"Since there's a first-year student like you, it's not impossible for a fifth-year legend to appear either." Professor Flitwick gave Ian a deep look.
"A fifth-year legend!?"
Ian was also a bit surprised and uncertain.
A sudden idea flashed through his mind, recalling something Aurora once mentioned to him, and he couldn't help but blurt out his question.
"Are you talking about a senior who kills when happy and kills even more when unhappy?" Ian had heard this story from Aurora before, but at the time, he thought she was joking. He never expected there to be such a sensational biography in the Forbidden Book Area, even more compelling than Voldemort.
"You said you haven't read this book!"
Professor Flitwick jumped up from his chair.
"Uh, my friend read it, I just heard about it..." Ian was still somewhat incredulous, trying to organize his thoughts, "I think such books are probably made-up stories."
"After all, if such a student really existed, he would have been thrown into Azkaban long before graduation, and where in the Wizarding World would you find so many wizards for him to kill?"
"If such a person really existed, Grindelwald wouldn't have been the first Black Demon King, and Voldemort wouldn't be the second." Ian's analysis was reasonable and well-organized.
"Shh~"
Professor Flitwick hastily covered the little wizard's mouth.
"Don't call that Mysterious Man by name; he placed a curse on his name... I'm sure Dumbledore must have told you, that man isn't truly dead."
He quietly reminded Ian.
"..."
Ian felt like Professor Flitwick hadn't updated his information.
"Haven't you heard?"
He tilted his head in confusion.
"Heard what?"
Professor Flitwick looked a bit bewildered.
"Well... let's talk about that killer you mentioned." Ian felt that Headmaster Dumbledore's information campaign hadn't spread as widely as he thought.
Professor Flitwick, hearing this, gave Ian a curious look before speaking as if recalling something.
"Biographies tend to exaggerate. But over a century ago, the Wizarding World had a much larger population than it does now."
"Killing hundreds in one day might be an exaggeration, but ten or twenty? Probably feasible... If you haven't read that book, you wouldn't know what the protagonist did." Professor Flitwick typically wouldn't discuss this with a little wizard, but Ian was evidently an exception.
Gifted.
Brilliant.
A future headmaster in the making.
"Uh, Headmaster, I was wondering earlier, how does the protagonist of that biography relate to my Disarming Spell technique? Did he invent it before me?"
Ian tilted his head and asked the question that had been bothering him.
Professor Flitwick nodded, then hesitated, shook his head, "Not inventing, according to that book's records and my private inquiries out of curiosity, that student from a century ago learned the technique from a mysterious wizard."
This made Ian somewhat speechless.
"So someone really did beat me to it."
He felt a pang of regret for being born too late.
"Hard to say. Many have tried to verify the book's contents, but no matter how hard they try, they haven't identified a single person involved."
Professor Flitwick shook his head again.
"So, that means I'm still the first to use this technique, right?" Ian's eyes lit up again, looking expectantly at Professor Flitwick.
Professor Flitwick didn't understand why the little wizard was so persistent, "This too is unclear; your method isn't particularly complex from a technical standpoint."
"The difficulty lies in the strength of the soul and control over magic. I think, even including the protagonist we talked about, few over the past centuries have succeeded in performing your technique." The head of Ravenclaw explained, quelling Ian's academic ambitions.
"Techniques that no one can use won't be included in prestigious journals, since they can't verify, they naturally choose not to publish your paper."
It's true that the academic rigor of the Wizarding World is high, unlike some Muggle journals where money paves the way, leaving Ian slightly frustrated.
"Can I demonstrate for them in person?"
Ian stubbornly suggested.
"Many pure-blood clan wizards have read that book we just discussed; I doubt you'd want your technique associated with the Killing Curse." Professor Flitwick's words carried a mysterious insight.
The little wizard grew uneasy again.
He decided not to mention the paper for now.
"Are you saying that transfer student, over a hundred years ago, mastered the Avada Lightning Chain... no, I mean, multi-casting the Avada Kedavra?" Ian wasn't intentionally letting it slip; he was just preoccupied with claiming the title of the original creator.