Chapter 31: Wizarding Tiers
"Of course there is," Ryan said. "The gap in magical power between a seventh-year student and a newly graduated adult wizard is immense, and the differences between adult wizards are even greater."
He waved his wand, and a stack of blank parchments appeared, which then floated out to each member of the club. "Please write down all the popular terms you can think of that, in your opinion, represent wizards of different power levels."
"When you are finished," he instructed, "please send your parchments back to me using magic."
This interactive approach was novel and exciting. The young wizards, who had never experienced this kind of lesson, eagerly took up their quills and began to write. Only the two first-year boys looked troubled; they had only just learned the Levitation Charm and weren't sure they could control it well enough to deliver the parchments accurately.
Soon, the first parchments began to float towards Ryan. He summoned three of his small animated models and, with a tap of his wand, set them to work. The astronaut figure began to read out the answers, a small wolf cub model kept a tally, and a short, handsome warrior figure with a green spear taller than he was double-checked the count. If the wolf cub made a mistake, the warrior would let out a contemptuous huff and mutter, "Incompetent." Penelope, who had been playing with the warrior model before the meeting started, watched it with rapt attention.
The astronaut figure began to call out the results:
"Young Wizard, Adult Wizard, Auror."
"Student, Adult Wizard, Dumbledore."
"Young Wizard, Ordinary Wizard, Auror."
"Student, Adult Wizard, Professor, Headmaster."
"..."
Everyone's classifications were remarkably similar. Young wizards were the baseline, Aurors were the high-end power, and Dumbledore was in a class all by himself.
As the final tally was displayed, a collective, knowing smile spread across the room. He can't surprise us with this one, they thought. We're all in agreement. There's no way he can pull one of his usual tricks.
Seeing the confident expressions on the faces of Vaisey, Pablo, and the others, Ryan felt a surge of energy. He knew these clever students were always looking for a chance to one-up him, even if it was just for a small, intellectual victory. And that was just fine by him. In fact, it was perfect.
Good, Ryan thought. This is why I spent all that time reviewing the texts from the ruins and debating with Dumbledore and Flitwick. If no one challenges me, who will I have to put in their place? Who will I get to impress?
He waved his wand, dismissing the three small models for a rest, and then conjured several lines of text in the air:
Tier 1: Young Wizard
Sub-Tier: Junior Student (Years 1-4)
Sub-Tier: Senior Student (Years 5-7)
Tier 2: Adult Wizard
Sub-Tier: Standard (Pass)
Sub-Tier: Advanced (Outstanding)
Tier 3: Elite Wizard
Official Ministry Auror, Elite Auror, most Hogwarts Professors, renowned Dueling Champions.
Tier 4: Archwizard
A master of a specific magical field, such as a Hogwarts Head of House.
As the first two tiers appeared, the students' expressions were calm. When the third tier materialized, they merely thought it was a more detailed classification. But it wasn't a defeat. Not yet.
But when the fourth tier, "Archwizard," appeared, Vaisey's eyebrow shot up. He quickly schooled his expression, transforming in an instant into a staunch supporter of Ryan's new theory. Pablo and Percy, however, were still spoiling for a fight. They knew that as Ryan explained each tier, he would undoubtedly introduce concepts they had never even considered. But it didn't matter. In an informal setting like this, among friends, there was no shame in losing a debate.
Besides, Ryan had left a glaring loophole. This classification had no place for the greatest wizard of the century: Albus Dumbledore.
Pablo thought, This is my chance. He cleared his throat and charged. "Ryan, I believe your classification is flawed! Leaving aside how you define an 'Archwizard,' the very existence of the Headmaster proves that your system is incomplete!"
What a perfect setup, Ryan thought, inwardly cheering for his teammate.
"Pablo," Ryan began, a slow smile spreading across his face, "a person cannot define what is beyond their own comprehension. And neither can I. Therefore, I cannot create a tier that would properly classify the Headmaster."
"Unless, of course, you insist."
Before Pablo could protest that he was doing no such thing, Ryan tapped the text in the air with his wand. As the students collectively gasped, a fifth tier appeared.
Tier ???: Legendary (Figures whose influence will echo for a thousand years)
Merlin; The Hogwarts Founders; Nicolas Flamel... Albus Dumbledore; Gellert Grindelwald; Lord Voldemort... and "Us."
The students stared at the list of names, a shining procession from the dawn of magical history to the present day. They felt dizzy, a strange weakness in their limbs. Ryan had even included the "Us" that Vaisey had spoken of earlier. The feeling was intoxicating, transcendent.
Ryan knew the feeling well. It was like seeing a list of the greatest heroes and leaders from his past life, a lineage of giants that stirred the blood. The feeling was more powerful than any pep talk, more inspiring than any logical proof.
Pablo and Percy looked like they were ready to kneel. Pablo's charge had failed. He had been utterly defeated.
To Ryan's surprise, Vaisey, sitting across from him, was blushing, his breathing slightly ragged. Why are you blushing? Ryan thought. Is this Vaisey broken? Should I get a new one? But a quick scan of the room revealed that Vaisey was not, in fact, broken. Every single student, from the experienced upper years to the first-year newbies, was in a similar state of discomposure. The feeling in the room was... intense.
After letting the moment hang in the air for a bit, Ryan coughed twice, bringing the room back to a semblance of order. "You are all the most brilliant students at Hogwarts," he teased, "but you really must work on your composure."
"Alright, back to the matter at hand," he said. "As Pablo so rightly pointed out, my classifications lack a proper explanation. I will now detail for you my reasoning, and the boundaries I have set for each tier."
There's more?! a collective thought seemed to pass through the room. A strange feeling, a mixture of fear and addictive excitement, settled over them. They were terrified of the mind-bending concepts Ryan was about to unleash, and yet they craved them. Hearing them sent their minds soaring; not hearing them left a strange, hollow ache.
"The first tier, Young Wizard, we have already discussed during our talk on magical growth spurts," Ryan began. "The second tier, Adult Wizard, is where the vast majority of the wizarding population resides. A wizard of this tier is not fundamentally different from a highly skilled senior student. Their practical ability and magical knowledge are not necessarily superior. The primary distinction is that an adult wizard's magical capacity is significantly greater."
"Essentially," he concluded, "you can judge the level of an Adult Wizard by their N.E.W.T. scores. In fact, I would prefer to call the wizards of these first two tiers 'magic-users,' rather than 'wizards in pursuit of truth.' As you've probably realized from your own experiences, in these tiers, the primary focus is on learning existing knowledge—from comprehension, to mastery, to proficiency."
"From the Elite Wizard tier onwards, however, things are entirely different. This is where a wizard truly begins to explore the truth."
When a Ravenclaw began to speak of "exploring the truth," everyone in the room knew they were in for something extraordinary. They leaned forward, their eyes wide with anticipation.