"Next, let's learn the first spell of the year, the Lumos spell."
Professor Flitwick said in his high-pitched but pleasant voice, which had a playful and endearing quality.
"When you recite the spell, make sure to pronounce it clearly. Follow me and say: Lumos!"
After ensuring that the students from both Gryffindor and Ravenclaw were familiar with the incantation, Professor Flitwick let them practice freely.
"Lumos..."
For a while, the classroom echoed with the sounds of students repeating the spell.
The Lumos spell wasn't particularly difficult, and the self-suggestion required by the spell didn't pose much of a challenge for the young wizards.
The main difficulty lay in controlling the right amount of magical power. Since many of the students had never used their wands to cast spells before, even with a clear goal, they struggled to make their wands light up.
"Your pronunciation is a bit off," Hermione said, correcting both Harry and Neville as they practiced, while Ivan sat quietly, reflecting on the Lumos spell and the issues he encountered while casting it.
The magical knowledge Dumbledore had imparted to Ivan was mostly theoretical, designed to provide a strong foundation for more advanced studies later on.
This approach made sense—after all, Dumbledore was the headmaster and focused on broader instruction.
For specific subjects, there were designated professors responsible for teaching, and Dumbledore wouldn't take over their duties. Besides, he didn't have the time to handle everything.
Ivan's current approach to learning was straightforward: study independently in the library, seek out the professors for help when encountering difficulties, and only consult Dumbledore when something truly perplexed him.
"Oh, look, Miss Granger did it!"
Professor Flitwick exclaimed as he noticed the light shining from the tip of Hermione's wand. He jumped up and down with excitement, enthusiastically praising the young witch's talent for spells.
"Gryffindor, 5 points, thanks to Miss Granger!"
In the first class, the first student to successfully cast a spell certainly deserved recognition.
Soon after, several Ravenclaw students also managed to cast the Lumos spell.
Given the spell's low difficulty, Ivan mentally ranked it as the baseline — the simplest magic with a threshold that most first-year students could master quickly.
Time ticked away, minute by minute.
By Ivan's estimation, about 10 minutes remained in the class, and only five students had managed to successfully cast the spell.
Most of them were Ravenclaws, with only Hermione and Harry succeeding among the Gryffindors—thanks largely to Hermione's guidance and corrections.
"That seems about right," Ivan thought. With just over 20 students in the class, a quarter of them succeeding wasn't too surprising.
"Lumos!"
"Lumos!"
"Lumos…"
Bang!!
Suddenly, there was a loud explosion, and Ivan's calm expression turned serious.
"Ah!"
"What happened?"
The young wizards in the spells class were all startled by the unexpected blast.
Even Professor Flitwick didn't expect the sudden explosion.
The short head of the Ravenclaw House rushed over as fast as his short legs could carry him toward the site of the blast.
"Huh?"
Flitwick paused, stunned for a moment. He saw a faint golden barrier surrounding Harry, Ronald, and a few others, which encased a boy who now had a blackened face and hair that had puffed up into a ball.
Relieved that the student wasn't seriously hurt, just dirty, Flitwick asked, "Are you okay, Seamus?"
Ivan swiftly dispelled the magic barrier, waved his wand, and quietly cast two spells: "Scourgify! Reparo!"
In an instant, the cracked and charred table returned to its pristine state, and Seamus' hair and clothes were magically restored as if nothing had happened.
"Oh!"
"What a beautiful use of cleaning and repairing spells!"
Professor Flitwick's eyes widened in amazement as he looked at Ivan in shock. "I've never seen a first-year wizard cast those spells so smoothly."
"Gryffindor, 10 points!" he declared.
"Thank you, Professor," Ivan said, then turned to Seamus, asking a few questions to make sure the boy was all right. Seamus, still somewhat dazed, thanked Ivan for helping him out.
"It's okay," Ivan replied with a smile.
Ivan quickly resolved the situation and then asked, "Professor, I have a few questions I'd like to ask you."
"Oh!"
"Of course! Mr. Ambrosius." Flitwick responded, clearly flattered.
"Please call me Ivan."
"Oh! What would you like to know, little Ivan?" He had a fondness for students with a thirst for knowledge, especially one like Ivan, who was both exceptionally talented and polite.
"Well," Ivan began with a slight smile, his tone calm but filled with curiosity, "during the process of casting the Illumination Spell, I realized that the spell itself isn't necessarily required. It seems to be more of a psychological suggestion that helps solidify our intention."
"Hm, yes, indeed," Flitwick nodded, agreeing with Ivan. "That's the basis of silent casting."
After Flitwick's confirmation, Ivan placed his wand on the table and extended his index finger.
A ball of bright white light appeared at his fingertip, glowing steadily but without being blinding, instantly drawing the attention of the entire class.
"Merlin's beard!" Flitwick exclaimed, completely taken aback.
The little wizard before him had not only abandoned the verbal incantation for the Illumination Spell but had also cast the spell without a wand. This was something extraordinary.
Silent and wandless casting—these were the pinnacle of spellcasting techniques in the wizarding world!
"How did you manage that?" Flitwick asked, still in awe.
While Flitwick had seen African wizards casting spells using hand gestures, that technique still involved drawing the symbols of the spells in the air. For example, the incantation for Avada Kedavra required the drawing of a 'lightning' shape.
Many spells, when cast with a wand, also traced specific trajectories in the air.
But Ivan...
Flitwick watched closely, realizing that Ivan wasn't drawing any runes with his fingers. Ivan had truly completed the process of channeling magic solely with his mind.
"Just a few minor tricks," Ivan said modestly as he picked up his wand again. "Actually, what I want to ask isn't about the casting technique itself, but rather how the same spell can have different effects depending on how the magic power is mobilized."
"What?" This time, not only did the group of young wizards look confused, but even Professor Flitwick seemed momentarily stunned.
"It's like this." Ivan realized that words alone wouldn't be enough to explain, so he decided to demonstrate the results of his half-month-long research.
"Professor, look—this is the Illumination Spell cast with a standard amount of magic power."
"Lumos!" Ivan recited the spell accurately, and a bright light glowed from the tip of his wand.
He then began adjusting the output of his magic power and quickly pointed the wand toward the ceiling. "But if I cast the spell using ten times the usual magic power, it will look like this!"
Buzz!
In an instant, the light above their heads became blindingly bright, making everyone feel as if they were staring directly into the sun.
Fortunately, everyone focused their attention on Ivan, otherwise it would have been like what happened with him and Yuumi, with his eyes stinging and tears streaming down his face.
______
15 Chaps ahead:
P@treon: HornyFBI