The weight of his statement sent a chill through the crowd. Some of the younger students looked visibly uneasy, but a few braver ones couldn’t suppress their curiosity. One boy hesitated, then finally asked, "Prefect… have you ever used dark magic?"
Alex’s lips curled into a faint smirk. He looked at the student, his expression unreadable. "You can guess," he said lightly, but then his gaze darkened. "But if I catch any of you experimenting with black magic recklessly… don’t expect me to be merciful."
The boy shrank back instantly, and the students around him exchanged wary glances. Alex wasn’t bluffing. In truth, he had tested black magic before. When he captured a live werewolf in the Forbidden Forest, he had attempted to use the Cruciatus Curse—not out of cruelty, but for research. He had wanted to study the spell’s effects, hoping it would help him understand the Longbottoms’ condition. But the moment he cast it, something wrong had happened.
A dark, insidious sensation had crept into his mind, whispering to him, encouraging him to continue. A sickening, twisted pleasure had surged through his body, making him want to prolong the suffering. It had taken everything in him to stop. Even after breaking free, the aftereffects lingered, like shadows clinging to his mind. He had spent hours suppressing the residual emotions, forcing himself back into control.
Since then, he had maintained strict self-discipline when it came to black magic—especially spells like the Cruciatus Curse. Losing control, even for a moment, was unacceptable. Taking a deep breath, Alex glanced at the students before him. He had given them a warning. Whether they heeded it or not was up to them. But if any of them did cross the line… They would learn just how serious he was. "Alright, let’s move on," Alex said, shaking his head. "I won’t talk about the emotional aspect of magic anymore. What I want you to focus on today is spellcasting driven by willpower. It’s far more stable than using emotions, and much easier to control."
‘Willpower?’ The students exchanged confused glances. It was clear that most of them had never considered this concept before.
"The stronger your will, the stronger your spells," Alex continued. "Most of the self-defense spells you’ve learned in Defense Against the Dark Arts are hard to execute properly without some kind of amplification." He stepped forward, holding his wand casually. "I’ll demonstrate." Stopping a few feet away from the humanoid target, Alex turned to the crowd. "First, I’m going to cast a Banishing Charm—but with no magical reinforcement, no emotional influence, and an empty mind. Watch the result." He deliberately suppressed his instincts, forced his thoughts to go blank, and lazily pointed his wand at the target. "Depulso." A weak, translucent light bullet floated forward and struck the dummy with a dull thud. A moment later, a glowing number appeared on the target’s chest: 26.
Murmurs spread through the crowd. Some students frowned, others tilted their heads. "Why does it show numbers?" someone asked.
Alex gestured to the dummy. "This is an alchemical training tool. The number displayed represents the spell’s power level. A properly cast Banishing Charm should be at least 30 or higher." He looked around. "How many of you have cast spells that felt weak, even when you did everything right?"
After a brief moment of hesitation, hands shot up all around him. Almost everyone had experienced this problem at some point. Some students, however, weren’t even listening to his explanation anymore. Their eyes were fixed on the humanoid target, fascinated. If this thing could measure spell strength, didn’t that mean they could test their own magic?
Alex caught onto their excitement immediately and sighed. "Don’t just stand there staring. You’ll all get a turn soon. But first, pay attention to the demonstration." He turned back to the target and raised his wand again. "That first spell was wrong. Now, watch the difference when you use willpower to enhance a spell." Stepping forward, he addressed the crowd, his voice calm and clear. "First, focus. Block out distractions. Then, gather your willpower. One effective method is to imagine yourself as something sharp—a blade, a spear, anything razor-edged and unstoppable." His eyes darkened slightly as he continued, "Then, suppress yourself. Like a bowstring being pulled back, like a dam holding back a flood. Compress all your focus, all your energy, into that edge. And when you cast the spell… release everything in one burst." He took a deep breath. "Depulso!"
The impact was instantaneous. The spell slammed into the humanoid target with an ear-splitting boom, like a church bell struck with full force. A gust of wind rushed through the room, making robes flutter and loose parchment rustle. The stone floor beneath them trembled slightly from the force. Yet, the alchemical dummy stood firm. Its enchanted base held it in place, refusing to budge. However, the sheer force of the impact caused the upper half of the dummy to bend backward, nearly folding into a perfect 180-degree angle. It wobbled violently as it rebounded, springing forward and back more than a dozen times before finally settling.
A glowing number flickered on its chest: 238. For a few seconds, there was nothing but silence. Then—hissssssss. Dozens of students collectively sucked in a sharp breath, their eyes wide in shock. The stark contrast between the two spells—one barely reaching 26, the other soaring to 238—left them completely dumbfounded. The realization hit all at once: this was the true power of their Prefect.
Even those who had already admired Alex found themselves reassessing him. They knew he was strong. But this level of spell mastery? It was on an entirely different scale. Alex, however, seemed unfazed. He simply stared at the dummy, as if deep in thought. ‘Hmm. The initial test results are decent,’ he muttered. ‘Quality’s passable. It handled about 70% of my full-powered Depulso without breaking. Should be fine for standard self-defense spells and most dark magic, unless we're talking about Fiendfyre or Thundris Tempest level destruction.’
Snapping back to the present, he turned his gaze back to the students. His eyes narrowed slightly. "Why are you all standing there staring? Remember what I just said. I don’t want to repeat myself." His sharp tone snapped them out of their stunned silence. "When casting spells, focus as much as possible," he continued. "Imagine yourself as something unbreakable, something unstoppable. Willpower matters. The stronger your intent, the stronger your magic." His gaze swept across the room, assessing his audience. "Third-years and above—line up by year. I want to see what you’ve absorbed from this lesson. And if you don’t perform well…" He let the threat hang in the air before smirking slightly. "…you’ll be practicing a lot more."
It was obvious that the students weren’t just interested in practicing spells—they were fascinated by the humanoid target itself. The ability to see their spell power quantified in real-time was something entirely new to them. Naturally, everyone wanted to test their strength. Before long, the line stretched across the hall, wrapping around multiple times.