The thicker the wall, the slower things moved through it.
But there was more to it. If the spell created a solid wall, Alex realized it could be used as a shield. By pushing it toward an opponent with a burst of magic, it could also be turned into an attack.
Without delay, Alex cast the Impedimenta spell again, this time in the open space of his room.
"First, I need to understand how this spell actually works," he murmured to himself.
He moved closer to the invisible barrier, reaching out to touch it. His fingers met solid resistance, as if he were pressing against a perfectly smooth glass wall, though he couldn't see it.
"It's less than an inch thick but totally blocks anything from passing through either side," he noted, running his fingers along its surface.
'Let's test its strength,' he thought.
Alex picked up a dumbbell from his luggage and gave the barrier a solid hit. An odd sound filled the room—a mix of a dull thud and a soft splash, like hitting water's surface instead of something solid. Intrigued, he hit it a few more times, noticing the strange sound each time.
"It's definitely not metal or stone… more like solidified liquid," he observed, marveling at how strange it felt. Then, putting the dumbbell down, he tested the wall with his fists. After a few punches, something unusual happened—the wall began to soften. It didn't shatter like glass; instead, it turned pliable, almost rubbery.
"Interesting," Alex murmured, rubbing his sore knuckles. "It gets softer after repeated hits. I wonder if that's because it's losing magic."
After a few more strikes, Alex managed to punch through the softened wall. Although he'd pierced it, the spell was still there, making it tough to push through.
He took a step back, then threw himself against the wall, slowly forcing his way through it.
"It's like moving through thick gel… but without the stickiness. This spell is really something," he said, grinning at the strange feeling.
Once the spell's duration ended, the wall vanished. Alex quickly wrote down his observations in his notebook and recast the spell.
"Now, let's see how it handles magical attacks."
Alex stepped back a few meters from the newly formed invisible wall. Raising his wand, he cast Expelliarmus, the Disarming Charm, at the barrier. To his surprise, the spell was blocked by the wall. The magic spread out across its surface and fizzled away.
He tried again, casting spells from different angles. Sometimes the spell was absorbed; other times, it bounced off at a sharp angle.
"That's unexpected," Alex remarked, watching a spell deflect. "If the spell hits straight on, it shatters. But if it hits at an angle, it deflects. That could come in handy during a duel."
He spent the next hour testing different angles and types of attacks, making notes after each attempt.
The more he experimented with Impedimenta, the more possibilities he saw. It wasn't just an obstacle—it could be a shield, a weapon, or even a tool for moving strategically.
"It's almost like a magic barrier I can shape however I want," Alex mused. "I can make it solid or fluid or even turn it into something like magical quicksand. The name Impedimenta doesn't quite fit—it's more like a kind of magic shaping."
Satisfied with his progress, Alex mapped out a plan for improvement.
"I need to focus on a few key areas," he thought.
"First, I'll work on casting it faster—if I can do it quickly, it'll be much more useful in a fight. Then, I'll practice controlling the wall's thickness and shape. I'll also see if I can improve my push, making it a real attack."
With his plan in place, Alex dedicated the next ten days to refining his technique. Each morning, he read his textbooks and learned new spells, but he spent every afternoon practicing Impedimenta. He also visited Flourish and Blotts to buy more books on spellcasting but found them shockingly expensive—some cost more than alchemy items or potions!
In the end, he bought three books: The 7 Ways of Casting a Spell by Barnabus Finkley, The Origin of the Spell: An Introduction to Ancient Runes, and Elegant Steps in a Duel Contest. Although he wanted more, he had to prioritize due to his limited funds.
Still, Alex soaked up knowledge like a sponge. His magic grew stronger every day, and he knew his background and discipline gave him an edge over other students his age.
One evening in early August, Alex stood in the small courtyard behind the Leaky Cauldron. He raised his wand, and with a sharp flick, a transparent "cannonball" made of magical energy shot from his wand. It hit a target made of stacked chairs, shattering it to pieces.
He walked over to the scattered chairs, flicked his wand, and said, "Reparo." The chairs reassembled themselves as if nothing had happened.
"It's coming along nicely," Alex murmured. "I've managed to shrink Impedimenta into a cannonball about the size of a washbasin. If I keep practicing, I might get it even smaller—maybe fist-sized."
He smiled to himself, imagining what he could do once the spell was fully refined. His goal was clear: he would turn Impedimenta into a powerful weapon, like an "air cannon" he could use for both attack and defense.
Over the month, Alex had practiced his casting nearly a thousand times. He trained daily, pushing himself until he was drained of both magic and strength.
In terms of defense, Alex had made remarkable progress. He could now accurately place an invisible barrier wherever he wanted, solidifying it into a protective wall. He had also mastered a low-density deceleration shield, which could be quickly summoned as a transparent shield around him, about a meter in diameter, and moved with him as he walked.
The best part?
He could cast it without waiting for the spell to expire—he had learned to control its release and recall at will.