Hogwarts: Dumbledore reigned over the wizarding world.

Chapter 274 The Five Levels of the Curse

That's a weather spell, also a very powerful magic that can summon the most violent side of nature to strike enemies with gales, torrential rain, and lightning.

But this sixth-grader didn't seem to have a deep grasp of it; he had great difficulty controlling it, so much so that the storms and even lightning formed very slowly.

Others naturally noticed his predicament.

So they all unleashed their attack spells, and for a moment, the magical light of the spells flickered frequently.

"Glciu Mimum"

1

"Incendio Mimum"

1

The moment the two spells entered his ears, Vaughn's attention immediately shifted. In spell application, Mimum is an extremely powerful effect, which means that a regular spell is enhanced into another high-level spell through extreme power, making its power several times or even dozens of times greater than the original.

At this moment, these two spells are the ultimate freezing spell and fire spell.

As the spell took shape, the magic swelled in the air in an instant, and ice cascading like a waterfall and fire raging like an ocean roared in from the left and right.

Vaughn admitted that he had underestimated these two Gryffindors. They were very skilled at using Extreme, and their spells flowed smoothly without any hesitation. In the blink of an eye, they were right in front of him.

The cold and the scorching heat were distinct yet intertwined; for a fleeting moment, Vaughn had the illusion that he might be a fried ice cream cone.

But it only lasted for a moment.

With a flick of his wand, a fragment of floorboards flew forth under the effect of a levitation charm, blocking the path of "Glacier." At the same time, Vaughn cast another spell upon it:

"Duro!"

Hardening Charm, a basic transmutation spell learned in first grade, can turn an object into stone.

The instant the glacier collided with the hardened stone slab, another of Vaughn's spells was swiftly cast:

"Flme Freezing"

This is the Fire Condensation Charm, which gained fame because wizards used it to fight against the Muggle mobs' plans to burn their homes during the witch hunts.

It can change the nature of flames, turning the raging fire into a mere illusion, transforming it into a comfortable stream of air.

But in reality, it's a spell that second graders can learn. However, generally speaking, young wizards can only use it to change the flame of a candle so that they can take the candle into bed to look at picture books, providing light without worrying about burning the blankets.

Today, the young wizards have truly broadened their horizons.

The attacks launched by the senior students in the blink of an eye, whether it was the Earthquake Curse or the extreme freezing and fire, displayed a power that was terrifying, and Vaughn's response was even more dazzling.

Every time Vaughn used a different method, there was a "sensible" little wizard in the crowd who would explain what the spell was and which grade's curriculum it came from.

They saw him use the Hardening Charm to block the glacier and the Condensing Charm to transform the terrifying flames into a gentle, orange-red stream of air.

Oh, right, Draco Malfoy also launched an attack, summoning a small black snake.

However, the poor snake leaped from the tip of the staff, and as soon as it landed on the ground, it was hit by the passing fire, the splashing ice, and the whistling stone slabs, and burst into a wisp of black smoke.

He died before achieving his goal.

Seeing that Vaughn had indeed kept his promise and used a spell from around the third grade to deflect the powerful attack.

The little wizards' eyes lit up.

It turns out that spells aren't necessarily more powerful the higher their level.

It turns out that those spells that I thought were weak can become so powerful through understanding and practice!

Almost all the young wizards felt that a door to a brand new realm was slowly opening before them as Vaughn demonstrated in action.

The battle continues on the field.

Just as Vaughn intervened to neutralize the enhanced freezing and fire spells, Cedric, who had remained motionless, suddenly made his move.

"Per bombrd"

A beam of light shot out from the tip of his staff and slammed into the hardened stone slab that Vorn was using to block the freezing spell.

Unlike the three Gryffindors, he didn't use any high-level attack spells, but instead used a different form of the Great Blast Spell.

The Great Explosion Charm is a very special command spell. It can be combined with the Fire Charm, just like Vaughn used against Voldemort, to become a self-destructing fireball.

You can also directly "command" an object to explode.

At this moment, Cedric ordered the hardened stone slabs created by Vaughn to self-destruct, attempting to unleash the surging glacier of the Frozen Curse.

However, he overestimated his own magic and underestimated how troublesome Vaughn's basic spells, which were generally maxed out, were!

The massive, hardened stone slab, resembling a door panel, did indeed respond to the "command" of the Great Explosion Spell; well, it trembled slightly, sending down a few wisps of dust.

Confident in his spell, Vaughn didn't even glance at it, quickly deflecting the attack before smiling.

"My turn—"

Before he finished speaking, a beam of red light shot out from the tip of his staff.

The red light was so thick that it seemed like a rainbow spanning the sky. The senior contestants reacted quickly enough; some of them quickly activated their armor spells, while others emitted thick smoke from their bodies, seemingly dissipating their physical forms in an instant.

But when the red light pierced through.

The Ironclad Charm shattered into pieces, and the two Gryffindors and one Ravenclaw groaned and collapsed to the ground. The thick smoke released by Cedric vanished in an instant, like morning mist blown by a gale. He was squeezed out of the air, his eyes closed, and he fell to the ground, still coughing violently even in his unconscious state, black smoke billowing from his mouth and nose.

Gryffindor, who had been preparing the Weather Charm, was the worst off. He was directly knocked away by the red light, and the Weather Charm immediately went out of control. Several arcs of electricity crackled and struck him, causing him to convulse on the spot.

In the blink of an eye, five of the six selected members lost their fighting ability.

Draco Malfoy was left standing there, stunned, a bead of cold sweat sliding down his forehead.

The young wizards in the audience were also stunned.

After a moment, someone whispered, "That—what kind of magic is that?"

"Red light—it looks like a stun spell?"

"A Stunning Charm? That beam of light is thicker than that oak tree in the Forbidden Forest, and you call it a Stunning Charm?"

"Indeed, look, they're all unconscious except for Diggory. Don't look at me like that. He's Vaughn Weasley. Diggory's Big Bang Charm couldn't even break the stone slab he conjured up. So what if the Stunning Charm is a bit thicker? Do you think you're like me, with magic as thin as a cotton swab!"

"you-

'

The crowd discussed and argued.

Vaughn ignored it for the moment. He casually cast a repair spell to fix the floor, then lifted the feather-light spell and landed. He walked over to the unconscious people, cast a dispelling spell on them, and helped Cedric clear the smoke trapped in his lungs.

The group slowly awoke, and memories from before they lost consciousness flooded back. They looked at each other, bewildered by each other's disheveled appearance, and felt somewhat dejected.

Even Cedric's form dipped for a while.

Although he was different from the others and knew Vaughn was strong, being defeated in an instant was still quite a blow.

"Why is your spell so powerful?"

The Ravenclaw who had been the first to strike, casting the Earthquake Curse, suddenly asked Vaughn.

Vaughn remembered his name as Frank. He wasn't well-known at school and had the typical Ravenclaw's low-key and aloof demeanor, as if he were an insignificant extra.

But after the battle just now, I believe no one will underestimate this guy anymore.

It was not only that the opponent used an earthquake spell in an instant, but also that they did not lose control of it. Instead, they skillfully controlled the power, only causing the floor to collapse.

Also because this guy is "despicable" enough.

They act decisively and without hesitation.

In contrast, the other Gryffindor who cast the Weather Charm was far less skilled. His tactical choice was a complete mess. In the ever-changing battlefield, he chose a spell he hadn't mastered, leaving him stuck in place, unable to move. Crucially, he didn't even finish the spell in the end.

Upon hearing the question from the crowd, the crowd gradually quieted down.

This time, there were no more doubts in the eyes of those looking at Vaughn.

Everyone witnessed firsthand the power and applicability of the so-called basic spells in Vaughn's hands; their indescribable subtlety was truly captivating.

Under the spotlight, Vaughn smiled: "This is the purpose of my opening the Duel Club. I said from the beginning that I would not teach you any powerful magic, but rather provide in-depth and detailed instruction based on practical lessons and what you have already learned."

"What I mean by 'thorough and meticulous' is this demonstration, allowing you to fully unleash the potential of the spells you thought you had mastered!"

Upon hearing this, Frank's eyes lit up, and the others, including all the young wizards around them, had similar expressions in their eyes.

"When will it start?"

Vaughn's smile grew even gentler: "Today, however, I will first assign you tasks. You must practice and master a spell according to my requirements until you meet the standards I set. Only then will I tell you how to continue based on your progress."

"—What spell?"

"Of course, it's the first spell every young wizard learns upon entering school: the Levitation Charm!"

Sunday.

A new day begins.

-

But the minds of all the young wizards at Hogwarts Castle seemed to be stuck in yesterday.

Duel Club, Battles, Basic Spells —

These words permeated the entire campus—dormitories, common rooms, the shores of the Black Lake—except for the courtyard and corridors, which were strictly guarded by Filch and where students were not allowed to cast spells. In other parts of the castle, students from first to seventh grade could be seen everywhere chanting and practicing the Levitation Spell.

On the shore of Black Lake, the October breeze blowing across the lake has already dispelled the last trace of heat, and summer has completely vanished.

A damp, cool breeze blew ashore, and Harry, who was waving his wand with a paper airplane floating around him, couldn't help but shiver and tuck his robes in.

But this tiny movement immediately distracted him, the levitation spell was dispelled, and the paper airplane crashed headfirst onto the grass.

"hateful!"

Harry punched himself in frustration. "Why can't I ever concentrate?"

"I want to know too—don't talk to me, I'll be right there."

Sitting next to Harry was Ron, who was always by his side. His paper airplane had crashed even earlier than Harry's, and he was now pointing and trying to get it to fly again, but the paper airplane remained motionless.

Ron got a little impatient and poked it hard. With a "poof," a wisp of flame shot out from the paper airplane.

Burning to ashes in an instant —

"6

Ron froze for a moment, then stood up and stomped on the ground, angrily shouting, "Liar! Liar! What nonsense! There are five levels of spells, level 0 allows you to cast a spell, level 1 is smooth with no failures, and level 2 allows you to maintain focus and keep the spell going as long as your magic and stamina don't run out—it's utter bullshit! How can a person maintain focus indefinitely?!"

Disturbed by Ron's impotent rage, Harry lost interest in getting the paper airplane flying again and sighed helplessly.

At yesterday's Duel Club event, Vaughn unveiled his own research, namely the Spell Ranking System.

In that so-called grading system, Vaughn believed that each spell could be divided into 5 levels, and the standard was basically what Ron had just said.

Vaughn announced that during next week's club event, only members who have practiced the Levitation Charm to level 2 will receive his guidance for the next stage of training.

At first, no one, including Harry himself, thought it would be difficult.

After all, Vaughn said that practicing basic spells like Levitation to level 2 is easy enough for anyone.

result----

Looking at the wand, then at the paper airplane, and feeling his head begin to throb, Harry thought that maybe he didn't deserve to have hands!

I've been practicing since last night, but I haven't made any progress at all.

Harry couldn't fathom how difficult Level 2 spells, which Vaughn claimed were "easy to do," would be. He couldn't fathom how difficult Level 3, 4, and even the maximum Level 5 spells would be.

Thinking about it, he glanced enviously at the distance not far away.

Under a weeping willow tree by the lake, Hermione sat on the grass, leaning against the trunk, enjoying the breeze, flipping through some book while waving her wand.

A paper airplane, just like theirs, fluttered around her like a light bird, shuttling back and forth.

Harry envied that relaxed and carefree attitude, but also began to question himself intensely.

"Why is it that Hermione can do it right away, while I—" Looking back at Ron, who was still raging in vain, Harry silently changed his pronoun: "—We haven't made any progress at all, is it really because we're stupid?"

It's a truly disheartening reality.

Although I always knew that Hermione was a top student and a genius, I used to be able to deceive myself by saying that the difference between me and Hermione was because I was playful.

But now, with the stark truth laid bare before him, the sense of loss was almost driving Harry to depression.

Under the weeping willow, hearing Ron's exasperated words, Hermione finally took her eyes off her book and glared at him: "Ronald, Vaughn explained very clearly yesterday how to practice and how to stay focused. It's your own problem if you can't do it."

"You—I—who says I can't do it!"

Ron yelled, sat down angrily, folded another paper airplane, and continued his efforts.

A few minutes later, his furious roar echoed again from the lakeside.

Ignoring the noise around him, Harry spaced out for a while, then realized he couldn't let himself get so down. Vaughn's method must be useful, otherwise he wouldn't have shared it with everyone.

Perhaps it's because that kind of practice method isn't suitable for me?

So, where is the method that suits you best?

Thinking about it like this will naturally not yield any answers; on the contrary, it will only make your head hurt more and more. This symptom was mentioned by Vaughn when he taught the method yesterday, and it is caused by excessive emotional consumption.

"I can't keep getting stuck on this. I need to clear my head."

Harry thought to himself, then slapped his thigh and said to his two friends, who were arguing again, "Let's go see Hagrid. We didn't even have time to talk to him at the club yesterday."

Ron, who was always being unilaterally crushed and verbally abused by Hermione, immediately raised his hand in agreement, even though it was supposed to be an argument.

Hermione was initially against it, but after hearing Harry say that his head was throbbing from practicing, she stopped refusing. The trio tidied up a bit and walked along the Black Lake toward Hagrid's hut on the other side of the lake.

On the way, Harry didn't want to talk about practicing spells anymore. He deliberately changed the subject, bringing up the strange thing he'd noticed yesterday: "Did you guys notice Colin Creevey during the latter part of yesterday's club activities?"

"Krivy? What's wrong?"

"Vaughn took Crevy aside while everyone was practicing and talked to him for a long time. When the event ended, I specifically looked for Crevy, but Crevy said that Vaughn was just chatting with him, asking him questions like why he hadn't joined the dueling club."

Ron asked, puzzled, "What's wrong with that?"

Harry was speechless: "When have you ever seen Vaughn care about someone like this?"

"Too many," Ron shook his head. "Ginny, Mom and Dad, the Ravenclaw girls, and Hermione—he cares about them all—oh, sorry, you're right, he really doesn't have much patience for boys!"

Harry and Hermione: "————"

With a sigh, Harry said, "I'm getting close to what I mean. What I'm trying to say is that Vaughn is a very rational person and usually doesn't care about other people's choices. I feel like he's just making conversation for the sake of it—just to keep Crevy around—"

Hearing this, Hermione understood what he meant. "You think Vaughn might know about the notebook?"

Her expression was a little strange, but neither Harry nor Ron noticed. Harry nodded and then shook his head: "I'm not sure, I just felt that his behavior was a little odd—"

What Harry didn't say was that, for some reason, he felt there was someone in the empty air around Vaughn and Creevey—

There was no reason for it; it was just intuition.

The three chatted about Crevy and the notebook, and soon arrived at Hagrid's hut. Before they even got close, they heard yelping barks and Hagrid's furious roar coming from the hut: "Who is it? Don't let me catch you, or I'll make you pay!"

The sound was coming from the backyard, where Hagrid had cultivated a vegetable garden and livestock pens.

The trio exchanged glances, unsure of what had happened, and curiously went around to the backyard.

They saw Hagrid standing outside the chicken coop, his face flushed red, holding a huge crossbow in his hand. Beside him, the enormous Tooth was barking wildly into the coop while its hind legs were stretched out and its rear end was pressed firmly to the ground, as if it was ready to run away at any moment.

"Hagrid, what happened?"

Harry greeted him.

Upon seeing the trio, Hagrid's face, which had been contorted with rage, calmed down somewhat. He put down his crossbow and came over to give them a polite hug: "Welcome, Harry, Hermione, and Ron. I made some sugar cookies yesterday for you. I'll make you some hot cocoa later. Rozier just gave them to me the day before yesterday; they're supposedly a Muggle brand. She's so thoughtful."

After exchanging pleasantries, his dark, beetle-like eyes suddenly narrowed. "But first I need to find that villain who deserves to be cursed. I've never seen such a wicked student."

He dragged the three men to the chicken coop, pointing excitedly inside: "Look at that! How evil must one be to do something like this!"

Inside the chicken coop, all of Hagrid's roosters and hens were dead.

In the huge chicken coop, only scattered feathers were still fluttering in the wind. The chicken carcasses lay scattered about, looking as if they had been dead for quite some time and were stiff.

The three of them covered their mouths in surprise.

"When did this happen?"

"They've been dead for at least ten hours. Those poor little creatures didn't even realize the danger before they died; they were still eating—" Hagrid's voice was somber, filled with suppressed anger and sorrow.

"Was that yesterday? When you were helping out at the Duel Club?" Hermione asked.

Hagrid nodded: "Yes, it should have been around that time. Damn, I should have noticed it sooner. But I was very busy yesterday. After the event, I attended a dinner that Vaughn arranged for us. I had some drinks and went to sleep when I got back. I didn't notice anything was wrong until I didn't hear the roosters crow this morning, but—"

He started crying like a child.

Harry, Hermione, and the others comforted him, but Hermione, always quick-witted, immediately changed the subject: "You only noticed this this morning? And Toothbrush isn't home either? Didn't it warn you?"

Beside her, Tooth, whose bottom was always on the ground, tilted his head and looked at Hermione with a look of shock.

Girl, are you kidding me?

Hagrid's attention was indeed diverted. He snorted and angrily raised his large, fan-like hand, but before it landed on Tooth, he softened and only gave the dog's head a hard rub: "This coward is completely useless. As long as I leave home, it cowers inside and dares not come out. If something happens, it will pretend not to know—but it is precisely because it is cowardly that I am certain of the killer!"

The trio recalled that when Hagrid had cursed earlier, he mentioned that the killer was a student.

Hermione and Harry exchanged a glance, and Harry asked, "So, you're certain the students in the castle killed the chicken based on this?"

"Of course, if it were a creature from the Forbidden Forest, Tooth would have taken me there long ago. It knows every animal in the forest; no one can escape its nose. The only one it doesn't know is the little wizard in the castle."

Hagrid explained, "Of course, I have other evidence to support this conclusion. Animals in the Forbidden Forest wouldn't just come here and attack the animals I keep. Besides, animals hunt for survival, but these chickens, look, their bodies are perfectly fine, without any signs of being gnawed."

Harry and his two friends peeked inside and, sure enough, didn't see any signs of gnawing or tearing on the chicken carcasses in the coop.

"There aren't even any wounds or bloodstains," Ron said, puzzled. "Then how did they die?"

Hermione replied without hesitation, "It must be either drugged or magical. Magic is less likely; most of the students were there at yesterday's club event—"