Chapter 2

July 28, Early Morning

"Didn't you sleep well last night?" Philemon Adrian asked, glancing up from his newspaper at Ethan, who looked visibly tired.

"Mm," Ethan nodded, acknowledging his father. He had indeed spent the last couple of nights experimenting with magic, particularly the Unforgivable Curses—the Imperius Curse, Killing Curse, and Cruciatus Curse—countless times, leading to a serious lack of sleep and some mental fatigue.

Of course, he couldn't practice these spells on humans, so he'd chosen mice as test subjects. He'd asked the servants to bring him a hundred, and they weren't nearly used up yet. Thanks to these experiments, Ethan had developed a deeper understanding of magic. For a spell to work, he realized, factors like wands, gestures, incantations, emotions, and magical energy were all essential.

Yet, at the full proficiency level, Ethan no longer needed a wand, gestures, or even incantations; emotions and magic alone sufficed. With his Heart of Darkness talent, he didn't even need emotions. Over the past two days, Ethan had advanced from casting the Killing Curse with a finger to executing it just by looking. He could truly kill with a mere glare.

His full-level Killing Curse, paired with his enhanced dark magic talent, was astounding. Even Voldemort's Killing Curse wouldn't rival Ethan's. The only drawback was that he couldn't use this magic openly.

His training had also completed two achievements:

[Wandless Casting]

High-level magical mastery; you've come far on the path of magic.

Goal: Successfully cast a spell without a wand.

Reward: One random spell.

[Really Electric Eyes]

Those glowing eyes make you the most dazzling kid around!

Goal: Successfully release a light-based spell using only your eyes.

Reward: One random spell.

The spells he received were a Petrification Curse and a spell called Siphon Energy.

The Petrification Curse was familiar, often seen in the original story and highly effective. Siphon Energy, on the other hand, allowed Ethan to detonate his target, causing explosive damage while absorbing their magic to create a shield and enhance his next spell.

These two spells weren't maxed out like the Unforgivable Curses, but they were still useful. At their current level, he needed a wand and incantations to cast them.

Fortunately, he'd be able to get a wand today. According to the owl's reply yesterday, a Hogwarts professor was scheduled to visit and guide him. Ethan was impressed by how fast that owl had flown.

His profile had also updated:

Name: Ethan Adrian

Age: 11

Bloodline: Wizard

Talents:

Super Soul (Enhanced learning efficiency and casting speed)Strengthened Body (Increased physical fitness and adaptability to magic through exercise)Heart of Darkness (Improves dark magic proficiency; allows dark magic without emotional input)

Spells:

Killing Curse (Level 10)Cruciatus Curse (Level 10)Imperius Curse (Level 10)Siphon Energy (Level 1)Petrification Curse (Level 1)

"If it were me, I'd be too excited to sleep!" Philemon said with a smile, putting down his newspaper. He assumed his son was simply thrilled about the magical world—natural, even for a typically precocious child like Ethan.

"I'm not excited; I'm just worn out from practicing spells," Ethan muttered, lying back on the sofa.

"What exactly did you practice?"

"Without a wand, I can't cast spells properly, so that's the first thing on my list," Ethan explained.

At this, Philemon's eyebrow twitched slightly. This kid was already getting ahead of himself!

Just then, Ethan's mother, Nitya, called from behind, "Alright, breakfast is ready!"

Nitya usually left kitchen duties to the house staff, as she wasn't a stay-at-home wife. She managed operations in Adrian's shipping company and was often away for weeks at a time. But today was special—a Hogwarts professor was visiting, so both she and Philemon had flown in from America, arriving only yesterday.

While the family had never personally met a wizard, they took Ethan's Hogwarts acceptance letter seriously. After all, it was rare to receive a letter by owl, especially one trained so well. Their family's shipping business had exposed them to some strange phenomena over the years. Though sailors' tales of supernatural encounters were often dismissed as drunken ramblings, those in the industry knew there was truth behind them. In fact, these occurrences were reported to special authorities for resolution.

Additionally, the Adrians had connections with the British Navy, and there were whispers of wizards passed down from the previous generation, giving them a slight understanding of the magical world.

9:00 a.m.

The family was seated on the sofa when the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it!" Philemon said, taking a deep breath as he stood. It had been years since he'd felt this nervous. Remembering his father's advice about discretion regarding wizards, he had given the house staff the day off and went to answer the door himself.

As he opened the door, he saw a figure in a dark green robe and a pointed wizard's hat. The visitor, a woman in her sixties with square-framed glasses and a slightly stern expression, nodded at him.