Seeing these two familiar spells that had appeared multiple times in the original story, Robert's eyes sparkled with awe.
So far, he only knew three basic spells—Soil Loosening Spell, Pruning Charm, and Lumos—none of which had any combat capability. The appearance of Levicorpus and Sectumsempra came as a timely answer to Robert's desperate need for magical defense and offense.
Though Robert's intention was always to quietly grow his magical crops and steadily develop in peace, the value of having a deterrent force could not be overstated. Even if he didn't use such spells often, just possessing them could prove critical.
Taking a deep breath, Robert first turned his attention to the Levicorpus spell. This spell, known for suspending a target upside down in midair, had a powerful restraining effect. Without the counter-spell Liberacorpus, the suspended target couldn't escape for an extended time. It was believed that Snape, inspired by prank spells, had refined this into a highly effective control technique.
As Robert studied the underlying structure of Levicorpus, surprise slowly dawned on his face. Snape's craftsmanship was far deeper than he'd expected. Levicorpus wasn't just another spell—it could actually be cast non-verbally and wandlessly.
When fully incanted, the spell unleashed its full power. However, in emergencies, it could be triggered with just the casting gesture, though the effect would be weaker. In even more extreme cases—if one's magic perception and strength were sufficiently high—it could be cast with neither wand nor voice, using just a gesture!
Robert thought back to Harry's use of Levicorpus in the original story. During a playful scuffle, Harry had suspended Ron in the air without even drawing his wand. This confirmed Robert's suspicion—this wasn't just a joke spell. It was a feat of magical engineering.
"If this were just a simple prank spell, most older Hogwarts students could've replicated it," Robert murmured to himself. "But to refine it into something so advanced, able to be used non-verbally and wandlessly... that's truly rare."
Wandless, non-verbal casting was known to be one of the most difficult techniques in the wizarding world. Only a handful of wizards ever reached this level of mastery. For Snape to make Levicorpus compatible with such casting meant he possessed remarkable magical talent.
With this in mind, Robert became even more invested in mastering Levicorpus. If used well, it could have incredible applications in battle.
He raised his wand and confidently said, "Levicorpus!"
The wand flicked upward in a precise, hooking gesture. Instantly, a stream of magic surged from its tip, striking a nearby desk. The desk was pulled up as though by invisible wires and dangled upside down from the ceiling.
Robert stared at the scene. The desk defied all laws of gravity and physics, yet here it was—hanging silently. He observed it closely for ten whole minutes. Not once did it falter. Without a counter-spell or external force, the suspension was indefinite.
"In the Harry Potter world, magic is a complete cheat code," he muttered with a grin. "If Muggle physicists saw this, their worldview would shatter."
But this feat, beyond the realm of science, had been easily achieved by a young wizard like him.
Then, Robert made the reverse gesture and recited, "Liberacorpus!"
The desk flipped and crashed down to its original place with a loud thud. Encouraged, Robert decided to try casting without an incantation. He raised his wand, mimicking the same motion—but said nothing aloud. The desk slowly began to rise again, although it hung only halfway to the ceiling this time.
He repeated the process several times, testing various combinations: with wand, without voice; without wand, with voice; and even silently, without either. He took notes carefully.
"With the full spell, I can suspend an object weighing around 40 kilograms about four meters in the air. If I skip the incantation or the wand, the effect drops significantly."
"If I go completely wandless and non-verbal, the result is much weaker—maybe enough to trip someone or suspend them a foot off the ground."
"The issue isn't with the technique—it's my magical strength. If I had raw magic like Harry Potter's, even my wandless casting would be much stronger."
Still, Robert felt deeply satisfied. On his system panel, the words [Levicorpus (Bronze Tier)] had now appeared. With practice, the spell could only improve. When its level increased, who knew what new effects might be unlocked?
Next, Robert turned his focus to Sectumsempra.
Unlike the prank-like Levicorpus, Sectumsempra was firmly rooted in the realm of Dark Arts. In the original series, there were few spells more dangerous or destructive.
What set Sectumsempra apart was that, unlike the Unforgivable Curses—which demanded intense emotional states—this spell required minimal negativity to activate. Harry had nearly killed Malfoy the first time he used it, and yet his emotions then were far from murderous.
This combination of raw power and low emotional threshold, along with Robert's system-embedded Cutting Spell Bonus, made Sectumsempra the most appealing of all.
Now, with a proper long-range attack spell in hand, Robert felt a sense of real combat readiness.
He took a deep breath, expression serious and focused. Even if it wasn't one of the most dangerous spells, its Dark Arts roots meant caution was paramount.
Holding his wand horizontally, he drew a sharp arc through the air—like slashing with a sword—and intoned, "Sectumsempra!"
He felt it instantly—a piercingly sharp surge of invisible magic gathering within him, flowing straight into his wand.
But… nothing happened.
The spell failed.
Robert frowned. He repeated it, each time ensuring his incantation and gestures were perfectly accurate. Still, no effect.
After some thought, a theory occurred to him: Was the magical energy he gathered simply too weak to activate the spell? No matter how precise the movements or words were, there was likely a threshold that needed to be crossed.
This seemed the most likely explanation.
Against lesser spells, his low base magic hadn't mattered as much. But with Levicorpus and especially Sectumsempra, the gap became clear.
Still, Robert wasn't discouraged. His mindset remained calm.
The Sprout Family's greenhouse was still full of margaret plants. With two months left before full maturity—scheduled to complete during the Christmas holidays—he expected a bountiful harvest.
Once the margaret was ready and harvested, the system rewards would drastically boost his magic strength. That Bronze-tier barrier? Gone. With the current scale of cultivation, it wasn't out of the question to leap straight to Gold Tier or higher.
He glanced at his system panel again. The label [Sectumsempra (Bronze Tier)] had appeared—but it was half-solid, half-transparent.
It meant that while Robert had theoretical knowledge and understanding, he couldn't yet cast it effectively. Still, he could train to increase proficiency.
"That's enough for now," he said to himself. "I'll practice it daily. When the margaret matures, I'll break through in one go."
He repeated the casting motions several more times, even though the spell never manifested. Each time, the feeling of dangerously sharp magic building in his core made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end.
It was nothing like the Pruning Charm.
They were both technically cutting spells, yes, but the magic intensity of Sectumsempra far exceeded anything Robert had previously experienced.
Turning to leave the Potions classroom, Robert suddenly paused mid-step. A flash of insight gleamed in his eyes.
"Wait a second… Levicorpus was developed from prank spells. But now that I think about it… Sectumsempra seems to have roots in the Pruning Charm!"
The realization struck hard. Snape, in order to create Sectumsempra, must have had extremely high proficiency in the Pruning Charm—possibly Epic Tier, according to the system's standard.
Robert rushed to check the system panel.
Sure enough, his Pruning Charm, which had developed a brilliant silver glow from constant training, now had a hint of golden shimmer—ever since he began practicing Sectumsempra.
Practicing Sectumsempra was indirectly enhancing the Pruning Charm!
The connections between spells, between magical understanding and growth—it was more intricate than Robert had imagined.
With this realization, a whole new path for growth lay open before him.
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