Unconventional Training: Jon's Pursuit of Magical Mastery at Hogwarts

Having made up his mind, Jon no longer dwelled on Cedric's situation. After all, Harry Potter wouldn't start school until next year, and Cedric's death was still five years away. There was no need to rush.

He casually flipped through the copy of "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" that he had taken out of the ring. He had already read it during the holidays, using it as a leisurely read. After all, he had always enjoyed books of this nature, and the author, Newt Scamander, was someone he had heard of before.

Glancing over the description of the snake-like creature, Jon skipped that page. The creature appeared in "Chamber of Secrets," and Jon was now past his third year, so he didn't need to concern himself with that at the moment.

Cedric was interested in the new student sitting across from him, who was flipping through "Fantastic Beasts." However, he was forced to engage in conversation with Bella, so he couldn't talk to Jon. What bothered him the most was that he always felt a kind of inexplicable pity in the gaze of the new student across from him. It was an uncomfortable feeling to be looked at in that way.

But since he had heard that this new student named Jon would be joining Hufflepuff, there would likely be plenty of opportunities to talk in the future... right?!

"Oh, by the way, Bella, have you heard? This year, the Ministry of Magic changed its Minister, and it's actually Cornelius Fudge. I heard he writes letters to Dumbledore every month. Maybe we'll even get to see Fudge's owl when we get to school," Cedric tried to bring up some topics that Jon might be interested in, but it only piqued Bella's interest in conversation.

The things he mentioned were all major events, but Jon had already read about them in the original works and knew far more hidden details than these students did.

The train soon started moving, and the journey from the station to Hogwarts would take from eleven in the morning until nightfall. Jon had prepared a bunch of things to pass the time, but now that Cedric was in the compartment, it became difficult to do those things.

"If only I were starting school next year. With the Chosen One on the train, who would pay attention to an insignificant and quiet little wizard like me?" Jon muttered to himself. He took out a pair of earplugs from his pocket and plugged them in his ears, blocking out the conversations of Cedric and Bella. If he had already learned how to cast the Silencing Charm, he would have loved to use it on himself.

He sat cross-legged in his seat, watching the scenery passing by outside the window, and closed his eyes. After all, Bella would buy food for herself when she got hungry, so he didn't need to worry about that. What else was there to do on a train ride if not sleep?

In the past, sleeping was the only activity Jon engaged in during train rides because staring at his phone for too long would strain his eyes. But now he had a new activity. Over the past ten days, he had immersed himself in magical books and discovered several methods to enhance magical power.

At Hogwarts, the methods taught to young wizards to enhance their magical power involved practicing continuously to naturally increase their magical abilities. This method was reliable but slow in showing results. That's why Hogwarts assessed students' learning outcomes through exams, rather than testing their magical power levels like in Eastern fantasy novels.

Jon felt that this training method was inefficient, or more precisely, it didn't suit him personally. Just like how ordinary people without magic develop technology, the essence of practicing magic is to strengthen oneself. If he followed Hogwarts' training method, it would take him forever to reach the level of a great wizard. Harry Potter still had to undergo special training from the professors!

After screening several books that the Ministry of Magic forbade students to read, Jon found a few "practicing" methods that suited his current stage. One was a book called "Meditation Principles" by a wizard named Sri Lanka. Another was "Wizard Bloodline Activation Theory" by Salazar Slytherin, one of the founders of Hogwarts. The third was "Magic Enhancement Studies" written by a lady named Helena.

Each of these books, which were strictly prohibited for students to read, had its unique benefits. One commonality among them was that the training methods they described were all challenging. And that's exactly what Jon was looking for—difficulties proved effectiveness!

Jon was never one to fear challenges. As someone who had gone through the gauntlet of college entrance exams and graduate school exams, he never found anything truly difficult. Isn't it just solving problems? That's Jon's strong suit!

After days and nights of relentless study, Jon, who was now pretending to sleep on the train, had reached a beginner level in practicing Sri Lanka's meditation method. He could already feel the magical particles floating in the air and attempted to draw them into his own body. A wizard's magic power is hidden within their bloodline and body, manifested as powerful magic through the guidance of the brain, or rather, the soul. The magical particles in the air provided the foundational conditions for wizards to cast spells, similar to the existence of energy or consciousness in the world. Through meditation, Jon could intuitively sense the vibrancy of the human world and the foggy atmosphere over London in Greenwich. But here, he felt the solidity of rocks and the crispness of the air—a strong sense of the rawness of nature. What sweet and free air it was!

Jon greedily absorbed the magical energy in the air. He didn't know the extent of his own magic power, but it was still within his control. As long as it didn't go beyond his control, there was no risk of silently turning into wind. When he arrived at Hogwarts, he would focus on studying potions and strive to create the Bloodline Purification Potion, which was described in Slytherin's "Wizard Bloodline Activation Theory" and was the only known potion recorded across 27 pages. Despite its dangerous nature, this potion could still be published because it was the research achievement of legendary pure-blood wizards. The pure-blood families who controlled the wizarding world had their own ulterior motives. Additionally, the feasibility of this potion had been confirmed by the potions masters, but its ingredients included some rare and extinct plants that had disappeared over time. The remaining ingredients were also extremely expensive. They could probably be exchanged for thirty Smith family vaults, that kind of expensive.

However, Hogwarts had its Forbidden Forest, where precious materials were abundant. If they couldn't find the genuine ingredients, substitutes could still be found. Even if the potion's efficacy was weaker, it didn't matter.

With thoughts of the adventures that might await him at Hogwarts, Jon's meditation effects improved significantly in his mind.