The manor was quiet.
Ever since Rock got back from Diagon Alley, he had been shut in his room with a copy of Standard Spellbook: Grade 1 in hand.
This was the first time he'd ever read an actual spellbook with real spells written inside. Before this, he'd only read travel journals and weird adventure stories—like Gilderoy Lockhart's Voyages With Vampires.
Honestly, Lockhart might be a fraud, but the man could tell a story. The way he wrote other people's experiences so vividly was—well, it was a skill.
Following the notes and instructions in Standard Spellbook, Rock opened his mental "Codex of All Magical Engravings" and began reading.
When he focused on the chapter about the Levitation Charm and started studying its principles, he heard the faint scratch of a quill on paper inside his mind.
He shifted his awareness to the Codex and saw that under the section Spells, a brand-new category had appeared: Charms.
In the space that used to be blank, a line slowly formed:
· Levitation Charm Lv.0 (0/100)
Rock nodded. Just reading and understanding wouldn't give him much experience, but the interface would at least register his progress.
Under today's engraving log, a small entry appeared:
· Basic reading: Levitation Charm – Experience +1
Not much, but proof he was learning in the right direction.
Rock kept reading, digging into every note and explanation, imagining the examples described in the margins.
As he went deeper, the experience notifications ticked up—+2, +2… steady progress.
Tina peeked in while passing by. Seeing him so focused, she chuckled softly, set down a tray, and slipped back out without disturbing him.
The milk on the tray rippled gently in its cup. The house felt peaceful.
"Whew…"
Rock finally shut the book and exhaled.
Then he spotted the milk and blinked—then smiled.
This was the first time he'd ever been so absorbed in studying a real spell. Not just the Levitation Charm—he'd gone through Lumos and a few others as well.
Now it was time for the real deal.
Studying was just prep work. Real learning only happened through practice.
And Rock wasn't the type to flip through a book mid-spell like some clueless newbie.
He grabbed the wand sitting beside his pillow and stood up.
A single feather was easy enough to find—this house was full of magical creatures. Feathers were basically everywhere.
He aimed his wand at the feather on the table and flicked it upward with a swish-and-flick:
"Wingardium Leviosa."
The feather trembled, lifted just slightly off the surface—then dropped.
Not fully successful, but it moved. Rock considered that a win.
The interface immediately chimed:
· Practice failed. Wrist stiff. Wand angle insufficient. Levitation Charm +5 exp.
Rock raised an eyebrow.
"It corrects my mistakes too? Nice."
He moved to stand in front of the mirror and practiced the wand motion repeatedly.
[Levitation Charm gesture practice: 65% accuracy, exp +6]
[Gesture accuracy: 68%, exp +7]
[Gesture accuracy: 75%, exp +5]
It went on and on, notifications popping like a livestream chat.
But Rock suddenly stopped.
His motions were accurate, yes. But too stiff.
So accuracy wasn't everything—you gained more experience when performing the motion with precision and grace.
Got it.
He took a break, closed his eyes, and practiced the pronunciation in his mind.
More notifications.
His pronunciation sharpened. His wrist loosened up.
Time to try again.
"Wingardium Leviosa."
The feather floated a few inches up, then drifted down.
Again.
"Wingardium Leviosa."
Again.
Again.
The feather rose higher each time.
Finally, Rock inhaled, centered himself, and whispered:
"This time… stay in the air."
Then, louder:
"Wingardium Leviosa!"
The wand movement flowed naturally. The feather on the floor stirred, rose, and—this time—kept going.
It didn't drop.
It hovered.
It moved with the motion of his wand like he was controlling a tiny drone.
[Success! Feather remained airborne for 6 seconds. Levitation Charm +12 exp.]
[Levitation Charm cast successfully. Completion 88%. Spell upgraded to Lv.1 (25/299)]
[Engraving complete! Recommend improving magical output control for perfect casting.]
He did it.
Rock let out a shaky breath and caught the gently falling feather.
As for the "precision control" part… yeah, that could wait. He wasn't about to stress over fine-tuning when he hadn't even started school yet.
He grabbed the milk and downed it in one go.
Then he looked at the Codex.
Now that Levitation was at Lv.1, the rest remained at Lv.0:
· Mending Charm Lv.0 (0/100)
· Unlocking Charm Lv.0 (0/100)
· Leg-Locker Curse Lv.0 (0/100)
· Full Body-Bind Curse Lv.0 (0/100)
· Lumos Lv.0 (0/100)
Rock rubbed his temples.
If he could push all of them to Lv.1 before school started, he wouldn't have to worry about first-year Charms class at all.
And he still needed time to memorize theory from the textbooks.
Thinking back to that strange idea he'd had in Ollivander's shop, Rock clenched his fist.
He needed to step up his game.
Ding—
A soft chiming echoed from the hall clock. Rock froze.
What time was it?
He walked to the window.
Outside, the sky was completely dark—stars glittering like scattered diamonds.
"Grandpa and Grandma aren't asleep yet?"
The magical clock downstairs chimed on every hour as long as someone was awake nearby.
It wasn't loud, but loud enough to hear clearly at night.
Rock stepped out and headed downstairs.
In the dim living room, a single lamp glowed softly.
Newt sat on the couch wearing reading glasses, newspaper in hand.
"Grandpa?"