Dumbledore then turned his full attention back to Alex, studying him as though seeing him in a new light. "Is everything you wrote here true?" he asked, pointing to the open book on the table.
Since he'd only finished reading Chapter One, he was referring specifically to the part about accurately measuring a person's magc level.
"Yes," Alex replied confidently, spreading his hands slightly.
"Everything in the book is backed by solid experiments and detailed data. I made sure to include that. I've developed a precise method for measuring magical energy, along with equipment that's been improved and refined multiple times. I've named the technique the 'Wilson Magic Measurement Method.'"
Dumbledore looked stunned. "Incredible... Do you realize what your research means? You're filling a gap that's existed in the wizarding world for centuries," he said, his eyes flicking back to the book cover. "With work like this, you could even found a new school of thought."
Alex gave a modest chuckle. "You're giving me too much credit. Honestly, I only wrote the book because the Auror command requested it strongly.
During a previous battle, they followed my lead and realized that the tactics I used were far more complex than what they were used to. They needed a deeper understanding to keep up, so they asked me to document everything."
He continued, "I added some of my earlier research findings to the book too. The first half mainly focuses on training, besides measuring magic levels, it also covers evaluating spell strength and improving magical sensitivity. But most of it, really, is about combat tactics."
After that first joint mission with the Auror, Moody, Amelia, and the others had specifically asked Alex to help guide the unit's tactical development. At the time, their main reason was simple: since Alex was the one who designed the tactical gear, he obviously understood how to use it best. They wanted him to teach the team how to get the most out of the tools.
For Alex, it was actually a win-win. It was like writing a product manual, and it even helped promote his gear. But once he started developing and sharing a few tactical plans, both Moody and Amelia were blown away.
The strategies completely changed how they thought about combat. Formations, signals, coordinated movements, they could barely keep up with the concepts, much less execute them.
That's why the Ministry of Magic specifically invited Alex to write a training manual under their name, hoping it could be used as reference material for Auror's training programs. Of course, before anything could be officially adopted, it still had to pass practical combat evaluations.
When Alex first got the request, he didn't think too much of it, he just started writing. But as he kept going, the material kept growing, and before long, it started to look more like a full-blown book than a simple guide.
Seeing how things were shaping up, he decided to fully commit and turn it into an actual book. Besides tactical strategies, Alex also included all of his past research on magical training methods.
And in classic Alex fashion, he shamelessly named everything after himself. You'd see titles like "Wilson's Magic Measurement Method" and "Wilson's Magic Training System sprinkled throughout the book. He didn't really worry about whether it was appropriate to share those findings or whether it might be too much for students.
From his point of view, scientific progress happens when ideas are shared and built upon, something most researchers would agree with. Besides, his real goal was to establish a legacy, a kind of training school or philosophy under his name.
Even if others eventually figured out similar methods, he wanted to be the first to claim them. That way, anyone using those techniques later on would be seen as following in his footsteps, like unofficial students.
Also, the content he shared wasn't exactly earth-shattering or secret. It was more of an introduction, surface-level theories and systems.
Knowing the theory was one thing, but putting it into practice and actually becoming stronger was a whole different story.
Take his magic sensitivity training method, for example. On paper, it looked simple, but the real challenge was sticking with it.
The best time to develop magical sensitivity is during adolescence, but getting a teenager to consistently stick to a rigorous training routine? That's a whole problem on its own. Alex had already gone through that headache just trying to keep Vivian and the others on track.
What's more, his tactical training methods ended up helping his business too. For instance, the humanoid dummies he developed, which could measure the power of a spell, were selling really well. He even included details about these targets in the book, which basically acted as free advertising.
On the other hand, he didn't sell the magical power measuring tools directly. Not because they were top secret, but because they required drawing blood to work, a method that made most people uneasy. After all, blood is often associated with dark curses, so people naturally felt wary around anything that used it.
So, Alex decided to hold off on rolling out the new devices until they could measure magical energy without needing to draw blood, or at least without needing to do it directly. He wanted the technology to be safe, easy to use, and accessible before it was released on a larger scale.
As Alex explained his vision, Dumbledore's eyes lit up with excitement. Being a master alchemist himself, he immediately understood the breakthrough potential of such a tool.
The ability to accurately measure a wizard's magical power and the strength of spells could completely transform the future of magical research. In Dumbledore's mind, Alex was no longer just a promising young wizard, he was now a trailblazer, someone who could become a cornerstone of the magical academic world. Any doubts Dumbledore had about him before suddenly seemed trivial and unimportant.
"You came up with all of that on your own?" Dumbledore asked, still finding it hard to believe. He let out a soft sigh, clearly impressed.
Alex nodded. "Yeah, I actually started researching training methods back in my first year. It was Professor Flitwick who really got me started. Without his guidance and encouragement, I doubt I would've been able to develop the method for enhancing magical sensitivity."
He wasn't exaggerating. If Flitwick hadn't pointed him in the right direction and given him that initial research topic, Alex might never have even thought to explore magic sensitivity.
Dumbledore listened thoughtfully, nodding as he recalled that Alex had joined the Charms Club in his first year. It made sense now, Flitwick must've taken him under his wing early on and helped him get started in this line of work.
It really was a remarkable breakthrough. Not only had Alex figured out how to improve a wizard's sensitivity to magic, but he'd also created tools to measure magical energy levels. That kind of discovery was nothing short of groundbreaking.
But as Dumbledore reflected more deeply, a slight frown appeared on his face. From what he had observed earlier, it looked like Alex's method involved using blood to measure magic levels. That raised some serious questions.
How exactly had Alex come across that kind of knowledge?