During the experiment Ivan had noticed another hidden factor: prior knowledge directly affected learning speed under the card.
That was why A Beginner’s Guide to Transfiguration had taken only about twenty minutes of boosted time—he already possessed the basic casting experience and had read the book once before.
Detailed Principles of Basic Charms covered a much wider range of theory and was completely new to him, so half an hour had only gotten him halfway through.
Once he understood the card’s strengths and limits, the optimal method became obvious.
Read the material normally first.
Then activate the card and use the heightened understanding and reasoning to review and lock everything in.
That way every minute of the hour was used at maximum efficiency.
Fully comprehending a magical text also awarded Academic Points, and raising spell levels awarded more.
Those points bought new cards.
The cycle could compound quickly.
Even finishing only half of the Charms theory book had raised the proficiency of every charm he knew.
Levitation and the Disarming Charm had both climbed to Level 1 alongside Transfiguration, netting him another ten points.
His balance, emptied by the first card, now sat at twenty again.
The next card was that much closer.
He looked out across the endless shelves and felt a sudden, sharp realization.
Every one of these books was Academic Points waiting to be claimed.
If he could work through them all, the growth would be absurd.
Motivation returned at once.
The universe, however, had other plans.
The moment he prepared to dig in again, Madam Pince announced closing time.
Three hours had vanished without him noticing.
“Children, knowledge is important, but so is rest.
All of you, back to your common rooms now.” She began herding the remaining students toward the doors.
As librarian she had no objection to young witches and wizards who loved books—as long as they stayed quiet—but the opening hours were set by the Headmaster and she would not extend them.
Ivan stepped forward with the half-finished volume.
“Madam, may I borrow this?” She glanced at the title and nodded.
“Of course.
Return it within the allowed time.” Then she turned away to hunt for the inevitable few who liked to hide among the stacks and slip into the Restricted Section after lights-out—or the ones who simply lost track of time.
“Thank you.” Ivan left at once, already impatient to test the improved spells.
He had taken only a few steps when a clear girl’s voice cut in behind him.
“Excuse me—move—!” Something solid slammed into his back.
His forehead met the wall with a dull thud and he sat down hard.
The book hit the floor beside him.
The impact was not serious.
He rubbed the sore spot, climbed to his feet, and picked up the volume before looking at the person who had crashed into him.
Thick, bushy brown hair that clearly received minimal attention.
Standard robes a size too large.
Several books scattered around her feet.
“Hermione?” She had clearly been rushed out by Madam Pince and still half-distracted when she ran into him.
“Ivan?” She staggered, still dazed, until he steadied her.
“Sorry—I wasn’t paying attention.
I didn’t mean to hit you.” “It’s fine.
Just watch where you’re going next time.” He gathered her books and handed them back.
The moment Hermione spotted the volume in his hand her mouth opened and the lecture began.
“I’ve borrowed Detailed Principles of Basic Charms before.
It taught me a lot of new techniques.
I had no idea a sufficiently strong will could dramatically increase a spell’s power—though it demands excellent magical control or the magic can run wild.” Her voice rose with enthusiasm.
“And learning requires understanding and memory, not simply turning pages from cover to cover.
Instead of jumping into books like this, you should memorize every textbook first!” The advice poured out in a rapid, superior stream.
She clearly believed she was helping, and the tone carried exactly that certainty.
Ivan understood she had probably seen him reading under the card’s effect and meant well.
The attitude, however, explained why so many first-years already found Miss Granger difficult.
Pre-Halloween Hermione was not an easy person to like.
“Thanks for the advice,” he said evenly.
“But everyone has their own learning method.” She started to protest.
He cut her off with action instead of words.
“Transfiguration.” The wand moved in one clean, economical arc and tapped the parchment she used for notes.
The sheet shivered, expanded, and smoothed.
In less than two seconds the rough surface became a thin, flawless stone tablet—cool, polished, and perfect.
The entire sequence, from the spoken word to the finished change, was as precise as any demonstration McGonagall had given in class.