Kyle didn't know much about Cho Chang, Cedric's future girlfriend and Harry Potter's "unattainable love," nor had he ever interacted with her. The only thing he knew was that she was from Ravenclaw. But now, he'd added one more detail to the list… she was helpful.
After all, not every Ravenclaw would go out of their way to help someone else. They were more likely to immerse themselves in their own world, thinking about studies or other personal matters. Of course, this didn't mean that Ravenclaws were all cold and distant—just that their personalities varied. If someone asked for help, most Ravenclaws would gladly offer it. In short, they weren't proactive but also didn't refuse when asked.
Cho was chatting with her friends, so Kyle just gave her a quick glance before turning his attention elsewhere.
"It's only the first class, what am I going to do?" Michael was tugging at his hair in frustration. "I can't leave an hour early every time, can I? At this rate, I'm bound to be late sooner or later."
"Don't worry," Kyle patted him on the shoulder in reassurance. "The professors at Hogwarts won't expel you for being late. The worst they'll do is deduct a few points."
"Right," Michael sighed in relief, then looked at Kyle with a curious expression. "What's that you've got there? Show us something good?"
"Something good?" Michael and Ryan leaned in with interest.
Kyle unfolded the map on the desk. "Thanks to Cedric, otherwise you'd both probably be lost for a while."
"This... is this the Hogwarts map?" Mikkel still seemed a bit confused, but Ryan, with a wizard father at home, immediately recognized it.
"Where did you get this? Can I copy it? I promise I'll return it after class."
"Of course," Kyle nodded. "We're roommates after all!" He turned to Michael and asked, "What about you? Want to copy it?"
Mikkel hesitated for a moment, clearly tempted, but then shook his head. As a newcomer to the magical world, he didn't want to waste any opportunities to learn magic, especially not in such an important class as Charms.
"Can I copy it after class?" Michael asked.
"Sure, no problem." Kyle nodded and then lightly tapped his wand on the map. "Geminio, in pairs."
The spell was complete, and in an instant, another identical map appeared on the desk. Kyle picked it up, examined it briefly, and then handed it over to Michael.
"Here you go. The magic should last about a week, so you can copy it whenever you want."
"???" Michael looked confused as he took the map, glancing over at Ryan, who looked just as puzzled. Ryan's face flushed slightly as he stared at the parchment, and he opened his mouth to speak, but just then, a voice rang out from the front of the room.
"Nice use of the duplication charm, five points to Hufflepuff"
Kyle jumped in surprise and quickly looked up, only to find Cho Chang across the room. It took him a second to realize there was someone standing in front of them. The person was rather short, barely taller than the desk, and had been completely blocked from view until now.
"Thank you for the compliment, Professor Flitwick," Kyle said.
Professor Flitwick smiled. "I'm just stating the obvious, Mr. Jobar, is that correct?"
Kyle nodded. "Yes, Professor."
"I'm glad my memory is still good," Professor Flitwick said, then turned to Michael. "May I see that map?"
At first, Mikkel didn't recognize the little wizard standing in front of him, but quickly remembered Kyle's earlier address and handed the map over with both hands.
"Sure… sure, Professor."
"Thank you." Flitwick took the map, gave it a careful inspection, and then handed it back to Michael.
"Oh, the magic is quite stable," Flitwick observed. "If nothing unusual happens, this copy should last until noon eight days from now."
Professor Flitwick winked at Kyle and, with a tone tinged with slight regret, added, "If the exam at the end of the term was on duplication charms, I'd give you an O. But for now, I can only award Hufflepuff five points."
"Professor!" a Ravenclaw girl piped up in confusion. "A duplicated item can't exist permanently?"
"Correct, Miss Mital," Professor Flitwick said. "If duplicates could last forever, there wouldn't be so many scrolls on display at Wizarding World's shops."
"Even Dumbledore couldn't do it?" another student asked.
"Unfortunately, no," Flitwick shook his head. "Even though the Headmaster could probably make a duplicate last for a hundred years or more, it still wouldn't last forever."
"Alright, let's stop discussing the duplication charm for now—this is too early for you," Flitwick said as he turned to face the class. "Now, let's begin the lesson."
He climbed onto the platform, turned to face the students, and announced, "Today, we'll be learning the Lumos Charm. It's one of the most basic charms in magic. The incantation is 'Lumos.' Pay attention…"
Kyle wasn't surprised to be learning the Lumos Charm in his first Charms class. It was one of the simplest and most direct spells in the magical world. There was no need to worry about complicated wand movements; as long as you were a wizard, had a wand, and could speak, you could cast it.
In fact, the Lumos Charm had once been used to distinguish wizards from Muggles, and it was nearly 100% accurate. It could be said that if someone couldn't cast the Lumos Charm, they definitely weren't a wizard.
Because of this, Professor Flitwick just demonstrated the charm once and then let the students practice on their own.
Soon, the classroom was lit up with little sparks of light. Some were bright, some dim, some stable, and some flickering…
Kyle wasn't the first to succeed, but once he did, the light from his wand was stable, like a lamp plugged into an electrical outlet, casting a soft, steady glow around him.
Unfortunately, there were no extra points for this. Many of the Ravenclaw students were able to cast the charm just as well, including seven from their house. As for Hufflepuff… while there weren't many of them, the difference wasn't that significant.
"Don't forget what I said earlier—stay calm," Professor Flitwick's voice rang out sharply. "You need to be at ease, just like when you're holding something. And make sure you say the incantation clearly—don't mispronounce it!"
With his reminder, more students managed to get their wands to glow steadily, like little light bulbs.
Kyle glanced at his two roommates… they were still working on it.
(End of Chapter)