Time slipped quietly by.
Like fine sand passing through the fingers.
Before he knew it, the day before the new term had arrived.
Ian had grown as well.
The magic from Advanced Dark Arts Unveiled wasn't too difficult to learn—except for the part about Soul Artifacts, Ian had already put together the three great standard bonds of the Unforgivable Curses.
[Killing Curse (Level 1) 11/100]
[Imperio (Level 1) 1/100]
[Crucio (Level 1) 3/100]
...
Since he was currently in the real world, Ian certainly didn't dare use his own magic wand to practice these highly illegal spells; he could only rely on theoretical contemplation to gain mastery over the magic.
His exceptional Dark Arts talent helped, and the commentaries of Gellert Grindelwald in Advanced Dark Arts Unveiled were indispensable as well.
Of course.
Apart from the three Unforgivable Curses, Ian had only dabbled in a couple more Dark Arts spells—like [Reducto] and [Transformation Torture Curse]—without going deeper.
After all.
It's better to master a few than to dabble in many.
If he wanted to improve the Level of the spells later, it would all require time to build up his Skill Level. For now, Ian felt that being able to handle most situations with the Dark Arts he knew was enough.
"Take it slow; sooner or later, I'll know it all by heart."
Ian was in no rush.
He would also learn some content from Standard Spell: Beginner in his spare time.
A nice diversion from studying the Dark Arts.
These spells required of Hogwarts first-years took Ian a bit of extra practice, but thankfully, his Magic Level was no longer as weak as before.
In just a few days.
Although Ian hadn't finished learning the entire Standard Spell: Beginner, he'd already reached a point where he could cast most of the more manageable spells with ease.
Which was to say, Magic Spell Level 1.
The only spell that really stumped Ian was Transformation Technique—even just transfiguring a needle troubled him for several days without gaining much Skill Level.
[Transformation Technique (Level 0) 17/50]
This could truly be called slow progress.
He wasn't sure if, compared to ordinary Little Wizards, he was even worse off.
In fact, Ian could vaguely sense his own problem—just like Dumbledore had warned him before, maybe he was focusing too much on the principles and logic behind magic.
Especially with Wisdom Enlightenment active.
This is a fairy tale world.
Imagination and faith have vital importance here.
Teacher Mara in the Misty Illusion Realm also mentioned something like this; all her lifetime's learning paled in comparison to Pandro's pure belief that "I can do this."
Compared to those wizards who brim with imagination and faith in the miracles of magic, Ian's logical "science boy" mindset had him trapped by his insistence on logic and principle.
Oh well.
Being able to see the problem—
Doesn't mean you can fix it right away.
"Hogwarts founder Rowena Ravenclaw was also a wizard who revered reason, and her Transformation Technique was outstanding too. There must be a balance to be found somewhere in all this."
"I did at least take several after-school painting classes; even if my art teacher told me I wasn't cut out for it, I've got a little bit of artistic talent and imagination, right?"
Ian didn't doubt he could learn Transformation Technique; he just didn't know when he'd find that balance between reason and imagination.
It'll take time.
"Transformation Technique shattered my confidence—only precious knowledge can help rebuild it." Whenever he struggled with transformation, Ian would turn back to Advanced Dark Arts Unveiled.
The whole book contains many spells, broadly divided into Evil Curses, Poisonous Curses, and Death Curses, escalating by danger and viciousness.
And beyond these three types, there was a rather special kind of magic—Curses.
"So that noseless Voldemort got the Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts job by studying curses here…" Ian had no desire to research Curses himself.
He was always well-meaning to others.
Did he even have any enemies worth cursing?
Why bother?
Killing Curse isn't powerful enough? Or is the Fiendfyre valve not open wide enough? Yes, after returning from the nameless bookshop, Ian obviously studied [Fiendfyre]—that famous Dark Arts spell.
These days—
Fiendfyre had already become his highest Skill Level Dark Arts spell.
[Fiendfyre (Level 1) 76/100]
For the same reason, Ian dared not use his wand to cast or practice such a strictly forbidden spell; maybe he should get himself a spare wand at some point.
He wondered if Knockturn Alley did custom orders…?
In any case.
It's truly hard to improve Skill Level without practice; if Fiendfyre had any proficiency at all, it was all thanks to the entries and notes in Advanced Dark Arts Unveiled.
Have to admit—
Miss Grindelwald really wasn't wrong; in terms of mastery over [Fiendfyre], just from the written notes, Ian could sense her grandfather Gellert Grindelwald's unparalleled brilliance.
At this point in Skill Level—
Ian hadn't even finished reading all the notes and explanations on this spell.
"Tomorrow I'll be starting school—after that, it'll be much harder to read this book at will." Ian was looking forward to school, though he regretted not being able to freely study these unusual magics any longer.
Then again—
Learning other kinds of magic would be nice, too.
Soon, he could study Alchemy as required by Teacher Mara, and Ian really hoped, with the guidance of Professor McGonagall, he could truly find the balance between reason and imagination.
"It's bound to be a fulfilling life!"
Ian was full of anticipation for the future.
He sat down at his desk and began tonight's studies.
"Tonight I'll finish the last part on Fiendfyre. Grindelwald could actually avoid its backlash altogether, and even imbue his own will in the Fiendfyre."
"What a genius improvement!"
Ian lit his wand and eagerly began his final night's work. Ever cautious, before he left for school he decided to bury Advanced Dark Arts Unveiled under the living room floorboards.
Yeah.
It definitely had to go in the stinkiest coffin. Even if Snape came to stay here, it'd be too much, even for him, to go digging up a corpse just for a chat.
"Is the reflection of the mind especially important…? The deeper the magic, the more it seems to stress this. At a certain level, both Dark Arts and White Magic share this common ground."
As his Skill Level crept up slowly—
Ian turned pages on [Fiendfyre].
Outside—
The night wind was whispering.
In this book given by Miss Grindelwald, at the very end of the notes on [Fiendfyre], Ian saw a line that left him bemused and surprised.
"May you gain something from your learning, my friend."