A magical journey that begins at Hogwarts

“I almost forgot we have a Slytherin in our group who doesn’t like Dumbledore,” Fred said sarcastically. “Then let the minority follow the majority, Malfoy.”

"Raise your hand if you agree that it should be called DA."

George shouted, then was the first to raise his right hand.

Of the remaining thirty people, only three Slytherins did not move; the others slowly raised their right hands.

"It's about nine to one, so let's call it DA."

Draco's vision blurred. He had always thought that Dumbledore becoming headmaster was Hogwarts' biggest mistake, but he never expected that he would inexplicably join Dumbledore's army today. It was too ironic.

"Outrageous! Absolutely outrageous!" Draco muttered, "What's so good about this name?"

Aaron patted him on the shoulder and comforted him, "That's what they call being forced by circumstances; you have to back down when it's time to follow your heart."

Besides, it's just a code name, nothing serious.

Chapter 464 Classroom Tidbits: The End Point of Ordinary People's Struggle

"Can we start class now?" Sirin asked, while the others looked at Aaron with anticipation.

"Should we have them write down the Dark Arts Defense Spells and dangerous creatures they know?" Draco said with interest. "I bet ninety percent of them can't compare to me."

"No need." Aaron sighed softly, then walked up to the podium.

He looked seriously at the thirty pairs of eyes below, "Before we officially begin, I have a few things to say."

First of all, my teaching style is a bit different from that of previous Defense Against the Dark Arts professors, so you should be prepared.

Secondly, if you have any questions, it's best to ask me during class, because I won't talk to you outside of class, except for the two Slytherins.

Finally, and most importantly, please, please, please don't say that I taught you this.

The people sitting on the cushions looked at each other in bewilderment. They understood the first two points, but the third one was rather inexplicable.

“Why can’t we say that you taught us?” Colin Crevey asked, raising his right hand.

"I'm afraid of losing face," Aaron said bluntly, completely ignoring the darkening expressions on some people's faces.

“I never intended to teach so many people. They are of different ages and have varying levels of skill, making it extremely difficult to teach them.”

To be honest, I don't have the confidence to teach each and every one of you well.

But since I've agreed, I will do my best to improve your practical skills.

Are there any more questions, Mr. Crevy?

"Hmm...that's all." Colin slowly lowered his hand.

"Then let's begin the lesson," Aaron said calmly. Immediately afterward, a blackboard appeared behind him, displaying more than a dozen different spells.

"Is this the spell we're going to learn?" Dean asked, unable to hide his excitement.

“I don’t expect you all to know them all,” Aaron said wearily, then changed the subject, “but before I teach you these spells, I have to teach you something else.”

As soon as he finished speaking, a second blackboard appeared, but it contained no magic spells. From top to bottom, it displayed:

Mage Apprentice, Novice Mage, Intermediate Mage, Advanced Mage, Archmage, Sorcerer, Grand Archmage, Holy Archmage, God of Magic.

The thirty students looked at the second blackboard, all feeling a sense of awe and confusion, and subconsciously sat up straight.

"Our Defense Against the Dark Arts professors haven't mentioned it much. Maybe they think it's common knowledge that you should know, or maybe they're deliberately avoiding it."

“Senior, no, teacher…” Colin’s younger brother, Dennis, raised his hand timidly.

"Any questions?"

"Could you tell me more about it?" Dennis asked, both curious and nervous.

"You bumpkin." Draco curled his lip in disdain.

"This distinction is based on the wizards' skill level," Fred explained. "You're a Muggle-born wizard who has only been exposed to magic for a year, so it's normal that you don't understand."

I remember my dad saying that a wizard's magical energy increases with age, and talent determines the rate of increase in magical energy, as well as the upper limit of their power.

"Is that so?" Dennis suddenly realized. "Then what level am I at now?"

"How would I know? But you're too young right now, you probably won't get very high."

"You're at most a mid-level mage right now," Aaron said bluntly, "and even among mid-level mages, you're not considered particularly strong."

Disappointment inevitably showed on Dennis's face. Out of nine levels, he could only rank third from the bottom.

"What about you, teacher?"

"It's a secret." Aaron revealed a profound smile, then drew a dividing line between Archmage and Grand Archmage, "In the current wizarding world, Archmage is the elite, and also the pinnacle of many people's lives."

"What about the Archmage?" Michael Conner asked curiously.

"Of course there are, but the number is very small. Even the Ministry of Magic can't find many, and a significant portion of them are over fifty years old."

The first few stages of these nine levels aren't too difficult, but the gap widens as you progress, and it becomes increasingly harder to advance.

Li raised his right hand, pointed to the word 'Holy Archmage' on the blackboard, and asked somewhat nervously, "Are there only a few at this stage?"

“Well, I’m not entirely sure either,” Aaron shrugged. “But I can give you a few examples: Godric Gryffindor, Rowena Ravenclaw, Helga Hufflepuff, Salazar Slytherin.”

Gulu!

The sound of students swallowing their saliva rose and fell, leaving each student astonished.

They only knew that the four founders of Hogwarts were the four greatest wizards of their time, but they never imagined that they were all this powerful.

"Aren't they all gods of magic?" McMillan asked, somewhat puzzled.

“No,” Aaron said with certainty. “So far, no one has seen a living god of magic, but everyone is familiar with the legendary one, Merlin.”

A commotion immediately erupted below, with many people gasping in shock.

"Legends are too distant for you," Aaron said calmly, then pointed to the line he had drawn. "If nothing unexpected happens, this line is the pinnacle you will strive for in your lives."

Those who are closer to this line will have a brighter future, and will find it easier to obtain good jobs and excellent material conditions.

Above this line lies the capital to lie low and do nothing; you might be the object of competition among various forces, or you might be an explorer in a certain field.

"cool!"

George and Fred exclaimed in unison.

"That's pretty cool, but that's not what I want to talk about," Aaron chuckled. "What you all want to learn in this classroom is nothing more than Defense Against the Dark Arts, in other words, to improve your own strength."

Just as Fred said before, magical energy increases with age, and talent determines the rate at which magical energy increases.

For wizards, it's not true that the older they are, the stronger they become. If you are talented enough, you may be able to defeat a wizard who is decades old when you are only a teenager.

But if you lack talent, then I'm sorry, you'll be the one who gets defeated.

“In a way, bloodline is just another name for talent,” Draco said, raising an eyebrow smugly. “That’s what makes Slytherin different from the other houses.”

“Bloodline doesn’t represent talent,” Hermione said, somewhat angrily.

“That statement is correct, but not entirely accurate,” Aaron said. “Bloodline does indeed provide a certain boost to talent, but that does not mean that wizard bloodlines are superior.”

Many pure-blood families might not produce a Grand Magister for hundreds of years, while a Muggle-born genius wizard might not be unable to achieve that.

Draco pursed his lips and said nothing more.

"What if someone has less talent?" Colin asked.

"Then we have to catch up in other ways. Talent only determines the upper limit of strength and the speed of growth, but does not represent one's combat power level."

To give a simple example, a mage who doesn't know any basic spells might not be able to beat an intermediate mage who only knows the Disarm Spell.

"If you don't believe me, recall Professor Gilderoy Lockhart, the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, three years ago. His magical energy definitely surpassed that of most of you here, but I think in a one-on-one fight, he probably couldn't even beat Dennis, a second-year student."

"Oh!" Colin nodded, seemingly understanding.

"If there's a difference in strength, but the same number of spells, wouldn't it be a draw?" Zacharias Smith asked.

"That depends on how big the gap in strength is," Aaron said speechlessly. "Besides, this question doesn't require any technical skill at all."

To give another simple example, if you and Merlin both only knew one Disarm Charm, do you think you could beat him?

“This…” Smith’s lips twitched slightly, and he shook his head blankly.

The example is valid, but it's just too painful.

How could he possibly be compared to Merlin? Even if Merlin only knew one Disarming Charm, probably no one in the current magical world could rival him.

"Do you understand now?" Aaron said, then spread out four fingers. "A wizard's combat power depends on four aspects. The first is his own magical energy, which is also the most important point."

Magic energy is the foundation of a wizard's existence and your greatest source of confidence when facing enemies in the future.

The higher the magic energy, the greater the power of the magic released. When using the same spell, a wizard with higher magic energy has an advantage.

The ranks written on the blackboard are the clearest dividing lines: a powerful mage can easily destroy a building, a powerful archmage can destroy a city, and a holy mage even has the power to challenge a nation.

The second factor is one's own accumulated power. If a wizard of the same magical level uses a sleeping spell while another uses an unforgivable spell, the latter will obviously have the advantage.

When the difference in strength is not significant, using a more powerful spell will add a substantial weight to the scales of victory.

"I have a small question," Luna raised her hand. "Wizards also consume their own magical energy when using magic. If too much energy is consumed during combat..."

Snapped!Snapped!Snapped!

Aaron clapped his hands and gave Luna an approving look. "That's a pretty good question."

However, I categorize it under the third aspect: combat experience.

"Fluorescence."

A blue-white light shone from the tip of Aaron's wand, illuminating the area around the podium.

"Next comes the second phase."

Aaron increased his magical output, and the light at the tip of his wand grew brighter, encompassing everyone below the stage within its radius.

"The third phase."

A burst of intense white light was released from the wand, illuminating the entire Room of Requirement as if it were daytime.

When the light faded, the thirty students sitting below were dumbfounded and couldn't react for a long time.

They all knew a little bit about the Fluorescent Spell, but with their current abilities, even if they poured in magic power recklessly, they couldn't achieve the same effect as before, let alone be as nonchalant as Aaron.

"Senior," Luna said somewhat awkwardly, "just how strong are you now?"