Volume 1 Chapter 40: Strong Will Driving the Success of Magic
"First, you need to establish the first spell you plan to use on yourself."
Slughorn motioned for Jon to pick up his wand.
"In this half school year, Filius should have taught you two or three spells. Which one do you think you are most comfortable and proficient in using?"
Jon hesitated, then continued.
"Because the first spell I learned was the Levitation Spell, I am most proficient in using this one."
"Then choose the Levitation Charm." Slughorn helped Jon make the decision. "You have just started learning, so the spell you memorize on the ring cannot be too complicated. The Levitation Charm is just right. It is almost the first spell that all wizards master when they first learn magic . It is simple and easy to learn, and the effect is very practical."
Of course, Jon had no objection to this. So far, he could only use four spells: the levitation spell, the wand lighting spell, the mending spell and the dancing spell.
He learned the first three in the Charms class, and the dancing spell - Tarantella - was something he learned on his own in his spare time.
Apart from the levitation spell, Jon couldn't think of what effect the other three spells would have if they were cast directly on himself.
Would the Illumination Spell turn him into a glowing man of light? Would the Mending Spell repair his broken body when he was injured? Or would the Dancing Spell make his dancing skills extraordinary?
Except for the middle one which sounds somewhat reliable, if the other two spells are really like that, then what kind of lethality can they have other than making the enemy laugh to death?
Of these options, Levitation is really the only spell that seems viable.
This spell can make objects fly. The more skilled the user is in casting the spell, the heavier objects can be driven.
If it works on the wizard himself, wouldn't he have the ability to fly without any external force?
Jon couldn't help but become excited when he thought of this, but Slughorn obviously saw what he was thinking at the moment and poured a bucket of cold water on him first.
"Don't think it's so simple. The ring can only help you change the way you cast spells, but it can't change the strength of your spells. If you don't have a deep grasp of the levitation spell, it won't reach the level you expect."
But Jon was not discouraged by what he said. The opportunity was now in front of him. What level he could reach in the future depended on himself.
"Use a levitation spell first. Let me see how well you've learned the spell."
After hearing what Slughorn said, Jon pointed his wand at a book on his desk and chanted a spell.
"Wingardium Leviosa."
The next second, the book seemed to be lifted up by an inexplicable force and suddenly rose into the air.
Slughorn was very pleased with the effect of Jon's levitation spell.
"Very good. Even among the fourth graders, there is not a single student who can use the levitation spell to your level."
Jon looked at Slughorn expectantly.
“Is this level enough?”
Slughorn didn't answer his question, but simply exchanged the ring with Jon and smiled.
"Put the ring on your body, either around your neck or on your hand, and you can try it out."
"You don't need to swing the staff. Just recite the spell as you would normally cast a spell, but think of yourself instead of making some other object fly. This is just a replacement of the target. You should be able to do it."
Jon asked in disbelief.
"It's that simple?"
"Easy?" Slughorn laughed. "Try it first."
Jon put the ring back around his neck. He resisted the urge to pick up the wand and wave it, and instead recited the spell directly.
"Wingardium Leviosa."
He could clearly feel the magic power in his body being mobilized, but the force was extremely subtle and much weaker than when casting spells with a magic wand.
And this magic power was not like any spell he had cast before, which had a final outlet through the wand to affect the real world. Instead, it passed directly through the ring he wore around his neck and quickly flowed back into his body.
At that moment, Jon felt as if he was a little different from a second ago, but from the surface, he had not changed at all.
"Feel anything?" Slughorn asked.
Jon did not give an answer immediately. Instead, he raised his arm hesitantly, then jumped a few times on the spot, and then spoke hesitantly.
"I always feel like my body has become lighter? But the change is so small that I can't really feel the difference."
The smile on Slughorn's face froze. He restrained his expression and watched Jon from beginning to end with a serious look on his face.
"Are you sure your feeling is correct?"
Jon had no way of giving an accurate answer, because he didn't know whether the subtle change was real or just his illusion.
But Slughorn obviously had the means to determine the changes in his body at this moment. He tapped Jon's shoulder and arm lightly with his wand, and felt the magic that had been integrated into his limbs, which was completely different from the normal magic. An expression of amazement appeared on his face.
"It's very subtle, not easy to notice, but there is indeed a change. It's incredible, Jon, this is really incredible!"
Jon found his performance a little difficult to understand.
"Is that a problem, Professor?"
Slughorn came back to his senses from his distraction and explained to Jon seriously.
"I've told you that any magic is based on magic power and will, and spells and wands are only auxiliary. But without the auxiliary, even if the necessary conditions are met, it will be extremely difficult to cast the spell. In the class where you learned the levitation spell, Filius should have told you that there was a wizard who made a mistake in pronouncing a syllable of the levitation spell and summoned a cow. This is a typical case."
"And now you've changed your way of casting spells, which is equivalent to overturning the system of matching spells with wands. Although the spell itself will not change, the pronunciation of the previous levitation spell will no longer apply to you. Normally, the spell pronunciation you used with the wand should not have any effect at all. Magic will not change you the same way it changes the outside world. The effect of the spell will be completely changed due to the wrong syllables. It will only be effective on you if the syllables are correct, and it will not be effective if the syllables are wrong."
Jon understood what Slughorn meant. It was completely wrong for him to recite the spell according to the way the wand was casting the spell. If he pronounced the spell incorrectly when casting the spell on himself, the levitation spell would not turn into the summoning of a bull, which was completely the opposite result, but it would not have any effect at all.
But now his originally wrong spell happened to be effective. Although the effect was very subtle, it was a huge leap from nothing to something.
"Then why did this happen?" Jon asked puzzledly.
"The auxiliary means went wrong, and the magic that should have failed succeeded. The problem can only be with the magic power and will." Slughorn looked at him seriously. "Your magic power is normal, no different from other 11-year-old children, so the only explanation is that the strong will promoted the success of the magic."