Bill and the other Gryffindors exchanged confused glances before bursting into laughter. "Dark wizard? Are you talking about Alex?" Charles snorted. "You’ve got to be joking. He’s a wizard hero. The Ministry of Magic itself recognized him for capturing and taking down several Death Eaters."
"He’s practically their worst nightmare," Bill added, grinning.
Tonks looked between them, frowning. "Wait… you’re serious?" She had never paid much attention to the wizarding world’s politics before, she’d always found it a bit tedious. Maybe she had skimmed over something about Alex, but until now, no one had ever told her outright. "If that’s true, then explain this!" she insisted. "He wants to draw blood! What kind of normal wizard does that?"
Charles raised an eyebrow and turned to Alex. "Oh, is she training too?"
"Not exactly," Alex replied. "Her ability is unique, and I want to see if I can help her refine it, or maybe even uncover the mechanics behind Metamorphmagi in general."
Tonks, however, remained skeptical. "You lot are way too calm about this. Didn’t you hear me? He wants to draw blood! Only dark wizards do stuff like that!"
Charlie, who had been standing off to the side, finally spoke up. "Tonks, you’ve got this all wrong." He walked over, crossing his arms. "Brother Alex has tested all of us before. He uses it to measure magic power. My initial mana reserve was over seventy Lum, Brother Alex even called me a genius for it."
Tonks stared at him, still hesitant. "You’re saying you’ve all done this before?"
"Yeah," Bill said with a shrug. "It’s completely harmless. It’s not like he’s brewing some evil blood potion."
Tonks bit her lip, looking between the gathered students. None of them seemed concerned. If anything, they looked amused by her reaction. ‘Maybe I overreacted a little…’ she thought. Still, she wasn’t about to let her guard down so easily. "Fine," she said slowly. "But how do you plan to prove it’s safe?"
Charlie grinned. "Easy. We can do a test right now." He leaned back, completely at ease. "It’s quick, and then you’ll see for yourself."
Tonks crossed her arms, eyes flickering between them all. A part of her still felt uneasy, but at the same time, curiosity gnawed at her. And besides, the smell of that grilled pork was really distracting her. "Alright," she finally said. "But if you try anything shady, I’ll hex you."
Alex smirked. "Fair enough." To demonstrate the magic measurement process, Bill and Charlie stepped forward, each placing a hand on the circular magic-measuring device. The enchanted disc flickered to life, displaying their readings. Bill’s magic power registered at 276 Lum, while Charlie’s displayed 106 Lum.
Tonks, who had been watching with skeptical curiosity, blinked in surprise. "So… this number represents the amount of magic inside your body?"
"That’s right," Bill confirmed, tapping the device. "When I first started school last year, I was at 143 Lum. Now I’ve nearly doubled that in just one year. No wonder Brother Alex always says that after third year, magical growth jumps significantly."
Charlie chimed in, grinning. "Yeah! Alex told me that most first-years enter Hogwarts with somewhere between 50 and 80 ticks. The fact that my magic was over 100 when I started means I’ve got a naturally high reserve. Bill, on the other hand, started even stronger than I did. At the same age, his magic level was already higher than mine."
"That’s only because Bill started training a year before you," Charles added, setting down a large pot of freshly cooked ribs on the table. He settled into a seat near the grill and smirked. "Alex’s training method steadily increases your magic reserves. The biggest improvement, though, is in magical sensitivity."
Among the students who trained under Alex, his regimen had been unofficially dubbed An’s Training Method, though Alex himself had never officially acknowledged the name. "In addition to training, proper nutrition plays a huge role in magic growth," Alex explained as he stoked the fire beneath the grill, coaxing it into a steady blaze. "The magic reserves of young wizards grow rapidly. Most first-years start with 50 to 80 Lum, and their reserves increase naturally by about 50 Lum in their second year. With focused training, that number can be pushed to 60 or even 70 Lum." As he spoke, he carefully laid thick steaks onto the grill, the sizzling aroma immediately filling the air.
"The most significant jump in magic growth happens between the ages of 12 and 13," Alex continued. "But this varies wildly from person to person. On average, it’s an increase of 50 to 100 Lum, but with proper training, a student can reliably gain over 100 Lum within that period. Bill’s growth rate reaching 130 Lum is a clear sign of his potential."
"This increase is critical for a wizard’s development," he added, flipping the steaks with practiced ease. "Without proper guidance, uncontrolled magic surges can become dangerous. That’s why Hogwarts, like other major wizarding schools, has protective enchantments, to prevent young wizards from accidentally harming themselves or, in extreme cases, developing into Obscurials."
Tonks, who had been listening intently despite her obvious distraction from the food, frowned slightly. "Obscurials? You mean those kids who repress their magic until it, "
", consumes them," Alex finished. "Exactly. Before wands became standard practice, magical outbursts were much harder to control. Now, wands help channel magic more effectively, reducing those risks." He poked at the fire, the flames crackling beneath the grill. "After that, a wizard’s magic continues growing at a steady pace, gaining between 50 to 100 Lum per year until they reach 15 years old, about fifth year. Then the growth rate slows down. By the time a wizard turns 16 or 17, their increase drops to around 50 Lum per year again."
He leaned back slightly, watching the meat as it charred perfectly along the edges. "That’s why, by the time students graduate, their magic reserves usually range anywhere from 350 to 600 Lum. There’s a huge difference between individuals, but the average Hogwarts graduate falls somewhere between 400 and 500 Lum."
Tonks let out a low whistle. "That’s a huge range."
"It is," Alex nodded. "But magic growth doesn’t stop after Hogwarts, it just slows down. After graduation, magic reserves continue increasing with age, though at a significantly lower rate. I estimate that the growth rate decreases as wizards get older. And if magic is rarely used, or if a wizard is malnourished, their reserves might even decline over time." He gave the steaks one final flip, letting the juices sizzle and sear. "That being said," he continued, "growth isn’t just about numbers. Every wizard’s magical potential is influenced by their natural physique, training, and lifestyle. That’s why the gap between two wizards can be enormous."
Tonks tore her gaze away from the grilling food, now fully engaged in the conversation. "So does that mean a wizard with more magic is automatically stronger?"