The Magic of Love

Nottingham Forest, Britain's largest primeval forest.

Inside a towering ancient castle, Ryan shifted impatiently in bed.

Before his eyes was a pink room brimming with girlish charm. This was Ryan's room, specially decorated for him by his mother.

Ryan had no plans to change anything for now. After transmigrating, it was hard to say whether he was Zhou Yi or Ryan Smith.

Last night, he had met Penelope and Kate for a simple chat. They had merely exchanged bits and pieces about their daily lives, yet for some reason, time had passed very quickly.

It was already late. Penelope was forcing herself to stay awake, while Kate, for some reason, only seemed to grow more energetic.

Before he knew it, Ryan suddenly realized that Kate had coaxed a great deal of information out of him. Afraid of giving away his age, he went home early.

Yet even though he had returned home at two in the morning, his Body Modification, which was nearly level 4, left him so full of energy that he still woke up at six. He was utterly speechless.

That was only because Ryan had deliberately retained the function of sleep while training. Otherwise, at his current level, he would have long since cast off the need for sleep.

Even so, going without sleep only meant eating a little more at each meal for Ryan. He could even stop eating entirely and replace food with magic power. Especially with Ryan's Ouroboros-like magic power, such consumption recovered in a single breath.

Never sleeping or resting, fasting without food, soaring through clouds and riding the mist—these were already basic operations for Ryan.

But magic in this world was inherently closer to the power of the mind. Sleeping and enjoying delicious food were, after all, ways to soothe the soul.

And then there was love, the greatest magic in Dumbledore's words. In Lily's hands, intense love could even reflect Avada Kedavra and knock Voldemort flat.

Ryan had been interacting with Penelope and Kate for several months now.

The Cheering Charm, a happiness spell that Hogwarts students could only begin learning in their third year. To be honest, thanks to his exceptional talent, Ryan had mastered it rather well.

But during his interactions with Penelope and Kate last night, that wordless happiness had caused a qualitative change in the spell. Cheering Charm lv3-lv4↑

Race: Wizard

Strength: 17 (the limit for ordinary people is 10)

Constitution: 30 (the limit for ordinary people is 10)

Magic Power: 25 (the limit for ordinary people is 10)

Skills: Thinking lv.4 (1%) Body Modification lv3 (92%) Alchemy lv3 (15%) Charmcraft lv4 (1%)↑ Potion-Making lv2 (13%) Transfiguration lv3 (4%) Gun Kata lv3 (3%) Martial Arts lv2 (23%) Detection lv2 (45%)

Phoenix Metamorphosis lv1 (77%) Telepathic Communication lv1 (27%)

Even Charmcraft had risen to level 4. That was the peak an ordinary wizard could reach through normal study in an entire lifetime—the level of a Hogwarts seventh-year who studied diligently and graduated normally.

Most Hogwarts seventh-years only mastered a few level 4 or level 5 spells, and most of those were common spells learned in class. As for Charmcraft as an overall skill, it was generally around level 3.

Yet the joy that welled up from the bottom of his heart, without the slightest impure thought, had brought the Cheering Charm to level 5 and pushed Charmcraft into the domain of level 4.

So was the reason Harry Potter could trade spells with Voldemort entirely because of such intangible things as love and Courage?

Although Ryan had long understood this, he was still somewhat speechless. Still, with the Black Knight's rapid rate of fire, his constitution, and Gun Kata, even a wizard like Harry probably would not have time to suddenly break through.

It seemed that if there were duels in the future, he should use less trash talk. Those weak-minded enough to be affected by trash talk were not worth wasting breath on. As for wizards with conviction, such emotions would not disrupt them. Instead, they would give them time to strengthen their resolve.

Come to think of it, when Harry Potter generously went to face death in the final book, it was clear from the original description that the Patronus Charm was no longer necessary for Harry. The Patronus in his heart could already shield him from the Dementors' influence.

As he went to meet death, Harry Potter kissed the Golden Snitch containing the Resurrection Stone.

Dumbledore's legacy for Harry truly revealed itself when Harry was ready to die.

His dead relatives appeared one by one, becoming invisible Patronuses that accompanied Harry toward death.

That rotten old man Dumbledore was truly wicked. In Snape's words:

"I have spied for you, lied for you, risked deadly danger for you. All of it, supposedly, to keep Lily Potter's son safe. And now you tell me you have raised him like a pig for slaughter—"

That was getting a little off track. Though it was also because of the Resurrection Stone, Harry Potter's Patronus Charm at that moment had probably reached an unprecedented level 6.

Dumbledore had obtained the Resurrection Stone long before his death. He, too, walked toward death through the Resurrection Stone—or rather, through his own plan. He knew perfectly well what kind of magic the Resurrection Stone possessed. Dementors constantly lingered around Voldemort, and after learning that Voldemort had used Harry's blood to resurrect himself and deepen the connection between them, Dumbledore must have been overjoyed.

Voldemort took Harry's blood and used it to remake his flesh and blood! Harry Potter's blood flowed through his veins, and Lily's spell existed within both Harry and Voldemort! As long as Voldemort did not die, Harry Potter's life would not end!

Under Dumbledore's plan, the spell that should have vanished from Harry at the age of seventeen—the spell of love named Lily Potter—continued within both Harry and Voldemort.

And because he had been conceived through a Love Potion, the monster Voldemort, born by taking his own mother's life and shaped by both nature and nurture, was utterly incapable of feeling love. The moment Voldemort returned to life, invisible chains bound him tightly.

If Dumbledore had encountered such a situation, he would have quickly noticed it and destroyed it. But Voldemort could not.

In Dumbledore's plan, having Voldemort personally destroy his final Horcrux was the last gift he could give Tom Riddle, his own student.

Unfortunately, plans could not keep up with changes. Snape, who should have killed Nagini, died to a snake's bite. Neville, the second person in the prophecy who could be called the Chosen One, beheaded Nagini.

It ruined that rotten old man Dumbledore's wicked little amusement.

Dumbledore had actually prepared two plans. The first was to follow his own old path. If Hermione, who was rather stubborn and did not believe in things absent from fairy tales or books, and Ron, who had no opinions of his own and followed Hermione unconditionally, failed to stop Harry, then Harry would gather the three Deathly Hallows, use their magic together with Snape the spy to drive Voldemort away, and restore peace to the times.

The second was for Harry, under the persuasion of his two friends, to destroy the Horcruxes, learn the truth, generously face death, and ultimately defeat Voldemort.

Seven books, seven invisible trials—Harry Potter's Courage and soul had long been forged into a sword meant to kill Voldemort.

Even after the fifth book, Voldemort no longer dared to deceive Harry Potter through their connection as he had before. In Dumbledore's words, he could not bear a pure and whole soul.

Voldemort had been far too busy destroying his own soul. In his fifth year, he created a Horcrux with Myrtle's death and used it to drive Hagrid away.

Ryan had also looked into love, the oldest magic. But books such as "The Magic of Love," "Protecting Family," and "The Bonds Between People" were all just filled with inspirational platitudes. Or perhaps he could no longer experience such things with the mind and perspective of a child.

The spells recorded within were only moderately powerful. Love itself was their most important component.

Before he knew it, Ryan, reading and thinking at the same time, realized that it was already nine o'clock. With a pop, Jack appeared beside the desk.

"Young Master, your letter."

Oh, a letter. What a hassle. Because of the Smith Family's customs—or perhaps because of magical protection—owls could only deliver letters to a tall tower in the distant valley specifically used to receive mail.

Without a House-elf, walking there would take roughly three hours.

But it was precisely because of this that they had repelled Voldemort's three invasions. Not long ago, Ryan had gone there himself and seen the corpses of several dead Death Eaters at the bottom of the valley, along with a few intact wands.

Once again, thanks to reader 20171231135902818 for the reward.