Back in his room, Noah lay on the carpet, reading one of the books he had taken from the library. Without a wand, he decided to use his index finger as a focus point to test the spells.
"Let's see how this works," he said, moving his finger as he recited the incantation he had just read.
"Lumos."
Immediately, the tip of his finger glowed with a white light, illuminating the room.
"Cool," he murmured, moving his finger up and down. The light didn't go out, even when he closed his eyes. He had read that it would behave this way, but seeing it work still surprised him.
"Once activated, I need the right spell to turn it off," he remembered. He flipped the page and read the necessary incantation.
"Nox."
The light went out instantly.
Satisfied, Noah continued reading. A few pages later, he found an enhanced version of the Lumos spell.
Without realizing that anyone watching him would probably doubt their own eyes seeing him cast spells so effortlessly, Noah decided to test it.
"Lumos Maxima."
He covered his eyes as a powerful light erupted from his fingertip, lighting the entire room as if it were daytime.
"Nox."
The light went out, and Noah rubbed his eyes, still irritated by the intense glow.
"Very strong," he commented, surprised. It was indeed a more intense version of the same spell.
"Is there an intermediate version?" he asked himself, flipping through the pages to see if there was a way to control the light's intensity. He found nothing.
"Maybe in another book? Or are there only these two versions of the spell?" he wondered.
Although the light spell was useful, it was somewhat frustrating not being able to control its intensity at will.
Looking for answers, he continued reading. A month passed in the blink of an eye, and Noah had finished all ten books.
After reading all the books, Noah reached several conclusions.
First, it seemed there was a spell for almost everything, with a few exceptions. However, these spells were always extremely limited in function.
For example, the levitation spell (Wingardium Leviosa) could not be used on living beings and was incredibly slow. The Accio spell could summon objects, but its speed was fixed.
Noah could perform both feats better with his innate ability to control objects magically. Of course, learning spells from books was far easier and faster than mastering object control from scratch. But for Noah, the effort was worthwhile.
"Wingardium Leviosa," Noah said, pointing at a book across the room. The book floated as expected but moved slowly, requiring him to guide it with his finger.
"Too slow," he muttered, unsatisfied. He tried another spell: "Accio."
The book shot toward him, and he caught it. He was experimenting with the spells, even though he knew he could do better on his own. It was about forming an opinion and possibly extracting useful ideas.
If he, a newcomer to this world, could see that these spells weren't always the most efficient, surely other wizards had noticed as well. There had to be some logic behind their use.
Opening the next book, Noah flipped to an offensive spell. He learned the incantation and decided to test it. He grabbed a pillow from the bed and tossed it to the floor.
Pointing his finger, he pronounced the words aloud:
"Incendio."
He felt his magic being consumed, and in the next instant, a yellow flame shot from his fingertip, hitting the pillow. Noah smiled, satisfied, though the spell had used more magic than he expected. Whenever he used these spells, some energy was always wasted.
"Maybe because I'm not using a wand?" he guessed. It felt close to the truth, based on his own ideas and the logic of the book's spells. But for now, it didn't matter.
He simply observed and learned. Even if he couldn't use the spell immediately, learning was never harmful.
"Now, how do I put this out?" he asked himself, standing up.
The pillow burned, and the fire showed no sign of dying out. He didn't mind if it turned to ashes—but he didn't want it spreading.
"Once a spell is cast on a target, I lose control of it," he murmured, levitating the burning pillow away from anything flammable.
It was early to say, but Noah seemed to understand why spells were so limited and why wands were always used.
"Because it's easier," he concluded. Simple as that. Pre-made spells were practical and fast, and wands masked imperfections. There were no calculations or creative thinking—just a ready-made method to achieve a goal.
Want fire? This spell gives it. Want to levitate something? Here you go. Wave your wand, say the words, done—magic.
It didn't feel wrong, just… incomplete. Watching the fire on the pillow, unable to extinguish it, he found the word he was searching for:
Incomplete.
Yes. Using magic in a limited way felt incomplete. To levitate an object and bring it to him, two spells were needed, when he could do it with a single free-form magic. Now he created fire but had no control over it. Would he need another spell to extinguish it? Probably.
All this gave him plenty to think about. But first, he needed to put out the fire.
Or maybe I can handle it? he thought, tossing the pillow out the window. He watched as the flames burned the pillow and died on the hard ground below.
Looking at the ashes, Noah already had an idea for what he would do next.
That evening, Noah made an unexpected request during dinner.
"Tomorrow, I want to go for a walk in the city," he announced while cutting a piece of steak.
"Tired of studying?" Charlie asked, curious. Noah rarely left the house, so his dedication to magic and other learning was extraordinary. His grandson was peculiar—sometimes sensitive, sometimes far too intelligent for his age. But one thing was constant: his desire for magic. Since awakening his abilities months ago, he had done nothing unrelated to it.
Noah laughed. "Actually, I want to go out to seek a little inspiration."
"Inspiration?" Adam chuckled. "Fine, but an adult has to come with you…" He stopped as Laura shot him a deadly glare.
"I mean… your mother has to go," he corrected quickly.
Noah laughed at their interaction. "Then it's settled."
The next day, Noah and his mother walked along a beautiful street in Paris. It was cold, and Noah wore bulky clothes, gloves, and a scarf to protect against the wind.
"I had no idea our house had spells to protect against the cold," he said, sipping a warm drink Laura had just bought him.
Laura laughed. "There are many spells in the mansion. Some set by Charlie, others by the house-elves. They keep everything running smoothly."
Noah nodded, sipping again, his eyes following the hurried passersby.
"What's going on in that head of yours?" his mother asked, noticing him stop walking.
"Isn't it funny?" he said, as Laura followed his gaze. "All these people… completely ignorant of the truth of the world. They have no idea magic exists, that some people could destroy everything with a simple wave of a wand… Their lives aren't theirs."
Laura fell silent, stunned at her five-year-old son's words. She could accept his magical genius—but why did he have to be so aware, so mature, about the world?
I just wish he could stay innocent for a few more years, she thought, a mix of pride and worry in her chest.
Noah noticed her expression and sighed. For a moment, he forgot he was still a child. These thoughts were something he should have kept to himself for at least a few more years. A ten-year-old genius might say such things—acceptable. But five? Definitely not.
He gently took her hand. "Come on, or we'll freeze here."
Laura smiled and let him lead. "Whenever you have thoughts like this, you can talk to me. Don't keep them trapped in your head."
"Okay," he nodded, continuing their walk.
They wandered through Parisian streets, and Laura brought him to some peculiar shops. The façades seemed ordinary, but inside, the space was three times larger than it appeared.
The beautiful witches running the shops couldn't resist squeezing Noah's cheeks. Some planted kisses on both his cheeks, while others hugged him tightly against their chests.
He realized he might shop there more in the future—not just for the clothes, but for the treatment.
'The service is really good,' a strange smile spread across his face.
The day continued much the same way. They hopped from store to store, buying whatever caught their eye. Noah had never imagined he'd enjoy shopping so much.
Of course, he didn't forget the real reason for leaving. What he truly sought was simple: matches.
His mother didn't understand why he wanted such a mundane Muggle item, especially when he could simply conjure fire with magic.
"It's for my next magic study," he explained, and she asked no further questions.
Returning to the Gray mansion, Noah had more new clothes than he could wear before outgrowing them, but the main item was the box of matches.
"So, did you get your inspiration?" Adam asked as Noah organized his purchases.
Noah smiled. "Yes, the outing was great too."
"Maybe next time, it can be just the two of us," his father suggested.
Noah agreed, adding, "Sure. I found some really great clothing stores today."
Adam scratched his chin. "And what was so great there?"
Noah opened his mouth to answer but noticed his mother in his peripheral vision and stayed quiet. Then he ran to his room, saying, "I need to get back to studying!"