When Hermione walked into the classroom for the next Charms lesson, her mouth dropped open in surprise. The room had been transformed to look more like a gallery of magical art than a regular classroom for simple spellcasting. All the desks had been neatly pushed to the sides, freeing up the center for the display of magical creations.
Harry, Ron, and most of the other students were just as amazed as Hermione. Pleased with their reaction, Flitwick began the lesson:
"You're probably wondering why our classroom looks more like a museum or art gallery today," his eyes scanned the students' faces, many of whom nodded. "Well, today's lesson is going to be different. We're going to try our hand at magical art. Just to clarify, these wonderful pieces you see here weren't made by me. They've been reproduced using a Magnificon—these are copies of famous masterpieces stored in magical records," he said, pointing to a small device in the center of the room. "Sadly, my own skills in magical art aren't quite up to par," he finished with a light sigh.
With that, Flitwick began enthusiastically demonstrating and explaining the simplest techniques for working with illusions. Hermione watched in awe as his wand movements created figures and flashes of different colors in the air. She had always been fascinated by the world of magical art, but until now, she hadn't had the chance to explore it. Watching Flitwick, she fully immersed herself in learning this art, imagining the day she might become a master whose magical creations would amaze everyone in Diagon Alley...
"As you can see," the professor was saying, "I can create simple shapes pretty well. But that doesn't take much skill. To create truly outstanding pieces of magical art, just knowing the spells isn't enough. You also need a rich imagination."
"How so?" Hermione asked, surprised. "If I replicate all the spells exactly, isn't that enough?"
"I'm afraid not, Miss Granger," Flitwick replied. "For example, I know the technique for the spells, but my imagination lets me down."
Saying this, the professor tried to demonstrate his abilities to the students. In the air appeared something awkward and blurry: two irregular shapes continuously merging into each other. Flitwick quickly waved his wand to dispel the result.
"Even worse than I expected..." he said, disappointed. "It was supposed to be... Well, never mind. So, for masterpieces, you need imagination, but simple, non-moving shapes are pretty easy to reproduce."
The professor waved his wand again, and an ordinary gray cube shimmered in the air.
"Thanks to the Magnificon, we don't even need much practice to create illusions," he continued. "You just need to focus and say the spell, and the device will do the rest. Who wants to try?"
Hermione immediately raised her hand, and the professor gladly invited her.
"Please, Miss Granger. As I mentioned, creating simple shapes is no trouble. Focus on imagining something simple, like a cube, and say the spell."
Hermione pictured a cube in her mind and waved her wand. A turquoise cube with sharp edges immediately appeared in the air.
"Excellent, Miss Granger," Flitwick approved. "Very precise cube, that's definitely a good sign! You have quite good..." He suddenly stopped.
The outline of the cube started to warp, and within seconds, it had turned into an amulet—the Sky Vortex—that closely resembled the original.
"What is this, Miss Granger?" Professor Flitwick asked, slightly puzzled, his eyes narrowing as he tried to figure it out. "It looks like some kind of..."
Hermione quickly waved her wand to dispel the illusion and hurried back to her seat. Her heart was pounding—she had just revealed her deepest secret to the whole class. Her forehead was covered in sweat.
Flitwick was still watching her thoughtfully when Ron's loud voice suddenly broke the silence.
"Professor, can I try?"
"Yes..." the professor turned his gaze to him. "Of course, Mr. Weasley."
Ron, adjusting his robe, walked to the center of the class.
"So, I just need to picture a cube and wave my wand, right?" he asked loudly.
All eyes turned to him.
"Exactly, Mr. Weasley."
Ron waved his wand, and what appeared was... not a cube at all, but a blurry plate with various food on it. The class burst into laughter, and Harry turned to the teacher.
"Professor! Ron can't think of a cube before lunch—it's too difficult."
Ron mumbled something under his breath, embarrassed, and hurried back to his seat. Hermione was infinitely grateful to him for diverting the class's attention from her. She quietly hoped that the incident with the amulet would soon be forgotten and that she could keep her secret safe.
Next, Harry volunteered, and everyone watched his attempt to create an illusion. At that moment, Hermione cautiously looked around and suddenly locked eyes with Miranda. The Ravenclaw was looking at Hermione with concern but quickly looked away as soon as their eyes met. It was clear the amulet had drawn unwanted attention. Hermione's heart tightened with fear again, and she desperately searched for a way out while the other students took turns trying to create their illusions.
One by one, the students stepped to the center of the class. Some managed to create convincing illusions, while others produced strange and unrecognizable shapes. Hermione, lost in her worried thoughts, only occasionally glanced at what was happening, unable to fully concentrate on the lesson.
Finally, it was Miranda's turn. With a light and confident wave of her wand, she conjured an illusion that was stunning in its detail and beauty—a whole bouquet of living flowers swaying in an imaginary breeze. Professor Flitwick couldn't hide his delight, exclaiming in surprise and admiration as the illusion bloomed before the entire class. Applause and admiring remarks immediately followed, not only from Miranda's Ravenclaw classmates but also from many Gryffindors who, despite the house rivalry, appreciated her skill.
On any other day, Hermione might have felt envious of such widespread recognition and attention, but today her own worries drowned out everything else.
At the end of the lesson, Professor Flitwick asked Miranda to help him demonstrate another experiment.
"Miranda, please join me," he said. The class fell silent in anticipation. The Ravenclaw student walked up to the professor. "Please create one of your beautiful creations."
She cast her spell, and a delicate figure emitting a soft light appeared in the air. But before it fully formed, Professor Flitwick added his own spell. A colorful ribbon appeared around Miranda's figure, and then the images began to merge, creating a complex, multifaceted illusion. Light streams intertwined, but instead of blending harmoniously, the illusion flickered and distorted.
"As usual, my attempt didn't turn out very well," Professor Flitwick said with a smile, dispelling the wavering image with a wave of his wand. "I'm not much of an artist," he added, sounding a bit disappointed to Hermione. "But I wanted to show you that sometimes it's important to work together with another wizard to achieve your goal. So, this time I want to assign you paired homework."
He glanced around the class and paused for a moment on Hermione before continuing:
"Miranda, Hermione, you both have shown yourselves to be very capable students, and I'd like you to complete the next homework assignment as a pair. Try to create the most beautiful illusion you can, combining your skills and ideas. This time, you need to collaborate, not compete."
The class grew quiet. Everyone looked at the two students with interest. Hermione glanced at Miranda, feeling unsure, but Miranda gave her a friendly nod and said:
"Of course, Professor, we'll do our best."
***
Hermione and Miranda agreed to meet the next day to start working on their project together. On the way to the Gryffindor common room, Hermione shared her concerns with her friends:
"I don't understand why Flitwick is making me do a project with Miranda," she said, a bit irritated. "No, don't get me wrong, I have nothing against her. She's a talented witch, but we've always competed in class, and our styles are pretty different! It would be so much easier to work with someone from Gryffindor. We could discuss the project in our common room and experiment there too..."
"Yeah, maybe," Harry shrugged. All the other students got to choose their partners, so he ended up with Ron. "But she seems pretty friendly. Remember, she even offered to help you."
"I don't need her help!" Hermione snapped. "Who does she think she is, acting all generous like some kind of 'princess'!" Hermione recalled how many Ravenclaws called Miranda that. "And we've never had to do a project with someone from another house before."
"Maybe Flitwick thinks it's important for you two to learn to work together?" Ron suggested.
"Important? It's impossible, Ron!" Hermione interrupted. "Miranda always takes charge of her projects, and so do I. How can we combine our ideas when we're both used to doing everything our own way?"
"That could be tricky..." Ron admitted and winked at Harry, who smiled back.
Seeing this, Hermione flared up, "You think I can't work in a team? We do just fine with our homework!"
"Yeah, you tell us what to do, and we do it..." Harry smirked.
Hermione huffed and walked ahead. 'Instead of supporting me, they just irritate me more...' she thought, but the farther she walked, the more she realized Ron was right. When it came to schoolwork, she didn't give them any freedom, being much more demanding than some of the teachers. 'Well, so what? Thanks to me, their grades have improved a lot!' she reassured herself.
Hermione spent the entire evening in the library, searching for different spells and techniques for creating illusions. Her goal was to develop such a detailed action plan and pick such spells that Miranda would have no doubt about Hermione's project being superior. Occasionally, she looked around to make sure her rival-partner wasn't preparing just as seriously. But Miranda was nowhere to be seen, and convinced she was much better prepared for their meeting the next day, Hermione went to bed satisfied.
The next day, Hermione arrived at the meeting with Miranda armed with a mountain of books. Each one was filled with bookmarks and margin notes. Unlike her, Miranda brought only a small notebook filled with sketches. Despite their simplicity, the sketches impressed Hermione with their originality.
Hermione immediately suggested following the plan she had made the night before. Spreading out her notes on the table, she began explaining her concept to Miranda in detail. However, she soon noticed that Miranda wasn't particularly interested in the details.
"What's the matter?" Hermione asked challengingly. "Do you think my plan isn't good enough?"
"Oh no, not at all," Miranda quickly replied. "I just think that in art, it's not so important to stick strictly to a plan. The key is creativity and improvisation. Let's start with a small figure and see where it takes us..."
"It's impossible to create something worthwhile without preparation," Hermione insisted.
"Sometimes it's better to let your imagination run wild..."
Hermione sighed, feeling her irritation grow. She couldn't understand how Miranda could take such a casual approach to the assignment. From Hermione's perspective, every detail was important, every step carefully thought out.
The discussion continued the same way throughout the whole meeting, with each of them stubbornly defending their point of view. Probably only because of Miranda's calmness and composure, the conversation didn't turn into an outright argument. Eventually, Miranda suggested:
"Maybe we should each try to create something on our own and compare the results tomorrow?"
Though clearly frustrated, Hermione agreed.
"Fine, let's do that."
Gathering her books, she headed to the Gryffindor common room, where she spent the entire evening trying to create a successful illusion while complaining to Harry and Ron about 'stubborn Miranda who doesn't understand how to do serious work properly.'
The next day, Hermione and Miranda met again, each with their results. Hermione had to admit that Miranda's illusions were truly impressive in their beauty and elegance. However, they had one big flaw—they quickly blurred while Miranda worked on other parts. Her work radiated creative freedom and ease, but she couldn't bring more complex ideas to life.
On the other hand, Hermione's results were precise and orderly. While her figures lacked grace and appeal, they stayed in place and didn't disappear when new elements were added.
However, without the help of the Magnificon, Hermione's spells worked only intermittently, if at all. The influence of the amulet became increasingly evident. Just as Hermione realized this, her created figures began to change shape. She understood that in another second, the image of the amulet would appear again. Embarrassed, she quickly dispelled the illusion.
Miranda looked at her closely. Hermione turned away but then, feeling her anger rise, met Miranda's gaze defiantly. However, Miranda wasn't fazed at all and gently said:
"Hermione, I can see something is going on with you, and it seems to be related to that thing that appeared in Flitwick's class and almost appeared now. If you want, I'd be happy to talk about it and help in any way I can. If not, I understand that too. You don't need to be afraid—I won't tell anyone about what I see here."
Ready for a fight, Hermione exhaled and, with a grateful look at Miranda, said, "Thanks, but as I said, it's personal."
Nodding in understanding, Miranda immediately changed the subject, never mentioning the strange illusion again.
"I think I understand why Flitwick wanted us to work together," she said. "Each of us has our strengths, but we also have weaknesses. Maybe if we combine our efforts, we can create something really interesting."
Hermione reluctantly admitted that her partner was probably right.
"Take a look at these sketches," Miranda opened her notebook, pointing to lines and shapes that, according to her, could become anything. "There's no clear plan here, but there's room for imagination."
"But how are you going to create something specific if you don't even know what it will be?" Hermione asked, still skeptical.
"You need to trust your instincts a bit," Miranda smiled. "Yes, it's risky. But sometimes the best ideas come from chaos. Haven't you ever had to deviate from strict rules?"
Hermione, ready to argue, remembered her recent adventures with Harry and Ron and reluctantly nodded.
"Okay," she said, deciding to give Miranda's idea a chance. "Let's try to combine our approaches. But how do we proceed?"
"Let's start with the basic structure of your project and try to bring it to life using my sketches," Miranda suggested.
The two girls sat down at the table. Hermione began explaining the main concept of her project while Miranda started sketching, letting the lines flow freely and unpredictably.
After a while, Hermione saw their work starting to take shape. Miranda added elements Hermione would never have thought of, and it really worked.
"See," Miranda said, noticing the surprise on Hermione's face. "Sometimes you just have to let the ideas guide you."
Hermione watched the project, which was starting to fill with color and life, and realized that working together had accomplished much more than she could have done alone. Maybe the true magic of creativity lay in combining their approaches.
They continued working on the project for several more evenings, but now, after reaching an agreement, it progressed quickly and successfully. Hermione handled the overall structure of the illusion, while Miranda filled it with content. This division of duties had another advantage: Miranda's imagination didn't conjure any amulets, and Hermione gradually stopped worrying about it appearing during their class presentation.
While working together, their conversations touched on more than just the project. Hermione learned a lot about the wizarding world that wasn't in books. In turn, Miranda showed great interest in Muggles, their customs, and their problems. What started as a difficult task turned into an enjoyable time.
Harry and Ron also noticed that Hermione stopped complaining about Miranda and even started speaking with admiration about her ideas and achievements. By the end of their collaboration, Hermione was surprised to realize she had made a new friend with whom she could talk about almost anything.
When it came time to present their homework, Hermione and Miranda's work was undoubtedly the best in the class. Professor Flitwick, upon seeing their creation, proudly declared:
"Excellent! You've outdone yourselves. And you've shown how important it is to work together, combining your strengths and talents!"
Thanks to this project, the rivalry between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw in Charms class ended, and a new friendship between Hermione and Miranda began, continuing even after the project was finished.