Harry Potter: Becoming a Top Student from Scratch

Wade had originally thought that with proper guidance, most spells would be easy enough to pick up—but reality proved otherwise. Magical ability, in the end, still depended heavily on individual talent.

With simple spells like the Cleaning Charm or Mending Charm, the differences between them weren't obvious. But as the difficulty increased, Theo began to struggle. He practiced the Levitation Charm more than a dozen times and still couldn't quite get it right. Ryan and Michael fared a little better, but their results were inconsistent. Hermione, of course, succeeded on her first try, though she had trouble levitating heavier objects.

Still, for first-year students who had only just started learning magic, even mastering a single basic spell was enough to get them excited. As they headed toward the Great Hall for dinner, Michael was still boasting to Theo, "Did you see my last Mending Charm? It was perfect! The chandelier on the ceiling snapped right back together! I swear, it wasn't even that bright before it broke!"

Ryan, meanwhile, was still muttering incantations under his breath and waving his wand, practicing quietly. At one point, sparks shot out of his wand tip and nearly singed Hermione's hair.

"Oh, come on! Don't point your wand at people," Hermione scolded immediately. Then, more eagerly, she added, "What are you working on?"

Her face practically screamed—Ask me for help!

"Levitation Charm," Ryan replied. He was a pretty good-natured guy and could see past Hermione's seemingly bossy attitude to the enthusiasm underneath. So, he stayed calm and polite throughout.

"But you already got it right earlier!" Hermione said in surprise.

Ryan shook his head. "Something still feels off about the spell."

They finally reached the Great Hall, where the rich aroma of dinner filled the air. It was only then that they realized how hungry they were.

"Merlin, I could eat a whole cow right now," Theo muttered.

The sense of accomplishment that came with mastering a spell was sweet—but the process was grueling. After dinner, Michael couldn't wait to escape the study group and went to play Rolling Stones in the courtyard with Terry, his roommate. Hermione and the others returned to their common rooms to do homework. Wade, however, took advantage of the still-open library and rushed off to borrow two books he had spotted earlier.

That afternoon, they had already cleaned the practice room. Once the repaired desks and chairs were pushed to the sides and an empty cabinet was converted into a bookshelf, Wade switched on the lights, set out ink and quills, and got to work. Outside the window, he could hear other young wizards cheering and laughing, but he was fully immersed in his reading.

From Magical Theory:

"To recklessly tamper with the deepest of secrets—the source of life, the essence of self—one must be prepared to face the most extreme and dangerous consequences."

From An Analysis of Basic Spell Functioning:

"Magic is the manifestation of a wizard's will."

Young wizards, whether motivated by a desire to show off or to gain power, were often more attracted to flashy and impressive spells. They were willing to spend countless hours mastering advanced magic, while scoffing at the tedious, tongue-twisting, and dull theory behind it. Even though Magical Theory was a first-year textbook, most students would rather learn two mischievous spells like Toasty Fire Burn than touch such a boring book.

But Wade was different. Maybe it was because, in his past life, his teachers constantly emphasized the importance of understanding the essence, grasping the principles, and recognizing the underlying patterns. Only then could one break free from rote memorization and solve even unfamiliar problems with ease—true efficient learning.

In other words: not just knowing the what, but also the why.

This learning philosophy had made Wade a "study god" in the eyes of teachers and classmates alike in his previous life. He went to bed early, didn't cram late into the night, had time to play sports and video games, yet still ranked among the top students—far ahead of those who studied until they collapsed from exhaustion.

In this life, Wade kept the same habits. He believed that whether it was science or magic, and regardless of whether he had any special "cheat" abilities, a solid foundation would always be critical to his progress.

Defense Against the Dark Arts turned out to be worse than expected.

Wade had heard that Professor Quirrell used to be a brilliant Ravenclaw who taught Muggle Studies at Hogwarts just a year ago. Young, handsome, and knowledgeable, he was once popular with students. Wade assumed that even if Voldemort was currently hanging out on the back of his head, Quirrell's knowledge should still be intact, and his lessons ought to be worthwhile.

But the reality was that Quirrell just read straight from the textbook. His speech was garbled, contradictory, and often hard to hear from a distance. If you sat too close… the overwhelming stench of garlic was enough to make even the Slytherins wince in agony.

Putting himself in Quirrell's shoes, Wade could understand his state—after all, anyone hosting the parasitic soul of ultimate evil probably wouldn't have the mental bandwidth to plan lessons.

But understanding didn't mean accepting it. By the second class, Wade had moved to the farthest seat in the room and used the period for self-study.

"Transfiguration is the most complex and dangerous branch of magic you'll learn at Hogwarts. Anyone caught fooling around in my class will be thrown out and never allowed back!"

Professor McGonagall declared this sternly during Transfiguration class. With a wave of her wand, she turned the teacher's desk into a pig—and then back again. The students stared in awe, eyes wide.

"Transfiguration is the most elegant of magical arts. But before you can master it, you must understand Gamp's Laws of Elemental Transfiguration… Take notes, students! Stop gaping at me!"

"—Before casting a Transfiguration spell, you must form a clear image in your mind of what you want the object to become. No distractions—scattered thoughts will lead to failure. There are countless examples of this throughout history…"

"The wand movement must be firm and decisive… At first, the spell must be spoken clearly. But a skilled wizard can complete the transfiguration without uttering a word…"

"Incomplete transfigurations may not be complex, but they're dangerous—especially in biological transformations. This brings us to the three theoretical rules of Transfiguration… In the event of failure, you must immediately revert the object. The spell is Reverto. Now, repeat after me—"

Wade filled nearly thirteen inches of parchment with notes and practiced Reverto several times before Professor McGonagall allowed the class to start trying actual Transfiguration. She handed each student a matchstick and instructed them to turn it into a needle. Some students shouted the spell while stabbing at the matchstick, only to get no results whatsoever.

Wade didn't begin immediately. Instead, a phrase from the book he'd read the night before echoed in his mind:

Magic is the manifestation of a wizard's will.

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