[Note: Read up to Chapter - 142 on P patron at: p-atreon.com/Knockturn_Alley]
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"You mean this is a completely new magic system?"
Harry took a moment to process, then looked at Hermione with surprise.
"I've never seen this sort of spell before, nor even heard of it. But a completely new magic system… isn't that a bit of an exaggeration?"
Ronald was also taken aback but wore a hint of scepticism.
"Think about it—can an eleven-year-old wizard really create a unique magic system? That's something even the greatest white wizard in the world, Headmaster Dumbledore, hasn't managed!"
Watching Aris busily renovating the centaurs' houses, Hermione fell into deep thought.
Since Aris had openly performed elemental magic in front of Hagrid and Harry, did that mean there was no longer any need for secrecy?
With that in mind, Hermione spoke again: "I can vouch for this!"
"I witnessed the whole process of Aris developing the elemental magic system from start to finish, and I've benefitted greatly. My control over magic and elemental affinity have improved immensely!"
"I'm confident that if I cast a fire spell now, I'd be just as good as a third- or fourth-year student!"
"Huh? Really?!" Harry and Ronald stared at Hermione in shock.
"You mean… You actually practised elemental magic with Aris?" Harry asked.
"Of course!" Hermione waved her wand with ease, and a flicker of flame burst from its tip.
"This is the fire element…"
"No spells are needed. As long as we can connect with these elements, we can quickly tap into their power, making spellcasting easier and boosting the strength of related spells!"
"Unbelievable!" Ronald stared at Hermione's wand, wide-eyed.
He was still not very skilled at casting even a levitation spell, yet Hermione could silently conjure flames with ease.
At that moment, he wondered if his own talent was just poor. Why did it seem so effortless for Hermione and Aris to learn magic?
But glancing at Harry beside him, Ronald regained some composure — their skill levels were pretty much on par, with only a slight difference.
"So, can I learn this kind of magic from Aris too?" Harry suddenly asked Hermione.
"Yeah, that'd be brilliant if we could all learn together…"
Ronald was already picturing how he'd show off his new skills to his family after first year. The lot of them would be gobsmacked!
"You'll need to ask Aris for permission on that. But if you're keen, I'm sure he'll teach you!" Hermione shrugged.
"Actually, I've been thinking about that..." Harry suddenly glanced towards the Dragon's lair. "Do you reckon Iris knows magic?"
"I don't think so," Hermione replied uncertainly. "Iris seems a bit special, but it's probably limited to her intelligence..."
Ronald added, "I've never heard of any dragon species that can perform actual magic other than breathing out fire."
The three exchanged looks, then shook their heads and dropped the subject.
Meanwhile, Hagrid's eyes never left Aris.
And those earth walls and tree houses popping up everywhere? They looked bloody incredible to him.
"Is this elemental magic?" he wondered aloud.
He had a vague idea about the agreement between Dumbledore and Aris, and he knew elemental magic was a thing.
After all, that big commotion in the Forbidden Forest that night had him close by — how could he not notice?
Even Dumbledore had hinted that he should get closer to Aris.
It'd be brilliant to pick up some skills from the lad.
Before, Hagrid hadn't quite grasped what that meant, but now... he reckoned he did.
Though the centaurs couldn't cast magic themselves, they knew enough about the wizarding world. It was clear Aris's power was well beyond that of most kids his age, even rivaling many adult wizards.
This was just their rough estimate. Whether Aris still had hidden strength… well, that was another matter altogether.
"My king will surely lead us to break free from the shackles of fate..."
"That day won't be far off!"
"Glory to the Centaurs!"
Firenze and Bane looked fired up, and Ronan was quietly wiping away a tear.
The hearts of the entire Centaur tribe were now tightly bound to that small figure.
Their faith was growing stronger by the minute.
Just then, Iris, having finished inspecting her nest, flew out from the stone wall.
"Master, Iris is here to lend a hand!"
Seeing what Aris was doing, she immediately flapped her wings and soared over the forest.
An obscure, low humming filled the air — some kind of incantation.
For the first time, Iris's expression turned serious. Her body seemed to gradually unseal, growing from the size of an owl to...
As the incantation faded, the little Dragon had grown to three or four metres long, with wings stretching a full four or five metres wide.
She flapped her wings gently, and the magical dragon language formed a strange hexagram array around her.
Emerald green light radiated from the array, twinkling like stars as it scattered toward the giant trees below.
"Wild growth!"
With a low roar from the little Dragon, the hexagram's light suddenly blossomed, scattering green sparks like a shower of glowing rain.
"Well done, Iris!"
Aris's face lit up with joy.
At that moment, he could clearly feel the wood elements around them stir and pulse under Iris's magic.
What used to take him over ten minutes to build — a treehouse — was now nearly done in half the time!
The trees grew with astonishing ease, guided only lightly, until a fully-formed treehouse sprang up from the ground as if by miracle.
"Could this be... Dragon Magic?"
Hermione stared up at Iris in awe, her mind in turmoil.
She'd read about dragon magic in legends and novels — a rare and powerful system, practically impossible for humans to master. To grasp it, one had to understand the dragons' own language.
But there were no such dragons in the wizarding world, right?
She'd thought Iris was simply a bit smarter and cuter than other dragons.
Until now, she realised how wrong she'd been...
Dead wrong.
"Dragon magic?"
Ronald was staring up at the little Dragon in the sky, unable to tear his eyes away for even a moment.
It was the first time he'd seen a dragon perform magic—though, of course, dragon breath didn't count.
Most dragons have that basic attack, but beyond that, Ronald had never heard of any dragon using magic other than breath.
This completely blew his understanding of dragons out of the water!
"If my brother Charlie knew about this… he'd definitely lose his mind..."
"Your brother's gone mad a few times already," Harry muttered, half amused, his eyes sparkling with excitement.
"Anyway, what kind of magic is this…?"
Even Harry, who didn't know much about dragons, was stunned.
He didn't know what it meant for a Dragon to be able to use magic like Iris was using, but when she did cast the spell, he could feel the sheer power of it…
That power hit him like a bolt—an awe of raw might.
Though the green magic radiated a soothing vitality, its strength and intensity were unmistakable. Harry had never seen magic like it before, but then again, he hadn't seen much magic, so he couldn't really say.
Regardless, facing Iris now, he felt a new level of overwhelming respect…
That was far beyond the level of magic he could even imagine.
Not far off, Hagrid's eyes were soft, and the way he gazed at Iris was like a father looking at his own child.
A quiet murmur escaped his lips: "How perfect, powerful, and incredible…"
"As expected of Iris."
"I've got to admit, even my unborn little one might not be as remarkable as you…"
"This creature surely isn't meant for this world."
"Maybe… you really don't belong here, do you?"
No one else caught Hagrid's whispered words—not even Aris suspected that this big bloke might guess Iris wasn't from this world.
At that moment, Hagrid was mulling over the conversation between Aris and Dumbledore from that night.
Slowly, he realised his suspicion might be spot on.
No wonder Dumbledore mentioned the word 'summoning.'
No wonder the little Dragon was unlike any other dragon in existence.
Being a magical creature expert, Hagrid knew a great deal about dragons.
He was certain he'd never seen one like Iris that could wield magic…
"This must be a perfect magical being, crafted only by a god."
Hagrid sighed deeply.
He still couldn't fathom why Iris didn't take to him.
And that really left him feeling quite uneasy.
Time passed little by little.
At the Centaur tribe's camp, the tree houses steadily took shape.
Meanwhile, Aris could feel his magical energy draining away, his power gradually dipping.
He'd never before pushed himself to consume this much magic. Since awakening the system, this was a first.
Yet, strangely enough, it felt rather brilliant to him.
Every time he used magic to build a tree house, he sensed his abilities growing stronger.
His command over the earth and wood elements was becoming sharper by the day.
Finally, as the sun dipped below the horizon and the last golden rays kissed the centaur camp, Aris finished the final tree house.
The strain from overextending his magic left him a tad weary.
He could tell he'd reached his limit.
Any more and he'd risk running himself dry.
He glanced at the system screen and noticed some changes in the status bar.
Name: Aris Shafiq
Magic Value: B Level (450/500) [Status: Magic Deficit]
Academic Ability Points: 9,360
His magic value was just shy of level A — roughly the equivalent magical power of an Auror.
But truth be told, Aris's actual skill likely far surpassed most Aurors, nearing the calibre of the true elite.
Then there was the magic power deficit status.
It was the first time Aris had seen this state, but strangely...
He noticed his magic power had actually increased a bit.
Though it wasn't a massive jump, it was definitely an increase.
He vaguely recalled that when he checked the system panel yesterday, his magic value was only 445.
He hadn't taken any magic potions recently to boost his limit.
So those extra 5 magic points had to have been gained naturally over the day.
But that sounded a bit unlikely!
If his magic power increased by 5 points every day without potions, he'd have hit level A ages ago.
That left only one explanation...
Maybe fully consuming his magic power could indirectly raise the upper limit of his magic?
Aris wasn't sure if this method would work for others, or how many times he could use it to increase his limit.
But there was no harm in giving it a go.
With that in mind, Aris secretly jotted this down for future reference.
"Aris!!!"
Harry's voice snapped him out of his thoughts.
He looked up to see the three little wizards running over.
At the same time, the centaurs arrived, bringing food and drink, thoughtfully setting up a recliner and table for Aris to rest.
The boy took a sip of the green tea the centaur had brought him, and the fresh aroma instantly lifted his spirits.
The spring water and green tea from the Forbidden Forest really are something else!
Looks like I might even benefit a bit from this place after all.
"You're here, come and have a seat!"
Aris gestured to the stool beside him.
Then he glanced at Harry and asked, "So, what is it? Thinking of heading back?"
"No..." Harry and Ronald both shook their heads hastily.
"Well, actually, we wanted to..." Harry looked a bit sheepish.
"We want to learn from you..." Ronald mustered up some courage but still struggled to get the words out properly.
"Learn from me? Learn what?" Aris blinked, then looked over at Hermione, clearly confused.
Usually, when we tell those two to knuckle down, it just goes in one ear and out the other.
Why all of a sudden so keen today?
"Aris, they want to learn elemental magic from you!" Hermione said with a hint of exasperation.
These two lads can be bold enough, but when it really counts, they're useless...
"Want to learn elemental magic from me, do they?" Aris' eyes flickered thoughtfully.
He looked at Harry and Ronald, mulling it over.
Truth be told, even if they hadn't come to him of their own accord, he was planning to test them soon enough anyway.
The promotion of elemental magic is bound to bring changes to the entire magical world. If Aris wants this system to spread throughout without him even noticing, Hogwarts is undoubtedly the perfect cultural hub.
He could even turn this place into the very birthplace and heartland of elemental magic.
Gradually, all the students at Hogwarts began learning the elemental system.
One year might not seem like much to the wider wizarding world.
But two years... three years... four years... Aris still has six or seven years left here.
That's more than enough time to transform this place into the sacred ground of elemental magic.
By then, every graduate from Hogwarts will become a pillar of his reform.
When those who've studied elemental magic start to see its benefits, they'll naturally change their tune.
This new way of thinking will become an unstoppable trend.
That trend will spark a fresh magical revolution, injecting some much-needed excitement into this tired, stagnant wizarding world!
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Drop power Powerstonessssssssss!
[Note: Read up to Chapter - 142 on P patron at: p-atreon.com/Knockturn_Alley]