.

The cycle of colors noticeably sped up, shifting from pale blue to deep green, then purple.

She slowly crouched down, paused for a moment, then reached toward the water.

The instant her fingers touched the surface, all the water grass stopped changing color.

Then, as though they had agreed beforehand, they all turned a jade-blue color she had never seen before.

The color was deep yet transparent, like lake water mixed with the sky.

Several strands of water grass closest to her began moving toward her fingers.

They gently curled around her fingertips, their touch mild and friendly.

The talisman in her pocket began to grow warm, then emitted a faint glow.

The light was soft, faintly visible through the fabric of her robe.

Sensing the light, the water grass became even more vivid in color.

Lucretia closed her eyes and felt the wondrous connection.

After Regulus reached the rocky area, he first stood still and surveyed it.

His gaze rested on each rock for several seconds, as if evaluating something.

Then he began inspecting them methodically, starting with the largest and working his way down.

For every rock, he first studied the surface texture with his eyes, then ran his fingers over it.

"This texture..."

One of the rocks was half-submerged in water, its surface possessing an unusual smoothness.

Regulus drew his wand from inside his robe, tested its weight in the air first, then lightly touched it to the rock's surface.

There was no response.

He frowned, remembering an ancient method his father had taught him.

A faint fluorescent glow appeared at the tip of his wand, and he brought the light close to different parts of the rock.

When the glow from his third attempt shone on the point where the bottom of the rock met the water's surface, a rippling shimmer suddenly spread across the stone.

Regulus took out a small bottle of transparent liquid from another pocket and carefully dripped it onto the glowing spot.

The instant the liquid touched the rock, tiny crystals began spreading outward from the point of contact, covering the entire surface as if they had come alive.

He watched the crystals with satisfaction. "The Black family's ancient detection method... never fails. Good thing I made special preparations before coming."

Regulus then took out the Crystal Vial the headmaster had given him and carefully removed several crystals.

When the crystals left the rock itself, they gave off a soft blue glow in his hand, as though acknowledging his Black bloodline.

Little Barty had already spent ten minutes in the soil area, yet found nothing.

When he crouched down to inspect the first plant, he was still patient, lightly touching its leaves with his wand and observing its reaction.

There was nothing unusual.

With the second plant, his movements became faster, and he tested it directly with his hand.

It was still an ordinary plant.

After that, Little Barty's movements as he stood became visibly impatient.

He wiped his right hand on his robe, as though brushing away something unpleasant.

Just as he was about to head for another area, his sleeve caught on an inconspicuous gray-green plant.

The plant immediately raised tiny thorns, reacting faster than any plant he had ever seen.

Little Barty immediately stepped back to observe its defensive response.

"Interesting."

He began testing it systematically.

He first approached from the left, and the plant's thorns immediately turned toward him. Then he approached from the right, and the thorns turned again.

When he circled around behind it, every thorn adjusted its direction to track his position.

He took out his wand and drew a small circle an arm's length away from the plant, marking the safe distance.

Then he slowly moved closer, counting his steps.

"Defense radius is approximately half a meter. Response time decreases with distance..."

He recorded the data in his mind.

Then Little Barty took a pair of silver tweezers from his robe and reached toward the plant's roots.

The plant reacted violently, releasing a pale green mist, but the tweezers had already clamped onto the target.

He swiftly withdrew them, his fingertips reddening from the excessive speed.

Several dark brown seeds sat in the tweezers, gleaming with an oily sheen beneath the sunlight.

He inspected his prize and nodded in satisfaction. "Defensive seeds, released only under specific threat patterns..."

As he was about to stand, his gaze passed over the plant and landed on Lucretia in the distance, gently interacting with the Chameleon Water Grass.

She looked as natural as though she were talking with a friend.

Little Barty paused for several seconds, then turned back toward the plant.

"Thank you for your contribution."

His voice was low, carrying a hint of embarrassment.

Strangely enough, the plant's thorns slowly retracted, and its entire posture relaxed.

Dumbledore found a flat rock and sat down as though watching a play, observing the three students.

His gaze first fell on Regulus.

Seeing the young Black use his family's inherited detection method, he nodded.

The motion of taking reagents from inside his robe, the patient repeated attempts, and the trust in ancient wisdom all reminded him of a student from many years ago.

"I heard that Godric and Rowena once debated two different methods of testing materials as well. Mr. Regulus's method places greater emphasis on communicating with magic rather than forcing detection, though he may not realize that himself."

When his gaze shifted to Little Barty, Dumbledore's expression became more intent.

He watched the young man patiently analyze the plant's defensive mechanisms, testing its reaction thresholds with an almost scientific approach.

Rigorous, efficient, and clear in purpose.

But what truly made a glimmer flash through Dumbledore's eyes was the pause Little Barty took after looking at Lucretia.

That moment of hesitation, followed by his turning back to thank the plant.

He murmured to himself, his eyes filled with gratification. "It seems Mr. Little Barty has not only grown in magic... some influences have reached farther than I expected."

Finally, his gaze fell on Lucretia.

She did not even need to search to find materials most compatible with the essence of her magic.

She could also inspire others to view the magical world in different ways.

"Sometimes, the most powerful magic is not a spell, but the connection between people."

The three returned to Dumbledore, each holding a Crystal Vial containing their materials.

Dumbledore pointed at the flat stone surface by his feet. "Place the materials on this stone and arrange them in a small circle."

Regulus set down his rock crystals first. The instant they touched the stone, they gave off a soft blue light.

Little Barty promptly placed down the seeds, and a pale green glow immediately formed around them.

Lucretia placed down the Chameleon Water Grass last, and it began changing colors.

"Now, place the talisman in the middle."

Lucretia took the talisman from her pocket. Before it even touched the stone surface, the Chameleon Water Grass's color fixed into jade-blue and began emitting light of the same color.

The light extended outward, and when it touched the rock crystals, the two lights began intertwining.

Sensing the energy, the seeds' brown surfaces began revealing the green light within, merging with the other two glows.

The moment the talisman touched the stone, all three lights shot upward at once, forming a complex web of light in the air.

Dumbledore's voice carried barely concealed delight. "This is magical resonance. It is a phenomenon produced when the magical properties of different materials complement one another."

The web of light lasted for a full minute before slowly fading.

Yet the light from the three materials remained, gentle and enduring.

He drew his wand from deep within his robe, its shaft gleaming warmly beneath the sunlight.

"Now, I will teach you a special protective spell: Guardian Perception."

Dumbledore slowly demonstrated the movement in the air.

First came a small circle, the tip of his wand tracing a pale trail of light.

Then his wrist turned, and the circle expanded outward, forming the shape of a large protective barrier.

He repeated the motion. "An ordinary Shield Charm creates a barrier of fixed strength, while this spell adjusts its properties according to the caster's intent and the environment."

This was rather different from the direct wand movement of the Shield Charm Lucretia had learned from Little Barty during the summer holiday.

Dumbledore stopped and looked at Lucretia. "This is a basic variation of the Shield Charm, one that is not usually taught in ordinary classes. But it is important for understanding the connection between magical intent and effect. An ordinary Shield Charm creates a barrier with fixed strength and properties, whereas a perceptive protective spell adjusts its properties according to the caster's intent and surrounding environment."

The wand seemed as light as a feather in Dumbledore's hand.

"Do not worry about the difficulty. These are all improvements built upon the same framework. I believe you will learn it very well."