King of Lightning [HP FANFIC]

No sooner said than done.

Anduin began by steadily regulating his breathing, slow and deliberate. Then, he stood and assumed the basic standing posture of Tai Chi. In this position, he had to focus most of his energy on adjusting his body's alignment. The key was "finding": finding the perfect harmony between his neck, waist, hips, and feet . . . and then maintaining it effortlessly. This was his usual method for quieting his mind and steadying his emotions.

As he settled into the posture, Anduin made nearly imperceptible adjustments to different parts of his body, like a musician tuning a delicate instrument. During this process, his mind emptied almost entirely of stray thoughts. Then, with cautious precision, he summoned his magic, slowly directing it toward his brain and attempting to immerse it into his consciousness, the most complex step of all.

To achieve this, he relied on visualization. He didn't imagine himself as some strange creature, but as a black hole, utterly lightless, an infinite void from which no light could escape. Over and over, he tried to draw his magic into this unfathomable darkness.

Thanks to his years of disciplined training, Anduin entered a meditative state with surprising ease. Summoning magic was effortless for him; only the visualization stage required a few attempts. Eventually, though, he stabilized it.

Half an hour later, Anduin concluded his practice and slowly opened his eyes.

"Hmm?" he murmured, surprised as he replayed the experience in his mind.

He wasn't surprised that the attempt hadn't failed, after all, he hadn't expected to master such a complicated magic on his first try. What surprised him was that perhaps he had actually succeeded in performing Occlumency on the first attempt. Comparing his sensations to the descriptions in the magic book, Anduin confirmed that he had indeed grasped the essence of this difficult discipline.

During practice, his progress had felt almost natural. He visualized the black hole, guided the magic to sink in gradually, and when he attempted to envelop his thoughts with it, everything flowed seamlessly, without resistance.

This kind of rapid progress had only happened to him once before, when he learned the Levitation Charm. While other spells also came relatively easily to him, they still required repetition before he fully mastered them. But Occlumency? It was as though he had been born for it.

"Am I some sort of genius at learning Occlumency? Or is there truly an innate talent from my House? Or maybe my regular training and meditation have had a cumulative effect on this type of mental magic? Could it be that years of practicing 'Mental Power,' along with standing and sitting meditations, don't just regulate emotions but also enhance proficiency in such magic?" Anduin pondered these questions deeply, as though he were on the edge of a profound realization that remained just out of reach.

Shaking his head, he forced those thoughts away. No matter the reason, the fact remained—he had succeeded. It was best to focus on fully mastering it before trying to analyze why.

Next, Anduin attempted Occlumency again. However, perhaps due to his unfamiliarity, the flow of magic felt clumsy and imprecise. He let out a quiet sigh; more practice would be needed to wield it naturally, anytime and anywhere.

This initial success encouraged him greatly. He resolved to practice Occlumency every night and, once mastered, to move on to Legilimency. A curious sense of certainty whispered to him: perhaps Legilimency would come as easily as Occlumency.

In the days that followed, Anduin spent his daytime hours refining his spells, training his body, and helping out around the Potter family home. By evening, he studied runes at the rune table and secluded himself in his room to practice Occlumency.

A week passed in the blink of an eye, and soon it was time to return to Hogwarts. Anduin carefully packed his belongings. Ever since Sirius had given him the spatial bag, he no longer had to haul cumbersome suitcases.

He had made good use of the holidays. The runic knowledge he had gained would keep him occupied for quite some time. After finishing his packing with a satisfied smile, Anduin headed downstairs to share one last breakfast with the Potters and bid them farewell.

"Anduin, have you packed your things? Come, sit and have some breakfast. We have a surprise for you later," Lily greeted warmly as she saw him descend the stairs, neatly dressed as always.

Anduin furrowed his brow in curiosity but obediently entered the dining room, where he spent a few moments playing with Harry as they ate.

During the past week, little Harry had grown accustomed to the presence of this unfamiliar older brother and now delighted in playing with him every chance he got.

Anduin held up an apple, teasing Harry as the boy reached out with tiny hands. The child wanted it so badly he nearly burst into tears of frustration, until Anduin gently placed the fruit in his arms, smiling softly.

James, watching the scene, couldn't help but grin knowingly. "Anduin, you're heading back to Hogwarts today. Lily and I have prepared a gift for you. I think you're going to like it."

Anduin blinked in surprise. "A gift? But I already received your Christmas present, and I loved it. What more could you possibly give me?"

At that moment, Lily entered carrying a carefully wrapped package. Smiling warmly, she said, "This is a thank-you gift for looking after and protecting Harry during the battle the other day. I also noticed your interest in runes, so James and I prepared this for you."

Anduin opened his mouth to protest, but Lily gently cut him off. "Don't be so quick to refuse. Open it first and see."

She delicately unwrapped the package, revealing a circular disk about the size of a washbasin. Though it appeared to be made of stone, it gave off a subtle metallic sheen. Resting atop it was a sturdy, leather-bound book.

James explained, "I heard from Lily that you're deeply interested in studying runes, so I found this for you. It's a Rune Disk. Its function is similar to that of a rune workbench. Although it's not quite as powerful, it allows you to learn runic characters and experiment with combining them."

Lily, standing beside him, nodded. "Exactly. This Rune Disk is like a simplified version of a rune workbench. It lets you materialize and combine runes, but it can't record or test them."

Then she picked up the book lying atop the disk and added, "This is a Magic Symbol Recording Book. It's mostly blank and can hold up to a hundred characters and ten runes. I've already stored over forty common three-dimensional magic symbols inside. Normally, flat symbols don't require recording, but if you encounter any three-dimensional ones you wish to preserve in the future, you can record them here."

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