Chapter 19: Charms Class
"Thank you, Lady Helena," Sean said with sincere gratitude.
The other first-years, who hadn't understood what had just happened, saw the ghost drift away and the staircase lock into place. Like a tide surging forward, they rushed up the steps.
"Sean, how did you do that?" Michael's voice cut through the excited chatter, and both Anthony and Terry leaned in to listen.
"Hogwarts was founded in the tenth century," Sean began to explain. "The Grand Staircase was designed by Lady Rowena Ravenclaw…"
He didn't need to say another word. The other three understood immediately.
In the midst of their panic, who would have thought of that? More importantly, who would have thought to ask a ghost for help? Michael had assumed the prefect's story was just a bit of fun.
"But how did you know she could actually influence the staircase?" Michael whispered.
"I didn't," Sean replied. "But trying was better than doing nothing."
They made it to the Charms classroom just as the bell began to ring, and the red-faced students scrambled to their seats.
The classroom was arranged in a unique way, with a central aisle and four tiered rows of connected desks on either side. Sean found the nearest empty seat, which happened to be next to Hermione, who already had her head buried in a book. The seats around her were empty until Sean sat down, followed quickly by Michael, Terry, and Anthony.
"You were almost late," a muffled voice came from within the pages of Hermione's book.
Sean simply nodded, his attention fixed on a large stack of books at the front of the classroom.
Their Charms Master was an incredibly short wizard named Professor Flitwick. He popped up from behind the front row of desks, immediately capturing the attention of every student in the room. They all stared in fascination at the diminutive professor, who was barely a metre tall, with a great shock of fluffy white hair and a matching beard.
He turned and, step by step, began to climb the stack of books until he was perched on the very top, causing several jaws to drop. Once he was settled, a wave of giggles spread through the classroom.
"Alright, alright, a little laughter never hurt anyone, did it?" Professor Flitwick said, his voice cheerful and squeaky. He adjusted his bowtie, completely unbothered. "Charms are a fundamental skill for every witch and wizard. If a wizard can't perform Charms, what right do they have to call themselves a wizard at all?"
As he spoke, he gave his wand a little wave. Without a single word, a book levitated from the desk. It danced in the air, following the motions of his wand, swelling to the size of a desk one moment and shrinking to the size of a thumbnail the next. With another flick, it duplicated into dozens of copies, which then transformed into a menagerie of tiny, scurrying animals.
Hermione watched in fascination as a little parchment rabbit hopped onto her desk. With a final BANG, the animals all burst into a shower of colourful confetti.
"Brilliant!"
"Wow!"
The students erupted in excited cheers. Professor Flitwick beamed.
The class began in this atmosphere of wonder and excitement. Just as Sean remembered, Professor Flitwick explained the theory of Charms with a simple clarity that made it easy to understand. Then, he moved on to their first spell: the Wand-Lighting Charm.
"The key to a successful Lumos is in the snap of the wrist," his voice echoed. "That final, sharp movement must be decisive…"
The students began to practice with gusto, and most of them succeeded within a few tries.
[You have practiced the Wand-Lighting Charm once to the Novice standard. Proficiency +3]
[You have practiced the Wand-Lighting Charm once to the Novice standard. Proficiency +3]
Sean's wand tip began to glow intermittently.
"I did it!" Michael exclaimed after his third try, his wand tip flaring to life. He turned excitedly and saw that Terry's wand was also lit. Anthony, who had clearly practiced before, had succeeded on his very first attempt.
"Alright, then," Michael muttered, turning to his other side. "Sean?"
[You have practiced the Wand-Lighting Charm once to the Novice standard. Proficiency +3]
"Sean?"
[You have practiced the Wand-Lighting Charm once to the Adept standard. Proficiency +10]
"Hmm? Sean, can't you hear me?" Michael asked, leaning closer.
But Sean's mind was filled with only one voice—Professor Flitwick's.
"If you are still unable to produce a light, you must try another method. Imagine yourself in total darkness. You long for the light. Oh, how you long for it…"
"Longing…" Sean murmured. He remembered the nights in the orphanage, the power cut off early, not even a candle to break the oppressive dark. He remembered the sound of the wind and snow beating against the drafty windows, the fear of escaped convicts on the loose in London. He hadn't been afraid, but the desperate, aching desire for light had been a constant companion.
"I have a wand now," Sean whispered. "Lumos!"
[You have practiced the Wand-Lighting Charm once to the Master standard. Proficiency +300]
"Merlin's beard! Everyone, look at Mr. Green!" Professor Flitwick cried, scrambling down from his pile of books in excitement.
The entire classroom was bathed in a soft, brilliant glow. The students held their breath, staring at the sphere of light, easily ten times larger than anyone else's, and at the small wizard holding the wand, his hair shining silver in its radiance.
"A perfect Wand-Lighting Charm! Ten points to Ravenclaw!" Professor Flitwick squeaked with delight.
"Sean! Sean, how did you do that? You have to teach me. I really want to learn how to do that," Michael chattered in his ear all the way to the Great Hall.
"It's emotion," Sean said seriously. "A wizard's magic is an inherent force. Its strength is often tied to the wizard's emotional state or mental power."
"Emotion?" Michael repeated. Behind him, Anthony, Terry, and Hermione, who had all been shamelessly eavesdropping, looked thoughtful.
In the moment they were all lost in thought, Sean had already turned the corner into the Great Hall.
Like a heat-seeking missile, Justin immediately appeared and sat down beside him. He always managed to find Sean.
Sean was curiously prodding a steak and kidney pudding, wondering what state of mind had possessed British wizards to invent such a dish. As he ate, he mulled over what he had learned.
Magical Theory repeatedly emphasized the importance of mental power and emotion. Phrases like, "To truly unleash the full potential of any magic, one must also possess sufficient mental fortitude," appeared again and again.
Mental power, Sean theorized, was a composite of a wizard's willpower and their emotional state. Willpower was straightforward enough. But emotion… that was the key.
The influence of emotion on magic was significant; it was the most esoteric and powerful aspect of the art. A grieving Molly Weasley, enraged by Bellatrix's taunts about Fred's death, had screamed, "YOU—WILL—NEVER—TOUCH—MY—CHILDREN—AGAIN!" and defeated the powerful dark witch with a flurry of non-verbal spells. Harry, desperate to save his godfather's life on the shores of the Black Lake, had shouted, "EXPECTO PATRONUM!" and produced a corporeal Patronus powerful enough to drive off a hundred Dementors.
These examples proved it. Emotion was a force of incredible power in magic.
If the emotion for the Wand-Lighting Charm is 'longing,' he wondered, then what is it for the Scouring Charm?
Lost in thought, he finished his meal, automatically said goodbye to Justin, and headed for the greenhouses. He was halfway down the corridor before he paused and looked back.
Wait a minute. Justin?