The first spell recorded in the textbook was the Wand-Lighting Charm.
As the simplest illumination spell, it allowed the tip of a wand to emit light, enabling the caster to see in darkness. It required concentration—otherwise, one might accidentally ignite the wand itself, causing irreversible damage.
[You have learned the Wand-Lighting Charm. With your understanding of Arcane Magic, you have grasped its core principles and improved upon it.]
[Your Wand-Lighting Charm has evolved into Dancing Lights.]
[Dancing Lights: You can create a point of light at the tip of your wand, illuminating up to a 30-meter radius. You may freely control this light within a certain range.]
A soft white glow flickered at the wand's tip.
"Not bad," Lewis muttered, pulling out a notebook to record his observations. "The casting difficulty and cost are nearly identical to the original. The upgrade didn't increase its spell tier."
"It's much brighter than in the movies—easily comparable to an incandescent bulb."
With a slight adjustment of his magical output, the light dimmed—from a bright bulb to a flashlight, then to something as faint as a firefly.
Now that felt closer to the films.
But it wasn't enough.
"Next, let's test the new capability."
With a shift in his thoughts, the light detached from the wand and began orbiting Lewis.
At first, it traced simple patterns—a circle, then a figure-eight—before eventually sketching out his signature in the air.
"Control isn't difficult at all. I can even set it to auto-orbit."
After a moment's thought, he dimmed the light further, opened the window, and guided the glowing orb outside toward the second floor of the orphanage.
Even if someone saw it, they would likely mistake it for a firefly.
"Now… go. Let's see how far you can travel."
Lewis stood at the window, watching the light drift farther and farther away.
Five meters. Ten.
Fifteen.
At around twenty meters, the light flickered—and went out.
"Hmm. On first use, it reaches about twenty meters. With practice, it should go farther."
"In any case, this Dancing Lights spell far surpasses the original in both functionality and control, without increasing casting difficulty."
"My first original spell—and it's a complete success."
"I really am a genius."
He continued practicing, refining, and testing Dancing Lights dozens of times.
By the end, he had complete mastery. At its peak, the light could travel up to twenty-five meters before dissipating.
Exhausted but exhilarated, Lewis fell asleep, filled with anticipation for magic.
The next morning, he bid a reluctant farewell to the matron and boarded a bus to London.
As a neighboring region, Surrey wasn't far from London.
After just an hour's ride, he arrived at the Leaky Cauldron.
Even in the morning, the place was just as dim.
Having just learned Dancing Lights, Lewis had the urge to permanently install dozens of them here.
Beyond magic itself, fields like alchemy and magical item crafting in this world were also poorly systematized.
Creating magical items essentially involved embedding magical gems or engraving runes to fix spells onto objects.
But in this world, the knowledge was fragmented. Not all spells could be fixed, and the methods and costs varied widely, making it difficult to learn.
In contrast, within the Arcane system, nearly all spells could be made permanent.
The cost depended primarily on the spell's tier.
High-tier spells were expensive—but something like a 0th-tier Dancing Lights could be made permanent with minimal effort.
Meanwhile, in this world, the Wand-Lighting Charm couldn't be fixed permanently. The closest equivalent was "Everlasting Flame."
A magically sustained fire that burned indefinitely—but few wizards could create it due to its difficulty.
And in terms of practicality?
Dancing Lights was a cold light source.
Everlasting Flame was still fire—smoky, hot, and unpleasant, especially indoors.
If he could learn magical item crafting and mass-produce enchanted lamps using Dancing Lights…
That would be a goldmine.
In an instant, countless business ideas formed in Lewis's mind.
Of course, as a first-year student, that was still far off.
For now, survival came first.
Approaching the counter, the bartender immediately recognized him.
"Oh! You're the new student from yesterday. Lewis… Green, right?" Tom clearly remembered the young East Asian boy.
"Yes, Mr. Tom. Just call me Lewis," he replied politely. "I'll need a place to stay until term begins, but my finances are limited. May I ask the price of your cheapest room?"
"And… if possible, do you need a part-time server?"
"Hmm… I hadn't really considered hiring one… oh, but…"
Seeing the boy's worn clothes and pitiful expression, Tom suddenly felt a surge of guilt.
Rejecting him felt downright cruel.
"Ah! I've got it! I have a spare storage room. You can stay there—no charge. In return, just help clean the place once a day, either before or after work. And I'll throw in a large bacon sandwich for breakfast. How does that sound?"
"Thank you so much, Mr. Tom. You're truly a gentleman."
Lewis responded sweetly.
After all, for a wizard, cleaning was effortless—a flick of the wand and it was done. This wasn't really work; Tom was practically helping him.
Charm Person really was useful.
Combined with his natural charisma, he could easily make a good first impression—and with a bit of sweet talk, things fell into place.
The storage room was small. Once a mattress and table were placed inside, it was nearly full.
But Lewis couldn't afford to be picky.
After settling his belongings, he changed into his second-hand robes, took his wand, and headed to the backyard.
Following McGonagall's method, he tapped the brick, stepped through the archway—
—and entered Diagon Alley.
With accommodation settled, it was time to find work.