Two days later, in the small greenhouse, Char stared quietly at a leaf on the floor in front of him. With a slight shake of his right hand, magic came into being, and the leaf immediately floated up, suspended by his will. But just a moment later, it began to show an unstable trend, then staggered and fell back to the ground.
He frowned, his eyes falling on the system panel. The words for the Levitation Charm and Levicorpus were already quite blurry at this time, almost blended together. It seemed that he was only a step away from creating the new spell he wanted. Compared to the three-node resonance used in the original Levicorpus, during these two days, Char had relied on his enhanced deduction abilities to add two more nodes, forming a combination of five. But no matter how he tried, adjusted, or changed the configuration, it was impossible to retain Levicorpus's most unique characteristic: the ability to be cast without a wand or incantation.
"This is the seventy-seventh combination of magic nodes I've tried in the past two days," he sighed. "Still not meeting my expectations." He shook his head slightly and stopped trying. After so many attempts with no desired result, there was no need to dwell on this issue alone. There was nothing wrong with thinking for oneself, but it was not shameful to ask professors or elders for help. He glanced at his timetable. It just so happened that there was a Charms class today. Professor Flitwick's attainments in magic were beyond question. It was he who had told him the true secret of runes and ancient magic last time. He could also take this opportunity to consult him about the creation of new magic.
With that, he stood up and walked towards the Charms classroom.
At the same time, in the Great Hall, Harry and his two companions sat in silence at the corner of the long table. Except for Neville, who was still sitting with them, the rest of the Gryffindors seemed to be deliberately maintaining a distance. A gap had spontaneously formed between them and the rest of their house. The reason for this situation was that two days ago, Harry and his companions had a full 150 points deducted from their score by an angry Professor McGonagall. Originally, Gryffindor House could still stand above Slytherin. As a result, it had suddenly fallen to the bottom of the list. Instead, the Slytherins felt proud. After learning that it was Harry and the others who had done this "good deed," they had looked at the trio with such smiles on their faces that they had almost invited them to dine at their table.
With such a huge gap, how could the Gryffindors be kind to them? Even in the original story, though Harry had led the Quidditch team to win two games, the halo of "hero" could not offset the resentment after being deducted points. Especially this time, due to Char's existence, Harry's record was far less dazzling. The resentment suffered was naturally more intense. And when the reason they were deducted points—reporting Char for growing dark magic crops—was spread, the Hufflepuffs, who had originally been quite sympathetic, also completely drew a line. Telling tales and reporting classmates behind their backs was the most despicable behavior in Hufflepuff's eyes. What's more, they had reported Char, who had a great reputation in their house. No matter how good-tempered the badgers were, they would not tolerate such behavior. That's why the trio felt a much stronger chill than in the original story. Basically, no one wanted to talk to them wherever they went.
The three of them had different expressions and ate breakfast absentmindedly in silence. But a little different from Harry and Hermione's dejected performance, Ron seemed to be thinking about something else. Occasionally, a strange smile would appear on the corner of his mouth, as if he had thought of something quite wonderful.
Maybe because the atmosphere was too awkward, Harry took the initiative to speak and broke the silence. He asked Ron, "Ron? Did you have that weird dream again today?"
Hermione heard this and also continued, casting a curious look at him. "A strange dream? What's going on?"
Ron, who had been absentmindedly drinking his oatmeal, reacted much more strongly than they had expected. When he heard the words "strange dream," he almost choked on a mouthful of oatmeal, his face turning red.
At this time, Harry explained to Hermione and Neville, "Two days ago, when we went to the small greenhouse, Ron went back to sleep and when he woke up, he told me he had a very real and strange dream. What was in it—a church? Oh, yes, I remember now. Ron was talking about a strange temple. There was a voice inside calling him in."
Hermione was even more curious, the true nature of the academic master in her revealed. "A dream of a temple? This is an unusual dream. There have been several similar records in the history of magic. Some wizards have claimed that they have dreamed of temples, churches, and the like. Many of them later became great masters." She said half-jokingly, "No wonder you seem to have come to your senses these past two days, Ron. Your magic has advanced by leaps and bounds. Did you enter the temple and get instructed by Merlin?"
Hearing Hermione's words, Ron's eyes flickered. He forced a smile and hesitated. His thoughts, however, brought him back to the dream he had had after that day in the small greenhouse. It was a very strange dream. He was standing on the edge of a strange island. In the center, a strange temple could be vaguely seen. It all seemed real. He could still hear a faint, alluring call coming from the temple, bringing him closer, closer. Whatever he wanted could be achieved. At that time, Ron had felt a sense of fear. The dream was too real. He had also heard some legends from his parents that if you had a dream that was too real, it wasn't a good thing. That time, he had not followed the call of the temple.
But after waking up, as the point deduction incident occurred, he felt like a rat crossing the street. He was not welcomed wherever he went. Even his brothers looked at him with displeasure. And all this, in his opinion, was due to Char's tricks. His heart was filled with resentment and anger all day long. And that night, he had dreamed of the temple again. The voice in the temple seemed to know what he was thinking, and once again, the seductive voice was uttered. "Come here, Ron Weasley. Those who look down on you will now look up to you. Those who use tricks to harm you will be exposed. You will be the center of attention—"
This time, Ron had struggled for a long time, but still took a few steps forward. And after waking up from the dream, he immediately felt that he had become a little different. His magical attainments seemed to have improved a lot. In Transfiguration class that day, Professor McGonagall, who had a stern look on her face, saw him perform the Transfiguration and her expression softened a little. She had even given him five extra points. And with this, Ron had tasted the sweetness.
Last night, he had dreamed of the temple again. This time, he had taken dozens of steps in his dream. After waking up, his magical attainyments had improved significantly. This made him no longer worried about the points deduction. He was now full of confidence, unable to wait to show himself off. Especially when Hermione had accidentally mentioned that wizards in the history of magic who dreamed of temples often had amazing achievements, this made him even more confident. That's right. I am just like those wizards who have left their names in history. They are the ones who are favored. What is Char? Sooner or later, he will be stepped on by me!
Breakfast time had just ended. Ron couldn't wait to walk ahead, towards the Charms classroom. When he walked in, he found Char already sitting in his seat. Ron's mouth curled up into a confident smile, and he gave Char a provocative look. Char, of course, felt Ron's gaze directed at him, but he didn't care about it at all. Although the trio had previously tried to report him, and it did make him a little unhappy, to be honest, they weren't wrong. The mutant mushrooms were so dangerous that they were indeed not suitable for cultivation at Hogwarts. He was too lazy to argue with an eleven-year-old child. But this was what Ron thought was obvious disregard, and it was the thing he hated the most since he was a child.
A moment later, the class bell rang. Professor Flitwick's short figure appeared on the podium on time. He saw Char in the classroom at a glance, a teasing smile on his face. "Aha. What a rare visitor today." Char showed a bit of a wry smile. Professor Flitwick was just joking. After the joke, he glanced at the young wizards and coughed softly. "The final exams are getting closer. The Levitation Charm accounts for a large portion of the final exam score. Let me see if you have mastered it thoroughly." He waved his wand, and with a simple and elegant Levitation Charm, the podium floated steadily in the air. The chalk scattered on it didn't even roll. Char saw this, his eyes full of admiration. This control was absolutely perfect.
Professor Flitwick continued, "Now, like me, levitate the desk in front of you. Simply floating isn't difficult, but please note that the requirements for the final exam are that nothing should fall from the desk. It's not that easy to do this." As the professor talked, Ron was absent-minded, his eyes occasionally glancing at Char, making up his mind secretly. I must beat him. As for the Levitation Charm, a confident smile curved his lips. After receiving the "favor" of the temple, he didn't take this low-level spell seriously at all.
A moment later, Flitwick ordered, "Everyone. Cast a spell!" Immediately, everyone waved their wands. The desks flew into the air. Hermione's desk flew exceptionally high and steady. But the desk in front of Ron flew even higher and more steadily. After Hermione saw this, she couldn't help but widen her eyes. When did his Levitation Charm reach this level? Then, she couldn't help but look in Char's direction again. But what she never expected was that Char maintained the posture of extending his right hand, and the desk in front of him was shaking as if it was being bumped. A moment's effort, and with a clang, it fell back to the ground. This scene made everyone in the classroom look surprised. Char's Levitation Charm… a failure? But how was this possible? Back when they first learned the spell, his was ahead of everyone else. And that was a long time ago. How could he fail now? "I guess I missed the class because I haven't been here for a long time—" Not to mention the Hufflepuffs who had full confidence in him, even the Gryffindors thought so.
But then, under the watchful eye of Professor Flitwick, in front of everyone, he raised his right hand again. The desk began to sway and float, then landed back on the ground with a bumpy ride. This was another failure. This caused a small commotion in the classroom. In Ron's eyes, a feeling of pride and satisfaction passed by. He suddenly felt that Char didn't seem to be anything special. Ron held his head high and puffed out his chest. His Levitation Charm was the best and most perfect in the entire classroom. Professor Flitwick should have seen it, right?
At this time, Professor Flitwick looked serious and walked down directly from the podium. Ron's heartbeat quickened, and a smile appeared on his lips. But the next second, Professor Flitwick walked right past him, towards Char. Ron's smile froze. But he comforted himself, "Professor Flitwick is definitely going to give him a good scolding."
However, something that Ron and everyone else could not have imagined happened again. Professor Flitwick watched carefully as Char cast the spell, then signaled him to perform it again. He closed his eyes, as if feeling something. After he opened them, his eyes were so bright that they seemed to be glowing. The look he gave Char was filled with unstoppable admiration and appreciation. "Wonderful! Wonderful! When you came to my office to ask about runes, I knew you had a very high level of proficiency in them, Char. I didn't expect you to be able to create new spells using magic runes so quickly."
Char shook his head. "Professor. I'm just making some improvements based on the achievements of my predecessors. It's a transformation spell at best, not a creation spell at all."
"But you have changed the rune node combination of this spell. In Charms, this is a new spell. Enough to publish a paper." Professor Flitwick then began to comment on the five magic nodes Char had chosen. Although in the eyes of a spell master like him, five nodes were nothing, among the first-year wizards, they were already rare. What's more, the five magic nodes he had chosen were a combination that could produce special resonance. This was even more valuable. After praising him for a while, Professor Flitwick said with lingering emotion, "Char. You understand the subtleties of runes better than many senior students who have taken the Rune Course. Hufflepuff still has to add 30 points for your outstanding performance!"
At this moment, the Hufflepuffs finally put their minds at ease. They had been worried that something might have happened to Char. Now it seemed… what could be wrong with him? He had long been on another level.
Ron froze there. From beginning to end, the Levitation Charm that had given him so much confidence didn't even catch Professor Flitwick's eye. No one else had even paid attention. This made him look like a clown. In a corner where no one cared, his face flushed crimson. It's like this again… this again. He took a deep breath. Now, he was even more impatient to see the temple in his dream. If only I were closer to the temple… even into the temple. What happens then? By then, I will be able to trample everyone under my feet. Including Char!
At this time, in response to Professor Flitwick's praise, Char took this opportunity to ask, "Professor. No matter how hard I try, it seems that there is no way to achieve the effect I want with the combination of five nodes. Is there any solution?"
Professor Flitwick wasn't surprised by this either. He gave a relieved smile. "Char. We all want to create the perfect spell. But no one can truly grasp the infinite mysteries of magic runes, and no one can construct an infinite node. There's nothing wrong with pursuing perfection, but we can only pursue relative perfection within a limited combination of nodes. Sometimes, when creating a spell, giving up some features is the wisest choice."
When Char heard his words, it was like a flash of lightning passed through his mind. Within a limited combination, relative perfection… give up some features. Yes! The key reason he had been stuck these past few days was that he couldn't bear to give up the wandless, spell-less feature. He had hoped to achieve the effect he envisioned while also retaining this unique characteristic. But how was this possible? Like when Snape created Levicorpus, wouldn't he have wanted to increase the power while retaining both characteristics? Snape must have thought this, but he had still chosen to give up. Then why should he force himself to do so?
"Trade-offs. Right. Trade-offs." He entered a flow state almost instantly. "What I pursue is to cast the spell as quickly as possible. It also combines the characteristics of the Levitation Charm and Levicorpus, making the control effect even more powerful. Combined with the characteristics of Liberacorpus, it can also cause some damage. And my current magic perception only supports me using a combination of five magic nodes. Under these conditions, it's impossible to retain both wandless and spell-less. At most, only one can be retained." He made a decision. "No spell, this is necessary. But without a wand, it can only be a wizard's reliance on a comeback if he is disarmed. However, even without a wand, I still have extremely terrifying combat power, so this characteristic is not that important to me. It can be discarded completely. Once you abandon its wandless nature—"
There was a sudden glimmer of excitement in his eyes. His thoughts suddenly became clear. The countless node combinations he had tried in the past two days came clearly to his mind. The next moment, on the system panel, the Levitation Charm and Levicorpus, just a little bit away from being completely integrated, finally burst out with a dazzling platinum light. Then, two became one. A brand new spell, emitting a platinum-colored light, slowly appeared on his system panel.
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