Chapter 8: Magic Isn’t Easy

Chapter 8: Magic Isn't Easy

"Is this enough?"

George didn't mind the assistant's hesitation. He took out a bulging pouch and placed it on the table with a smile.

There were two main reasons he had chosen such a large owl.

First, an owl of this size had considerable offensive capabilities. If he ever found himself in danger, it could provide significant assistance.

Second, he was drawn to its flying ability. A normal magical owl could carry around ten pounds of weight, so an owl this size should have no problem carrying over a hundred pounds.

If he ever found himself in a situation where he couldn't win a fight, the owl could carry him away. Not only would it be a pet, but it could also serve as a flying mount. Why wouldn't he choose it?

"If you're sure, then of course, there's no problem."

The assistant estimated that the pouch contained at least 400 Galleons. Realizing George was serious and not joking, he quickly and enthusiastically helped George load the eagle owl onto the cart, afraid George might change his mind.

The owl ate a lot every day, and if no wizard bought it soon, the shop would start losing money.

With the pet taken care of, George headed to the final and most important shop: Flourish and Blotts.

Today, he wasn't just buying all the first-year textbooks; he was also purchasing many other magical books, especially those on wandless magic.

If he couldn't learn wandless magic, his original body in the Marvel world wouldn't be able to use magic effectively until he could make a wand.

It was August 3rd, and Gilderoy Lockhart's book signing at Flourish and Blotts was still 18 days away, so the bookstore wasn't too crowded. Finding books was relatively easy—he could simply ask the staff for help.

"Wandless magic? Those books haven't been sold in a long time. Everyone uses wands now. Who would bother learning such an outdated method of casting spells?"

The shop assistant shook his head.

George wasn't deterred. He continued, "I'm very interested in that outdated method. Could you help me find a book on it? I'm willing to pay extra!"

To show his sincerity, he took out 20 Galleons.

The assistant hesitated for a moment, then held up four fingers.

"It'll require a special order, and the cost is high. Forty Galleons."

"No problem."

George immediately placed 40 Galleons on the table.

He knew he was being overcharged, but as long as he could get a book on wandless magic, he didn't mind paying 40 Galleons—or even 400, if necessary.

"Three days. It'll be here in three days."

The assistant grinned as he pocketed the 40 Galleons.

"I'll come back in three days to pick it up."

After browsing the store and paying the marked prices for the books, George pushed his fully loaded cart out of the shop, humming a tune as he headed back to the potion shop in Knockturn Alley to start teaching himself magic.

On the way back, the large and eye-catching eagle owl attracted quite a few curious glances.

"Behave. Don't make a fuss."

Once back at the shop, George placed the owl on the table in his bedroom and fed it a rabbit he had bought at the owl shop. After giving it a stern warning, he began organizing the magical books he had just purchased.

Surprisingly, the eagle owl nodded obediently in response to George's words.

For most young wizards, an eagle owl was too large and dangerous to handle, making it unsuitable as a pet.

But George was different.

His body was stronger than that of an average adult, so handling the large owl wasn't a problem.

As for the danger, his Level 2 telepathic abilities, inherited from Professor X, had little effect on complex human minds but worked well on simple animal minds.

He could easily communicate with animals and even influence their behavior to some extent.

Sometimes, George thought that if he devoted time to studying magical creatures, he might one day rival Newt Scamander and Hagrid, becoming a master of magical creatures himself.

"*Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1* and *Magical Theory*. I'll start with these two."

Pulling out the two most important books from the pile, George began studying them intently.

For now, the most important thing was to master practical spells. Subjects like magical history, herbology, and potions could wait until after he had resolved the crisis with his original body in the Marvel world.

He studied until evening.

"Of course, it's not that simple!"

Putting down the book and rubbing his dry eyes, George picked up a loaf of bread he had bought in Diagon Alley and began eating.

When watching the movies, it seemed like wizards could cast spells by simply waving their wands, making it look easy.

But in reality, successfully casting a spell wasn't so straightforward.

It was like cooking.

The steps might seem simple, but when you try it yourself, it's a different story.

Even if you follow the steps exactly, the results can vary.

According to the magical textbooks, successfully casting a spell required several things.

First, you needed to have magical blood and magical power. Without these, even if you followed all the steps perfectly, the spell would fail.

Second, the incantation had to be pronounced clearly. Different spells required different speeds, tones, and emotional states. If you didn't meet the requirements, the spell's effect would either be greatly weakened or fail entirely.

In rare cases, it might even produce unexpected results.

Finally, there was the wand movement. Waving the wand wasn't random—different spells required specific wand movements.

Of course, this was all for beginners.

If you truly mastered a spell and understood its underlying principles, you could cast it without a wand or even without speaking.

Truly top-tier wizards could cast most spells wandlessly and wordlessly in an instant.

"Softening Charm, Severing Charm, Unlocking Charm, Levitation Charm, Locking Spell, and Mending Charm. I'll focus on the Unlocking Charm first."

After finishing the bread, George flipped to the page in *Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1* that explained the Unlocking Charm.

The spells in the first-year textbooks were the most basic and easiest to learn, but they also had almost no offensive power.

For example, even if he mastered the Severing Charm, at his current level, he'd only be able to cut something like a napkin. It wouldn't even break human skin.

Given that, it made more sense to focus on the Unlocking Charm first. That way, his original body in the Marvel world could remove the mutant power inhibitor collar and regain his abilities.

It would also allow him to unlock the high-tech doors in the research facility and escape.

If he had extra time, he could learn other spells later.

He did think the Transfiguration Charm might be more useful than the Unlocking Charm, especially against high-tech weapons. If he could damage a single component, he could render the weapon useless.

But after some thought, he decided against it.

Transfiguration was a separate and complex field of magic, far more difficult to learn than other spells. Even Hermione, a genius, couldn't master it before starting school. George didn't think he could learn it quickly without guidance.

Even if he did manage to learn it, the effects might not be significant enough to justify the risk.

(End of Chapter)