Tom's soul memory was sealed by the Seed of the Mind, including memories of various spells, which were blank before he started school.
The spells he had mastered, apart from the simple ones "recalled" as task rewards from the "Book of Guidance," like the disarming charm and the quick binding spell, were all self-taught recently.
These offensive spells were much more difficult than the everyday spells Hermione used, and given Tom's shorter exposure to magic, achieving this level was nothing short of genius.
After the two young witches and wizards completed four sets of experiments, Murphy magically constructed a darkroom nearby. He washed the dozens of photos taken, then magically printed several large-sized photos.
He numbered each photo, came out of the darkroom, and handed them to Tom and Hermione, twenty each, and gave them a stack of forms. "See the numbers on the magic power testers? Write down the readings from each tester into the corresponding boxes in the forms, matching the photo numbers."
"What are we doing, Professor?" Hermione asked.
"Remember what I said about quantification?" Murphy replied. "We designed the experiment, controlled key variables, and now we need to quantify the results as much as possible."
"For today's experiment, we used magic power testers to monitor magic power levels. We recorded the values with and without wands and will analyze the data to draw conclusions."
"I said you should learn more math for better data analysis."
"Today's experiment is simple; we just need to compare the sizes of the two sets of data."
After about ten minutes, the two sets of data were separately organized.
Murphy laid the forms in two rows. "The top ones are the magic power values around the wizard without a wand after casting spells. The bottom ones are with the wand."
"What did you notice?"
"The values at the bottom are much higher," Tom observed.
"Right, without detailed analysis, we can see that magic power values are much higher with the wand. That's supportive evidence for our hypothesis."
"But beyond that, can you find any other information from these data?"
"Tom's magic power when using spells is much higher than mine," Hermione said, feeling a bit disheartened.
"And the spells he used were more advanced than mine; he's even better."
"There are always people more talented than us," Murphy said. "When I was at school, my talent was much less than yours. But to achieve something, the right method and persistent training are equally important. Any other findings?"
"The magic power values at the arms are always higher than at the chest and belly during spell casting, and higher than at the legs," Tom noted.
Murphy nodded. "What's your guess about this?"
"Maybe the distribution of magic power in the body isn't even, or perhaps magic power can flow. When casting spells, the magic power from all over the body might flow to the arms, then through the wand to the outside."
"Good thinking. Do you have a way to test this hypothesis?"
"I could measure the magic power values at rest and compare them to those during spell casting..."
Murphy smiled approvingly. "You're learning how to experiment."
"Let's get started."
...
At dinner, the group of four gathered.
"Did you find out anything?" Hermione asked.
"Hagrid did go to Gringotts in July!" Harry said. "But he went on Dumbledore's orders, though he didn't say why."
Hermione pondered. "Remember the report? Gringotts was robbed, but the contents of Vault 713 were removed beforehand. I think Hagrid was sent by Dumbledore to retrieve that item, which is probably now under the trapdoor in the fourth-floor corridor."
"The fourth-floor corridor has been off-limits since this summer," Hermione added.
"That makes sense. What is it, though?" Harry asked.
Hermione shook her head. "Better ask Hagrid."
"Okay. How about you? Did you make the wand?"
"Not yet," Tom said. "Professor Murphy is researching wand principles. He wants to understand how they work before making one."
"Oh, okay. So, my new wand will have to wait," Ron said, looking forward to a new wand.
"You should all attend Professor Murphy's classes," Hermione suggested. "He's so smart... incredible. He makes you rethink what magic is. I understand magic more now and many things I didn't before..."
"I knew it, you've fallen for him," Ron couldn't understand Hermione's enthusiasm.
Hermione's face flushed, she huffed, not wanting to respond but didn't deny it either, as she was actually thinking of writing a letter to the professor.
"Hermione is right," Tom added. "You should listen to his lectures. He's... an extraordinary person."
"Even Tom..." Ron was surprised. "Has he used a love potion on you?"
"You've only been with him for an hour!"
"Professor Murphy..." Tom began but then felt a gaze. He turned to see a few Slytherin students quickly looking away.
He frowned. Malfoy?
...
"They really became friends with Potter!" In the corridor to the dungeons, a group of students gathered, led by a sharp-featured girl. "Even when Draco invited him, he didn't accept!"
"Mudbloods like sticking with their kind," Draco sneered.
"He got sorted into Slytherin!" Pansy complained. "That hat's getting old."
"We should teach him a lesson," a tall, skinny boy suggested. "The upper years are laughing at us, associating with Gryffindors."
"Let's start with this Mudblood," a pimply boy wearing a hood said. "This is your test, Draco. If you can't handle a student in your year, you don't deserve to join our brotherhood."
"I'll show him who to follow. Let's wait for him here!"
Draco spoke fiercely but felt uneasy inside.
The Slytherin "elites" plotted against a fellow student, unaware a crow perched on the windowsill observed everything.
...
After dinner, parting with the group, Tom was about to return to his dormitory when he sensed something. He opened his notebook and found a new task.
"Side Quest: Establish Your Authority!"
"Description: Your good relations with students from other houses have upset some Slytherins, who are preparing to teach you a lesson. It's time to show some strength and deter them."
"Objective: Defeat the students who provoke you."
"Reward: Armor Charm."
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