CHAPTER 17 – Charms and Flying classes
I was already in the Great Hall the next day with the other guys, our next class was charms, and right after that, two whole periods of flying classes, leading to an amazing free end of the day, which I, of course, would pass inside the RoR training.
Yesterday I increased my ML by three, which left me with one more point until my ML reaches 33, transforming my core into a stage two core.
Talking about my core, it was actually really big now, as if I had an enormous crystal inside my heart that was full of gas, I guess it’s getting closer and closer to transforming, which is normal, taking into account I’m just about to get to stage 2, which I will make today for sure, after all, with what happened yesterday… I’m not so sure this will be a really easy year as I first thought…
“Hey! Did you guys hear what happened?”-Jake suddenly came running towards us with a surprised face.
“Mm? Heard what?”-William asked.
“Yeah, man, why are you so excited?”-I asked him while eating an apple.
“So, you haven’t heard…”-He said.
“We’re asking because we didn’t…”-William said.
“He must be referring to that one student that got petrified.”-A new voice talked at our side. It was a girl with raven hair, brown eyes and a really sharp nose.
“Huh? A student got petrified?”-William asked.
“Yes! It happened yesterday! Some Hufflepuff student find him and alerted Professor Snape!”-Jake said.
“Petrified!? As in… Turned to stone?”-Roger asked with a terrified face.
“Precisely.”-The girl once again said. “The student was a Gryffindor from the third year and was turned to stone. It seems it isn’t the first time something weird happened to students in the past years.”
“How do you know, Julie?”-I asked the girl, really curious.
“Because the brother of my friend is in the third year, and he has been telling her about all these accidents that have been happening in the castle, like students getting stuck in portraits last year. I thought it was all just a joke… But with this accident… I don’t think they are jokes anymore… I’m worried that it will be like last time and students are randomly petrified…”-She said with a worried face.
“If that’s true… It means that anyone could get petrified… Even us…?”-William said.
“If my friend’s brother’s right, then… maybe…”-She said.
{Come on! Are you joking with me? This wasn’t in the movies or any kind of Fanfic I’ve read!}-I thought to myself before sighing.
“Why the sigh?”-Jake asked me.
“Really? Are you asking me why? Man… I didn’t think it would be dangerous to come to school, just that.”-I answered him. {I know it will be dangerous… But not right now. I’m only in my first year.}-I thought before biting my apple.
“Don’t worry, I’ve been told that some students that are from the sixth year have stopped these things, though my friend’s brother didn’t know how, it was just something he heard about, still, I think we’ll be fine… Maybe those students will act again?”-Julie said.
“Really?”- William asked. “Not the professors but by students?”
“Isn’t that weird?”-Jake also asked.
“Maybe it’s because students have more free time?”-Roger asked.
“That could be the reason…”
-I nod at him. After all, in the movies, they do seem to have a lot of free time, for three students to move around as they place all the freaking time.“Of course, not only the students. The professors also helped, or so my friend's brother said.”-Julie clarified.
“Oh, right!”-Jake said, right before the bells of the school sounded, alerting everyone that classes were starting soon.
“Let’s go! I don’t want to get late to classes with professor Flitwick!”-Roger shouted.
“Mm? Why?”-William asked. “Isn’t Flitwick our house head? I think that he’s quite a layback, I mean… he’s not Snape, right?”
“Still, we must get there on time, it’s not going to be a pain.”-I shrugged while standing up to go to classes.
We all made our way to class, while Julie went to look for her friend. On the way, we all continued our talk about the petrified student, at least until we were close to getting to our classroom when we started to talk excitedly about our first class.
{Though… I’m already able to use Wingardium Leviosa, and even without a wand… So, this class won’t give me much in terms of ML, though, maybe it will give me points.}-I thought to myself right before entering the classroom of Professor Flitwick.
We all took a seat in the place, and just after I sat, someone unexpectedly sat beside me.
“Good morning.”-Lisandra said after sitting down.
“Hey, good morning, how are you?”-I asked her with a slightly surprised face.
“I’m good, thanks.”-She said. “Hey, about my friend yesterday, I’m sorry for that…”
“Oh, don’t worry, I didn’t take it personally or anything.”-I said with a smile. {It’s not like I have the time to pay attention to whatever an eleven years old little girl with a sick upbringing has to say.}-I thought to myself.
“Great then… Also, I saw that needle you made, it was amazing, really. I barely could make a normal needle.”-She said with an awkward smile.
“Don’t worry, you just have to practice your visualization, that’s the trick to it.”-I smiled at her.
“Good morning! Welcome, welcome to charms’ class! I’m Professor Flitwick, those from Ravenclaw might know of me already as I’m their house head! Huhu.”-Suddenly, the excited voice of Professor Flitwick resounded, and that’s when I saw the small man standing right in front of us, in the podium.
“Today, we’re going to learn about one of the most important magic of all witches and wizards, the levitation charm!”-He said. “Now, everyone, in your desk you’ll find a feather, today, we’re going to make it levitate! But before that, let’s practice the movement of the wand.”
After that he made us practice the movement necessary for the wand to do the spell, while also explaining the charm and what we must say to do the charm and make the feather levitate.
{Haha… It’s Leviosa. Not Leviousa… Oh, man… Poor Hermione…}-I thought to myself with a chuckle while looking at everyone practice their wand’s movement. I, of course, already have it mastered and don’t even need the wand, but was still practicing.
After some minutes of practicing, the professor finally told us to try the spell, which made a lot of the present students start repeating the movement they’ve just learn, while also saying ‘Wingardium Leviosa’ again and again.
“Wingardium Leviosa”-I, on the other hand, chose to do it the traditional way too… After all, I won’t be able to explain how do I know how to make the spell without a chant.
With a flick of my wand, the feather started to levitate, and with the movement of my wand, I made it fly towards the professor’s table.
“Oh? OH! Congratulations! Congratulations! You did it! Mr… Oh! Mr. Taylor! It’s great that someone from my house could be this talented in charms to do it on the first try! 5 points to Ravenclaw!”-The professor said once he saw my feather levitating.
[Congratulations! You’ve completed a hidden quest! You’ve successfully completed your first charms lesson! Even if you already knew the charm, you’ve succeeded in completing the task given to you by Professor Flitwick.]
[30pts have been earned]
{Nice.}-I thought to myself while reading at the message from the system.
“Great, man! Five more points!”-Jake told me.
“Congratulations, Logan.”-Lisandra also said with a smile.
“Thanks, guys…”-I said while scratching the back of my head. {It’s just that I already learned from before…}-I thought, feeling a little bit awkward about it.
After that, I just helped both Jake and Lisandra with their charm, though, in the case of Lisandra, I wasn’t that much needed.
{This girl sure is intelligent and a great witch…}-I thought about how she was the second in both Transfiguration and Charms.
Once the lesson ended, we went yard, where we would have our first flying class with Hufflepuff.
It must be said that I was incredibly excited to finally use a broom to fly, which is one of my biggest dreams since watching the first movie.
Once in the yard, Professor Hooch put us in two rows, each student beside a broom used for training.
“Now. Your first lesson.”-The stern-looking woman started talking. “You’ll raise your broom from the ground, calling it to your hand. For it, you just have to put your hands over the broom, and say ‘up’.”-She demonstrated with her own broom, before telling us to do it ourselves.
With my hand over the broom, I focused all my will on the broom to raise to my hand. And with a strong call, I said ‘up.’, making the broom raise from the ground on the first try.
[Congratulations! You’ve completed a hidden quest! You’ve successfully called a broom to your hand for the first time! While also completing the first task given to you by Madam Hooch on the first try and being the first in your class!]
[45pts have been earned]
{Great! If this keeps going on. I’ll be able to buy everything I want! HAHAHAHA!}-I laugh internally, trying to keep my face from showing any kind of excitement.
After a few minutes, the professor stopped us, at least what seemed half of us could raise the broom from the ground, while only Lisandra, Roger, some girl from Hufflepuff, a guy who I think is pretty much Cedric Diggory if he looks like a younger version of his movie’s actor, and I, made it on the first try.
“Well, now. You’ll learn how to take your first step into the air. But before, I’ll warn you. Do anything I’ve not told you to, and you’ll be out of Hogwarts before you can even say the word Quidditch.”-She warned us.
After that, we had to raise a leg over the broom to mount it. And with a slight kick on the ground, we would start flying our broom.
Surprisingly, this was even easier than raising it from the ground. I thought it would be harder to control, actually. Another surprise is the fact that it isn’t as uncomfortable as it looks in the movie.
{It’s not like sitting over a broom a few meters high in the sky looks like the most comfortable position… Even less when you want to evade any kind of problem in your nether regions…}-I thought to myself.
In the case of the broom, it gave the feeling as if you had a cushion under you, not precisely a broom’s stick, so it was comfy to sit on it.
For the first lesson, we were only taught a few basic movements. How to move forwards, how to stop, and how to fly down to land.
Each step got me just 5 points, including the lift-off, which was kind of depressing as I thought I would be earning at least 15 per one… Still, I understand that it’s only one lesson of flying class, and all points gathered, I got 65 points, which was more than in any other lesson for the moments.
{Now… This gets me curious… Why didn’t I get points during potions classes? System?}-I thought, on my way to the RoR, after the end of classes and lunch.
Just like yesterday, I secretly got some food from the lunch into the inventory, so I wouldn’t need to worry at all during my training session. And at the same time, I excused myself saying I wasn’t feeling so well so I would go to my room.
[It’s because you didn’t successfully complete the task given by your professor.]-It answered.
{But I completed the potion.}
[The completion rate of a task isn’t valued by me, but by your professors. So, unless Snape considers your potion as a success, you won’t receive points in that lesson. Making, and completing, potions out of Snape’s lessons would give you points depending on the success you managed, as I’ll be the one to judge and not that prick of a professor.]-The system answered.
{Oh… That explains some stuff… Also, I didn’t think you could be an ass about someone apart from me.}-I asked.
[I’m an impartial judge. If I deem you an idiot, it’s because you’re one. That’s being truthful, not an ass. And I’m the same with everyone. And Snape matches the word ‘prick’, among others.]-It said.
{Mm… Interesting…}-I thought to myself, finally walking inside the RoR. My goal to end the day was to finally reach ML 33 and get my second-stage core.