"So… it’s not big enough?" Alex asked, starting to uand.

  "Exactly. The Shield Charm, o, requires a lot of magic. It’s desigo block spells and dark curses, so it needs a strong, stant flow of power. Even if you have the trol, your body is still young, so your pipe—ic capacity—is smaller. It just ’t hahe amount of magic this spell needs, at least not yet."

  Alex’s eyes lit up with uanding. "So, for stronger spells, my pipe o be bigger, or I o push magic out faster to keep the shield stable. But if I try f more magic out now, it could hurt me, right?"

  "Exactly," Lily nodded, pleased with his response. "As you grow, your body will naturally handle more magic, making spells like Protego much easier. And yes, you could try to pressurize yic, but that’s dangerous for your current stage. F it could cause harm, like burst pipes in a plumbing system. The spell failing right now is your body’s way of proteg itself."

  Alex nodded, abs her words. It made sense now why the charm was giving him trouble, even though he had no problem with simpler spells. He thought back to other spells he’d learned, like the Sectumsempra curse, which had impressive power yet was retively easy to cast. It seemed to need less raw magic, making it all the more dangerous because it could be performed so effortlessly.

  "I get it now. I ’t just rely on brute force spells until I’m older. If magic power is tied to my physique, then training my body will help, right? And maybe… eating foods that boost my strength?" he asked thoughtfully.

  Lily chuckled. "Absolutely. Physical ditioning and magical diets improve yical stamina. You’re clever to think of that. Magical creatures’ ingredients—like dragon liver— supprowth, but take it slow and safe."

  Alex made a mental note. He’d have to talk to Hagrid about rare magical ingredients that could help with his training. But for now, he knew he’d have to put off mastering the Shield Charm until his body could ha. With that p, Alex turned back to Lily, a new spark of excitement in his eyes.

  "Then, until I’m ready for those heavy-duty spells, I want to focus on something else. Could you teach me about runes and alchemy? I’d love to make protective charms and ented items, like the amulet you gave me."

  Lily’s face softened, impressed by his eagero learn. "You have a good head on your shoulders, Alex. Runes and alchemy are wise areas to study. I teach you what I know, though I’d reend going to Professor Dumbledore if you want to explore advanced alchemy. There’s also Edgar Burns, an expert on alchemical theory."

  Alex shook his head, smiling. "I’m sure I’ll learn a lot from you, Lily. Your amulet’s design alone is brilliant. I’d love to make something just like it."

  Lily blushed slightly, though she waved him off modestly. "Well, if you’re that ied, I’ll gdly teach you. Runic theory is the foundation of every magical entment, and with time and practice, I think you’ll be able to craft some powerful charms of your own."

  "Alright then, we’ll need a differeup," Lily said.

  They moved to the study, where Lily began to gauge Alex’s knowledge. "So, a runes and their binations—how much do you know about them?"

  Alex replied holy, "I’ve read An Easy Guide to A Runes, and I have a Rune Diary and Magic Phonics Table. I reize most runes with a bit of help, but I’m still unsure about how to bihem into funal runes."

  Lily looked at him, impressed. "That’s quite a lot for someone in their first year. Most students don’t start learning this until third year. So tell me, how do you uand runes and their uses?"

  Alex thought for a moment, recalling his knowledge. "From what I know, a runes are a magical script. They’re believed to be inspired by markings on magical creatures’ bones, and some even say the gods created them. Over time, wizards decoded their meanings and funs. We’ve lost many ruo history, but by bining them, we create new runes with more focused magical abilities. If a runes are like letters, then runes are words or even phrases."

  Lily’s eyes lit up. "That’s an excellent way to think about it. Many spells and entments are created by bining a runes into uterns. Schors have dedicated their lives to transting and recreating these scripts, and even today, new runes are being discovered or rediscovered."

  Alex was intrigued. "New runes are still being found?"

  Lily nodded, enjoying his i. "Yes, and recovered runes sometimes lead to powerful spells. Edgar Burns, whom you’ve met, is a leader in this field. He retly deciphered a lost word from the Ice-Making Spell, which trao ‘preserve,’ allowing it to be bined with other runes in unique ways."

  Alex was impressed. He hadn’t realized the bearded ma was su expert.

  Lily went on, "The real magic lies in knowing which ruo bine. For instance, many runes hold multiple meanings. Look at this one." She sketched a rune on a piece of part. "This symbol mean ‘fly,’ but it also mean ‘leave’ or ‘depart.’ It’s one of the words used in the Levitation Charm."

  "So, bining it with other runes ge its fun?"

  "Exactly," Lily firmed. "If you bi differently, it could mean ‘expel’ or ‘banish,’ which is part of the Expulsion Charm. Practical runes like this are valuable in spells and ented items."

  She then expihe structure of rune binations. "When designing plex spells or alchemy props, we start with a ‘core rune’ or ‘base rune’ and add other runes around it. Unlike regur writing, runibinations form circles, regles, or even three-dimensional shapes. To study these properly, we use a special tool called the Rune Workbench."

  Alex’s eyes widened. "A Rune Workbench? I had no idea such tools existed."

  "Yes, I’ll show you," she said, taking out her wand and tapping the air.