Chapter 128: The Effectiveness of the Curse and Pondering the Next Move

The accommodations at the Leaky Cauldron were quite decent; at the very least, it was a single room with a respectable amount of space—significantly larger than the dormitories back at his home-plane school. The wooden floor and ceiling were scattered with wood shavings, and from the adjacent rooms and the floor above came intermittent thuds, as if the occupants were engaged in renovations.

The sky had already grown dark, and the view from the window revealed the street below. Most British streets differed greatly from those in America, imbued as they were with a sense of history. Ma Jun, however, had no mind for sightseeing. With a wave of his hand, he pulled the curtains shut.

He leaned against the headboard, a warm cup of coffee in hand. A book of incantations lay spread open, hovering in mid-air.

"Well, let's experiment with some simple spells and see how they turn out."

"Lumos!"

Ma Jun set his coffee cup on the nightstand, grasped his wand in his right hand, and whispered the incantation. At the same time, with a flick of his intent, he slowly released a touch of telekinetic energy. The next moment, a ball of light appeared at the tip of his wand, shining much like a flashlight.

"Heh..."

He chuckled softly and returned to his reading.

A while later, Ma Jun flicked his hand, sending the coffee cup crashing to the floor, where it shattered into several pieces. He pointed his wand at the shards. "Reparo!"

The shards on the floor seemed to reverse time, instantly reassembling into the original coffee cup.

"Truly magical indeed!" Ma Jun’s smile remained as he used his telekinesis to return the cup to its place.

Turning a few pages, he continued reading. "Expelliarmus, Finite Incantatem, Petrificus Totalus... Hmm, it’s a pity I have no targets to test these offensive spells on right now!"

"No matter, though. At least I have confirmed that I can cast magic! And it’s incredibly easy—I succeed on the first try every time!" Ma Jun mused, pulling a cigar and a lighter from his Universe Ring. He puffed on the smoke as he continued to read.

"Let’s see what else is interesting."

"Animagus! Transformation spells! One cannot turn into just any animal at will; the transformation is linked to the wizard's personality and body weight. Generally, each person can only turn into one specific animal. Furthermore, Animagus transformations are usually limited to non-magical creatures!"

"This spell is quite effective. Being able to turn into an animal at will—even if turning into a mosquito might be a bit strenuous—is useful. Becoming a large dog would be quite nice. It’s essentially a severely simplified version of the Seventy-Two Transformations! It’s just a shame this book doesn't explain how to learn it."

"Ah, Apparition! This is equivalent to teleportation! Once mastered, it would be immensely useful! With my magical talent, I could probably learn it easily. It’s a pity it’s not recorded in this book either!"

Initially, without giving it much thought, Ma Jun had assumed he wouldn't be able to increase his strength in the Harry Potter plane. But after gaining a deeper understanding, he began to feel a sense of anticipation. It was just that many of the more powerful spells were not found in common textbooks.

"Oh, I remember this plane has the so-called Three Unforgivable Curses!" Ma Jun lay back and stared at the ceiling. "Imperio, Crucio, Avada Kedavra! The first can control people, making them fiercely loyal. The second is a good tool for interrogation, and the third kills without a trace! Needless to say, Imperio is very useful; although it cannot control someone indefinitely, it is highly effective on ordinary people."

"Unfortunately, books containing such Dark Arts are equally difficult to come by."

Ma Jun sat up and crushed the cigarette butt. "For now, what I need to do is establish some prestige in the wizarding world and build a network of contacts. I also need to practice magic frequently. I don't understand the rules of this conversion, but it feels less like magical elements at work and more like the body's own potential! I need to get used to it! It would be best to figure out exactly what my power level is."

"Fine, tonight I’ll play the part of a good student and study diligently. As for the rest, I’ll consider it later." Ma Jun pulled all the books from his Universe Ring and tossed them onto the bed in a heap, focusing his full attention on reading them one by one.

The improvement of his telekinesis seemed to be a refinement of his mind and soul; beyond increasing his raw power, it had significantly enhanced his intellect and memory. While he couldn't achieve total recall, his diligent efforts yielded great rewards.

Learning is a lifelong pursuit. For someone capable of traversing various planes, this is doubly true. The more one knows, the more ignorant one often feels. Knowledge is like a circle, and the unknown is everything outside that circle. When you know very little, the circumference of the circle is short, and you are aware of very little that is unknown. But as your knowledge grows, the circumference of the circle expands, making you feel increasingly ignorant.

Books are often the fastest way to acquire knowledge. Thus, Ma Jun became immersed in them, and before he knew it, the night had passed. Possessing a powerful inner energy and telekinesis, going without sleep for a single night did not make him feel tired at all.

After washing up, he stepped out, met Harry downstairs, and the two shared a simple breakfast. For eleven years, Harry had lived with his aunt and uncle, suffering the hardships of living under someone else's roof. This had been the most pleasant night and morning of his life.

"Mr. Ma, thank you so much for your help! I don't even know how to express my gratitude!" Harry looked excited, his words tumbling out in a jumble.

"No need for thanks; helping others makes me happy as well," Ma Jun said with a smile. "What are your plans for now? I’m going out for a while to see if I can find some work. Even though I’m not short on money, being idle all day isn't very pleasant."

"Can I come with you?" Harry asked expectantly. "I won't be any trouble, I just want to see the sights! You know, I rarely get the chance to travel. I remember you said you just finished a trip around the world—that must have been amazing!"

"No problem. My first stop is Diagon Alley; the Daily Prophet offices are there," Ma Jun said with a smile. "Oh, traveling the world is wonderful, but it’s also full of dangers. However, difficulties are important nutrients for human growth. Look at you—you’ll surely be a great wizard in the future!"

"Thank you..." Harry said shyly. "Then let's set off!"

Ma Jun asked Tom for a copy of the *Daily Prophet*, and after saying their goodbyes, he led Harry through the pub and back into Diagon Alley.

As they walked, Ma Jun looked at the *Daily Prophet* with great interest. The moving pictures on the pages were fascinating. Furthermore, the news was quite different from that of ordinary human society. There were reports of magical disturbances in certain places that had caught the attention of Muggles, requiring Ministry of Magic officials to intervene; complaints about the private lives of certain Ministry officials; and reports that the new term at Hogwarts was about to begin.