Over the past few days, Ryan had been busy studying various subjects to enhance his abilities.
His biggest breakthrough came when he discovered how to apply the knowledge from the Winter Home Industrial Handbook. This book contained a vast array of information on different materials, and as industrial knowledge, it proved invaluable to his studies in Transfiguration.
It was well known that the three key elements of Transfiguration were magic power, understanding of the spell, and mastery over the properties of different materials. With the extensive material knowledge he gained, Ryan improved significantly in Transfiguration and earned Gryffindor several points in class.
Between school assignments and practicing new techniques from Tim Hortans Grocery Store, Ryan found himself overwhelmed with responsibilities. It wasn't until he sat down to write his weekly letter home that he realized he had already sent nine letters. Time had passed faster than he expected.
One morning, he woke up to the distinct aroma of roasted pumpkin wafting through the castle, a clear sign that Halloween was approaching.
(The troll incident should be happening soon. I need to stay alert in the coming days.) Ryan thought as he headed toward the Charms classroom with his textbook.
Charms Class
Professor Flitwick was in an especially cheerful mood, likely due to the approaching festivities. The entire castle was buzzing with excitement as the holiday spirit took over.
After finishing his lecture, Professor Flitwick announced that they would begin practicing levitation spells. The students had been eagerly awaiting this lesson ever since they saw the professor make Neville's toad fly around the classroom.
The class was divided into pairs for the exercise. Harry was partnered with Seamus Finnigan, while Ron was paired with Hermione Granger.
Ryan frowned slightly as he glanced at Harry. Neville had been hoping for a new partner, which left Ryan stuck with him. And while Ryan liked Neville, he couldn't deny that the boy was accident-prone, making him a difficult partner for spell practice.
Meanwhile, Ron and Hermione still hadn't spoken to each other since the day Harry's broomstick arrived. Previously, they had at least acknowledged each other with a nod, but now they acted as if the other didn't exist. This awkwardness extended to Ryan as well—whenever he and Hermione left the library, running into Harry or Ron made things uncomfortable.
"All right, remember the wrist movement we've been practicing!" Professor Flitwick called from atop his stack of books. "A swish and flick—don't forget! And pronunciation is crucial! You wouldn't want to end up like Wizard Baruffio, who mispronounced a spell and found himself flat on the ground with a bison on his chest."
Ryan pondered this for a moment. Magic can't conjure food, but it can summon bison? Couldn't a wizard summon a bison first and then transfigure it into roast beef? He made a mental note to ask Professor Flitwick about it later.
Ryan had been privately practicing levitation for a while, so when the exercise began, he successfully levitated his feather on the first attempt.
"Oh, excellent work, Mr. Ryan!" Professor Flitwick exclaimed. "That's a perfect Levitation Charm! And since you performed so well during flying lessons last time, I'll award Gryffindor five points."
As the lesson continued, Ryan turned to help Neville. He knew that Neville's magic wasn't actually weak—he just lacked confidence. After several rounds of repetition and observing Ryan's demonstration, Neville finally managed to lift his feather, though it barely hovered above the table.
Most students were still struggling.
Harry and Seamus flicked their wands repeatedly, but their feather refused to budge. Frustrated, Seamus eventually jabbed his wand at the feather, causing it to ignite.
Fortunately, Harry acted quickly to put out the small fire, though the surrounding students had to fan the air to disperse the burnt smell.
Ron wasn't faring much better.
"Wingardium Leviosa!" he shouted, waving his long arms wildly like a windmill.
"You're saying it wrong," Hermione corrected. "It's Win-gar-dium Levi-O-sa, with a long and clear 'gar.'"
Hermione had asked Ryan to practice the spell with her before class, so she had already mastered it.
"Since you're so clever, why don't you do it?" Ron snapped.
Without hesitation, Hermione rolled up her sleeves, gave her wand a precise wave, and confidently said, "Wingardium Leviosa!"
Her feather immediately floated four feet into the air.
"Oh, excellent!" Professor Flitwick clapped his hands. "Look, everyone! Miss Granger has done it! See? The spell isn't as difficult as it seems if you focus properly."
An Unintentional Insult
After class, Ryan approached Professor Flitwick with his question about the bison.
Professor Flitwick chuckled. "Wizard Baruffio didn't create a bison from thin air. He accidentally summoned one from somewhere else. Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration states that food cannot be conjured out of nothing, but it can be summoned from existing sources."
Ryan thanked him for the clarification before heading out.
The corridor was packed with students moving slowly in a bottlenecked crowd. Amid the noise, Ryan suddenly caught Ron's voice ahead of him.
"No wonder nobody likes her. To be honest, she's a total nightmare."
As soon as Ron spoke, Ryan noticed a bushy-haired girl walking past them, head lowered. She accidentally bumped into Harry as she passed.
It was Hermione. And she was crying.
Ryan squeezed through the crowd and caught up to Ron and Harry.
"She probably realized she doesn't have any friends," Ron muttered. "Except for Ryan, since they're from the same place."
Ryan frowned, shaking his head. He then clapped Ron and Harry on the shoulders.
Ron flinched. "Merlin, you scared me! Where did you even come from?"
"I just happened to hear you badmouthing a classmate," Ryan said seriously. "That's not exactly gentlemanly behavior."
Harry looked guilty, lowering his head, but Ron scoffed. "What's this 'gentleman' stuff?"
Ryan realized that, in the wizarding world, where magic equalized physical differences between men and women, traditional British customs like chivalry and gentlemanly conduct weren't as emphasized.
"Well," Ryan explained, "talking behind someone's back is just wrong. I think you should apologize to Hermione."
Harry nodded. Ron, though reluctant, muttered, "Fine, I'll apologize—but only because you said so. Honestly, I don't know how you put up with someone like her."
Ryan sighed, but let it go. Together, the three of them headed off to their next class.
FOR MORE CHAPTERS
patreon.com/STEPHENHART427