Chapter 6: Spell Experiments
Ezio's decision to purchase two wands was not born from greed, but from practical necessity.
When one is incapable of wandless magic, a wand is an essential tool for a wizard to cast spells. If, in a certain situation, he were forced to drop the wand in his hand, he would need a spare one ready.
The principle of being prepared for any eventuality was something an assassin had to keep firmly in mind. Often, the opportunity for an assassination was a fleeting, transient moment. Missing it could easily lead to unnecessary complications. More thorough preparation allowed one to handle more complex situations, ensuring ultimate success.
If Snape had been unable to perform wandless magic, he would have become a lamb for the slaughter the moment his wand was knocked from his hand, no matter how profound his magical knowledge was.
Although Ezio was a boy with the physiological age of eleven, his strength was in no way inferior to that of an adult—he was even stronger than some. In terms of power exertion techniques, he was leagues ahead of most people.
In unarmed combat, killing ten or twenty ordinary people would be effortless for him. The techniques he had learned were ruthless, fatal blows, not the arts of sparring or competitive fighting.
Combat and killing were related, but they could also be two vastly different things.
As the sky gradually darkened, Ezio had no intention of staying at the Leaky Cauldron. Perhaps it was the noisy atmosphere and filthy environment, or perhaps it was because he was new to the wizarding world and lacked a sufficient sense of security. He preferred to stay in an environment he was familiar with.
Putting on his hood, he slipped away silently. Ezio easily found a hotel. In this era, surveillance was not yet ubiquitous. As long as he wasn't seen, it was an excellent place to rest.
Of course, checking in at the front desk was out of the question. Ezio chose to freeload—not because he couldn't afford it, but because it would easily expose him. Completely unnoticed, Ezio casually picked the lock on a guest room door and made it his temporary lodging.
The hotel he chose had low foot traffic, and its best rooms were rarely occupied. The value for money was terrible; for that price, one could choose a much better hotel. It was a place the rich looked down on and the poor couldn't afford, putting it in an awkward position.
Before enrolling at Hogwarts, a young wizard does not have the "Trace" on them. From a magic book that detailed the Trace, Ezio had come to understand what this thing was.
The Trace was a form of contractual magic. As long as a young wizard enrolled in any magic school registered with the Ministry of Magic, including but not limited to Hogwarts, they would sign this magical contract.
Before the age of seventeen—the age of majority in the wizarding world—if a young wizard cast a spell without an adult wizard nearby, their spellcasting would be recorded and reported to the Ministry.
However, this magic was not precise. In the presence of a source of magical interference, such as another adult wizard, the spell would not take effect. This meant that a young wizard could cast spells underage by taking advantage of the presence of an adult wizard.
The Trace was primarily aimed at Muggle-born witches and wizards. The Ministry loathed it when they performed magic in front of Muggles. Although exposing the existence of the wizarding world was difficult, it would Inevitably cause trouble for the Ministry, who would then have to modify memories and conceal the existence of magic—a laborious and manpower-intensive task.
Ezio wasn't too concerned about this restriction. After all, such a crude security measure had many loopholes. For instance, if he needed to use magic in the Muggle world, he could just bring an adult wizard with him. As for how he would bring them, it certainly wouldn't be with their enthusiastic cooperation.
But before he went to Hogwarts and officially enrolled, Ezio could use magic freely. He had no Trace on him and would not be detected by the Ministry.
As long as he wasn't discovered, he could learn and use magic to his heart's content for the next month and a half.
"Lumos… Oh, this one is simple. It seems my aptitude for magic isn't bad. After all, I've never lacked focus. Maybe it's because I have a mature soul? Magic is a matter of willpower. I wonder if the Trace judges based on soul age or physiological age. If it's the former… I'll have to test it out later. The first time casting a spell outside of school usually just gets you a warning. I'm not Harry Potter."
Ezio quickly finished flipping through the first-year Charms textbook. It didn't contain many spells, just a handful. The first-year textbook focused on the fundamentals of magic, with a heavier emphasis on theoretical knowledge. Learning the spells was merely to aid in understanding the theory.
These basic, introductory spells could be learned quickly with the correct incantation and proper wand movement. Ezio's hand was steady, and he didn't stutter. Succeeding on the first try was a normal occurrence.
"Why not try a higher difficulty?" Although trying to run when you've just learned to stand often leads to a fall, he happened to know a very difficult spell that had very low requirements for casting. This spell didn't even require a specific gesture. It only demanded two things—
First, sufficient magical power.
Second, the resolve to kill the target while uttering the incantation.
"Avada Kedavra!"
A jet of green light shot out. A rabbit, purchased from Diagon Alley as Neil's dinner for the night, kicked its legs once and fell dead.
Beside it, Neil curiously examined the dead rabbit, then turned his head to look at Ezio and flapped his wings in protest, as if to say: 'Meat that comes to my beak without a struggle has no soul!'
In reality, this rabbit truly had no soul left.
Killing a rabbit intended for Neil's dinner naturally didn't cause Ezio any guilt. He closed his eyes and sensed his body carefully.
As an assassin, he had incredibly precise control and insight over his own body. His keen perception, honed through countless deaths and battles, allowed him to detect the slightest fluctuation within himself when he entered a state of focus. He was sensing his body's feedback after using the Killing Curse.
He wanted to know If this evil, dark magic—this Unforgivable Curse—had any adverse side effects on him.
"If it's just emotional manipulation, I can ignore it." Ezio opened his eyes. He hadn't detected the slightest abnormality.
"Voldemort hasn't killed as many people in his entire life as I've taken down in a single day in the training grounds. So, can I interpret it this way: the side effect of the Killing Curse stems from the user's own lack of sufficient apathy towards the act of taking another's life?"
"Does anyone feel guilty for drinking a glass of water nowadays?"
Ezio shook his head, muttering to himself and offering a cold, rational assessment: "I no longer feel anything about it."
"But there are many ways to kill someone. Limiting myself to just the Killing Curse is a bit narrow-minded."
"Petrificus Totalus." Ezio waved his wand and pointed. Another rabbit in the cage was instantly petrified. "Diffindo."
The petrified rabbit was instantly torn to pieces. Bizarrely, its severed body parts did not spurt blood violently. The blood remained coagulated within the divided flesh. Only when Ezio lifted the Full Body-Bind Curse did the blood begin to flow out normally.
Neil protested even more fiercely, complaining that Ezio had wasted his second dinner for the night.
'How am I supposed to eat it when you've made such a mess!'