29 The Metric Series (IV)
A/N: Btw, I changed Dumbledore's MP value in the previous chapter from 276 to 276, 750.
I also changed Adrien's MP value in chapter 25 from 39 to 36,386.
***
Elation, Stupefaction, and Fascination.
These emotions synchronously came in as a rush to him upon sighting the misty numerals suspended in the air. Adrien was at a loss for words.
On the one hand, he could not believe he had succeeded in creating the spell on the first try, while on the other, seeing Dumbledore's Magical Power value left him with more questions than answers.
276,750? How strong exactly was that? The sheer size of the number somewhat spoke for itself, and Adrien could already guess that such a Magical Power value meant that Dumbledore was in a league of his own.
However, he realized he needed more samples to put said MP value in context. Without measuring the MP values of numerous wizards in the wizarding world, he would, without a doubt, be unable to understand just how powerful Albus Dumbledore was.
His end goal for The Metric Series was to devise a clear stratification for a wizard's strength and spell complexity, and the spells outlined in the series were direct tools to accomplish that.
Nevertheless, he was ecstatic about successfully creating his first spell. It was the fruit of countless hours of research and the cornerstone for the rest of [The Magic Series Codex].
Like Adrien, Dumbledore was stunned that it only took the young Frenchman a single try to create the spell.
Though it was a rough product and required further testing to detect any defects or errors, it was still a complete spell, one that he could only describe as revolutionary.
He had expected it to take several tries or even fail completely. After all, spell creation was no easy task; more often than not, it flunked or left the prospective innovator in shambles.
However, this time it did not, and Albus had just witnessed the youngest spell creator in history as even he could not pull off such a feat at the mere age of 10.
The two celebrated the historic accomplishment by playing wizard chess and going ten-pin bowling. Adrien hadn't expected Dumbledore to propose such celebratory activities at the time; nevertheless, he agreed since it would be the first time he would leave Godric's Hollow since relocating there.
Albus had given the young Frenchman a royal arse-whooping in wizard chess, dealing a severe blow to his inflated ego.
Undoubtedly, Dumbledore was no Fleur Delacour, as the former possessed a near-supernatural acumen that the young part-Veela witch could not compare to.
The actual scores? They stood at a healthy 28-2.
Aggrieved at his woeful battering, Adrien looked to the bowling to redeem himself; however, this would only exacerbate his situation, as he got thrashed 270-78.
He could not believe the seemingly fragile old man was a seasoned bowler. Nonetheless, he relented, ceding his ambitious attempts at retribution.
On the other hand, Albus apparently had the time of his life as Adrien found it nearly impossible to wipe the smug smile off his wrinkled face. It had been ages since the old sage indulged in one of his favorite hobbies, and it felt damn good to put those arthritis-immune joints to work.
Exercise, as muggles called it. It was great for the body and mind, and Albus would certainly agree.
To cap off their outing, the two spent quite some time chatting, with Dumbledore telling Adrien loads of stories from his teenage years and his time as a professor at Hogwarts.
He talked about how he had ambitions to conquer the world alongside Grindelwald. The two had hatched out elaborate plans for global domination over Muggles, and Albus had been hell-bent on seeing them through at the time, to the point of seeing taking care of Aberforth and Ariana as a chore, an annoying restriction that only served to hold him back.
He admitted that, at the time, he only had eyes for glory, fame, and power. He thought it only fitting for a wizard with his talent and magical prowess.
He admitted that, in retrospect, it was incredibly selfish and that if he had realized what was truly important back then, the three-way duel that resulted in the death of his beloved sister would've never happened.
Since then, he had been afraid of power and had consistently declined any attempts by others to offer him positions of great political power. In Albus's eyes, it was akin to poison, and the last thing he wanted was to fall prey to another mistake.
Albus cautioned Adrien to always be humble and avoid making the same mistakes he did in his youth. He explained the importance of love, family, and integrity to the young Frenchman and earnestly hoped he would heed his advice.
After all, it didn't take a genius to realize that the boy would shake the wizarding world with his never before seen intellect and talent. The Legendary Arithmancer had just gotten started, and the wizarding world was not ready for what was to come.
Adrien was surprised at the sincerity Dumbledore showed. Though he already knew the man's backstory, he hadn't expected him to tell him about it so soon.
On deeper thought, though, he realized that this was only natural. After all, Albus was his godfather, and a man of his intellect and perception would opt for a more direct way of guidance for someone like him.
Adrien realized he had been incredibly biased in his opinion of Dumbledore. Who could blame him? after all, watching the man on a screen and actually interacting with him were worlds apart.
Albus was human. Not the old, conniving evil mastermind he had construed him to be. Though the man was cunning and manipulative, there was no doubting his virtuous heart.
Unknowingly, his perception of him improved, and he decided to drop his bias against the Hogwarts Headmaster.
Adrien spent the next year and a half developing the remaining spells in The Metric Series and improving them, eliminating multiple defects in the process.
He had to rework the hand movements, modify the intention of the spells, and develop variants for all of them. He only created one variant for each of the three spells, allowing him to cast the spell and visualize it in his mind instead of a misty projection.
At the end of the process, he ended up with these three spells.
Metior ~ A Spell that measures a wizard's Magical Power (MP) value.
Metior Elit ~ A Spell that measures ambient magical energy, or the amount of magical energy present in a wizard's immediate surroundings.
Metior Alica ~ A Spell that measures the amount of magical energy in a spell.
These three spells comprised The Metric Series, the first of many sections of [The Magic Series Codex]
In addition to perfecting these three spells, during the year and a half, Adrien also collated the Magical Power values of a hundred wizards to formulate a rough outline of the strength stratification he planned to create.
Connections proved to be priceless in the endeavor as it was relatively easy for Adrien. Not only did he possess an extensive list of contacts as the son of Nicolas Flamel, but he also had Dumbledore as a means for networking in Great Britain.
He had to write an unhealthy amount of letters and set up meetings to meet with and measure their MP values. Dumbledore aided in this process and even allowed him to measure the MP values of Hogwarts Professors.
The process was pretty straightforward. Most of the wizards were curious about what exactly he was doing, so he filled them in on a rough outline. He had lost count of the jaws he had caused to slack.
Measuring Professors was pretty fun. Most of them were enthusiastic about the prospect of a standard for wizard strength and showered the young Frenchman with praise, Professor Flitwick most especially.
Snape had said little and only remarked Adrien's avant-garde innovation as 'Interesting.'
On the other hand, Septima Vector looked like she had her entire worldview shattered upon hearing Adrien's idea. Even as an expert Arithmancer, she had never considered exploring Arithmancy outside the realm of divination. Adrien's idea opened her eyes to the untapped potential of the magical discipline.
To say that she was passionate about Arithmancy would be an understatement, as she thoroughly drained Adrien of words through her never-ending flurry of questions.
When she learned that Adrien would be attending Hogwarts, she even got into a debate with Dumbledore on giving permission for Adrien to join her Arithmancy class as a first-year. Though, Dumbledore sternly declined.
Nonetheless, after measuring the MP values of a hundred wizards, Adrien had a rough outline for the strength stratification he would be devising:
Legendary Level (??? Flamels): Wizards at this rank are the stuff of legend and are said to possess near-unlimited power and control over their magic. Adrien hypothesized that wizards like Merlin and the 4 founders were at this level.
Revered Level (200,000 Flamels - ???): Wizards at this rank have a nearly unparalleled level of control over their magic and are able to cast the most powerful and difficult spells with ease. They are highly revered for their power in the wizarding community. Wizards like Dumbledore, Grindelwald, and Voldemort fall under this rank.
Grandmaster Level (150,000 -199,999 Flamels): Exceptionally skilled wizards with immense magical prowess. However, they are leagues behind wizards in the Revered Level. Wizards like McGonagall, Alastor Moody, and Aberforth Dumbledore lie here.
Master Level (120,000-149,999 Flamels): Highly skilled, but not to the level of Grandmaster rank and above wizards. Snape, Flitwick, Kingsley Shacklebolt, and Madame Olympe lie within this rank. Additionally, most elite Aurors fall within this rank.
Scholar Level (90,000-119,999 Flamels): Most professors lie at this rank. Hagrid, Sprout, Vector, just to name a few. The average Auror is ranked here.
Magus Level (60,000 - 89,999 Flamels): Most wizards reach this rank at maturity. They have a good amount of experience and control over their magic. The average Hogwarts graduate is at this rank.
Adept Level (40,000 - 59,999 Flamels): Most 5th to 7th years fall within this rank.
Apprentice Level (20,000 - 39,999 Flamels): Most 3rd-4th years fall within this rank. Adrien is currently here.
Novice Level (0 - 19,999 Flamels): As the name implies, these wizards are complete beginners at magic. Aurelius is currently around the peak of this level.
