Small Group Class

After the curfew, the Castle fell completely silent.

Regulus enveloped himself in Disillusionment Charm and walked out of the Slytherin Common Room.

The Corridor was deserted; the portraits lay asleep, the armor stood still, only the torches on the walls still burned, casting flickering shadows.

He deliberately unleashed all his senses.

The Magic Perception spread outwards, capturing every anomaly in the air.

Spatial Perception is activated simultaneously, and the structure within the area is clearly presented in the mind, every gap, every corner, and even the vortex of airflow.

No House-elf were found, nor were there any other signs of surveillance.

Regulus was not surprised; Dumbledore's observation was likely intermittent, not constant surveillance.

Or perhaps there's nothing scheduled for today, or maybe the House-elf is busy elsewhere.

Either way is fine.

He walked to the Library entrance, where Madam Pince's table was empty. He easily made his way to the Forbidden Section and went to the shelf with books about soul Magic.

<Soul Resilience: On Countering Soul Stealing and Bewitching>.

Regulus consulted the documents as usual.

Defense against the Imperius Curse.

The book says that the essence of the Imperius Curse is to forcibly overwrite the target's will with the Spellcasting's will, making the target unable to distinguish whose thoughts are being expressed.

The defense method is to strengthen one's own will and establish defenses.

It was a conventional approach, but Regulus thought further ahead.

During the Christmas holidays, Orion tested his mental strength with the Imperius Curse.

He successfully resisted, relying on the unwavering willpower honed through Star Orbit Meditation and the Mind Maze constructed by the Legilimency.

But after resisting, he had an idea.

The Imperius Curse covers up damage, but what if we go even further?

It doesn't cover up or suppress, but replaces.

Regulus thought that if the will of the target was a Castle, the Imperius Curse would send an army to conquer the Castle, kill the garrison, and plant its own flag.

This is a violent conquest; it will encounter resistance and may fail.

But what if we try a different approach?

Instead of sending troops, they sent architects, craftsmen, civil servants, and even spies to slowly infiltrate and modify the Castle's structure, replace key personnel, and subtly make the Castle their own.

By the time the target was spotted, it was too late to resist.

That will no longer be Imperius Curse; it may be a more advanced form of mental manipulation.

That requires immense mental strength, meticulous execution, and a deep understanding of the target's will structure.

However, it is theoretically feasible, especially for targets with weak willpower or mental vulnerabilities.

Regulus withdrew his Magic Power and closed his eyes.

This idea is interesting, but it's just wishful thinking at this stage. His mental strength is not enough, his understanding of the structure of will is almost zero, let alone its fine-grained operation.

But it can serve as a direction.

Once you advance further in Star Orbit Meditation and light up the fifth star, or even more, your mental strength will experience a qualitative leap.

You can try it then, starting with simple goals, like small animals, and then gradually upgrading.

He suddenly wondered, what about small animals? What if the wizard transformed into a small animal?

Human Transfiguration are probably not possible, but Animagus might be, because Animagus are at risk of being influenced by animalistic factors.

The little mouse is great, Peter, keep it up!

Regulus continued to explore other forbidden books, and each time he came, he couldn't help but marvel at how Hogwarts was a treasure trove.

It was almost 2 a. m. when I got back to my Dormitory.

Avery and Alex were asleep, their even breathing coming from behind the curtains. Hermes ' bed remained empty, the curtains drawn tightly, and no one was inside.

Regulus washed up and lay down on the bed.

Hermes was away from his Dormitory more often than he, a frequent night owl, was.

Although he went out at night last semester, at least he came back to sleep every day. Since the beginning of this semester, he is often nowhere to be seen all night.

He no longer follows the small group; Avery has expressed his dissatisfaction with Hermes to him, believing that leaving the group is tantamount to betrayal.

Alex had no objections, and was even vaguely happy; he was a gloomy boy, not very likable.

Slytherin has always had various small groups, some based on blood ties and others on shared interests.

Many upperclassmen, united under Voldemort's ideology, would don black robes and Silver Mask upon graduation to dedicate themselves to the great cause.

Regulus didn't care about any of that; he was thinking about Hermes. Was that mission entering a critical phase?

Regulus recalled the things he had found last semester: the cursed books, the empty glass bottles, the map marking the hidden areas of the Castle, and the occasional burn marks and sulfur smell on Hermes.

He's looking for something, or carrying out some family mission.

Regulus had no intention of interfering as long as it didn't affect him.

Everyone has secrets, Hermes ' secrets are fine as long as they don't become a threat.

However, we need to keep an eye on Hermes; he is valuable and deserves a helping hand in crucial moments.

I showed my strength last semester, but now it seems it's not enough.

Regulus closed his eyes, letting his consciousness sink into Star Orbit Meditation.

Four Silver Star lit up in the darkness, outlining the Orion. Magic Power flowed in cycles along the celestial trajectories, soothing the day's fatigue and slowly easing the mental burden.

sleep.

On a Friday afternoon in late January, the Charms Class classroom was half empty.

Professor Flitwick formally invited Regulus to attend the Advanced Charms Seminar, but in reality, only Regulus and a few upperclassmen participated.

Regulus knew that this was a Hogwarts tradition, where professors would invite truly gifted young wizards to receive individual instruction.

Regulus readily agreed, thinking to himself, "Professor Flitwick is already in place, so how far behind can Professor McGonagall be?"

He had already prepared questions for Professor McGonagall.

Professor Flitwick stood on the stack of books, with only five people in front of him.

Three seventh-year students, two Ravenclaw, one Hufflepuff, and one sixth-year Gryffindor, sat in the front row, quills and parchment already prepared.

Regulus sat in the second row by the window, with an empty seat next to him.

The older students in the front row frequently looked him over, their gazes friendly yet curious, showing no sign of anything amiss just because he was only a first-year student.

In fact, Regulus was already well-known.

"Today's content is not in the syllabus." Professor Flitwick's voice was lower than usual, not as sharp as in class, and his eyes shone.

"The emotional resonance of a spell, or in other words, how the Spellcasting's mental state affects the Magic effect."

"The same Levitation Charm," Flitwick said, raising his wand. "Let's leave it at that for now—"

With a light tap of the wand, the quill pen on the podium floated up, rose steadily, and stopped in mid-air.

The pen swayed slightly, like a dandelion seed floating in a gentle breeze.

The ascent is slow and gentle, with even a slight pause at the peak.

"When I Spellcasting, I thought of lightness and joy, like seeing a butterfly for the first time in spring."

Professor Flitwick said, "Now—"

He waved his wand, and the quill fell back onto the table. A moment later, he Spellcasting again.

This time, the quill pen shot up with a "whoosh," twice as fast as before, and stopped motionless about 30 centimeters from the table with its tip pointing downwards.

The pen didn't wobble at all, and the ink cartridge cast a long, thin shadow in the sunlight.

"This time, I'm thinking about responsibility," Professor Flitwick said, looking at the quill pen. "It must float, it must be stable, it must be accurate."

Regulus stared at the pen.

He could sense the difference; the intensity of the Magic Power was the same, but the texture was different.

The first incantation flowed with gentle and calm Magic Power, while the second was tense and focused.

Both states achieved floating, but in different ways.

"The incantation is fixed," Professor Flitwick continued.

"Gestures, pronunciation, Magic Power —all of these are written in the textbook."

But wizards are not Magic artifacts; we have emotions, states of mind, and thoughts at any given moment.

These extra elements seep into the Magic and affect the spells.

A seventh-grader from Ravenclaw raised his hand. "Professor, is there a standard for this kind of influence? I mean, can it be quantified?"

"It's difficult." Flitwick shook his head. "Everyone's emotions are different, and even the same person's emotions can vary at different times. But what's certain is that mental state affects the quality of a spell."

Regulus looked at the pen, an idea popped into his head, and he raised his hand.

"Mr. Black."

"Professor," Regulus asked politely, "The syllables and gestures of a spell are fixed, but the wizard's mental state during the Spellcasting will change the Magic effect."

Is this change patterned? Can it be intentionally controlled and reproduced?

Professor Flitwick looked at him intently. "You mean, to manipulate the effects of spells by controlling one's own state?"

"Yes, Professor." Regulus nodded.

"The same Levitation Charm, when cast with different states of mind, will have perceptible differences in its Magic Power trajectory and final effect."

Does this difference stem from the wizard's inner state regarding Magic Power itself—"

Regulus paused, a word coming to mind. "Immersion?"

If so, what is the mechanism of this contagion? Is it possible to train a specific mental state to become a reliably invoked spellcasting condition?

The classroom fell silent. Professor Flitwick took a deep breath.

"You've touched upon a high-level spell." His voice became serious.

"The spell itself determines what it can do, but the wizard's mind determines how it is made. Professor Dumbledore studied this area extensively in his youth, and he called it the Resonance of Mind-Image and Magic."