, Page 4: The Forgotten Philosopher's Stone

Chapter 40: The Forgotten Philosopher's Stone

Fortunately, the Charms classroom was on the fourth floor of the castle. Soon Ian arrived at the office door, knocked, and after receiving permission, pushed the door open and entered. This was his second time in the office.

"Good morning, Professor Flitwick!" Ian said with a slight bow.

"Good morning, Ian. To be honest, I've been waiting for you to come to me. Is there a problem with the course?"

Over the course of more than a month, Ian discovered that Professor Flitwick, who had a relatively small role in the original work, genuinely cared for his students and was exceptionally protective of them.

Faced with Professor Flitwick's question, Ian calmly replied, "Professor, it's like this, I feel that I'm not learning much in the first-year Charms class anymore, so I'd like to apply to return to the third year."

"Ha, that's good, it shows you have a great talent for spells. However, before that, we need a simple test to prove that you have indeed mastered the knowledge from the first and second years."

Unsurprisingly, Professor Flitwick was delighted to hear this. After all, no one is happier than a substitute teacher when their own school has produced a Charms prodigy.

"Next, we'll test the first-grade content. You need to make these apples line up and dance across this table. You need to make the formation as neat and the dance steps as possible."

As Professor Flitwick spoke, he drew his wand, and five fresh and delicious apples appeared one by one on the table.

This is also the final practical exam content for the first-year Charms course. It is the application of spell combinations and involves many important contents of the first-year Charms course. However, Professor Flitwick omitted the theoretical part of the exam.

Upon hearing this, Ian remained calm and composed. For him, who had already thoroughly memorized the entire "Standard Spells," this was indeed a very simple matter.

This simple test lasted less than 20 minutes after Ian used many spells from the third grade and above.

Professor Frivi was extremely excited about this.

"Excellent, excellent, a brilliant performance. I approve your application. Starting next week, you will return to third-year classes. If Hogwarts didn't prohibit skipping grades, I would have even considered having you take fifth-year Charms class directly."

Hearing this, Ian breathed a sigh of relief. Although he had absolute confidence in his abilities, he could only feel at ease after Professor Flitwick gave him a definite answer.

"Thank you for your recognition, Professor Frivy."

……

After Ian left the office, he suddenly realized that he seemed to have nothing to do, and his research on bloodlines had fallen into an endless stagnation.

Compared to when he first entered university, although he felt a great sense of crisis, his life was also very fulfilling.

There was a time when he devoted himself to learning magic every day, like a parched sponge absorbing knowledge thirstily after encountering water.

He doesn't know when it started, but he felt like he had lost that motivation.

It seems that after experiencing a second awakening of magic, the rapid increase in magic power also indirectly increased his magical talent. The most direct manifestation of this is that he can easily cast most of the spells in the "Standard Spells".

While this gave him a great sense of security, it also made him lose the desire to continue exploring the path of magic.

It's as if a life that was originally full of infinite possibilities becomes predictable from the moment you get married, a dull and unchanging life of mundane chores and daily routines.

"I don't like this, I really don't. Magic is about infinite possibilities, not a means of survival," Ian thought to himself.

Having achieved enlightenment, Ian finally rediscovered his original feeling: the yearning for magic. Magic should not be a means of survival, but rather a lifelong pursuit and interest.

"Interest is the best teacher; all my previous actions were indeed too goal-oriented."

Recognizing our shortcomings motivates us to strive forward, and looking towards distant mountains guides our progress.

Having figured things out, Ian felt relieved. This time, he neither went to the library to read books nor found an abandoned classroom to practice magic. Instead, he slowly walked out of the castle.

A person strolled quietly along the shore of Black Lake, reflecting on their previous experiences as they walked.

"...I feel like I've overlooked something. Speaking of which, the plot should be progressing to the point where Harry, Harry, and his friends are looking up information about the Philosopher's Stone, right?...The Philosopher's Stone?"

Like a lightning bolt, a thought flashed through Ian's mind, instantly illuminating the fog. He finally remembered the thing he had been ignoring: the Philosopher's Stone, one of the highest creations of alchemy.

"As expected, once you get something, you don't care anymore. Having such a treasure and not studying it is such a waste..."

Having found his goal, Ian was full of energy in the following weeks. He not only went to Snape twice a week for private lessons on potions, but also read through almost all the basic books on alchemy.

……

Hogwarts was unusually peaceful on Saturday morning; even the energetic young Gryffindor wizards wouldn't choose to make a ruckus on a Saturday morning.

Ian closed the book in his hands at that moment; "The Legendary Nicolas Flamel" was clearly a biography.

I glanced at the countdown to my next time travel in my mind: 45 hours, 33 minutes, and 16 seconds.

"It's time to relax. I've been at Hogwarts for so long, and I've never even been to the renowned Hogsmeade. I'm truly ashamed of being a transmigrator."

Thinking about this, Ian was somewhat tempted, partly because he still longed for this village composed entirely of wizards.

On the other hand, he also wanted to go to Hogsmeade to do some shopping. Although there was no shortage of basic supplies such as food and water in the post-apocalyptic world, there was still a great shortage of some daily necessities.

Without hesitation, Ian quickly left the common room, carrying his endlessly extending backpack, and leisurely walked to the castle gate.

Although there weren't many people in the castle that morning, the dutiful Filch was already waiting there with a fierce expression, ready to check whether each student had a guardian's signature.

However, Ian was prepared in advance; he had already obtained an autograph when he wanted to go to Hogsmeade to buy supplies.

Because of his special circumstances and the lack of a guardian, he obtained Dean Flitwick's signature.

……

Filch's expression softened slightly when he saw Ian, who was dressed in a sky-blue outfit. After repeatedly checking the signature in Ian's hand, he quickly let him pass.

Filch was fairly friendly towards Ravenclaw students, since the hawks wouldn't cause him any trouble. Therefore, he didn't target Ravenclaw much; however, things would be different if it were Gryffindor.

Even so, as Ian passed by, Filch still spoke up, saying, "Don't try to bring back any contraband. If I find out, you'll be in deep trouble."

"Of course, sir. I'm not one to stir up trouble."

Ian answered calmly.

He ignored Filch's words. He had known about this person in his previous life. A Squib who chose to live at Hogwarts. One could only say that even the most hateful person has a pitiable side.

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(End of this chapter)