'With this spell, there should be no issue in creating the Duel Monsters,' thought Christian. 'However, this is just the bare minimum. I want the monsters to have certain attack abilities, and this spell should help as long as I picture them doing so, but the duel monsters must have certain consciousness to listen to the duelist when to attack or activate, and so on.
'I can talk to the Sorting Hat or learn how paintings or pictures still hold their level of consciousness or intelligence.'
Christian frowned, 'The dueling disks must be able to show points, calculate when a person's health is reduced to zero, and lose the battle. And if possible, I would love to add a fear or spiritual pressure to the Duel Monsters, thus making the game more interesting.'
Christian groaned as he realized all the work needed for this project. Bewitching one item to have all these abilities will be a nightmare with all the conflict between different enchantments, but his greatest worry is whether there are spells for what he needs to accomplish.
"I think I will need all the help possible," muttered Christian, who realized he would have to bother his mother, Flitwick, McGonagall, and possibly the headmaster. The good news is that this project is the exact challenge he needed.
"Let's start by finishing the comics' story," muttered Christian before returning to his desk. He spent the entire day writing, even skipping lunch. By 6 in the afternoon, he finished a rough story draft and prepared for revision before finding an artist for the next part.
"What were you so focused on that you missed lunch and did not even notice when I returned home?" asked Tiara after he finally left the study.
"Oh, you're here," said Christian. "I'm working on my new project, as you suggested."
"I thought you wanted to rest."
"I did, but I was bored and was inspired, so I started."
"It's good to be busy. Do you want help? I might be able to find a few more books on Occlumency."
"I'm not writing a book about the Mind Palace. It's something else. I'll show you tomorrow."
"I look forward to it. Eat something before we leave."
After filling his stomach, Christian used the Floo Network to reach the mansion in Tinworth for their magical lesson. He looked at this place and said, "I missed this place." This was where his magical journey started.
"Oh, don't go in the basement," Tiara suddenly said.
"Why? What's in the basement?"
"I've turned it into a lab for experiments, so some sensitive things are inside."
"What kind of experiments?" he asked immediately.
"Come on, tell me something," Christian asked.
"Hmm, I can tell you I've successfully transfigured a troll."
"Yes, and it was close to 4 meters (13ft). Your theory has removed the size limitation of transfiguration, but it still cannot create magical creatures."
"It's still useful. Imagine if you transfigured a dragon in the midst of battles. The enemy won't know the truth, and you might be able to use the intimidation tactic to your advantage."
"Don't forget the Vanishing Charm. If you can't stop your opponent from using it, your transfiguration will be useless."
"Oh, I forgot about that," Christian nodded. With a potent enough Vanishing Charm, transfiguration objects or creatures become useless. Christian sighed: "So far, I haven't even successfully transformed a fully grown Acromantula."
"No need to rush. These creatures can grow from 1.5 to 2 meters (5 to 6ft), and the old ones are taller than trolls. Keep studying and training, and one day, you'll succeed."
Christian nodded. "By the way, do you even have enough time for research?"
"I've hired a large team for the expedition, and the site is near, so it's not as busy as you think," explained Tiara as they walked toward the backyard.
"I see. It's odd since I never pictured you for the experimenting kind, given how outdoorsy you are."
"You're right; your father would have been more interested in this kind of tedious work. However, what can I say? You've rubbed off me."
They soon arrived at their destination, and Tiara's demeanor changed, entering the state of a strict teacher. After setting everything up, she directly stated:
"We will start with a discussion. I will ask you about a charm, and you will tell me your understanding. Let's begin with the Disarming Charm."
"Incantation: Expelliarmus, Latin-based, ex means out, pellere is to drive, and arma is the word for 'weapon.' The wand movement is a slight downward motion followed by a counterclockwise circle or loop. The downward motion signifies the driving out aspect of the spell, and the circle represents the weapon…I noticed that if the pronunciation of the spell focuses on the [arma] aspect and is slightly elevated, the effect will be somewhat different. For example, when I used it on a suit of armor, the spell took all the pieces apart before sending them flying away…My theory is that if this pronunciation is used in something like a car or tank, and if the spell is potent enough, it could disassemble the vehicle into its bare components.
"If the pronunciation focuses on the [expellere] part, the force generated to send the weapon away will increase instead."
"It seems you followed my advice and made up your magic theory."
"I did, and even analyzed all the spells I've learned. Want to see my notes? It's very thick."
"Leave a copy for me to read," Tiara replied. "Now, let's continue. The Shield Charm."
"Incantation; Protego…"
Tiara asked questions for the next two hours, and Christian broke down these spells into their bare theory.
"Excellent. Some of the things you said were things I did not even know, let alone think of. You're coming along well," nodded Tiara. "But let me ask you, can you use these theories in practice?"
"No. When I train with the dummies, it's hard for me to use different pronunciations amid battles."
"That's understandable, as most intense fights are fast, and you have little to no time to concentrate on pronouncing incantations in specific manners."
"So, those magic theories are useless? At least, regarding battles?"
"No, when you can use nonverbal magic, that's when they'll become useful. Of course, you still need to train your skills and focus."
"Let's move on to actual practice. Show me all the spells you've learned since we parted ways."
"No problem," said Christian, displaying most of the spells he learned; he did not use the dark magic or counter curses he learned from Quirrell, but displayed everything he learned in classes or clubs.
Tiara nodded in satisfaction. "What about handweaving? Did you continue practicing?
"Of course, but there were no hand signs for most of the spells I learned."
"No problem. Tell me the spells, and I will teach you if I know."
"I will contact someone from Uagadou or use my African wizards' contacts."
"Hey, can you get me some books about the magical theory behind wandless casting or handweaving? Most of the ones in the school are about wand movements."
"No problem," nodded Tiara. Christian demonstrated his wandless casting, and Tiara gave her approval. She promised to teach him a few more spells during the vacation.
"Now, for the real test," she said with a smirk. "How long can you last in front of me?"
Christian gulped, "Things won't be as easy as last time."
"Bold words. Let's see what you're capable of."
The two looked at each other, their wands ready. Since there was no signal for the start of the battle, they observed their opponent to determine the best moment to strike.
Christian was shocked as he watched his mother fall to the ground; he wondered when he had become so powerful. However, his expression changed when she saw her having an intense seizure in the group and rushed to her.
"What's going on? Is she sick?" She was in intense pain; veins could be seen around her neck and arms, and he swore her body was shrinking or shriveling.
'I can't panic. The best plan is to carry her to the fireplace and use the Floo Powder to bring her to St Mungo's. But will she even make it in time? Can they save her?' The situation did not look ideal for his mother as Christian was about to move; a white flame appeared above Tiara, sucking a white light from her body.
"This is…the ancient magic that connects her with Father? I understand; he's in trouble, and this spell is drawing her life's energy to save him."
As soon as he figured it out, he knew how to save her. His only issue was how to transport her body. His first idea was to conjure a stretcher, put her on it, and levitate it, but with the seizure, her body would not stay in place. Christian feared complications if he used the Freezing Charm (Immobulus) to stop her movement. The only other option was the Mobilicorpus Charm, which could carry people by treating them like puppets with strings attached to their limbs for movement.
"No, her bag is enchanted to take on large items quickly," muttered Christian, who swiftly searched in her waist for the bag of holding. As he used the activation spells, the bag released a swallowing power, and Tiara's body shrank before being swallowed inside.
"Wait for me," said Christian as he used Accio to summon a broom from the bag of holding, hopping on it and flying to a small forest nearby. He landed on a thick tree before releasing his mother. Without hesitation, he pointed his wand at the tree and said:
Christian's wand released a dark light that seemed to devour the lights in the surroundings. A white light flew from the tree, shrinking it until it became gray and thin.
Christian led the white light, or life energy, from the tree into his mother's already bone-like body. He could see she had stopped deflating like a balloon, but it was not enough. So, he focused before using the Dark Magic that he had learned from the Dark Lord.
He siphoned the energy from more than five trees with one spell and infused it into her body. She had regained some color, but her life was still in danger, so he repeated the process until the white flame entered her body and disappeared.
"What…what happened?" muttered Tiara in a gruff voice as she woke up. Her mind was a little fuzzy, so it took a moment to notice her surroundings. She realized she was in her son's embrace, but that's all.
"Zed? Why are you crying?"
"I…almost lost you," he replied, holding her tightly.
"Lose me?" Tiara finally understood what had happened. "It seems he was in a truly dire situation this time around. How did you save me?"