Chapter 8: Hogwarts, Please Graduate Soon, Ch 8
At noon, Wayne had a simple lunch and decided not to continue studying magic. Instead, he lay down on his bed and fell asleep.
After a night filled with excitement and a half day spent wandering outside, he was already quite tired. His sleep was especially deep, and when he woke up, the wall clock showed it was past five o'clock.
There were some noisy sounds coming from downstairs. Curious, Wayne slipped out of his bedroom in his pajamas. The two servants and the chef in his house were all highly paid and well-trained, so he found it unusual that they were making such a commotion.
"Young Master Wayne," one of the servants, Linda, rushed to greet him, looking a bit startled.
"What's going on, Linda?" he asked.
"Several owls just flew in suddenly, dropped these things in the living room, and flew off after hanging around for a bit."
As Linda spoke, she still seemed a bit shaken. Owls were nocturnal creatures and rarely seen during the day, let alone carrying packages.
On the carpet in the living room, several large parcels were piled up but untouched. Wayne realized these were the items he had purchased from Diagon Alley that morning. Normally, when owls delivered packages, the recipient would prepare some food for the owls to replenish their energy. This was his first time receiving a delivery in this manner, and he had clearly forgotten to do that.
However, glancing at Linda, the other servant Elena, and the chef Bruce, Wayne considered that he would be doing a lot of magic research at home in the future, which would likely cause quite a stir. It would be a bit inconvenient to have them around. He would also be off to Hogwarts for school shortly, where he would spend less time at home than in school each year.
He pondered whether to let a few of them go. It wouldn't be exactly a dismissal; the Lawrence family had many businesses, and if they wished, Wayne could offer them positions with the same or even higher pay.
"Alright, it might just be some new technology; I bought these things," Wayne casually brushed off the situation.
"Linda, Elena, take the items to the study. Bruce, what's for dinner?"
"How about steak, Young Master Wayne?"
"And add a portion of roasted ribs."
"Understood."
...
After dinner, Wayne headed to the study to begin unboxing. He set aside the items he wouldn't need for now and placed several first-year textbooks on the table, picking up "Standard Spellbook: Beginner" to read.
Spells were the foundation of everything; strictly speaking, Transfiguration, Defense Against the Dark Arts, and even Dark Arts fell under the realm of spells. As long as he mastered spellwork, it would significantly aid his understanding of other subjects.
With a casual wave of his hand, a cup on the table shattered in response. Wayne drew his wand and following the instructions from the book, he focused his mind, raised his wrist slightly, then pushed down in a rhythmic manner while reciting, "Reparo."
As if time was reversing, all the shards flew back into their original positions, and the cracks vanished.
"That was pretty easy," Wayne murmured to himself.
He didn't consider that his innate talent for spellwork had already reached the SS- level; there were hardly any wizards in history who were superior to him. If learning a Repairing Charm was still difficult for him, then what would that make other wizards?
After an hour of practicing while reading, Wayne quickly learned several basic spells: Lumos, Scourgify, Levioso, and Alohomora. Not only did he learn them, but he also simplified certain steps.
For example, the Levioso Charm had a crucial rhythm when reciting; if there were pauses or errors, the spell would fail or be incomplete. What did 'incomplete' mean? If you wanted a quill to float one meter high but it only floated half a meter and moved in an uncontrolled direction—that was incomplete.
All of this was explained in the books. However, Wayne merely needed to recite the incantation clearly and completely, and his wand movements could be a bit more casual to successfully cast spells.
The two words to summarize would be... terrifyingly impressive!
"System, is spell proficiency ranked?" Wayne suddenly asked internally.
[Spell proficiency is categorized into Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, and Master levels.]
[The host can increase proficiency levels through practice and comprehension, and also through drawing corresponding spells in card draws for proficiency stacking.]
"Is there a panel for my spell proficiency?"
A glowing panel appeared before Wayne; glancing at it, he saw that the spells he had just learned had already reached the Intermediate level, which improved his mood considerably.
The primary advantage of the panel was that it gave him a clear understanding of his current status and allowed him to see his progress after putting in effort. Sometimes people are not unwilling to work hard; rather, they cannot see the results of their efforts. Without continuous positive feedback, it's hard to maintain motivation.
Wayne was now full of drive. In just one evening, he had learned all the spells he needed to master for first year, and they were all at the Intermediate level.
In the upcoming days, Wayne didn't go out at all. Aside from meals, he spent all his time in his bedroom and study, continuously learning magic. With his tremendous magical talent coupled with a photographic memory, Wayne's progress was astonishingly swift.
Not only did he master first-year content, but he also tackled "Standard Spellbook: Level Three" and all the prior material, gaining a solid grasp of numerous commonly used spells.
If Professor McGonagall found out about his progress, she would surely be astonished. In just a few days, he had self-studied materials up to third-year level. Would he be ready to take the NETWs exam alongside seventh-year students by the end of first year?
Time swiftly passed, and August arrived. The weather in London became more oppressive, and the irritating chirping of cicadas made people's tempers shorter, but it did not affect Wayne, who had cast a soundproofing charm in his room.
With a snap, he closed "The Dark Magic Powers: A Self-Defense Guide" and stretched lazily.
Walking to the window, he drew back the curtains, and the blinding sunlight flooded in, causing him to squint involuntarily.
"I've grown tired of reading; why not go for a walk in Diagon Alley?"
Last time, it was inconvenient for him to buy many things because of Professor McGonagall's accompaniment. This time, he could indulge in some serious shopping.
....
As for the talent rating, the author's setting was based on some well-known wizards listed on the official website, with a rough ranking. For example, the Three Deathly Hallows brothers were rated at the SSS level, which might not be entirely rigorous.
However, this isn't a pure mathematical question; comprehensive evaluation is a broad concept, with the primary metric being combat power. Thus, Dark Arts Defense, spellcasting, and magical power carry significant weight.
Any disagreements are understandable; I will try to be as reasonable as possible while providing my rationale, so it doesn't cause too much discomfort for everyone.*
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