He first went to the library, intending to check whether there were any alternative materials for what he lacked, but the vast corridor was so empty that not even a cat could be found.
The library's doors were also tightly closed.
However, nowadays, Madam Pince's off-duty hours were no longer a problem for the Little Wizard—of course, this didn't mean Ian's Unlocking Spell could break through the library's door.
He just didn't use the time in many cycles for learning alone.
"I also learned how to be brazen without being discovered!" Ian first confirmed Madam Pince's location; at this moment, Madam Pince was in the infirmary, accompanying Filch.
Perhaps Filch couldn't bear the loneliness after a severe lesson from Aurora, and who knows how the two managed to convince Madam Pomfrey to let them share a room.
Their names overlapped in the infirmary, guessing either Filch's injuries were not severe, or Madam Pomfrey's medical skills were truly good.
Perhaps both.
"Twilight romance is just too... hard to judge, hard to judge!" Ian drew out his Magic Wand, pointed it directly at an area on the wall, and released the magic spell he had mastered in the cycle.
"Thunderous Explosion!"
Just as Ian finished his incantation, the library's wall blew open a big hole in it; he found this perfect spot through numerous experiments.
It wouldn't trigger alarms in Hogwarts nor damage the books inside the library; maybe the founders had hidden this surprise for students not adept with Unlocking Spells.
"Anyway, I found it!" After Ian slipped inside, he immediately turned back to mend the damaged wall; both his Explosive Curse and Mending Charm were close to Level 4.
It can be said.
In the cycle.
Ian had blown up every place in Hogwarts; he was adept at timing the cycle's end to do things usually impossible and prohibited.
"Fluorescent Flickering!"
Ian lit up his Magic Wand, in the silent library, a row upon row of densely packed books appeared more solemn and mysterious in the glow of his wand. A night breeze passed through the door crevice, gently turning the pages and making faint, prolonged sounds, which were exceptionally clear in the endless quiet.
"Choose me! I'll let you explore the laws of the dark world!"
"I am the true Dark Bible! Learn me, and you'll have the world underfoot!"
"None of them attract Little Wizards like I do; my books don't contain profound magic and complex spells, just an eternity of enjoyment you'll never finish..."
...
On the shelves in the Forbidden Book Area.
These murmuring, seductive forbidden books had become familiar to Ian, who simply paused for a few seconds before another bookshelf before proceeding to his familiar area.
Due to often coming here to find substitute materials for ancient Magic Potion recipes, so Ian was most familiar with the Alchemy Area and Magic Potion Area.
And the reason why he flipped through books placed here was that many substitutes for ancient materials weren't naturally found.
They needed to be created through Alchemy, and during the process, many materials violated ethics and morality, with some even defying the strict laws of the Ministry of Magic.
"It's all Teacher Morgan's fault, making me violate school rules, possibly Wizard Law too." Among the books Ian flipped through were some alternative methods requiring infants and youths.
The illustrations made Ian quite nauseated, but he had to grit his teeth and continue. Despite having read many modern books, Teacher Morgan's recipe included materials Ian could find substitutes for in modern times, yet the Witch didn't seem to realize some materials in her recipe were equivalent to gold.
Ian could only choose cheap materials to replace the substitutes already determined by Teacher Morgan; who knows if the Legendary Black Witch intentionally included them.
"Alright, not bad, I skipped the book I just passed by, and the final result didn't disappoint." Ian, after confirming a few plans in his heart, chose to leave.
Wall-passing magic didn't work in the library, but the Explosive Curse did its job; after mending the wall he blew open again, Ian returned to his original route.
"I still have lots of Dragon Blood left, but it needs to be purified and brewed into a new potion, to replace the function of Dragon Brain, and the more complex part is extracting Night Shadow Grass."
"It can replace the original Moon Shadow Grass; both plants might have come from the same family many years ago." The Little Wizard buried his head in his Money Bag researching the implementation process of substitute solutions.
However.
"Boom~"
A helmet from a set of armor suddenly flew toward him, but Ian reacted quickly enough to sidestep and avoid it, thinking it was Peeves behaving like he had eaten Dragon Heart Phoenix Gall, just about to curse angrily.
"..."
Seeing the person manipulating the helmet that flew at him, the Little Wizard's eyes suddenly cleared up, and the angry expression on his face slowly solidified into a forced smile.