Hogwarts: This Wizard is Unscientific 114
by adminChapter 114: The Patronus Charm Conundrum
April, May, June…
Time flew by, and the end-of-term exams were drawing ever closer.
These past few months had been peaceful for Andy. Apart from his birthday on April 16th, where he snuck off to Hogsmeade for a small party, he hadn’t done anything out of line.
He hadn’t even visited the Restricted Section. Sneaking into the Headmaster’s office to read *Advanced Charms* had been a bad idea, and Andy wasn’t keen on being caught by Dumbledore again.
If there was anything to be happy about these past few months, it was that his system’s potential points had maxed out again at 5, allowing him to upgrade his 【Mind】 talent to level 5.
Mental power is a rather mysterious talent. Its enhancement gave Andy a feeling of “I’ve gotten stronger.”
And in reality… well, Andy had indeed gotten stronger.
Andy’s group of four held their dueling club meetings weekly, and Andy and Cedric often sparred. In terms of combat ability, they were evenly matched. Unless one made a careless mistake, neither could defeat the other.
But during one duel, Andy, using his enhanced emotional power, cast a Disarming Charm. In an instant, he repelled Cedric’s spell, simultaneously breaking through his Protean Charm and disarming him.
It was a devastating, crushing victory.
Since upgrading his 【Mind】 attribute, this was the first time Andy had used extreme emotions. At that moment, only one strong thought filled his mind—to defeat the person before him!
That’s when Andy understood what it meant to “power up.”
Normally, casting a Disarming Charm requires the caster’s emotional cooperation. But extreme emotions are different from normal emotions; they are an intensely powerful emotional outburst that allows one to fully utilize their potential.
This “power up” allowed Andy to briefly touch the threshold of a wizard like Lord Voldemort.
Imagine the killing intent and rage in Voldemort’s heart, combined with the darkness within him. How powerful would a Killing Curse cast by him be?
Furthermore, the Killing Curse itself is a fatal magic spell.
In other words, during his prime, Voldemort’s offensive power was unmatched.
Terrifying!
Andy was also grateful that he hadn’t acted rashly and sought a duel with Quirrell in the name of justice and friendship.
That would have been tantamount to suicide.
Andy didn’t assume that just because he’d time-traveled, he’d automatically become the protagonist of this world.
Wang Mang’s fate served as a cautionary tale. (Wang Mang was a usurper in ancient China who ultimately met a tragic end.)
After upgrading his 【Mind】 attribute to level 5, Andy’s first action was to search the library for books related to the Patronus Charm.
Andy had always suspected that the Patronus Charm might be a magic spell that combined mind and magical power.
As for the books saying one needs to recall happy memories while casting the spell—Andy believed that was simply a simplified version of the magic.
“Expecto Patronum!”
In an abandoned classroom on the sixth floor of the castle, Andy waved his wand. A silvery-white kitten flew from the tip of his wand, circling in the air before stopping mid-air in front of him.
“Is this all I can do?” Andy was disappointed.
He had been studying the Patronus Charm for over two months, and the result of two months of hard work…was summoning his Patronus.
This left Andy unsatisfied.
He had been eager to upgrade his 【Mind】 talent not only to gain an advantage but also because he wanted to master the Patronus Charm.
“Is it because my 【Charm Studies】 talent isn’t high enough?”
Until now, Andy had learned magic smoothly, especially after his talent points increased. Simple spells could be learned with just one glance. But the Patronus Charm had proved to be a significant challenge.
“Ugh…” Andy rubbed his temples.
The thing he was most reluctant to admit these past few months was that his previous assumptions were wrong.
Bang!
Hermione placed a thick stack of books on a dilapidated table. “If you can’t figure it out, don’t bother. We have an exam in a week. Even if you don’t want to study, you should at least review these books.”
“You’re right!”
Andy lightly waved his wand, and the silvery-white kitten vanished.
Summoning a Patronus meant having mastered the charm, but Andy wanted to upgrade the spell itself.
That, of course, was incredibly difficult!
Andy walked to Hermione’s side.
*History of Magic*, *The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1*, *A Beginner’s Guide to Transfiguration*…
Andy felt a headache coming on.
The closer it got to the exams, the more severe Hermione’s pre-exam anxiety became. Even while walking in the corridors, Andy could hear her quietly reciting textbooks.
She was crazy.
Andy pulled up a chair and casually picked up Hermione’s *History of Magic* notes.
Although his eyes were reading, his mind was wandering, contemplating the Patronus Charm and Obscurials.
Dark emotions forming Obscurials…
“Hmm…”
If anyone at Hogwarts had been abused by their family before attending school, it would undoubtedly be Harry Potter.
However, just by looking at Harry, you could tell that although he had a difficult time with his aunt and uncle, his heart held only grievance, anger, sadness, and longing for his parents—but no hatred.
That’s why Harry didn’t become an Obscurial.
Andy thought, “If only there were some research on Obscurials.”
“As for the Patronus Charm…”
Many scholars say that a wizard’s Patronus is a physical manifestation of their soul. Unless they undergo a significant change, their Patronus rarely changes form.
If these scholars’ assumptions were correct, then Andy’s previous assumptions were also correct.
The Patronus Charm is a fusion of positive emotions and magic, or, in a way, a “white magic” Obscurial.
“But… what’s missing?”
Slap!
Hermione slapped the table in annoyance. “Read your books! The problems you can’t figure out now might become clear after you read more books.”
Andy chuckled wryly. “I’m just… fine, I’ll stop.”
Putting aside his thoughts, Andy seriously began to read Hermione’s *History of Magic* notes.
It was embarrassing to admit, but the gap between people was greater than the gap between humans and dogs.
Hermione had memorized her first-year textbooks before even starting school. Andy, on the other hand, would forget much of what he’d learned after only a few months of not reviewing.
Especially *History of Magic*, with all the names, places, dates, and events to remember.
Andy basically read it once and forgot it.
(End of Chapter)
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