vncnus Chapter 8 Spells Lesson
Chapter 8 Spells Lesson
Karen Hawthorne was already awake when the morning sun streamed through the high windows of the Gryffindor Tower. He blinked his grey-blue eyes, adjusting to the light filtering through the gaps in the four-poster bed canopy. It was his first day of formal classes, with only Charms in the morning and Transfiguration in the afternoon on his schedule.
Karen tiptoed out of bed. His memories as a Harry Potter fan from his past life made everything about Hogwarts feel familiar, but being actually there still made his heart race with the magical atmosphere. He could see, or rather, his "Eye of Truth" could see the subtle magical flow floating in the air, like countless translucent ribbons dancing in the morning light.
"Wesley, Fabian, Ernesto, it's time to get up," Karen called softly, her voice low but clear enough.
A rustling sound came from the four-poster bed. The first to react was Wesley Cruz, the Muggle boy with a head of messy hair, who slowly groped his way up.
"God, what time is it..." Wesley muttered, but when his gaze fell on Karen, who was already dressed in her school uniform, he immediately sobered up. "Oh, damn it, it's the first day of school!"
Fabian Brian sat up from the other bed, yawning. The mixed-race boy, with his healthy bronze skin and curly black hair, adapted to his new surroundings with astonishing speed. "Good morning, Karen. Do you always get up this early?"
"I'm used to it." Karen smiled slightly, turning to the last bed. "Ernesto?"
Ernesto Griffith, the only pure-blood wizard among them, slowly drew back the dark green curtains. Unlike the others, his pajamas were made of silk, embroidered with delicate silver patterns.
"I'm awake," he said coldly, his gray eyes sweeping over the other three.
After a quick wash in the washroom, the four of them descended the spiral staircase. Many students were already walking around in the castle's corridors; some of the figures in the portraits hanging on the walls were still asleep, while others were awake, curiously observing the new students.
"Did you know?" Karen suddenly stopped and pointed to a corridor that seemed like a dead end. "There's actually a hidden door there. If you knock on the third brick three times, you can open a shortcut to the third floor."
Wesley's eyes widened. "Really? How did you know?"
"It's mentioned in 'Hogwarts: A History of the School'," Cullen told a little lie. In reality, he knew it from the Harry Potter series in his previous life. "I read a lot of books about the wizarding world before I enrolled."
Upon arriving at the Great Hall, the four sat down at the long table in Ravenclaw and began to enjoy breakfast, which included toast, fried eggs, bacon, roasted tomatoes, oatmeal, and various fruit juices and pumpkin juice.
"The Charms professor is Flitwick, right?" Fabian asked while spreading butter on his bread. "I heard from upperclassmen that he's a great teacher, and also the head of our house."
"But he's a half-elf," Ernesto added, with a hint of arrogance in his voice, "though he's said to be very skilled in dueling."
Karen noticed Wesley's slightly uneasy expression upon hearing this and immediately said, "Bloodline doesn't determine a wizard's ability. Professor Flitwick is not only a master of spells but also a master of dueling, which is enough to prove his strength."
Ernesto seemed about to argue, but in the end he just shrugged and continued eating his breakfast.
After breakfast, the four followed the other Ravenclaw freshmen to the Charms classroom. The classroom was located on the seventh floor of the castle, and when they arrived, the Hufflepuff students were already seated on the left side of the classroom.
"Looks like we're taking Charms class with Hufflepuff," Karen said quietly. "Let's find a seat."
They chose the middle seat on the right. Karen noticed that the desks and chairs in the classroom were lower than normal, and there was a thick stack of books on the podium, which was to help the short Professor Flitwick reach the podium.
The moment the school bell rang, the classroom door was blown open by a gust of wind, and a short wizard, less than 1.2 meters tall, walked in briskly. He wore a slightly oversized dark green robe, his gray hair was neatly combed, and his pointed nose and prominent chin revealed his part of the goblin bloodline.
"Good morning, new students! Welcome to your first Charms class!" Professor Flitwick's voice was unexpectedly loud. He leaped lightly onto the stack of books, raising his head above the podium. "I am Frius Flitwick, and you may call me Professor Flitwick. For the next seven years, I will teach you one of the cornerstones of magic—Charms!"
Cullen's "Eye of Truth" immediately detected the active flow of magic around Professor Flitwick. The translucent ribbons formed a halo around him that was almost visible to the naked eye. Although it was not as vast and profound as Dumbledore's, it was much brighter and more complex than the halo around the other students.
"Today, we will learn a very basic but extremely important spell—the Levitation Charm, also known as 'Yugadilm Leviosa'." Professor Flitwick waved his wand, and a feather floated out of the box on the podium, gracefully dancing in the classroom. "This spell may seem simple, but it contains the fundamental principles of Charms: correct pronunciation, precise wand movements, and most importantly, concentration."
Karen watched intently as Professor Flitwick cast his spell. In his "Eye of Truth," the magical ribbons flowed from the tip of the wand, forming a specific spiral pattern that enveloped the feather. He could also see the subtle changes in the flow of magic; when Professor Flitwick flicked his wrist, the magical trajectory adjusted accordingly, making the spell's effect even more perfect.
"Now, everyone, please take out your wands and work in pairs to try to make the feather in front of you float up," Professor Flitwick announced. "Remember: 'Feather Gadeim Leviosa,' the gesture is a wave and a flick, and the wrist movement should resemble drawing an 'S' shape."
Karen and Wesley were paired together, while Fabian and Ernesto were paired together. Wesley gripped his wand nervously, his hand trembling slightly.
"I...I've never tried real magic," Wesley said softly, "except for that time at Ollivander's."
"Relax," Karen comforted. "Remember what Professor Flitwick said: the key is the wrist movement and the pronunciation. Watch me demonstrate first."
Karen raised his wand, a spell he had learned during his vacation, but after seeing the magical trajectory of Professor Flitwick's spell, he adjusted the angle of his wrist, mimicking that perfect spiral pattern.
"Yugadimurleviosa".
As the incantation was uttered, a wisp of silver-blue magic flowed from the tip of Karen's wand, moving precisely along the trajectory he had seen. The white feather in front of him trembled slightly, then rose steadily into the air, hovering about a foot above the table.
Karen could clearly feel that this was much smoother than the spells he used to cast at home.
"Merlin!" Fabian exclaimed, "You succeeded on your first try!"
The students nearby all turned to look, and even Professor Flitwick was drawn to the scene. The short professor jumped down from his stack of books and strode over to Karen.
"Excellent, Mr. Hawthorne!" Professor Flitwick exclaimed happily. "I rarely see a first-year student perform the Levitation Charm so flawlessly on their first attempt. Your wrist movements were especially precise. Ravenclaw, three points!"
"Thank you, Professor," Karen replied politely, noticing Ernesto's surprised look. On the other side of the classroom, Ernesto also managed to make his feather float, but not as steadily as Karen's.
"How did you do that?" Wesley asked eagerly. "My wand feels just like a regular stick."
Karen pondered how to explain the flow of magic he was seeing. "Try to imagine magic flowing from the tip of the wand," he finally said. "Not simply waving the wand, but feeling the magic flow like water, with a gentler wrist movement, and a slight upward flick at the 'Leviosa' part."
Wesley tried again as Karen suggested, and this time his feather trembled, then fell back down a few inches from the table.
"That's progress!" Karen encouraged. "Try again, this time make a bigger upward flick of your wrist at the end."
On the third attempt, Wesley's feather finally rose into the air, albeit unsteadily, though not as steadily as Karen's, but it did indeed float.
"I did it!" Wesley shouted excitedly, almost jumping up, but his feather immediately fell back onto the table.
"Focus your attention," Karen reminded him. "Spells require sustained willpower."
On the other side of the classroom, Fabian stared in distress at his motionless feathers. Ernesto stood to the side, his expression hesitant.
"Do you need help?" Ernesto finally asked, his tone softer than usual.
Fabian nodded: "I think I did something wrong. The wand doesn't seem to be working properly."
Ernesto picked up his wand and demonstrated, his feathers fluttering up again. "See, the wrist movement should be like this..."
Fabian tried to imitate him, but with little success. Karen walked over and observed Fabian's casting method for a while.
"Your problem is with your pronunciation," Karen pointed out. "You pronounced 'Levi/Osa' as 'Levio/Sa,' and Professor Flitwick just said the stress should be on the second syllable. Also, the wand movement should be smoother, like this..."
Karen demonstrated again, this time deliberately slowing down so that Fabian could see every detail. In his "Eye of Truth," the trajectory of the magic flow was clearly visible, and he adjusted his movements to make them even more precise.
Following Karen's instructions, Fabian tried again: "Yugadimurleviosa!"
This time, his feathers successfully floated up, though they swayed violently, they did indeed hover in the air.
"Fantastic, Mr. Brian!" Professor Flitwick clapped. "It seems Mr. Hawthorne has a real talent for teaching. Ravenclaw, two points!"
Ernesto watched this scene with a complex expression. When Karen returned to his side, he asked in a low voice, "How did you notice his problem?"
Karen hesitated for a moment, then answered half-truthfully, "I observed Professor Flitwick's spellcasting movements and the spellcasting processes of other students, and I found that when the pronunciation was accurate, the feathers floated more steadily."
Ernesto's tone rose slightly: "Your observation skills are truly remarkable!"
Karen didn't deny it, but just smiled slightly: "Everyone has their own area of expertise."
These words seemed to resonate with Ernesto. In the following class exercises, he no longer kept his distance but actively helped Wesley and Fabian improve their spells. When Wesley was finally able to hold the feather aloft steadily for ten seconds, Ernesto even patted him on the shoulder to congratulate him.
When the bell rang, most students had made some progress, at least enough to make the feather flutter briefly. Professor Flitwick stood at the door, nodding and smiling at the departing students.
"Mr. Hawthorne, could you stay for a moment?" Professor Flitwick called out to Karen as he passed by.
Karen told his roommates to leave first, and he stayed behind. Only he and Professor Flitwick remained in the classroom.
"professor?"
Professor Flitwick looked up at Cullen, who, despite standing atop the stack of books, only reached her shoulder, his large eyes gleaming with intelligence. "Mr. Hawthorne, your performance is highly unusual. Not only did you successfully cast the Levitation Charm once, but you also accurately pointed out the mistakes of other students… This is not something a freshman fresh from the Muggle world could do."
Karen's heart was racing, but she remained calm. "I've been preparing a lot during the holidays, Professor."
"It seems you have exceptional talent. Even some pure-blood wizards, with proper instruction, don't perform as well as you," Professor Flitwick nodded. "By the way, if you have a particular interest in Charms, you're welcome to come to my office anytime to discuss it. Now, go have lunch; you have a Transfiguration class this afternoon."
Karen said goodbye to the professor and left the classroom. His three roommates were waiting for him in the hallway.
"What does Professor Flitwick want with you?" Wesley asked curiously.
"He was just asking if I had studied magic before," Karen replied casually. "He was a little surprised by my reaction."
"We were all amazed by your performance," Fabian said with a laugh. "You were like a third-grader!"
Ernesto walked last, watching Karen's retreating figure thoughtfully. When Karen turned to look at him, he quickly looked away.
The four walked toward the Great Hall, ready to have lunch. Cullen knew this was only the first day of his long journey at Hogwarts, but it was already going more smoothly than he had expected.
More importantly, he had proven the immense value of his "Eye of Truth" in magical learning. He looked forward to observing Professor McGonagall's magical flow in the afternoon's Transfiguration class, which he knew would be even more intricate and complex.