Chapter 28: Classification
A Sniffer suddenly emerged from a hole in the ground, pulling Alexander's thoughts away.
Not far off, Hagrid put on his heavy rubber boots, picked up the crossbow by the door, and trudged into the depths of the Forbidden Forest. Yaya, the timid little dragon, followed nervously behind him, while the nearby Thestrals slowly dispersed into the shadows.
Alexander had no intention of revealing himself. Although he currently looked just like a real phoenix, he wasn't yet familiar with a phoenix's natural behavior and movements. In front of Hagrid, an expert in magical creatures, it was better not to risk it. Today's goal had already been achieved.
"Is this fate? The Forbidden Forest has welcomed the descendant of its true master," Alexander mused silently.
From his magical perspective, the magical currents of the entire Forbidden Forest seemed to stir and celebrate Hagrid's entrance, as if recognizing and welcoming a new master.
In the next instant, Alexander disappeared from where he hovered. He was now familiar enough with phoenix form that he no longer needed to burst into flames when teleporting. In simpler terms, he could now Apparate silently and without "special effects," though it consumed a little more magic.
In fact, wizards can eliminate the cracking noise when Apparating if they pour in extra magic. But since Apparition is primarily used for rapid travel, most don't bother to waste the extra energy — and if you aren't careful, you might even cause a Splinching accident.
Back at the castle, Alexander once again marveled at Hagrid's deep affinity with magical creatures. A simple, natural talent like that could sustain an entire kingdom of magical beasts.
Hagrid's current Charms skill level was actually Level 4 — and Level 4 was no small achievement.
To put it in perspective, an average Ministry of Magic employee — and even weaker Aurors — typically only reached Level 4 in Charms. Some couldn't even reach Level 3. Only a handful attained Level 5, such as Scrimgeour, whom Alexander had briefly observed. No wonder Scrimgeour succeeded Fudge as Minister for Magic — it wasn't just his political style, but his magical strength as well.
In Alexander's view, Charms formed the true foundation of a wizard's ability. Transfiguration was a complex, subtle art, and Defense Against the Dark Arts was simply practical combat using Charms.
He had, through his investigative skills and spell analysis panel, organized a rough classification:
Level 1: Able to recite and barely cast spells — the typical level of a first-year Hogwarts student.
Level 2: Proficient in spell casting with accuracy and clarity — common for second- and third-years.
Level 3: Silent casting becomes possible — expected of fourth- and fifth-years.
Level 4: Personal understanding of spells — typical of sixth- and seventh-years.
Level 5: Beyond ordinary; achieved after years of focused study or innate talent.
Level 6: A realm touched only by geniuses after a lifetime of effort and inspiration.
Importantly, these levels referred not to mastery of all magic, but to individual spells typically taught and practiced in class.
Most Hogwarts graduates probably only reached Level 3 overall, with a few exceptional students achieving Level 4.
Thus, unless someone dedicated themselves to intense magical study, their overall ability would be capped — even if they had a few Level 4 spells they could duel competently with.
Returning to Hagrid: it was clear even in the original history that Hagrid often used spells, despite technically being expelled in third year.
His pink umbrella was, in fact, his broken wand — repaired in secret.
And who else but Dumbledore, wielder of the Elder Wand, could have repaired it? After all, the Elder Wand was capable of miraculous feats. In the original story, Harry had even repaired his destroyed holly wand using the Elder Wand's power.
Thus, Dumbledore likely restored Hagrid's wand, allowing him to continue casting spells — albeit discreetly.
Hagrid's own magical ability was solid, bolstered by years living at Hogwarts — a place rich in ancient magic — and by continuing to study, borrow books, and even receive the occasional private lesson from Dumbledore himself.
If Hagrid hadn't reached Level 4 in Charms, it would only be because his focus was elsewhere — namely, magical creatures. His Care of Magical Creatures skills were easily at Level 5.
As for why someone so gifted was expelled: it wasn't just about Voldemort's framing. Hagrid was essentially an enhanced version of Newt Scamander — always causing chaos.
Even without the Chamber of Secrets incident, he probably would have been expelled sooner or later.
From the start, he had raised werewolf cubs under his bed, sneaked into the Forbidden Forest to fight trolls, and in third year, he began raising an Acromantula — a XXXXX-class creature that loved to eat humans.
The Ministry of Magic's Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures classified all magical beings, including humans and ghosts, into five levels:
XXXXX: Known wizard-killers / impossible to domesticate
XXXX: Dangerous / requires expert handling
XXX: Competent wizard can manage
XX: Harmless / tameable
X: Boring nuisances
Just raising an Acromantula would have been enough to get Hagrid expelled.
The headmaster at the time expelled him not because he supposedly killed Myrtle — that was Voldemort's framing — but because Hagrid's constant dangerous activities made the expulsion a necessary move. And conveniently, it removed suspicion of the murder with it — two birds with one stone.
Thinking about Hagrid's journey, Alexander was reminded of one of his long-delayed plans: to use Hogwarts itself as a training ground.
According to his analysis, Hogwarts' magical environment accelerated spell improvement by about 10% and made spells 10% easier to learn — a passive buff few noticed but which made a significant difference.
For Alexander, who already had cheat-like advantages, practicing spells at Hogwarts would be even more fruitful.
Perhaps Hogwarts wasn't suitable for practicing forbidden spells like Avada Kedavra — there weren't enough ambient traces for that. But for more common spells, like Incendio and Aguamenti, the foundations were strong.
This, perhaps, was why Hogwarts textbooks had barely changed over the centuries — students progressed better using them, even if no one realized the true reason.
Now that he could Apparate in phoenix form, all Alexander needed to do was find a secluded spot in the Forbidden Forest to begin his secret training. With his phoenix's 360-degree vision and detection skills, he wasn't worried about being surprised — unless Dumbledore personally showed up with his phoenix.
(End of Chapter)
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