Chapter 36: It was my mistake to have let you labor under the illusion that you could challenge me.

In front of Lived, Tom was still a person who could be persuaded.

After Lived’s analysis, Tom abandoned the idea of joining the Acolytes. Whether Grindelwald would succeed was one thing, but given Tom’s age and meager current abilities, if he really followed that group into trouble, he might not even have the chance to grow up. Having fully realized his own limitations thanks to Lived, Tom was, at this point, very self-aware.

Thus, the two settled temporarily in the Hog's Head Inn, waiting for the school term to begin while practicing magic on their own. During this time, Dumbledore visited once, seemingly to repair the protective enchantments on the attic that had been breached. After finishing, he hurried away from Hogsmeade without sparing a glance for Lived and Tom. Clearly, the war against Grindelwald had reached a fever pitch; it was already difficult enough for him to find the time to stop by. Especially now that Grindelwald was in Britain, the British Ministry of Magic was in a state of high tension. Since Dumbledore had repelled Grindelwald years ago, the Ministry placed great importance on his abilities. Consequently, the Ministry of Magic could hardly function without his assistance for even a moment. In fact, Dumbledore had proven his importance; as long as he was present, Grindelwald’s Acolytes could not gain the upper hand. Thus, Dumbledore’s reputation in the wizarding world grew ever higher.

To keep track of the situation, Lived and Tom both subscribed to the Daily Prophet. According to the reports, Grindelwald’s group and the Aurors led by Dumbledore had engaged in seven or eight battles of varying sizes within just two weeks. Both sides suffered heavy losses, yet curiously, while many were injured, the number of casualties was remarkably low. It was as if neither side was truly fighting to the death. Finally, after two weeks, unable to gain any advantage under Dumbledore’s watch, Grindelwald led his followers out of Britain and vanished without a trace. People speculated that he must have returned to Nurmengard in Austria to regroup. Although the conflict ended without a clear victor, Grindelwald’s withdrawal allowed the wizards of Britain to breathe a massive sigh of relief.

"Stupefy!"
"Thud!"

"Too slow, and your intentions are far too obvious. Before your spell was even cast, your target was already determined. How could you ever hope to hit me? Come, again!"

In the woods near Hogsmeade, Tom finally gathered the courage to launch his first formal challenge against Lived. After two weeks of grueling practice, Tom decided it was time to take his revenge. In his view, having practiced day and night, his abilities had surely caught up to the lazy, idle Lived. So, old scores and new grievances—today was the day!

Unfortunately, things did not develop in the direction he had hoped. Tom, who studied earnestly and painstakingly every day, could do absolutely nothing against Lived, who merely spent his days reading casually and strolling about. To be precise, his spells couldn't even touch the hem of Lived’s robes. From start to finish, Lived hadn't even taken his wand hand from behind his back. In other words, Lived hadn't even fought back, yet Tom still couldn't touch him. The man even had the leisure to critique Tom’s movements while dodging spells. The more Tom attacked, the more intense his frustration became.

"Your footwork is sluggish. If I were attacking right now, you wouldn't have had time to reach cover." Lived’s critical commentary echoed, nearly shattering Tom’s resolve.

"Fight back, will you! All that nagging—aren't you sick of it?" Tom’s frustration and failure erupted into an angry roar.

"Fine." No sooner had Lived spoken than Tom felt his wand fly from his hand. By the time he regained his senses, he was bound and hoisted into the air, hanging from a tree. Tom’s expression was a mixture of fury, confusion, and shock. He hadn't even seen what happened before he was defeated.

"How... how did you do that?" Tom couldn't help but ask as Lived slowly approached.

"I told you, your casting speed must be fast. If you chant spells slowly, your attacks pose no threat at all." Lived stood beneath the tree, tilting his head to look up at the miserable Tom dangling above.

"Have you already mastered non-verbal spells? Is that why your attacks are so fast?" Tom asked, shocked.

"Your focus is strangely misplaced, Tom. Non-verbal spells aren't the point! The first day we met, when I knocked you down, did I chant any spells?"

Tom was momentarily stunned. Before he could recover, Lived continued, "Back in the alley, when you took down those two traffickers, did you chant any spells? Why is it that before you learned formal magic, your attacks were swift and clean, yet now that you've learned them, your movements have become so sluggish? I hate to say it, Tom, but you haven't progressed in your studies—you've regressed."

These words struck Tom like a bolt of lightning. Before learning the spells, he used non-verbal magic effortlessly; now that he knew the incantations, he couldn't cast them silently—if that wasn't regression, what was?

"Why... why is this happening?" Tom finally asked, seeking advice from the person he had once hated most.

Lived shook his head. "Because before you studied formal magic, you didn't overthink your attacks. Your intent was pure; you only wanted to take your opponent down. That aligned with the essence of magic and the conditions for non-verbal casting. But once you learned the spells, you began to overthink—every syllable, every pause, every arc of the wand had to match the book exactly. Your spells look beautiful, but you’ve lost the purity of your original casting. Consequently, both the power and speed of your attacks have suffered."

Tom muttered dejectedly, "Is that why you rarely look at books or study spells? Was my studying them a mistake?"

Lived shook his head. "No, Tom. I didn't say studying magic was a mistake. In fact, you should continue to study and learn. You must understand these spells thoroughly. Only by understanding the fundamental principles can you cast magic as you wish, without being constrained by technique or syllables. Our previous non-verbal attacks were just us accidentally tapping into magic. If you cast a spell silently while fully understanding its mechanics, you will find the power is far greater than before. As for how much stronger... you felt my Disarming Charm just now; you should understand."

Tom, hanging from the tree, frowned in deep thought. After a moment, he asked, "Why tell me this? Aren't you afraid that I'll eventually catch up and defeat you?"

Lived maintained his gentle smile. "Giving you the illusion that you could challenge me was my mistake. However, rest assured, you won't have that illusion for much longer."

Tom glared at him with a dark expression. He truly suspected that if this bastard didn't act arrogant, he might actually die.