Hogwarts Raven

You can read ahead up to 30 chapters on my P*treon: https://www.patreon.com/darkshadow6395

Time flows silently like fine sand slipping through fingers. The day before the start of term has arrived, and Ian has also grown.

The magic in 'Secrets of the Darkest Art' isn't particularly difficult to learn. Aside from the knowledge about Horcruxes, Ian has already mastered the three standard Unforgivable Curses.

[Killing Curse (Level 1) 11/100] 

[Imperius Curse (Level 1) 1/100] 

[Cruciatus Curse (Level 1) 3/100] 

Since he's currently in the real world, Ian doesn't dare to practice these highly illegal spells with his wand. 

Instead, he has relied on theoretical study to gain control over these magics. This is partly due to Ian's exceptional talent for dark magic and partly thanks to the detailed annotations and explanations by Gellert Grindelwald in 'Secrets of the Darkest Art'.

Of course, apart from the three Unforgivable Curses, Ian has only briefly dabbled in other dark magics like the [Reductor Curse] and [Transmogrifian Torture], without delving too deeply. After all, it's better to master a few than to dabble in many.

To improve the level of these spells, Ian knows he will need to invest time to build proficiency. For now, he feels that mastering enough dark magic to handle most situations is sufficient. 

"I need to take it slow. Eventually, I'll have it all in my head," He reassures himself. 

Ian isn't in a hurry. He also spends time studying the contents of 'Standard Spells: Beginner Level' as a break from learning dark magic. These spells, which first-year Hogwarts students need to learn, require some practice for Ian. Fortunately, his magic power level is no longer as weak as it once was.

Over the past few days, although Ian hasn't finished learning the entire 'Standard Spells: Beginner Level', he has already reached a level where he can cast most of the easier charms normally. 

That is Level 1 Charm Mastery. The only magic that has stumped Ian is transfiguration. Simply turning an object into a needle has troubled him for days without much progress.

[Transfiguration (Level 0) 17/50] 

This can truly be called slow progress. It's hard to say whether this is worse than the average young wizard. In fact, Ian can vaguely sense his problem— as Dumbledore had hinted, he might be focusing too much on the principles and logic behind how magic forms, especially under the influence of [Wisdom Enlightenment].

This is a fairy-tale-like world where imagination and the power of belief play a crucial role. Professor Mara from The 'Twilight Zone' had also mentioned something similar. Her lifetime of knowledge was completely overshadowed by Pandero's belief that "I think I can do it." 

Compared to wizards who are full of imagination and believe magic is a miracle, Ian's engineering mindset has somewhat trapped him in his obsession with logic and principles. 

Realizing this doesn't mean it can be corrected in a short time. "Rowena Ravenclaw, the founder of Hogwarts, was also a wizard who valued reason. Her transfiguration was equally outstanding. There must be a balance to be found here."

"I did take a few days of art classes back in the day. Although the tutor said I wasn't cut out for it, I must have some artistic cells and imagination, right?" Ian doesn't doubt his ability to learn transfiguration. He just doesn't know when he'll find the balance between reason and imagination. This will take time.

"Transfiguration shattered my confidence. Only this precious knowledge can help me rebuild it." Whenever transfiguration attempts become difficult, Ian turns back to 'Secrets of the Darkest Art'. The entire book records numerous spells, roughly divided into Jinxes, Hexes, and Unforgivable Curses, increasing in danger and malevolence.

Beyond these three categories of dark magic, there is another special type of magic— Curses. "So this is where Voldemort, the noseless one, got the means to curse the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor position…" Ian has no intention of studying curses. 

He's always been kind to others. Who would he need to curse? Given the time, isn't Avada Kedavra satisfying enough? Or can't the Fiendfyre Curse be turned up high enough? 

Yes, after returning from the unnamed bookstore, Ian naturally also studied the infamous [Fiendfyre Curse]. Now, the Fiendfyre Curse has become his most proficient dark magic.

[Fiendfyre Curse (Level 1) 76/100] 

Due to the same concerns, Ian doesn't dare to practice such severely punishable spells with his wand. He feels he might need to get a backup wand at some point. 

'Can Knockturn Alley custom-make one?' Regardless, without practice, improving proficiency is really difficult. The proficiency in [Fiendfyre Curse] is entirely due to the records and annotations in 'Secrets of the Darkest Art'.

It must be said that the ruthless Miss Grindelwald wasn't wrong. In the mastery of the [Fiendfyre Curse], Ian could sense the unparalleled genius of her grandfather, Gellert Grindelwald, just from the written annotations. At this level of proficiency, Ian hasn't even finished reading all the annotations and explanations for this spell.

"School starts tomorrow. It'll be hard to read this book then." Ian is looking forward to the start of term but also regrets not being able to freely study these unique magics anymore. 

Of course, learning other magics isn't bad either. He'll also get to study potions and alchemy as Professor Mara requested. Moreover, Ian truly hopes that under Professor McGonagall's guidance, he can find the balance between reason and imagination.

"It's going to be a fulfilling life!" Ian is full of anticipation for the future. He sits at his desk and begins tonight's study.

"Today, I'll study the final part of the Fiendfyre Curse. Grindelwald actually found a way to effectively prevent Fiendfyre from harming the caster and even imbue it with his own will." 

"What a genius-level improvement!" Ian lights his wand and eagerly begins his final night of study. He's a cautious person. When he goes to school, he decides to bury 'Secrets of the Darkest Art' under the floorboards of the living room.

Hmm. It should go in the most foul-smelling coffin. After all, even if Snape comes back to live here, he probably wouldn't be so deranged as to dig up a corpse for a chat.

"The reflection of the mind is particularly important… The more advanced the magic, the more it seems to emphasize this. Dark magic and light magic share commonalities at a certain level." 

As proficiency slowly increases, Ian flips through the pages related to the [Fiendfyre Curse]. 

Outside, the night wind whispers. In this book gifted by Miss Grindelwald, at the end of the annotations for the [Fiendfyre Curse], Ian sees a line of text that leaves him both surprised and puzzled.

"May you learn well, my friend."

(End of chapter)