A Professor of Magic at Hogwarts

Chapter 108: Levels of Spells?

"Professors, how can we determine our most proficient spells?" a Slytherin student asked.

Snape replied icily, "The ones you learn quickly and use effectively. Besides that—"

"If you can invent a spell yourself, it naturally becomes your most proficient," he said, finishing his sentence as he swung his robes and strode off the stage.

Below the stage, Ron and Hermione both looked at Harry, their expressions conveying slightly different meanings:

Hermione: So, your most proficient spell is the Disarming Charm?

Ron: Just that? Shouldn't it be a more advanced spell?

As Felix Harp stood on the stage, young wizards and witches were still immersed in the atmosphere Snape had created. Though he hadn't performed any specific magic, it was still quite impressive.

Felix decided to share some valuable insights.

"At the end of the last class, we mentioned a viewpoint: even with the same spell, different wizards' results can vary greatly."

"This is especially evident in dueling. After all, it's hard to imagine a wizard spending a lot of time and effort researching a spell like 'Evanesco'."

"The same applies to most everyday spells. We don't use them to explore the mysteries of magic or to knock our opponents' teeth out." Felix cracked a joke.

Laughter rippled through the young wizards in the audience.

"For wizards skilled in dueling, they have remarkable expertise in certain spells or maybe just one."

His gaze swept the wizards below the stage. "Take the Disarming Charm, for example—"

Felix waved his wand, and a slender red light flashed and vanished.

"This is the basic mastery level."

Harry watched attentively; this was precisely the level he could currently cast.

Many young wizards who had mastered the Disarming Charm performed the same action. The comparative result was that most were at this level.

"—This stage belongs to the beginner's level, where spellcasting can still fail." At this point, Felix seemed slightly troubled. "For the sake of understanding and comparison, let's call it a Level One spell."

"At this stage, factors influencing spell success include your casting motion, incantation, confidence, and basic magical skills. I won't go into detail; last class's material provides a comprehensive description."

"And as you practice more, practice makes perfect, and there's hardly a chance of spell failure, like this—"

Felix swung his wand, a distinct red light tracing a path across the hall.

Harry heard his older student, Albert Burke, who had just been called up for demonstration, excitedly exclaim, "That's my spell!"

"For the sake of clarity, we can call it a Level Two spell."

Felix, with a serene demeanor, drew arcs in the air with his wand, as if conducting a symphony.

"Building upon this, you invest more time and effort into studying the spell—ideally with a teacher's guidance—and its power will be appropriately enhanced."

Felix waved his wand, and a finger-thick red beam shot forth, spanning half the hall in an instant.

"This is a Level Three Disarming Charm... to provide a lateral analogy, it's somewhat akin to the professional threshold in the magical world, much like newly trained healers at St. Mungo's or junior Aurors."

All the young wizards were now fixedly gazing at Professor Harp, hanging on his every word. They had an intuitive sense that today's lesson was exceptionally important.

Even the expressions of a few professors had turned serious. Snape was curious about whether Felix Harp would classify the spell into which level?

Spell grading, huh? That's something he would do.

Meanwhile, on the stage, Felix Harp continued his narration in his usual unhurried manner. "As your understanding of spells deepens, you become more adept. You can even make slight modifications to spells themselves to suit your individual habits—"

A beam of light shot from the tip of his wand, this time the incantation was even more focused, the color infused with white light, leaving a distinct arc in mid-air.

"The power doesn't differ greatly from a Level Three spell, but it offers better control, winning through subtleties. We can call it a Level Four spell," Felix Harp said. "And just to add, this is also the level of those talented Aurors and St. Mungo's healers, the spells they excel in after a few years of work."

Felix Harp nodded slightly. From this point onward, not everyone could achieve this. Natural talent, perseverance, guidance—each was essential.

Harry gazed at Professor Harp on the stage, feeling as if he couldn't catch his breath. After a while, he realized that the emotions surging within him were that of longing.

After a prolonged pause, the young wizards stared at Professor Harp expectantly.

Is there more? Can he continue?

Level Five spell? Level Six? Seven, eight, nine? It's truly intriguing!

And Professor Harp didn't disappoint. He continued, "Above this, if you're a seasoned Auror, someone who has spent nearly half a lifetime dealing with various Dark wizards, then your most adept spell might be something like this—"

The scene replayed, a spell as thick as a wrist shot forth, spanning over half the hall and striking the castle wall directly.

The red, thunderous arc of magical light continuously twisted and extended.

Until Felix Harp withdrew his wand, the hall-glow of red light that had bathed half the room finally dissipated.

"This could perhaps be termed a Level Five spell."

The young wizards in the audience watched in silence, even though it was the second time, it was still quite astonishing.

Felix Harp contemplated, much like Lohart's 'Obliviate.' But the comparison couldn't hold, as Lohart was fortunate to have been gifted ancient magic.

Ancient magic was inherently powerful, but discussing power was meaningless, for you never knew if the spell might suddenly spiral out of control due to insufficient mastery the next time you used it.

The young wizards below remained still, like a flock of quails swept over by a gust. Judging by their expressions, it seemed as if someone had knocked on their heads and stuffed them with a jumble of thoughts, rendering them incapable of coherent thinking.

After a dozen seconds, Felix Harp clapped his hands. "Of course, the spell levels I mentioned are merely for your understanding. In reality, there's no such division as Level One or Level Two spells."

"Magic is unconstrained. Many of the wondrous spells wouldn't make sense to be graded."

"And I must remind you that even in duels, solely pursuing the power of spells isn't the best choice. If you aim to be an Auror, you need to master many things—they're equally important."

"Moving on—"

But his words fell on deaf ears. The hall seemed to explode with excitement; the young wizards eagerly raised their hands. It was evident they had plenty of questions.

"Professor, what's a Level Six spell?" Finally, someone couldn't hold back and shouted from the audience.

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