Fiendfyre! School Starts Tomorrow!

Time passed silently.

Like fine sand slipping through his fingers.

Before he knew it, it was already the day before school began.

Ian had grown as well.

The magic in Secrets of the Darkest Art was not particularly difficult to learn. Aside from the section on Horcruxes, Ian had already gathered the standard bonds for all Three Unforgivable Curses.

Killing Curse (Level 1) 11/100

Imperius Curse (Level 1) 1/100

Cruciatus Curse (Level 1) 3/100

Since he was currently in the real world, Ian naturally did not dare use his own wand to practise such severely illegal magic. He had mainly gained mastery over it through studying the theory.

Ian's exceptional talent for Dark Magic had helped with this, and Gellert Grindelwald's annotated explanations in Secrets of the Darkest Art had also contributed greatly.

Of course.

Beyond the Three Unforgivable Curses, Ian had only dabbled in Dark Magic such as Confringo and Legilimens, without delving any deeper.

After all.

It was better to master a few things than learn many superficially.

Raising the levels of his magic later would require Ian to spend time building up proficiency. He already felt it was enough to command Dark Magic capable of handling most situations.

"I'll take it slowly. Sooner or later, I'll learn it all."

Ian was in no great hurry.

He also studied the contents of Standard Spell: Beginner from time to time.

It served as a change of pace from learning Dark Magic.

For the spells Hogwarts first-years needed to learn, Ian only needed a little practice. Fortunately, his Magic Power Level was no longer as weak as it had once been.

Over the past few days.

Although Ian had not finished the entirety of Standard Spell: Beginner, he had already reached the point where he could properly cast most of its easier spells.

That was to say, Level 1 spell proficiency.

The only magic that truly stumped Ian was Transfiguration. He had spent several days trying to turn something into nothing more than a needle, yet had gained hardly any proficiency.

Transfiguration (Level 0) 17/50

This could truly be called slow progress.

He had no idea whether he was still far inferior to ordinary Young Wizards.

In truth, Ian could vaguely sense his own problem—just as Dumbledore had previously warned him, perhaps he placed too much emphasis on the principles and logic behind how magic formed.

This was especially so with Enlightenment of Wisdom enhancing him.

This was a fairy-tale world.

Imagination and the power of belief held tremendous importance here.

Teacher Mara had mentioned something similar in Misty Illusion. All the knowledge she had accumulated over a lifetime could not compare to Pandora's conviction that I reckon I can do it.

Compared to wizards brimming with imagination and believing magic to be miraculous, Ian's science-minded way of thinking had trapped him somewhat in his obsession with logic and principles.

There was no helping it.

Recognizing the problem.

Did not mean he could correct it in a short time.

"Rowena Ravenclaw, one of Hogwarts' Founders, was also a wizard who valued reason, yet her Transfiguration was equally outstanding. There must be a balance to be found."

"I did take painting lessons for a few days when I was younger. Even though the tutor said I wasn't cut out for it, I must have at least a little artistic sense and imagination, right?"

Ian did not doubt whether he could learn Transfiguration. He simply did not know when he would find the balance between reason and imagination.

That required time.

"Transfiguration has shattered my confidence. Only this precious knowledge can rebuild it." Whenever his attempts at Transfiguration became difficult, Ian would return to Secrets of the Darkest Art.

Secrets of the Darkest Art recorded numerous spells, broadly divided into three categories: hexes, jinxes, and death curses, each growing progressively more dangerous and vicious.

Beyond these three types of Dark Magic, however, there was another rather special category—curses.

"So this is where noseless Voldemort got the means to curse the Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor position..." Ian had no intention of studying curses.

He had always treated others kindly.

What enemies did he have that would require him to use something like a curse?

With that time.

Wouldn't it be better spent on the Killing Curse, or on turning up the Fiendfyre valve? Yes, after returning from the Nameless Bookstore, Ian had naturally studied the infamous Dark Magic known as Fiendfyre.

Now.

Fiendfyre had become the Dark Magic in which he had the highest proficiency.

Fiendfyre (Level 1) 76/100

For the same reasons, Ian did not dare use his own wand to cast or practise a spell with such severe penalties. He thought that perhaps he ought to get himself a spare wand someday.

He wondered whether Knockturn Alley offered custom orders.

No matter what.

Without practice, raising proficiency was truly difficult. Fiendfyre had reached this level of proficiency entirely thanks to the records and annotations in Secrets of the Darkest Art.

It had to be said.

The ruthless Miss Grindelwald had not been wrong. In terms of Fiendfyre, Ian could sense from the written annotations alone that her Grandfather, Gellert Grindelwald, was utterly unparalleled.

At his current proficiency.

Ian had not even finished reading all the annotations and explanations related to this spell.

"School starts tomorrow. It'll be hard to read this book after that." Ian looked forward to school, though he also regretted that he would no longer be free to study these unusual spells.

Of course.

Learning other magic would be good too.

Then he could learn the alchemy Teacher Mara had required of him. Ian also truly hoped that, under Professor McGonagall's guidance, he would successfully find the balance between reason and imagination.

"It's definitely going to be a fulfilling life!"

Ian was Full of anticipation for the future.

He sat at his desk and began tonight's studies.

"Today, I'll study the final part of Fiendfyre. Grindelwald was actually able to effectively prevent Fiendfyre from harming its caster, and could even impart his own will into the flames."

"What an astonishingly brilliant improvement!"

Ian lit his wand and eagerly began his studies for the final night. He was a cautious person. When he went off to school, he decided to bury Secrets of the Darkest Art beneath the living room floor.

Well.

It had to go in the most rotten-smelling coffin. Surely, even if Snape returned to live here, he would not be so deranged as to dig up a corpse just to have a heart-to-heart with it.

"Does the reflection of one's heart matter that much... The more profound the magic, the more it seems to emphasize this. At a certain stage, Dark Magic and White Magic seem to share much in common."

As his proficiency slowly rose.

Ian turned the pages concerning Fiendfyre.

Outside.

The night wind whispered.

In this book from Miss Grindelwald, at the end of the final annotation on Fiendfyre, Ian saw a line of text that left him inexplicably astonished.

"May you gain much from your studies, my friend."