Having lived two lives, Avada was experiencing this realization for the first time: enhancement did not necessarily bring positive results.
At the same time, it made him respect those pioneers who had come before him even more. Through generation after generation of exploration and research, many of the most fundamental things had already been optimized to their limits. Every step was the crystallization of thousands of years of experience—hardly something he could overturn with nothing but his Magical Perception.
Of course, that respect had its limits. After all, there were countless examples where being shackled by experience led to stagnation. Moreover, his "Magical Perception" was very likely something unprecedented, a gift that almost naturally granted him the right to question and improve everything.
Still, when questioning and improving things, one had to be careful—careful, and then careful again—or else the result would be a joke like what had just happened.
After being scolded by Snape, then launching into a frantic apology to Baron and finally receiving his forgiveness and comfort, the thoroughly tormented Avada at last endured until the bell rang.
Snape was the first to announce the end of class and leave the dungeon. Most of the students quickly got to their feet and rushed for the exit—the explosions and acrid smells had made them wish they could flee this classroom in the very next second. That bottle of deep blue potion was still sitting on Avada and Baron's desk, so quite a few students passed by and caught sight of the potion Snape had singled out for harsh criticism.
Most people merely glanced at it and moved on. After all, their own results were worse, and they had no grounds to mock others. As for the Slytherins who had succeeded, out of regard for Baron, none of them stepped forward to jeer.
Avada, however, paid no attention to those odd looks. After hurriedly saying goodbye to Baron, he slung his bag over his shoulder and chased after Snape, stopping him not far from the classroom door.
"Professor, please wait!"
"Hm?" Snape turned back in mild surprise. He was well aware of his own reputation and never believed a student would dare chase him down to ask questions—let alone one who had just been thoroughly dressed down.
"Professor, may I ask if you know about the Wit-Sharpening Potion?"
Avada braced himself and asked the question, then quickly took a deep breath, preparing for a storm of sarcasm and reprimand.
"Oh, the Wit-Sharpening Potion."
Snape raised an eyebrow and spoke at his usual unhurried pace. "It seems our genius Mr. Ken has finally realized that his brain isn't quite as brilliant as he thought, and wishes to become smarter through potion-making?"
"Since you already know of the Wit-Sharpening Potion, then you must also know that it is a potion taught in fourth year—and even then, it is considered extremely difficult. Do you believe you have perfectly mastered every piece of knowledge from first through fourth year? Or do you think the Wit-Sharpening Potion is like a Cure for Boils—something you can brew with a casual wave of your hand, and even 'enhance' with your so-called genius technique?"
"And moreover, its effects last only about a single day. What—do you plan to drink it like water, enjoy the mind of a genius for a few months, and then become a complete idiot forever?"
He cast a satisfied glance at the stunned Avada, then turned and disappeared down the corridor.
Avada hadn't been scolded into numbness. He was simply stunned by the fact that the Wit-Sharpening Potion actually had a time limit and side effects.
It seemed that, in the end, he could only analyze the structure of mental power bit by bit and see whether there was any way to forcibly improve his talent.
…
After Potions came Herbology with their own Head of House, Professor Sprout. But to Avada's surprise, Professor Sprout did not take them to the greenhouses to show off magical plants. Instead, she had them remain in the classroom, flipping through textbooks and taking notes while she carefully explained the biological classification of magical plants, several common physiological structures, and a brief history of the development of Herbology.
According to Professor Sprout, they currently had no understanding or foundation in Herbology at all. Even if they went to the greenhouses, it would be meaningless. They first needed to sit down properly and learn the theory; once their knowledge base was sufficient, they would then go to the greenhouses to put theory into practice and, through practice, learn even deeper material.
After a full day of classes, Avada still headed straight for the library after dinner. He pulled out a fourth-year Potions textbook, hoping to see if he could brew the Wit-Sharpening Potion on his own—observe how it affected mental power to enhance talent—and then try to develop a spell or potion that could permanently improve talent.
Once he finished reading through the entire brewing process for the Wit-Sharpening Potion, he finally understood what Snape meant by "extremely difficult, even for fourth years."
He couldn't understand any of it at all.
The names of the ingredients, the types of instruments, the techniques involved, the formulas used for calculations, along with countless symbols and technical terms, slammed the door firmly in his face and refused to let him glean even the slightest information about the potion. And if he wanted to understand any of it, he would have to fully master Potions knowledge from first through fourth year—yet he hadn't even completely memorized first-year material.
"I really was aiming too high," he sighed inwardly, feeling even more admiration for the still-unmet Hermione Granger. Brewing a Polyjuice Potion in second year—a potion that even sixth-year advanced classes only barely touched. What kind of monster was she?
"My Magical Perception is only useful in research involving physical objects. When it comes to purely theoretical, calculation-heavy subjects like this, I'm no different from an ordinary person."
Annoyed, he shook his head, returned the fourth-year textbook to the shelf, and muttered, "I'll go to the Room of Requirement again. Let's see what kind of gains I can get from what's there."
Avada left the library and jogged upstairs, quickly arriving at the stair landing on the eighth floor. Suddenly, a figure appeared around the corner, nearly causing him to collide head-on.
"Professor Baker?"
After skidding to a halt and recognizing the man, Avada asked in surprise.
"You are… Ken?"
Although they had met only once, Professor Baker was deeply impressed by this student—his outrageous name and outstanding performance in class had left a strong mark. He recognized Avada immediately.
"What are you doing here, Mr. Ken?"
I was wondering the same thing, Avada thought. The Defense Against the Dark Arts office is on the third floor…
"Oh, tomorrow we'll be having Astronomy, so I wanted to come take a look at the Astronomy Tower in advance, Professor," Avada said smoothly, delivering the excuse he had already prepared.
"Familiarizing yourself with the location ahead of time is a good habit." Professor Baker nodded and walked downstairs.
Watching his retreating back, Avada frowned. Professor Baker's mental power felt even more wrong than it had that morning. Although his Magical Perception detected no visible abnormalities, there was an intense sense of dissonance that he couldn't shake.
"Mental power…" Avada sighed. To be safe, he really did make a trip to the Astronomy Tower to ensure the professor didn't secretly return to spy on him. Afterward, he went back to the eighth floor and slipped quickly into the Room of Requirement. He first retrieved the diadem from his private room, then returned to the "room of hidden things" and began searching for magical items suitable for his current stage of research.
(End of Chapter)