Disillusionment Charm

Over the next few days, the discussion within the school regarding that once-cool and powerful Defense Against the Dark Arts professor never ceased.

"Hey, have you been to Professor Baker's class yet?"

"Yeah, I have... you noticed it too?"

"Yeah, quite a few people have. Professor Baker seems to have become incredibly listless; he speaks slowly and his tone has become much more monotonous!"

"Exactly, that's it! And he used to be such a great lecturer. Besides the original curriculum, he would share plenty of practical tips and intersperse his own adventure stories, making you not want the class to end. But lately, he just drones on about the textbook content. While it's still quite detailed, it's just not as interesting as it used to be!"

"Sigh, how could a perfectly good professor turn into this after just ten days of not seeing him... Should we go visit him? Maybe some desserts and milk tea could help him perk up again?"

"Quite a few people have already visited him, and even Deputy Headmistress McGonagall went to see him specifically, but it was no use..."

"Are you guys talking about Professor Baker? Let me tell you, a friend of mine in Gryffindor leaked some inside information. They say Professor Snape covets the Defense Against the Dark Arts position and is jealous of Professor Baker, so he's been secretly poisoning his food!"

"Huh? The news I heard was that Professor Binns got bored of teaching History of Magic and wanted to try a new subject, so he secretly possessed Professor Baker?"

"I heard it was a curse from You-Know-Who that's gradually taking effect... By the way, what does 'possess' mean?"

Unfortunately, no matter how spectacular the rumors and gossip flying around outside were, they could not affect Avada and Baron, who were studying and practicing desperately inside the Room of Requirement.

Inside the Room of Requirement, the "Room of Hidden Things" had undergone a complete transformation: a large amount of clutter had been swept into the corners or arranged in key positions to serve as camouflage or cover. A large open space had appeared in the center of the room, where Avada and Baron stood, waving their wands, which emitted strange glows, while chanting complex and lengthy incantations.

After an unknown amount of time, they finally lowered their wands in unison, exhaling a long breath as a wave of exhaustion washed over their minds.

"Excellent."

The Black Crystal Ball containing the soul of Professor Baker was placed among a pile of junk, looking completely inconspicuous. "With this, the second part of the entire magic is complete."

"Your learning speed is faster than I anticipated. Following this progress, you should be able to finish setting up the magic by mid-February."

"Rest for a while, then we'll start today's lesson."

"Merlin's beard, I feel like my brain is about to explode..."

Baron sat on the floor, clutching his head and groaning in pain—although his level was almost unrivaled among first-years and ordinary coursework rarely put him under academic pressure, the content Professor Baker required them to master was simply too vast and too difficult.

The magic for extracting consciousness alone had to be divided into seven steps, each requiring him and Avada to spend several days learning and even more time setting up. On top of that, there were combat strategies for besieging the fake Baker, as well as traps, potions, curses, and all sorts of other external preparations, not to mention their own combat training...

And don't forget, they still had classes during the day and homework at night!

Avada's situation was even worse than Baron's. Without a real person to demonstrate, relying purely on theoretical study, his Magic Sense was almost useless, and even with his optimized talent, there was still a gap compared to Baron. Consequently, the excessive learning pressure meant he had barely returned to the dormitory conscious these past few days; he would basically lose consciousness the moment the back of his head touched the pillow.

Shabi, Summers, and Stebbins had all shown concern for him, suggesting he shouldn't put too much pressure on himself. Since Avada couldn't tell them the truth, he could only work harder, hoping to complete the goal early and free himself from this high-intensity training to dispel their worries, which only ended up making him look even more haggard.

Moreover, during the training, he gradually developed an interesting thought: wouldn't Voldemort be possessing Quirrell to sneak into Hogwarts next year?

I wonder if Professor Baker's magic would have any effect on him?

About ten minutes later, Professor Baker called the two of them up.

"Today, we are going to learn the Disillusionment Charm. This spell plays a huge role in the plan; it will be very useful whether for obtaining magical materials or in the final battle, so you must master it well."

"Don't worry, the Disillusionment Charm is much simpler than the magic you've learned before. The main reason few people master it is that its function is too specific, leading to regulation by the Ministry of Magic. Only Aurors or those in other special professions are qualified to learn it..."

Professor Baker's eloquent voice came from the crystal ball. "The difficulty of picking up the Disillusionment Charm isn't high; it's about a third or fourth-year level. But the real difficulty lies in mastery. Since the principle of the Disillusionment Charm is to change the color of the body to blend into the surrounding environment, a clumsy Disillusionment Charm will only turn you into a bunch of rough color blocks, which might even backfire in certain situations..."

"Then Professor,"

Avada raised his hand and asked a question he had been curious about since reading the original books: "If the Disillusionment Charm can only change body color, how does it achieve complete invisibility?"

"For example, if I stand in the middle of a room with a black floor and white walls, and I use the Disillusionment Charm, what will I turn into? If I turn white to blend into the walls, wouldn't I become incredibly conspicuous from a bird's-eye view?"

Baron, standing to the side, was stunned for a moment after hearing this question, then looked at Professor Baker with the same confused expression.

"Very sharp, you've pinpointed the key to the problem immediately!"

Professor Baker's appreciative voice came through. "That is why, in addition to practicing the spell itself, mastering the techniques of its use is the top priority of the training."

"Users of the Disillusionment Charm usually ensure invisibility to the greatest extent by changing their own position, such as leaning against walls, crawling, and trying not to be exposed to multiple angles. At the same time, since the Disillusionment Charm only maintains visual invisibility, you also need to practice eliminating scent, stealth, sneaking, and so on..."

"I was worried you would be upset after hearing the training volume, so I wanted to keep it from you for a while."

"..."

"Isn't there any magic that can make you completely invisible all at once?" even Baron couldn't help but ask in despair.

"Forget it, there isn't. Unless you have an Invisibility Cloak made of Demiguise hair."

Professor Baker's tone revealed a hint of helplessness. "And the principle of the Demiguise's invisibility remains a mystery to this day. If you could crack it and use it to develop a spell for complete invisibility, the Department of Mysteries and the Auror Office would fight over you."

"So, don't think about those messy things; calming your mind and training properly is the right path."

Avada: ...

If someone just gave him a Demiguise, he could develop that damn invisibility magic in a few days and then scare Professor Baker into a frosted finish.

Unfortunately, he couldn't have one. Even though he had a decent relationship with the fourth-year Rolf Scamander, he couldn't ask him to steal one from Newt and bring it to school.

So, he had to temporarily put this grand ideal behind him and, with a bitter face, wave his wand along with Baron.