Chapter 5: Summary of the Curse
It had been a while since they left Ollivander's, but Alexander still couldn't stop fiddling with his new wand. The white poplar wood was etched with intricate patterns, and with the short, stout black firearm—dubbed The Black Knight—tucked into his arm, the pair made a striking contrast. One black, one white—complementing each other perfectly.
"White Knight," Alexander thought silently. "You'll be my White Knight."
Though he hadn't yet sensed any fluctuations in magical energy, the joy of finally owning a wand pushed away his earlier frustration.
"Father, it's getting late. We should head to Flourish and Blotts to buy my books."
"You don't want to look around a bit more?" Jack asked with concern. Ever since donning that magical hat, Jack's voice had become almost identical to the one Alexander remembered from George Smith—his father in his previous life.
Alexander fell briefly into a daze, then quickly shook it off.
"No. Let's just get the books."
By now, the sky had turned a dusky yellow. Diagon Alley had quieted down, with the hustle of young witches, wandering wizards, and rowdy goblins fading as they filtered back toward the Leaky Cauldron.
Alexander and Jack arrived at Flourish and Blotts.
Books the size of floor tiles, gilded and embossed, were displayed proudly in the shopfront.
The moment they stepped in, the manager rushed over. "Hogwarts students? Are you here to buy your school books?"
"Not quite," Jack replied, handing over a long list. "Here's the book list. We'll need one of everything on it. We'll send someone to collect it tomorrow."
The manager scanned the list—and his eyes widened.
Titles included:
A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration
Curses and Counter-Curses
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Magical Drafts and Potions
The Theory of Magic
One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi
The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection
A History of Magic
The Standard Book of Spells – Grades 1 to 4
Encyclopedia of Toadstools
The Monster Book of Monsters
Dragon Husbandry Manual, Types of Dragons in Great Britain and Ireland, From Egg to Rebirth
Quidditch Through the Ages, Flying with the Artillery Team, Broom Care & Maintenance
Wanderings with Ghouls, Holiday with a Dominatrix, Magical Me, Wandering with Mountain Trolls, Traveling with a Vampire, Wandering with Werewolves
A Year with the Yeti
Spell Your Cheese Right, Magical Bread Baking, Conjuring a Feast!
Through the Fog: Seeing the Future
Major Magical Events of the 20th Century, The Great Wizards of the 20th Century, Modern Magic Breakthroughs, A History of Modern Magic, Famous Contemporary Magicians, Modern Witchcraft Studies
The Adventures of Martin Miggs, the Mad Muggle
Fowl or Monster?
Potent Potions, How Prefects Gain Power, The Invisible Book of Invisibility, Forgotten Ancient Magic and Spells, Death Omens: How to Handle the Inevitable
A Guide to Medieval Witchcraft
"All of these?" the manager asked, voice trembling.
"Everything," Alexander confirmed, his patience wearing thin. "How soon can they be ready?"
You know how, when you're shopping, you tend to waste time meandering until you finally decide to buy something—and then suddenly, every second feels like a waste? That was Alexander now. He just wanted to go home, take a hot shower, and rest.
"Tomorrow morning at the earliest," the manager stammered. "I'll need time to calculate the cost."
Jack cut in. "We'll be back by 9 a.m. Here's a deposit of 300 Galleons. Refund or collect the difference tomorrow."
The manager nodded gratefully, wiping sweat from his brow.
"Let's go," Jack said.
"Yeah," Alexander replied. He was more than ready to get moving.
Back at the Leaky Cauldron, they swiftly ascended the stairs, and with a sharp crack, Alexander returned to the Smith family's castle in the Nottingham Forest.
---
The next day, at 10 a.m., Jack had finalized the payment and packed the books neatly into a magically-shrunk bag. The bookstore owner was now far more composed.
Meanwhile, Alexander had locked himself in his practice room, focused on mastering spells.
"Wingardium Leviosa," he whispered, wand flicking precisely as the spell required. A feather lifted from the table and floated four feet in the air.
"Finally. Silent casting is really tough, but it worked—once."
Since returning from Diagon Alley, Alexander had discovered a flaw in the Black Knight. Modern spellcasting relied on three main elements:
1. Verbal incantation: For example, Wingardium Leviosa. The "-osa" must be elongated and clear. A mispronunciation, like "f" instead of "s", could result in disaster—like the infamous wizard Baruffio, who ended up with a bison on his chest.
2. Proper wand movement: Specific to each spell. For levitation, a distinct flick and swish is essential.
3. Confidence and intent: Belief in your magic. Some spells—like Avada Kedavra—require powerful, deadly intent, while others—like Expecto Patronum—draw on strong, positive emotions.
Some advanced spells required only one or two of these components. Their creators had intentionally removed or omitted elements to raise the difficulty—or were simply unable to complete them.
Modern magic had streamlined things: shorter chants, standardized wand movements, and reduced magical drain. A failed spell might just fizzle or lose power—not sap your life force.
Centuries ago, spellcasting required elaborate rituals—practically interpretive dance. At that point, a sword would've been more practical.
Thankfully, things were different now. With mastery, one could gradually abandon spoken words and even wand motions.
Still, casting spells with the Black Knight felt… weird. It was shaped like a gun, and waving it around to cast spells made Alexander feel awkward. Imagine spinning a pistol to summon feathers.
"I need to develop silent casting for most spells," he thought. "And minimize the gestures. Otherwise, the Black Knight's only use will be in ghost stories."
---
It had been three days since his return from Diagon Alley. In that time, Alexander immersed himself in The Standard Book of Spells: Elementary, A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration, and Curses and Counter-Curses.
During his downtime, he indulged in The Adventures of Martin Miggs, the Mad Muggle and Lockhart's Holiday with a Dominatrix.
Martin Miggs was a comic series that Ron Weasley had once adored. The protagonist—an eccentric French Muggle—accidentally stumbles into the wizarding world. It was hilarious from both magical and Muggle perspectives.
And as for Holiday with a Dominatrix—well, Lockhart truly had a flair for the dramatic. The story was full of twists, and although filled with fluff and self-aggrandizement, it had a surprising charm. The dominatrix was as pale as snow and, well… quite villainous.
For now, Alexander had no intention of leaving the castle again. His focus was set: master magic before the school year began.
---
Alexander Smith - Status Update
Race: Wizard
Strength: 10 (Human Max)
Constitution: 27 (Superhuman)
Magic Power: 18 (Very High)
Skills:
Critical Thinking Lv.2 (91%)
Body Reinforcement Lv.3 (35%)
Alchemy Lv.2 (26%)
Spell Theory Lv.1 (89%)
Potions Lv.1 (55%)
Transfiguration Lv.1 (43%)
Gun-Kata Lv.1 (92%)
Martial Arts Lv.1 (86%)
--------------------------------+--------------------------
If you like the story please give it some power stones and reviews. And if you want to read 30 advance chapters or just want to support me please join my patreon at patreon.com/Translatingfanfics