[VOTE STONES PLZ]
The next Charms class was quite different. The professor teaching Charms was a wizard of unusually short stature, Professor Flitwick, who also happened to be the head of Ravenclaw House. Rumor had it that he had some fairy ancestry. Despite his small size, he was a highly skilled wizard and had even won a dueling championship in his youth. To reach the lectern, he had to stand on a pile of books.
This professor was quite interesting. Despite being the head of Ravenclaw House, he had a particular fascination with Harry Potter from Gryffindor. Just like Severus Snape, at the beginning of each class, he would take out the class roster and call out names. When he reached Harry's name, he even screamed in excitement, tumbled off his pile of books, and disappeared behind his desk.
In the first Charms class, Professor Flitwick didn't teach any particularly difficult spells. Instead, he started by demonstrating a few charms to showcase his own proficiency in Charms.
"Come on, everyone, watch this!" Professor Flitwick took out his wand and tapped the textbooks of two students sitting in the front row. The textbooks came to life, stood upright, and started dancing together. Then, he walked down the aisle.
"What's your name? Sophie Roper? Excellent!" He pointed his wand at Sophie's quill, and the quill stood up and started writing her name on a piece of parchment.
He repeated this process, making several students' quills perform the same action.
Walking over to Tom, he said, "Tom Riddle, right?" He attempted the same spell on Tom's quill, but to his surprise, Tom's quill showed no reaction. It lay quietly in his quill holder, behaving like a normal quill.
A hint of surprise crossed Professor Flitwick's face. "Oh? A magic-resistant quill? That's interesting! This quill is quite special; make sure to take good care of it."
With that, Professor Flitwick moved on. The quill's resistance to magic didn't draw too much of his attention, as there were countless magical objects with such properties. In fact, he had several similar quills himself.
He walked around the classroom, successfully capturing the students' attention. Then, he returned to the lectern.
"All right, children, let's begin today's lesson. As you know, the existence of charms is to make the lives of wizards easier and to facilitate spellcasting. In ancient Europe, wizards did not have spells as we do today. They discovered the mysteries of magic through symbols like the runic alphabet. Magic was still in its infancy back then, and even the study of wands had not yet become systematic..."
Professor Flitwick provided a brief history of magic to his students.
"So, Professor, were wizards in ancient times much weaker compared to modern wizards?"
Someone raised this question.
"Overall, they were not as powerful as modern wizards. Modern wizards can perform more complex magic more easily due to the structured spells and the assistance of well-crafted wands. This diminishes the influence of innate talent in learning magic. I can say with certainty that half of you would not have been able to become wizards in ancient times. However, the power of ancient wizards was highly polarized. For example, one of the founders of Hogwarts, Lady Rowena Ravenclaw, cast charms on the moving staircases, and they have remained functional for centuries without any change. Such power is beyond our imagination," Professor Flitwick explained.
The development of magic was similar to the way Muggles used fire. It started with lucky individuals who discovered the pleasant taste of cooked animals after a lightning strike and evolved into the use of flint and tinder. With technological progress, modern Muggles can easily ignite flames with matches or lighters. If someone who can use matches to start a fire were given flint and tinder, they would still be able to light a fire.
Magic followed a similar progression. Initially, only a select few had access to it. Then came the discovery of symbols like the runic alphabet, allowing some to harness its power. Modern wizards, with structured spells and well-crafted wands, could easily perform more complex magic.
"All right, enough chit-chat. Today, we will learn the Fire-Making Charm. Tom, do you happen to know the incantation for the Fire-Making Charm?" Professor Flitwick looked down at his students.
"Incendio," Tom stood up and confidently answered the question.
"Correct!" Professor Flitwick gave Tom an approving look.
[Successfully answered Professor Flitwick's question. Gained 10 Magic Stones.]
Tom's eyes lit up: Wow! Answering questions can earn me Magic Stones? Until now, he had only earned Magic Stones through daily tasks and achievements. Daily tasks were straightforward, like helping a roommate deliver a pumpkin juice, taking a thorough bath, or eating three steak dinners. Unfortunately, there were only four such tasks per day. Achievements were somewhat unpredictable, and Tom found it difficult to determine which actions would qualify as achievements.
Now, he had discovered a new way to earn Magic Stones!
However, there was one person who blocked Tom's path to earning Magic Stones in this manner, and that person was Hermione. In the subsequent questions, she managed to answer them before Tom.
Ugh, very annoying!
Hermione's actions caused Tom quite a headache. He decided to employ some unorthodox methods.
"...That's it for the essentials of the Fire-Making Charm. You've all taken notes, I hope?" Professor Flitwick seemed very satisfied as he concluded the lesson. From his perspective, the students were highly motivated to learn, especially Hermione Granger and Tom Riddle, who kept competing to answer questions. Tom, when he failed to answer, looked as if he was about to cry. What an eager learner! Moreover, both of them were Ravenclaw students.
Of course, the Gryffindor students who attended classes with the Ravenclaws were dumbfounded. They couldn't believe that there were people in the world who willingly answered questions in class.
Ron gave Harry a meaningful look: "I knew that witch wasn't a good one! Fortunately, she didn't come to Gryffindor."
Seeing that the students had recorded the essentials of the Fire-Making Charm, Professor Flitwick nodded and said, "Now, for those who are willing, you may come up and demonstrate. I can help you correct any mistakes..."
Hermione stood up, wanting to go to the front to showcase her progress—she was confident in casting the spell. But as she was about to step forward, her vision suddenly darkened, and someone had already stood up in front of her.
"Professor, allow me." Tom took a few steps and blocked Hermione's path.
Seeing two students stand up at the same time, Professor Flitwick smiled. "No need to rush; one at a time, please. Who's next?"
"All right!" Tom nodded. He had successfully positioned himself in front, blocking Hermione's way. Now, he would definitely be the first to cast the Fire-Making Charm!
(End of this chapter)