Chapter 76: The Power Of Max-level Spells
Vaughn could no longer sleep due to his excitement.
He rolled out of bed, and the groggy Guo Guo Cha yawned and jumped to his feet.
Seeing his double-digit Reputation Points, Vaughn’s heart pounded for a while before he managed to control his inner excitement.
He took a few deep breaths to calm himself.
Vaughn looked at the large number of Spells he knew on the System Panel and began to consider adding points.
The Spells had already been chosen.
He was a very methodical person and didn’t easily waver from his decided plans. Although “Dark Magic Robe” had shown him the hope of mastering Dark Arts, it still needed to be verified for now, so it was not considered.
He still followed his original plan, prioritizing his current primary defensive and offensive means.
Full Body-Bind Curse and Disarming Charm!
Ever since entering Level 4, the improvement of these two spells had become increasingly difficult. In the first month of school, he could improve them by 1 or 2 points each week through diligent practice.
By December, there had been no improvement for the entire month.
Vaughn could feel that the current level of these two spells seemed to have reached the limit of his Spell talent at 7. To push them to LV5, he had to invest Reputation Points!
In the system’s classification, reaching LV5 for a Spell represented both the maximum level of the Spell and the mastery of the Spell, reaching a state of perfection.
Although he currently only had Legilimency at maximum level, and this magic was limited by his achievements in memory, it had not shown any magical effects.
But Vaughn felt that maximum-level spells should be more than just an increase in power.
He hesitated no longer, investing 15 Reputation Points to directly max out the Full Body-Bind Curse and Disarming Charm.
He then picked up his wand and called out, “Guo Guo Cha, let’s go test the Spells.”
Guo Guo Cha immediately perked up and trotted behind him.
The person and the cat brazenly ignored the curfew and found their way to the Room of Requirement, encountering Madam Loless and Peeves along the way.
Seeing Vaughn, Peeves cursed and ran away. Vaughn couldn’t be bothered to deal with him, gave Madam Loless some restorative, and then sent her off to trouble other Night Wandering young wizards.
Opposite the tapestry of the Troll hitting Barnaby unconscious, Vaughn released his Legilimency, thinking he needed a room to practice Spells.
Soon, the door of the Room of Requirement opened.
The Room of Requirement had several types of Spell practice rooms, some large and some small.
This time, he was lucky and got a large practice room.
It was almost as large as two classrooms. In the spacious area, over a dozen practice dummies with wheels at their base and wielding weapons such as swords and crossbows were scattered around.
This large practice room was enchanted, and as soon as someone walked in, the dummies would awaken from their dormancy.
Seeing the red light gradually light up in the dummies’ eyes as they rapidly slid around the field, Vaughn, who had been here a few times, knew they were waiting for him to cast Spells.
He didn’t use his wand, but instead made a slight gesture in front of him.
A Full Body-Bind appeared around him. Vaughn immediately noticed the change in the appearance of the Full Body-Bind Curse.
Its original appearance was a translucent bubble or armor, but now the full-level Full Body-Bind Curse had completely changed.
Its overall form was between a bubble and armor, but in terms of detail, a layer of fine scales appeared on its surface.
It was as if a translucent giant beast was shrouding Vaughn, protecting him from harm with its powerful scales and hide.
*Whoosh*—
In the distance, a dummy shot a crossbow bolt.
This training ground, likely established in the Middle Ages, still retained the barbaric style of that era. Even for practice, real weapons were used, and the arrows were sharp and menacing.
But the lightning-fast arrow, the moment it hit the Full Body-Bind Curse, bounced away with a “ding.”
Vaughn didn’t move and commanded, “Continue!”
Several melee dummies slid forward, swinging swords and daggers. The metal weapons, upon hitting the seemingly flimsy Full Body-Bind Curse, struck out sparks.
The remote dummies continued to draw their bows and shoot.
But none of these attacks could shake the spell in the slightest.
It remained steadily suspended around Vaughn, showing no signs of being depleted.
While taking the hits, Vaughn, through his connection with the Spell, felt its changes.
Before long, he opened his eyes, flipped his fingers, and with a thought, the Full Body-Bind Curse, which he could not control after summoning it before, slowly began to rotate.
In an instant, it spun faster and faster, its nature and function began to change. As soon as several incoming arrows hit it, they were “captured” by the spell, which resembled a rotating hemisphere, and then reflected back.
In the distance, a few remote dummies that had stopped in place were pierced by an arrow, with only one that was moving escaping.
“This is a max-level spell…”
Feeling the Full Body-Bind Curse shrouding him, blocking so many attacks with almost no power consumed, Vaughn sighed inwardly.
Then, he raised his right hand and cast the Disarming Charm silently and without a wand.
Instantly, a red light as thick as an adult’s arm surged out and slammed into a melee dummy, sending it flying.
At the same time, Vaughn, who already had experience controlling the Full Body-Bind Curse, quickly established a connection with the Disarming Charm.
The spell’s power, which would normally dissipate after hitting a target, did not dissipate under his will but suddenly split into over a dozen strands, like swimming snakes, sliding and bouncing on the ground and in the air.
The entire scene was like a fireworks display.
Almost every strand hit a dummy. The dummies trembled, and the weapons in their hands flew out uncontrollably, clattering to the ground.
The dummies’ eyes flickered with red light, waiting in place.
Vaughn looked at his hands, his expression astonished, “This is what it feels like to understand a spell to its extreme and cast it at will… it’s like controlling your own hand!”
He was suddenly feeling a bit arrogant.
He really wanted to run to the Eighth Floor and wake Dumbledore up for a fight!
Reason made Vaughn immediately dismiss the crazy thought. He was confident that he might have surpassed Dumbledore in terms of the Full Body-Bind Curse and Disarming Charm, but his magical power was not as strong as that old man’s.
Although the test was not comprehensive, for example, whether the Full Body-Bind Curse’s ability to block spells was as strong as its ability to block swords, or whether the Disarming Charm could still be controlled to split in a more intense and complex battlefield environment.
However, Vaughn was still very happy.
It wasn’t until he noticed that his “high” double-digit Reputation Points had returned to 7 that he calmed down.
Still not rich enough!
After thinking for a moment, he withdrew 5 points from the remaining 7 and invested them in Legilimency, raising it to LV2, as preparation for verifying the “Dark Magic Robe” later.
“Hmm, I’ll find Harry tomorrow to test the effect of LV2 Legilimency!”
It was happily decided!
Harry would surely be very happy.
“Achoo!”
Starting from the morning of January 1st, Harry’s sneezes had not stopped.
He went to the Hospital Wing early in the morning, but Madam Pomfrey said he didn’t have a cold.
This made Harry anxious. Ron told him, “In the Wizarding World, sneezing is not a good thing. It means someone is talking about you.”
Then they looked at each other, and simultaneously thought of last night’s embarrassing experience. They quickly turned their heads to avoid the awkwardness of digging a hole in the floor.
Today was the last day of the Christmas holiday.
In the morning, Harry and Ron, with all their focus and effort, finally finished writing and copying their homework. They decided to cherish their last moments of freedom and have some fun.
Unfortunately, the weather was against them, and a blizzard started to blow outside the castle again.
As a result, they could only huddle in the Common Room, wasting the last half-day of their holiday.
Ron took out Wizard Chess, but he didn’t play himself. He was sick of playing with Harry for over ten days during the holiday—playing chess with a beginner was a painful experience.
Until Hermione returned.
It turned out that no one was omnipotent. Even someone as smart as Hermione had areas where she was completely unskilled.
Around the fireplace, Harry and Hermione, both terrible at chess, played a fierce match, breaking into a sweat.
Harry’s Queen was disheveled, beating the King. The two Bishops were on top of the Rooks, charging around their own board. No matter how desperately Harry shouted, they paid no attention.
Hermione’s two Knights completely ignored the enemy pawns right in front of them. They drew their swords and fought each other. After being wounded, they suddenly made up and prepared to crawl back to trouble the Players, because Hermione, in her excitement, cursed them as cowards.
Ron watched from the side, his heart about to give out, “Merlin—why haven’t you made any progress? If you had made one correct move just now, none of your major pieces would have defected!”
“Ron, shut up!” X2
In the end, the game ended in a draw for both of them—it was simply impossible to continue. Harry’s Queen killed the King, and Hermione’s two disabled Knights, halfway through crawling, suddenly changed their minds and stumbled to kill both the King and Queen. They decided to revolt.
Ending the torturous game, Hermione pushed the chessboard away, deciding to seal this form of entertainment forever.
Harry was unconvinced and wanted to continue.
Hermione quickly changed the subject. She glanced around cautiously and asked, “Have there been any news about the man in black during the Christmas holidays?”
Harry and Ron shook their heads, “No!”
“I wonder if Dumbledore suspects anyone…”
Hermione frowned worriedly. Unlike Harry and Ron’s carefree attitude, the thought of a malevolent dark wizard hiding among the professors made her feel like a lump in her throat.
However, she had considered all the professors during the holiday. Most of them were ordinary wizards and had worked at Hogwarts for a long time.
She even asked Professor McGonagall for information, mainly asking about those who seemed mysterious and suspicious to her, such as the Divination professor, Sybill Trelawney.
Hermione still remembered Professor McGonagall’s expression at the time. Her brow was deeply furrowed, as if she were holding back something, and she said, “Miss Granger, you know I don’t like to speak ill of others, but Sybill… she is really not the Divination professor candidate I expected.”
“Do you mean she can’t predict the future and is a fraud?”
“No, she can predict the future, but she is also a… uh, I can’t say she’s a fraud, she just likes a more dramatic style of performance…”
Professor McGonagall’s explanation was stammered.
Hermione didn’t quite understand.
But at least she had found out that Professor Trelawney did not possess the characteristic of having strong magical strength like the “man in black.”
Although she was reluctant to admit it, after considering all the possibilities, Hermione found more and more…
The person who best fit the description of the man in black was Snape!
She asked Harry, “Has Professor Snape been bothering you lately?”
“Hermione, we’re on holiday, how can he bother me?”
Ron chimed in, “He seemed very busy a while ago, at least I rarely saw him before Christmas… Speaking of which, Vaughn was also mysterious during that time. Could they have been together, researching Wolfsbane Potion?”
Hermione thought for a moment and said to Harry, “Harry, you’re still studying Legilimency with Vaughn, right? I think you should find an opportunity to ask Vaughn if he’s noticed anything unusual about Professor Snape… Why are you making that face?”
Actually, if she hadn’t mentioned it, Harry had planned to forget about it today…
He really didn’t know how to face Vaughn.
Harry and Ron exchanged glances, and Ron showed sympathy.
Hermione looked at them suspiciously, “Are you hiding something from me?”
They both repeatedly shook their heads, “No, absolutely not!”
Ron grabbed Harry’s arm, “Harry, you will go find Vaughn, right?”
“You…” Betrayed by his friend, Harry’s eyes widened, but under Ron’s pleading and threatening gaze, fearing that Ron would expose him and drag him down with him, Harry had no choice but to swallow his pride and nod, “Okay, I’ll ask him tonight.”
Hermione temporarily put aside her doubts about their strange behavior and said, “You ask first, and if there’s no result, I’ll find an opportunity to talk to Vaughn.”
The matter was thus decided.
At night, although Harry tried his best to procrastinate, Ron, fearing that if he delayed any longer, Hermione would come to the boys’ dormitory, pushed him out of the Gryffindor Common Room.
“Ronald! You are such a good friend!”
Harry kicked the door a few times in anger. The Fat Lady scolded him, and Harry had to flee quickly to avoid being mobbed by the portraits.
He ran all the way to the Room of Requirement, where Vaughn had already arrived.
It was still the cozy hut suitable for reading. Vaughn was holding a large book, immersing himself in the past and present of Memory Magic. Harry remembered this book.
He greeted awkwardly, “Hi, good evening, Vaughn…”
To his relief, Vaughn didn’t mock him but casually pointed to the sofa opposite, “Good evening, Harry, sit down.”
Harry sat down. He decided to quickly ask the question Hermione wanted him to ask, to distract Vaughn and avoid bringing up yesterday’s events.
“Vaughn, you’ve been with Snape all this time, have you noticed anything about him…”
To his surprise, before he could finish speaking, Vaughn, who was flipping through the book, replied, “Are you guys still suspecting he’s the man in black?”
Harry scratched his head, “Uh, we thought about it for a long time, and still think Snape is the most suspicious.”
Vaughn shook his head, but this time he didn’t defend the professor. Instead, he said, “I can help you investigate, but how do you plan to repay me?”
“Re… repay?”
Vaughn showed a brilliant smile, “My mastery of Legilimency has improved again, and I can now try to modify memories. Harry, you don’t mind helping me test it, do you?”
Harry: “…”
He wanted to say he minded very much, but wondered if it was possible.
The holiday ended, and the wild, free time was gone. The young wizards ushered in a hellish academic life again.
The professors, who had been idle for half a month, seemed to have been holding back. On the first day after the holiday ended, they assigned a large amount of homework, forcing the young wizards to break away from the lax atmosphere.
The results were remarkable.
The number of young wizards seen fighting and playing in the courtyard a few days ago decreased significantly. Now, almost all of them were holding textbooks, muttering spells with dazed expressions.
Or hiding in the library, sweating over their theses.
In such a tense atmosphere, a rumor quietly spread—the famous Harry Potter had gone mad!
It was said that many people saw him suddenly flick his wrist with an orchid finger and flirt with his hair charmingly while writing his thesis.
Some also saw him in the Dining Hall, occasionally croaking like a frog while eating.
Neville swore that he had encountered Harry imitating frog jumps in the lavatory.
At first, it was just groundless rumors. Until the Potions class on Friday of the first week of the new year.
Professor Snape, as usual, drifted around Harry, spewing venom and sarcasm.
However, Harry, who usually endured it silently, acted like he had gone mad that day, or rather, like he had become a different person. He answered Snape’s deliberately difficult questions fluently and even mocked him in Snape’s tone—
“Severus—Snape! The famous Potions Professor, is this the best question you can come up with? Tsk, tsk, I truly pity these students. To encounter such a mediocre and incompetent teacher at the beginning of their academic careers is the greatest misfortune of their lives!”
Everyone in the classroom at that moment, except for Vaughn Weasley who was absent, both Gryffindors and Slytherins, were stunned.
They watched Snape’s face turn from white to green, then from green to black.
No one had expected that the poker-faced Snape could have such a vivid expression.
The outcome was as expected. Although Harry quickly turned pale with shock, as if waking from a dream, and frantically apologized to Snape, Snape still flew into a rage and deducted 30 points from Gryffindor.
Of course, no one in Gryffindor blamed Harry. 30 points were a small amount, Hermione would earn them back.
They just felt very sorry for the poor fellow.
“He must have been driven mad by the heavy workload,” declared Justin Finch-Fletchley of Hufflepuff, “I’ve seen classmates like this in Muggle schools. You know, before I received my Hogwarts letter, I was preparing to get into Eton College.”
This was not the first time he had brought up Eton College. He would steer any topic towards it.
Even though everyone had no idea what it was.
“Potter might be under a curse!” Malfoy said maliciously one mealtime, with his cronies, specifically going to the Gryffindor long table, “A cruel dark wizard cast a curse on him. The madness has just begun, Potter, you’d better be careful, maybe one day you’ll really turn into a frog, or a madman babbling nonsense!”
Only Hermione and Ron knew what Harry had actually gone through.
On Friday night, a weary Harry arrived at the Room of Requirement again.
He looked as if he had been broken, exhausted.
His listless eyes looked at Vaughn, “Women, frogs, an arrogant Potions prodigy… I’m really tired, Vaughn, what kind of fake memories are you going to weave for me? I don’t care anymore!”
He was indeed tired. No one could provoke Snape and escape unscathed.
Harry had been kept in the Potions Office all afternoon, cleaning the mountains of potion ingredients for Snape, and enduring the other’s incessant venomous remarks.
He felt like his head was about to explode and deeply regretted not firmly resisting Vaughn’s suggestion a few days ago.
Vaughn didn’t speak and placed his wand tip against Harry’s forehead.
Harry remained still, letting him draw a wisp of silver thread from his mind.
After looking at the wisp of silver thread for a moment, Vaughn casually threw it away and shook his head, “Harry, your will is too weak. Normally, after practicing this much, these false memories should no longer interfere with you.”
“Blank mind, or heavy academic thoughts, useless thoughts—these are all techniques of Legilimency. They can ensure you are not affected by false memories. Why can you never persist?”
“I…”
Harry opened his mouth, a little embarrassed, “Sorry, I accidentally spaced out again today…”
Although he intended to use Harry as a guinea pig, Vaughn had not forgotten his intention to teach him.
Quirrell was active in the school all day. Even judging by his appearance, the Voldemort parasitizing him had not drained his life force and seemed to have fallen into a deep sleep.
But no one knew when the Dark Lord would wake up or when he would discover his connection with Harry.
Both Vaughn and Dumbledore hoped that Harry would protect his mind well, rather than attracting the attention of a master of Memory Magic like Voldemort, who might find a loophole and possess his body.
After thinking for a moment, Vaughn said, “Harry, it seems you lack a sense of urgency.”
“…What do you mean?”
Harry looked at Vaughn, who had sat back down opposite him, and suddenly had a bad premonition.
Vaughn ignored his paling face and said, “You know I won’t harm you, so your resistance to my intrusions or memory modifications is always weak. Your trust in me and sense of security make your efficiency in learning Legilimency very low.”
In Harry’s impression, Vaughn was not a serious person. He had a bit of a mischievous streak and often smiled, although when he smiled, it was usually not for a good reason.
But generally speaking, he rarely saw Vaughn become serious.
Just like now…
*Gulp*…
Harry swallowed, and nervously and cautiously asked, “So?”
The answer was Vaughn raising his wand.
“Legilimency!”
Harry felt dizzy and instinctively leaned back. After over two months of learning Legilimency and being its target, he had already experienced the wondrous Mind World.
However, today he did not enter that wondrous scene suspended in mid-air. He and Vaughn were still sitting on the sofa, with the fireplace burning fiercely beside them.
Harry was wondering about it when he saw Vaughn raise his hand and snap his fingers.
The scenery around them blurred. The cozy study, the fireplace, the sofa—Harry felt as if he were on a speeding train, with everything behind him.
When his vision cleared again, he saw that he had appeared in a familiar abandoned classroom.
There was also a mirror covered with a black cloth, placed in the middle of the classroom.
“Vaughn, why did you bring me here… Wait, is this my memory?”
Harry suddenly realized.
“That’s right, Harry, this is your memory. Here you see your mother and father…” Vaughn said slowly, looking at the mirror, then turned to Harry, his expression so calm it sent a chill down one’s spine:
“This memory must be very important to you, right?”
Harry’s face turned pale with shock. He had already guessed what Vaughn was going to do and quickly tried to stop him, “Wait, Vaughn—”
Vaughn sighed, “Harry, you’d better resist me with all your might…”
As he spoke, the Mirror of Erised in Harry’s memory had its black cloth removed. Harry saw the figures of his mother and father appear in the mirror.
And Vaughn was reaching out towards them.
The space his palm passed through, all color faded away!
“No—”
Harry woke up with a scream, gasping for breath. Panic, shock, and the despair of having his most precious possession taken away gripped his heart tightly!
Making it difficult to even breathe.
Then, a hand reached out to him, “Have some chocolate!”
Hearing that familiar voice, Harry grabbed the hand frantically, shouting like a madman, “Vaughn, give it back! My parents…”
He suddenly stopped and looked up.
Vaughn was also looking at him, smiling, “Did you realize? How was the fake memory this time?”
“You… I…” Harry stammered, “That was fake? When?”
“During Legilimency.”
