After the Potions class, Professor Slughorn, clearly impressed with Alex's work, gave him several glass bottles to store his finished potion. He even added 10 points to Slytherin, smiling with pride at Alex's accomplishment. Slughorn, like many Hogwarts professors, had a tendency to favor students from his own house, so the extra encouragement wasn't surprising.

Carrying five bottles of calming draught, Alex handed two to Vivian as they walked out of class.

"Here, you should take these. We made them together, after all."

Vivian shook her head, embarrassed. "Oh no, Alex, that was all you. I barely did anything. I just handed you ingredients."

Alex insisted, pushing one of the bottles into her hand. "At least take one. You were still my partner today, even if I didn’t give you much of a chance to brew."

Vivian chuckled at his stubbornness. "You really know how to talk, don't you?"

As they continued walking, Vivian's tone shifted to something more playful. "By the way, the weekend's coming up. Could you lend me your poker set? I've got a few friends who want to play with me."

Alex raised an eyebrow, a bit surprised by how quickly Vivian had taken to the game. He hadn't seen much of her lately due to his focus on spells and studies, but apparently, she had been keeping busy. "You're hooked already?" he said with a mock sigh.

Back in the Slytherin common room, Alex handed over his poker set to Vivian before retreating to his room to dive into more spellwork.

Alex reflected on his first week at Hogwarts. The Defense Against the Dark Arts class had been a disappointment. The professor, old and frail, seemed disinterested in teaching anything beyond the textbook. There was no practical application, and Alex had heard rumors that the class was cursed, with no professor able to last more than a year. He feared this one might not even make it that long.

Transfiguration, however, was a different story. Alex discovered that he had a natural talent for it. In the first lesson, when Professor McGonagall asked the class to turn a matchstick into a needle, Alex managed to succeed after just half an hour of effort. McGonagall even rewarded Slytherin with 5 points for his skill. Although he enjoyed Transfiguration, he knew it would require constant practice, so he decided to focus on it after he made more progress in other areas.

Potions, on the other hand, felt almost like second nature to him. The precise nature of potion-making—cutting, grinding, and timing—was something he excelled at, thanks to his steady hands and methodical approach. He quickly realized that potion brewing was similar to cooking. Success depended largely on the quality of the ingredients and the attention to detail during the process.

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Alex began to think beyond just learning. He planned to use his potion-making skills to earn some income. Gringotts only allowed a limited amount of gold to be exchanged each year, and although Sirius Black had provided him with some financial help, Alex didn't want to rely on that forever. Selling potions would be a good way to support himself in the future.

As for his other subjects—Herbology, Astronomy, and History of Magic—Alex's goal was simply to keep up with the coursework. His real focus, however, was on spells and Lily's amulet project, which had piqued his interest from the moment he found her notes.

To manage his time, Alex created a detailed plan:

First, he would start by learning as many spells as possible from the old textbooks he had collected from the Charms and Defense Against the Dark Arts classrooms. His goal was to master all mainstream spells from grades 1 to 7. He wasn't aiming to perfect them all right away—some spells, like Apparition, were too advanced and dangerous to attempt without proper training—but he wanted to have a solid foundation in all the basics.

Second, after gaining a broad knowledge of spells, Alex would focus on developing self-defense magic. He needed to find a few core spells to master and build his own tactical system for protection.

To measure his progress, Alex categorized spells into four levels:

1. Entry: At this level, he could cast the spell, but not with much precision. His first goal was to reach this stage with as many spells as possible.

2. Proficient: Here, he would be able to cast spells quickly and accurately, even in challenging conditions. Proficiency meant no mistakes, regardless of the situation.

3. Instinct: This was the stage where a spell became second nature, allowing for silent casting and, in some cases, wandless magic. Right now, he had two spells at this level.

4. Extraordinary: This was Alex's personal vision for mastery, where a spell was not only perfected but enhanced or transformed beyond its original form. Vanessa's extraction spell had the potential to reach this level, though for now, it was still just above proficiency.

Alex had already begun to imagine ways to develop his own spells, but he knew that reaching this level would take time.

While all this was happening, Alex continued to study Lily's amulet notes. He hoped to create practical alchemical items, such as reworking the amulet to increase his defensive capabilities. He had a constant fear of not being prepared for danger. The idea of having insufficient firepower terrified him. To combat this fear, he studied new spells tirelessly.

Alex also had his ongoing research in Professor Flitwick's Charms Club. He planned to dive into the topics of silent casting, wandless spells, and magic sensitivity once he had mastered more of the basic spells. He understood that mastering silent casting was all about intense practice with specific spells, while improving magic sensitivity required a deeper understanding of his own magical reserves.

In his analysis, Alex broke down magic into three main elements:

1. Magic reserve: How much magical power a wizard has.

2. Magic strength: The raw force behind each spell.

3. Magic sensitivity: A wizard's ability to feel and control magic.

By understanding these elements, Alex knew he could refine his abilities.